Chapter 109: Intervening in War
Beneath the Legends.
This title was somewhat similar to the "Worst Generation" used for Luffy, Kid, Law, and the other Supernovas, and Blackbeard over two decades later.
While Luffy, Kid, Law, and the other eleven Supernovas, along with Blackbeard, would be known as the "Worst Generation," two decades prior, Kaido of the Beasts and Charlotte Linlin were the two referred to as "Beneath the Legends."
This meant that, apart from Whitebeard, Roger, and their caliber, no one could truly defeat them.
However, today, a third person joined their ranks.
Dracula D. Alucard.
Due to his five-day and five-night battle against Kaido, which ended in a draw, people had already begun to place him in the "Beneath the Legends" category.
But Alucard felt no joy about this.
Of course not, "Beneath the Legends," "Beneath the Legends"—doesn’t it still mean "beneath"? There’s still someone above you, what’s there to be happy about?
Pushing these thoughts aside for now, Alucard marked Baizinbur Island. This would make it easier to reach quickly for future transactions with Vegapunk.
What he needed now was to immediately replenish his lives. The battle with Kaido had been overly draining; Alucard was starving and needed a good meal to recover. Although he was in this state, he wouldn’t resort to mass slaughter, but replenishing his lives was indeed an urgent matter.
If there was one place to replenish lives most efficiently, it was undoubtedly a battlefield.
For example, during the Marineford War to rescue Fire Fist Ace, countless lives were lost on both sides between the Whitebeard Pirates and Marine Headquarters. War was the fastest place to find "food."
At this point, newspapers served as a crucial tool.
The news reported by newspapers wasn’t limited to just the Marines, pirates, or government affairs. It also covered the situations of various countries, islands, and cities. Especially major events like wars, which were naturally reported.
In the past, Alucard had assisted King Harald, one of the Four Kings of the North Blue, in a war. Afterward, he saw news about it in the papers, though it was likely due to Marine intervention or the Harald Kingdom’s own discretion that his involvement in the fighting was erased. It was as if he had never participated in that war.
Currently, drifting in the New World, Alucard, apart from occasionally dealing with encountered pirates for food, paid more attention to the news in the papers.
Finally, half a month after his new bounty was issued, Alucard saw a news report about a national war.
The Strale Kingdom and the Exeter Kingdom were at war over resource disputes. More importantly, this location wasn’t too far from Alucard’s current sea area.
Like Alabasta in the first half of the Grand Line, these were super-large terrestrial kingdoms, possessing considerable land and connected to each other. Naturally, conflicts over resources easily arose.
Conducting war on land was more convenient, as Alucard wouldn’t have to worry about people sinking into the sea, making cleanup difficult.
Currently, only Whitebeard showed a slight inclination towards territorial rule, which was why he would eventually become the head of the Four Emperors. Roger had no interest in ruling, Shiki merely formed a fleet and roamed around with thousands of men all day, and the reclusive Redfield was a lone wolf.
As for the future Emperors, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, they were currently still suppressed by legendary pirates and didn’t possess the influence or territories they would in their Yonko eras. This was because most islands and nations in the New World were still in a direct, uncontrolled phase.
The Strale and Exeter kingdoms that Alucard had his sights on were no different.
This supercontinent was called "Rulusas," a vast landmass occupied by multiple nations, the two largest being Strale and Exeter.
Following the Eternal Pose on his ship, Alucard landed on the southern border of the Rulusas continent.
After recalling his ship, Alucard gradually moved deeper into the continent.
Compared to Alabasta’s entirely desert terrain, this area was mostly grasslands, with wild grasses reaching above his knees. A gentle breeze created a desolate feeling. Overall, it was much better than a place full of sand.
When Alucard stood atop a hundred-meter-tall stone mountain, he observed a military stronghold being built about two miles away.
On the flagpole, a white, soaring bird emblem fluttered, Alucard recognized it from his map as the symbol of the Strale Kingdom.
Using his Thermal Vision, he sensed that the opposing Exeter Kingdom’s military camp was stationed over ten miles away. Both sides were on the verge of conflict at any moment.
Alucard sat down on the mountaintop, just as Garp had watched his battle with Kaido a month prior, observing the war between these two kingdoms.
Alucard had no intention of charging straight into the Strale Kingdom’s camp. He wanted to wait until the two armies clashed, then devour everyone in one go.
His Thermal Vision reconnaissance indicated that the Strale Kingdom had approximately 20,000 troops, while Exeter had about 24,000. As expected of a battle between major nations, the troop numbers were quite similar. Many kingdoms’ armies actually had fewer than 10,000 soldiers.
Alucard could merge with stone walls or the ground at any time, so even if Strale Kingdom patrols frequently passed by, they wouldn’t discover Alucard’s presence.
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