Two days later, Arderay. Inside the inner hall of Alucard's castle.
"The current bodyguard to Dr. Vegapunk, Aranea Highwind, hailing from the Kingdom of Niflheim in the Grand Line, pledges her loyalty to you from this day forward, Alucard-sama."
Aranea placed her right palm over her heart and bowed deeply toward Alucard, who sat upon his throne.
"Is that so? From the heart?"
Alucard wore a faint, mocking smile, as if watching an amusing performance.
"I heard the Kuja Pirates have a woman who can read minds. Why not let her give it a try?"
Aranea showed none of the trembling fear Cavendish had displayed when facing Alucard. She faced him with a beaming smile, looking more like she was greeting an old friend than a mass murderer.
She had long been dissatisfied with the behavior of the Government bureaucrats and had been looking for an opportunity to resign. Unfortunately, she was too talented; even Scarlett had only barely managed to take her down with the help of the Swap-Swap Fruit and Shirahoshi's support. With that kind of strength, the Government higher-ups refused to let her leave.
For someone of her temperament, as long as life was enjoyable, that was enough. If she had to be a pirate, she'd be a pirate; it didn't matter, as long as her conscience was clear.
"Do you know a woman named Alessia?" Alucard asked.
"Eh~ Alucard-sama knows Shirokitsune-san?" Aranea asked, somewhat surprised.
Alessia, formerly a Vice Admiral of the Navy HQ and now a high-ranking officer in the World Government Army. A powerful combatant codenamed Shirokitsune, she was once the adjutant to the Admiral candidate, Momousagi.
Though Alucard had only spent a few days with her, she was the key figure who led him to the Red Poneglyph. Furthermore, she was the first woman to ever give Alucard a taste of intimacy. Thus, despite their brief time together and the fact that more than a decade had passed, Alucard still held a deep impression of the woman in the white military uniform.
"Just a twisted fate," Alucard replied ambiguously.
"Oh? Now I'm curious. That Shirokitsune is always so stern; to think she has a history with you." Aranea rested her chin on her hand, looking immensely intrigued.
And so, the newest member of the Immortal Pirates' Science and Research Division, bodyguard and proxy to Dr. Vegapunk, former Commander of the Government Air Force's Second Mobile Regiment, the Female Dragon Knight Aranea Highwind, was born.
Alucard rose and walked down the steps, heading toward the exit. Aranea half-turned, asking curiously, "Is Alucard-sama going somewhere?"
"Just going for a stroll. I'm not Charlotte Linlin." Alucard's body phased through the wall and vanished.
Aranea gave an awkward laugh. "Ahaha..."
After joining the Immortal Pirates, she had heard Alucard's evaluation of Big Mom: "A piece of trash who only knows how to give birth." That was Alucard's assessment.
"Only knows how to give birth..." It actually sounded quite fitting. Charlotte Linlin certainly was prolific. Calculating ten months per child against the number of sons and daughters she currently had... her time spent pregnant probably equaled her time spent sleeping.
…
"According to the report from the returning Air Force members, that girl Aranea has defected?"
Inside an office with a slight Japanese aesthetic, Kong sat with his arms crossed. Across the desk from him was Aranea's direct superior, the Air Force Commander, Yako.
"That brat... she never had much 'Justice' in her heart to begin with. Plus, she was fed up with the Government's actions. She submitted her resignation several times in the past, but I suppressed it."
Yako looked ashamed and bowed his head. "This is my failure. Please discipline me, Commander-in-Chief Kong."
In Yako's view, if he had agreed to Aranea's resignation request earlier, she would have at most returned to her home in Niflheim to serve as a Knight Commander. She never would have joined the pirates.
The Air Force would have lost a valuable asset, but at least that asset wouldn't have been delivered straight into Alucard's hands.
Kong raised a hand. "Don't be hasty. Go back and settle your mind. More importantly, comfort the Air Force soldiers. Having a Regimental Commander turn pirate must be a huge blow to their morale."
Yako bowed once more and left the office.
Dr. Vegapunk defecting to Alucard, Aranea's betrayal, and the death of Bartholomew Kuma.
These three events were confirmed by the Air Force members who had been captured alongside Aranea. According to them, after Aranea defected to Alucard, she pleaded for their release so they could return and relay the actual events to Yako and the others.
"Aranea's influence will fade eventually. Losing one Vice Admiral-level combatant isn't a crushing blow to the Government... the real issues are Dr. Vegapunk and Bartholomew Kuma..."
Kong didn't care much about Aranea; the Government could afford to lose one officer of that rank. The problem was Kuma and Vegapunk.
The vacancy in the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the loss of the genius scientist.
"With a mind like yours, why abandon the Government for a pirate?"
Kong rose from his desk and walked to the window, gazing down at the mist-shrouded Red Line. "Do you truly believe, Vegapunk, that eight hundred years of Government heritage is inferior to the power of a single pirate?"
…
Within a few days, two more pieces of news swept across the world.
One of the Seven Warlords, Bartholomew Kuma, was dead, killed by the Yonko, Alucard.
Aranea Highwind of the Government forces had defected to the Immortal Pirates. A bounty had been issued:
Aranea Highwind
Dead or Alive
Bounty: 77,000,000 Berries
Her original epithet, Female Dragon Knight, now had an unofficial addition: the Fallen Knight. This was because she had originally served in the Knight Order of the Kingdom of Niflheim.
Compared to the latter, the former news was far more captivating.
Kuma's death not only proved Alucard's overwhelming power once again, but it also meant there was a vacant seat among the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The power to have one's bounty frozen, the right to plunder freely, and the only requirement being to follow Government orders in times of emergency—such authority made many pirates salivate, all of them eager to seize the new position of Warlord.
Meanwhile, Garp, having returned to Marineford from the East Blue, handed a new bounty poster to Sengoku.
"I want to recommend this kid for the Warlord position," Garp said.
Sengoku took the poster and looked at it.
Portgas D. Ace
Dead or Alive
Bounty: 270,000,000 Berries.