As Alucard and Zephyr clashed, hurtling hundreds of meters away, Zephyr suddenly took to the air, using Geppo to soar into the sky.
"Rokushiki? How boring."
Alucard transformed into a swarm of bats, flying up and then reforming into his human shape right in front of Zephyr.
BANG!
Zephyr lunged with a single finger, and the black gun met his Shigan. As they clashed fiercely in the air, neither of them stopped. Their wrists, coated in Armament Haki, smashed together, creating a shrill clang of steel.
BOOOMMM!
The shockwaves rippled outwards. Zephyr's eyes widened. "Clashing with me head-on is something even Sengoku wouldn't try so easily. You joined the seas later on, so you probably don't know my old epithet, do you?"
"'Black Arm' Zephyr, right? Eh, but you're about on par with that ambitionless coot Whitebeard now, already retired to train apprentices."
"To train the new generation that will stop scum like you!" Zephyr roared, pouring on more power and forcing Alucard back.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Zephyr launched himself forward with bursts of pressurized air from his feet. He grabbed one of Alucard's legs, spinning him so his head was pointed toward the ground. The two of them slammed into the earth below.
KAA-CHAAK!!!
The already shattered ground now had a whole layer ripped off by Zephyr's attack. Debris scattered, exposing the bedrock beneath.
Suddenly, Zephyr's eyes narrowed sharply, and he immediately released Alucard's leg. He saw a surge of blood welling up on the surface of Alucard's body, the very body he'd just been holding, wrapping him up.
Zephyr quickly retreated, watching the blood recede. But the body that reappeared was not Alucard's. It was Squall, the king of the Arderay Kingdom.
"A substitute…"
Zephyr murmured the words under his breath. He spun around and punched the ground with a fist coated in Armament Haki, roaring, "That little trick won't fool this old man!"
Alucard, who had just emerged halfway out of a shadow on the ground, was met with Zephyr's sudden attack. He used a single arm to block Zephyr's punch, and a splash of blood flew out.
At the same time, Zephyr felt a sharp pain in his feet. He looked down to see countless hands, all wearing white gloves, reaching out from the shadows on the ground, gripping his legs tightly.
Something hard pressed against Zephyr's chest. It was a gun! "Armament Haki: Tekkai!"
Zephyr concentrated the density of his body, combining Tekkai with his Armament Haki for defense.
BANG!
The Jackal fired a shot. It only caused a slight shudder in Zephyr's body and did no real damage.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
After the first shot, a barrage of bullets followed, forcing Zephyr to retreat step by step. "Whew~"
Alucard whistled, looking at Zephyr's chest, which was still unharmed. He laughed. "Looks like you're not a decrepit old man in a half-death state after all."
"I've seen plenty of young pirates with some skill and a high opinion of themselves," Zephyr scoffed.
Zephyr charged again, but this time Alucard easily parried his attack. The two became two streaks of light, racing through the palace grounds, clashing from time to time.
CRACKLE!
Alucard suddenly raised his gun and fired. Zephyr responded by raising two fingers to meet the shots with Shigan.
Glug glug glug...
A sound like boiling water and bursting bubbles came from behind Alucard. He blocked with one hand, feeling the scorching heat, and narrowed his eyes. It was Sakazuki!
"Oh… so you finished off Baskerville, then?"
Alucard looked at Sakazuki, who had ambushed him. Though it wasn't obvious, there were faint bite marks on his face, which indicated he had taken some damage.
Zephyr seized the opportunity and attacked from the other side. For a moment, Alucard was like a sandwich, caught in the middle.
"You're really merciless, for an Admiral who won't kill," Alucard said with a light chuckle as he held off the attacks from both sides.
Zephyr said nothing, simply increasing his strength as if to crush Alucard with sheer force.
The tremendous forces from both sides converged on the center, finally culminating in a deafening roar.
Under the combined assault of an Admiral and an Admiral candidate, a shockwave swept out, shaking not only the palace but also the surrounding streets.
A mushroom cloud slowly rose from the center of the battlefield, blocking out the sun.
Sakazuki was breathing heavily. Fighting that cursed black dog had taken a lot of effort, and the surprise attack had been incredibly taxing.
"Seize the moment."
Sakazuki stared at the center of the thick smoke. Zephyr reached behind him. He didn't know if Alucard was a Devil Fruit user, but he had prepared some Seastone. If Alucard was, then cuffing him would solve everything.
Pooosh…
A strange sound followed, and a cold wind swept through, dispersing the thick smoke and revealing Alucard's status.
Alucard was gone!
A flicker of surprise crossed Sakazuki's eyes, but Zephyr, who had extensive experience fighting Alucard, remained calm. "Focus! Even if he can turn invisible, he can't escape Observation Haki!"
As soon as Zephyr finished speaking, a dark shadow covered the entire ground. Countless shadowy hands extended from the earth, like emissaries from hell trying to drag someone down.
"This many…"
Even with Sakazuki's self-confidence, his face paled at the sight of such an astonishing number from underground. "In that case, I'll burn them all at once with my magma!"
Boom boom boom!!!
Sakazuki put his hands together, and the magma enlarged the size of his fists several times over. Each punch he threw was like a small volcanic eruption, burning the countless shadow hands to ash.
"Sakazuki! Don't attack blindly! If you don't hit Alucard, you're just wasting your stamina for nothing!" Zephyr shouted.
"Well said."
Suddenly, a pool of blood rose from the ground's shadow, right behind Sakazuki. At this moment, Sakazuki had just finished his latest round of indiscriminate bombardment and had yet to recover.
"So, how about you give me the Magma-Magma Fruit?" Alucard attacked with a hand blade, intending to pierce Sakazuki's heart from behind.