The new generation of Marines, without a doubt, adored Zephyr. Even Borsalino would only say "I don't like him," and never "that old man should die."
Shuzo's generation was arguably the most zealous of Zephyr's students, and they probably never dreamed they would one day die at the hands of their most respected Sensei, even though he had lost his senses.
BOOM!!!
Just a single punch, and it had the aura of Garp.
Regardless of his younger days, Zephyr's current strength was not on par with Garp's.
It wasn't a matter of skill, just a matter of mindset. Zephyr could never be as carefree as Garp, which caused his strength to fall short. But that punch, delivered without even Armament Haki, had the power to rival Garp's. It was terrifying.
"Ze… Zephyr-sensei! Please stop… ah… AARGH!" "Backup! Backup! Stop Zephyr-sensei!"
"Hurry up and tell the others to come here now! Hurry!"
"Zephyr-sensei, what's wrong with you?! Ah… AARGH! AARGH!"
The Marines' pained screams and Zephyr's attacks sounded like a chaotic symphony, assaulting Alucard's ears.
"He's not attacking me, but choosing to attack everything in front of him. He's completely lost his mind, hasn't he… Zephyr."
Alucard muttered to himself. Suddenly, as Zephyr was about to strike the next Marine, his raised fist stopped mid-swing. Blood plasma began to bubble out of his body. His expression was twisted in extreme pain as he clutched his head, moaning in agony.
"Jus… justice…"
Faintly, the two words could be heard from Zephyr's lips.
"Hey! Hurry up and run!"
Another Marine, fifty meters to the right, shouted at the Marine who had almost been killed by Zephyr.
"Ah… got it! Got it!"
Regardless, he had managed to survive.
The other surviving Marines also began to retreat toward the main force. As they fled, they still felt a sense of dread. "What on earth happened to Zephyr-sensei?"
"It must be something that cursed Alucard did. Quickly, inform the higher-ups! This situation is no longer something we can handle!"
Zephyr clutched his head, trying to suppress his rampage, but he couldn't hide the killing intent rising in his heart. He looked around, ignoring the fleeing blue-clad soldiers, and focused his blood-red gaze on the only person who wasn't wearing a Marine uniform: Alucard.
"Jus… tice!"
In his madness, Zephyr roared these two words, then let out a miserable scream of intense pain, charging toward Alucard.
"He still has some of his senses left, so he's aiming for me, since I'm not a Marine?"
Alucard parried Zephyr's punch with his sword. The violent shockwave swept out, destroying the surrounding buildings.
"But the gap between our abilities is too great."
Alucard deflected Zephyr's power. Due to his momentum, Zephyr charged past him, and in the instant Zephyr lost his balance, Alucard supplemented the blow by stabbing him in the back with his sword and then kicking him, sending the huge body flying.
However, unexpectedly, that massive, swollen body was surprisingly agile. After being slashed and kicked, he suddenly flipped and spun several times in the air, then used a stone wall to spring back like a coil, but the wall collapsed from the force of Zephyr's push.
"I've really created a monster, haven't I?"
Although Alucard said this, his face showed no sign of worry. Instead, he looked intrigued. "But no matter how much power is enhanced, without a brain, you're just a useless lump of trash."
After he finished, Zephyr's returning kick came. The black dog, Baskerville, suddenly emerged from the ground, bit down on Zephyr's foot, and twisted its neck violently, flinging Zephyr away.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
He smashed through an unknown number of buildings before finally stopping. Alucard's mouth curled up into a smile. "That's what I mean. What good is a 'Black Arm' who's forgotten how to use Observation Haki? All that strength and speed is useless."
"AARGH…"
Several miles away, Zephyr, buried under a pile of rubble, pulverized the rocks on top of him
and climbed out. He targeted Alucard's location, turning into an afterimage, and vanished at high speed.
"Wanna go again?"
Alucard's pupils shifted slightly. He suddenly changed direction, not to clash with Zephyr, but to run toward where the Marines had just retreated.
Seeing Alucard flee, the heavily infected Zephyr had no other thoughts. He just chased after him relentlessly.
In the southeastern border of the Arderay Kingdom, the Marines had been granted permission by King Squall to temporarily set up a branch here to guard the area.
Currently, countless Marines were seriously injured and receiving treatment here. CRASH!!!
Suddenly, the sound of something being knocked over echoed, followed by a nurse's voice trying to stop him. "Wait, wait! Vice Admiral Sakazuki! Your shoulder hasn't healed yet! It's still shattered!"
Sakazuki walked out of the operating room, his face filled with impatience. Behind him, several doctors and nurses followed.
"Ugh… this is such a pain!"
Sakazuki was extremely annoyed. He glared at the doctors and nurses behind him, scolding
them, "Our comrades are fighting to the death on the front lines! We don't have time for slow treatments!"
With that, Sakazuki raised his still-unhealed arm. "Everyone in the branch base, listen up! I don't care if you're injured or not. As long as you can walk and move your arms, you're coming with me! I won't allow you to live comfortably here while your comrades die on the battlefield!"
This was Sakazuki. He took something as normal as recovering from an injury and twisted it into "living comfortably."
But his words surprisingly garnered support and raised morale. Many soldiers with bandages on them, or even IV bags, quickly got up, grabbed their weapons, and prepared for battle after hearing his words.