For three consecutive days, Squard, captain of the Maelstrom Spider Pirates, attempted to assassinate and challenge Roger a total of twenty-seven times.
All attempts ended in failure.
The Roger Pirates couldn't bring themselves to kill Squard, and in all twenty-seven battles, Squard was spared.
This afternoon marked the twenty-eighth battle.
Not only Roger, but even Gaban and the others who were originally guarding the ship heard about it and came to watch.
Alucard, meanwhile, treated the whole thing like an entertainment show. He set up a chair at the bar's entrance, watching Roger and Squard fight, while Aria and the others served Alucard fresh drinks at opportune moments.
"That guy's actions are truly annoying." Many members of the Roger Pirates gritted their teeth at Alucard's, in their eyes, extremely punchable behavior, but they couldn't act on it and could only feign ignorance.
"You're welcome to come seek revenge whenever you want, but before that..." Roger, who was blocking Squard's blade, pressed his finger against the edge of the cutlass. With a forceful push, he flung Squard away. "Improve your abilities a bit first!"
Squard was violently thrown dozens of meters away, his weapon dropping from his hand in mid-air.
"Alright, the twenty-eighth battle is officially over," Shanks said, clapping his hands.
"Can this boring stuff just end already? That spider is really annoying. The captain clearly doesn't want to kill him, so he should just get lost," Buggy said disdainfully, looking at Squard, who was struggling to get up in the distance.
"I welcome him to try and take my head anytime," Roger chuckled. "It's just that his current strength is too weak."
"Roger, aren't you leaving yet? How long do you plan to stay on this island? We still have an unfinished journey." Rayleigh handed Roger a bottle of rum.
Roger took a few gulps, glanced at Alucard, and laughed. "Hold on, Rayleigh. I want to see what happens when Whitebeard's people meet this guy."
"Heh." Alucard chuckled softly, not wishing to comment on Roger's gossip.
Pere pere pere pere...
Rayleigh answered the Den Den Mushi he held. Immediately, the voice of a Roger Pirates crewmate guarding the ship came through. "Vice Captain Rayleigh! It's... it's Whitebeard! The Whitebeard Pirates have landed on the island!"
Alucard slightly tilted his head upon hearing this, his sunglasses reflecting a sharp glint from beneath his top hat. 'Finally, they're here! The Whitebeard Pirates!'
"Who's leading them? Don't tell me it's Whitebeard himself," Rayleigh asked, showing no surprise and remaining calm.
"No, it's the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander, Alanson Drew!" the crewmate on the other end quickly replied.
"Oh? The one known as 'Thousand Blades'?" Rayleigh said with interest. "A big shot actually came this time."
Alucard rose, his chair making a slight sound. He casually threw the treasures he had plundered from the Gold Shark Pirates' ship to Aria and the others, then walked with a sinister grin towards the docks.
"The immortal bastard seems quite happy," Buggy said after Alucard left.
Shanks shrugged. "You can't be cut no matter how much you're slashed either. You're hardly in a position to talk about him, are you?"
"You bastard! Shanks, ultimately, this is all your fault!" Buggy grabbed Shanks's collar, and the two immediately started wrestling again.
"Hahahaha! Let's go watch! When he and the CP0 fought last time, the Red-Haired kid and I got to see quite a show!" Roger strode towards the docks, while Rayleigh and the others reluctantly followed. Their captain had a habit that was quite exasperating: he loved to butt into exciting situations.
The Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander, Alanson Drew, with a bounty of 360 million Berries, was currently leading a contingent of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division to New Kaba.
Walking down the desolate street, Drew said to the crew members behind him, "Although I don't particularly like Crassien, he was still Pops' son. This battle concerns the honor of the Whitebeard Pirates. Understand?"
"Yes, Commander Drew!" dozens of Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division members chorused in response.
"Hm? That person is..." Drew suddenly noticed a man with a large katana and a grim expression walking towards him on the lonely street ahead. He immediately recognized him as Crassien's good friend, Squard, known as the "Maelstrom Spider."
"Is he here to avenge his friend?"
"Judging by his appearance, did he fail?"
"When we landed earlier, we saw the Roger Pirates' ship. It might be related to them."
Suddenly, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division started murmuring among themselves.
"Hey! Squard, what happened? Where are your Maelstrom Spider Pirates?" Drew quickly walked up and asked.
Squard looked utterly lifeless, raising his head to look at Drew, tears welling in his eyes.
"Wiped out by Roger."
Suddenly, a voice rang out. Everyone simultaneously turned to their right, towards the source of the voice. They saw that at some point, a man dressed in black and red, wearing rare dark red round-rimmed glasses, was standing there.
"He tried to get revenge on Roger nearly thirty times, but was completely defeated. Roger couldn't bring himself to kill him, and he ultimately left in defeat," Alucard said with a laugh, then directly addressed Drew. "Who is the Whitebeard Second Division Commander?"
Drew turned to face Alucard. "That would be me. And you are...?"
"The one you're looking for. The one who killed Crassien." Alucard looked down, dissatisfied. "Honestly, I've been waiting for you in this town for quite a while."
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