Chapter 153 - 153: Kong vs. Red the Aloof
Patrick Redfield was born with an exceptionally powerful Observation Haki.
He constantly endured the torment that came with it.
But it was precisely because of this that his Observation Haki, paired with his masterful swordsmanship and physical prowess, allowed him alone to stand shoulder to shoulder with great pirates like Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Roger.
The moment the warship carrying Kong and Garp docked, Redfield immediately sensed the two overwhelming presences.
He merely furrowed his brows slightly and did not leave.
Instead, he picked up his cup and took another slow sip of coffee.
Nothing more than the pride and confidence of a top-tier warrior.
He gazed calmly toward the harbor, waiting for the Marines to arrive.
...
At the port.
Kong and Garp stood on the deck, looking at the towering mountain.
Behind them, rows upon rows of soldiers disembarked and entered the town, dispersing the crowd.
Fleet Admiral Kong looked up at the mountain.
"No movement, huh."
"That saves us some trouble."
Garp laughed heartily while chewing on a donut.
"Hahahahaha! Looks like he's underestimating us."
Fleet Admiral Kong's expression remained stern.
"Garp, you and Tsuru stay here and secure the town."
"I'll handle him."
Garp laughed again.
"Don't worry."
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded softly.
"Understood."
The three of them disembarked.
Fleet Admiral Kong and Vice Admiral Tsuru both wore serious expressions, while Garp trailed behind Kong in his usual carefree manner.
...
In the town.
Marine soldiers stood in formation along the streets, guarding with rifles in hand.
Countless residents cautiously peered out through windows and cracks in their doors at the Marines.
Vice Admiral Tsuru stood in the center of the town square.
"Please don't be afraid, everyone."
"This is a Marine apprehension operation."
"Our target is the infamous pirate, Patrick Redfield."
"Please remain calm and stay inside your homes."
"Do not panic."
Upon hearing that it was just a capture operation, the townspeople let out a sigh of relief.
But once they heard the name "Redfield," tension rose again.
"What?!"
"You mean Red the Aloof, on par with Gold Roger?!"
"This is..."
"Isn't this dangerous?"
"Don't worry, the Marines already said—"
"As long as we stay indoors, we'll be fine."
"Let's hope so..."
Countless residents whispered quietly with their family and friends inside their homes.
Garp sat atop the roof of the town's tallest church, eyes fixed on the mountain.
Stuffing another donut into his mouth, he mumbled,
"It's started."
...
Atop the mountain.
Redfield put down his cup and looked at Fleet Admiral Kong, who had appeared not far away.
"So that's it—trying to make a statement, huh."
"Really thought too little of me."
He stood up, picked up his bat-handled umbrella-sword, and twirled it skillfully.
Fleet Admiral Kong looked at Redfield, dressed in a crimson shirt, blood-red trousers, and a flowing blood-red cloak.
"You already know why I'm here."
"Just as the rumors say—your Observation Haki can see straight through people's hearts."
"A truly terrifying power."
"Someone this dangerous cannot be left unchecked."
Redfield swung his umbrella-sword toward a distant mountain peak.
Swoosh—
A blinding slash split through the sky.
The massive peak was cleaved diagonally and crumbled, sending boulders crashing down with a constant rumble.
"You could've just attacked outright, but you still had to come up with some lofty excuse."
"Disgusting human nature."
Kong's arms were cloaked in black Haki, swirling like turbulent air.
"Lofty excuse?"
"No."
"Just giving you a reason to plead guilty."
"Pirate."
Redfield and Kong locked eyes, both glaring intensely.
"Hmph..."
"Hmph..."
Suddenly, a violent shockwave burst from beneath their feet.
Like a whirlwind, it radiated in all directions. The two stood less than a hundred meters apart.
The colliding winds howled and clashed, canceling each other out. In a flash—barely two seconds later—both Kong and Redfield vanished from sight.
BOOM——!!!!!!
A tremendous impact echoed, the ground rupturing endlessly as a massive dust cloud shot hundreds of meters into the sky.
Smoke rose like a mushroom cloud, ringed by waves of force rippling outward.
At the heart of the explosion—
Redfield's umbrella-sword thrust forward with his right hand, met by Kong's left arm blocking the strike.
Kong's right arm, swirling with Haki, formed into a conical point and drove straight toward Redfield.
Redfield arched his body backward and pulled his umbrella-sword away.
Swoosh!
The sound was like ripping through torn fabric.
Kong's right arm pierced through Redfield—but he felt no physical resistance. Kong's eyes narrowed. That speed...
Even as Kong's arm continued forward, Redfield's afterimage hadn't yet dissipated— when another Redfield appeared behind him in an instant.
His umbrella-sword came slashing down with incredible speed.
Kong twisted slightly, his entire arm coated in Haki.
The umbrella-sword struck his shoulder.
A harsh screech rang out, like rusted metal grinding.
Boom!
The two were knocked apart.
Kong's shoulder was cut half a centimeter deep, blood trickling out. He looked at Redfield in the distance and said,
"With swordsmanship like that, you truly deserve the title of the world's greatest swordsman."
As for why Kong said that—it was because, like the Golden Lion, Redfield was the classic high-attack, low-defense type.
Unlike the Golden Lion, who developed himself in various aspects—ability, swordsmanship, Conqueror's Haki, influence...
Redfield stood shoulder to shoulder with such legends.
What allowed him to do that was purely his exceptional swordsmanship, paired with his Observation Haki that let him sense the inner heart and gain the upper hand with speed.
When it came to swordsmanship alone, there was simply no one on the seas who could rival him.
Redfield said coolly:
"It's truly terrifying."
"This can't be allowed to continue."
He had read Kong's mind and voiced exactly what Kong had been thinking.
Fleet Admiral Kong's eyes narrowed.
Redfield continued indifferently:
"Reading people's hearts, huh."
"It really is..."
"I can't let you go on any longer."
He had spoken Kong's exact inner thoughts, down to the last word.
The ground beneath Kong's feet exploded as he vanished from his original spot in an instant.
Redfield picked up the fleeting thought and stabbed his sword backward.
The blade was aimed directly at Kong's eye.
But Kong subtly adjusted his position, causing the blade to target the center of his brow instead. Then, his forehead was coated with Haki.
He forcefully blocked the umbrella sword aimed at his brow and smashed both arms toward Redfield.
Redfield's eyes flickered with surprise, his brows furrowed.
Kong's arms came crashing down toward Redfield's temples.
Redfield withdrew the umbrella sword and surged forward.
BOOM——!!!
Kong's fists slammed through the afterimage, colliding with one another.
A violent shockwave erupted from the center, blowing away the surrounding dust and mist.
"Even if you gain the upper hand, so what?"
"You don't get the luxury of making mistakes."
"Otherwise, it's your life on the line."
Redfield's close-combat skills were relatively strong, but compared to a tank like Kong, he was still a notch below.
Even the Golden Lion had to lose an arm just to escape after Karp closed the distance.
And Kong's muscles... were several times bulkier than Garp's.
The troublesome part was his speed and that Observation Haki that could sense the heart.
Redfield's expression darkened. Though he didn't want to admit it, Kong was right.
He raised his right hand holding the sword, then slowly extended his left hand to remove the umbrella from the blade and tossed it aside.
He gave the blade a casual flourish, and his entire presence suddenly became far more intimidating, as Haki surged continuously into the sword's tip.
Afterimages flashed—brilliant sword light shot forth. Kong slightly tilted his head, and the blade just skimmed past his ear.
The sword aura sliced open a gash beside Kong's ear and blasted into the mountain behind him.
BOOM——!
Halfway up the mountain, the explosion blew it apart.
Countless giant stones were launched in all directions across the island from the impact.
The two figures vanished.
Sword auras and mushroom-cloud explosions erupted in an unending barrage.
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