The moment the Tremor-Tremor Fruit appeared, Queen unfurled the wings on his back, stirring up a violent gale. He intended to use the force of the wind to pull the fruit directly into his grasp.
"Don't even dream about it, Queen!"
Teach acted without hesitation as well. Black Hole formed a swirling vortex in his palm, emitting a constant, crushing gravitational pull.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was caught between these two titanic forces—wind on one side, darkness on the other. It wobbled precariously within its box, looking as if it might be torn in half at any moment.
"Not so fast!"
Ace and Weevil simultaneously struck from the opposite side. They lunged forward, their hands outstretched, choosing a more direct approach: they were going to snatch it manually.
Just as the four powers clashed over the prize, the box snapped shut, repelling all external energy. Ace felt a surge of incredibly oppressive power and was forced to lower his altitude in mid-air. Weevil, unable to force the box open, could only withdraw his hand in frustration.
"That box is made of Seastone... pure Seastone..." Ace muttered, gritting his teeth.
"It's not just Seastone!"
Suddenly, a loud shout echoed from the other side of the high platform. Everyone looked up to see the liquid gold from the pools surrounding the Death Match arena slowly rising, forming a shimmering path in the air.
Tesoro walked forward, strolling along the golden path until he reached the air directly above the center of the arena. He laughed, "This reinforced Seastone chest was crafted by the genius scientist Dr. Vegapunk. It could withstand a direct hit even from Whitebeard at his peak! And as for the key..."
Tesoro reached into his pocket and produced a key. With a casual flick, he tossed it into the golden pool at his feet.
As Tesoro retreated to his original position, the golden pool began to churn as if struck by a cyclone. One vortex after another rose from the depths, making it impossible to determine where the key had sunk.
Sitting upon his throne, Tesoro laughed maniacally. "Now then! Find the key, and whoever eats the Tremor-Tremor Fruit first is the winner!"
Diamante, ever the showman, shouted into his microphone, "The Final Round—BEGIN!"
Ace's mind raced as he considered his strategy. Searching for an object in the water would be difficult for him. Queen could manipulate the wind, Teach had his gravitational pull, and Weevil, who wasn't a Devil Fruit user, all had a better chance of finding the key than he did.
In that case, I'll focus my strength on taking down Teach first. I'll watch the key's status and wait for the perfect moment to snatch it in one go.
As Ace formulated his plan, the other three had their own schemes... well, perhaps not Weevil.
The moment Diamante announced the start, Weevil jumped straight into the treacherous, swirling golden pool without a word.
The raging currents, capable of grinding a human body into mincemeat, had no effect on his monstrous physique. He swam through the vortexes, searching for any trace of the key.
Pops' legacy must be mine! Mine! Weevil thought determinedly. Miss Buckin had promised him that once he ate the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he could prove to the entire world that he was truly Whitebeard's son!
At that thought, Weevil searched even harder.
…
Meanwhile, in the luxury suite where Alucard was located, a man entered through the door. It was Dr. Vegapunk. Following behind him were his two personal bodyguards: the Female Dragon Knight, Aranea, and PX-0, Bartholomew Kuma.
"Incredible physical constitution... so that's the Warlord, Edward Weevil."
Aranea rested her chin on her hand, her eyes wide with surprise. Even just by looking, one could tell how powerful those vortexes were. A fish swimming in there would be shredded in a second, yet he was swimming through them as if they were calm waters.
"Simply perfect," Dr. Vegapunk murmured, his eyes fixed on Weevil like a thief looking at a mountain of gold. "If it were possible, I might be able to remodel him into a masterpiece far superior to the Pacifistas."
Alucard, sitting on the sofa, let out a soft snort. "Is that why you're here?"
"That's part of it, but not the whole reason. Someone informed me that Ivalis and the others were fighting Doc Q, the user of the Virus-Virus Fruit. I came to formulate an antidote," Dr. Vegapunk explained.
"Doflamingo is a clever man. He knew he might not be able to control all these New World powerhouses, so he parked Gran Tesoro directly beneath our Sky Island sub-base. Using Kuma's power, it only takes a few minutes to get here; even a flying battleship wouldn't take half an hour."
Aranea, showing a fearless lack of restraint, sat down on another small sofa next to Alucard. After marveling at the softness of the cushions, she turned to him and asked, "I've known for a long time that Law wants to kill Joker. Has Alucard-sama never favored one side? For instance, which side would you rather see survive?"
Alucard uncrossed his legs and spread his palms open. "Hmph. This is fate. They will collide, and only one side will survive. I only care to see the result."
Dr. Vegapunk spoke up abruptly, "Aranea, let's go. I have a task for you."
"Aww, can't we enjoy the luxury of the World Nobles a little longer?"
Despite her grumbling, Aranea stood up and followed Dr. Vegapunk out.
…
Law and Doflamingo, both plotting the other's demise. Four New World top-tier powerhouses, locked in a struggle for the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
The various pirate factions circling the ship like vultures. The Blackbeard executives, ready to destroy Gran Tesoro and pull the Donquixote Alliance down. The Straw Hat Pirates, the ultimate wild cards, potentially allied with the remnants of the Wano Country.
And finally, himself, waiting to devour them all.
At the thought, a deep sense of anticipation welled up within Alucard. No one knew what would happen in the next second.
"How exciting... truly exciting."
The heterochromatic light reflected off Alucard's sunglasses, his voice dripping with profound amusement.