"This is the first time I've seen a country surrender before the fighting has even begun."
Inside the reception hall of the Laguna Kingdom's royal palace, Alucard sat opposite King Gyneas, finally understanding the entire situation. Even for Alucard, this was a first.
Kings are creatures of high self-regard and don't easily bow down.
As the saying goes, they won't learn until reality smacks them.
Alucard couldn't remember how many countries he had destroyed or how many wars he had been involved in, but not one of those kings would ever give up until the last man was killed.
This was the first time he had ever encountered a king like Gyneas, who was so eager to tear the sails off his warships to use them as a white flag of surrender as soon as Alucard came ashore.
Seeing Alucard remain silent, Gyneas spoke up, "We're just choosing to survive. Alucard, just name your price. Whatever you want, as long as I can provide it, I won't hesitate."
"What if I want your throne?" Alucard asked, half-jokingly.
"..."
Gyneas froze for a few seconds. When he saw the amusement in Alucard's eyes, he realized he was being toyed with. A surge of anger rose within him, but out of fear of Alucard's strength, he had no choice but to swallow his pride.
"I only want people. Human lives. Can you give me those?" Alucard stated his primary goal.
If Gyneas couldn't give him a satisfactory answer, he would return to the Laguna military fortress and use the nearly ten thousand soldiers to fill the River of Death.
At that moment, the old man standing next to King Gyneas who had suggested surrendering to Alucard, Galbadia, whispered something in the king's ear. After listening, Gyneas stood up and said to Alucard, "My apologies, I have a small matter to attend to. My minister and I will discuss it and be right back."
Alucard merely nodded, and Gyneas and Galbadia walked out of the reception hall together.
Alucard suddenly found this scene very familiar. He felt like he had seen it before, a few years ago. After that, what happened? He couldn't remember clearly, but in any case, it hadn't cost him his life.
Outside the palace, after Galbadia had finished explaining his suggestion, Gyneas was drenched in a cold sweat, his voice trembling. "You, you know that what you're proposing is practically an act of treason?"
Galbadia was a senior minister of Laguna, even older than the king himself. Otherwise, if anyone else had said what he just did, Gyneas would have had them executed on the spot.
"We are not a World Government affiliated country. Even if we were to seek assistance from the Marines, like Dressrosa did, there's no guarantee they could even get here. And if they did, it would take who knows how many days. Can we really expect Alucard to stay put here for several days?"
Galbadia continued, "Your Majesty, you must have seen this morning's newspaper. Rather than being destroyed and then occupied, we might as well take the initiative."
Gyneas was internally conflicted, and with great difficulty, he said, "What if the World Government pursues this matter later?"
"That would depend on the situation. In a worst-case scenario, we could blame it on Alucard. Of course, that would be a last resort. Otherwise, it would surely bring his furious retaliation."
Gyneas bit his lip, and after a long moment, he nodded. "Let's do it."
After they finished their discussion, the two returned to the reception hall.
"I wonder if you've had a chance to read this morning's news, Alucard?" Gyneas asked, hinting at their plan.
"The news about the Big Mom Pirates destroying and occupying a country? Did you see your own country reflected in that story?" Alucard raised his head slightly and smiled.
"...We are willing to hand over our country, or rather, allow your pirate flag to fly from the highest point of Laguna Kingdom's flagpole, even above our own national flag," Galbadia said.
Alucard fell silent. This action reminded him of the New World in the future, where many countries would use a Yonko's name to protect themselves from the fierce conflicts there.
The most prominent example was Fish-Man Island, which flew the Whitebeard Pirates' flag. After Whitebeard's death, it would switch to the Big Mom Pirates' flag to receive their protection. Of course, they would have to pay a price for that.
During Whitebeard's time, it was free due to his relationship with Neptune, sealed with a toast. Charlotte Linlin, on the other hand, would lend her flag out in exchange for sweets.
Countries not affiliated with the World Government generally sought the protection of a Yonko, as it was difficult to survive otherwise.
"What can you give me?" Alucard wasn't particularly against the proposal. If anything, he was more interested in the "price."
"Aren't you looking for people, Alucard-san?"
Galbadia said, "Our Laguna prison currently holds a total of about seventeen hundred prisoners. We will hand them all over to you, Mister Alucard."
"Seventeen hundred people... is that supposed to be equal to the ten thousand soldiers you have on the battlefield right now?" Alucard mocked.
"Currently, of course not." Galbadia was confident. "However, there are still criminals. Once our country flies your pirate flag, anyone sentenced to death, life imprisonment, and all captured pirates will be handed over to you. I guarantee that in less than five years, we can definitely exceed ten thousand people."
At the end, Galbadia added, "If you want to kill all of our soldiers right now, that would, of course, be easy for you. But it's not a good deal. With an entire country at your disposal, it would be much more convenient to do whatever you want."
After the old minister finished speaking, Gyneas anxiously awaited Alucard's reply.
Alucard didn't say anything for a moment, crossing his arms and pondering Galbadia's words. When he thought about it, it was indeed a good suggestion. Even if it took ten years instead of five, it would still be a worthwhile trade. The only issue was his immediate need for life. So, he had to make a compromise.
"You can borrow my flag, and I'll spare your military. But for this first transaction, I want every single person in your prison, no matter what they did. Bring them all to me."
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