The Julius Pirates were one of the twenty-eight fleets under the Whitebeard Pirates. No, two years after Whitebeard became a Yonko, his fleets had rapidly expanded to over forty, but due to constant conflicts with the Marines and the other three Yonko, the total number of fleets under Whitebeard was currently thirty-seven.
The Julius Pirates were one of them. Their captain, Julius, was in his late forties with a small white mustache that covered his lips. He wore a specially modified backpack on his back that could produce two large cannons that rested on his shoulders to fire small shells. Another two cannons could also pop out from his waist. He was not a Devil Fruit user and had a bounty of 130 million Berries. Originally, his bounty was 100 million Berries, but it increased by 30 million just for joining Whitebeard's crew, which spoke to the fear and respect Whitebeard commanded.
Today, Julius and his crew, who were in the first half of the Grand Line, were attacked by the Marines.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared. Julius and his crew's eyes were so blinded by the intense light that they could barely keep them open. A few seconds later, the light faded, and Julius opened his eyes to see that the main mast of his ship had three large holes in it.
"A-Admiral candidate… Borsalino!" Even a subordinate of Whitebeard couldn't help but pale when he saw Borsalino's monkey-like face.
Kuzan, Issho, and Borsalino were more than just Vice Admirals now. They had been given a new title: Admiral candidate. This meant that as soon as Sengoku was promoted to Fleet Admiral, they would immediately be promoted to Admiral, which was also an indirect acknowledgment of their strength.
"My bad~"
Borsalino put his hands in his pockets, bent over slightly, and said to the Julius Pirates below, "Whitebeard Pirates' subordinate, Captain Julius. Would it be too much trouble for you to die, ne~?"
"Tch! This is close to Marine Base G-2, but I didn't expect to run into Borsalino." Julius's mustache bristled as the four cannons on his back rested on his shoulders and sides.
"Don't panic, everyone! We're on the sea, and he's a Devil Fruit user! We have a good chance of winning in a naval battle!" Julius shouted, boosting his crew's morale. At this moment, the captain's resolve was crucial.
Sure enough, upon hearing Julius's words, the pirates who had been afraid suddenly regained their fighting spirit.
"Oh, how scary how very scary~"
Borsalino's face was as smug as ever as he said with a smirk, "But your opponent isn't me~"
As soon as Borsalino's voice faded, a splash of water exploded next to the pirate ship. A brawny man nearly three meters tall jumped onto the ship from the sea. His powerful landing caused the already small ship to shake violently.
"Z-Zephyr?"
Julius was so scared that he took two steps back when he saw the newcomer. He hadn't been this panicked even when facing Borsalino. That was because Julius was a pirate from the older era. He knew just how strong Zephyr was in his youth, unlike many of the younger pirates today who didn't even know who Zephyr was.
The Zephyr in front of him wore sunglasses that hid his eyes and a Marine coat. Compared to the current Zephyr, who was covered in red markings, this normal-skinned Zephyr looked even more like himself. The only significant difference was that this Zephyr had a poker face.
Borsalino's voice came from the ship's mast. "Alright, I'll leave it to you, Zephyr-sensei… Oh, no, that's not right. He's the government's Human Weapon… ZP-1!"
"ZP" was the codename for the Human Weapon, an abbreviation of Zephyr's name. The original developer, Vegapunk, had planned to name it "Pacifista," with the abbreviation "PX," but ultimately chose Zephyr's initials instead.
The Zephyr in front of him, or rather, the Human Weapon ZP-1, heard Borsalino's words and suddenly swung his fists, engaging Julius and his crew at an incredibly fast speed.
"Watch out! Zephyr's Haki is top-notch!" Julius shouted, constantly looking for an opening.
With just his fists, ZP-1 defeated more than a dozen of the Julius Pirates. When one of his crew members was taken down, Julius seized the opportunity to get behind ZP-1 and attack the back of his head.
"You're done for, Zephyr!" Julius fired four small shells from the four cannons on his shoulders and waist, hitting the back of the Human Weapon's head.
Just before the shells hit, Julius, the old man, clenched his fist in excitement. "You didn't have time to use Armament Haki! You've gotten old!"
However, as the smoke from the shells dissipated, everyone saw that ZP-1 was completely unharmed, with no blood or even a single scratch on his body. Strange, red, irregular markings began to appear all over him.
"W-what is that?" Julius's eyes widened in disbelief. Whoosh!
In an instant, ZP-1 disappeared. Before anyone could react, a red blur flashed before their eyes, and three people were sent flying into the sea.
"What's going on?!" Julius said in shock.
But as soon as he finished speaking, "Zephyr" appeared in front of him, glowing with crimson markings. His normally flat crew cut stood up like a porcupine's quills. He looked like an enraged deity who had just emerged from hell.
"D-don't underestimate me!" Julius roared, abandoning his weapon bag and throwing a single punch with his right hand. Red smoke rose from his fist, causing Borsalino's eyes to widen slightly. "Oh~ it has Haki in it. You're an impressive old man."
But to everyone's surprise, ZP-1 sent Julius flying with a single kick, moving at an even faster speed. Julius slammed into the mast where Borsalino was standing, breaking it. Borsalino was forced to jump down and patted his chest. "How scary. A pirate with a 130 million Berries bounty was taken down in an instant… Is this what happens when Alucard and Zephyr-sensei's powers are combined?"