Chapter 50: Boarding The Deck Of The Moby Dick
New World,
Dressrosa, Lovers Avenue.
After cleaning up a group of pirates who came from Paradise and didn’t know the depths of the New World waters yet dared to cause trouble here, Violet stepped away from the bloody scene in high heels still stained with bloodstains, leaving it to the ordinary fighters to clean up.
She returned to the most bustling dance hall on Lovers Avenue.
This was also a property of the Donquixote Family. Most of the time, Violet danced here, gathering intelligence from the colorful crowd, while also working part-time as a killer, eliminating targets that couldn’t be openly taken out.
When sudden incidents like today’s occurred occasionally, she would rush over to support the combat-weak fighters and suppress some arrogant pirate supernovas.
Don’t let Violet’s soft and weak appearance fool you,
In fact, this former Princess was not weak at all. She skillfully wielded the weapon called “beauty.” Beneath the sharp, long heels of her high heels hung the souls of quite a few pirates with bounties over 100 million.
In the dance hall’s backstage, Violet’s private dressing room.
Violet sat in front of the vanity, looking down at the newspaper spread out on it.
“Fifth Overlord of the New World······”
Her fingertip gently slid over the bolded, enlarged title.
Her light brown eyes stared at the photo in the newspaper. The delusion she had deeply buried in the depths of her heart not long ago sprouted uncontrollably once again. Her accelerating heartbeat wasn’t due to foolish, boring pink fantasies, but excitement from seeing the light called hope.
In that brief contact at the previous banquet,
Violet was certain that Elus had intentions toward Dressrosa. He had even investigated her identity as the former princess thoroughly. To say he had no interest in Dressrosa······ she absolutely didn’t believe it.
It was just that for certain reasons she didn’t understand, the Black Prince didn’t seem prepared to act on Dressrosa in the short term.
But,
she still couldn’t help getting excited.
The stronger Elus was, the greater the hope for Dressrosa to break free from the Donquixote Family and escape Doflamingo’s control.
Violet, who had grown up in the New World since childhood, knew very well what “Fifth Overlord of the New World” meant. It meant that even Young Master Doflamingo, that man proud to his bones, would have to bow before this new Overlord.
Donquixote Family,
was actually a hidden vassal of the Beasts Pirates.
This was intelligence Violet had investigated after joining the Donquixote Family. As an ability user of the Gaze-Gaze Fruit, with useful abilities like Clairvoyance and X-ray Vision, she could easily access many secret information.
So,
she understood that the Donquixote Family, which seemed overwhelmingly powerful and impossible to resist in her eyes, was just a slightly larger ant before the Four Emperors.
The seemingly arrogant and invincible Young Master Doflamingo couldn’t use that arrogant attitude toward the Beasts Pirates’ high cadres either. On the contrary, that monster nicknamed “Drought” lorded over Dressrosa with unparalleled arrogance······
At that moment,
“Violet, shall we go shopping this afternoon?”
A cold air suddenly came from behind.
“Monet?”
Violet turned around and saw the woman who had barged in without permission. Her pupils contracted slightly as she said coldly: “I said it before, knock before entering.”
“No need to be so formal between family, my Princess.” Monet, who had removed her thick milk bottle glasses to reveal her clear and beautiful face, smiled and approached. Without waiting for Violet to stand, she pressed her body against Violet’s back, leaned on Violet’s shoulder, and peeked toward the vanity,
“Let me see, what is Princess looking at that’s so engrossing you didn’t even notice my footsteps······”
The newspaper spread on the vanity clearly showed the eye-catching title and photo.
This was the World Economic News from several days ago.
Monet had naturally seen it.
She knew the contents of the newspaper very well.
Because of this newspaper, Young Master’s mood had been extremely foul from yesterday morning until now, which naturally soured Monet’s mood as secretary. So she came to pester Violet today—half because the surveillance mission wasn’t over, half to really relax and relieve stress.
However, before she could relax, her already poor mood worsened even more.
Looking at the spread newspaper, she raised an eyebrow and questioned coldly: “Princess Violet, are you still thinking about that Black Prince?”
She didn’t use the previous joking “Princess” title, but called out Violet’s hidden real name.
A visibly icy white cold breath exhaled from Monet’s mouth. Violet clearly felt the chilling cold from behind. The Monet leaning on her back was like a humanoid ice sculpture, not a living person of flesh and blood.
“It’s just a newspaper, Monet you’re overthinking it, and······ I said it, that Your Highness has no interest in me.”
Violet endured the bone-piercing chill and said word by word.
“······It had better be.”
After waiting about ten seconds, with Violet’s body shivering from the low temperature, Monet finally slowly straightened up. But those eyes cold as ice still stared tightly at Violet. “My Princess, I hope you don’t forget what punishment awaits those who betray family. I don’t want to see such a cruel scene.”
Monet naturally wouldn’t punish Violet over a newspaper. The Gaze-Gaze Fruit’s ability was quite useful combat power for the family! Back then, Young Master spared King Riku’s life precisely because of this ability.
But a warning was still necessary.
Any improper thoughts had to be completely eradicated.
It seemed she’d need to keep a closer eye from now on, Monet thought to herself.
“Don’t worry! Monet, I don’t have the guts to betray family.”
Violet, shivering from the cold air, barely opened her mouth to respond to Monet.
“That’s more like it!”
Monet’s face showed a smile again. She reached out, grabbed the newspaper on the vanity, and a howling blizzard swirled in her palm. Razor-sharp snowflakes easily tore the newspaper into tiny paper scraps, which fluttered down like snowflakes.
Violet watched this scene, her expression changing slightly.
Logia Snow-Snow Fruit.
This was Secretary Monet’s ability.
Without Armament Haki or Seastone-equipped weapons, it was impossible to inflict any damage on Monet, this Logia Devil Fruit ability user.
“Alright, the annoying thing is dealt with. Violet, let’s go shopping together!”
Monet, smiling, invited Violet again.
“Wait a moment, I need to change clothes.”
————
While Miss Violet was shopping with the truly moody ‘snow woman’, the Whitebeard Pirates wandering in the Silver Iris Sea Area welcomed an expected guest. On the Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates’ sixteen captains gathered.
They guarded around Whitebeard, using Observation Haki to watch Elus walking up the gangway.
The instant Elus’s foot just stepped onto the Moby Dick’s deck,
Whitebeard, who was sitting in a chair drinking alcohol, set down the huge wine cup in his hand. At the same time, a majestic, vast intimidation like a heavenly river bursting its banks poured down with Whitebeard’s gaze, directly “drowning” Elus.
“Boom————！！！！！!”
His head felt like it was struck by a hammer, with buzzing echoes in his ears.
Conqueror’s Haki again.
And similarly, top-tier Conqueror’s Haki capable of interfering with matter.
“Ugh······ This power truly lives up to Whitebeard, scarier than any demon. In terms of Conqueror’s Haki impact alone, BIG·MOM can’t compare to you at all, Old Man!” Elus maintained his approach speed, carrying the huge wine urn, walking unhurriedly on the spacious deck.
Spiritual Pressure had already been released.
Unlike Whitebeard’s formless, colorless, pinnacle-honed Conqueror’s Haki, Elus’s Spiritual Pressure was visible. Ink-green Spiritual Pressure floated around him like ribbons and mist, offsetting and dissolving the terrifying impact from the Conqueror’s Haki.
“Withstood Old Man’s Haki, Fifth Overlord of the New World. Doesn’t look like a fraud, but······ what’s that ink-green stuff? It can clash head-on with Old Man’s Conqueror’s Haki?” Vista asked, glancing at Sachi beside him.
“I don’t know! Why are you looking at me, Vista? I’m a chef, not the intelligence captain!”
The Fourth Division captain, and Pirate Crew head chef rolled his eyes.
“Probably a Devil Fruit ability!” As Marco spoke, he stared sharply at Elus like a hawk, wanting to figure out just what Elus was capable of to fight that human monster BIG·MOM to a draw.
Elus’s capabilities naturally couldn’t be seen that easily.
But his guess about Spiritual Pressure was spot on.
Well!
Though it wasn’t hard to guess anyway.
After all,
In this world, anything strange and incomprehensible could often be attributed to Devil Fruits.
Watching Elus approach step by step.
“Gurahaha!!!”
Whitebeard laughed loudly.
That terrifying Conqueror’s Haki retracted fiercely with the laughter. Almost simultaneously, Elus also withdrew his released Spiritual Pressure, making the laughing Whitebeard raise an eyebrow, laughing even more cheerfully.
“Kid, you’re not bad. No wonder that crazy woman BIG·MOM couldn’t handle you. You do have the qualifications to challenge me now.”
Whitebeard’s words had just fallen.
The captains’ expressions changed drastically, staring at Elus with vigilant, wary gazes, worried he was here to challenge Old Man and use the Whitebeard Pirates to gild his reputation again. Forget defeating Whitebeard—that was a delusion. Just fighting for days and nights like before would be enough to make a name again.
“Marco Captain, relax! I’m not here to pick a fight. I’m not a pirate or Navy, no plans to go to war with the Whitebeard Pirates.”
From the moment he stepped onto the gangway of the Moby Dick, Elus had kept Neuro-Scan active. Though he truly had no plans to farm reputation off Whitebeard again, he had to guard against the Old Man giving him a show of force.
In fact,
His caution was correct.
That earlier Conqueror’s Haki impact was a show of force.
So, when the captains showed some killing intent, Elus responded immediately to avoid any accidental escalation making things more troublesome.
Greeting Marco, Elus stopped, straightened his back, looked up at Whitebeard who sat in the huge chair like a Giant, and smiled brightly. “Whitebeard Old Man, you look in great spirits!”
“Won’t die for a while yet, kid. You here to check on my health?”
“I said I’m not here for war or intelligence······ Well, I do want to ask something, but it has nothing to do with your health. This is a gift for you, Old Man—fine wine from the Giant Race, as thanks for protecting my country all these years.”
Elus set down the huge wine urn he had carried aboard.
And pushed it to Whitebeard’s side.
“Giant Race wine? Haven’t tasted it in ages.” Whitebeard straightforwardly lifted the huge wine urn, flipped off the lid, and chugged it directly, not worrying at all about any issues. He drank nearly half in one go, then exhaled contentedly and set down the urn,
“As expected of the slow-changing Giant Race’s brew—same as thirty years ago. Not bad.”
Such bold drinking meant Whitebeard had agreed to Elus’s request to let the Eckmond Kingdom withdraw from the Whitebeard Pirates’ protection. As long as the Whitebeard Pirates’ flag was returned, Eckmond Kingdom would no longer be under their territory.
“Brat, wings hardened? Get lost then! Return my flag. From now on, Eckmond Kingdom is yours to protect!”
“Whitebeard Old Man, thanks for the protection all these years.”
Elus bowed his head sincerely again.
Forget nonsense like Eckmond Kingdom paying protection fees to the Whitebeard Pirates every year, so the protection was deserved. The New World was vast—did few countries seek Whitebeard’s protection? Those protection fees were nothing compared to the peace and tranquility gained.
