"Your Majesty King Riku, Princess Scarlett, Princess Viola, Alucard-sama has arrived," Kyros, acting as the Royal Army Captain, announced with a salute to the three royals within the palace of Dressrosa.
"Uh..."
A look of hesitation and inner turmoil flashed across King Riku's face. He had only just reunited with his two daughters after years of separation. Before he could even savor the joy of their return, he was confronted with Alucard's intentions.
To watch Dressrosa, a land that had known no war for seven hundred years, sink into the ocean was something he couldn't bring himself to accept.
"This is the maximum concession I am willing to make."
Alucard had appeared at the doorway at some unknown moment. Several people followed behind him, the most conspicuous being the man who had caused a worldwide sensation just days prior, the Marine Admiral rumored to have betrayed the Navy and defected to the Immortal Pirates, Aokiji.
Kuzan was no longer wearing Seastone handcuffs. The mark of the Immortal Pirates on the back of his left hand was exceptionally eye-catching. Yet, for some reason, despite having his powers restored, he had not chosen to flee.
Even Alucard had stopped bothering with him, yet Kuzan remained. Perhaps only he knew the reason why.
King Riku rose from his throne, his expression grave. "But I have heard that doing this will cause Dressrosa to sink into the sea. This is the home where our Riku family has lived for eight hundred years..."
Originally, when Alucard had Robin decipher the Poneglyph rubbings, he hadn't known that destroying the Ryumyaku would cause the core of the island's crust to collapse, leading to the island sinking.
However, after the successive sinkings of Juice Island, Cheese Island, and Stupeo, even Dr. Vegapunk was certain: once the Ryumyaku is destroyed, the sinking of the island is almost inevitable. Even if it didn't sink immediately, the risk of collapse would be so high that it would be uninhabitable.
It was after learning this that Kuzan chose not to return to the Navy. Instead, he stayed by Alucard's side. To prove his "worth," he had even personally dealt with a swarm of small-fry pirates who had recklessly come to challenge Alucard.
As a result, the "Marine Traitor" label was now pinned even more firmly to his back.
Scarlett and Viola's advice to their father was to evacuate the entire population of Dressrosa and then let Alucard destroy the Ryumyaku core. Although they had grown up here and held deep affection for the country, it couldn't compare to their feelings for Alucard.
"Arara..."
Kuzan stood with his hands in his pockets, speaking in a rogue-like tone. "To even ransack your own father-in-law's house... how terrifying, Alucard-san."
"Hey, watch your tone, Admiral Aokiji," Aranea reminded him from behind.
"I'll probably be stripped of my Admiral title any minute now anyway, so it doesn't matter," Kuzan said, waving a hand dismissively.
King Riku knew he was powerless to change the outcome. He had no choice. Finally, he slumped back onto his throne, his voice a mix of lament and complaint. "My position as King doesn't matter, but the citizens living here, and the Tontatta tribe of Green Bit..."
"As long as it destroys the Government, it is enough," Alucard stated, his tone brooking no argument.
He had given King Riku a choice, which was already the ultimate concession. If the King disagreed, Alucard wouldn't stop; he would simply let the King and the island sink into the sea together. To take down the Government, what did it matter if a few people perished?
Shortly after, watching the citizens of Dressrosa board the ships in shifts, Scarlett leaned close to Alucard and whispered, "Viola and I want to stay by Father's side for a while. Losing Dressrosa must be breaking his heart."
Alucard watched the scientific research team excavating the Ryumyaku core in the distance. Hearing Scarlett's words, he smiled. "He made the right choice."
"Hey, hey! Everyone, please board the ship quickly! You're all headed to Haronai, one of the territories under the Immortal Pirates. Don't worry, don't worry, it's just a move."
Kuzan had acquired a megaphone from somewhere and was directing the migrating citizens of Dressrosa.
Scarlett frowned as she watched Kuzan working busily in the distance. "That man... he's a Marine Admiral. Why is he actually doing all this...?"
"Heh." Alucard let out a light laugh. "But isn't this interesting? A candidate for Fleet Admiral, abandoning his post for the sake of an obsession in his heart."
"He's almost like Hancock was back then," Alucard concluded.
Hearing Alucard mention Hancock while he was with her made Scarlett feel a twinge of jealousy. She secretly resolved to work extra hard tonight.
"Excuse me, are we going to live somewhere else from now on?"
Suddenly, the soft, sweet voice of a small girl came from the ground. Scarlett looked down to see a group of palm-sized little people. The speaker was a cute young girl standing at the front with long, curly blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Yes, that's right."
Scarlett leaned down and picked up Mansherry, the Princess of the Tontatta Tribe, into her palm. She smiled gently. "Because a natural disaster is coming to Dressrosa soon, we have to take you all to a safe place to live."
It is said that women are natural liars; Scarlett told the lie without even blinking.
"Is that so? Then thank you very much!"
Led by Mansherry, the Tontatta tribe bowed in gratitude.
"They trust people far too easily, don't they?" Aranea muttered from nearby.
To be honest, Dressrosa was lucky. It was only because Scarlett and Viola pleaded for mercy that the result was a migration. Had it been any other unfamiliar country that dared to resist, Alucard would have undoubtedly slaughtered the entire nation without hesitation.
While Kuzan was busy on the Immortal Pirates' side, Sengoku and the others at Marine Headquarters were flying into a rage. Confirmed reports had arrived: Kuzan was indeed with the Immortal Pirates, and he was working for Alucard.