"No need to call me ’madam’ or anything. If you’re uncomfortable, ’Vice Admiral’ is fine," Tsuru said, walking into Alessia’s room alone and sitting opposite her on the edge of the bed.
"Alright, Vice Admiral Tsuru." Alessia recognized her. Among the Marine Vice Admirals, she was a renowned figure: the Marine Chief of Staff, Tsuru, a peer of Admiral Sengoku.
"Mm," Tsuru nodded, her gaze softening with pity. "I know this might stir painful memories, but I still hope you can tell me a few things, Aliya." Tsuru used Alessia’s alias from her ten years in Exeter.
Alessia had a vague idea of what Tsuru intended to ask. She forcibly calmed herself internally, showing no outward strange reactions, and replied, "You want to know about that Alucard?"
"...Yes. Through Marine channels, I’ve also learned about your situation." For a woman, this was undoubtedly a great tragedy, but due to the gravity of the matter, Tsuru had no choice but to ask, "Please tell me everything you know."
To make the Marine Chief of Staff utter a "please" was a privilege few in the world could ever hope to receive.
Alessia bit her lower lip and began, "I was merely a tool used by the country to restrain Alucard. I don’t know much. That night..." Alessia recounted her impressions of Alucard, almost ninety percent truthfully, to Tsuru.
Of course, she made no mention of the stone tablet. Finally, she revealed the places she had been wandering since leaving Exeter. These were lies, but Alessia had rehearsed them meticulously, so her delivery was incredibly smooth and natural, so much so that even Tsuru detected nothing amiss.
"Is that so? Failing to apprehend such a heinous pirate is a failure on the part of the Marines," Tsuru expressed deep sympathy for Alessia’s experience.
Seeing Tsuru’s emotional reaction, Alessia realized that Tsuru felt pity for her. Suddenly, an idea sparked in Alessia’s mind. After more than ten seconds of thought, Alessia stood before Tsuru and saluted her. "Aliya! Requesting permission to join the Marines, Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
"Hmm?" A flicker of surprise crossed Tsuru’s eyes. In less than two seconds, she understood the reason behind Alessia’s request. "You want revenge on Alucard?"
It was entirely within Tsuru’s expectations for Alessia to act this way, having had the most important thing for a woman taken from her.
"That’s one reason," Alessia added. "Another important reason is that I have nowhere else to go now."
Hearing Alessia’s last remark, a sharp glint flashed in Tsuru’s eyes. She stood up and said, "Think of a codename. After joining the Marines, many operations will require a codename."
Tsuru’s words indicated her approval. Alessia rejoiced. When asked about a codename, she instinctively glanced at her white civilian clothes. After five seconds of thought, she said, "Shiro... Shirokitsune (White Fox). Is Shirokitsune acceptable?"
"Shirokitsune Aliya, then?" Tsuru unfurled the large Marine coat on her back and walked towards the room door, speaking to Alessia with her back turned. "Very well, you’ll use that codename from now on. Come back to Headquarters with me. However, with your current ability, it’s impossible to fight a monster of Alucard’s caliber in a short time."
"Yes, ma’am!" Alessia nodded in affirmation and quickly followed her.
Meanwhile, in the Fleet Admiral’s office at Marine Headquarters, Kong received two pieces of news separately that afternoon.
The morning’s news came from Tsuru’s investigation. She had successfully found Aliya, the former captain of the Exeter Kingdom’s army, in the New World, questioned her about Alucard, and decided to bring her back to enlist.
The information Alessia provided in Tsuru’s report wasn’t particularly crucial, so Kong merely indicated that the new female recruit should be handed over to Tsuru and didn’t pay further attention.
The intelligence received in the afternoon, however, was about the main character: Alucard.
Alucard had now entered the Lubloom Sea, which was... Whitebeard’s territory.
According to reliable intelligence, the Whitebeard Pirates were currently making considerable efforts to find Alucard. After all, the one who died was the commander of the Second Division, a long-serving crew member of the Whitebeard Pirates, so such actions were not surprising.
"Does this mean Whitebeard is going to clash with Alucard?" Kong pondered. The outcome of this matter was still unpredictable. He could only send more personnel to the Lubloom Sea for deployment, preparing for contingencies.
In the New World, Lubloom Sea.
This was the central sea area bordering the Whitebeard Pirates’ territory. The Marines had indeed grasped that Alucard was gradually entering the Whitebeard Pirates’ sphere of influence.
However, their attitude remained the same as when Alucard fought Kaido: they pretended to observe from a distance, hiding to avoid getting involved, waiting for the pirates to fight to the death before acting.
In the Lubloom Sea, aboard another pirate ship flying a flag with a sharp-nosed skull, a one-eyed pirate holding a telescope stood on the observation deck. He spotted an iron ship slowly approaching in the distance.
Half a minute later, as it drew closer, he finally clearly identified it: it was "Pops’" target, the guy who killed Drew — Alucard!
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