Chapter 648: Chapter 647: Prepared for Death

Ivankov clutched his chin, having witnessed the entire "battle" between Luffy and Alucard from start to finish.

Though it could hardly be called a battle; it had ended in fewer than three exchanges. He felt that Luffy had perfectly inherited the "treatment" his father, Dragon, received from Alucard. Whenever one encountered Alucard, nothing good ever came of it.

"If this continues, Luffy-boy’s psyche is going to snap sooner or later."

Ivankov rushed forward, his sharp nails plunging into Luffy’s neck. Before the boy could even react, Ivankov struck a pressure point and knocked him unconscious.

Sabo hoisted Luffy onto his back while Ace moved to cover them. "Sabo, take Luffy and go! I’ll hold the rest of them off!"

Kuzan took a step forward, scratching the curls at the side of his head. "Arara... this war was started to save you, wasn’t it? When did it turn into a war to protect Straw Hat Luffy?"

"Shut up! If you want Luffy, you’ll have to go through me first!" Ace snapped.

Kuzan glanced over at Alucard and noted that the man had lost all interest in Luffy. With Sengoku there to prevent Alucard from interfering, things seemed stable, at least for the moment.

With that, Kuzan’s body below the neck began to turn into elemental ice. "It’s fine. My target isn’t Straw Hat Luffy anyway. You just stay right here, Fire Fist Ace."

Whitebeard, currently engaged with Borsalino and Fujitora, noticed the confrontation between Kuzan and Ace. Activating his power with both hands, he sent a massive shockwave to blow back the two Admirals before charging toward Ace. With a single swing of his blade, he carved three bottomless chasms between Kuzan and Ace.

"P-Pops?"

Ace stared wide-eyed at Whitebeard’s back, which stood before him like an immovable mountain range.

"You foolish son! What are you still doing here?" Whitebeard roared. "Why do you think we’re fighting this war? Get moving!"

"But, Pops—"

Ace was still hesitating when Whitebeard slammed the butt of his naginata into the ground. The resulting tremor sent Ace staggering. Whitebeard’s roar followed: "Just go! You foolish son!!"

Only then did Ace, his expression twisted with reluctant frustration, turn and bolt.

"What a remarkable man, Whitebeard," Robin whispered as she stood beside Alucard.

"Hehe." Alucard merely let out a low chuckle, offering no further comment.

"Don’t even think about escaping!"

Seeing Ace flee, Kuzan leaped into the air and aimed at Ace’s back, unleashing countless ice arrows. "Ice Block: Partisan!"

"Don’t get in the way, brat who followed Garp’s backside!"

Whitebeard slammed his left fist into the air. Before Kuzan’s ice arrows could even launch, they were shattered into fine powder by the shockwaves.

CRASH!

Kuzan slammed into the ice, his right cheek slightly swollen. He muttered under his breath, "He’s taken so much damage... how can he still unleash power like this?"

"Back then, Sakazuki and I joined forces with you to stop Kaido," Borsalino said as he strolled up to Kuzan. His lewd gaze swept over Whitebeard before finally settling on Fujitora. "What do you say we three join forces again to deal with this other Yonko?"

Fujitora held his cane blade horizontally before him. "This old man has no objections. But what of the ’Cursed Blood,’ Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat Luffy?"

"I shall carry out their execution myself!"

Sengoku took a step forward. The Fleet Admiral was finally making his move!

"Sengoku-san?" Kuzan was stunned. "Weren’t you supposed to be watching Alucard...?"

Step... step... step...

Before Kuzan could finish his sentence, he saw a man slowly walking toward Alucard. Robin’s pupils constricted in shock, and she took a fearful step back.

"Hawk-Eyes... he’s targeting the Immortal!" a pirate screamed.

Dracule Mihawk walked up behind Alucard, instantly drawing the attention of the entire battlefield.

Even Zoro, aboard the Thousand Sunny, couldn’t help but leap up from the corner of the ship to stare at the center of the battlefield. At this distance, no matter how good his eyesight was, he could only see three small dots.

"Hawk-Eyes is facing off against that man?" Zoro muttered, one foot already on the railing.

Seeing him like this, everyone knew his "Swordsman’s Soul" was flaring up. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper immediately grabbed him by the arms and legs, crying out in protest: "Stop! Stop, Zoro! You can’t leave now!"

Meanwhile, Mihawk stood behind Alucard and murmured, "Patrick Redfield, Shiki, Red-Haired, Kaido... you have fought every powerhouse of these eras. It is a pity that I have yet to test the gap between us for myself."

Alucard, his back turned to Mihawk, grinned. "Venging Red-Haired, then?"

"No." Mihawk unsheathed the Black Blade from his back and pointed the tip at Alucard. "As a pirate, one must be prepared to be killed. I simply wish to test the distance between you and me."

"If you truly wish to test it, you should have at least waited to face me at night."

Alucard slowly rose from the coffin lid, the black and white dual pistols, Casull and Jackal, gripped in his hands. "But in a fight against me, there is no such thing as ’testing’."

A cold wind whipped past Alucard, his bangs drifting to cover one eye while a crimson light erupted from the other, enough to make any observer shudder with dread.

"I challenge you with my life on the line," Mihawk stated firmly, his grip tightening on the Black Blade: Yoru.

"Quite the spine."

The greatcoat behind Alucard fluttered, transforming into countless bats that scattered across the battlefield. "Then let us dance... Dracule Mihawk!"

Robin wisely beat a hasty retreat. The very instant she cleared the combat zone, Mihawk swung the Black Blade, unleashing a vertical slash of green-and-silver sword ki.

"It’s here! The world’s strongest slash!"

Countless onlookers stared at Alucard at the end of the strike’s path, wondering if he, like Diamond Jozu, the first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, could withstand the peerless strike of Hawk-Eyes.

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