One Piece: Alucard the Immortal

Chapter 668 - 667: Standing on the Wrong Side Leads to No Good End

After three rounds of combat, Captain Kid lay collapsed before his own pirate ship. His left arm was missing, having been torn away during the struggle. His back slumped against the base of the bow, drenched in blood, his life hanging by a thread.Alucard walked slowly toward Kid, raising his black pistol, Jackal.

From the sky, Killer, perched on the ceiling of the tunnel, leaped down with a desperate roar. "STOP!!!"

The scythe in Killer’s left hand slashed into Alucard’s shoulder. Just as Killer thought he had landed a successful blow, a violent burst of molten magma erupted from within Alucard’s flesh, incinerating Killer’s left arm instantly.

"AAAAAAGH!!"

Killer let out a blood-curdling scream and crashed to the ground. He instinctively reached out to clutch his mangled left arm, but the lingering magma made him recoil. He rolled across the floor in agonizing pain.

"Young pirates of the new era, we shall spare you for now."

Dr. Vegapunk stepped forward, standing over Killer as the boy’s thrashing began to subside. "But do us a favor and remind the other brats of your generation: ’We are merely ants caught in the storm.’"

Turning to Alucard, Dr. Vegapunk continued, "Since we have obtained what we came for, I plan to relocate the research laboratory to Sky Island immediately. As for the study of the ’National Treasure,’ I will inform you as soon as there is any progress."

Poot! Poot! Poot!

The sound of flatulent footsteps approached. Amidst the exasperated expressions of Vegapunk and Alucard, Dr. Indigo gave his report: "Captain... Jinbe has arrived."

"What?"

Dr. Vegapunk narrowed his eyes. "The man known as the First Son of the Sea... what does he want now that Whitebeard is dead?"

The three of them departed together, not casting a single backward glance at the Kid Pirates. Killer, having only burned an arm, was the least injured among them. Looking at Kid, whose left arm had been completely ripped off, Killer knew he needed to find medical attention immediately.

"To suffer such a setback before even officially entering the New World..."

Enduring the intense pain in his arm, Killer propped Kid up and looked at the survivors. "How many of you can still walk?"

...

When Alucard emerged from the tunnel with Dr. Vegapunk and Dr. Indigo, he found Jinbe standing atop the massive Wolf. Compared to the giant, Jinbe looked incredibly small. Several other Fish-Men floated on the surface of the sea around Wolf; a closer look revealed the flaming red sun mark on their bodies.

It was Aladdin, Vice Captain of the Sun Pirates, and the rest of the crew!

Jinbe, still standing on Wolf’s back, cupped his hands in a respectful salute to Alucard. "Alucard-sama, I have never forgotten the kindness you showed by saving me in Impel Down. I hope to repay that great debt."

"Repay a debt?"

Dr. Vegapunk stroked his chin. "The Sun Pirates mobilizing in full force... I suspect it’s not as simple as gratitude."

Jinbe and Aladdin’s expressions turned somber as Dr. Vegapunk continued. "After Whitebeard’s death, the balance of power on the seas collapsed. Big Mom, Kaido, and even our own men are engaged in large-scale battles to expand their territory. Although this new path has opened, few dare to take it... except for that group of fools we just ran into."

"Fish-Man Island remains the primary gateway for pirates entering the New World. I imagine quite a few have gathered there by now, haven’t they?"

Dr. Vegapunk’s words pierced through their pretenses. Realizing he could no longer hide their desperation, Jinbe dropped to both knees and bowed his head. "To tell the truth, that is exactly the case. I came here immediately after dealing with a batch of pirates."

"We hope the Immortal Pirates will lend Fish-Man Island your jolly roger. The Sun Pirates are willing to come under your banner."

As Jinbe spoke, Aladdin and the others stepped behind him, following his lead by kneeling and bowing. "We beg of you!"

"Our Captain has a history of conflict with the Whitebeard remnants," Dr. Vegapunk sneered. "If a clash occurs, whose side will you, a man who calls Whitebeard ’Pops,’ stand on?"

Jinbe froze. After a long moment of internal struggle, he found himself unable to answer.

"Come back and speak to us once you have severed your ties with Whitebeard’s lot." Leaving them with those words, Dr. Vegapunk led Wolf and the scientific research division away.

Alucard took a different path, maintaining his usual "lone wolf" style, wandering off on his own.

The Sun Pirates were left stunned, unsure of how to proceed. Currently, the Whitebeard remnants led by Ace and Marco still possessed significant power, but it was no longer enough to protect Fish-Man Island. Thus, they sought to defect to the Immortals.

But Dr. Vegapunk had shattered their illusions. You want to "jump ship"? Fine. But just like Nico Robin, you must cut ties with your old masters first.

"Boss Jinbe, what do you think we should do?" Aladdin asked.

The look of hesitation on Jinbe’s face gradually vanished, replaced by a grim resolve. "We’re going to find Ace-san!"

...

Meanwhile, at the border of Wano Country, a nation situated between the territories of the Immortal Pirates and the Beasts Pirates.

The samurai guards stationed at the island’s edge stared at Hancock, who stood at the prow of the Kuja ship. They were wide-eyed, their faces flushing red with infatuation.

"Beautiful! Truly beautiful!"

"I have never seen such a peerless beauty in my life!"

Hancock had long been accustomed to the way men looked at her. She waved a hand, commanding the ships to advance. The three vessels of the Kuja Pirates surged toward the Wano border.

Following behind the Kuja ships were four other pirate vessels. Their fore-sails bore their individual crew emblems, while their aft-sails all displayed the unified mark of the Immortal Pirates.

They were the Black Thorn Pirates, the Iron Arm Pirates, the Bonney Pirates, and the Barto Club led by the newcomer, Bartolomeo.

Black Thorn Fallon chewed on a bamboo toothpick, his eyes narrowed. "Thanks to Boa Hancock, entering Wano’s borders was easy. That woman is seriously impressive."

Originally, Hancock hadn’t wanted any crews other than the Kuja to follow her. However, Fallon and the others insisted on coming, and Hancock couldn’t very well kill them all. In the end, they reached an agreement: mutual non-interference.

But given Hancock’s special status, the others still treated her with a level of deference.