"Sons! Retreat!"
Whitebeard roared loudly. Alucard tilted his head, his eyes narrowed, but he didn't pursue. By this point, the war had reached its limit. If they continued, even if he and Whitebeard fought to the death, it would be pointless if all of their subordinates were gone.
"Wait a minute," Marco said, giving a look to the ninth division commander, Blenheim. Blenheim understood and brought a large pile of stone statues from the Moby Dick. They were all Whitebeard Pirates' crew members who had been petrified by Hancock's ability, including the third division commander, Jozu.
"Can you turn them back?" Marco asked, walking toward Hancock, who was now standing next to Alucard.
Hancock glanced at Alucard. He put his sunglasses back on, not objecting, which meant he gave his silent approval.
Hancock, her face still radiating a sense of disdain and cold indifference, walked up to Jozu and the others. She held out her delicate hands, blew gently on the statues, and said softly, "Awaken now~"
Soon, Jozu and the others returned to their original forms. They looked around, completely unaware of what had happened while they were stone. But when Jozu saw Hancock in front of him, he was about to throw a punch when Marco grabbed his shoulder, shaking his head and signaling that the war was over.
"Sons, let's go!"
Whitebeard was the first to board the Moby Dick, which his ability had pulled over to the west side of the coast.
Facing the two conjoined islands, Hancock looked at Whitebeard's retreating back with lingering fear. "What a monster."
"It's a shame he lost his fighting spirit. Otherwise, this sea would be far more interesting," Alucard said, retracting his guns back into his red coat.
With the Moby Dick and the other three Whitebeard affiliate pirate ships setting sail, the war between Alucard and Whitebeard was officially over.
Of the four ships Squard had brought, one was sunk, leaving only three. Poot. Poot. Poot.
A familiar sound like flatulence. Alucard turned around, and the first thing he saw was Dr. Indigo's comical face. His eyes narrowed as he smiled faintly. "You're still alive... Dr. Indigo."
Dr. Indigo spread his hands, walking with a waddling gait, just like a circus clown. No one would have guessed he was an excellent ship doctor and scientist.
"Ah, the shockwaves from Captain Shiki's final battle gave us a chance to escape. I've been studying the virus your abilities created for the past few years, and I hope to join your crew this time," Dr. Indigo said with a wide grin, showing his bright white teeth.
"Oh... my crew?" Alucard's smile didn't falter.
This wasn't an unusual occurrence. Ever since he left Mariejois, the second half of the New World had been gradually divided among the Three Monsters. Many people wanted to join Alucard's crew; otherwise, the incident with Moria wouldn't have happened. After hearing about what happened with Wolf and the Kuja, it was likely that more and more people would actively seek him out.
"Alucard-sama, it's been a long time. The last time we met was five years ago on Captain Shiki's Golden Lion Fleet." Stragus, with his purple ponytail and in his forties, stepped forward. "Matthew, Urdaha, and I would all be honored to join your crew."
"I can't stand so many smelly men coming here," Hancock said with a disgusted look. "If you dare take one step into Kuja territory, this Empress will kill you."
A flicker of anger crossed the faces of Stragus and the others. They had walked through an era with Shiki, and they had been pirates for longer than Hancock had been alive. They couldn't stand her contempt. But remembering her valiant performance in her recent battles with several of Whitebeard's commanders, Stragus and the others swallowed their words. Hancock might even be Alucard's woman.
"Heh. Let's head back," Alucard said, walking toward the shore.
Wolf understood and laid a hand down like a bridge for Alucard to walk onto his back. The Kuja followed closely behind, and the remaining Golden Lion remnants, about a thousand strong, also followed.
About an hour after Alucard's group left, the two fleets led by Tsuru arrived at the island. Momousagi jumped from the side of the ship and looked at the two large and small islands fused together, unable to hold back her awe. "As much as I hate to keep saying it, Whitebeard is truly powerful..."
"Isn't Alucard just as exaggerated? To block a shockwave like that..." Shirokitsune said as she and Tsuru walked down the warship.
Momousagi gave a charming smile and turned to Tsuru. "But Tsuru-nee, you predicted everything perfectly. They didn't fight to the death after all."
"The remnants of Golden Lion's fleet are no pushovers. Their joining Alucard's crew will only make the situation more chaotic. Is there any reason for me to be happy?" Tsuru said, sighing with her arms crossed. "It's not just Alucard and Whitebeard who won't fight to the death.
Charlotte Linlin and Kaido won't, either."
"Oh? Aren't they fighting with a purpose? And they still won't fight to the death?" Chaton asked, scratching the back of his head with one hand in his pocket. He was puzzled.
"Heh, just you wait and see," Tsuru said, waving a hand. "Let's set sail and return to headquarters. And bring me a Den Den Mushi; I need to report to headquarters."
On their way back to the ship, Chaton once again approached Momousagi. Shirokitsune and the others were used to this sight and ignored them, continuing to board.
"My little bunny, since we both survived this life-or-death mission, our fate must be..."
"I refuse," Momousagi replied without a moment's hesitation, just as before, not bothering to listen to Chaton's chatter.
....
In another part of the first half of the New World.
Sengoku and Garp were holding the line in the battle between the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates. The two sides had been fighting for more than ten days, determined to tear the earth apart and shatter the sky.
"Kaido is showing no signs of backing down. It seems both sides are going to suffer heavy losses this time," Garp said, sitting at the bow of the ship, while Sengoku stood behind him. Behind them, thousands of Marines were at attention, ready for anything.
"No," Sengoku said, shaking his head and echoing Tsuru's words. "They won't fight to the bitter end."
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