"Cough… Uagh…"
Half an hour later, Zephyr coughed up a mouthful of blood.
It wouldn't have been anything if it happened mid-fight, but now he was completely covered in blood, as if he had just been soaked in a sea of it. His muscular body fell backward onto the ground.
"Haaah… haah… haah…"
He fought a bloody battle, only to fall to the ground, his labored breathing the only proof that he was still alive.
"Well, what now?"
Alucard stood opposite him, completely unharmed, looking down at Zephyr. "Urgh…"
A clearly unwilling groan escaped Zephyr's throat. He tried to get up, clenching his fists, but as he managed to prop himself up halfway, he collapsed again, this time face-down.
"Ze… Zephyr-sensei…"
Shuzo, who was currently serving as Zephyr's second-in-command, saw this and tears welled up in his eyes. He wanted to go help, but every bone in his body was practically shattered. The power Alucard had just shown was beyond anything he could imagine.
"God…"
Zephyr suddenly uttered a single word. Alucard paused, his movements stopping. For some reason, he wanted to hear what Zephyr had to say at that moment.
"God…"
Hearing the word again, Alucard couldn't help but laugh. "God?"
"Are you praying to God?" Alucard asked mockingly, but Zephyr didn't even have the strength to answer.
In a daze, Zephyr's mind played a film, a series of flashes.
"I'm sorry, Zephyr…"
Kong, as the Fleet Admiral, stood before the still-middle-aged Zephyr with a look of grief, bowing ninety degrees. He apologized, "We fell for the pirates' feint. We… we couldn't protect your wife and child. It… it was because of the Celestial Dragons…"
Zephyr was stunned for a few seconds. Suddenly, an alarm sounded. He walked out of the office without looking back. He said flatly, "The alarm is ringing. We should be leaving now, shouldn't we, Fleet Admiral?"
No one saw that Zephyr, who had his back turned while speaking, was now crying a river. The deaths of his wife and child were inextricably linked to the Celestial Dragons.
"Roger has attacked the Celestial Dragons' turf on Sabaody Archipelago because his crewmate was killed! 'Black Arm' Admiral! The government has just personally issued an order for you to go assist!" A soldier said, walking up to Zephyr's desk.
A vein popped on Zephyr's forehead. He took off his Admiral's cloak and tossed it onto the soldier's shoulder. "You're an Admiral now. You go!"
With that, Zephyr left the office without looking back. The Marine behind him frantically shouted, "Admiral! Where are you going?! Admiral!!!"
"You're going to resign as an Admiral? Are you insane?"
Kong looked at the resignation letter Zephyr had handed in, disbelief on his face. "After Garp refused to be promoted, you too…"
Zephyr interrupted him. "I… want to raise heroes."
Suddenly, Alucard's words cut through Zephyr's memories like a pair of scissors. "So, did God finally come down?"
The scene returned to the battlefield in the Arderay Kingdom. Alucard wore a mocking expression, looking down at the blood-soaked man.
"HRAAAGHHH!!!"
They say a person's usual strength is only about 15% of their full potential. When they explode, they can unleash incredible power, and that was the case with Zephyr.
No one knew what he was thinking, but after a roar of anguish, he pushed off the ground, leaping up with his broken arms and legs. It was as if he had reverted to his primal beast instincts, sinking his teeth into Alucard's elbow.
"You bastard!"
Alucard hadn't expected Zephyr to unleash such power in his final moments. As Zephyr's teeth pierced the flesh of his left elbow, Alucard took out the black gun, Jackal, with his right hand in less than half a second and pressed it against the side of Zephyr's head, still clamped onto his arm.
"Impressive! But…" BANG!
In the end, Alucard complimented Zephyr, but after saying "but," he delivered the final bullet to Zephyr's head.
"Zephyr-sensei!!!"
Shuzo, who was unable to move, let out a heart-wrenching cry.
He wasn't a Devil Fruit user. A shot to the head was a guaranteed kill. Zephyr's body fell completely to the ground this time.
His body hit the ground with a thud. Alucard put away his gun and turned around. "In this way, the River of Death has gained one more Admiral."
Anyone killed by Alucard is automatically absorbed by the River of Death and becomes one of its members.
Zephyr would become Alucard's weapon.
This was a great victory. Although it took a bit more time than usual, Alucard had resolved Zephyr relatively easily.
SZZZZT… SZZZZT…
"Hmm?"
Alucard frowned. Upon hearing this extremely familiar sound, he turned his head and saw a scene that looked all too familiar.
The huge hole in Zephyr's head, where the black gun Jackal had struck, was healing!
Thin, stringy bits of blood plasma writhed in the hole, mending Zephyr's wound like thread patching a ripped piece of cloth.
The healing effect of the Blacklight Virus!
Ever since Alucard set sail, he enjoyed playing a game: injecting the Blacklight Virus into the bodies of various people and animals to turn them into viruses.
Pirates, animals, and Marines—there were people like this everywhere. Once successful, they would become monsters that only knew how to kill, just like the experiments Vegapunk had done.
Alucard's actions were as common as fishing. He had created many monsters, although more than 90% of them had died after losing control because they couldn't withstand the power of the Blacklight Virus.
The greatest effect this had was undoubtedly when he partnered with Shiki the Golden Lion. He used the virus to help Shiki transform the monsters on Merveille, providing a great start for their attack on the government and the Marines.
But later, as Alucard's strength grew, the power of the Blacklight Virus also increased. The previous 90% death rate had now essentially become 100%.
Under such circumstances, Alucard didn't play this game much anymore. Instead, he used
"Ghouls" as a substitute. Although their strength was vastly different, ghouls could be controlled, and as long as nothing unexpected happened, the success rate was 100%.