Plunderer: Master of the Multiverse

"Onitake Vergo," Alex's heart clenched as he spotted the man striding forward, a beef patty comically plastered to his face.

In the original One Piece story, Vergo had a quirky trait—food inexplicably stuck to his face at all times. With such a distinctive hallmark, Alex instantly recognized the man's identity, his pulse quickening.

Though Vergo was younger than in the original tale, roughly 30 years old, his fearsome image cloaked in full Armament Haki Armor left a lasting mark in Alex's memory.

As Vergo approached, Alex discreetly activated his crystal meter, its faint red beam scanning to measure the man's crystal points in secret.

"Huh? What's that?" Vergo's brow twitched, catching the subtle red glow from Alex's crystal meter as it grazed him, a flicker of curiosity in his stern gaze.

520!

"Hiss…" Staring at the number on the crystal meter, Alex's breath caught, a chill racing through him.

Sure, compared to powerhouses like Aokiji Kuzan, this figure was modest, but for Alex, it was over five times his own count—a daunting gap.

"Hello, Captain!" As Vergo drew near, the sailors snapped to attention, saluting with crisp precision.

"I'm Vergo, G5 Branch. Which unit are you with?" Vergo advanced, gripping his bamboo staff, his face a mask of grim authority as he spoke.

"Reporting, Captain! We're under Vice Admiral Aokiji's command, led by Lieutenant Alex, tasked with rooting out pirates!" As Vergo's words landed, a sailor saluted sharply and responded, his voice ringing clear.

"Lieutenant Alex," Vergo's eyes glinted faintly behind his sunglasses at the sailor's report, though the flicker went unnoticed.

His gaze settled on Alex, studying him for a moment, then he said, "Word's reached even G5 about a super-genius rising at Navy Headquarters. I never imagined meeting you under these circumstances."

"Lieutenant Alex, Navy Headquarters, reporting to the Captain!" Alex hurried forward, snapping a salute and projecting his voice with confidence.

"Oh no…" While Alex and Vergo exchanged words calmly, Law's face darkened nearby, his expression grim.

Vergo cast a long shadow over Law's heart, and he wavered, torn about exposing Vergo as a Donquixote traitor.

If he spilled the truth, Vergo would likely slaughter the sailors to cover his tracks. In that chaos, they might aid Law in battle, but at what cost?

Yet, Law hesitated, wrestling with the morality of sacrificing others' lives for his own chance at survival.

But at that instant, as Vergo stepped closer to inspect the captured Donquixote pirates, Alex seized the moment. Without warning, the White Dragon sword flashed from its sheath, thrusting straight for Vergo's back…

Pfft!

The strike aimed for Vergo's heart, but at the last second, Vergo twisted aside, and the White Dragon sword pierced only his shoulder, leaving Alex quietly astonished.

"Is he truly a master of physical skill? He dodged my sneak attack!"

Vergo's reflexes were razor-sharp. Though wounded by Alex's ambush, he didn't glance back. His elbow, cloaked in blackened Armament Haki, surged toward Alex's chest with crushing force…

Block!

Alex's reaction was swift. His left palm, inked black with Armament Haki, shot forward to meet the blow.

With a boom, their Haki-clad limbs collided, and Alex deftly parried Vergo's strike, holding his ground.

"Ah! Lieutenant Alex, what are you doing!?" The sudden attack on a Navy captain stunned the sailors, who cried out in shock.

"Uh…" Law, still weighing whether to expose Vergo and rally the sailors, realized the choice was made for him.

Vergo leapt back, breaking away from Alex, his expression hardening with a newfound gravity.

His attack had been blocked? This Navy prodigy's strength was far more formidable than he'd anticipated.

"Why'd you ambush me!?" Vergo demanded, clutching his bleeding shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers, his eyes locked on Alex with a steely intensity.

"If I don't strike first, should I wait for you to make the first move?" Alex replied matter-of-factly, gripping the blood-smeared White Dragon sword, its blade glinting ominously.

It was obvious which side Onitake Vergo would take, appearing here. Since conflict was inevitable, Alex naturally struck first against such a powerful foe. Shame the sneak attack didn't end him in one blow.

"Hey, you're Alex, right? You sure you can take him?" Seeing Alex wound Vergo and block his counter, Law's hope flared. He sidled up and whispered, his voice low and urgent.

Though Mr. Corazon fell to Doflamingo, Vergo's role in that tragedy loomed large. If they could kill him here to avenge Corazon, it'd be a triumph.

"Not a chance. Let's figure out how to escape," Alex shot a glance at Law, shaking his head grimly.

"Sounds like you know more than you should," Vergo growled, nursing his wound, his face darkening with menace. His bamboo staff turned jet-black with Haki, and he charged forward with lethal intent.

Alex, Law, and even Lily nearby launched a joint assault, their movements desperate and fierce.

Yet, despite his injury, Vergo's power overwhelmed them. In mere moments, all three bore fresh wounds from his relentless onslaught.

"Ah! What do we do?!" The sailors gaped, frozen, unsure how to intervene in the clash between Alex and Vergo.

Though Alex was their direct superior, Vergo was a Navy captain. And in their eyes, Alex's unprovoked attack put him in the wrong.

Swish, swish, swish!

Alex unleashed his magnetic ability, and his White Dragon sword, along with the blades of nearby sailors, soared toward Vergo under his command, a deadly swarm of steel.

Clang!

But Vergo crouched low, unshaken, letting the swords strike him. His Iron Block defense rendered them harmless, the blades bouncing off without a scratch.

"This Vergo's a physical master, even skilled in Moon Walk. Even if I use my flying swords to escape, he'd catch up. This is bad…"

Seeing his sword barrage fail against Vergo's Iron Block, Alex's heart sank, the situation growing dire. No one had foreseen Vergo's personal arrival.

"Alex, I've got a plan…"

At that moment, Law spoke up, his voice tense but determined, saying, "When I was fighting Monet and the others, I noticed this island's snowy landscape came from a Natural-type Snow-Snow Fruit. But during the scuffle, it fell into the sea. If we can grab that fruit, it might distract Vergo."

"Snow-Snow Fruit!? That explains it!" Alex's eyes widened, Law's words clicking into place.

No wonder Monet's trio could pin Law, yet Vergo showed up in person. He was after a Natural-type Devil Fruit.

The fruit had sunk into the sea. Law, Buffalo, and Baby-5, all Devil Fruit users, couldn't retrieve it due to their weakness to water.

And if Monet dove for it, Buffalo and Baby-5 couldn't hold Law back. So, they'd planned to defeat Law first, then fish out the fruit together?

"Lily, dive into the sea and find that fruit. You know Devil Fruits, right? It's like the Smoke-Smoke Fruit we snagged before, covered in weird swirls…" After a moment's thought, Alex whispered to Lily beside him, his voice low and urgent.

Though Lily never spoke, her mind was sharp as any girl's, and she grasped instructions clearly.

At his words, Lily paused, nodded decisively, and leapt into the nearby sea with a splash.

As for Alex? He and Law steeled themselves, summoning every ounce of strength to buy Lily time to retrieve the Snow-Snow Fruit.

"Vergo, stop that girl! The Snow-Snow Fruit's in the sea!" Buffalo shouted, panic seizing him as he saw Lily dive, his voice shrill with desperation.