One Piece: Alucard the Immortal

Chapter 701: Chapter 700: The Treacherous Seven Warlords

It was concerning.

The war had only just begun, and Admiral Kizaru had already been wounded. For the Marines, this was a significant blow. Sengoku cast a sideways glance at the elite force surrounding him: Garp, Tsuru, Borsalino, Doberman... the very best the Navy had to offer.

Suddenly, Sengoku realized someone was missing. He frowned and turned to a nearby adjutant. "Where did Fujitora go?"

If it had been Borsalino who vanished, Sengoku might not have spared the focus to ask. But Fujitora was the man who, right before the war started, had suggested to him that they should "rebel against the Government." His disappearance made Sengoku uneasy.

"Issho-san said he was going into the city to request support from the Government," the adjutant answered quickly.

"Damn that man... at a time like this, he actually..." Sengoku gritted his teeth.

He knew exactly what the Government was plotting. To force Alucard into a corner and negate his immortality, they needed a relentless, concentrated assault, in other words, an all-out offensive. To put it another way: they needed a suicide squad to go in first.

To the World Government, the Marines were that suicide squad.

The plan was for the Marines to push Alucard to his absolute limit, and then the Government would step in to finish the job. If the Marines managed to take Alucard down on their own, the Government wouldn’t even have to lift a finger.

If the Navy can do the dirty work, the Government stays out of it, that has been their style for eight hundred years, hasn’t it? But this time, they might find it difficult to remain bystanders.

Suddenly, Sengoku shifted his gaze toward Doflamingo and the others standing atop the city walls.

Noticing Sengoku’s look, Vice Admiral Doberman immediately understood his intent. He turned halfway and shouted up at the wall, "Seven Warlords! Do you no longer care for your privileges? The Navy didn’t summon you here just to watch a show. Fight!"

Hearing this, the expressions of the Warlords varied.

Doflamingo and Treasure crouched on the wall, letting out their characteristic, eerie "Fuffuffu" and "Jararara" laughs.

Mihawk stood with his arms crossed, deep in thought.

Weevil turned to ask the old woman sitting on his shoulder, Miss Buckin, what to do.

Moria’s eyes darted around. Among the Seven Warlords, he was arguably the one who valued the position most, yet he seemed unsure of how to make his move.

And then there was Buggy...

"Captain Buggy! Why haven’t you made a move yet?"

"Yeah, yeah! This is the perfect chance to take down Alucard and claim the throne of the World’s Strongest!"

"W-why are you hesitating? Quickly, show everyone your world-shaking power!"

Hearing the cheers of the prisoners he had brought from Impel Down a year ago, Buggy kept his back to them, cold sweat pouring down his face.

Are you idiots?! I was planning to hide in the crowd and take out some nameless grunts from the Immortal Pirates to pass the time! Who knew Alucard would come here alone?! Buggy screamed internally.

"C-could it be..."

Suddenly, a crew member behind him covered his mouth in shock, looking at Buggy with an expression of pure disbelief.

Buggy froze. Am I finally busted?

The crew member stammered, "C-could it be... that you are unwilling to strike Alucard while we have him outnumbered? You refuse to duel him unless it’s a fair fight?"

Hearing this, the other crew members looked as if they had reached an epiphany, and tears began to stream down their faces.

"Waaaaah! You... you would actually give up such an advantage just for the sake of an honorable duel!"

"I-I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have doubted you just now!"

After a bout of hysterical sobbing, the crew members knelt as if worshipping a god. "Captain Buggy! we will follow you for the rest of our lives!"

These idiots are beyond saving!! Mr. 3 complained wildly in his head.

"Gyahahaha! Naturally! I’ll take Alucard’s head myself once the war is over!" Buggy held up a thumb with a look of absolute confidence, though his back was drenched in sweat.

"GREAT CAPTAIN BUGGY!!!" everyone cheered in unison.

Ignoring the farce on Buggy’s side, Mihawk was one of the Warlords who took his title and privileges relatively seriously. If he remained idle, the Navy or the Government would undoubtedly use it against him.

With that thought, Mihawk slowly drew his black blade, Yoru.

"Everyone, clear out! The man known as ’Hawk-Eyes’ is moving!" Vice Admiral Strawberry waved his hand and shouted.

The Marines near Alucard heard the warning and scrambled to retreat at least a hundred meters.

Mihawk, previously perched on the wall, lunged forward, soaring directly above Alucard.

His pupils constricted as he gripped the sword with one hand. With a fierce twist of the black blade, he carved a massive tornado of green sword energy into the air.

"Black Chaos!"

"Impaling Castle."

From Alucard’s pool of blood rose a bronze, unassuming spear. As Alucard grasped it, an aura of death began to erupt from the weapon.

He thrust upward to meet Mihawk’s descending tornado, unleashing a violent, red, frenzied aura.

Red from below, green from above, the two forces collided. The resulting shockwave was so intense that the surrounding Marines were forced back several steps.

On the other side, Gecko Moria saw his opportunity.

Mihawk’s attack had pinned Alucard down. He figured he could seize the moment to land a cheap shot.

Moria leapt from the wall, his shadow stretching out at extreme speed toward Alucard’s feet. He thrust his right hand upward.

"Spiky Shadow Lizard!"

Instantly, a massive, jagged shadow spear erupted from the ground beneath Alucard, aimed straight through his body.

Thump!

Suddenly, everyone saw the tip of the shadow spear caught firmly in a massive, beastly claw, halting its progress.

"What?" Moria croaked, his eyes widening.

Grrr...

A low, guttural growl vibrated from the beast’s throat, reaching everyone’s ears.

Five seconds later, the clash between Alucard and Mihawk ended. Hit by the recoil of the impact, Mihawk’s body was sent flying backward.

Just before hitting the wall, he performed a half-flip in mid-air, landing his feet against the stone surface and leaping lightly back to his original position.

Many Marines stared in disbelief. They realized it then, that bastard Hawk-Eyes was just going through the motions. He had no intention of engaging Alucard in a life-or-death struggle.

However, the battle raged on.