Boarding the Moby Dick's Deck

New World, Dressrosa, Lovers' Avenue.

After dealing with a group of pirates from Paradise who had no idea how dangerous the New World was yet still dared to cause trouble here, Violet left the bloody scene in high heels still stained with blood, leaving the ordinary fighters to clean up.

She returned to the liveliest dance hall on Lovers' Avenue.

This was also a Donquixote Family property. Violet spent most of her time dancing here, gathering intelligence from all sorts of people. At the same time, she worked part-time as an assassin, eliminating targets who could not be openly dealt with.

Whenever she encountered sudden incidents like today's, she would also rush over to support the weaker fighters and suppress pirate rookies who did not know their place.

Despite Violet's delicate and frail appearance, the former princess was anything but weak. She was skilled at wielding the weapon known as "Beauty," and beneath the sharp, long heels of her shoes hung the souls of quite a few pirates with bounties exceeding a hundred million.

Backstage in the dance hall, inside Violet's private dressing room.

Violet sat before the vanity, looking down at the newspaper spread across it.

"The Fifth Ruler of the New World..."

Her fingertips lightly brushed over the bolded headline.

Her light brown eyes fixed on the photograph in the paper. The delusion she had buried deep in her heart not long ago sprouted uncontrollably once more. Her accelerating heartbeat was not caused by foolish, boring pink fantasies, but by the excitement of seeing the light known as hope.

During their brief encounter at the previous banquet, Violet had been certain that Aleus harbored designs on Dressrosa. He had even thoroughly investigated her identity as the former princess. To say he had no interest in Dressrosa at all... she absolutely did not believe it.

It was only that, for reasons she did not understand, the Black Prince did not seem prepared to make a move against Dressrosa anytime soon.

But, she still could not help becoming excited.

The stronger Aleus was, the greater Dressrosa's hope of breaking free from the Donquixote Family and escaping Doflamingo's control.

Having grown up in the New World, Violet understood very well what "the Fifth Ruler of the New World" meant. It meant that even Young Master Doflamingo, a man proud to his bones, would have to bow his head before this new ruler.

The Donquixote Family, was in fact a hidden vassal of the Beasts Pirates.

This was intelligence Violet had uncovered after joining the Donquixote Family. As the user of the Glint-Glint Fruit, she possessed useful abilities such as Clairvoyance and X-ray Vision, allowing her to easily access much hidden information.

Therefore, she understood that the Donquixote Family, which seemed so powerful and impossible to resist in her eyes, was no more than a somewhat larger ant before the Four Emperors.

Young Master Doflamingo, who appeared arrogant and invincible, could no longer treat the senior officers of the Beasts Pirates with that same haughty attitude. On the contrary, that monster known as "Drought" gave orders in Dressrosa as he pleased, his contemptuous manner utterly overbearing...

Just then, "Violet, shall we go shopping this afternoon?"

A chill suddenly drifted over from behind her.

"Monet?"

Violet turned and saw the woman who had entered without permission. Her pupils contracted slightly as she said coldly, "I told you before, didn't I? Please knock before coming in."

"There's no need to be so formal between family, my princess." Removing her thick bottle-bottom glasses to reveal her lovely face, Monet smiled and leaned closer. Before Violet could rise, she pressed herself directly against Violet's back, draping herself over Violet's shoulder and craning her head toward the vanity.

"Let me see what my princess is looking at so intently that you didn't even notice my footsteps..."

The striking headline and photograph on the newspaper spread across the vanity were visible at a glance.

It was an issue of the World Economic News Paper from several days ago.

Monet had naturally read it.

She knew exactly what was in the paper.

It was because of this newspaper that Young Master's mood had been in an extremely foul state from yesterday morning until now. Naturally, this had put Monet, his secretary, in a bad mood as well. That was why she had come to pester Violet today—half because her surveillance assignment had not yet ended, and half because she genuinely wanted to relax and relieve some stress.

However, before she had even had the chance to unwind, her already poor mood worsened further.

Looking at the open newspaper, her brows rose as she coldly demanded, "Princess Violet, are you still thinking about that Black Prince?"

She did not use the joking title of "my princess" from before. Instead, she called out Violet's concealed true name.

A stark white, icy breath visibly flowed from Monet's mouth. Violet clearly felt the freezing chill coming from behind her. Monet, draped across her back, felt like a humanoid ice sculpture rather than a living person of flesh and blood.

"It's only a newspaper, Monet. You're thinking too much. Besides... I told you before, Prince Your Highness has no interest in me."

Enduring the bone-piercing cold, Violet spoke each word slowly and distinctly.

"...It had better be."

After waiting for around ten seconds, until Violet's body had begun to tremble from the low temperature, Monet slowly straightened up. Yet those eyes, cold as ice, remained fixed on Violet. "My princess, I hope you have not forgotten what punishment awaits those who dare betray their family. I would hate to see such a cruel scene."

Monet naturally could not punish Violet over a mere newspaper. The Glint-Glint Fruit's abilities were extremely useful combat power for the family! Back then, it was precisely because Young Master had valued those abilities that he had shown special mercy and spared King Riku's life.

But a warning was still necessary.

Any thoughts she should not have needed to be thoroughly erased.

It seemed she would need to keep a closer eye on her from now on, Monet silently thought.

"Don't worry, Monet. I don't have the guts to betray my family."

Violet, shivering from the cold, reluctantly opened her mouth and answered Monet.

"That's more like it!"

A smile returned to Monet's face. She reached out and grabbed the newspaper spread across the vanity. Howling snow and wind swirled in her palm, and snowflakes as sharp as blades easily shredded the paper into tiny scraps that fluttered down like snow.

Violet's expression shifted slightly as she watched.

Logia—Snow-Snow Fruit.

That was the ability of Monet, the Secretary.

Without Armament Haki or a weapon equipped with Seastone, it was impossible to harm Monet, a Logia Devil Fruit user.

"Alright, the unpleasant thing has been dealt with. Violet, let's go shopping together!"

Smiling, Monet once again invited Violet.

"Wait a moment. I need to change clothes."

While Miss Violet accompanied the temperamental 'Snow Woman' on a shopping trip, the Whitebeard Pirates, who were cruising through the Silver Iris Sea, received an expected visitor. All sixteen division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates had gathered aboard the Moby Dick.

They stood guard around Whitebeard, using Observation Haki to watch Aleus as he climbed the gangplank.

The instant one of Aleus's feet stepped onto the deck of the Moby Dick—

Whitebeard, who had been sitting in his chair drinking, set down his enormous sake cup. At the same time, a vast and overwhelming pressure, pouring down like a burst celestial river, surged forth alongside Whitebeard's gaze and directly "drowned" Aleus.

"BOOM—!!!!!!"

It felt as if his head had been struck by a sledgehammer, and a buzzing echo rang through his ears.

Conqueror's Haki again.

And once more, it was top-tier Conqueror's Haki, powerful enough to affect physical matter.

"Hmm... What power. As expected of Whitebeard, a man scarier than demons. In terms of the force of Conqueror's Haki alone, Big Mom is nowhere near your level, old man!" Aleus maintained the same pace at which he had boarded, carrying the enormous wine jar as he walked unhurriedly across the broad deck.

His Spirit Pressure had already been released.

Unlike Whitebeard's invisible, colorless Conqueror's Haki, honed to its absolute peak, Aleus's Spirit Pressure could be seen. Dark green Spirit Pressure drifted around him like ribbons and mist, neutralizing the terrifying impact of the Conqueror's Haki.

"He withstood Pops's Haki. The New World's fifth overlord doesn't look like a fraud, at least. But... what's that dark green stuff? It can clash head-on with Pops's Conqueror's Haki?" Vista asked, turning his gaze to Thatch beside him.

"How would I know? Why are you looking at me, Vista? I'm the cook, not the intelligence division commander!"

The commander of the Fourth Division and the pirate crew's head chef rolled his eyes.

"It's probably a Devil Fruit ability!" Marco kept his eyes fixed on Aleus as he spoke, his sharp gaze like that of a hawk. He wanted to see what Aleus was truly capable of, to have fought Big Mom—that humanoid monster—to a standstill.

Aleus's abilities naturally could not be discerned just by looking at him.

But Marco's guess about the Spirit Pressure was completely correct.

Well!

It was not that difficult to figure out, really.

After all, in this world, anything strange and unexplainable by common sense could usually be blamed on Devil Fruits.

Watching Aleus approach him step by step—

"Gurararara!!!"

Whitebeard burst into laughter.

The terrifying Conqueror's Haki abruptly withdrew with his laughter. Almost at the same moment, Aleus also reined in his released Spirit Pressure. Whitebeard, still laughing, raised an eyebrow and smiled even more happily.

"Brat, you're pretty good. No wonder that crazy woman Big Mom couldn't do anything about you. You really do have what it takes to challenge me now."

The moment Whitebeard finished speaking, the commanders' expressions changed drastically. They stared at Aleus with wary, guarded eyes, afraid that he intended to challenge Pops and use the Whitebeard Pirates to further polish his own reputation. Forget the delusion of defeating Whitebeard—even fighting him for days and nights like before would be enough to make his name resound once again.

"Commander Marco, don't worry. I'm not here to pick a fight. I'm not a pirate, nor am I a Marine. I have no intention of going to war with the Whitebeard Pirates."

From the moment he stepped onto the gangplank lowered from the Moby Dick, Aleus had kept Neural Scan active. He truly had not intended to use Whitebeard to bolster his reputation again, but he still had to guard against the possibility that the old man might try to put him in his place.

As it turned out, his caution had been justified.

That burst of Conqueror's Haki just now had been a warning.

So, the moment the commanders revealed even a trace of killing intent, Aleus responded immediately, lest someone accidentally set things off and make matters even more troublesome.

After greeting Marco, Aleus stopped walking, straightened his back, and looked up at Whitebeard, who sat upon his massive chair like a giant. A brilliant smile appeared on his face as he exchanged pleasantries. "Pops Whitebeard, you look to be in very good spirits!"

"I won't die anytime soon, brat. Are you here to probe the state of my health?"

"I already said I'm not here to start a war or gather intelligence... Well, I do have something I want to ask, but it has nothing to do with whether you're healthy or not. This is a gift for you, old man—fine wine from the Giant Race, as thanks for protecting our country for so many years."

Aleus set down the enormous wine jar he had carried aboard.

and pushed it over to Whitebeard.

"Wine from the Giant Race? It's been a long time since I last had any." Whitebeard straightforwardly lifted the enormous wine jar, tore off its lid, and raised it to drink deeply, showing no concern whatsoever over whether the wine might be tampered with. He drained nearly half of it in one go before finally exhaling in satisfaction and setting the jar down.

"As expected of the Giant Race, slow to change—their wine tastes exactly the same as it did thirty years ago. Still, it's not bad."

Drinking so boldly meant that Whitebeard had agreed to Aleus's request for the Ekmondo Kingdom to leave the Whitebeard Pirates' protection. Once they returned the Whitebeard Pirates' flag, the Ekmondo Kingdom would no longer be territory under the Whitebeard Pirates' protection.

"You little bastard, now that your wings have grown in, get lost! Give me back my flag. From now on, you can protect the Ekmondo Kingdom yourself!"

"Father Whitebeard, thank you for protecting us all these years."

Aleus lowered his head again and offered his sincere thanks.

Don't give him that bullshit about how the Ekmondo Kingdom paid protection money to the Whitebeard Pirates every year, so Whitebeard's protection was only natural. The New World was enormous—did they really think there were only a few countries that wanted Whitebeard's protection? Compared to the peace and security they received, those protection fees were nothing at all.