"So, that means your name is Edward Weevil?" Dr. Vegapunk asked, stroking his chin.
"That's right, that's right! I joined this tournament with Mommy specifically to inherit Daddy's power! Mommy told me that if I revealed my name, the people from the Whitebeard Pirates would hunt me down out of jealousy for my lineage, so I never told anyone my full name."
Hundreds of meters away, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were stunned. Who's hunting you?
Furthermore, the idea of him being Pops's biological son was impossible for them to believe. How could someone like Weevil be compared to their father, who was like a god in their hearts? Besides, if Weevil really were his biological son, why had Whitebeard never mentioned it in all these years?
They absolutely did not believe Whitebeard was a man who would ignore his own flesh and blood; he treated his adopted sons with immense love, let alone a biological one. Thus, Ace and the others concluded it was impossible for Weevil to be Whitebeard's son.
Dr. Vegapunk's eyes darted around before he adopted a look of deep sorrow. "Is that so? How tragic. But our Captain has already avenged both your mother and your father. What do you plan to do now, Edward Weevil?"
Hearing Vegapunk use his full name, Weevil felt an immediate surge of goodwill toward him. However, when faced with the question, he hesitated, sticking a finger in his mouth. "I... I don't know. Mommy used to arrange everything for me."
"I see. Then why not take my advice? First, you must announce to the whole world that you are the one and only true son of Whitebeard, Edward Newgate."
Weevil's body jolted with excitement, and he nodded repeatedly. "Exactly! I am Daddy's only son! But... how do I do that exactly?"
Ace and the others felt a premonition of disaster. Dr. Vegapunk gave a sinister, hidden smile. "It's simple. Just eliminate all those 'fake sons' in the Whitebeard Pirates who claim to be his children."
The Whitebeard Pirates stiffened. After two seconds of shock, a look of resolve appeared in Weevil's eyes. He turned toward Ace and the others with blatant hostility, nodding vigorously. "Right! I'll kill all those fakes to prove I'm Daddy's only son!"
"However, with your current strength, you aren't a match for so many experts in the Whitebeard Pirates. Why not join our Immortal Pirates first? I will modify your body and give you the power necessary to prove your identity. What do you say, Edward Weevil?"
Beside them, Aranea finally understood what kind of scheme Dr. Vegapunk was running. She knew from the start he wanted to capture Weevil for research, but she hadn't expected him to be such an effective con man.
"This... well..." Weevil chewed on his fingernails nervously, undecided.
At that moment, with a violent crash, the only two remaining members of the Blackbeard Pirates, Van Augur and Audru, were struck by a laser from Tesoro's golden giant. They plummeted onto the arena floor, landing about a hundred meters away from Alucard.
"Hahaha! Only two left of the Blackbeard Pirates!" Tesoro laughed maniacally.
Though Augur and Audru were elite officers, they were still a step behind Tesoro.
"Hmm?"
Just as Tesoro was about to finish them off, he noticed Alucard moving. He stopped and began to dissolve his golden giant, grinning savagely. "It seems I won't be needed for this."
As the golden giant melted into the floor, Augur and Audru were stunned, immediately sensing a massive surge of energy behind them. Turning around, they saw Alucard's right hand formed into a blade, coated in a silver-white sphere of energy, the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"Alucard... he's got Pops's power," Marco muttered, gritting his teeth.
In the next instant, Alucard swung his hand. A silver-white shockwave surged like a tsunami toward the last of the Blackbeard Pirates. The resulting explosion of energy sent the two flying.
Crackle, crackle...
The Golden Colosseum, already weakened by excessive combat, finally reached its limit under Alucard's strike. Countless cracks and fissures spread rapidly. Tesoro quickly manipulated the surrounding gold into vine-like structures to reinforce the arena. Within half a minute, the arena was restored, and Tesoro landed opposite Alucard.
"My, my... as expected of Alucard-sama. With this, the Blackbeard Pirates are officially erased from the history of piracy," Tesoro said, spreading his arms with a smile.
"They might not be the only ones being erased."
Alucard deactivated Blood Inheritance and looked up with a light chuckle. Tesoro's brow furrowed, and immediately, screams and curses could be heard echoing from outside the arena.
"Get out here, Tesoro! Doflamingo!"
"You kept me as a toy for five whole years! Don't you know I'm Captain Rhodes, the man who terrorized the West Blue?!"
Alucard settling the score with the Blackbeard Pirates was his own business; the chaos within Gran Tesoro was far from over. Whether the next hour belonged to the Heart-Straw Hat Alliance or the Donquixote Alliance remained to be seen.
Tesoro's smile vanished as he walked toward the exit. "Hmph. If those brats think they can pull me down, they're a hundred lifetimes too early!"
Meanwhile, at the other end of the arena, Vegapunk's deception continued.
"See that, Weevil? Now that Captain Alucard has inherited your father's power and killed Blackbeard, your father's murderer, joining the Immortal Pirates is your best path forward."
Vegapunk's logic was utterly absurd. From a different perspective, one could say Alucard stole the power that should have belonged to Weevil, making him an enemy rather than a benefactor. But thanks to Vegapunk's silver tongue and Weevil's lack of intelligence, the big man nodded repeatedly.
"Mm-hmm! It's all thanks to Alucard. And you saved my Mommy, too. I agree!"
"Remember to add 'Captain' or 'sama' at the end," Vegapunk reminded him with a smile.
This big guy really is an idiot... Aranea thought to herself.