The Red Count—future legend who would stand on equal footing with Whitebeard and Roger through sheer individual strength alone—was a legendary great pirate.
His strength was undeniable, but he lacked ambition and never built a pirate crew of his own, which doomed him to never leave a truly profound mark on history.
But that didn't mean he was weak.
In the original story, the Red Count fought Steel Bone Kong for days and nights on end, only getting caught by Garp after his stamina had finally run out.
At that moment, Is was still accompanying Rem, Ram, Tatsumaki, and Unohana Retsu around town, completely unaware that the Red Count was hiding in the shadows, observing him.
After all, there were too many bystanders around. He couldn't possibly pay attention to every single person.
The Red Count passed through the crowd and slowly stepped forward, blocking Is and the others' path.
"Good grief, another one?" Is said helplessly when he noticed someone standing nearby.
Then, after getting a clear look at the person, his pupils shrank slightly.
"And it's a man this time!"
"You're that charming, huh, Is? Even men are attracted to you now." Tatsumaki covered her mouth as she laughed.
"You really attract both genders, Is," Unohana teased.
Rem and Ram didn't comment, though their expressions turned somewhat strange.
"Wait... this person..."
After seeing the man's face clearly, Is frowned slightly and fell into thought. He felt like he had seen him somewhere before.
"Celestial Dragon Aurelius D. Virel Is, it's a pleasure to meet you," the Red Count said with a faint smile.
He was tall and slender, with white hair braided into two strands hanging over his shoulders, crimson eyebrows, and a black robe. In his hand was a long umbrella with a bat-shaped handle.
"Red Count... Patrick Redfield?" Is suddenly remembered and blurted out.
No wonder the man looked familiar.
He was someone who had appeared in the original story.
"You know me?"
The Red Count froze briefly when Is called out his name, then smiled and asked.
He had mostly lived in the first half of the Grand Line and had never accomplished anything earth-shattering. At best, he was moderately famous.
He hadn't expected Is to recognize him.
"When did you meet him, Is?"
Tatsumaki crossed her arms and looked at the Red Count in surprise.
She had followed Is for quite a while, but had never seen this man before.
Unohana was also staring at the Red Count with confusion. She had no impression of him either.
Rem and Ram had only recently arrived in this world and weren't familiar with things, so they didn't ask anything.
"That man is the Red Count! He's a famous pirate from the Grand Line. But how does he dare block a Celestial Dragon's path? Doesn't he know Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is is the Celestial Dragon crowned with the title of God?" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is ended Rocks. The Red Count may be somewhat famous, but compared to Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is, he's nowhere near enough," another person added.
The crowd burst into discussion, admiring the Red Count's courage.
As a pirate, not only did he avoid hiding from Marine pursuit, he actually dared appear before Aurelius D. Virel Is.
That was truly bold.
"Don't know him," Is replied casually.
As for the Red Count, Is neither liked nor disliked him. The man posed no threat to him, so he had no intention of picking a fight for no reason.
After all, his goal today was simply to accompany Tatsumaki and the others while shopping.
"You're interesting. I'm very interested in you, Is," the Red Count said with a faint smile.
From his perspective, he could see black mist swirling above the heads of the surrounding noisy crowd.
That represented the evil within their hearts.
Yet there was no black mist around Aurelius D. Virel Is.
Meaning his desires were simple and his heart wasn't evil.
When the Red Count's gaze shifted toward Tatsumaki and the others, he paused in surprise.
He discovered that, like Is, these people also carried no malicious intent.
"You're interested in me?" Hearing that, Is immediately got goosebumps.
A man saying he was interested in him sent chills down his spine.
"The people around you aren't simple either. That short one beside you seems to like you quite a bit." The Red Count looked toward Tatsumaki, reading her thoughts.
"Y-What nonsense are you saying?!"
Tatsumaki's face instantly turned red.
Ignoring him, Is turned toward Rem and the others.
"Let's go. We'll continue shopping."
Rem and the others froze briefly before nodding.
However, at that moment, the Red Count spoke again.
"I want to see the difference between myself... and a god."
He knew Is had ended Rocks, meaning he was certainly no match for him.
But after spending years in the pirate world, he had almost never encountered someone whose desires were so pure and clean.
He had developed a deep interest in Is.
He knew Is was a Celestial Dragon.
After this battle, he would undoubtedly face pursuit from the Marines and the World Government.
But to him, that was nothing.
This was his simple ambition.
Out of the corner of his eye, Is glanced toward the Red Count and sneered.
"Do you know the price of that?"
In the original story, the Red Count did indeed become a pirate comparable to Roger and Whitebeard.
But that was in the future.
Now, Is had already ended Rocks.
What could a Red Count who hadn't fully matured yet amount to?
"Though I don't think I can defeat you, I'm still very confident... in escaping from your hands," the Red Count said seriously.
"Hehehehehe..."
Is burst into laughter.
He hadn't wanted to get involved in this mess, but the Red Count's persistence only made it seem ridiculous.
"If that's the case, then go ahead and try. Let's see whether you can actually do it."
The moment his words fell—
The Red Count revealed a wicked smile, leaving afterimages in the air as he charged toward Is.
Sheets of paper rapidly split apart in Is's hands, gathering into a long blade. He coated it with Haki and slashed toward the Red Count.
Bang!
The long blade collided with the bat-handled umbrella, unleashing a violent shockwave.
The surrounding crowd immediately scattered in panic.
Very few dared remain.
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Chapter 141
The Red Count—future legend who would stand on equal footing with Whitebeard and Roger through sheer individual strength alone—was a legendary great pirate.
His strength was undeniable, but he lacked ambition and never built a pirate crew of his own, which doomed him to never leave a truly profound mark on history.
But that didn't mean he was weak.
In the original story, the Red Count fought Steel Bone Kong for days and nights on end, only getting caught by Garp after his stamina had finally run out.
At that moment, Is was still accompanying Rem, Ram, Tatsumaki, and Unohana Retsu around town, completely unaware that the Red Count was hiding in the shadows, observing him.
After all, there were too many bystanders around. He couldn't possibly pay attention to every single person.
The Red Count passed through the crowd and slowly stepped forward, blocking Is and the others' path.
"Good grief, another one?" Is said helplessly when he noticed someone standing nearby.
Then, after getting a clear look at the person, his pupils shrank slightly.
"And it's a man this time!"
"You're that charming, huh, Is? Even men are attracted to you now." Tatsumaki covered her mouth as she laughed.
"You really attract both genders, Is," Unohana teased.
Rem and Ram didn't comment, though their expressions turned somewhat strange.
"Wait... this person..."
After seeing the man's face clearly, Is frowned slightly and fell into thought. He felt like he had seen him somewhere before.
"Celestial Dragon Aurelius D. Virel Is, it's a pleasure to meet you," the Red Count said with a faint smile.
He was tall and slender, with white hair braided into two strands hanging over his shoulders, crimson eyebrows, and a black robe. In his hand was a long umbrella with a bat-shaped handle.
"Red Count... Patrick Redfield?" Is suddenly remembered and blurted out.
No wonder the man looked familiar.
He was someone who had appeared in the original story.
"You know me?"
The Red Count froze briefly when Is called out his name, then smiled and asked.
He had mostly lived in the first half of the Grand Line and had never accomplished anything earth-shattering. At best, he was moderately famous.
He hadn't expected Is to recognize him.
"When did you meet him, Is?"
Tatsumaki crossed her arms and looked at the Red Count in surprise.
She had followed Is for quite a while, but had never seen this man before.
Unohana was also staring at the Red Count with confusion. She had no impression of him either.
Rem and Ram had only recently arrived in this world and weren't familiar with things, so they didn't ask anything.
"That man is the Red Count! He's a famous pirate from the Grand Line. But how does he dare block a Celestial Dragon's path? Doesn't he know Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is is the Celestial Dragon crowned with the title of God?" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is ended Rocks. The Red Count may be somewhat famous, but compared to Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is, he's nowhere near enough," another person added.
The crowd burst into discussion, admiring the Red Count's courage.
As a pirate, not only did he avoid hiding from Marine pursuit, he actually dared appear before Aurelius D. Virel Is.
That was truly bold.
"Don't know him," Is replied casually.
As for the Red Count, Is neither liked nor disliked him. The man posed no threat to him, so he had no intention of picking a fight for no reason.
After all, his goal today was simply to accompany Tatsumaki and the others while shopping.
"You're interesting. I'm very interested in you, Is," the Red Count said with a faint smile.
From his perspective, he could see black mist swirling above the heads of the surrounding noisy crowd.
That represented the evil within their hearts.
Yet there was no black mist around Aurelius D. Virel Is.
Meaning his desires were simple and his heart wasn't evil.
When the Red Count's gaze shifted toward Tatsumaki and the others, he paused in surprise.
He discovered that, like Is, these people also carried no malicious intent.
"You're interested in me?" Hearing that, Is immediately got goosebumps.
A man saying he was interested in him sent chills down his spine.
"The people around you aren't simple either. That short one beside you seems to like you quite a bit." The Red Count looked toward Tatsumaki, reading her thoughts.
"Y-What nonsense are you saying?!"
Tatsumaki's face instantly turned red.
Ignoring him, Is turned toward Rem and the others.
"Let's go. We'll continue shopping."
Rem and the others froze briefly before nodding.
However, at that moment, the Red Count spoke again.
"I want to see the difference between myself... and a god."
He knew Is had ended Rocks, meaning he was certainly no match for him.
But after spending years in the pirate world, he had almost never encountered someone whose desires were so pure and clean.
He had developed a deep interest in Is.
He knew Is was a Celestial Dragon.
After this battle, he would undoubtedly face pursuit from the Marines and the World Government.
But to him, that was nothing.
This was his simple ambition.
Out of the corner of his eye, Is glanced toward the Red Count and sneered.
"Do you know the price of that?"
In the original story, the Red Count did indeed become a pirate comparable to Roger and Whitebeard.
But that was in the future.
Now, Is had already ended Rocks.
What could a Red Count who hadn't fully matured yet amount to?
"Though I don't think I can defeat you, I'm still very confident... in escaping from your hands," the Red Count said seriously.
"Hehehehehe..."
Is burst into laughter.
He hadn't wanted to get involved in this mess, but the Red Count's persistence only made it seem ridiculous.
"If that's the case, then go ahead and try. Let's see whether you can actually do it."
The moment his words fell—
The Red Count revealed a wicked smile, leaving afterimages in the air as he charged toward Is.
Sheets of paper rapidly split apart in Is's hands, gathering into a long blade. He coated it with Haki and slashed toward the Red Count.
Bang!
The long blade collided with the bat-handled umbrella, unleashing a violent shockwave.
The surrounding crowd immediately scattered in panic.
Very few dared remain.
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