About two hours later, Vegapunk finally emerged from the underground chamber, accompanied by several agents and members of the Science Division. Compared to when they went in, everyone now held a considerable number of documents.
"We can't leave this place to the enemy. While the possibility is small, we must eliminate any future trouble."
Just as they were about to board the ship, Vegapunk suddenly spoke, pulling out a remote control and pressing the red button on it.
BOOM!!!
The next second, a deafening explosion ripped through the air, piercing everyone's eardrums. Looking toward the center of the island, in the direction of the chamber Vegapunk had just entered, the ground and trees were blasted into the sky.
The chain of explosions was incessant, only completely stopping about half a minute later. "That crazy scientist is very protective of his things," Shirokitsune muttered to herself.
But everyone, including Gion and the other scientists, had been fooled by Vegapunk. The island was practically worthless now. The experimental data they took out were all just discarded failures, and Vegapunk had brought them out simply as a pretense to cover his tracks.
In the shattered center of the forest, fragments of countless underground experimental instruments, pulverized documents, and pieces of wood and rock were all mixed together. Only one thing remained, a small corner of it peeking out from the rubble, completely unscathed.
After the Marines and government agents had left, a lone figure entered the area. He walked to the mound of earth, brushing the dirt away with his hand to reveal a silver briefcase.
It was Alucard.
Clack...
When Alucard opened the case and saw a neat row of bullets inside, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile, revealing his sharp fangs. He couldn't wait to load six of them into his black pistol, Jackal.
"Mmm... This is good. I can't wait to find a Devil Fruit user to test them on," Alucard said, looking at the newly revitalized Jackal in his hand.
There weren't too many bullets inside, only about 200 rounds. Even if there was only one, he would want to save it for a real fight.
"With these, I could even take down Big Mom, couldn't I?"
....
In the New World, on Seagull Island.
The island was named for its "M" shape when viewed on a map, which closely resembled a seagull. This wasn't a kingdom, but a small island with nothing more than a small town.
In the town's tavern, countless pirates were drinking and making merry. They lived for the day, for tomorrow was never guaranteed. But this kind of life was like a poison, highly addictive.
And at the moment, the main topic of conversation among the pirates was a pirate sitting in the back right corner of the tavern.
He had a massive height of over five meters. Even sitting down, he nearly touched the ceiling. His prominent, bizarre-looking onion-like hair, along with a long face that almost connected with his neck, and two protruding horns on the sides of his face, made him look like a demon.
"That's... Gecko Moria, known as the 'Hero of the West Blue'," a pirate whispered timidly.
"I heard he challenged one of the Three Monsters, Kaido of the Beasts, in a previous battle. He was wiped out, and only managed to escape under the desperate cover of his crewmates."
"Even though he lost, he had the guts to challenge Kaido! What a guy!"
"That's why after losing to Kaido, his bounty broke the 300 million Berry mark."
Everyone was talking in hushed tones, afraid of angering Moria. After all, 300 million was a number that kept most of them at a respectful distance.
Moria, the center of all the gossip, sat alone at a table, his eyes bloodshot. In his mind, he could only hear the last thing Kaido said to him as he wiped out his crew:
"You brats playing pirate, just go back to Paradise and suck on your mother's milk. I'm being merciful this time, so get out of here, Gecko Moria!"
He hadn't escaped from Kaido; Kaido had let him go! The shame! The shame!
The hand Moria was using to grip his mug tightened, and soon the glass shattered with a loud crack.
At that moment, the tavern door creaked open. This wasn't a strange occurrence, but when someone casually glanced over and saw the new arrival, they nearly fell out of their chair.
"O-O-One of the... Three Monsters!"
When they heard those words, everyone in the tavern, including Moria, who was still lost in the pain of his past defeat, looked toward the door in shock.
There, beneath a blood-red coat and a wide-brimmed red hat, a pair of bloodshot eyes approached them.
While Moria was there, the pirates only whispered among themselves. But when Alucard arrived, they were all so scared they could barely breathe, and cold sweat dripped down their faces. It wasn't until Alucard took a seat at the bar that someone finally dared to speak up.
"Hey, isn't that... Alucard, one of the Three Monsters?"
"Why is one of the Three Monsters in a backwater place like this?"
"I heard he wiped out the 12 countries he used to rule over, leaving no survivors. He even took down the Logia-type Vice Admiral Sakazuki."
"Idiot, don't talk so loud! If he hears you, we're dead!"
The bartender, who had been wiping glasses behind the bar, swallowed hard when he saw Alucard. He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "W-W-What can I get for you?"
Alucard glanced at the liquor cabinet behind the bartender and said, "The local specialty." "R-Right away. Please wait."
The bartender quickly put down the glass he was wiping, turned, and pulled out a brand new bottle of green liquor. He slowly poured a glass and placed it in front of Alucard.
"Hey, hey, Alucard."
Suddenly, a scruffy-looking pirate captain stood up and took a step toward the bar. His face was slick with sweat, but a contradictory look of excitement was on his face. "I, I... really admire you, a pirate who kills indiscriminately."
After a few seconds of tense silence, the pirate collected himself and calmed down a bit. "H-How about it? Will you let me join your crew? Just like how countless pirate crews serve under the Whitebeard Pirates."
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