After cooking and eating the wild boar he had just killed, Alucard, as usual, bought a newspaper from the News Coo.
The moment his system awakened, he fully understood that this was the world of One Piece.
However, he only truly pinpointed the exact year the year before last, when Gol D. Roger's name began appearing in the newspapers.
Even then, Roger was an exceptionally powerful pirate, but he hadn't yet earned the title of Pirate King.
Still, from the face on the newspaper, Alucard could tell that the day he'd be sent to the execution platform wouldn't be far off. Therefore, Alucard could confirm that it was now a few years before the execution.
As for whether Roger had an incurable disease, Alucard didn't know.
Today's newspaper reported that the Roger Pirates had defeated another great pirate with a bounty exceeding 10 million Berries. Alucard was already tired of such news.
Unlike the "contention of a hundred schools" era of Luffy's time, the Four Emperors hadn't fully emerged, and the Marines weren't at their peak. It wasn't like later generations, where royalty, Celestial Dragons, the Seven Warlords, the Four Emperors, the Marines, and the Revolutionary Army, countless factions, all rose to prominence.
Currently, the Marine side was dominated by Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, Kong, Tsuru, and others.
There were even fewer powerful pirates; names like Whitebeard, Roger, Charlotte, Red, and Shiki almost exclusively monopolized all pirate news. Others simply couldn't catch up, no matter how hard they tried.
"It's about time I set sail myself."
Alucard tossed the newspaper into the bonfire and clapped his hands together.
He didn't know his current strength level, but he yearned to find out. Recalling the mundane days of his previous life, punching in and out of work, a decade of battling in the wilderness had completely reshaped his character. Isn't this world much better?
He couldn't spend his entire life as a savage on this island. Since he was here, he intended to cause a real stir.
"Oh... what's that?"
Standing on the isolated island's shore, Alucard suddenly spotted a ship slowly approaching in the distance. The skull jolly roger clearly indicated the identity of its crew: pirates.
Unfortunately, this was a desolate island; generally, pirates had no reason to approach it, even though it was once a kingdom. It had since been removed from the map.
"Come closer, come closer..."
Alucard eagerly repeated these words. When the ship was about half a mile away, his body suddenly transformed into countless bats, flying toward the pirate ship.
Bat Transformation was another ability he'd gained from the system. However, Alucard hadn't yet mastered this technique; the duration he could remain as bats, and the distance he could fly, was only about a mile. The system would unlock new abilities based on skill proficiency.
On the pirate ship, the navigator cried out upon seeing a swarm of bats descending, causing a dozen or so crew members to rush over and watch. Countless bats landed on their ship's deck, slowly forming into a youth of about fifteen years old.
"Who are you, kid?!"
Pirates generally didn't have good tempers, and Alucard was undeniably an intruder. Someone immediately roared at him.
"Who's your captain?" Alucard's voice, though coming from a youth, was as deep and resonant as a man in his twenties.
"Heh, heh, hahaha!"
"Did you just come here without even recognizing our jolly roger? Such courage! Truly commendable courage!"
"Indeed, kid, you've got guts."
Nearly twenty pirates burst into laughter.
About half a minute later, a fierce-looking black man, over two meters tall, emerged from the ship's cabin. He carried a huge spear on his back.
They say spearmen have terrible luck, and it seemed to be true; the first enemy he officially encountered after setting sail was a Spearman.
"Halter Bahade! My bounty is 35 million Berries!"
The tall man's face was cold, but a hint of pride showed when he announced his name and bounty.
Alucard's pupils narrowed, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly.
So that's it, a great pirate with a bounty over 30 million? Even in the North Blue, considered the strongest of the Four Seas, he was undoubtedly among the top ranks.
This wasn't the Great Pirate Era of later times; pirates with bounties over ten million were already formidable figures. Bahade, in Luffy's era, would probably be worth over 100 million Berries.
"Why?"
Hearing Alucard's question, Bahade froze. He then heard the other continue, "As a pirate with such a high bounty, why do you remain in one of the Four Seas and not venture into the Grand Line?"
Bahade's expression stiffened, and his crew members also looked uncomfortable. They couldn't very well admit that the Roger Pirates had scared them so much they were forced to flee back to the North Blue, could they?
"I don't need to tell you!" Bahade forced himself to calm down, speaking coldly.
"Your eyes tell me you're afraid," Alucard said flatly. "You're running from something."
"Shut up!"
Bahade, enraged and humiliated, launched a punch with a terrifying force that no one in Alucard's previous world could match.
THUD!
Alucard used the back of his left hand as a shield, deflecting Bahade's heavy punch.