Lucky Roux, commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 17th Division, led a strike team in league with Benn Beckman, the former Vice Captain of the Golden Hair Pirates. Taking advantage of the absence of Alucard and the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, they launched a coordinated sneak attack that incited internal rebellion within the Immortal Pirates. The resulting chaos cost the Immortal Pirates over two thousand lives.
The damage could have been far worse, but by some unknown method, Alucard managed to compress a ten-day journey into a mere forty-eight hours.
Returning in just two days, he quelled the insurrection instantly, delivering a definitive demonstration of why he holds the title of Yonko. His swift intervention served as a resounding slap in the face to those who believed Alucard had grown soft or complacent after trading his life as a lone wolf for that of a captain.
The revelations that followed were even more staggering. The 17th Division, led by Lucky Roux and consisting of over two hundred men, including six former Marine Headquarters Elite Vice Admirals, had been decimated. Of the leadership, only Lucky Roux, Yasopp, Judar, and Red Dragon returned alive. Word on the sea was that Alucard had intentionally spared them.
Then came the news that shocked the world: Benn Beckman had surrendered and rejoined the crew.
The public was incredulous. The man had already betrayed them once; how could Alucard dare to keep him by his side?
…
Marineford, Marine Headquarters — Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku sat with a tense expression as he listened to a report from his confidante, Vice Admiral Tsuru. Though this was a conflict between pirates, the raw power Alucard had displayed sent a chill through the Fleet Admiral's heart.
"That is the extent of the intelligence gathered by our scouts. Only four members of Whitebeard's 17th Division returned. Benn Beckman has rejoined the Golden Hair Pirates..."
Marine intelligence was slightly inferior to the World Government's Cipher Pol, but managing to gather this much was already an impressive feat.
"Do you believe Lucky Roux and the others orchestrated all of this on their own, Tsuru?" Sengoku asked.
"So, you noticed as well," Tsuru replied, her face grim. "While they are all formidable figures, this precise, calculated plan was clearly not their handiwork. There is someone behind the scenes pulling the strings."
Tsuru added with a note of regret, "Unfortunately, the information our Marines can access is limited."
"There is one more thing I'm concerned about," Sengoku said, crossing his fingers in front of his face. "Did Alucard really resolve this entire incident alone?"
Lucky Roux and Yasopp of the 17th Division... the traitors Exdeath and Tsukikage Shinji... every one of them was a notorious pirate of the New World.
Could Alucard truly have handled them all by himself?
Kaido, Big Mom, and even Sengoku himself felt that such a feat would be nearly impossible for them to achieve with such ease. Perhaps Whitebeard in his prime could have done it, but now?
"We don't know for certain. However, the crew members of the Immortal Pirates sailing the New World are all saying the same thing," Tsuru continued. "But the intel confirms one fact: after leaving Gran Tesoro and parting ways with the Empress, he used some method to compress a ten-day voyage into two."
Thud thud thud thud!
An urgent knocking interrupted them.
After Sengoku gave the command to enter, an officer hurried in. He saluted both Sengoku and Tsuru before reporting, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku! A pirate ship is currently positioned before the Gate of Justice. They are requesting an audience with you, sir!"
"A pirate ship?"
Sengoku's expression shifted. Which pirate crew had such suicidal audacity?
The officer swallowed hard and continued, "It's... it's the Golden Hair Pirates. The leaders are Captain Ivalis and Beckman."
Following the rebellion, Beckman was no longer the Vice Captain. He had been demoted to the lowest ranks, though given his terrifying strength, no one dared to haze or suppress him as they would a typical newcomer.
"What do they want?" Sengoku stood up from his chair, his body tensed for a potential confrontation.
"They claim they wish to discuss a matter with you, Fleet Admiral, that would be 'highly beneficial' to both the Marines and the Government," the officer said.
Sengoku let out a sharp, angry laugh. "Since when do we Marines share common interests with pirates?"
"Wait, Sengoku," Tsuru interjected. "I think I have an idea of what they're after. Let them in."
"Hmm?" Sengoku looked at his old colleague with a frown.
"Assemble the base's combat forces. In a sense, what they are doing is indeed beneficial to us. I will take responsibility for the consequences."
Tsuru leaned closer to Sengoku and whispered three words. Sengoku's pupils constricted instantly. After a long silence, he issued his orders: "Open the Gate of Justice. Summon Fujitora, Aokiji, and Kizaru, just in case."
Over an hour later, the Golden Hair Pirates led by Ivalis passed through the Gate of Justice and approached the port of Marine Headquarters. Sengoku, backed by the three Admirals and nearly ten thousand Marines, stood guard at the crescent bay.
"Aokiji," Sengoku said flatly.
Kuzan walked silently to the water's edge and thrust a hand into the sea. "Ice Age!"
An intense chill swept across the water, freezing the Golden Hair Pirates' ship in place, keeping it over a hundred meters away from the headquarters.
"Disembark," Ivalis ordered.
The two sides met on the frozen surface of the bay.
Without wasting words, Beckman stepped forward and pulled a bounty poster from his pocket. "Our target is him."
The poster read: Monkey D. Dragon Dead or Alive
Below the name was a bounty amount that would make any bounty hunter in the world salivate, a sum second only to the Yonko themselves.
Sengoku's eyes narrowed. It was exactly as Tsuru had predicted.
"Since this isn't some clandestine deal, we can talk right here!" Sengoku declared firmly, projecting the authority of the Fleet Admiral.
"Very well," Ivalis, acting as captain, stepped out. "This man is the culprit behind the chaos that tore our crew apart. We intend to find him and deliver punishment. However, before that, we require the Revolutionary Army intelligence that you Marines and the Government have been suppressing."
Beckman tucked the bounty poster away and added calmly, "I doubt you Marines have the authority to make this call on your own. You'd better report this to your superiors in the Government immediately, though I don't think they'll refuse."
"Don't get ahead of yourselves, you lot are just pirates," Sengoku said coldly, crossing his arms. "I've heard enough. Now, withdraw past the Gate of Justice immediately!"
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