Stupeo, one of the islands in the territory of the Immortal Pirates.
"Hey, did you hear?"
Pirates under the command of the Immortal Pirates living on this island began discussing a particular topic.
"Hear what?" asked a curious pirate who hadn't caught the news yet.
Sometimes, pirates had a lot of idle time. Zephyr's arrival had provided several years of training for the Immortal Pirates, but with his growing distance from the crew over the past six months, many had become lazy. However, those with true ambition continued to train and improve, even without Zephyr's supervision.
"That thing... Captain Alucard is apparently planning to give the other Devil Fruit, the one mentioned in the newspaper half a year ago, besides the Titan Fruit, to Kuja's Scarlett to eat." The speaker was a man wearing a blue fur hat, though not as thick as Law's leopard-print fur hat.
"Oh? They found it?" another pirate of the Immortal Pirates said in surprise upon hearing this.
He immediately looked unimpressed. "What's so strange about that? Scarlett is Captain Alucard's woman, isn't she? If it were me, I'd do the same... But seriously, is our Captain a Devil Fruit user or not?"
The pirate wearing the blue fur hat suppressed a cold sneer and continued, "Don't you think that's a bit unfair? Even though that Zephyr guy snatched the Titan Fruit through dishonorable means, at least the Captain made the fruit available for competition that time."
His tone shifted. "And this time? A power said to be a top-tier Paramecia, not inferior to the Tremor-Tremor Fruit or the Ope Ope no Mi—he's directly giving it to his woman. That's very unfair to us subordinates."
"..."
The other pirate was at a loss for words. He felt... that the point had some merit.
In less than a week, the news that Alucard was giving the Swap-Swap Fruit to Scarlett spread rapidly within the Immortal Pirates.
Many people claimed that Alucard's decision was unjust; that for the sake of a woman, he was denying his subordinates an opportunity.
In reality, these people only saw one side of the story: they hadn't been the ones to obtain the fruit—Law had. Crocodile had also handed the fruit over to Alucard, not to them.
The six individuals most affected by this rumor were those who had competed and failed to secure the Titan Fruit six months ago: Urdaha, Matthew, Exdeath, and the others.
They had all coveted the Titan Fruit, but Zephyr ultimately snatched it, leading to their break with him and even a major fight recently, which Alucard had to stop.
Naturally, they also desired the top-tier Paramecia Swap-Swap Fruit, but now they had even less of a chance, as Alucard intended to give it to his woman.
Urdaha and Matthew, being among the earliest members of the Immortal Pirates, held back and swallowed their dissatisfaction.
However, the younger pirates, led by Exdeath, and the newly joined members were resentful.
They felt that the Swap-Swap Fruit should be treated like the Titan Fruit: brought out for a competition, with the winner claiming it.
This was like a philanthropist who donated money every year; it was a charitable act, not an obligation. Yet, because he donated so often, when he occasionally didn't, everyone turned to curse or insult him.
The situation with Alucard giving the fruit to Scarlett was similar to the example above.
Exdeath, who lived on Stupeo, felt increasingly disgruntled the more he thought about it. He decided to pay a visit to Amazon Lily to demand an explanation.
He wasn't the only one; the other three young pirates who failed to get the Titan Fruit had the same idea.
A few days later, Amazon Lily, where the Kuja Pirates lived, also erupted into serious chaos, all due to the rumors.
It wasn't entirely a rumor. Urdaha had already received word from Law, confirming Alucard's order that the Swap-Swap Fruit was indeed for Scarlett.
Amazon Lily, one of the Immortal Pirates' territories, designated exclusively for the Kuja.
"What are we going to do about this situation...?"
Scarlett paced anxiously around her room. Although Shirahoshi was holding back the dissenters, they were all members of the same pirate crew. They couldn't just sink their ships as if they were enemies, could they?
And to make matters worse, this was all happening while Alucard and Hancock were away...
Viola, who now had lightly curled, waist-length dark hair and an enchanting beauty, made an "OK" gesture with her fingers and thumb over her eyes. After observing the area with her Glare-Glare Fruit ability, she said, "The number of pirate ships surrounding Amazon Lily is still increasing. These bastards..."
Even with Shirahoshi controlling the Sea Kings to defend them, Shirahoshi's power was limited. She couldn't possibly hold them off until Hancock and the others returned, could she?
"I can't stand it!" Viola couldn't help but burst out. "We should just use Shirahoshi's power to blast them all out of Amazon Lily's territory!"
"Absolutely not!"
As soon as Viola said this, Elder Nyon jumped out to object. "Internal conflict among allies; the one who strikes first is the one who violates benevolence, righteousness, and the iron rule! You are strictly forbidden to attack before Alucard and the Snake Princess return to take charge!"
"But..." Viola clenched her fists.
"Maybe... I should give up the fruit?" Scarlett asked softly, her tone carrying a hint of resignation.
"No! That's your power, Sis! How can you give it up?" Viola vehemently opposed the idea again.
On a deserted island thousands of nautical miles away from the Immortal Pirates' territory, Dragon of the Revolutionary Army and the former Red Hair Pirates, now the 17th Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, were gathered.
Dragon held the receiver of a Den Den Mushi. The voice of the pirate wearing the blue fur hat came through the device. "Dragon, it's done. The Immortal Pirates are already in a state of internal chaos."
"Excellent. Continue to fan the flames and force the Kuja into action. It's time for us to make our move."
Dragon closed the receiver's shell over the Den Den Mushi's body, turned to Lucky Roux and the others, and said, "Now, it's your turn to act."