"Send men to three different people and tell them to gather here."
Inside the royal palace, Alucard stood by a window, gazing out at the scenery of Dressrosa. It was a poor, even somewhat backward, country.
King Riku's lips twitched as he spoke. "If it's just sending a message, I can certainly send men. But... who are these three people?"
"Whitebeard, Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin," Alucard said, his voice flat, as if he were talking about a random passerby.
The three Boa sisters had spent some time with Alucard and had somewhat anticipated this, but hearing him say those three names still made their hearts pound.
If it was a shock to even Hancock, it was a whole new level for King Riku and the others.
When they heard the names, their jaws dropped. They were utterly speechless. Only the ten-year-old Viola, who didn't yet understand the full weight of those names, tugged on her sister Scarlett's sleeve and asked in a soft, childish voice, "Onee-chan, is 'Beard' a person's name, too?"
"Whitebeard" is his nickname, of course, but people almost always call him "Whitebeard" instead of Edward Newgate, which caused Viola's confusion.
Alucard turned and, in a rare moment, explained himself to strangers. "I only have these three amateurs under my command right now. It's not appropriate to send them. I need people to deliver the messages for me, and for a meeting, I naturally need land. This place will serve the purpose."
King Riku opened his mouth several times, but he couldn't find the words. He didn't know what to say.
But then, his eldest daughter, Scarlett, stepped forward with a touch of bravery. "Why choose Dressrosa? We haven't had a war here for hundreds of years! If you call those three pirates here, you'll paint our fields red with blood!"
Alucard watched Scarlett for a few seconds before answering casually, "Because Dressrosa was the closest place when I had the idea."
Scarlett was left speechless by this response. What could she even say to that?
After a moment of thought, King Riku finally made a decision. "Just… just sending a message is fine."
However, the thought of those three terrifying pirates made King Riku grit his teeth again. "But the soldiers of this country are just trained regular people. How could they possibly meet such important figures?"
"That's not my concern," Alucard said.
He turned to look out the window again. "They're all people who won't listen, I know that. But this is the most convenient method I've come up with. If I were to go find each of them myself, I'd have to travel all over the New World, and that's a waste of time."
"I don't know where their bases are, but two months is enough time to travel there and back to deliver the messages. Whether they accept is their own business."
After speaking, Alucard walked toward the palace exit, his back to the Riku family. "It doesn't matter if you don't comply with my conditions, or if you call the Marines or ask other countries for help. Do whatever you want. I will be staying in this country for now. You're free to try and kill me if you wish."
"Wait, wait, Master!"
Seeing Alucard about to leave, the three Boa sisters finally came to their senses and hurried to catch up.
A while later, Kyros stepped forward and said, "King Riku, let's ask the Marines for help!"
Kyros continued, "Even though our poor little country isn't a member of the World Government, if we say pirates have invaded, and especially pirates like them, the Marines will not stand by. They will send reinforcements immediately."
"No, Kyros! You don't understand that man."
King Riku sharply rejected Kyros's suggestion. He couldn't help but feel a chill remembering the reports he'd read in newspapers and heard from other countries about Alucard's involvement in wars.
According to reports, Alucard had intervened in large-scale battles in over ten countries, and four of them had been forced to end the war because of him.
If Dressrosa hadn't been a peaceful country since the Riku family took over, he would have believed his nation was already Alucard's next target.
Even if they called the Marines, Alucard said he would be staying here for a while. So wouldn't the final battlefield and the affected area still be Dressrosa?
"So… so are we really going to help him send the messages?" Kyros asked, unable to believe it.
Who were the people Alucard wanted him to send messages to? Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and Edward Newgate.
Could they really deliver messages to them?
Anyone who read the papers knew that Alucard was practically a mortal enemy of two of them, aside from Charlotte Linlin, whom he had never directly confronted. Were they supposed to go under his banner, or Dressrosa's?
King Riku closed his eyes and pondered for a long time.
First, they couldn't provoke Alucard, or he might cause even more trouble.
Second, the Marines were an absolute must. Without them, even if they escaped Alucard's clutches, it would be difficult to explain the situation to the government. But they would also have to ask the Marines not to mobilize immediately and to wait and see what happens.
At the very least, Fleet Admiral Kong had a good reputation, and King Riku thought he would listen to a request from a king.
As for the last and most critical point, sending the messages—this was what King Riku pondered for nearly half an hour. Two months was a generous amount of time, so he could just pretend to send a team out to deliver the letters. That might work.
But could he fool Alucard?
And what would happen if he couldn't?
The thought of the news reports about Alucard gave King Riku goosebumps. He finally gritted his teeth and made his decision. "Send them!"
After a moment of silence, Kyros said, "We will follow your decision, King Riku. In that case... we'll have to split up into three groups."
King Riku looked at Kyros with weary eyes. "I'll leave it to you, Kyros. I'll handle the Marines."
Meanwhile, Scarlett's eyes shifted, as if she had another idea.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanFiction [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are over 100 advance chapters available for you!