CHAPTER 23

Viola knew this well.

She had no doubt that if the man in front of her spoke, Doflamingo would kill her without hesitation to maintain his relationship with the Beasts, including Rebecca.

It was a blatant threat.

Viola clenched her fists, her face growing even paler. She spoke in a trembling voice, "What... what do you want? We have nothing left. There's nothing of value to you."

"No," Alastor said, smiling and shaking his head. "You are still very useful to me."

Viola bit her lower lip in frustration, her silver teeth glinting as she asked, "What do you want me to do?"

Alastor's voice was calm. "It's simple. I need you to continue infiltrating the Don Quixote family and use your ability to find a samurai. If you discover one, report to me immediately."

Such a simple request surprised Viola. What shocked her even more was what the man said next.

"Of course, I won't ask you to do this for nothing. I will protect both you and Rebecca. Even Doflamingo won't be able to harm you easily. In fact, one day, you might even become the princess of Dressrosa again."

Viola couldn't believe her ears. She had thought the man before her was cruel and frightening, but the request he made didn't feel like a threat—it seemed more like help.

Yes, in Viola's mind, Alastor was helping them.

All he wanted her to do was find the samurai and offer her and Rebecca protection.

The protection of the Hundred Beasts was incredibly valuable. From Pika's reaction, it was clear that no one in the Don Quixote family dared to offend Alastor. Even Doflamingo had given an order to respect him.

But why was the man before her doing this?

Viola had been able to remain undercover in the Don Quixote family for so long. She wasn't foolish—quite the opposite. She quickly realized that Alastor's final words, about her becoming the princess of Dressrosa again, hinted at something much bigger.

Dressrosa was under Doflamingo's control. Could it be...?

Viola came to a shocking conclusion.

The man named Alastor had murderous intentions toward Doflamingo!

She was stunned, unable to believe her own thoughts.

But this was the only explanation that made sense of Alastor's actions.

Stammering, she asked, "You... you want to kill Doflamingo?"

Alastor's eyes glimmered, slightly impressed by her quick wit. But he neither confirmed nor denied her words—he merely smiled.

"So, do you agree to my terms?"

Viola's beautiful eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions. How could she not agree? This offer was too valuable to refuse.

Yet, she still couldn't understand why Alastor wanted to kill Doflamingo. Wasn't the Hundred Beasts working with the Don Quixote family?

Viola wisely didn't ask, though. Regardless of the reasoning, the outcome was exactly what she had hoped for. It was as though fate itself had intervened.

Doflamingo was Viola's greatest enemy. Despite her wariness toward Alastor, the opportunity for revenge that she had longed for had finally appeared. How could she not seize it?

Viola decisively agreed. "I understand. I will work for you from now on."

Alastor nodded in satisfaction. "Very good."

With Viola planted in Dressrosa, his mission here had been accomplished.

And Viola's ability to track targets should prove useful for locating Kin'emon, Momonosuke, and the others in the future.

Although Rebecca was still young, she understood that Alastor, the man who had draped his coat over her, was here to help them. They finally had a chance to avenge Doflamingo!

Rebecca was even more excited than when she saw Viola. She rushed to Alastor, raising her head to ask, "My lord, are you really going to kill Doflamingo?"

Alastor gently ruffled Rebecca's pink hair, responding lightly, "This isn't about gratuitous help. I only act according to my own principles."

Rebecca's face flushed with determination, and she shouted, "No matter what, as long as you kill Doflamingo, you will be my benefactor!"

The young girl's hatred had festered deep within her ever since her mother's death. She had endured years of discrimination, ridicule, and hunger, fighting in the arena, all for the chance to avenge her mother.

Alastor smiled and patted her thin shoulder. He then handed Viola a confidential den den mushi.

"Contact me through this. Until next time."

Alastor left, under the watchful, conflicted gaze of Viola, and Rebecca's eyes filled with gratitude and hope.

Rebecca looked at Viola, a happy expression on her face. "Auntie, I think Lord Alastor is a good person."

A good person?

Viola looked at the coat that Rebecca was still wearing. Alastor was indeed different—he didn't carry the same brutal aura as the Beasts Pirates. But he was certainly not a "good" person in the conventional sense.

In fact, he was likely far more terrifying than Doflamingo.

Working under a man like him, would she and Rebecca truly be safe? And what would become of Dressrosa's future?

Viola's heart was full of uncertainty.

Alastor's favor toward Viola and Rebecca stemmed from two key factors: on one hand, he needed to use Viola's "Staring Fruit" ability, and on the other, he was setting the groundwork to control Dressrosa in the future.

Doflamingo, as both a Shichibukai and a Celestial Dragon, wielded significant power. If he were to die, it would create shockwaves throughout the world, and the navy would certainly take notice.

Alastor, as a member of the Beasts Pirates, could not remain hidden forever. His influence within the Beasts would only grow, and with his involvement in killing vice admiral Guleta from the G5 branch, he was likely becoming well-known within the navy.

This made it difficult for him to control Dressrosa openly. He wasn't a Shichibukai, and without an official title, the navy would never let Dressrosa, a government-controlled territory, fall into his hands.

Of course, Alastor could seek Kaido's help, using the Beasts' prestige to oppose the navy. But Kaido would probably refuse to allow Alastor to kill Doflamingo, given the latter's crucial role as a dark broker in the world.

This was why, in the original story, Kaido reacted so strongly when Doflamingo was defeated by Luffy—sending Drought Jack to hijack a warship escorting the Warlord.

Alastor's plan would incite fear in the navy and the World Government, and Kaido would likely withhold support. Securing control over a territory wouldn't be easy.

Thus, Alastor needed to plan carefully.

His strategy was to use Viola's royal bloodline. After the Don Quixote family was destroyed, Viola would return to her rightful place as the queen of Dressrosa, while Alastor would pull the strings behind the scenes.

This way, the navy would have no reason to intervene in Dressrosa's affairs, and Alastor wouldn't need to ask Kaido for help.

It could be described as the best of both worlds.

However, while the plan was sound, the most important factor was that Alastor needed enough strength.

Only with strength could expectations turn into reality.

Alastor never slacked off in his training. Even on his way back to Wano Country, he frequently ventured out to sea to fight Sea Kings.

When he arrived at the port of Wano Country, his defense had successfully increased to 1,200 points.

"Lord Alastor!"

On the shore, Speed, Billy, and other subordinates came to greet him.

Then, there were a few heavy footsteps, and a large figure approached—Drought Jack himself.

All the pirates bowed in fear, "Master Jack!"

Jack ignored everyone, his gaze fixed solely on Alastor. He suddenly extended a massive hand to pat Alastor's shoulder and said:

"Alastor, you did a great job this time. You've caught that adult's attention."

The only person Jack would refer to as "that adult" was Kaido, the Governor of the Beasts.

Upon hearing Jack's words, Speed, Billy, and the others gasped. Did Master Alastor really attract Kaido's attention?

Alastor smiled slightly and replied, "I did gain quite a bit during this trip, and I also brought back the Smile Fruit."

He handed the box containing the Smile Fruit to Jack, having lost all interest in such things.

Jack took the box with one hand, but the other hand that had patted Alastor's shoulder suddenly felt a bit strange, as if he were not patting a human's shoulder, but rather hard steel.

"Alastor, your body is incredibly tough!"

Drought Jack, who rarely praised anyone, offered a rare compliment.

Alastor replied modestly, "This level is far from Master Jack's strength."

This was neither a lie nor flattery.

Alastor had checked with his system and found that Jack's physical defense was as high as 10,000 points. No wonder he could take such a beating. His title as "the Beaten King" was well-earned.

Alastor surmised that Jack's defense was so high not only because of his Ancient Mammoth Fruit but also due to his merman physiology. A merman's body was naturally tougher than that of a human.

The two of them returned to Kuri together.

That night, a grand banquet was held, and they didn't return home until they were thoroughly drunk.

The next day, Jack called Alastor to watch the waiters eat artificial Devil Fruits.

The Hundred Beasts group had more than 30,000 members, but only a few hundred of them were Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, referred to as "Gifters."

The rest of the members had the potential to become devil fruit users, but they were known as "Waiters."

Dozens of waiters cheerfully took out the strangely shaped, man-made Devil Fruits from boxes and swallowed them in one go.

Soon, some began to scream in pain, followed by laughter, clearly having failed to acquire a power and becoming a source of amusement.

Only about ten people managed to succeed.

The success rate was disappointing.

Jack had those who successfully acquired an animal-based ability join the Gifters Legion, making them the main fighting force of the Hundred Beasts.

As for the others who failed, Jack considered them worthless and had them thrown out, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Alastor suggested, "It would be better to lock these people up, so they don't cause trouble. And as for the Smile Fruit scraps, collect them and don't let them scatter."

Jack didn't take the suggestion seriously but didn't refuse.

Alastor was now his most trusted subordinate, and having caught the attention of Kaido, it was only a matter of time before Alastor would join the Agents and enter the core of the Hundred Beasts group. Jack had to listen to Alastor's opinions.

Alastor did his part, ordering the minions present to take action.

Since he had decided to change the status quo of Wano Country, it was crucial that the environment be kept free of Smile Fruit debris.

After everything was handled, Jack spoke in a low voice:

"Alastor, have you decided which of the Agents you'll challenge?"

Currently, only five members made up the Flying Six: Page One, Black Maria, Sasaki, Ulti, and Who's-Who.

Many of the true fighters in the Hundred Beasts were envious of the vacant spot, but Alastor was the only one who had been given the opportunity to challenge one of the Agents.

This was a rare opportunity and one that had to be seized.

Alastor didn't think too much about it and replied, "I'll challenge Page One."

Page One was the youngest of the Agents, two years younger than Alastor, and was considered the weakest among them.

Alastor was fairly confident in his chances against Page One.

Jack agreed. "That brat, Page One. If he hadn't stolen the Ancient Zoan Ryu Ryu no mi Fruit, he wouldn't have been able to take the position of Agents. His strength is average in my opinion."

Alastor smiled and said, "After all, he's an Ancient Zoan devil fruit user with incredible defense and recovery power. I can't afford to underestimate him."

With that, the decision was made.

Jack informed Kaido about the challenge and summoned Alastor and the core fighters of the Beasts in Kaido's name.

The challenge was set to take place at the Onigashima Island training ground.