"Zephyr, you stand back."
Garp stepped forward, shielding Zephyr. He cracked his knuckles, producing two sharp snaps. "I'll take care of this kid."
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Garp? And… Zephyr."
Alucard's gaze lingered on Garp for a few seconds before shifting to Zephyr, his eyes fixed on the blood-red stripes covering his body. "The power you got from me is quite something, isn't it? I've heard you've taken down a lot of great pirates as the head of the Special Guerrilla Marine Unit. How does it feel… to use a pirate's power to hunt pirates?"
Zephyr was unfazed by the slightly insulting words. He replied calmly, "Picking up a pirate's gun to deal with pirates is still an act of justice. If I have no gun, I'll use my teeth. The goal remains to defeat the enemy."
"How open-minded of you. I hope your loyalty lasts a little longer. The Blacklight Virus is spreading. It won't be long until you turn into a monster."
Alucard chuckled softly. His words sparked a stir among the Marines behind them. The higher- ups had publicly announced that Zephyr's condition was a non-contagious illness, but what Alucard was saying today… seemed to contradict that.
Garp noticed the morale of the forces was wavering and decided to cut to the chase. He made a fist with his left hand and hit the palm of his right, creating a loud snap. "Stop your blabbering, brat! Let's fight!"
Alucard's body ignited with a blood-red, flame-like aura. His eyes turned completely red, and he bared his fangs. "One last question: Why attack me so recklessly? Have you forgotten the battle from two years ago when you tried to take me down?"
In that battle, the Marines deployed Kong, Garp, Borsalino, Kuzan, Momonga, and countless other Marine elites to take on Alucard. The force was nearly ten times the size of the one Garp and Zephyr had brought, yet they still couldn't do a thing to Alucard.
If they were truly attacking under the pretense of a "take-down," not just Alucard's crew, but the Marines themselves wouldn't believe it.
Garp pretended to be clueless. "Hahaha~ I don't know. My fists were just itching for a fight, so I came looking for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Garp became a blur, appearing directly in front of Alucard with his "Iron Fist" already on its way.
BOOM!!
In an instant, Alucard blocked Garp's first punch with his arm. The resulting shockwave sent a gust of wind rippling outwards.
"Urgh!"
Garp increased his power, turning his straight punch into an uppercut. The immense force sent Alucard flying into the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Garp used Geppo to ascend dozens of meters into the sky, moving as if he were on solid ground. The Marines below were left stunned.
To use the Rokushiki to such a degree… he was truly worthy of the title "Hero Garp." BOOM!
Just as the Marines were standing in a daze, a cannonball shot toward them. No one had time to react. However, Zephyr's sharp eyes narrowed. He disappeared in a flash and reappeared in front of the pitch-black cannonball. With a single punch, he knocked the cannonball flying toward the sea dozens of meters to the right, where it exploded, sending up a violent splash.
"You fools! Haven't you graduated from the academy yet?" Zephyr roared. It was only then that the Marines snapped out of it, quickly returning to a state of readiness to engage the Alucard Pirates.
Suddenly, Zephyr's face changed again. He shouted toward the other Marine battleship to his right, "You, turn your ship to the right and move forward! Now!"
The Marine in charge of that ship was Dalmatian, a Vice Admiral and one of Zephyr's former students.
Upon hearing Zephyr's command, Dalmatian used his Observation Haki to sense the situation. His reaction was a moment too slow. By the time he realized what was happening, the battleship beneath him was already being lifted.
"Ahhh!"
"What's going on?!"
When the ship was lifted, the soldiers on Dalmatian's vessel all slid to the side from the intense tilt. Meanwhile, everyone on Zephyr's ship had a clear view of what was happening.
"It's… it's so huge…"
"Is that… the Colossal Battleship San Juan Wolf, one of the Alucard Pirates' top fighters? He's terrifying!"
The crew on Zephyr's ship gasped in awe, watching a battleship that could carry over a thousand Marines being held in Wolf's hands like a toy. They couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Damn it!"
Dalmatian steadied himself, ready to jump down with Geppo and engage the enemy.
"Idiot! Don't you ever fight on the sea, Devil Fruit users! That guy isn't just anyone!" Zephyr cursed again. Dalmatian was a Dog-Dog Fruit user, and even with Geppo, fighting Wolf would put him at a severe disadvantage.
Suddenly, a red glow erupted from Zephyr's body, and in the blink of an eye, he had already rushed in front of Wolf.
"Huh?"
Wolf, who was still holding the battleship with both hands, didn't even notice. Zephyr's punch landed squarely on his chubby face, sending him plummeting into the sea. The battleship, having been dropped from over fifty meters in the air, fortunately did not sink. The thousand-plus people on board had just been saved.
Thud.
Zephyr landed on the deck of the recently-dropped ship, the red stripes on his body glowing brightly.
"I'm sorry, Zephyr-sensei," Dalmatian said, approaching him.
Zephyr, however, immediately pulled out a spray bottle of sedative and took several deep puffs from it, muttering to himself, "Damn it, I couldn't resist using that power…"
When Dalmatian and his crew were in trouble, Zephyr hadn't been able to stop himself from using the Blacklight Virus's power, otherwise he wouldn't have made it in time.
After several sprays of the sedative, the red glow from Zephyr's stripes gradually subsided. In the air, Alucard, who was engaged in an aerial battle, glanced down at Zephyr and sneered.
"You're strong. To be able to use the Blacklight Virus to this extent is impressive, but you're on the verge of collapse. One wrong step, and you'll become nothing more than a mindless killer."
"How do I return Zephyr to normal?" Garp demanded angrily, launching a punch.
"I only give the poison; I don't have the cure," Alucard said truthfully, regardless of whether his opponent believed him. He then grinned again. "So, what will it be? When he becomes a monster, will the Marine Hero personally be the one to kill him?"
"Stop trying to sow discord, brat!"
Garp disappeared, then reappeared behind Alucard in less than a second. He had used "Soru," one of the Rokushiki techniques, in mid-air!
Clang!
Alucard condensed the Blacklight Virus into a sword, clashing it against Garp's foot.
"I'll handle Wolf," Zephyr said seriously from below. Wolf had resurfaced from the sea, his left cheek notably swollen and red—a clear sign of the punch Zephyr had just landed.
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