Next on Alucard's list was to deal with the remaining countries that had betrayed him. Then, his next target would be Baizinbur, the place where he had set up a transaction with Vegapunk years ago.
However, he needed to make a slight change to his plan.
Originally, he had intended to leave infected animals from the Blacklight Virus on the island for Vegapunk to collect. But now, he had already sent him a Zephyr, and that was more than enough.
Alucard wasn't worried that Vegapunk would go back on his word. The reason was simple: he was smart. A smart person knows what to do and what not to do.
Alucard pulled out the Jackal. He looked at the pistol and chuckled lightly. "Is it finally time to switch to the bane of Devil Fruit users? How exciting..."
Sakazuki, the future Admiral Akainu, was now his. This was indeed an outcome Alucard hadn't expected. He could only say that Sakazuki had terrible luck. If he had fully committed to running, he might have escaped.
Ultimately, it was a matter of personality. If he hadn't acted on a momentary impulse and exposed his weakness, his arms wouldn't have been so severely injured by Alucard and Zephyr. This left him completely defenseless against the infected Zephyr and ultimately led to him being devoured by Alucard.
"Alright, which country is next?"
Alucard spoke to himself. The current number of souls in his River of Death stock had surpassed three million! And that included a top-tier asset like Sakazuki, whose strength was extremely close to that of an Admiral.
[Ability Development Progress]
Vampire Physique Ultimate Form: 17%
Bat Transformation Ultimate Form: 15%
Weapon: Casull LV 6.7: 24%
Weapon: Jackal LV 4: 5%
Blacklight Virus LV 5: 26%
Hidden Shadow LV 5: 28%
Baskerville LV 6: 9%
Level Zero, River of Death LV 1: 102%
"So, the first stage of the River of Death's evolution is complete?" Alucard's brows furrowed slightly as he activated the River of Death to LV2.
Right away, Alucard felt a clear change in his body. After a moment, he burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha! So that's it? It can do this too? Fascinating! This is too fascinating!"
....
"That's... Zephyr-sensei's battleship!"
Kuzan, who had been making an ice path across the sea, saw a large Marine warship slowly approaching. The front and back sails were in place. The main sail had the Marine's blue seagull emblem, and the front sail had the name "ZEPHYR" written on it in English.
Kuzan's eyes narrowed, and he sped up. When he received the distress call from Sakazuki's men, he didn't waste any time. He immediately created an ice path and rushed here, knowing that sailing a ship to reinforce them would take at least a day and a half.
When he saw the warship, he immediately knew something was wrong.
According to his intel, Zephyr had two warships, and Sakazuki had one. Normally, there should have been three warships. The fact that there was only one meant the Marines had already lost two warships and all the men on them.
When Kuzan leaped onto the warship, the downcast Marines on the deck, looking as if they had just lost their parents, suddenly became excited as if they had seen them come back to life. This made Kuzan's expression turn deadly serious.
"Where are Sakazuki and Instructor Zephyr?"
At his question, everyone lowered their heads in shame. The Major who served under Sakazuki came forward, his head bowed as he sobbed. "Vice Admiral... Vice Admiral Sakazuki... he... he's already... damn it... he was..."
Even though their ideologies sometimes clashed, Kuzan had never wished death upon Sakazuki. The sudden news made his expression contort. After a half-minute, he regained his composure and asked, "What about... Instructor Zephyr?"
"He's... he's resting in the medical bay. Alucard knocked him unconscious, but... but..." "But what?" A terrible premonition welled up in Kuzan's heart.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan, we're so relieved you're here. Please, come with me, and I'll explain everything in detail." The Major led Kuzan into the medical bay, a room no one else dared to approach.
When he saw Zephyr lying on the bed, Kuzan's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.
Zephyr no longer had that terrifying, murderous aura from his fight with Sakazuki. He was lying on the bed, his chest rising and falling, clearly in a state of deep unconsciousness. His skin had returned to its normal fleshy, brownish color.
However, Zephyr's body was covered in eerie, reddish, magma-like patterns, making him look as if he were about to erupt like a volcano at any moment.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan, let me explain why Instructor Zephyr is like this..."
After nearly ten minutes of explanation, Kuzan finally understood the full sequence of events. While he remained outwardly calm, his hands were clenched tightly in his pockets.
After a long silence, Kuzan asked, "You all know what happened, right?" "Uh... yes, sir."
Kuzan continued, "When Zephyr-sensei wakes up, if he has regained his consciousness, you must not mention that he harmed any Marines. Even when asked about Sakazuki, tell him that Alucard was the one who killed him."
The Major understood Kuzan's reasoning and also knew that this was all Alucard's doing. He nodded. "Understood. So... what are our next orders...?"
"Of course, we're taking Zephyr-sensei back to headquarters for treatment. This will require not just doctors, but even scientists..." Kuzan's expression was grim. "We'll have to use that Chief of the Marine Science Division..."
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