It was 2:30 PM. Only thirty minutes remained until the Pirate King’s execution ceremony.
Alucard maintained his posture, feet crossed on the white tablecloth, hands clasped over his chest. He opened his eyes and said, "Alright, spill it. What’s the real purpose of this gathering?"
Charlotte Linlin brought a cup of black tea to her lips; the teacup itself hummed with excitement. She then winked at Perospero beside her.
Quickly, one of Perospero’s subordinates placed a Visual Den Den Mushi at a corner of the table where the Three Monsters were gathered. After pressing the snail shell on the Den Den Mushi’s back, its eyes projected a huge image directly opposite Alucard.
In the image, countless people thronged the roadside, craning their necks as if to stretch them out. From time to time, the "ding-dong-ding-dong~" sound, unique to the Marines’ alarm, echoed from the Visual Den Den Mushi.
Kaido also turned his head towards the projection. In the center of the road, led by a procession of Marines, was the legendary Pirate King, Gold Roger. His hands were bound by shackles, chains restricting his limbs, and his body was hunched. Yet, for some reason, beneath the bangs that almost completely obscured his eyes, an undeniable, overflowing Conqueror’s Haki was hidden.
"Pirate King..." The three words rumbled from Kaido’s throat. He suddenly slammed his fist on the table, crushing the dancing bread rolls to the floor. "He died before I even got to fight him! Damn it all!"
"Kaido-sama, please calm down!" Kaido Pirates members nearby quickly tried to stop him, but Kaido continued to curse incessantly.
"What’s your meaning, Big Mom?" Alucard cast a sideways glance at Charlotte Linlin.
"Mamamamamama!" Charlotte Linlin laughed twice. "Now Roger is dying, Golden Lion Shiki is captured, and that lone wolf Patrick Redfield will eventually be caught by the Marines. The only one left to truly contend with is Whitebeard."
"Oh..." Alucard drew out the sound, vaguely guessing what Charlotte Linlin wanted to say.
Charlotte Linlin continued, her eyes fixed on the projection. "How about it? Across the entire sea, Whitebeard is the most troublesome. I’ve taken a liking to a large island continent near his territory; I really fancy it. But it’s too close to his domain..."
"Hehehehe..." Alucard’s shoulders twitched twice, and he grinned maliciously. "If you need a hitman, just send Kaido, this mad dog. I’m not interested in accompanying you."
"Immortal brat, do you have a death wish?" Kaido glared.
"Don’t be so impatient, why don’t you hear me out?" Charlotte Linlin wasn’t angered by Alucard’s words. Her opponent was a pirate of equal standing; if he were persuaded by a single sentence, she’d suspect he was a fake.
"A new era is about to begin. Instead of thinking about how to seize Whitebeard’s territory, why not think about how to deal with the pirates who will soon flood into the New World, ready to challenge you?" Alucard said. Just then, in the projected image, Roger was finally brought onto the massive steel execution platform in the center of the plaza.
"Mamamama! What are you talking about, Immortal?" Charlotte Linlin slapped the table twice, her expression gradually turning cold. "Now, across this vast sea, the only one worth watching is Whitebeard. That stubborn Patrick Redfield, entering his twilight years, will sooner or later be thrown into prison by the Marines. As for Whitebeard, he’s over fifty, and his strength diminishing is only a matter of time."
Looking like a witch and equally skilled in strategy, Charlotte Linlin raised her hands high. "Roger’s death will crush the morale of pirates worldwide. They’re probably shouting about the dawn of the Marine era right now. In such a situation, the three of us must join forces and establish a true Pirate Kingdom. Only then can we avoid complete annihilation."
It must be said, Charlotte Linlin’s words made a lot of sense. Even Alucard could feel it; though very subtle at the moment, Whitebeard’s strength was indeed gradually declining. After all, he was an old man in his fifties.
Patrick Redfield, needless to say, wasn’t like Alucard with almost infinite life; he’d eventually be captured.
If things truly continued this way, the pirate forces would eventually be crushed by the Marines.
A united front by the "Three Monsters," hailed as the next generation’s pirate pillars, could instantly surpass even the Whitebeard Pirates. While this was almost impossible, it was also a fact.
However, Charlotte Linlin didn’t know that in ten minutes, the world would undergo a seismic change.
"I told you, don’t jump to conclusions." Alucard tilted his head towards the projection, signaling Charlotte Linlin to look again. "Roger won’t die that easily."
"Oh?" Charlotte Linlin’s lipstick-coated mouth split into a grin, and even a hint of doubt flickered in Kaido’s eyes.
’Are the Roger Pirates planning to intervene at the execution grounds?’ Charlotte Linlin guessed. If that were the case, they would need to change their plans.
At this moment, on the live broadcast, after a Marine judge read out a long list of Roger’s crimes, two executioners stood on either side of Roger, holding long spears.
Suddenly, from the countless spectators below, three individuals mustered the courage to shout, "Oi, Pirate King! Where did you hide all the treasure you found?! You got it, didn’t you?! That legendary treasure! The legendary great treasure! The ONE PIECE!!!"
Roger, seated on the execution platform with his bangs obscuring his eyes, suddenly chuckled. "My treasure? If you want it, you can have it! Find it! I left everything this world has to offer there!"
Roger unleashed the last of his remaining strength, ensuring everyone present, and those watching on their Den Den Mushi screens, heard his words clearly.
"Roger! You bastard!" Kong, standing below the execution platform, Garp by his Visual Den Den Mushi on the warship, and Sengoku at Marine Headquarters all roared in unison.
Kong yelled, issuing the command: "Execute!"
Two sharp spears instantly pierced Roger’s heart.
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