"Vegapunk, are you there?"
Alucard, having flown to the top of the warship in bat form, reformed into human shape atop the mast and called down to the Marines below.
The G5 Marines, who had been using captured pirates as human kindling for a bonfire, looked up. Their bodies jolted in instantaneous terror. Torches slipped from numb fingers, landing on their own feet, but the searing pain was eclipsed by a paralyzing fear. Cold sweat poured down their faces as they stood frozen and speechless.
"Yonko... Alucard..."
Gilbert, his chin covered in a thick white beard, stared up with a grim expression. He never imagined that the final mission of his long naval career would pit him against a Yonko.
Furthermore, the mission to escort Dr. Vegapunk was a top-secret classified operation. This area was not under the jurisdiction of Alucard or any of the other three Yonko. How did they find them?
Even if he were beaten to death, Gilbert would never suspect that the leak came from the man standing right beside him, his hand-picked successor.
Gilbert didn't immediately shout orders to attack. Instead, from an angle hidden from everyone's view, he reached his right hand inside his Marine greatcoat and pressed a button on the shell of a hidden Den Den Mushi.
Pere pere pere!
In a room beneath the warship's deck, Dr. Vegapunk was studying experimental documents when the red Den Den Mushi on his left wrist began to shriek. Several researchers in white lab coats present in the room bolted upright.
"An alarm Den Den Mushi!"
At the sound of the high-frequency ringing, the assistants' faces turned pale. This signal meant the warship was under attack, and by a powerful enemy the Marines on deck likely couldn't handle.
"Sir, please move to the submarine immediately," an assistant urged.
Dr. Vegapunk did not panic. Instead, he reached out and pressed the shell of a visual Den Den Mushi on his desk.
The creature's eyes snapped open, projecting a live feed onto the wall. They saw Alucard leap from the mast, landing squarely in the center of the gathered Marines with a wide, predatory grin.
"Alucard!"
The researchers gasped. If a Yonko was personally leading the charge, they needed to escape even faster.
"Oh?"
Rather than panicking, Dr. Vegapunk's eyes widened slightly. His tone was surprised, perhaps even tinged with a hint of delight.
"Vegapunk, are you there?"
On deck, Alucard called out again. His voice was transmitted via the Den Den Mushi to the room below, confirming to every researcher that the vampire was here specifically for the Doctor.
"Sir, we have to go now!"
The other researchers were frantic, but Dr. Vegapunk remained unmoved, resting his chin on his crossed hands as he watched the projection intently.
"Hold him back!"
Having triggered the alarm, Gilbert waved his hand and ordered the attack. He assumed that upon hearing the signal, Dr. Vegapunk would have already evacuated via the secret submarine docked beneath the hull. He had no idea the man hadn't budged an inch and was instead watching the scene like a movie.
Though the G5 Marines were notorious for their vile behavior, often acting more like pirates than the pirates themselves, they were prized for their sheer, fearless ferocity. They would charge the strongest opponents without a second thought. This was why Marine Headquarters had never formally disciplined them.
At Gilbert's command, Marines armed with muskets quickly aligned their eyes with their sights, preparing to open fire.
"Too slow. Who has time to let you aim?"
Before the G5 Marines could even find their targets, Alucard had already drawn his white pistol, Casull. He spun his body in a 360-degree pirouette of gunfire. Three shots, three kills.
Compared to him, everyone else's firing speed was pathetic.
Bang!
Another shot rang out. Just as the bullet was about to strike a curly-haired Marine, two white blurs intervened. One man stepped in front of the sailor, swinging a length of bamboo with such force that it swatted Alucard's bullet out of the air.
The curly-haired Marine, who had braced for death, looked up after several seconds of silence. Seeing two towering figures standing before him, he cried out in relief, "Vi-Vice Admiral Vergo! Base Commander Gilbert!"
A small dent had formed on Vergo's bamboo pole, which was currently coated in Armament Haki. He frowned, thinking to himself: I'll have to spill a little blood for this one.
Gilbert said solemnly, "Fall back. This isn't a fight you can involve yourselves in. Use the Den Den Mushi to notify Headquarters. Tell the nearby patrol units and the reinforcements from G-1 to get here immediately!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Gilbert charged. As he moved, his skin underwent a rapid transformation. Black scales with faint white patterns erupted across his body, "mountain-shaped" fins sprouted from his sides, and a massive, elongated black tail whipped behind him.
It bore a slight resemblance to the dragon ability Alucard had seen Dragon use, yet it was fundamentally different.
"Shigan!"
Gilbert thrust his index and middle fingers forward, surging with Haki-cladded impact!
Alucard raised his right hand, parrying the strike with the barrel of Casull. In the same heartbeat, he drew his black pistol, Jackal, with his other hand. His lips curled into a grin as he prepared to fire.
"Hah!!"
Vergo suddenly leaped from behind Gilbert. Before Alucard could pull the trigger, Vergo's bamboo staff, now entirely pitch-black with Haki, swung down with bone-crushing force.
"Heh..."
Alucard let out a soft chuckle, allowing Vergo's staff to smash his arm into a bloody mess. In less than a second, the wound knit itself back together. With a twist of his wrist, he pressed the muzzle of Jackal against Vergo's shoulder.
"Tekkai!"
Realizing he couldn't dodge, Vergo instantly employed the defensive Rokushiki technique.
Bang!
The shot exploded, sending Vergo's body flying backward into Gilbert. The two were sent skidding ten meters across the deck. Just before they hit the gunwale, Gilbert dug his feet in, bracing Vergo's weight to bring them to a grueling halt.
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