Alucard's words left everyone stunned, but upon reflection, they realized his logic was annoyingly sound.
What was Alucard's epithet? Alucard the Immortal.
Marines and pirates alike had attempted to exterminate him countless times, yet he was the man who simply could not be killed.
If someone wanted immortality, why bother with the Op-Op Fruit, the Return-Return Fruit, or the Age-Age Fruit? Wouldn't it be easier to just get your hands on Alucard and dissect his body for study? Even Dr. Vegapunk, whose intellect surpassed the world by 500 years, had once said: "I would willingly trade half of my scientific achievements just for the chance to dissect you."
The words were easy to say, but who actually dared to touch Alucard?
From the past to the present, countless Marines and Government agents had fallen by his hand. Even Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, had lost his life because of him. The "old fossils" among the Celestial Dragons who were nearing their deaths had targeted Alucard before; in the end, every single attempt had ended in failure.
The gathered agents were speechless. They couldn't exactly utter the humiliating truth: "The Government is too afraid to catch you."
"Aha... Ahahahaha!!"
Suddenly, Bonney burst into a loud, unladylike laugh. Still cuffed, she gestured with both hands toward Alucard, doubling over with mirth. "Exactly! Exactly! You Government bastards! You should be trying to catch him! He's the immortal bastard!"
The moment the words left her mouth, her neck was once again caught in Alucard's iron grip. He leaned in close to her face, their noses nearly touching.
Bonney's face turned a deep shade of crimson from the lack of oxygen. Alucard sneered wickedly, "Watch your tone, woman."
Her habit of foul-mouthed outbursts hadn't been corrected in time, and she had just kicked a steel plate. In a state of near-suffocation, Bonney managed to choke out, "So... sorry..."
Only then did Alucard release her and turn to walk away.
Bonney stood there dazed, blinking for a few seconds before shouting at Alucard's retreating back, "Hey! Why aren't you saving me!?"
Alucard paused. He turned his head halfway, looking amused. "Why should I save you?"
Bonney was at a loss for words. She had wanted to say, "We're both pirates; shouldn't you save me if you see me getting caught?" but then she realized there was no such rule among pirates. Between different crews, you were either allies or mortal enemies, that was the natural order.
Seeing Alucard prepare to leave again, Bonney's eyes darted around. She yelled out, "Hey! Save me! I've always admired you and wanted to join your crew! It's not asking too much for a Captain to save his own crewmember, is it?"
Rumor had it that Alucard was a lone wolf like Kaido who didn't care about his crew's affairs. However, seeing as he had bothered to find medical treatment for Wolf, Bonney deduced he wasn't the type to let his subordinates die if he was right there. She intended to exploit this to gain her freedom.
Rocky and the other agents were horrified. They had thought that despite their bad luck in encountering Alucard, the man didn't seem interested in meddling in their business. They thought they could still complete their mission. They hadn't expected Bonney to play this card at the last second.
"Crewmember?"
Alucard repeated the word and turned around. Seeing this, Bonney nodded like a woodpecker. "Yes, yes, yes! From now on, you're my Captain! Captain Immortal Bast— I mean, Captain Alucard!"
Her habit of swearing nearly caused her to use Kaido's nickname for him, but she caught herself just in time.
Alucard stared at Bonney for a long time, his gaze sending chills down everyone's spine. Finally, he asked, "Will you betray me?"
Bonney shook her head without a moment's hesitation. "No, no, no! How could I ever betray you?"
She had heard about the internal purge within the Immortal Pirates a few years ago. Those who had been incited by the Revolutionary Army to betray Alucard met ends so horrific they defied description, and that included famous pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions.
Betrayal? She didn't have the guts.
"You won't? What a shame."
Alucard's tone of genuine disappointment nearly made Bonney choke on her own spit. You bastard, would you only be satisfied if I said I would betray you?
Bonney was right; if she had said "yes," Alucard would have been much more pleased.
Ultimately, Alucard shot a look at Rocky. The CP0 agent bit his lip, weighed his options, and eventually ordered his subordinates to bring the keys. He unlocked Bonney's Seastone handcuffs.
"Ahahaha! Freedom! I'm free!"
Bonney stretched her arms wide, her curvaceous figure on full display. She then immediately turned to Rocky, pulling down her eyelid and sticking out her tongue in a mocking face. "Dare to catch me now? Gegegege!"
The taunting gesture infuriated Rocky to the point where he wanted to slap the cuffs back on her then and there, but with Alucard present, he didn't dare move.
"Follow Wolf."
Alucard left her with only those words before turning and departing.
Bonney looked at Alucard's back, then at the massive Wolf still receiving treatment. She figured that compared to following that terrifying Captain, staying with this big guy was probably safer. Wait, what happened to that giant snake in the sky? It vanished in an instant.
At that moment, a black-suited agent leaned toward Rocky and whispered, "Sir... are we really just going to let Jewelry Bonney go?"
"Hmph, and what do you suggest we do?" Rocky snapped back with a cold sneer.
Alucard and Kaido were both lone wolves, but while Kaido mostly stayed in the New World, Alucard roamed the entire globe. Encountering him was simply a stroke of pure misfortune. Since Wolf's treatment was still ongoing, Rocky and the others couldn't exactly abandon their ship doctors and leave. They were forced to wait in awkward silence.
Meanwhile, Bonney ran up to Wolf and raised a hand in greeting. "Yo."
"Oh," Wolf raised a hand in return. "You're the rookie. Remember, your seniority is lower than mine."
Wolf didn't forget to establish the hierarchy. Bonney curled her lip in disdain and introduced herself, "The name's Jewelry Bonney. I was just about to start my own crew when the Government started hunting me. That's how I ended up like this."
"I am Sanjuan Wolf. Remember to call me 'Senpai.' Also, when you introduce yourself, you forgot to add the word: 'Immortal Pirates' Rookie,'" Wolf said with a dull, honest expression.
"That's three words, you idiot!" Bonney screamed back.