Chapter 160: Clash of New and Old Eras
Grove 13.
Boom!
A towering tree, over fifty meters tall, engulfed in flames from one of Alucard’s shots, finally succumbed, its massive trunk slowly toppling towards Red’s position. The entirety of Grove 13 had been turned into a sea of fire by the battle between these two, with countless people screaming in agony, wailing, and fleeing in terror.
"Hmph!"
Like Rayleigh, Red’s techniques prioritized practicality and had no fancy names. He simply wielded his umbrella-sword, unleashing countless sword energies that sliced the mangrove trunks, larger than even a giant, into precise blocks. When the blocks fell, not a speck of dust touched him.
Alucard held a gun in each hand, leaping from the treetop, his large cloak flapping wildly in the wind as he unleashed a torrent of bullets.
At this moment, Red’s umbrella-sword seemed to vanish from his hand, likely due to its incredibly swift movements, rendering it invisible to the naked eye. The bullets Alucard fired were even deflected by him into other Groves.
Since the battle began, countless people had unknowingly been hit by stray projectiles.
During the brief moment Red was deflecting bullets, Alucard had already closed in, firing at point-blank range. Seeing this, Red’s other hand, not holding the sword, also erupted with red light, striking aside Alucard’s arm before he could fire, narrowly avoiding the bullet.
Instantly, the close-quarters combat resumed. Although the area where they fought was a hub for outlaws, some civilians were also unwillingly caught in the crossfire. Yet, the two combatants showed no interest in them, their sole focus being on "eliminating the opponent."
The iconic soap bubbles and Yarukiman Mangroves, once the greatest features of Sabaody Archipelago, were reduced to ashes wherever the two fought. Not a single intact mangrove remained.
The Marines stationed on Sabaody Archipelago, watching the battle through telescopes, swallowed hard. Even without telescopes, the sight of the towering inferno in the distance filled them with near despair.
"Is this the combat of the world’s top pirates?" A soldier, witnessing a large building collapse due to their battle, couldn’t help but collapse to his knees, overwhelmed by fear.
A Marine Captain, who had managed to glimpse the two fighting within the sea of fire through his telescope, lowered it and spoke with a grave expression, "This is no longer a battle we can intervene in. When will Headquarters’ reinforcements arrive?"
After confirming the identities of Alucard and Red in the engagement, the Marine branch stationed on Sabaody Archipelago had already sent a request for aid to Headquarters.
"Yes, based on our time analysis, they should arrive in less than an hour," a Marine reported respectfully.
In that hour, who knew how many more lives would be lost.
The Marine Captain pondered for five seconds, then resolutely stated, "Leave a small team to remain here and observe, ready to report at any time. The rest of you, follow me to other Groves to apprehend pirates trying to escape!"
The chaos caused by Alucard and Red’s battle had thrown all of Sabaody Archipelago into disarray. The pirates, knowing that Marine Headquarters’ reinforcements would soon arrive, were all fleeing at full speed.
If such an order were given under different circumstances, subordinates might suspect the Captain was afraid, but given that it was Alucard and Red fighting, not a single person objected.
In fact, it was normal to feel fear before a battle of this caliber. It was a kind of fortune, because it meant you were still alive.
"Alright! Retreat!"
Ultimately, the Sabaody Archipelago branch of the Marines left only a reconnaissance team in Grove 13 to monitor the battle. Everyone else departed to capture other pirates on the island, making the most of the situation.
Boom! Clash!
Alucard and Red exchanged a full-power strike, a clash between no Armament Haki and Armament Haki!
The result: Red was pushed back fifty meters, while Alucard was sent flying into a burning building, crashing through several structures before falling.
"It’s too strange. I saw reports of you forcing back Sakazuki, a Magma-Magma Fruit user, but you haven’t used Armament Haki this entire fight. Can’t you use it?" Red, though not as severely affected as Alucard, had his feet sink deep into the ground, creating two long trenches. "You’re not a Logia user, yet you can force back a Logia. What special method did you use?"
Shadows slowly rose from the ruins of the building Alucard had crashed into, rapidly restoring Alucard to his original form.
"Do I have to tell you?" Alucard certainly didn’t have a habit of explaining his abilities to people, at most, he’d show off his two proud guns.
"Hmph, well, never mind. When you get old, it seems you talk more," Red said casually, though his heart was also shaken by Alucard’s power.
Due to his age and his early fighting style, his strength was currently a bit inferior to Shiki and Whitebeard’s. More importantly, after his battle with Shiki four years ago, he was severely wounded and had only recently recovered from his serious illness.
However, Red was still confident that he possessed world-class strength.
But this kid in front of him... Red’s lips were tightly pursed as he thought to himself. Aside from his troublesome immortal ability, his inherent power also couldn’t be underestimated, especially his reckless, life-threatening attacks. Just battling him to a stalemate brought an overwhelming pressure.
"But it’s still far too early for you to win against me!" Red violently swung his bat umbrella-sword, and instantly, blood-red, flame-like sword energy erupted from it again.
Alucard’s lips stretched into a wide grin. He raised his greatsword, and the two flashes of light once again intersected within the sea of fire.
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