Thump. Thump. Thump.
Freya, the last of the twelve countries that once flew Alucard's flag, had finally met the same fate as the eleven before it. The entire city was now a ghost town.
Alucard released his ship from the Hidden Shadow and set sail. Suddenly, he felt a violent shudder beneath his vessel.
Alucard's brow furrowed slightly as he felt the ship's abnormality. When the sensation didn't return, he refocused. His next destination was Baizinbur. He was sure Vegapunk had found a way to leave the item he needed there.
For the next few days, the entire world was bombarded with headlines.
"Great Pirate Alucard Massacres All Twelve Nations Under His Rule; Reason Unknown. Death Toll Exceeds 8 Million."
"Alucard's Atrocities Met with Marine Counterattack. Fierce Battle with Admiral Zephyr and Vice Admiral Sakazuki. Vice Admiral Sakazuki Killed in the Line of Duty."
"Admiral Zephyr Returns to the Front Line, Forms Special Guerrilla Marine Unit."
A series of shocking headlines rocked the entire ocean.
Alucard was alive, and not only that, but he had completely wiped out the countries under his control. Such barbaric acts were beyond what even the other two 'Three Monsters' would do.
But the news that Sakazuki had been killed was truly shocking.
Anyone with even a bit of power knew who Sakazuki was. He wasn't just a Vice Admiral; he was an Admiral candidate. Once Sengoku was promoted to Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki would have become an Admiral himself.
Now that a future Admiral had been killed by Alucard, no one could imagine what the Marines would do next.
"How boring."
Alucard looked at the newspaper, scoffed, and tossed it into the sea.
The article claimed the reason for his massacre of the twelve kingdoms was unknown. This was purely to show the world his cruelty.
If the papers had written that his actions were revenge for being betrayed, it would have seemed reasonable. But if the reason was left "unknown," people would be free to speculate.
It could have been a random act, or maybe he wanted something from the countries, or something else entirely.
In short, the unknown most easily aroused people's interest, especially concerning a pirate. He imagined the whole world now equated his name with "savagery."
Alucard couldn't have cared less, but the news of Zephyr forming a guerrilla unit... he closed his eyes and thought for a moment. This raised a lot of questions.
The fact that Zephyr could make such a decision meant he had suppressed the Blacklight Virus's rampage, at least temporarily.
But was the guerrilla unit meant to come after him? Alucard couldn't be sure.
Meanwhile, on the first half of the Grand Line, aboard the Donquixote Pirates' ship, the Numancia Flamingo.
"Doffy~"
Diamante, codename "Diamond," a giant man even taller than the ten-foot-tall Doflamingo, walked into his room. "Those countries that were wiped out by one of the Three Monsters, Alucard, were all our supply channels in the New World. Our funds are a little tight lately..."
"..."
Doflamingo had his pink feather coat hanging on a wall hook nearby. He was lounging on a chair in his signature black suit and capri pants, with a newspaper covering his face. From Diamante's perspective, the front page headline clearly read [Alucard].
"That reckless bastard..."
Doflamingo placed a hand over his forehead. Most of his underground trade was in weapons, profiting from war. It had always been this way. Alucard's constant intervention and killing had forcibly put an end to these wars.
This was tantamount to cutting off his financial lifeline.
To control the underworld, the first step was to build connections, which required a huge amount of money. But because of Alucard, no one was buying weapons, which was causing serious financial problems for the Donquixote Pirates.
"Use that," Doflamingo said after a moment's thought. "Use that as the key to make our name known in the underworld of the Grand Line."
Diamante tilted his head slightly, his eyes shifting. He immediately understood what Doflamingo meant. "Oh... you mean that Paramecia-type Devil Fruit? I don't know what its power is, but as a Devil Fruit user myself, I can tell by its appearance that it's no ordinary one. It's worth at least 300 million Berries. If it weren't for that kid Law's illness, you would have had him eat it, right?"
"Fufufufu... We've gotten so many Devil Fruits already. Law's illness will get cured eventually. But I never intended to give up such a valuable Devil Fruit," Doflamingo replied.
"So it's just a gimmick to attract attention?" Diamante also broke into a sinister smile.
....
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Zephyr, are you really not going to reconsider?" Kong didn't know how many times he had said this over the past few days, hoping the recovered Zephyr would return to his Admiral position.
"Don't even mention it. In my current state, I can't be an Admiral anymore."
The now-conscious Zephyr had managed to keep his mind in check, but the reddish patterns on his skin proved that the Blacklight Virus was still lurking in his body, like a slumbering beast that would go berserk if it awakened.
Fortunately, the sedative Vegapunk had given him was very effective. After two tests, it had produced excellent results.
The immense power of the Blacklight Virus had temporarily restored Zephyr to the level of his prime. Because of this, Kong had invited him to return as an Admiral, but Zephyr staunchly refused. Forming a guerrilla unit was the most he was willing to do.
Thud. Thud.
Hearing the knock on the door, Kong said, "Come in."
A bespectacled man in a white lab coat with the initials of the "Marine Science Division" on his chest entered Kong's office.
"Fleet Admiral Kong," he said, "Dr. Vegapunk has filed a request to travel to Baizinbur in the New World to retrieve some old experimental data."
"Hmm?"
Both Kong and Zephyr were stunned by his words.
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