"Roger... I... I fear him..."
After his heart was ripped out, Bahade managed to utter this, then his body collapsed vertically, sprawling onto the ship's deck, unable to rise again.
A second later, Alucard forcefully crushed the heart in his hand.
Instantly, blood splattered, a significant amount of flesh and blood spraying onto Alucard's face. When Alucard licked Bahade's blood from his face with his tongue, the Undying, Unkillable System's voice resounded in his mind.
...
Ding!
Defeated Enemy: Halter Bahade
Ability Development Progress:
Mature Vampire Physique: 30%
Bat Shadow: 110%
Weapon: Casull: 70%
Blacklight Virus LV1: 80%
...
These three were currently the key points for Alucard's ability development. The development of Bat Shadow had already exceeded 100%, meaning this ability could evolve.
Alucard merely thought about it, and immediately, Bat Shadow began to evolve, like a skill tree, branching out into a new ability.
...
Form Change: Hidden Shadow.
Skill Description: Can change one's body form, turning into a shadow to perform dodges, attacks, and other actions.
...
As Hidden Shadow awakened, the development progress reset to 10%.
However, Alucard wasn't surprised by the new ability's awakening.
He had just gained a deeper understanding of this world, of this era.
He recalled a line spoken by Shiki the Golden Lion in the original story: only Whitebeard and Roger were worthy of his recognition; everyone else was useless, undeserving of the title "pirate."
Today, Alucard finally understood what Shiki meant.
In this era, a 35 million Berry bounty, even in the first half of the Grand Line, was enough to make one a dominant force. Yet, because of Roger, they were scared back to the Four Seas, content to be petty tyrants in a small corner.
The sorrow of this era, an utterly boring era, with pirates who were all just trash.
Roger was about to kick off the Great Pirate Era, and Alucard understood much more now.
Yes, this era should be far more insane.
"Hmph!"
Alucard walked to the ship's helm. He knew nothing about navigation, but he was confident that within the Four Seas, there was no Sea King he couldn't handle.
For now, he would let the ship drift freely. The Four Seas didn't have the erratic and unpredictable weather changes of the Grand Line, and Alucard, having lived on an isolated island for ten years, could still roughly predict the weather.
While not as skilled as a professional navigator, it was entirely sufficient for the normal weather of the Four Seas.
Days later, Alucard's ship drifted into a new sea area, entering the waters of a town. He could see some fishing boats around.
Flevance, a country known as the "White Town," boasting a pristine, fairytale-like white appearance.
"P-pirate ship!"
Upon seeing an unfamiliar ship slowly approaching the dock, and then spotting the jolly roger, a fisherman immediately cried out in alarm.
Regardless of the era, pirates were always a feared presence among residents.
Two fishing boats had already spotted the flag of the Bahade Pirates.
"Get the Den Den Mushi! Immediately notify the people in town to quickly call the Marines!" An old fisherman quickly called his apprentice, telling him to grab a Den Den Mushi so they could contact the Marines and have them dispatch early.
"Hello, hello! Marines? We've spotted a pirate ship in the waters. Yes, yes, it's heading towards the town's west dock. At that speed, it'll reach shore in less than half an hour." The old fisherman spoke while vigorously pulling the controls of his fishing boat, trying his best to get away from the pirate ship.
"What's the pirate ship's mark?" asked the Marine on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
The old fisherman carefully re-examined the features of the jolly roger and said, "A skull. The two bones behind it seem to be two guns, the kind that looks very similar to the long spears we use for fishing."
Two crossbones replaced with guns?
The communicator immediately thought of someone upon hearing this: Halter Bahade, a pirate with one of the highest bounties in the North Blue, known for wielding a large spear. His bounty was among the highest in the North Blue.
"Immediately assemble the men! Inform Captain Julius! We have a major situation!" The communicator hung up the Den Den Mushi and quickly relayed the message.
Upon hearing it was Bahade's pirate crew's ship, the Marines, who had seemed lethargic moments before, instantly became energized. It seemed it would be a tough battle.
...
Twenty minutes later, over two hundred Marine soldiers were assembled at Flevance's west dock. Cannons were already set up on the pier, ready for action.
Five minutes later, a pirate ship slowly entered their line of sight.
A Marine Officer picked up his binoculars, identified the flying pirate flag, and exclaimed, "No mistake! It's the Bahade Pirates! Their captain has a 35 million Berry bounty. He's the great pirate who retreated from the Grand Line back to the North Blue two months ago after being defeated by Gol D. Roger!"
Julius, one of the highest-ranking Marine officers present, heard this, his expression solemn. He raised his hand and commanded, "Cannons, prepare! Fire when the ship enters firing range!"
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Mature Vampire Physique: grants abilities far exceeding those of ordinary humans, including superhuman speed and strength. It allows for rapid regeneration, and as long as the heart remains intact, the user cannot be killed. The Vampire Physique also possesses the powerful ability to continuously evolve.
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