On a path at Marine Headquarters, Marineford, leading from the Science Unit to the main building.
"The deterioration is quite severe. It seems the stronger that power becomes, the more pronounced the external changes are, until finally, you lose your mind. This is the latest sedative we've developed; please use it with caution."
Walking along, Zephyr looked at the new sedative Vegapunk had just given him, recalling their conversation and the series of examinations he had just undergone at the Science Unit.
Zephyr's body was now covered in very distinct red stripes.
A year ago, when the Blacklight Virus first infected him, the markings were just "veins." Now, they had expanded to the level of stripes. The blood-red lines on his body looked incredibly
intimidating. If it weren't for Zephyr's continued high standing in the Marines, he likely would have been treated as a monster long ago.
Walking from the Science Unit to the headquarters building, Zephyr couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.
As he was about to enter the top floor where the Fleet Admiral's office was, he ran into Garp, who had also been summoned. For some reason, Zephyr felt that Garp's gaze seemed to be avoiding his own.
On the surface, Garp was as boisterous as ever, laughing as he greeted Zephyr. "Yo! Zephyr, they called you back too?"
"I don't know… what it could be about," Zephyr said with a faint smile.
"Are you alright?" Garp asked, concerned, as he noticed the blood-red stripes on Zephyr's body.
"It's a power that even makes me feel a bit uneasy, but the more I use it, the more it consumes my mind. I've been trying to avoid using it," Zephyr replied, clenching his fist.
"I see," Garp said, pulling open the door to the Fleet Admiral's office and entering with Zephyr. Zephyr also felt that when Kong looked at him, his gaze was a little evasive as well.
"Ahem,"
Kong cleared his throat and addressed the two iconic Marine figures standing before him. "I've called you both back to headquarters because of an order issued directly by the World Government."
"The Government?"
A flash of disgust crossed the faces of both Zephyr and Garp, but out of their duty as Marines, especially as veterans, they remained in place and waited for Kong to continue.
"You two will lead your respective teams to investigate the Alucard Pirates, one of the Yonko," Kong stated the mission.
"Investigate? Investigate?"
Garp's brow furrowed. He stuck his pinky finger into his nostril and said listlessly, "Isn't that a CP thing? I've been in the Marines for decades, and I've never taken on an investigation
mission."
Zephyr's eyes narrowed as he asked, "Exactly. What's going on? What are we supposed to investigate?"
This bizarre request completely baffled the two old veterans. What kind of stunt was this?
"The order from above is to conduct a rough assessment of the Alucard Pirates' current combat strength, and you two strong Marines are the most suitable for the job," Kong said with a serious expression.
"No, no, no, this kind of underhanded work is the exact opposite of what we do. The CP is a million times more suited for this than we are," Garp said, flicking away a booger. His words were crude, but his point was valid.
An investigation is supposed to be done covertly. Who would do it by deploying two massive Marine fleets for a frontal investigation? Isn't an investigation supposed to be the CP infiltrating the enemy to gather intelligence?
Zephyr was much more polite, but his thoughts were similar, and he had serious doubts about this nonsensical order. "Kong-san…"
"Don't ask,"
Kong lowered his head slightly, his face tight. "This is a direct order from the Government. The specific reason? I don't know."
Whether Kong genuinely didn't know or was pretending not to, it was clear no further information could be gleaned from him.
With the order received, Garp and Zephyr had no choice but to deploy.
"You are not required to fight to the death. You only need to patrol Alucard's territory and conduct a general analysis of their forces." These were Kong's final instructions before they departed.
Garp almost laughed out loud. Two Marine forces entering a Yonko's territory without a fight? That would be a miracle.
"What in the world is the Government up to…?" Zephyr pondered, walking with his head down.
"Relax, if things go south, we can always run. It's not like they ordered us to annihilate them," Garp said, patting Zephyr's shoulder. "Now that I think about it, it's been decades since we last had a mission together."
"Heh,"
Zephyr gave a dry laugh. "Go get ready."
....
In the New World, on one of Alucard's islands, Arderay.
The royal palace, which had been almost completely destroyed by Alucard, was not repaired. Alucard rather liked the sense of imperfect beauty it conveyed. For some reason, the palace now exuded a different, more intimidating aura at night.
As the night deepened, there were no maids or guards inside the palace, a stark contrast to the Amazon Lily where Hancock resided, which was filled with guards everywhere.
Within the dark palace, the sound that had been agitating Viola finally stopped. She could have easily gone to a more distant room to sleep, but for some reason, the sound seemed to have a magical pull, drawing her in. She had ended up listening for several hours, leaving her eyes bloodshot and her lower body feeling… a bit damp.
The side main hall where Viola was located was the former throne room of the Arderay Kingdom. It had been specially modified to be extremely dark even during the day. When not sailing, Alucard usually spent his time here. The most frequent visitor was Scarlett, followed by Viola and Hancock.
Although Hancock wished she could be by Alucard's side every day, she was the empress of Amazon Lily and the captain of the Kuja Pirates. Her duties were piled high, unlike Scarlett, who was much more at leisure.
Alucard sat on a coffin lid inscribed with the words, "The Bird of Hermes is my name, eating my wings to make me tame." Next to him, Scarlett, wearing only a thin, sweat-soaked dress that was almost transparent, was draped across Alucard's lap like a lazy cat. After several continuous hours, she felt as if she were about to die.
Alucard smirked without a word, suddenly caressing Scarlett's face with one hand. Scarlett smiled languidly, struggled to sit up, and willingly offered her neck.
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