One Piece: Start by Saving Roger, I Was Invited to Join the Crew

Standing across from Kong was a man who looked like a vampire—tall and skinny, with silver-white hair braided into two strands draped over his shoulders. He wore a blood-red cloak and held an umbrella in his hand, which was clearly a sword-umbrella, its blade looking extremely sharp.

This man's name was Patrick Redfield, also known as Red the Earl.

"Is that so? Hehehehe~ I only went to witness Roger's execution a while back, and yet you all noticed."Red the Earl covered his mouth and chuckled dismissively, his eyes filled with contempt.

"But to think the Navy was so useless that you actually let Roger escape… That truly shocked me. Hahahahaha!"Red's mockery didn't faze Kong in the slightest. His fists were already hardened with Armament Haki.

"Red, your existence poses a grave threat to the World Government. Your psychological profile is highly unstable. If I don't lock you away in Impel Down, it would be catastrophic for the world."

Hearing this, Red's eyes turned icy as he glared at Kong, but he quickly regained his aloof demeanor.

"Hehehehe~ Kong, is that the excuse you're going with? I bet this is an order straight from the Five Elders. I'm flattered they think so highly of me."Red casually flicked one of his shoulder-length braids and shook his head.

Suddenly, Kong erupted into action. The ground beneath him cracked instantly, and a thunderous shout echoed across the island—

"DIE! Steel Fist!!"

The space around them twisted violently, making it impossible to clearly see Kong's face. Violent currents of air surged around him. His fists, exuding a fierce, alternating black and white Haki, roared like a primordial beast as they smashed toward Red.

Faced with the sudden assault, Red's expression turned serious. However, he neither panicked nor showed any fear.

At this moment, everything around him faded into the background—his blood-red eyes focused solely on Kong.

Red's body flickered as he leapt into the air. Using his umbrella for leverage mid-air, he suddenly redirected himself to the opposite side in a dazzling maneuver.Then, his sword-umbrella slashed downward, releasing a crimson arc of energy—like a flash of red lightning steeped in murderous aura—aimed at Kong!

"Hm? Such powerful Observation Haki—you even predicted a sneak attack?"Kong threw a punch and effortlessly dispersed the crimson slash, then followed up with another strike toward Red, activating his own Observation Haki.

"Hehehe, Kong… I know you're trying to anticipate my movements. But in my opinion, you're not quite there yet."Red easily dodged Kong's punch.

"Hahahaha! Kong, sure, your punches are stronger than mine… but your speed doesn't match up. If you really want to catch me, you'd better bring Garp too."

Kong's brow twitched at that remark. He was the Commander-in-Chief of all the armed forces. Even before his promotion, he was Fleet Admiral of the Navy—and now this guy dared look down on him?

"Oh? So you think I'm slow? But my fists aren't."Kong's arms bulged with power, his fists radiating a destructive force more intense than before.

One after another, his steel fists bombarded the space around Red like a storm of artillery shells. Each strike compressed the air, leaving behind crater-like imprints.

"What, going for mutual destruction? Heh… then take this—Blood Net!"Red swung his sword-umbrella, forming a web of crimson energy that gleamed under the sunlight.

Each of Kong's punches was intercepted by the blood net. Though the nets shattered on impact, Red continued generating them at a speed that rivaled Kong's punches—perhaps even faster.

"What?! His Observation Haki has reached this level? He can see through all my attacks!"Kong was stunned internally, but his steel fists never slowed.

"I'll have to stall for time. Red's Observation Haki is too overwhelming—it completely suppresses mine. But I refuse to believe his stamina can hold out forever!"

Kong had made up his mind: this would be a battle of endurance. As long as he maintained large-area, high-speed attacks, Red would be forced to stay on the defensive—making escape difficult.

"Damn it… Kong's trying to overwhelm my Observation Haki with sheer speed and area attacks. I got careless—I should've left the moment he showed up instead of chatting!"Red's expression finally turned grim—his earlier calm was gone.

Half the day had passed, and Red was still barely hanging on.

"This monster… He truly is a match for many top-tier fighters. His stamina is immense, and combined with top-level Observation Haki… If Red hadn't been overconfident and I hadn't caught him off guard, no one could take him down alone."Even Kong was inwardly shaken. Now that Red was temporarily suppressed and couldn't flee, Kong knew he had to go all-out. Even the slightest gap would let Red escape with his speed and Haki.

"Red! Looks like you've still got plenty of stamina. In that case, I'll just have to ramp things up!"Kong's aura surged.

"Not good! He's planning to exhaust me completely. He must have reinforcements on the way!"Though Red couldn't read Kong's exact thoughts, his supreme Observation Haki gave him a vague sense of danger.

Red's face twisted with urgency. Normally, he could handle entire pirate crews alone—but today, he'd miscalculated.

"No matter what, I have to get out before Kong's reinforcements arrive—or I'll be captured!"He sensed Kong's aura intensifying.

Sure enough, Kong roared:

"Heavy Strike! Earth-Shattering Wave!!"

Explosive Haki surged outward from Kong like a tidal wave. Each of his fists was enhanced with Conqueror's Haki, launched without hesitation.

"You'll never take me down! I am the proud Patrick Redfield—I need no one else!"Red let out a sharp roar, like a terrifying demon. His eyes blazed red, his Observation Haki reaching its peak as he meticulously controlled his breathing and even subtly moved his body through the chaos.

"What?! How is he doing this?!"Kong was utterly stunned. Red's Observation Haki was allowing him to subtly dodge more and more of the attacks, gaining precious breathing room.

"Old Kong, I'm here."A voice came from afar—Garp had arrived.

"Karp! You bastard, now you show up?! Didn't I tell you to hurry?! Get your ass in here!"Kong shouted in frustration, eyes blazing with fury.

"Hahahaha, sorry sorry! Got delayed a bit along the way."Garp apologized casually, but his speed didn't slow at all. He leapt above Red and shouted—

"Galaxy Impact!"

"Karp, watch it! Don't drag me into this too!!"Kong roared again.

"NO!!!"Red screamed in desperation as Garp's Haki-infused shockwave slammed into him. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed, completely unable to move.

Garp landed beside Red. Kong walked over, exhaustion visible on his face. He looked down at the defeated Red and nodded with a hint of respect.

"Red has no Devil Fruit powers, yet with just his Observation Haki, he could stand shoulder to shoulder with legends like Roger, Whitebeard, and the Golden Lion. Truly remarkable."

"Hahahaha, Kong, you're giving him too much credit. Patrick is nowhere near Gol D. Roger's level. He's still a far cry from being remembered in history."

Kong glanced deeply at Garp—who was, as usual, casually picking his nose and acting like a slacker.

"Take him back. Lock him in Level 6 of Impel Down. I'll return to Mary Geoise—the Five Elders are still waiting."

Kong said calmly, then turned and left.

Garp looked down at Red and shook his head.

"Roger's will is something you'll never match. Whether pirate or marine, someone who doesn't trust his comrades will always be a nobody."

With that, Garp grabbed Red with one hand and headed back to Navy HQ. He left the task of detaining Red to Vice Admiral Momonga—no way was he making a second trip to Impel Down himself.

In the year 1498 of the Sea Circle Calendar, the legendary pirate Patrick Redfield was defeated by the combined efforts of Kong and Garp after exhausting his stamina. He was subsequently imprisoned in the Level 6 of Impel Down, deep within the Calm Belt.

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