"Very good. It seems all of you are people of true courage. I didn't misjudge you!"
"In that case, the execution of the plan will be set for three days from now."
"During these three days, you may freely gather intelligence and formulate your plans."
"But…"
Red's tone abruptly paused. In the next instant, he raised his hand and casually waved it, sending several mysterious beams of light shooting straight into the bodies of the gathered Supernovas.
He grinned.
"To ensure the safety of all alliance members, I've left my spiritual imprint on each of you."
"No matter where you are, I'll be able to sense your position instantly—and find you with absolute precision."
A bizarre spatial wormhole suddenly appeared behind Capone at the front.
Red casually reached out. His palm tore through space itself and landed on Capone's shoulder.
All the Supernovas' expressions changed instantly. Staring at that arm that had appeared out of nowhere, their minds uncontrollably conjured the image of a dagger suddenly manifesting behind their heads, plunging down when they were completely unprepared.
"!!!"
So this was a pirate with a bounty of 1.7 billion Beli?!
With just a casual display, he made them feel chills down their spines!
Capone, the one Red had directly touched, turned ashen-faced, his entire body stiffening.
"All right."
Having finished, Red smiled calmly once more and said to the group:
"Drake, Law, Bonney—please stay behind."
"The rest of you can wake your subordinates and leave."
"Remember to get your ships coated within three days. If you get caught by the Marines or the World Government's heavy hitters, don't say I didn't warn you."
"…Y-yes, Lord Red."
Though everything felt inexplicably surreal, Capone and the others exchanged glances before obediently complying under Red's overwhelming presence.
It wasn't that they didn't want to resist.
Under Red's Conqueror's Haki just now, even moving felt unbearably difficult.
Not to mention that behind Red stood several other powerful members of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Besides, what Red proposed was merely a pirate alliance, not a demand for their submission.
Since he had already given them a perfect way out, it would be foolish to refuse.
Moreover, the Straw Hat Pirates had entered the Grand Line in the same generation as them, yet the gap in strength was like heaven and earth.
Following behind monsters like these… who knew what benefits might come of it?
Smack smack smack smack…
A series of sharp slaps rang out across the tavern.
Capone and the others grabbed their subordinates by the collars and delivered rapid-fire slaps until they were thoroughly awake.
And just at that moment—
Bang!
The tavern door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Sunlight spilled in, casting a long shadow across the tavern floor.
Guided by fate and finally having made his decision, Hawkins froze when he saw the Supernovas busy slapping their own subordinates awake.
Unable to help himself, he said,
"Sorry… I think I came at the wrong time."
As he spoke, he reached out to close the ornate oak door.
But suddenly, an invisible force seized his arm midair.
Red smiled gently at Hawkins from the doorway and said softly,
"No. You came at exactly the right time!!!"
...
...
Half an hour later, Hawkins—now bearing a spiritual imprint—left the tavern in a daze with Capone and the others to learn the details.
Meanwhile, Luffy had somehow already digested his bulging stomach and was cheerfully ordering a second round of food, continuing his feast.
Since Red had already sealed the hearing of the tavern owner and staff with Psychic Power, there was no need to worry about leaks.
"All right. All the irrelevant people are gone."
"Now, I think we can finally have a proper talk."
After sealing the tavern door again with Psychic Power, Red's gaze swept over Bonney and the other two. Then his expression abruptly hardened as he barked,
"Law! Take out Drake's heart!"
"Huh?"
Law froze at Red's sudden command.
First came confusion over how Red knew his Devil Fruit ability. Only then did he hesitate over whether he should actually obey.
Unlike Apoo and the others, he carried secrets of his own and didn't necessarily need a pirate alliance to survive in the New World.
But at that very moment, Drake sensed danger and immediately activated his ability.
His body swelled violently, his skin turning deep green.
Sharp fangs. Savage claws. Enormous draconic eyes…
In the blink of an eye, a massive dinosaur appeared inside the tavern, crushing tables and chairs beneath its bulk.
Clearly, Drake intended to escape.
Yet Red remained calm. He simply shouted toward Drake's rear,
"Bonney! If you want to know Kuma's current condition, then keep Drake right where he is!"
"What?!"
Bonney, who had been cautiously watching Red and the Straw Hats, trembled as her eyes widened in shock.
Compared to the still-hesitating Law, her concern for Kuma left her with no room for doubt. She instantly activated her Devil Fruit ability and reached toward Drake.
In an instant…
Drake's massive body rapidly shrank.
A few seconds later, a juvenile dinosaur no taller than half a man stood before them all.
"What are you waiting for, Law?!"
"Do you want what happened here to reach the Marines ahead of time?!"
"..."
Though he didn't know why Red possessed so much intelligence, the increasingly sharp pressure radiating from him made it clear that hesitation was no longer an option.
"Room!"
A strange spatial ripple spread from Law's palm, rapidly expanding to envelop the entire tavern.
Then the demonic blade Kikoku flashed.
"Scalpel!"
Thump!
A small heart flew out of Drake's body and landed precisely in Red's hand.
"What a truly incredible ability."
Even though he had seen it countless times in anime, holding a still-beating heart wrapped in a strange cubic space made Red marvel.
He tightened his grip slightly.
"Ah—!!!"
A childish scream rang out.
Drake's dinosaur body shrank rapidly under the pain, ultimately turning into a child wearing oversized adult clothes, half-kneeling on the floor in agony.
Fortunately, Red had no intention of truly tormenting him.
Once Drake exited his dinosaur form, Red relaxed his hand and stopped inflicting pain.
"Vice Admiral Drake, I think it's time we had a proper conversation."
"Huff… huff…"
After enduring extreme pain in a child's body, Drake gasped heavily before stubbornly retorting,
"I… I betrayed the Marines long ago. I'm no Vice Admiral anymore."
"Heh." Red chuckled. "That might fool others, but don't strain yourself in front of me."
"Captain of the Marines' confidential special unit SWORD—Vice Admiral Drake."
"Your identity is no secret to me."
"!!!"
Drake's pupils shrank violently. His body tensed as disbelief flooded his face.
"How… how do you know all this?!"
"There's very little in this world that I don't know."
"If you don't believe me, ask the two behind you."
Red smiled faintly, mystery glinting in his eyes.
"All right, let's skip the pointless chatter."
With that, Red tossed Drake's heart back toward Usopp behind him and continued,
"Although you're a Marine infiltrator, I don't see any reason for us to be enemies."
"After all, you're loyal to justice—not to the Celestial Dragons who stand against it."
"Kidnapping Celestial Dragons is nothing but a good thing for the people of the world. Don't you agree?"
"..."
Drake fell silent, unsure how to respond.
But through Aura, Red could clearly sense the turbulence in Drake's heart and pressed on.
With Aura at his disposal, Red was practically the world's strongest psychologist.
He could effortlessly feel what others were thinking.
"Think about it. If you behave yourself, I don't mind letting you stay in the pirate alliance and treating you no differently from the others."
"That way, you can gather even more intelligence."
"And when you finally hand it over to the Marines… your death will have far greater value. Isn't that right?"
...
...
Half an hour later.
A fully fed Luffy walked out of the tavern, sucking his fingers happily.
While Red, the vice-captain, had been acting his heart out for the sake of the crew's plans, Luffy had been thoroughly enjoying Sabaody Archipelago's local cuisine.
It was only when the bill arrived that the astronomical total nearly drove Nami into a rage—she almost wanted to shove her arm into Luffy's stomach and dig out everything he'd just eaten to return it to the owner.
"All right, all right."
Seeing that Nami still hadn't calmed down, Red hurried over to console her.
"It's just a few million Beli. We can make it back by robbing some pirate crew."
"Since this is a tourist island favored by nobles, higher prices are normal."
"That's not the point!" Nami said helplessly, holding the absurdly long receipt.
Perhaps it had been too long since she'd spent money like this. One meal consuming an entire month's expenses for the crew made her heart ache.
Meanwhile, the culprit behind it all—Luffy—seemed completely oblivious and exclaimed excitedly,
"I'm so full!!!"
"Red, didn't you say the Pirate King Roger's vice-captain lives on this island?!"
"Let's go find him!"
"I can't wait to see just how strong the Pirate King's crew really was!!!"
(End of Chapter)