A new wave of stakes erupted from the earth, but this time Mihawk was in a state of high alert. He was confident that he could completely parry the technique this time.

However, as the stakes breached the surface, he realized this attack was fundamentally different from the last. It wasn't just wood and iron.

Skewered upon the stakes were countless corpses, Great Pirates and Marines alike, each one pierced precisely through the heart, their faces a ghastly, bloodless white. The power and speed were on a different level entirely.

Mihawk felt no fear. He skillfully employed his supreme swordsmanship and lithe movements to weave through the forest of death, seeking an opening to counter-attack.

When he had retreated about five hundred meters, Mihawk spotted his moment. He dodged a lunging stake and surged forward.

With his caliber of strength, he could have launched a flying slash from half a mile away. The reason he closed the distance was to better scout for a flaw in his opponent's defense. After fighting this long, Mihawk had concluded that Alucard was even more dangerous at long range than in close quarters.

He bypassed a second stake, then a third, dodging what he could and cleaving what he couldn't. When he was less than two hundred meters from Alucard, his hawk-like pupils locked onto his target. He gripped his blade with both hands. "Endless—"

Just as Mihawk raised his sword for the finishing blow, his Observation Haki screamed a warning. He snapped his head to the side just as a spear-tipped stake burst from thin air near the back of his head. The attack was already upon him.

"What!?"

Startled, Mihawk threw himself into a roll. He lacked his usual grace; the maneuver was desperate and clumsy. His black cavalier hat, adorned with its expensive decorative plume, was knocked flying.

He didn't care about the lost hat. In the mid-air space around him, stakes were now erupting from every direction—front, back, left, and right. The relentless geometry of the attack made it impossible to find a footing to strike back; he could only focus on survival.

Two minutes later, even Mihawk didn't know how far he had fled. When he finally came to a halt, Alucard had shrunk to the size of a grain of sand in the distance.

"Is this the limit of his range?"

Mihawk used his peerless vision to estimate the distance. His expression darkened. "Two kilometers? That is... incredibly dangerous."

"The match is decided," Alucard suddenly declared.

Mihawk's face turned ashen. He was usually the one saying those words to others; no one said them to him. Furthermore, he hadn't actually been defeated yet. By what right did Alucard claim the "match was decided"?

In a few blurred bursts of speed, Mihawk reappeared before Alucard, his face grim. "Why do you say that?"

"You still don't understand?" Alucard laughed, his shoulders shaking. "If I had fired a single shot while you were busy scurrying away just now, what would have happened?"

Mihawk froze. He had been so focused on analyzing the mechanics of the stakes that he had completely overlooked the obvious.

Indeed, while he was occupied with the three-dimensional assault of the Impaling Castle, he would have been a sitting duck if Alucard himself had joined the fray with his pistols.

Mihawk was speechless for a moment. After a long silence, he spoke. "In three years' time... after I have finished passing my path of the sword to a certain brat, I shall challenge you again."

With that, Mihawk turned and walked away without looking back.

Alucard didn't give him a second glance either. He sat back down on the lid of his coffin, his gaze returning to the wider battlefield.

The spectators were stunned.

The man at the pinnacle of the Seven Warlords, Dracule Mihawk... lost? And so decisively? So quickly?

"He's talking about Zoro, isn't he?" Robin mused. She had seen Mihawk intervene earlier when Zoro was fighting Momonga.

"Whitebeard... his final curtain is falling."

At Alucard's words, Robin turned her attention to the other side of the battlefield.

Under the combined assault of the Marines led by Borsalino and Fujitora, Whitebeard was showing signs of collapse. However, the two Admirals weren't faring much better.

"That body... at that age... to push two Admirals to such an extent..." The mountain-like silhouette of Whitebeard's back gave Robin a sense of awe, a distance that felt impossible to bridge.

"Gah... cough..."

Whitebeard gripped his naginata with his left hand to steady his massive frame. His right hand clutched at his chest as he panted heavily, his brow furrowed. Just a little longer... please... just a little longer... and it'll be enough.

"What's wrong, Edward Newgate? You're looking quite pathetic."

Suddenly, Alucard's voice drew the attention of everyone, including Whitebeard.

They turned to see Alucard watching them with a mocking, half-smile. "How about it? Do you want me to lend you a hand?"

At those words, the entire Marine force went on high alert!

Kuzan, who was still blocking Ace and Sabo's path, said awkwardly, "Arara... since when did the pirate with the highest body count in history become so charitable?"

"Damn it! A pirate's word can never be trusted!" Sengoku scanned the remaining forces. He shouted to the Warlords standing on the defensive walls: "Seven Warlords! Stop Alucard!"

On the plaza wall, Doflamingo slapped his forehead and laughed maniacally. "Fuffuffuffu! Spare me, Sengoku-san. Business is booming lately; I have no desire to die today." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

To the right, Treasure looked like he wanted to try his luck, but given the sheer disparity in power, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

As for Weevil, under the whispered instructions of his mother, Miss Buckin, he remained rooted to the spot despite his initial urge to move.

As for the others: Mihawk had just demonstrated the outcome, and Gecko Moria... well, he had been knocked out by Jinbe before Alucard even arrived and was currently slumped in a corner.

"Oh my~ it seems not a single Warlord plans to help. What an unreliable bunch," Borsalino remarked. The right lens of his sunglasses was shattered, leaving him looking uncharacteristically disheveled.

Beside him, Fujitora's face was dark. "One day... this old man will see the Seven Warlords system abolished..."

"Gurararara!"

Suddenly, Whitebeard burst into thunderous laughter. He looked at Alucard with fierce pride. "Who do you think you're offering charity to, you Immortal brat?"

Whitebeard turned sharply, brandishing a massive fist toward Alucard with a wild grin. "Listen well! If you want to pity me, come back in a million years!"

"Oho~" Alucard pursed his lips. He figured now probably wasn't the best time to mention he was only joking.

Just then, a cackling laugh echoed from the direction of the former execution platform.

"Zehahaha! I truly have to thank you for rejecting the Immortal's kindness, Pops!"