"Becoming the 'Pirate King' takes more than just ambition."
Hearing the little tanuki's heartfelt plea, Red the Aloof simply raised his hand. The once-smooth skin on the back of his hand was now marked with the rough, wrinkled spots of aging.
"Gol D. Roger, Edward Newgate..."
"Even Sengoku and Garp have stepped back because of old age."
No matter how legendary they once were, time had caught up with them. They had grown too old to keep ruling the seas.
"To surpass them, one must abandon all innocence, kindness, and attachments..."
Red the Aloof glanced at the little tanuki in front of him.
"I admit it, Pato."
"Keeping you by my side all this time was my weakness. But now—"
"You're free!"
Ignoring the shocked tanuki, Red the Aloof reached into his coat and pulled out a purple-patterned "apple," holding it up before his eyes.
"Zoan-type, Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Model: Vampire. With this, I can gain eternal youth—"
"And with that, I will surpass humanity! I will become the true ruler of the seas!!"
...Why do all you vampires always say stuff like this?
Just as Roman was silently roasting the situation in his mind, Red the Aloof took a bite of the Devil Fruit. Then, without hesitation, he tossed the rest aside.
"Stop!!"
Luffy instantly leaped forward. In the future he had "seen"—
"Now, I will discard the last thing holding me back—"
Before Luffy could reach him, Red the Aloof had already swung his leg—
Aiming directly at Pato.
Whoosh—
In an instant, the little tanuki shot sideways like a cannonball, crashing through a building with a loud boom! The impact buried him in the rubble.
Boom! Luffy's punch arrived a moment later, slamming into the spot where Red the Aloof had been standing. But all it did was pierce through the rooftop—Red the Aloof, who could read minds, had already vanished in a blur.
"There he is—!"
"Come out here—!!"
Swish—
"Watch out!"
In an instant, a cold, powerful, and overwhelming presence shot up behind the Straw Hat Crew! A crimson figure stood there, holding someone in his arms.
"What??!"
"It's…"
Before the stunned Straw Hat Crew could react, Red the Aloof—now with two sharp fangs—lowered his head and sank his teeth into the innkeeper's neck.
Boom—
The crimson light bursting into the sky painted the entire night red! A powerful, icy, and suffocating aura pressed down on the Straw Hat Crew like an invisible hand, making their hearts tighten as if gripped by an unseen force. For a moment, they even forgot to breathe.
"This is…"
"Conqueror's Haki?"
"Well, that's to be expected. He's a legendary warrior who could stand against an entire Four Emperors crew!"
With a sudden snap, the brown-haired girl with a bun turned pale and shriveled. Her smooth skin became wrinkled, and in an instant, the young innkeeper, Adoya, had transformed into an old woman, collapsing onto the ground.
And in contrast—
"What did you do?!"
Sanji shouted in anger, but Red the Aloof simply wiped the corner of his mouth.
"I absorbed her lifespan."
"Ba-ha-ha-ha! My strength from my younger days is back!"
Now looking like a sinister noble, the rejuvenated Red the Aloof clenched his fist and raised it to the sky.
"Do you see it? The power that time had stolen from me has returned to my body!
You men who have lost to time…!!"
Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Garp, Sengoku…
"None of you are a match for me anymore!"
Yet, despite his words, there was no joy in his voice—only resentment.
"You're weak! Whitebeard was way stronger than you are now!!"
As Luffy leaped down from the rooftop, landing in front of him with anger burning in his eyes, the youthful Red the Aloof simply waved his hand.
A thick mist began to spread across the battlefield. While the **Vampire Fruit** didn't make him burn in sunlight like vampires from other worlds, he was still weakened by it. Even though it was nighttime, he still covered the area in fog as a precaution.
Then—
"Roger was executed."
?!
At that moment, a figure shot out from the Straw Hat Crew like a phantom, closing the ten-meter distance in an instant! A black-and-white longsword slashed toward Luffy's back!
What was most terrifying was that, despite such extreme speed, there was no sound of air being sliced, no rushing wind—nothing.
And just as the sword reached Luffy's back—
Boom!
A violent gust of wind exploded, kicking up dust and swirling Haki everywhere!
The sword's target had suddenly changed—now, it was aiming at Red the Aloof, who had appeared out of nowhere!
Clang!
But the strike failed.
Five fingers coated in Armament Haki had firmly caught Roman's longsword, stopping him in his tracks.
"Your presence was well-hidden, your timing was perfect, and using the surrounding wind to eliminate air resistance was a clever trick…"
Without even turning his head, Red the Aloof praised him.
But Roman's expression changed!
Swish—
In an instant, his Observation Haki screamed danger!
Without hesitation, Roman let go of his sword and dashed backward at full speed. But—
Slash!
A thin, clean cut suddenly appeared across his body as he retreated, slicing through his Haki-coated defense.
"Tch, even a casual strike can break through my armor?"
Roman's paper body was far harder than steel, and it had been strengthened by Armament Haki day and night. While he hadn't forged a full "black armor" yet, his defenses were still strong enough to withstand attacks from pirates with bounties over a hundred million without a scratch.
But now—
"Roman?!"
To put it simply, everything that just happened took less than half a second. The rest of the Straw Hat Crew had only just gotten into their attack stances, but Roman had already gone through an entire sequence of "attack"—"getting knocked back."
"I'm fine."
Underneath the cracked White Knight armor, Roman glanced deeply at the figure fighting—or rather, toying with—Luffy. A thin red line was slowly appearing across his chest, just like when a soldier gets slashed so fast they don't even realize it at first.
Of course, Roman wasn't weak! At most, this strike had only cut through his skin.
"What a terrifying sword!"
In that split second, the Red the Aloof had trapped Roman's sword with one hand while swinging his umbrella backward with the other. Even though it wasn't the best angle for an attack, he still broke through the White Knight's defense and wounded Roman inside.
The slash carried a chilling, merciless killing intent, as if it was meant to wipe out everything. At the same time, beneath that thirst for destruction, there was also a deep hunger for life—an urge to steal it away!
If Roman weren't a master of Seimei Kikan, the blood from his wound would have already been drawn out by some unknown force—straight toward the Red the Aloof, who was surrounded by a crimson mist and playing with Luffy like a cat with a mouse.
"Watch out! His attacks drain blood from the wound!"
"Let's take him on—"
Before Nami could finish speaking, a wave of overwhelming pressure surged through the battlefield like a tidal wave, shaking the heavens and earth! It was a crushing, lonely killing intent that sent chills down the spine. Even though everyone here was a seasoned fighter, they all froze for a brief moment.
Roman, Zoro, Sanji, and Jinbe's expressions immediately changed!
"Careful!!"
Almost instantly, Roman lunged toward Nami, Sanji dashed in front of Pudding, and Zoro infused all three of his swords with Armament Haki. His entire presence, from his killing intent to his demonic aura and Haki, had been compressed to the absolute limit—just waiting for the perfect moment to strike!
Clang!!
At nearly the same time, Roman swung his black-and-white sword. The air howled like a supersonic jet tearing through the sky, followed by a deafening clash that completely drowned out the previous sound. In the next moment, a wave of red light surged toward Roman!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In an instant, sparks exploded from the White Knight armor covering Roman's body—proof that the Red the Aloof's scattered sword energy had struck him! It was clear from that exchange of blows that Roman had been on the losing end.
"This is..."
Even though Nami couldn't see the Red the Aloof, she knew Roman had been attacked. She immediately activated "The Art of Thieves," unleashing a storm of plasma lightning all around herself and Roman, turning the area into a sea of electricity to slow down their enemy. But—
"Not a bad response, but it won't be enough."
The Red the Aloof had already reappeared on the other side. A faint metallic scraping sound rang out as his umbrella pressed lightly against the sole of Sanji's shoe. But judging from Sanji's grim expression—and the umbrella tip sinking into his shoe—
"It couldn't pierce through my 'Silent Garden' in one go? Not bad, your Armament Haki is impressive."
The Red the Aloof's voice sounded almost like praise, yet it made everyone's heart sink.
"What are you trying to do to my friends—"
Fast—Faster—Fastest!
A pitch-black fist tore through the air, appearing in front of Sanji in an instant! It was as if it had always been there, and they had just failed to notice it.
"Gomu Gomu no Black Mamba!"
"Keep up, Snake!!"
As the Red the Aloof retreated in a flash, Luffy's fist shot forward like a venomous serpent, twisting and turning as it continued its pursuit! To most of the Straw Hat Crew, it seemed like Luffy's punch was chasing after thin air, but—
"Oh? So you're using your ability to see the 'future' to predict and limit my dodging space?"
"Franky! Fire the Stray Laser Beam!"
Franky, being a cyborg, had already replaced his eyes with mechanical ones. Though he didn't have Observation Haki, he also wasn't affected by the Red the Aloof's Haki suppression. He brought his hands together, and between his fingers, golden energy began to glow—the power of Vegapunk's technology—
However, before he could fire, the Red the Aloof casually flicked his finger. A tiny blood droplet, no bigger than a marble, shot forward at impossible speed, striking Franky right in the chest!
Then:
In an instant, Franky felt like he was back more than ten years ago when he was hit head-on by the sea train. He was sent flying backward, completely unable to control his body, and his chest had gone completely numb—he couldn't feel anything at all.
He barely managed to look down and realized that not only was the skin on his chest gone, but even the composite armor, which was as strong as steel, had been completely shattered. Various parts had been blown away, and cola liquid was spilling everywhere! If his "heart" hadn't been modified with Wapometal, this attack would have taken half his life!—Even so, the force of the hit sent Franky flying, instantly knocking him out of the fight.
"Franky!!"
Chopper roared in fury, immediately tossing a Rumble Ball into his mouth to enter "Monster Point"! But—
"Too slow."
?!
Before he even realized what was happening, the Red the Aloof had appeared right in front of him, holding a Rumble Ball. The little reindeer, Chopper, was still trying to process what was going on when he suddenly felt himself being sent flying backward! The loud crackling sound behind him made his vision go dark.
"Ghost Aura: Nine-Sword Style—Asura—Draw—Dance of the Dead!"
Zoro's Haki suddenly surged like a raging storm, and an ominous ghostly aura grew stronger around him. Transforming into his Asura form with three heads and six arms, his nine swords spun like a whirlwind, slashing toward the Red the Aloof!
At the same time, Zoro's spinning attacks caused his body to vibrate at an unpredictable frequency, allowing him to deflect and evade any incoming strikes. This attack was like an invisible hurricane—unstoppable, cutting through everything in its path like an army marching through an undefended land, leaving nothing but blood and destruction in its wake, yet Zoro himself remained untouched.
"Impressive!"
Zoro's move made the Red the Aloof take him more seriously. In an instant, he switched from extreme movement to complete stillness. Instead of his usual unpredictable, ghost-like dodging, he now stood firmly, rooted to the ground in a solid stance.
With perfect precision, his umbrella, "Silent Garden," struck the most intense point of Zoro's sword attacks, countering strength with strength!
CLANG!!!
A deafening explosion echoed as the impact of the umbrella and swords clashing created countless black cracks in the air, like shattered porcelain.
"Not bad."
Splat—
As the two passed each other, blood spurted from Zoro's waist. The Red the Aloof glanced at the tear in his sleeve and the faint red slash beneath it.
Thanks to his Vampire Devil Fruit ability, any wound could instantly stop bleeding, heal, and disappear as if it had never existed!
One move, one exchange—his power seemed nearly invincible.
(End of Chapter)
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