To be honest, Zephyr wasn't particularly keen on returning to Arderay right now.
The battle over the Titan Fruit six months ago had earned him too much enmity, and given his background as a former Marine Admiral, he wasn't exactly well-liked here to begin with.
With Ain, Binz, and thousands of his former students, now his capable subordinates, Zephyr had naturally developed a desire to stay away from this place. His current purpose in life was to roam the seas, hunt pirates, obstruct the Government, and finally, seize an opportunity to overthrow the rotten rule of the World Government completely.
Unfortunately, he had compelling reasons to return.
First, he was currently sailing under Alucard's flag. At least on the surface, he had to give Alucard face.
Second was his physical condition. Even after possessing the Titan Fruit, the Blacklight Virus was still eroding his body. He needed Dr. Indigo to examine him and formulate a new suppression plan tailored to his current state.
However, his two-month-long excursion had finally concluded. The moment he set foot on the island, Urdaha, Matthew, Exdeath, and the other Pirate Captains who had once contested the Titan Fruit were already waiting for him.
"What do you all want?"
Ain instinctively stepped forward, placing herself next to Zephyr as she challenged the six men, led by Urdaha.
"Hmph!"
Exdeath let out a cold snort, clearly disregarding Ain, which infuriated the young woman in her twenties.
"Step back, Ain. You are not strong enough."
Zephyr took two steps forward, clenching his fists at the six men. "Are you looking to kill me?"
"A crewmate killing another is a great taboo among pirates. We wouldn't do something like that."
Matthew drew his blade, saying, "We merely wish to spar and exchange blows. You don't have an objection to that, do you, Z?"
"Heh,"
Zephyr sneered. His body began to absorb the energy from the earth, transforming him into a massive Titan covered in soil and trees. His size nearly surpassed that of Wolf.
Both Beckman and Law had analyzed that this ability was somewhat similar to the power of Pica, the Stone-Stone Fruit user under Doflamingo.
However, there was a fundamental difference. Pica hid inside the rock; damaging the rock would not harm his main body.
Zephyr, on the other hand, merged with the earth. A sufficiently powerful attack could harm his main body.
But Zephyr could use his Armament Haki and other signature techniques while in his gigantic form, which Pica could not.
Pica could only achieve gigantification by controlling rock, whereas Zephyr could fuse with the ground simply by standing on it.
Matthew, Urdaha, and the other six all activated their Armament Haki, causing their weapons and fists to emit a jarring metallic hum.
Although Zephyr's body could be damaged even in his Titan Transformation, the defensive layer was incredibly thick. Despite claiming it was merely an "exchange," they would have to get serious to even scratch Zephyr's hair.
Facing the people rushing towards him, Zephyr felt a pang of regret.
Back then, he had no intention of "stealing" the Devil Fruit, nor did he plan to become a Devil Fruit user. However, after his clash with Kuzan and Borsalino, Zephyr realized the new generation of Marine power was rapidly approaching his level.
If he wanted to accomplish his great mission of overthrowing the Government, he, too, had to ascend to the next level.
By the time he truly decided to seize the fruit, Urdaha and the others were already close to concluding their fight.
In that situation, Zephyr had no choice but to forcefully take the fruit and bear the resulting resentment.
But Zephyr disdained explaining himself, and the conflict between the two sides only deepened and grew more severe.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The intense roars of battle could be heard from ten miles away. Law frowned severely. "We can't just let this go. They are taking it too far."
Alucard, seated on his throne, closed the ancient book. He asked, "What about the task I gave you?"
Law's expression grew serious. "I haven't found any information yet, but I did learn something very interesting."
"Oh..."
Alucard raised his head with interest. "It's about Doflamingo, isn't it?"
Only Doflamingo, whom Law considered his enemy, could make the young man use the word "interesting."
"...Yes. He has allied with Tesoro and Treasure, and under the Government's protection in the first half of the New World, they are building a massive warship, over ten kilometers long, intending to construct their base upon it."
"Hahaha, that's an excellent idea."
Alucard threw his head back and laughed.
His intervention had deterred Doflamingo from making a move on Dressrosa, so Doflamingo had allied with Tesoro to build a base for himself.
Since Tesoro was a businessman and not a pirate, Doflamingo's cooperation with him did not violate the terms of his Warlord agreement.
Law had yet to request the power of the Immortal Pirates to complete his revenge. Deep down, he likely wanted to accomplish the feat on his own.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the two talked, the continuous rumbles of battle entered the inner chamber.
Alucard narrowed his eyes and suddenly stomped his foot down. A pool of shadowy blood spread rapidly outwards from the point of impact, instantly enveloping the entire castle. It continued to spread, ultimately covering the island area where Zephyr and Urdaha were fighting, ten miles away.
If someone were watching from the sky, they would see that the entire southwest area of the island was completely stained a dark red.
Zephyr, Urdaha, and the six others who were fighting, along with the observing crewmates of the Immortal Pirates and members of the Trash Disposal Unit like Ain, noticed that the bright, sunny day had suddenly turned dark. Darkness surrounded them in every direction, yet it was unlike a normal night sky; they could still see each other clearly.
Doonng...
A terrifying sound suddenly emerged from an unknown direction. All around the space, countless crimson, blood-red eyes stared intently at everyone from every angle, sending a chill down their spines.
"A-Alucard-sama..."
Exdeath, who had leaped onto the shoulder of the Titan-transformed Zephyr, preparing to attack, looked warily at the countless eyes fixed on him, barely managing to utter Alucard's name.
He wasn't the only one; the other six realized that this was a warning from Alucard.
Matthew sheathed his blade, and the others did the same. Zephyr also obediently disengaged his Titan Transformation. Only then did the bloody eyes gradually vanish, and the blood pool space slowly recede.