'The Vampire King... Alucard?!'
Rokuya blinked in disbelief.
The system's selection had been random, so this outcome was completely unexpected.
But surprise aside, he was satisfied. No, he was thrilled.
He was thrilled.
Alucard was insanely powerful.
A monster among monsters.
His strength was terrifying — nearly invincible.
As well as the typical vampire abilities, he possessed the most devastating one:
Level Zero — the River of Death.
In the original series, this ability alone could destroy an entire city. Utter annihilation.
The mere thought of wielding such destructive power made Rokuya feel electrified.
He forced himself to stay calm.
Time passed.
In just a short while, the system had completed the integration of the template.
Power surged through him. His whole body trembled.
'Damn... this feels amazing!'
'So this is Alucard's power?'
The weak, hollow shell of a man was gone.
Rokuya now radiated vitality and strength.
He had been completely reborn — full of energy, with a sharp mind and a strong body.
He felt unstoppable. He felt as though he could punch a bull to death with one swing.
And when you gain power, you use it.
The first thing that came to mind was the red soil continent...
Mariejois.
The holy land of the World Nobles.
'Gorōsei, Figar and Garin, Imu... just wait.'
'One day, I'll bathe that sacred city in blood.'
'I'll drag you false gods — the Celestial Dragons — off your pathetic thrones!'
'Do you enjoy hunting humans and wiping out nations?'
"Then this time, let's switch roles."
Let's see how you like being the prey."
Rokuya's eyes gleamed with searing hatred.
The fire of vengeance burned deep in his chest.
He despised the World Government. He hated the Celestial Dragons to his core.
Now that he finally had power, it was time to repay cruelty with cruelty.
In this twisted world of pirates, an eye for an eye wasn't just justified... it was natural.
'And the Marines... I haven't forgotten you either.'
"Sengoku, Tsuru… You were all complicit."
Back then, when the Celestial Dragons initiated the 'hunting game', the Marines blockaded every route surrounding Atlanta.
There was no way out.
The so-called 'protectors of justice' completely sealed off the sea.
That memory still haunted Rokuya.
Even now, it felt like yesterday.
But he wasn't reckless.
As a transmigrator, he knew just how powerful the World Government was.
He wouldn't charge in right away.
First, he needed to build an army.
With his vampire powers, forming a vampire legion was essential.
He could turn strong warriors into blood slaves and loyal servants.
It was time to start preparing.
He'd had enough of this place anyway.
The dark, suffocating air of Level 6... the endless silence...
More importantly, there was no blood here.
"Blood..."
Especially the blood of virgins.
The more a vampire drank, the stronger they became.
And that strength would grow endlessly.
His thoughts were clear.
It was time to leave.
Level 6 of Impel Down was locked down tight. Escaping without overwhelming power would be almost impossible.
But now?
With Alucard's shapeshifting ability, escape would be child's play.
Rokuya activated his transformation.
His body morphed into shadow.
The sea stone chains that once bound him?
They were now useless. They fell to the floor with a clink.
Clatter...
As his shadowy form drifted forward, he passed straight through the bars and walls, unimpeded.
All the restraints that had once held him were now mere decorations.
From this moment on, Rokuya was free.
Unbound.
Free.
Being on the sixth level meant that there were no constant guards, only occasional patrols.
After all, the inmates here were considered so dangerous that close supervision was deemed unnecessary.
Still, Rokuya had miscalculated.
Although there were no visible guards, there were surveillance Den Den Mushi mounted on the walls.
The moment he stepped into a hallway—
—he was seen.
The alarm blared through the prison.
BWAAAAHHH!!!
'Heh...'
Sloppy of me.
'Guess being locked up for so long made me forget — Impel Down has surveillance snails everywhere.'
'So much for a stealthy exit.'
'But never mind.'
With Alucard's power, no one in this hellhole can stop me."
Rokuya grinned as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a white pistol.
He aimed it at the nearest surveillance snail and fired.
BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Each shot echoed through the air like thunder.
One by one, the Den Den Mushi exploded into shards of glass and blood.
Rokuya continued down the hallway, destroying every camera in his path until he reached the entrance to Level 5.
The gun he held was called the Casull.
It was white, silver-barrelled and chambered for anti-supernatural bullets — one of Alucard's signature weapons.
Having inherited Alucard's powers, he had also gained his arsenal.
Guns weren't uncommon in the world of pirates.
Many pirates had become deadly with them — like Ben Beckman, who once aimed his rifle at Admiral Kizaru and made him raise his hands.
In the future, there was Van Augur, the Blackbeard Pirates' sniper, who could easily take out biscuit warriors—something that even Luffy needed Gear Fourth to do.
…
…
His rampage was swift and brutal.
Before long, Rokuya had reached Level 3.
One minute later, he was on Level 2.
"Yo!"
'And here I thought you all went to bed. I didn't expect a welcome party."
At the final staircase to Level 1, a group of guards were waiting.
Their weapons were drawn. Their eyes were full of fear.
They weren't stupid. They knew that Rokuya had broken out of Level 6.
Anyone locked in Level 6 wasn't human.
"You bastard…"
You just had to mess things up.
'Middle of the night, and now I've got to work overtime.'
One of the guards stepped forward. Shirtless and with a massive, swollen belly, he had the devilish features of a living Oni.
He glared at Rokuya, his voice cold.
'I don't know how you escaped or how you got this far…'
'But this is where it ends.'
You're not getting past me.'
Rokuya recognised him immediately:
Hannyabal.
Deputy Warden of Impel Down.
He remembered him from the original plot.
The man who often shouted nonsense about justice and got covered in blood every time he started a fight.
'Really, Hannyabal...'
"If you truly think you can stop me…"
"Then by all means, try."
"But if not..."
You'll end up like him."
Rokuya slowly lifted a hand and made a grasping motion towards the nearest guard.
His sharp, cold, deadly eyes locked onto the man.
The guard flinched and stumbled back instinctively.
But it was too late.
BOOM!
In the blink of an eye, the guard exploded.
His body burst into a crimson mist of blood.
Hannyabal and the others froze, staring in disbelief.
They didn't even understand what had happened.
It was only the sight of the blood spraying across the walls that told them.
They were facing something that was no longer human.
Something monstrous.
Something royal.
The Vampire King had awoken.