บท 20: CHAPTER 20

Doflamingo was genuinely surprised now.

If it wasn't one of the Three Disasters but someone else capable of killing Vice Admiral Guleta, it suggested there were more powerful fighters within the Beasts Pirates than he had realized. Given his close ties with Kaido's crew, he would have known of such a person if they were prominent.

Doflamingo said, "I understand. I'll find out who that guy is. The G-5 branch is your territory, Virgo. Make sure the Beasts Pirates don't become a target."

Inside the palace at Dressrosa, Doflamingo ended the call and turned to Trebol, one of the top officers of the Don Quixote family standing beside him.

"Trebol, Caesar has just finished a new batch of SMILE fruits, hasn't he?"

"Yes, Doffy," replied Torrepol, his voice raspy, his nose dripping as usual.

Doflamingo nodded, his usual arrogant and sinister expression giving way to a rare moment of seriousness as he made another call.

Seeing this, Trebol held his breath, sensing that the call was of great importance.

"Mr. Kaido, it's me, Joker," Doflamingo said, with a rare tone of respect.

Fearless of most things, he dared to be insolent even in Navy Headquarters and impose demands on the Five Elders, but against Kaido, known as the strongest creature on land, sea, and air, he felt an instinctual respect.

"Heh?"

On Onigashima, Kaido, sounding drunk, replied, "Joker? Do you have any new weapon deals for me?"

"No, not weapons—SMILEs."

"What? SMILEs?" Kaido instantly sobered up, his voice filled with excitement. "Joker, well done! I'll send someone to pick them up!"

For Kaido, who sought to create a monstrous army of Beast Pirates with Zoan Devil Fruit abilities, the artificial SMILEs were more valuable than any weapon.

"No need, Mr. Kaido," Doflamingo said with a smile. "One of your men is nearby already—have him come to Dressrosa directly."

"What?" Kaido was momentarily confused.

"Surely you trust me, Mr. Kaido? Your subordinate just killed Vice Admiral Guleta of the G-5 branch. G-5 is actually an asset I planted in the Navy."

Kaido was baffled.

One of his subordinates had attacked the Navy and killed a vice admiral? How could he not have known?

In the palace, the Three Disasters—Kaido's top commanders—were also present, each puzzled by this news.

Kaido turned to King, the Calm Calamity, and asked, "King, do you know anything about this?"

King, a Lunarian and the most level-headed of the three, shook his head.

Plague Queen, pinching his mustache, speculated, "Maybe it was one of the low-level fighters acting out."

King replied, "No one has left Onigashima recently, not even from Wano Country. I would know."

It was a mystery; the primary warriors of the Beasts Pirates were all on Onigashima, so who could have attacked the Navy and killed a vice admiral?

Just as the others pondered, Jack, who usually had little say in such discussions, shifted uncomfortably, as if he had something to add.

King noticed Jack's hesitation and asked, "Jack, do you know anything about this?"

Jack hesitated before replying, "Brother King, I have a Headliner named Alastor under my command. He recently left Wano Country to sail."

"Alastor?" The name was unfamiliar to most.

Queen looked skeptical. "If he's just a Headliner, I'd remember him. Where did you pick up this guy, Jack?"

Jack replied, "Alastor was originally just a squad leader. He defeated Holdem and took his place as the Headliner in Bakura Town."

Jack then turned to Kaido and said, "Boss Kaido, Alastor's strength is far beyond that of a typical Headliner. I wanted to ask you to give him a chance to challenge for a position among the Tobiroppo."

At this, Queen looked doubtful, King became thoughtful, and Kaido burst into laughter.

"Jack, you're not one to exaggerate, so I'll trust you. Alastor, huh? If he's strong enough, there's no reason not to give him a shot!"

"Thank you, Boss Kaido!" Jack said, clearly pleased.

Now, all that remained was to confirm whether Alastor was indeed responsible for killing the vice admiral.

While Jack didn't have Alastor's Den Den Mushi, Bakura Town definitely did...

---

On Beast Island…

Alastor was still locked in a fierce battle.

He had managed to kill the giant python, the most cunning of the three beasts, but he had been poisoned by its venom, turning his skin a strange greenish-blue.

[Host is seriously injured, defense +80]

Alastor frowned. This venom was potent!

His limbs felt weak, and even breathing became a struggle.

"Roar!"

Two massive beastly roars echoed around him.

The chimpanzee and lion sensed that Alastor was weakened and seized the opportunity to launch a more intense attack.

The chimpanzee's enormous hand came down in a powerful slap, while the lion lunged forward, its fangs aimed directly at Alastor's neck.

At this critical moment, Alastor remained calm. Holding his breath, he focused his consciousness and entered the state of Life Return.

"Moon Walk!"

He stepped into the air, launching himself above the chimpanzee and lion. Channeling his ghostly aura through the cursed sword in his hand and combining it with his Haki, Alastor's eyes flashed as he shouted:

"Ghost Sword Aura: Savage Python!"

Two massive black pythons, formed from ghostly energy, burst forth, crashing into the chimpanzee and lion below before they could react.

Both beasts screamed as blood sprayed from their bodies, collapsing heavily to the ground.

Without missing a beat, Alastor used his Razor technique to appear next to the chimpanzee, finishing it off. He then repeated the action to eliminate the lion.

When the battle was finally over, Alastor took a deep breath, relieved. But he couldn't afford to relax yet; the island was still filled with dangerous beasts, and he needed to make it back to the boat at the coast.

Suppressing the effects of the snake venom within his body, Alastor moved cautiously and managed to return to his ship without further incident.

"The venom didn't paralyze my limbs or kill me. I should be able to recover with some food," he thought.

Without a doctor or medical knowledge, Alastor relied on consuming a large amount of food. Fortunately, his system was powerful; as he ate, the venom in his body quickly dissipated, and his surface wounds began to heal rapidly.

Just as his body was recovering, his Den Den Mushi rang. Alastor picked it up, expecting Speed's voice, but instead heard Drought Jack's.

"Alastor, did you kill Vice Admiral Guleta of the Navy's G-5 branch?"

Alastor was surprised that news of Guleta's defeat had spread to Wano so quickly, and even more surprised that Kaido was taking a personal interest in it.

Through Jack, Alastor learned that the information had come from Doflamingo, likely informed by Virgo.

"Alastor, Boss Kaido values your strength highly and has agreed to let you challenge for a spot among the Tobiroppo. But before returning to Wano, you need to go to Dressrosa and retrieve Joker's SMILE fruits."

"Understood."

Alastor ended the call, his expression thoughtful.

Dressrosa, the land of passion and fairies—he hadn't expected to head there so soon.

While the prospect of dealing with Shichibukai Doflamingo and the Don Quixote Family was intriguing, Alastor was actually more interested in the Nine Red Scabbards, the loyal retainers of Kozuki Oden.

And then there was Momonosuke.

With only two years left until those sent forward in time by Toki's powers would reappear, Alastor knew things were about to get interesting.

Alastor aimed to eliminate the rebel forces within Wano Country over the next two years, elevate Yamato to the position of general, and improve conditions for the people of Wano.

Additionally, he planned to place spies in Dressrosa to track Kin'emon, Momonosuke, and the others as soon as they arrived. Ideally, he would gain control over the entire Dressrosa, but Doflamingo, as the provider of SMILE Fruits, had a close partnership with the Beasts Pirates. There was no reason for a direct conflict between them.

"Once I'm strong enough, even killing Doflamingo wouldn't cause Kaido to bat an eye."

In this sea, strength was the ultimate currency.

Alastor exhaled slowly. Beyond the drive to grow stronger, he also harbored ambitions of his own—he wanted to carve out his own place in this world.

"Let's start small: first, take down all the beasts on this island."

His eyes were resolute as he ventured back into the wilderness of Beast Island, choosing not to rest. Soon, the roars of ferocious beasts echoed once again.

Time passed swiftly, and ten days flew by. The once lush Beast Island now bore the marks of their battles: much of the forest had been destroyed, hills leveled, and at its center lay a huge, bottomless crater.

From within this crater, deep rumblings resounded intermittently.

Suddenly, dark mist billowed around the crater, and the sky seemed to respond, with winds and clouds converging ominously.

"Cut!"

A thunderous shout erupted, followed by a blazing slash of sword light from the depths of the pit that lingered in the air before fading.

Moments later, a bloodied figure leapt out of the crater—Alastor, breathing heavily, his expression tinged with awe.

He had come close to death. He never expected to encounter such a monstrous creature on the island: a fire-breathing dinosaur, over two hundred meters long and ferociously powerful. Other beasts on the island prostrated before it, as if it were their king.

This fire-breathing dinosaur, the undisputed ruler of the island, had taken every ounce of Alastor's strength to defeat, and he was severely injured in the process. But it had been worth it; in these ten days of grueling training, Alastor had not only mastered Life Return and the Navy's Six Powers, but he also gained a deeper understanding of Ryou.

Most importantly, his physical defenses had grown immensely stronger.

"Open the system panel."