Chapter 94: Red Earl's Highlight Moment
After obtaining the Seven Star Sword, Charlotte knew he needed to immediately focus on mastering and improving his Armament Haki.
The Battle of God Valley was approaching, and a growing sense of urgency weighed heavily on him. He knew he needed to become stronger, faster.
Charlotte's Armament Haki aura slowly receded, revealing his sharp, slightly peculiar expression.
Standing tall at 2.2 meters, with golden hair, a powerful physique, and an upright posture, Charlotte exuded a sharp and intimidating presence.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Charlotte smiled silently.
Behind him, Paul and Isaac exchanged uneasy glances.
Moments ago, a sudden, powerful slash had startled everyone on the ship, sending shockwaves across the sea.
At first, they thought it was an attack by the navy, but it turned out their boss was just testing his new sword.
After that, he had rushed off to find a mirror, seemingly admiring himself.
"When did our boss start acting like this?" Paul muttered to Isaac. "It's like he's becoming… I don't know, arrogant?"
Isaac nodded slightly, concern evident in his eyes. "Maybe the sudden increase in power got to his head."
---
A Sunny Day
Charlotte lay comfortably on the bow of the ship, enjoying the slightly salty breeze of the open sea.
Elena, however, stood beside him, her expression a mix of defiance and reluctance.
More than two weeks had passed since her repeated attempts at jumping into the sea.
By now, Elena had reluctantly accepted her fate. No matter what she tried, Charlotte was always watching her, thwarting her plans. Even when she considered jumping into the sea again, he would stand by calmly and say:
"Think of the baby in your belly."
Every time he said that, her resolve crumbled, leaving her with no choice but to give up.
Now, Elena simply stood next to him, glaring at him.
Charlotte, meanwhile, casually flipped through an old newspaper, one from a week ago that he had managed to find.
His eyes rested on a photo of the Red Earl, Patrick Redfield, who now had a bounty of 1.8 billion berries.
Seeing this bounty, Charlotte couldn't help but laugh.
The accompanying article detailed how the Red Earl had broken into the World Government's exclusive passage, killing countless navy and government personnel.
Reading about his exploits, Charlotte couldn't help but smirk.
"He must've done all this just because he was upset his bounty was lower than mine," Charlotte thought, amused.
Now, the Red Earl had truly made a name for himself, breaking through the World Government's exclusive channel and emerging in the New World. Not just anyone could pull off such a feat.
---
A Month Ago
The Red Earl, Patrick Redfield, stood on a small island, his face pale but determined.
In his hand was his new bounty poster. Despite his pale complexion, he forced a smile.
"Hahaha! Suppress me? Impossible. Just wait! Once I master Conqueror's Haki entanglement, it'll be time for us to fight again."
He tucked the bounty poster into his coat, his mind replaying the recent events.
---
The Red Earl's decision to target the World Government's exclusive passage stemmed from both necessity and pride.
As a wanted man, his only way into the New World was through Fish-Man Island, a route he found unacceptable. He also couldn't tolerate being overshadowed by Charlotte's higher bounty.
So, he set his sights on the World Government.
Arriving at their exclusive channel, he was quickly spotted by navy guards.
The guards, led by a vice admiral, tried to stop him, but the Red Earl's swordsmanship was unparalleled. Within minutes, the vice admiral and his soldiers lay dead.
Confident, the Red Earl strode onto the passageway.
But before he could reach the New World, five powerful presences locked onto him.
The Red Earl's heart sank as five masked figures stepped into view—CP0 agents.
The ensuing battle was brutal. Individually, none of the agents could match the Red Earl's lightning-fast swordsmanship. But together, their teamwork and the devil fruit powers of two agents turned the tide against him.
After an entire day of intense fighting, the Red Earl found himself at a disadvantage.
Realizing the agents aimed to wear him down, he devised a quick escape plan. With a feint, he dove into the sea and fled.
As he swam away, he cursed the agents for their unfair tactics.
"Five against one? Cowards!" he thought bitterly.
Part of him even missed his duel with Charlotte, but he quickly shook off the thought.
The CP0 agents watched him disappear into the ocean. One of them moved to pursue, but the leader raised a hand to stop him.
"Let him go. Once he's in the New World, the pirates there will deal with him."
The agents turned and left, leaving behind a battlefield littered with corpses.
The Red Earl, meanwhile, swam toward a nearby merchant ship. Boarding it, he killed the few who resisted and ordered the rest to take him to safety.
---
A few days later, fully recovered but still pale, the Red Earl stepped off the ship onto a small island.
Holding the bounty poster in his hand, he smirked.
The 1.8 billion berry bounty was proof that his exploits hadn't been in vain.
"Ahem!" he coughed, slipping the poster back into his coat. He needed to recover fully before taking his next step.
---
The Red Earl's actions sent shockwaves through the World Government.
No one had dared to cause such havoc at the government's doorstep before.
The Navy Headquarters was equally furious. A vice admiral had been killed, and the Red Earl had escaped unscathed.
---
Back aboard Charlotte's ship, he folded the newspaper and glanced at Elena, who was still glaring at him.
He smiled to himself, already imagining what lay ahead.
---
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