The executives of the Blackbeard Pirates spun around and sprinted toward the clash between the Whitebeard remnants and the Golden Hair Pirates. If they could wedge themselves into that melee, the resulting chaos would skyrocket their chances of slipping away from Alucard!
"Wiiihahaha!"
Burgess, running to Shiryu’s right, let out a laugh that was half-mockery, half-praise. "Talk about ruthlessly abandoning your men. I thought only the Captain did things like that."
Shiryu replied coldly, "If you’re so eager to die, feel free to stay behind with them."
Burgess gave a sheepish grin and shut his mouth. For now, survival meant running.
On the other side of the street, Alucard didn’t even bother using his guns. Using nothing but his bare hands and teeth, he tore through the Blackbeard grunts until they were a broken, fleeing mess.
Crunch!!
Alucard sank his teeth into a man’s neck. A second later, he applied more pressure, biting the head clean off before spitting it out like trash.
"Ha... haha... AAAAAHHH!!!"
The remaining Blackbeard pirates suffered a complete mental breakdown. They turned to flee, but Alucard’s pupils dilated. He activated his hypnotic charm.
Two seconds later, the pirates’ eyes turned a dull orange-red. Their expressions went blank, and drool leaked from their lips.
In the next instant, those who were about to run turned on their own. They began a frenzied slaughter of the crewmates who hadn’t been controlled. A fresh wave of agonized wails filled the air.
"Arrgh! You idiot, what are you doing?! My hand! My hand!!"
"Stop! We’re crewmates! No, don’t kill me!"
...
"Incredible..."
Behind the barrier, Fallon wasn’t disturbed by the gore, but he was awestruck by Alucard’s raw, primal methods of slaughter.
Next to him, Bartolomeo’s eyes were sparkling. "A powerful, beautiful aesthetic of violence! As expected of Alucard-sama! My eyes are being dazzled by his brilliance!"
"Shut up, Bartolomeo!"
Fallon barked a reprimand before turning to his subordinates. "Don’t let those Blackbeard idiots get away. After them!"
With the order given, Bartolomeo lowered the barrier. The Barto Club and the Black Thorn Pirates surged forward, hunting down the Blackbeard survivors. In reality, aside from Shiryu and the other executives, the hundreds of grunts had been whittled down to a mere few dozen by Alucard.
Consequently, the layout of the street shifted: the Golden Hair Pirates under the Immortal banner were on the left, while the Black Thorn and Barto Club were on the right.
The Whitebeard remnants, the Straw Hats, and the Blackbeard executives were caught in the middle like the filling of a sandwich.
...
"Hey, the Blackbeard lot is closing in. How do we handle this?"
Beckman, chewing on a bamboo toothpick, frowned as he questioned Ivalis.
"Hmm. Compared to the Whitebeard and Straw Hat crews, Blackbeard’s lot is much more of a nuisance."
Ivalis remained composed. He stepped aside, signaling for Marco and his group to leave.
"Hey! Wait a minute! I was just about to take down their leader and become a superstar!" Cavendish protested loudly, but as usual, he was magnificently ignored by everyone.
"Feeling nostalgic, yoi?"
While this was the outcome Marco wanted, escaping through the mercy of an enemy sat poorly with his pride as a first-rate pirate.
"Does the Whitebeard crew still have dignity after losing Whitebeard?" someone from the Golden Hair Pirates jeered, causing Marco’s face to darken further.
"Cheer up," Ivalis said as he led his men past Marco and Luffy’s group. "We’re about to do you a favor and wipe out your mortal enemies for you."
He paused, adding one last thing: "But next time, it might be your turn."
"Let’s go, Luffy!"
Zoro, having already tasted defeat at Ivalis’s hands, grabbed Luffy and started running. Nami, Sanji, Chopper, and the diva Carina followed close behind.
"As much as it stings, we need to move, Marco," Izo said, stepping up to the commander’s side.
"The Whitebeard Pirates..."
Marco whispered the words that were once his greatest source of pride. Finally, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Everyone, move out, yoi!"
...
Now, the "sandwich filling" consisted solely of the Blackbeard Pirates. Beset by enemies on both sides, Shiryu assessed the situation rapidly. He whispered, "Doc Q, can you try that move of yours?"
Sitting atop his sickly horse and looking like he was on his deathbed, Doc Q coughed up blood before replying, "Cough! Cough-cough! Everything is ordained by fate. If fate says it is possible..."
"Stop your babbling and just do it! I don’t want to die here!" Catarina Devon snapped in a rage.
Clang—shing—
The three pirate crews under the Immortal banner slowly drew their weapons. Fallon had already entered his animal transformation; his hair stood up like sharp quills, and his body was covered in needle-like spears. "I don’t know what you’re planning, but just hurry up and die."
"What are you all getting so excited about?"
Suddenly, Alucard appeared in the middle of them. It was as if he had been there the whole time, yet no one had noticed.
"Captain?"
Fallon froze mid-attack, looking up in confusion at Alucard, who was standing atop a central building.
"I told you... I’m hungry."
As Alucard spoke, a pool of blood surged beneath his feet. Hounds emerged, their tongues lolling and drool dripping, their bodies covered in blood-red eyes that glared down at the Blackbeard crew.
Alucard raised his hands and let out a manic, ghoulish laugh. "The quantity is low, but I suppose you’ll serve as an appetizer."
"Alucard the Immortal’s weakness... is the heart, right?"
Cold sweat poured down Catarina Devon’s face. After a moment of frantic deliberation, she suddenly stepped forward and shouted, "Let me join the Immortal Pirates! Remember, we met back when we were all rookies, Immortal!"
The members of the three Immortal fleets watching from the sidelines couldn’t help but sneer. There it was.
To put it nicely, she was looking to "jump ship." To put it bluntly, she was a traitor.
———————
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