In the world of pirates, very few people truly understand military strategy. The extraordinary individual physical power available leads everyone to obsess over personal strength.
Take the Admirals, for example: regardless of how many soldiers there are, one Ice Age from Kuzan or a few meteorites from Fujitora will directly kill anyone weak. Not to mention Doflamingo's Birdcage, which could effortlessly slaughter an entire country's population with a single technique. The Summit War was essentially Whitebeard's personal showcase; he was enough, and no one else mattered much.
Because military strategy, as a concept, barely exists.
But when a powerful undead army is merged with military strategy, their performance in war explodes with unimaginable fighting strength.
The fleeing pirates who had just broken through the first encirclement didn't even have time to smile before they were eerily confronted by a new line of knights.
They tried to flee again, but were encircled again. They tried to flee once more, and were encircled again. They wouldn't be able to escape until they were driven to the point of mental breakdown. This was a formation, an ever-shifting formation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, gunshots rang out. The faces of several Impaler knights on the outermost edge were shredded into a bloody mess, and they tumbled from their warhorses.
Someone had blasted a hole in the perfect encirclement net and then leaped into the air, charging toward Alucard, who was observing the formation from the outside. Everyone saw the owner of that figure, their expressions subtly changing.
Viola looked up at the figure and said, "That's... First Mate of the Golden Hair Pirates, Ben Beckman!"
As soon as she spoke, Viola shook her head. "No, he's not the First Mate anymore."
Though the Golden Hair Pirates' betrayal was a false alarm, Beckman's betrayal was real, making him no longer the First Mate. This was correct.
The first, and possibly the only, pirate to burst through the layered encirclement of the Impaler knights was Beckman. Now soaked in blood, he jumped nearly ten meters high, positioning himself directly above and in front of Alucard, his gun aimed squarely.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Beckman fired several shots in succession. Alucard squinted, drew his greatsword again, and swung a sword flash that easily destroyed every one of Beckman's bullets.
"How is that possible?"
Beckman landed on the blood pool, about ten meters away from Alucard, his face filled with disbelief. That wasn't a "sword slash," it was merely the pressure wave generated by a simple swing of his blade.
The wind pressure alone was enough to destroy his bullets? Even the likes of Mihawk wouldn't dare claim he could catch them, and only Shiki the Golden Lion at his peak might be capable of such a feat.
The [Blood Inheritance] technique concentrates the power of the dead from the River of Death onto Alucard himself, temporarily sacrificing his ability to resurrect. However, it still maintains the healing ability of his Vampire Physique, and his weakness remains the heart.
Alucard flickered like a phantom. Beckman didn't even see what happened, only instinctively raising his gun to block in front of him.
Clang!
When everyone finally saw the situation clearly, they saw the tip of Alucard's greatsword pressed against Beckman's rifle, both generating a fierce shower of sparks from the friction.
"Wh-What?"
Beckman stared at the enormous force, managing to utter the word with difficulty. Alucard displayed a look of pleasure. "Well done, Beckman."
To speak with such composure during this standoff proved that Alucard hadn't even unleashed his true power. And that was the truth.
As the stalemate dragged on, Beckman's body was gradually forced backward. Simultaneously, the sparks bursting from the point of impact between the sword tip and the gun barrel grew even more exaggerated, and a faint sound of cracking could be heard.
"Beckman! Pull back quickly!"
A former Red Hair Pirate crew member shouted anxiously. When strength is inferior to the opponent's, one must immediately retreat and evade, that was basic combat skill.
Neigh!
The sound of warhorses carried over. The knights had pierced the bodies of numerous rebels and 17th Division pirates. Some were directly lifted into the air on lances, then thrown to the ground to be trampled by the warhorses.
Beckman frowned, thinking, 'Easy for you to say.'
He was already using his full strength just to block. He had no power left to pull back. If he forced a retreat, Alucard's sword would definitely pierce straight through his body.
Seeing Alucard's perpetually composed smile, Beckman managed to squeeze out a few words through his teeth. "This monster..."
He had become even stronger compared to the time he defeated Shanks. Did this bastard's power growth have no ceiling?
Crack! Snap!
Finally, Alucard's sword sliced through Beckman's gun. The blade surged forward, piercing clean through Beckman's stomach. The tip of the sword, drenched in blood, emerged from his cape at the back.
Gush!
A few seconds after the puncture, Alucard violently ripped the sword out of Beckman's body.
"Cough, cough... Augh..."
Beckman, with a gaping hole in his abdomen, fell to his knees, covering his mouth as he spat up copious amounts of blood.
'My lung was pierced...'
Beckman thought with difficulty, one hand covering his mouth, the other his stomach.
"With a mind like yours, why would you go along with those fools and concoct such a terrible plan? Were you swayed by past sentiment?" Alucard asked, flicking the blood off his sword.
"Cough, ugh!"
Beckman's face was pale. He could only keep coughing up blood, unable to muster the strength to reply. He was in no condition to speak.
"Never mind. There's one last move I haven't tested, and there aren't many people left."
Alucard walked past Beckman and headed toward the pirates who were surrounded by the Impaler knights.
"Damn it, if that guy isn't treated in the next five minutes, he'll die."
Ivalis pressed his hands against the ship's rail. After several seconds of internal struggle, he shouted to his subordinates, "Bring Beckman aboard! Prepare blood bags for a transfusion!"
"Huh?"
The Golden Hair Pirate crew members were so shocked by Ivalis's words that their jaws nearly dropped. He was the former First Mate, but now he was a traitor, an enemy!
"I'll take responsibility. I owe him my life from the battle just now, and I'm simply repaying it. Hurry up!"
Faced with Ivalis's fierce glare, the subordinates had no choice but to bear the immense pressure and rescue Beckman for treatment.