The battle continued.
With Roger’s keen observation skills, he had long since discerned the weakness of Alucard’s immortality.
Regardless of his wounds, Alucard never bothered to dodge attacks. Whether his legs were broken, hands severed, or even his head cut off, he always adopted a strategy of never evading.
It was an injury-for-injury, no, even a death-for-injury tactic.
This kind of insane fighting style was something Roger had encountered countless times in his youth, from madmen like Whitebeard, Shiki the Golden Lion, World Destroyer, and the reclusive Patrick Redfield, to his long-standing rival, "Marine Mad Dog" Garp.
Yet, in terms of sheer madness, none could compare to this young man before him!
However, after fighting Alucard for so long, Roger had already figured out the problem. No matter where an attack was aimed, Alucard would always protect one specific spot: his heart!
Upon realizing this, Roger began to test his theory, exclusively targeting the heart. He found that his guess wasn’t wrong; it was true. Alucard would indeed guard against attacks aimed at his heart.
’So, the weakness is the heart,’ Roger thought to himself. He began to direct all his attacks at Alucard’s heart.
A fierce combination of bullets and sword slashes continuously assailed him, causing Alucard’s lips to curve slightly. "Oh, you found the weakness?"
Unlike his previous battle with CP7, there were no other living beings for Alucard to consume here. If his heart was struck down by Roger, he absolutely wouldn’t be able to regenerate.
Even a mere ten to twenty seconds wouldn’t be enough time to find "food." Thus, for the first time, Alucard actively defended against an attack.
But while Roger had begun direct attacks on Alucard’s heart, his attack patterns became too obvious. Alucard could completely predict how he would attack.
Now, the situation had entered a stalemate.
In terms of overall strength, Alucard was no match for Roger. However, Roger couldn’t kill Alucard in a short period, forcing the battle into an awkward state.
Simultaneously, the seaside dock on Water 7’s west coast had been utterly reduced to rubble.
"How long have they been fighting?"
At some unknown point, Rayleigh, now wrapped in bandages, had returned. Seeing the two fighting in the distance, he couldn’t help but ask, simultaneously surveying the devastated coastline. It was completely unrecognizable from when he had left.
"Rayleigh-senpai, it’s been seven hours already. If the west coast wasn’t so far from the city, the Marines would have been here ages ago," Shanks said with a bitter expression. He had initially thought it would be an epic duel, but as it progressed, it felt more like a routine.
Roger wanted to pierce Alucard’s vital heart, while Alucard prevented Roger from doing so, defending while simultaneously attacking, but struggling to inflict damage on Roger.
This situation had lasted for over five hours.
In short, the stalemate persisted.
"With Roger’s stamina, fighting for ten days and ten nights wouldn’t be a problem. The key is that Alucard kid; he’s immortal. I wonder if his stamina depletes at all," Gaban said, chiming in appropriately.
Crocus, who had performed surgery on Rayleigh, also returned with him. Looking at the two in the ruins, he said with a grim expression, "No, a prolonged battle isn’t good for Roger. I’m not talking about the outcome of this fight, but his body."
He paused, then continued, "There’s still an unknown journey ahead. We can’t let him exhaust his life force here."
Roger was already suffering from a terminal illness; he truly couldn’t afford to expend excessive life force on a battle, especially one that held no significant meaning.
After exchanging glances with the other members of the pirate crew, Rayleigh stepped forward and shouted towards the battling duo, "Roger! Stop wasting your strength on such a meaningless fight! You should understand what I mean!"
Roger, who was blocking Alucard’s bullet attacks, cast a sidelong glance, his pupils narrowing. After a moment of thought, he unleashed a powerful sword slash that cleaved through the earth, creating a deep gully along the coastline, before sharply retreating a distance.
Alucard, meanwhile, fired his two pistols in a cross pattern, simultaneously controlling the shadow hands beneath his feet to form a dark version of the Buddha’s Palm to counter.
After a tremor that shook the island, the aftershocks slowly subsided after more than ten seconds.
Roger now stood atop a two-meter-tall, twisted piece of rebar, laughing loudly. "Kid, this isn’t getting us anywhere. Still want to fight?"
Alucard watched Roger for a long time, then suddenly chuckled. "The thrill of battle is gone."
Everyone who heard Alucard’s response was surprised.
This madman was being so agreeable?
Actually, given Alucard’s personality, this outcome wasn’t hard to reach. He wasn’t an idiot himself; of course, he knew that in his current state, he couldn’t possibly kill Roger.
As for a battle of attrition, a super-long war lasting half a month, a month, or even a year, slowly wearing down the terminally ill Roger until he died? Was that possible? Perhaps it was, but Alucard absolutely wouldn’t do it.
Spending that much time and risk on this guy was out of the question!
Moreover, the Marines would inevitably intervene along the way, and the most likely outcome would be a draw with no clear victor.
Considering this, Alucard naturally chose to end the battle voluntarily.
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my ——— (.)com/JuanFiction [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are over 100 advance Chapters available for you!