Chapter 647: Chapter 646: What a Disappointment!

From Luffy’s perspective, his entire field of vision was occupied by his own colossal fist. Yet, for some reason, that fist could no longer advance.

After a two-second deadlock, countless blue flashes suddenly erupted, tearing through his skin. In an instant, Luffy’s body was covered in horizontal, lacerated welts.

The cause was the silver handgun in Alucard’s left hand, Casull.

"You neutralized a portion of the kinetic force... the power of the Gum-Gum Fruit? Not bad."

Alucard remained seated on the lid of his coffin, not moving a single inch.

Due to the side effects of using Gear 3, Luffy’s body had shrunk, temporarily regressing to the size of a mere infant. Ordinarily, this condition would have rendered him unable to continue the fight. However, "Mini-Luffy" pressed his hands against the ground, and a balloon-like swelling started at his feet, surging upward through his entire frame. Not only did his body snap back to its original size in an instant, but it also turned a vivid, angry crimson, emitting wisps of pale steam.

"Gear 2... Forced Activation!"

Luffy’s gaze was deep and intense, but his face suddenly went deathly pale as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Using the rapid acceleration of blood flow to forcibly restore your body to its original state, then maintaining that flow to enhance your physical capabilities... You truly are a prime example of someone who has pushed their Devil Fruit development to the absolute limit."

Alucard observed the brat before him with genuine interest. "But that technique comes at the severe cost of your lifespan."

"I don’t give a damn about that!"

Having entered Gear 2, Luffy’s physical attributes were temporarily pushed to their peak. In a mere flash, he charged directly in front of Alucard.

"Stop, Luffy!!" Ace screamed.

Luffy vaulted into the air, reaching a height of about five meters above Alucard. He whipped his right leg high and brought it crashing down with devastating force.

"Gomu Gomu no Jet Axe!!!"

BOOM!!!

The whip-like kick slammed down, shattering the ice. Enormous fissures began to spiderweb outward. The mist kicked up by the impact temporarily obscured everyone’s vision; those who hadn’t mastered Observation Haki had no idea what had just occurred.

Glug... Glug...

The others heard a sound like boiling water, the popping of bubbles. As the icy mist cleared, they saw that the ground where Luffy’s kick had landed had transformed into a pool of blood bristling with crimson eyeballs.

"What is this...? These things...?"

Luffy was stunned. Just as he prepared to retract his leg, the pool of blood shifted form, shaping itself into the silhouettes of hounds. With a chorus of feral snarls, they lunged at him. Though this was merely the pool of blood transitioning into an offensive state, it was still far beyond what the current Luffy could handle.

Luffy scrambled backward to evade. He managed to dodge the first and second hounds, but the third clamped its jaws firmly onto his shoulder. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Gah! It hurts!!"

Grimacing in pain, Luffy grabbed the hound, trying to pry it off.

"Dragon Claw!"

Sabo rushed forward, his hand gripping the shadow hound’s body. The sheer power of the "Dragon Claw" erupted, instantly crushing the creature into fine mist.

"Are you alright, Luffy?" Sabo supported Luffy, letting the younger boy’s head rest against his shoulder.

"Yeah... I’m fine." Luffy’s expression was contorted; the blood soaking his left shoulder proved he was anything but fine.

"That’s it?"

The shadow hounds merged back together, returning to the form of the blood pool, which then coalesced back into Alucard himself. He narrowed his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief. "How have you managed to stay alive in this war until now?"

Though he had watched these events in his previous life, after arriving in this world personally, Alucard found himself startled, shocked, even. He had assumed Luffy could at least trade a few blows with him; he hadn’t expected the boy to be virtually incapacitated after a single move.

The Summit War was the largest conflict since the dawn of the Great Pirate Era. This kid... how did he survive this long with such meager strength?

As this thought took hold, the surprise on Alucard’s face was gradually replaced by disappointment and disgust. "Boring!"

Alucard bared his fangs, his killing intent flaring. Ace and Sabo quickly stepped in front of Luffy, dropping into combat stances.

"Hmph... fine."

Alucard’s face returned to a calm mask in an instant. He cast one final glance at Luffy. "I’ve lost interest in you."

"Come back to my side, Robin."

Alucard’s tone was flat and his volume wasn’t high, yet for some reason, his voice carried with crystalline clarity to everyone on the field.

Aboard the Thousand Sunny, Nami and the others, who were waiting for Luffy’s return to make their escape, looked at Robin in total confusion.

Robin’s brow furrowed. After a few seconds of internal struggle, she turned to Nami and the others. "I’m sorry."

"Cien Fleur: Wing!"

Crossing her arms, countless hands sprouted from her back to form a pair of snow-white wings. She flew rapidly back toward the center of the battlefield, landing beside Alucard. She bowed respectfully. "My Master."

Robin avoided looking at Luffy. Alucard sat back down on his coffin lid and said coldly, "It seems I overestimated the Straw Hat Pirates before. Get back to work."

"Understood." Robin stood silently by Alucard’s side, her eyes downcast.

"Have you still not drunk blood?"

Alucard noticed Robin’s eyes; they were still teal, proof that she hadn’t transitioned into a complete vampire.

"My apologies." Much like Hancock before her, Robin found herself hesitating to cross that final threshold.

"Ro... Robin?" Luffy was left bewildered by what looked like a second betrayal.

"I’m sorry, Luffy." Robin forced her gaze to remain cold, hoping to make Luffy give up on her entirely. "I can only say that the time I spent with you all was... pleasant."

"Arara, you really are a clever woman, Nico Robin."

Kuzan, who had been watching the spectacle from the sidelines, finally spoke. "So, betraying the Immortal was just a ruse after all."

Turning to Alucard, Kuzan asked, "But what was the point of going through the trouble of planting an undercover agent in the Straw Hat Pirates? You, who didn’t even deign to use schemes against Kaido or Charlotte Linlin, actually went to such lengths for a fledgling pirate crew."

This was a question that also puzzled Ace and Sabo. Alucard was not the type to bother with such trivialities. In the past, whether dealing with other Yonko, the Marines, or even the Government, he had always opted for a direct frontal assault. Undercover work was beneath him.

Why use it on their younger brother? Was it because his grandfather was Garp? Or because his father was Dragon?

Alucard’s expression remained indifferent as he watched the distant clash involving Whitebeard.

He could hardly say it was because Luffy was the "Protagonist" and thus deserved more attention than others.

Though even that sliver of attention had, following the brief exchange just now, completely evaporated. Otherwise, Alucard wouldn’t have bothered calling Robin back.