On the Moby Dick, the ship of the traveling Whitebeard Pirates.
Jozu, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 3rd Division, leaned in to speak with Whitebeard, who was seated on his central deck throne.
Whitebeard, who had been resting with his eyes closed despite the medical tubes covering his body, suddenly snapped his eyes open. The Immortal Pirates had launched a massive fleet and were forcefully moving into the first half of the New World.
As pirates of the New World, everyone knew the territorial distribution.
The Marines, spearheaded by their G-1 and G-5 branches, occupied the entrance and the first half of the New World. The Big Mom Pirates controlled the middle section. The Immortal Pirates and the Beast Pirates each occupied the middle-to-back sections, while Whitebeard himself held the final section—the last sea where the final island, Laugh Tale, was located.
The Immortal Pirates deploying a massive fleet and advancing into the New World's first half... Were they going to attack the two major Marine branches? Or were they planning to expand their territory into the first half of the Grand Line?
"..."
Whitebeard drew out a long contemplative sound for several seconds. After thinking for a long time, he asked his sons, "What do you all think?"
The Whitebeard Pirates crew members discussed amongst themselves, with varying opinions.
Some believed Alucard was moving against the Marines, while others thought he intended to expand his territory into the Paradise section of the Grand Line.
In the minds of Marco and the others, nothing the same kind of freak as Kaido did was surprising.
Just then, Thatch, dressed in white chef's attire, spoke up. "Pops, do you remember the battle between the Red-Hair, Beasts, and Immortal factions at Arderay two months ago?"
Everyone present, including Whitebeard, was stunned. Upon reflection, the whole situation did feel strange. Not only was Shanks's rash attack odd, but Alucard's lack of action in the two months since made the entire event highly suspicious.
Putting aside why the Red-Hair Pirates would court such obvious danger by confronting Alucard, it had been two months since Alucard captured Dragon and returned to his base, hadn't it?
Would that vengeful bastard simply let the Red-Hair Pirates go? Whitebeard, who had clashed with Alucard numerous times, simply couldn't believe it.
Whitebeard pondered, "Thatch, are you trying to say..."
Thatch nodded. "I can't be certain, but I think that possibility is the strongest."
The attitude of the other two Yonko was as follows: Kaido shrugged it off when he found out. Being volatile, he wasn't in the mood to care about the matter that day.
As for Charlotte Linlin, it was inconvenient timing, as she was currently in the throes of childbirth, the Big Mom Pirates' most vulnerable period, and couldn't spare the attention.
The Marines, thanks to the intelligence provided by the Government, possessed a superior information network to the Whitebeard Pirates. They had already learned that the Red-Hair Pirates had recently been sighted in the New World entrance area. Now, with the Immortal Pirates advancing into the first half of the New World, and considering the events of two months prior, could they fail to guess the objective?
"But even so, we must ensure everything is perfect."
At the G-5 Branch, Gilbert, the base Commander and an old veteran over sixty, roared at the three thousand Marine soldiers standing before him, who were dressed like ruffians. "Though the Yonko are powerful, the Red-Hair Pirates aren't easy targets. The outcome is unknown! The Navy's goal this time is to prevent the rampaging of both sides from affecting the civilians!"
Although the G-5 Marines all looked incredibly serious on the surface, they didn't quite agree with Gilbert's words. In their minds, the Red-Hair Pirates were dead men walking. While they were capable, expecting them to withstand the Immortal fleet after losing half their crew... that was sheer fantasy.
On the Red Force, after hearing his subordinate's report, Shanks showed no panic. Instead, he seemed relieved, as if a great weight had finally been lifted from his chest. He stood up and laughed foolishly. "Haha, I knew he wouldn't let me off easily."
But the others did not share Shanks's optimistic nature. Yassop's face was creased with worry. He held a new rifle in his left hand and gave a wry smile. "Captain, how can you still laugh at a time like this?"
"Our combat power is simply incomparable to theirs," the Red-Hair Pirates swordsman, Ivalis, stated. "Other than escape, we have no other option."
First Mate Benn Beckman also agreed, exhaling a puff of smoke. "My apologies, but I have no counter-strategy this time. Though if we defected to one of the other Yonko, like Big Mom or Whitebeard, I might have a plan. But our idiot captain wouldn't agree, would he?"
Fleeing the pursuit of one Yonko by defecting to another was indeed a good idea, but Shanks was absolutely not that kind of man.
Sure enough, as soon as Beckman finished speaking, Shanks's face hardened with resolve. "Of course! I only have one Captain." He wasn't the type who had to be Captain, but his Captain was only one person: Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King!
"It wouldn't be you if you agreed, Shanks." Beckman slapped his knee and ordered, "First, let's head back to the Paradise half of the Grand Line to reinforce our strength, and then we'll return to the New World. I'll repeat this: the primary objective during this period is to increase our power. Pirate conflicts are to be set aside for now."
"Vice Captain, which way should we go? The Calm Belt or Fish-Man Island?" a crew member asked Beckman, knowing it was useless to ask the Captain.
Beckman stroked his chin, considering for a few seconds. "The Calm Belt." "Why? The Calm Belt is the fastest, but the Sea Kings..."
"We can deal with them if we go all out. Fish-Man Island poses a higher risk, and don't forget that the New Fish-Man Island is also within Alucard's territory. I'm concerned they have some kind of connection, and being attacked from both sea and land would be troublesome." Beckman's analysis was logical and sound.
"Understood, Vice Captain."
Meanwhile, on the Dragon Ship, the Vivre Card in Viola's hand suddenly changed direction. The paper, which had been moving in a straight line, began to shift slightly to the left.
"Alucard-san," the twenty-year-old, elegantly grown Viola reported the matter to Alucard. "Heading through the Calm Belt, are they? Perhaps I won't have to do much after all."
Alucard, having seen the direction of the Vivre Card, already knew the Red-Hair Pirates' escape route. He said, "Shirahoshi, you go..."
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]