"Report! Vice Admiral Seuss! The ship can’t be stopped! According to our inspection, the internal control system has been neutralized by the enemy!" the Marine Warrant Officer reported to Seuss.
Even with manual piloting, the ship continued to surge forward. Vice Admiral Tsuru had intended for them to stop and await rescue, but the enemy had apparently seen through that plan.
"Where is the enemy now?" Seuss asked, his face grim. ’How humiliating! For me, Seuss, a dignified Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, to be outmaneuvered ! If I don’t catch this person, how can I ever show my face at Headquarters again!?’
"Well... we’ve already dispatched soldiers to search the entire warship, but from the current situation, the enemy also possesses highly advanced stealth or shapeshifting abilities, capable of evading our detection. They might even be closer than we think..."
The Marine Warrant Officer hadn’t finished speaking when Seuss, relying on pure instinct, abruptly flashed his body, already standing at the ship’s railing. At that moment, his former subordinate, the Warrant Officer, held a large, long-barreled gun, its muzzle still emitting wisps of white smoke.
"W-Warrant Officer! What are you doing?!" The Warrant Officer’s actions completely stunned the surrounding soldiers. He was Seuss’s most trusted subordinate; why would he open fire on his own superior?
"You... you’ve done this to my subordinates..." Seuss’s face was dark. The blue suit beneath his uniform was stained crimson. Although he had narrowly avoided a fatal blow at the last second, the bullet had still grazed the skin on his side.
"As expected of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral. Your skills are extraordinary." The Warrant Officer’s body was enveloped in an irregularly shaped mass of gore, which slowly dissipated, revealing Alucard’s true form.
In an instant, every Marine soldier raised their guns, with over two hundred rifles aimed at Alucard.
"Is your ability... to transform into the person you’ve killed?" Seuss speculated.
"While there are some differences, you could roughly say that," Alucard replied, head held high, with a slight chuckle.
"I don’t recognize you. Are you not on any wanted posters?"
"No, your Fleet Admiral is already preparing my wanted poster. It’s a shame you won’t live to see it, and I have no intention of introducing myself."
Seuss’s eyes narrowed. "You’re just a pirate! Don’t get ahead of yourself!"
Seuss suddenly swept his arm, and over two hundred rifles fired simultaneously.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunshots echoed incessantly, aiming to tear Alucard to shreds. Seuss commanded, "Leave him with one last breath. I need to interrogate him."
All Marine Headquarters personnel, at such close range, could aim perfectly, targeting Alucard’s limbs.
In less than five seconds, countless bullets had riddled Alucard’s arms and legs with holes.
’He’s bleeding. He’s not a Logia-type Devil Fruit user,’ Seuss thought to himself. Although Alucard was still standing, continued combat in this state seemed impossible.
"Well? Pirate, can you answer my questions now?" Seuss leaped down from the railing and asked.
Suddenly, Alucard abruptly raised his gun, and Casull fired. Fortunately, Seuss’s reaction speed was quick enough to dodge the bullet.
However, Alucard wasn’t just targeting Seuss. The shadows beneath his feet rapidly spread, and countless shadowy hands emerged from Alucard’s shadow, lunging at the soldiers.
"Aaahh!!" Some soldiers couldn’t help but scream as the shadowy hands clawed at them, desperately firing bullets to fend them off.
Alucard’s bullets fired continuously, while Seuss drew the katana from his waist to defend himself. But soon, he noticed his beloved blade beginning to warp.
"What kind of bullets are these?!" Seuss suppressed the shock in his heart, but even more astonishing things were yet to come!
The wounds on Alucard’s hands and feet were healing, rapidly.
Alucard the Immortal!
Seuss suddenly remembered the Pirate Hunter who had been making waves in the Grand Line recently! Could it be this guy?!
Facing the ceaseless barrage of bullets, Seuss knew that if he didn’t take action, his sword would soon be shattered. He quickly covered his sword with Armament Haki, barely managing to block Alucard’s attacks.
"You can heal, can you? Then I’ll chop off your head and pierce your heart!" Seuss roared, charging forward. His left hand, not holding the sword, brought his index and middle fingers together, unleashing a blast of air pressure capable of easily piercing rock.
Alucard’s heart was pierced by Seuss’s Shigan! Even Seuss himself couldn’t believe it; success had come far too easily.
As Seuss and the other Marines watched in astonishment, Alucard slowly fell backward, a large gash torn through his chest by the Shigan.
"V-Vice Admiral... D-Did we... succeed?" The surviving soldiers asked in disbelief. Such an easy victory certainly invited suspicion.