After the shabbily dressed pirate, a second, third, and fourth person rose from their chairs, all shouting toward Alucard's back.
"Yes, yes, take us in! My captain is a great pirate with a bounty of 180,000,000 Berries!" "I've always wanted to join your pirate crew; let me join, too!"
"Me too, me too, take our whole crew!"
What began as a single person quickly escalated into an absurd scene where everyone in the once-silent tavern stood up, their excited voices filling the air with chaotic "job applications."
"Hah!"
Of all the pirates, only two remained seated: Alucard and Gecko Moria. Watching the spectacle, Moria sneered, letting out a strange, disdainful sound. He looked down on these pirates who were so eager to "apply."
They were nothing but a bunch of worthless scumbags who wanted to ride the coattails of a powerful pirate to run wild in the New World. People like them could never become the Pirate King!
As the excited and nervous chatter reached a peak, Alucard, who had been drinking with his back to them, slowly turned around. The moment he faced them, the pirates' excitement vanished, leaving only a bone-deep tension.
Alucard didn't release any Conqueror's Haki; this was an invisible, oppressive aura forged from a long familiarity with death.
"My subordinates?"
A smirk played on Alucard's lips as his gaze swept across the pirates in the tavern.
Suddenly, his eyes landed on Moria, a massive figure in the back, who was the only one besides himself who hadn't stood up to join the scramble.
Alucard slowly raised his hand, his smile unwavering, and pointed at Moria. "Then, bring me his head as your proof of allegiance."
In an instant, everyone in the tavern turned to look. Even Moria's face twisted in shock. He had ignored the commotion, yet the fire had somehow landed directly on him.
All eyes in the tavern were now on Moria.
After his crew was wiped out by Kaido, Moria's bounty had risen to 320,000,000 Berries. On this island, at least, no one had a higher bounty than him. No one mocked him for his failed challenge against Kaido, because they didn't even have the guts to try.
When Alucard's words sank in, many hesitated, their hands hovering over their sword hilts, wanting to draw but not daring to.
Finally, one man couldn't take it anymore. He cocked a 1.2-meter-long flintlock pistol and shouted, "It's now or never! If we take Moria's head, we can join one of the Three Monsters' crews! Who knows when we'll get an opportunity like this again!"
He charged forward, his eye glued to the scope, aiming the gun at Moria.
Right behind him, a second and third pirate also reacted, drawing their weapons and attacking Moria with shouts.
"He's right, this could be our chance to join one of the Three Monsters!"
"If we take him down and join Alucard's crew, no one will be able to stop us in the New World!"
It was no wonder Crocodile would one day say, "I can replace subordinates of that caliber anytime."
Even in the New World, there are idiots like this, let alone in Paradise. "You fools! Bat Bricks!"
Moria roared, waving his hand. The shadows on the ground transformed into bats that flew out, biting at the pirates charging toward him.
With just a single move, he forced nearly half of them back. This not only showed how pathetic they were but also proved that Moria did have some real skill.
Suddenly, a pirate wielding a gunlance pierced straight through the shadow bats and swiftly closed the distance to Moria. "Your head is mine, Moria!"
"Don't get cocky, you pathetic parasite!" Moria shrieked in his signature raspy voice. He pulled out a pair of scissors from behind his back, clashing them against the other man's weapon.
Their weapons locked in a stalemate for about two seconds, but once Moria pinned him, he swung his other hand, and the shadow on the ground condensed into an impossibly sharp spear that pierced the man's stomach.
"Shadow Spear!"
Alucard watched the fight while sipping his drink. The longer he watched, the more he noticed something.
Compared to ten years from now, this version of Moria seemed even stronger.
Generally, people's strength increases with age, but this doesn't apply to those over fifty or sixty.
Excluding the previous generation like Whitebeard, Garp, and Zephyr, anyone over sixty today has entered a period of decline. Others, like Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Doflamingo, and Mihawk, are still progressing, reaching their peak strength in ten years.
Moria, at thirty-something, wasn't even fifty yet ten years from now, far from his decline. Yet, his future strength was pathetically weak.
This could only mean that after his defeat by Kaido, he had become lazy. He had become worthless.
But for now, though a loser, he wasn't a good-for-nothing. He still displayed the power befitting the "Hero of the West Blue."
After more than half an hour of fighting, the tavern was mostly in ruins. Moria had defeated everyone, but he was in no better shape, clutching his swollen, balloon-like stomach—he had been stabbed several times.
After all, the group had included pirates with bounties over 100,000,000 Berries. Taking on so many at once had put a lot of pressure on him.
"Damn it..."
Moria struggled to turn his head toward Alucard. "You... one of the Three Monsters..."
Because of Kaido and Alucard's direct provocation, Moria's hatred was now aimed at both of them.
Alucard paid no mind to Moria's hostility. He set his wine glass on the bar behind him and cocked his head. "Aren't you going to make a move? Don't you want to get revenge?"
"You bastard!!"
Moria clutched his stomach with his right hand and used his left to make a cluster of shadow bats in the air form a shadow spear.
"Shadow Spear!"
The pure black spear tore through the air with a piercing sound, hurtling toward Alucard, who then imbued his body with Armament Haki.
"Heh..."
Alucard chuckled softly, and his body dispersed into a swarm of bats, causing the shadow spear to miss its mark.
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