Chapter 452: Kong vs. Red Count (Part 1)
Several days later, on an uninhabited island—
A sharp, oppressive aura surged from Red Count's body as he stared intensely at the sea.
"Heh… come to capture me, have they? I wonder if it's Sengoku or Garp this time?"
Redfield sneered at the approaching warship heading straight for him.
He clenched the umbrella in his hand tightly.
"Heh… it's actually him—the Fleet Admiral himself, Kong."
Redfield was momentarily stunned.
He hadn't expected the Fleet Admiral of the Marines to personally take action. It was truly beyond his expectations.
The last time Kong had made a move was sixteen years ago, when he tried to trap Charlotte on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Since then, after becoming Fleet Admiral, Kong hadn't fought again—barely even leaving Marineford. Most of his time was spent traveling between Marineford and Mary Geoise.
A faint smirk curved across Redfield's lips.
"Charlotte managed to escape from you sixteen years ago… today, I'll defeat you!"
Even though he had lost to Charlotte, Redfield still longed to prove himself worthy of that rivalry.
The warship neared the island.
Before it could even dock, Kong launched himself from the deck, landing directly onto the island.
"Pirate Patrick Redfield! Your journey ends here. Surrender now!"
Kong radiated killing intent as he glared at Red Count.
The veins on his muscular arms bulged, and white steam rose from his body—refusing to dissipate.
Redfield spun his umbrella in response, striking a flourish with it as if it were a sword, gazing at Kong with disdain.
"I didn't think I'd get the Fleet Admiral himself. I'm honored, aren't I… Kong?"
Kong snapped coldly at Redfield's arrogant tone.
"Pirate—surrender!"
With that shout, Kong didn't waste words.
He charged forward like a cannonball.
"Steel Bone: Wild Rush!"
His fists, coated in intense Armament Haki, swung directly for Redfield's face.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Redfield raised his umbrella to block just in time, meeting Kong's barrage of punches head-on.
He was forced to retreat under the heavy assault.
"Such strength…"
Feeling the impact travel through the umbrella, Redfield's eyes lit up with excitement.
The blood he hadn't felt boil in years surged once more.
"Crimson Blade!"
He flipped his wrist and unleashed a powerful slash.
A streak of violet-red sword energy sliced through the air, cutting straight toward Kong.
"Petty tricks!"
Kong met the slash with a hardened black fist of Armament Haki and punched directly into it.
BOOM!
The collision of fist and sword energy caused a massive shockwave.
Whoooosh!
Around the island, the sea recoiled and crashed outward.
Waves surged violently.
The Marine warship that had carried Kong was blown hundreds of meters away by the aftershock before it stabilized.
That clash—
It marked the end of testing.
Both combatants now stood with full seriousness.
Their eyes locked.
Kong's gaze was unyielding.
Redfield's was fierce and unrelenting.
Suddenly, his umbrella crackled with purple-black lightning.
Kong narrowed his eyes.
His fists too were now shrouded in red-black lightning—the sign of Conqueror's Haki.
"Count's Blade!"
Redfield swung fiercely.
A slash, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, hurtled toward Kong.
Kong raised both fists, equally infused with Conqueror's Haki, and punched into the oncoming attack.
Redfield leapt into the air, slashing downward toward Kong.
Kong launched upward with a punch to meet him.
CLANG!
A deafening metallic ring echoed as lightning danced around them.
A surge of raw Conqueror's Haki exploded from the clash.
The clouds overhead split in two.
Back on the distant warship—
Inexperienced Marines stared in awe at the sky.
"It… split… the sky!"
They were shaken to the core by the sight.
"The top-level battles of the sea…"
They murmured, trembling as they watched the two blurry figures clashing atop the island.
On the island—
Kong stood firm, fist raised, facing Redfield midair.
The umbrella and fist hadn't even physically clashed—yet the force between them froze the air.
After nearly a full minute of this standoff—
Redfield twisted in midair, flipped, and landed gracefully.
Kong, of course, didn't let him go so easily.
He followed up instantly.
Seeing this, a smirk crossed Redfield's lips.
As he spun around—
A sudden slash launched from his blade.
Kong's danger sense flared.
He immediately swung his fists to intercept the strike.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion.
Smoke billowed across the battlefield.
Kong's muscles tensed as he released waves of Observation Haki.
Then suddenly—
A brilliant sword light surged from behind him.
"Damn it!"
Kong reacted instantly, stomping the ground—
And used Soru, vanishing and leaping into the air.
But—
Redfield had predicted this.
A flash of red.
Redfield appeared behind Kong in midair, his eyes glowing crimson.
"Crimson Impact!"
A blade covered in Conqueror's Haki came crashing down from above.
"Damn!"
Kong couldn't counter in time. He coated himself entirely in Armament Haki to absorb most of the damage.
"Your reaction's slowed down, Kong!" Redfield laughed boldly as he sent Kong flying.
That heavy mood from his defeat to Charlotte was gone—his spirit had returned.
"Damn you!"
Kong burst from the debris, soaring toward Redfield like a cannonball.
He was in rough shape—though mostly unhurt, his uniform was clearly torn, and his breathing had turned ragged.
"Hahahahaha! Come on then—show me what you've got!"
Redfield sneered and kicked off, charging straight at Kong once more.
The two resumed their battle across the deserted island.
This fight—was known to very few.
Only a handful of Marines were aware of it.
---
Marine HQ—
"Is the Fleet Admiral still fighting? What's the situation?" Tsuru asked over the Den Den Mushi.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Fleet Admiral and Red Count are evenly matched. It's impossible to tell who's winning."
The soldier monitoring the fight looked toward the island where only streaks of light and shadow remained.
Honestly—
The highest-ranked officer on the ship was only a Rear Admiral.
For someone like him, watching this fight was practically meaningless.
Their speed made it impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Even Kong, not known for speed, moved faster than the human eye could track.
As for Redfield, speed was his specialty.
All they could see was a blur of violet-red light darting across the island.
Tsuru's expression darkened at the report of a stalemate.
The Marines could not afford risks.
They never gambled on uncertain outcomes.
Because even one mistake could trigger a chain reaction of disaster.
---
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