"That's a pity. If that had hit, you'd be finished," Alucard said with a look of regret.
It had to be said that Byrnndi World was lucky, both with the move just now and the fact that he was able to escape the Great Prison. He didn't have the monstrous physique of Kaido. As a Devil Fruit user, he had been frozen when he was first imprisoned in Impel Down because Seastone hadn't been fully quarried and processed. Due to his immense power, freezing was the chosen method.
Later, although Seastone was quarried and made into chains, no one dared to break the ice and shackle him, fearing he would awaken the moment the ice shattered. That's how it was postponed until now. If he were covered in Seastone chains like Shiki or Patrick Redfield, he absolutely would not have escaped.
Byrnndi World did not retreat, but there was a flicker of caution in his eyes. As a Devil Fruit user, no one was unafraid of Alucard's gun.
He casually grabbed a cannonball nearby and quickly hurled it at Alucard. The instant the cannonball left World's hand, it became monstrously large, in proportion to World's size. "More-More: 30x Cannon!"
"Hmm. Not using your full power? Is that to avoid destroying the ship? An excellent idea."
Even as Alucard spoke, his body was engulfed by the cannonball. In the massive explosion, Alucard's body and the ship's bow were swallowed by flames and pulverized into dust.
"Hmph!"
Byrnndi World let out a cold snort and turned to look for where that enormous monster was. Suddenly, his expression drastically changed.
"More-More: 30x Speed!"
World instantly vanished from his spot. A bullet whizzed through where he had been standing and struck the cabin behind, instantly blowing out a massive hole. World's colossal body reappeared on the opposite side of the deck.
World looked ahead and saw Alucard slowly emerging from the sea of fire, completely unharmed.
"Why? You should have died just now."
World's eyes narrowed, his tone filled with incomprehension. With his extensive combat experience, he wouldn't be fooled by simple Logia-like abilities. But his Observation Haki had sensed Alucard's life force vanish, which should have confirmed his death. So why was he...
"What are you afraid of? Hurry up and attack, Byrnndi World!" Alucard stomped his foot, causing the ship's deck to crack. In a flash, he was standing right in front of World.
"More-More: 50x Speed!"
World instantly disappeared again. Alucard turned to see him use Geppo, traversing the air. The moment Alucard turned his head, World pulled out a pistol from behind and aimed it at Alucard. "More-More: 100x Bullet!"
The bullet that burst from the muzzle instantly expanded a hundredfold, including its speed and power. Arguably, the moment World fired the bullet, it pierced Alucard's head, leaving only his body.
World gazed at Alucard's headless body, sensing his aura. The life force was indeed gone, and his head had been blasted off. There was no way he could still be alive, right?
Whoosh!
The blood on the ground suddenly transformed into shadow bats, flying back up to Alucard's neck. In two or three seconds, the head was reconstructed. Alucard stood up again, baring his teeth in a wild grin as he looked at his opponent.
World's pupils constricted. He can do that without being a Logia user!
Suddenly recalling an old news report, World shouted, "Are you Alucard the Immortal?"
"It is an honor for the World Destroyer Byrnndi World to speak my name. In return, I shall make you one of my powers."
Alucard clenched his fist. The logo on the back of his white glove, which matched his pirate crew's flag, began to glow red.
World pulled a katana that was stuck into the deck. Scattered across the deck were various other weapons, all left behind by the Marines he had killed when he seized the warship. The moment the katana was gripped in World's hand, it instantly grew a hundred times its original size.
"More-More: 100x Slash!"
World brought the sword down. Alucard dodged the strike sideways, but World didn't let the giant blade hit the ship. Less than a centimeter from the deck, he quickly changed his move, sweeping the blade horizontally.
"This brat can fly. Naval combat is disadvantageous for me."
World no longer had his initial contempt. He knew his inability to fly put him at a distinct disadvantage. The best course of action right now would be to retreat. He had just escaped prison; he didn't want to die here.
"Don't tell me you're trying to run away? It would only take one attack for me to destroy this ship," Alucard instantly saw through World's thoughts.
"Hmph. Big talk, but I won't listen to you."
World completely ignored Alucard's provocation and rapidly propelled himself into the sky using Geppo, one of the Rokushiki techniques. Even if he couldn't escape with this, he needed to find an island or solid ground to fight. His opponent was a current Yonko of the New World and could not be underestimated.
"Looking for land, are we? How about I grant your wish?"
Following Alucard's words, World, who was treading air with Geppo, suddenly found himself surrounded by a dark, enclosed space. The next second, countless colossal crimson eyes opened within the black walls, staring intently at him.
"Releasing Restriction System to Level Four, Level Three, Level Two…"
As Alucard spoke, the surroundings completely transformed into Alucard's unique space. World, without realizing it, stopped using Geppo, surprised to feel a solid surface beneath his feet.
Outside, Wolf, who had been watching, surfaced his turnip-like head halfway from the sea. He glanced around, blinking, and asked in confusion, "Huh? Where's Captain? He's gone?"