Gulp...
The Marines frantically blocking the attacks from the black hound, Baskerville, were shocked into inaction, forgetting to even counterattack, as they watched Sakazuki's body slowly being swallowed by the strange pool of blood.
That was Sakazuki!
He wasn't just a regular Vice Admiral; he was an Admiral candidate, an Admiral candidate! Was the future of the Marines' strongest force really going to die here?
"A Logia, is it? This is my first time having one... and it's surprisingly delicious." Alucard muttered to himself. It would take some time to completely digest Sakazuki.
Or rather, the stronger the person, the longer it took to digest them. But it didn't matter; the one thing Alucard had in abundance was time.
"You should be grateful, Issho," Alucard said to himself in a joking manner. Since its establishment, the Marines had always had only three Admirals and one Fleet Admiral; no more, no less.
Originally, Kong's generation of Admirals was supposed to be Sengoku, Zephyr, and Garp.
But Garp, the oddball, refused the promotion, leaving a vacancy. Zephyr then resigned after his family was killed, leaving only Sengoku in an awkward situation.
The next generation of Admirals was supposed to be Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki. However, with the addition of Issho, it was hard to say. Now, by a strange turn of events, Sakazuki had become part of Alucard's side, giving Issho his chance.
A strong pressure suddenly appeared, and everyone turned to see Zephyr charging forward. He unleashed a punch that obliterated the black hound Baskerville, which was currently busy with the Marine grunts. Then he aimed his next punch directly at Alucard.
Alucard used the back of his elbow as a shield, blocking the powerful punch from the infected Zephyr. Space twisted, and the shockwave swept through the surroundings like an invisible tsunami.
"I'm your target? Does that mean you've regained some of your consciousness?" Alucard asked with a half-smile from behind his elbow.
Zephyr's appearance hadn't changed, but the fact that he first took out Baskerville, who was about to devour a Marine, and then ignored the nearby Marines to go for Alucard, proved that he had regained some semblance of consciousness. He could at least tell friend from foe.
"But I'll say it again: no matter how much you're enhanced, you still can't beat me without a brain."
Alucard pushed Zephyr's fist away and pulled two guns from his coat. Zephyr was hit by a barrage of continuous fire.
The bullets entered Zephyr's body and exited from his back, leaving him riddled with bullet holes. But he didn't care. Covering his hands with Armament Haki, he charged forward like a wild beast.
"The Blacklight Virus's regenerative ability is strong, but yours is incomplete. Without a human body to absorb as energy, you can't regenerate." Alucard's body melted into his shadow on the ground. The moment Zephyr overshot him from the momentum of his attack, Alucard reappeared from the shadow behind him.
Zephyr turned around immediately, but Alucard was still a step faster. Countless arms emerged from the shadow, pinning Zephyr's body in place. Alucard's own hand then began to change form. His normal hand transformed into a curved blade about four feet long.
"Let me teach you how to use this thing."
Alucard rushed toward Zephyr, making a series of slashes. As he went for a fifth strike at Zephyr's neck, Zephyr suddenly roared and bit down on the blade with his teeth. The immense biting force actually shattered the blade, which was made of condensed Blacklight Virus matter.
Looking closer, Alucard saw that Zephyr had even covered his teeth with Armament Haki! "Heh..."
Alucard chuckled lightly and instantly swapped his weapon. In that split-second, he stuffed the Jackal pistol into Zephyr's mouth.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets shot into Zephyr's mouth and burst out the back of his head.
The other Marines watched in a daze. Even though Zephyr had killed many Marines just now, he was still Zephyr, and as long as he was fighting Alucard, he was their comrade, their Sensei.
The man who had just displayed power far beyond that of an Admiral was being suppressed! Just how high was Alucard's level?
Snap!
Zephyr bit down hard on Alucard's gun and violently whipped his head around, sending Alucard flying into the air from the sheer force. He then let go, causing Alucard to fly away from the inertia.
Alucard spun in the air before landing on his feet, unharmed. Zephyr's wound was healing, but at a much slower rate than Alucard's.
'From a third-person perspective, the Blacklight Virus's regeneration really looks a lot like a Logia's elemental form,' Alucard thought.
Thinking of elemental form, Alucard suddenly remembered his promise with Vegapunk regarding the modified Seastone bullets. Speaking of which, the five-year deadline should be up by now, right?
A glint of something malicious flickered in Alucard's eyes, and a smirk played on his lips. This time, he took the initiative and charged forward.
Whoosh!
Zephyr vanished from his spot. Half a second later, he appeared behind Alucard, ten feet in the air, his right leg raised high like a battle-axe ready to cleave down.
It was Soru, one of the Rokushiki. BOOM!!!
The next moment, the ground cracked, and a thick plume of smoke engulfed the area. It took more than ten seconds for it to gradually dissipate.
The stronger someone was, the simpler and more direct their attacks seemed to become, especially for non-Devil Fruit users. Whether it was Zephyr, Rayleigh, or even the old man who was a user of the rare Swap-Swap Fruit, it was the same.
There were no flashy names for their techniques, just simple, direct, and incredibly powerful combat.
When the smoke finally cleared, the Marines saw what was at the center of the battlefield.
Zephyr's foot was deeply embedded in the ground, and Alucard was crouched low, just inches away from Zephyr's striking leg. He had extended one hand and plunged it into Zephyr's abdomen.
Slurp!
Alucard's hand was pulled out of Zephyr's stomach. Zephyr tried to attack, but his movements were clearly much more difficult now. It took a long time for him to finally raise one arm.
Alucard ignored Zephyr and turned his back to walk away. Just as Zephyr was about to throw a punch at Alucard's back, his body gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Take him back," Alucard said as he walked past the Marines, leaving them with one final command.
The Marines couldn't help but feel that Alucard's refusal to deliver the final blow was an act of... malevolent intent.