"Hah! Haa! Haa!"
In his Amaru state, Enel looked like a bloated sumo wrestler. His massive, fleshy hands thrust forward repeatedly, unleashing bursts of lightning that neared the raw power of an Admiral. However, that power was purely in destructive output.
In terms of combat experience, tactical finesse, and psychological fortitude, he was nowhere near Admiral-level.
Driven by sheer terror, Enel had even forgotten to use his Mantra to track Alucard's location. He simply bombarded the giant eyeballs within his field of vision in a frantic, blind frenzy.
Within the River of Death, after Enel had raved for what felt like an eternity, a shadow suddenly lunged from the ground. Before Enel could react, the shadow seized his right foot and slammed him violently into the floor.
Immediately following, a massive, fur-covered arm pinned him down. Despite his Amaru-sized transformation, Enel looked like a tiny grasshopper beneath that colossal limb.
Enel gritted his teeth. What kind of monster have I run into?
Tap, tap, tap...
Alucard stepped out from one of the massive eyeballs, descending slowly until he stood before Enel. "No Armament Haki, yet you possess excellent Observation Haki... and even that is entirely reliant on your ability. Without your fruit, you are worthless. Does a creature of your caliber truly dare to call himself a 'God'?"
Alucard's pupils constricted. "Shameless!"
BANG!
A bullet from the Jackal tore into Enel's body, causing the Amaru form to dissipate instantly. In less than five seconds, Enel's body reverted to its normal state, and the hand of Baskerville lifted away from him.
Enel, shot in the abdomen, watched Alucard approach. He endured the agony and instinctively tried to activate his lightning powers, only to find he couldn't summon a single spark.
"How... how can this be? This repulsive aura..." Enel stared at the bullet hole in his gut, screaming as he neared a total mental breakdown.
"Die by the very weapon you looked down upon most."
Alucard grinned savagely as he raised the silver pistol, Casull. Without giving the "God" a chance to speak, he opened fire. He didn't stop until Enel's body was reduced to unrecognizable remains.
The space of the River of Death gradually faded.
This battle had been unexpectedly simple. Enel was technically at the level of an Admiral Candidate, yet he had been defeated by his own fear. It seemed his journey had been far too smooth since obtaining a Logia; he was incapable of processing failure or adapting to a true threat.
Alucard raised his right hand. For a split second, blue lightning flickered in his palm, before turning a deep, bloody red.
It was the fused power of Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit and the Spirit of All Things he had taken from Shanks! Alucard clenched his fist, causing the crimson lightning to dissipate.
…
The Ocean.
In the mid-to-late section of the New World, in the waters bordering the territories of the Immortal Pirates and the Beasts Pirates.
The Mammoth, under the command of Jack the Drought, had set sail by Kaido's order toward Gran Tesoro. However, shortly after departure, they encountered a maritime disaster. While Jack's raw strength suppressed the worst of it and prevented major casualties, much of the ship's supplies were swept away.
Sheepshead, a Shinuchi of the Beast Pirates, suggested returning to their base to restock. Given their remaining resources, they could make it back safely. However, this suggestion was met with Jack's fierce opposition.
"Are you joking?"
Jack lowered his hulking frame, leaning in close to Sheepshead and the others. They trembled under his gaze, too terrified to speak.
"If I return to base over a trivial matter like this, that bastard King will laugh himself to death."
Jack waved his hand dismissively. "Forward! So what if we're low on supplies? We'll just find a town or some small pirate ship and take what we need."
Ginrummy and Sheepshead felt like weeping. This was the deep New World, every island belonged to either the Immortals or the Beasts. If Jack didn't want to go back to his own territory, did he seriously plan to raid the Immortal Pirates' turf?
In these waters, if you wanted to rob someone, you were almost guaranteed to hit either your own allies or a ship belonging to Alucard.
But seeing Jack's expression, Ginrummy and the others dared not say a word. They could only pray for a stroke of luck.
After three days of sailing, luck seemingly arrived.
While passing through the fringes of the Immortal Pirates' territory, they spotted a large warship. Its sails bore a distinct mark: a bird with spread wings inside a floral circle, with four red claws positioned at the cardinal points.
Jack, despite his questionable IQ, wasn't completely suicidal. He knew that ships belonging to the Immortal Pirates were off-limits. He turned to Sheepshead and asked, "That mark... does it belong to one of Alucard's subordinates?"
Sheepshead scrambled to flip through a stack of bounty posters. After cross-referencing several times, he reported, "No, no. It doesn't belong to any of the 500-million-plus commanders. It's likely just small fry."
"Then what are you waiting for?!"
Jack slammed his hand onto the armrest of his chair and roared, "Charge! Seize everything they have!"
The crew was relieved to have found a "fat sheep." Their resources were nearly empty; if they didn't resupply now, the consequences would be dire.
BOOM!!
On the opposite ship, Kozuki Oden felt his expression shift as he heard the cannon fire. He turned and used a kunai to detonate the incoming shells mid-air. When he spotted the enemy's flag, his gaze darkened. "The Beasts Pirates?"
"Looks like they have someone competent over there," Jack muttered, rising from his seat.
As the ships drew within a hundred meters of each other, Sheepshead stepped forward to the railing, acting as Jack's mouthpiece. "You lot! Do you have any idea who this is? This is the world-renowned Jack-sama the Drought! If you don't want to die, hand over all your supplies immediately! We might consider letting you live!"
From the practiced way he delivered the introduction, it was clear he was used to bullying others using Jack's name.
Oden's eyes narrowed. He replied without a hint of hesitation: "The cargo on this ship is a gift for Alucard the Immortal. Jack the Drought, are you certain you want to steal it?"
The smug grin on Sheepshead's face froze instantly. Even Jack's expression stiffened.