Chapter 20: The King's Invitation
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The moment Alucard spoke, the pirates and mountain bandits behind him, who had been leisurely drinking and chatting, instantly rose and glared at his back.
The bartender, scared, quickly retreated backstage, knowing a slaughter was about to begin.
"I don't think I heard you clearly!" A black man over 2.5 meters tall, carrying a colossal axe on his back, walked over. When he was about two meters behind Alucard, he suddenly drew his giant axe and swung it down towards Alucard's back.
The other pirates smirked, expecting to see the suicidal fool split in half.
SPLASH!
It split. His head was cleanly severed, rolling like a ball to the side, spinning several times.
"WOAH!"
"Well done!"
"Serves him right!"
The pirates in the tavern cheered. One man walked to the edge of Alucard's severed head, just about to give it a vicious kick, when he suddenly noticed the head... was laughing!
"Heheheh..."
The bandit who had intended to kick was thoroughly terrified, his scream completely capturing the attention of the still-cheering pirates.
Everyone watched as the head transformed into countless bats, flying back towards the headless corpse in the seat.
The bats, formed from the head, continuously filled the neck, where the head used to be. Dozens, or perhaps hundreds of bats swarmed, and in less than ten seconds, they re-formed into a complete head!
Alucard turned his head, laughing maniacally, as if nothing had happened.
"M-Monster!" His head being cut off and then reattaching scared many. Some immediately screamed.
"Is he a Devil Fruit user?" Some managed to maintain a semblance of composure, but it was just barely. These weaklings, who only knew how to fish in troubled waters during wartime, were only capable of so much.
CLICK...
Alucard pulled out Casull, and then unleashed a flurry of shots!
Countless bullets struck the pirates and bandits, pulverizing their bodies into dust, creating a mist of blood. Only their heads were generally left, barely identifiable.
Long after the gunshots ceased, the bartender cautiously emerged from backstage. He saw the red-clad young man still sitting there, but the tavern behind him had become a sea of blood, with over a dozen heads lying dead on the floor, their eyes wide open.
Hell! This is truly hell!
...
Ability Development Progress:
Mature Vampire Physique: 70%
Bat Shadow (Mature): 37%
Weapon: Casull LV4: 24%
Blacklight Virus LV2: 33%
Hidden Shadow LV1: 53%
...
Compared to the previous battles, the development value had barely changed, only Casull had evolved by 1%.
"Alright, these trash still had bounties, right? That should be enough for the drinks and the tavern's cleaning fee. Serve me your most special red wine," Alucard said as if nothing had happened.
The bartender, having witnessed many pirate and bandit brawls, didn't throw up immediately. Instead, he quickly turned, grabbed three bottles of red wine, and poured one for Alucard.
"Oh? This is..."
After taking his first sip, a flicker of surprise crossed Alucard's eyes. The bartender immediately explained, "It's the Harald Kingdom's exclusive red wine, named Harald Wine after this country. It's a very rare wine, only found here."
"I see. No wonder the taste is completely different from all the other wines I've had before." Alucard lifted his wine glass, observing its color. Normally, he'd just drink it, regardless of the color, but this unique taste made him want to examine its hue more closely.
THUD!
The tavern door opened. The bartender, seeing this, skillfully greeted, "Patrol Captain Effman."
This was the very patrol Captain who had reported Alucard's presence to Cnut and received orders.
After hearing from his subordinates that Alucard had entered here, he rushed over. When he and his four subordinates entered, they were utterly dumbfounded.
They frequented this tavern and knew exactly what it should look like. But now, the walls, which should have been brown, were stained entirely red. There were bits of shattered flesh on the floor, and heads were scattered around the tavern. On tables, on the floor, on chairs. And from the wounds on their severed necks, they had been blasted apart.
And their target, the only remaining customer in the establishment, was calmly drinking wine amidst the bloody scene behind him. They guessed why—because this man had done all of it!
"Pirate Hunter Alucard. So far, he has completely annihilated every pirate he's encountered, becoming the most famous pirate hunter in the North Blue."
Effman walked step by step behind Alucard, saying, "Our King has a very profitable business opportunity and would like to invite you." He spoke almost pleadingly, for he understood the terror of this man.
Effman pulled a gold bar from his military uniform and placed it on the table next to Alucard. "This is a small token of our initial sincerity."
The palm-sized gold bar was worth at least a million Berries.
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Just a heads-up: this is a translation and this fanfic itself was completed back in 2018, so if Faloo's details are correct, prepare for some canon divergences. Though, that is to be expected since One Piece has been ongoing for years and hasn't been completed yet. But if you're here for the story itself, and won't be bothered by canon divergences, then this is definitely a solid fanfic!
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