After pressuring Kuzan to go out and "test" Alucard, Zephyr called Julius over.
The results of Julius's punishment were in: six months' pay gone, and his position temporarily suspended.
Upon learning that Julius had blindly opened fire without properly observing the Bahade Pirates' situation, Zephyr had inwardly given the man a failing grade.
As the Marine Chief Instructor, Zephyr was famously strict throughout the entire Marine organization.
Before using cannons to bombard a pirate ship, one had to first confirm whether there were any civilian hostages on board before initiating bombardment.
Of course, this troublesome rule was only adhered to by Zephyr, known as the "No-Killing" Admiral.
Many of his students, now influential figures in the Marines like Sakazuki or Borsalino, were of a different disposition; they wouldn't care if there were hostages on board, they'd just blast away to kill.
This was like a school rule against dating: the rule was indeed written there, but how many people actually followed it?
One could only say Julius was unlucky to run into Zephyr; he had no choice but to accept his punishment.
"Based on your observations, that guy possesses reflexes strong enough to bite bullets, correct?"
"Yes." Hearing Zephyr's question, Julius quickly nodded in affirmation.
"Hmm..."
Zephyr crossed his arms, recalling his battle with Alucard.
He possessed an immortal body that could rapidly recover from any attack, primarily fought with a giant pistol and martial arts, and could even dive into shadows, a very peculiar ability.
His estimated combat level was not inferior to a Vice Admiral, especially his fearless and insane combat techniques, which even Sakazuki, the most aggressive among Zephyr's students, could hardly match.
At least Sakazuki would still dodge, while Alucard simply didn't evade at all—attack, attack, attack, just attacking like his life depended on it. Zephyr had never witnessed such a fighting style before.
...
"Um, excuse me, can we talk for a bit?"
On a street in Flevance, Kuzan found Alucard standing in front of a wine specialty shop, gazing at the wines on display. He proactively approached him to greet him, but from his hesitant tone, it was clear he wasn't good at this sort of thing.
Alucard heard him, turned, and watched him for a long time. Alucard, nearly fifteen years old, already stood over 180 centimeters tall, but he still seemed small compared to Kuzan's 250 centimeters. However, Alucard didn't care at all, as being that tall simply didn't fit his aesthetic.
"Sure, but you're paying."
Alucard pointed towards the wine shop, making Kuzan's mouth twitch. The dazzling array of wines inside... looked very expensive.
"Mmm..."
Kuzan drew out the sound, hesitating for a long moment. Remembering Zephyr's order, he ultimately resigned himself to his fate. Might as well bleed a little.
After sitting opposite each other at a table in the wine shop, Alucard took the prestigious wine list handed to him by a sommelier. After rapidly checking off several items, he returned the list. "Pack all of these up and send them over to me. And this person, pack him too."
With that, Alucard pointed at Kuzan again.
'Damn it...'
Kuzan cursed inwardly. He had originally intended to pay for some himself, but now it seemed he should apply for military funds instead of spending his own money.
Half a minute later, seeing that Kuzan still hadn't spoken, Alucard said nothing more, just waited. He figured he'd leave once the server had packed up the wine.
Another minute passed before Kuzan finally gathered his thoughts and said, "Oh, right, let me introduce myself first. I'm Rear Admiral Kuzan from Marine Headquarters, currently serving as an aide under Zephyr-sensei."
Since he was the one treating, Alucard still gave Kuzan enough face. "Dracula D. Alucard. No particular status." There was no need to mention his identity as a prince of a ruined country.
"Your fighting style against Zephyr-sensei earlier was truly impressive. An automatic healing ability... could it be immortality?" More than recruiting Alucard into the Marines, Kuzan was more interested in the terrifying regeneration Alucard had displayed.
Alucard crossed his arms, a grin splitting his face. "Ignorance. Nothing truly immortal exists in this world."
Alucard, with his Vampire Physique, would not die as long as his heart remained intact. Combined with the Blacklight Virus's ability to rapidly heal external wounds, even if an attack hit his heart, as long as it wasn't a certain level of attack, it still couldn't kill Alucard.
However, even he could not truly be called "immortal." But this was merely the Alucard from the original story. Alucard himself eagerly awaited whether the Undying, Unkillable System could enable him to achieve true immortality.
"That's a pity. But if some government scientists knew, they might be very keen to dissect you."
If he didn't understand Kuzan's personality, Alucard would genuinely think this guy was mocking him.
Alucard chuckled, then said, "Why exactly are you looking for me? Just tell me plainly now."
"It's great you're so straightforward."
Kuzan clapped his hands. "Zephyr-sensei thinks you're a talented individual. He wants to know if you've considered joining the Marines?"