Dr. Vegapunk spoke to Alucard over the Den Den Mushi. "Kaido is a beast of brute force. While many feel Big Mom is easier to handle than you or the King of the Beasts, she is actually the most troublesome to completely wipe out."
"It doesn't matter," Alucard replied. "That woman has ceased to be of any interest."
"Shall we kill Big Mom, then?" Dr. Vegapunk asked tentatively.
"Squeeze every last drop of value from her. Let's see if she can provide me with one last... bit of amusement."
Alucard hung up. On the bustling street, Dr. Vegapunk stared at his Den Den Mushi for a long time before finally putting it away.
"The next target is Big Mom? How rare. The Captain is actually taking the initiative to move against someone," Aranea said, resting a hand on her hip.
In the years since she joined the Immortal Pirates, she had gained a general understanding of Alucard's behavioral patterns. Alucard rarely took the initiative to target someone; deciding to deal with Big Mom was indeed an unexpected turn of events.
"The key point is that Big Mom can no longer provide our Captain with pleasure, only trouble. Naturally, he won't tolerate her anymore."
As Dr. Vegapunk finished speaking, scorching flames roared like a hurricane toward them. It was Ace's signature move—Flame Emperor!
After scoring a direct hit on Weevil, the aftershocks surged toward the Science Unit. Walls of fire over ten meters high swept past, instantly charring the surrounding buildings black.
"Kuma," Aranea uttered a single word.
In an instant, Kuma moved to block the path of the Science Unit. He raised his arm, generating a massive, transparent bear-paw-shaped balloon that rapidly compressed between his palms.
Opening his hands, he pushed forward gently.
Ursus Shock!
When the sphere of light created by Kuma collided with the flames, the powerful impact pushed the fire's afterglow back in the direction it came from, halting its advance.
In the wake of the clash, the situation inside the Flame Emperor was revealed. Ace was down on one knee. Weevil had sustained significant burns across his body, yet he remained standing, gripping his naginata firmly. He clearly had the upper hand.
"Damn... I didn't trade many blows with him in the arena. I didn't realize he was this powerful," Ace said with difficulty, looking up as his bangs fell over his eyes.
"One after another, you keep saying only the Whitebeard Pirates are Whitebeard's sons. Stop talking nonsense!" Weevil charged at Ace in a rage, swinging his naginata. "I'm the only son of Whitebeard!!"
"Crap!" Ace's eyes widened as the blade of Weevil's naginata closed in on his face.
"Get down, Ace!"
A familiar voice rang out from behind. Without a second thought, Ace pressed himself to the ground. In a flash, Vista and Yasopp lunged forward. The attacks from the rapier and the flintlock struck Weevil's bloated body, slicing his skin and drawing blood.
Weevil staggered back two steps but did not fall.
Vista bit his lip. "How can this be..."
"This level of endurance... he's a monster!" Yasopp felt the same dread.
Weevil tightened his grip on his weapon, preparing for a follow-up attack. Suddenly, Dr. Vegapunk called out from behind him, "Hey, hey. That's enough, Weevil. Even if you keep fighting, you won't win; they have too many experts. Gran Tesoro is far too chaotic right now, not a good place for a battle."
Weevil hesitated for a long moment, but Vegapunk's earlier deception had been quite successful. After some internal conflict, Weevil chose to stop.
"Members of the Whitebeard Pirates, we will have our battle sooner or later. Until then, enjoy your remaining days." Dr. Vegapunk left them with those parting words before leading his group, including Weevil, away.
Only after their silhouettes vanished did the Whitebeard Pirates breathe a sigh of relief. Vista turned and walked over to Ace, pulling him up. "Are you alright, Ace?"
"I'm fine," Ace joked. However, as he turned around, his expression darkened. "But... where do the Whitebeard Pirates go from here...?"
…
At that moment, in the waters five nautical miles away from Gran Tesoro, Katakuri, one of the Sweet Commanders, stood in the center of the Thousand Sunny.
Around him, members of both the Donquixote Alliance and the Straw Hat Pirates lay sprawled across the deck, incapacitated. Some were face-down, their status unknown.
"Uuuu..." Momonosuke hid behind a door on the second floor, looking down with tear-filled eyes.
With his Observation Haki, Katakuri had detected him long ago; he simply didn't care.
"So this is the strength second only to Charlotte Linlin in the Big Mom Pirates? Damn it..." Mad Treasure managed to grunt out, kneeling on one leg.
"I assume no one has any objections to me taking these people now?" Katakuri said, lifting Sanji by the collar with one hand and grabbing the horn on Caesar's head with the other.
"Let Sanji go!" The grounded Nami forced herself to look up and shout at Katakuri's back, but he silenced her with a single backward glance.
"Utterly weak," he muttered coldly.
"One of the Sweet Commanders... what a shame I didn't run into you last time."
The moment he heard the voice, Katakuri spun around, looking toward the right side of the Thousand Sunny faster than anyone else.
Everyone turned to look. Standing there was a young girl wearing a white fur coat and a tall white hat. She had straight black hair and crimson blood-red eyes, exuding an eerie, otherworldly aura.
Loli A!
That's right, it was one of the three forms Alucard would take when appearing before others.
"This person... when did they appear...?" Katakuri's face was filled with confusion, replaced quickly by rising hostility.