Chapter 40: CHAPTER 40

If anyone else were to face Alastor, they would likely encounter the same predicament as Cracker, their abilities reduced to mere resources for Alastor's own gain.

Katakuri calmly remarked, "Cracker lost this time because he didn't know the opponent's abilities, Mom. It's understandable."

Big Mom wasn't foolish. She understood that Alastor's ability was an enormous threat to Totto Land. Unable to contain her frustration, she shouted angrily to the heavens:

"Kaido! Where did you find such a damn subordinate?!"

---

Meanwhile, Onigashima:

When Kaido received news of Alastor's victory, he roared with laughter, his booming voice echoing through the halls:

"Ha! Good! Let that old hag lose face! Hahaha!"

Suddenly, Kaido sneezed mid-laughter. He wiped his nose and grinned. "Must be that old hag cursing me behind my back because she lost!"

---

On Mine Island:

Alastor wore a peculiar expression. Could Kaido and Big Mom actually have some strange tacit understanding?

After hanging up the phone, Alastor left a contingent of troops to garrison the island, declaring it one of the future strongholds of the Beast Pirates.

He boarded the warship with the rest of his men and set sail back to Wano Country.

Page One approached him cautiously.

The young warrior, who had initially harbored resentment about losing his earlier mission to Alastor, now looked at him with newfound respect.

"Brother Alastor," Page One asked earnestly, "how did you defeat Cracker? His biscuits are so hard, even my hybrid form couldn't destroy them."

Alastor smirked and patted Page One on the shoulder. "It just means you haven't trained enough."

Page One clenched his fists tightly and nodded with determination. "You're right, Brother Alastor! I'm not strong enough! I'll train harder right away!"

Without another word, Page One ran to the deck.

While the rest of the crew celebrated the victory with drinks, Page One was doing push-ups, sit-ups, and lifting weights under the scorching sun.

Nazhen, sipping a drink, teased him from the sidelines: "Hey, Master Page One! What are you doing? Come have a drink with us!"

"Shut up! Don't bother me! I'm training!" Page One snapped back.

---

Elsewhere in the New World:

A pirate ship bearing Whitebeard's flag floated near an uncharted island.

Standing at the bow, Thatch, the captain of the fourth division, gazed toward the distant island and addressed his crew.

"We've been out at sea for days and found some good loot. Let's make this our last stop before heading back."

The crew nodded in agreement.

As they disembarked, the island's eerie atmosphere caught their attention. Though the sea outside was bathed in sunlight, the island itself was dim and foreboding.

"There must be treasure here!" one crew member exclaimed.

"Or maybe a monster," another joked.

"Could be a ghost," someone else muttered nervously.

"Enough of that!" Thatch scolded. "Stay close together. This island feels strange."

Despite their caution, hours of searching yielded nothing.

Just as they were ready to give up, a crewmember shouted excitedly, "I found something!"

Everyone rushed over. In his hands was a light purple Devil Fruit with an odd shape.

"A Devil Fruit! Jackpot!"

"Haha, I knew there'd be treasure here!"

"Hold on," another crew member interjected. "It might be a useless fruit. Anyone recognize this one?"

Everyone shook their heads, including Thatch.

"Let's take it back and figure it out later," Thatch said, tucking the fruit safely away.

Back on the ship, Thatch took charge, ensuring every role was fulfilled for the journey back to the Moby Dick.

After about half an hour at sea, a scout suddenly shouted from the crow's nest:

"Captain Thatch! I see a ship flying the flag of the Beast Pirates!"

Thatch's heart sank. "What?! How far are they? Are they heading toward us?"

"They're about 30 miles away," the scout replied. "But they're not moving in our direction—yet."

Thatch exhaled in relief.

"As long as they're not looking for trouble, we'll avoid them. We're not here to pick unnecessary fights," he said decisively.

Some of the crew were dissatisfied.

"But Captain, this could be a chance to avenge Oden!" one of them protested.

Thatch glared at them. "Have you forgotten Father's teachings? Kaido is not an opponent to take lightly. Underestimating him would cost us dearly!"

The crew fell silent, chastised.

However, moments later, the scout's frantic voice pierced the tense air:

"Captain Thatch! The Beast Pirates' ship is heading toward us—and fast!"

Alastor was lounging on a sun chair aboard the Beast Pirates' warship when Batman, hovering overhead, brought him the report.

"Lord Alastor! A ship flying Whitebeard's flag has been spotted nearby!"

Alastor opened one eye lazily. "Whitebeard Pirates? Which division?"

"The fourth," Batman replied.

Thatch's ship.

Alastor sat up abruptly, his mind racing.

The estimated time suggests that Thatch should be very close to being killed by Blackbeard. Since he isn't dead yet, it means his ship is likely carrying the Dark Fruit!

The Dark Fruit is known as one of the most vicious and strange fruits in the Natural Type. Blackbeard has spent decades within Whitebeard's crew searching for this fruit.

In the original story, after Blackbeard ate the Dark Fruit, he gained incredible abilities, such as nullifying other Devil Fruit abilities and transferring someone's powers to another person.

Of course, the Dark Fruit has a significant drawback: even if the user is in an elemental form, they cannot avoid damage because the gravity of darkness absorbs all attacks. The absorbed attacks are then redirected back at the user, amplifying the pain.

Cracker would certainly never eat such a fruit, but when compared to the strength the Dark Fruit provides, this weakness seems negligible.

Alastor was highly interested in the Dark Fruit. With this fruit, all of his subordinates could potentially become Devil Fruit users.

Compared to the Smile Fruit, which Kaido sought, the ability to acquire the Dark Fruit was far more efficient.

"Since it's right in front of me, if I don't take it, the gods will punish me."

Alastor made his decision quickly. He was determined to get the Dark Fruit before Blackbeard.

He stood up and issued orders:

"Batman, guide the ship ahead. Everyone else, push the warship's engines to full power. Chase the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Alastor's command stirred the members of the Beast Pirates on board, their blood pumping with excitement.

They had just defeated the Big Mom Pirates, and now they were going after the Whitebeard Pirates, known as one of the strongest of the Four Emperors. Alastor was truly fearless!

And this kind of boldness was exactly what the Beast Pirates admired most.

The warship surged forward at full speed.

Page One stopped his training, wiped the sweat from his brow, clenched his fists, and said to Alastor:

"I've been wanting to meet the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Which is stronger: the strongest man in the world or the strongest creature in the sea, land, and air? No one could say for sure, but the general consensus was that, despite his age, Whitebeard was still superior to Kaido.

After all, Whitebeard was a legendary pirate who had fought alongside Roger, the Pirate King, and his Tremor-Tremor Fruit had the power to destroy the world!

However, many members of the Beast Pirates disagreed with this, believing that their boss, Kaido, was the true strongest. Page One was one of them.

Alastor smiled. "Pay Pay, it's good to have motivation, but don't get too arrogant. I'm only chasing Whitebeard's main fleet. If we were after the main fleet, I wouldn't be so bold."

While they were talking, the warship sped ahead. A distant point on the horizon began to take shape.

Onboard the Fourth Division Ship of the Whitebeard Pirates:

The scout's voice trembled as he reported, "They're coming! They're getting closer!"

Thatch's face darkened, his body tense. He hadn't expected the Beast Pirates to take the initiative to attack them.

The Beast Pirates were so arrogant. Did they really think they could disregard the Whitebeard Pirates?

"Captain, let's fight! We can't let Dad lose face!"

The members of the Fourth Division were eager to avenge Oden, though they had been stopped by Thatch earlier. Now, with the enemy charging at them, they were no longer held back.

Thatch's expression darkened. He didn't respond to his crew's call to arms but turned to the scout. "Can you see who's leading the Beast Pirates?"

The most important thing was to understand the enemy's strength.

The scout peered through his binoculars and reported after a moment:

"I see them clearly now. The leaders are two of the Flying Six. One is Alastor, who recently received a bounty of 330 million Berries from the Navy, and the other is Page One, who has a bounty of 290 million."