Alucard bought an identical outfit, plus a spare, from the same clothing store. Under the stunned gaze of the staff, he returned to his hotel room. His fight with Zephyr had been painful, but also incredibly exhilarating.
Wasn’t it? Like playing a video game, if given the choice between constantly one-shotting enemies or constantly getting beaten, Alucard would rather choose the latter. He’d prefer to clash with opponents far stronger than himself than waste time on trash.
Though not pleasant, Zephyr was truly the strongest opponent he’d encountered so far. Just wounding him once during their skirmish had led to such exaggerated evolution.
Ability Development Progress:
Mature Vampire Physique: 45%
Bat Shadow (Mature): 20%
Weapon: Casull LV3: 105%
Blacklight Virus LV1: 110%
Hidden Shadow LV1: 5%
He gained two ability upgrades in one go: Blacklight Virus increased to LV2, now at 10% progress, and simultaneously awakened a new skill, Clawed Iron Hands.
Alucard’s physical attributes like mastery, speed, and agility primarily stemmed from the Blacklight Virus. This meant that whenever the Blacklight Virus leveled up, his overall physical attributes also strengthened.
His weapon, Casull, finally advanced from LV3 to LV4, which wasn’t surprising, as it was the most frequently used ability.
However, what truly intrigued Alucard was another matter: his other gun, "Jackal," had yet to awaken.
Compared to Casull, Jackal possessed even greater offensive power. And unlike the original Alucard, the current Alucard had the power of continuous evolution, and he eagerly anticipated how strong his powers could ultimately become.
"That Kuzan, dressed in plain clothes, made it impossible to guess his rank. Hmph! It seems I truly arrived too early. I really want to get to the Grand Line quickly!" Alucard stored his gun in his shadow.
After awakening the Hidden Shadow skill, he could store things in his shadow at will. Frankly, he was very curious: could his shadow even store living beings?
"Speaking of which, was Julius’s ’interesting event’ referring to this?"
Alucard suddenly remembered. Before he was about to leave Flevance, Marine Julius had held him back, saying something interesting was about to happen. He was probably referring to Zephyr’s arrival.
"Alright, it’s time to prepare to set sail. At the very least, I need to get some provisions."
Alucard didn’t need food. Ever since he awakened his Vampire Physique two years ago on the isolated island, his only dietary requirement was blood, though animal blood was truly unpalatable.
However, Alucard had a liking for wine. In his previous life, his old man was a wine enthusiast, and Alucard had picked up a bit. While he couldn’t compare to a professional sommelier, it didn’t hinder his appreciation for good wine.
The bounty from Bahade’s head, a hefty 35 million, was now nearly half spent by Alucard, indicating his lavish spending habits. He couldn’t help it; after being cooped up on that isolated island for so long, finally entering civilization meant he naturally wanted to enjoy himself thoroughly.
Walking on the streets, Alucard felt it was highly likely he’d be wanted soon, having wounded Marine Admiral Zephyr.
That was certainly enough to put him on the wanted list.
Actually, whether Marine or pirate, it didn’t matter. In this world, a place where so many monsters lived, without strength, nowhere was truly safe. Therefore, whether he became a pirate or not, it didn’t significantly affect Alucard.
Inside the Marine Branch in Flevance.
After interrogating Maswick and learning the full story, Zephyr reported the incident to Fleet Admiral Kong, then sat on a sofa, looking displeased.
He had no interest in government dealings, believing that the civil matters belonged to the government and military matters to the Marines, with both sides ideally keeping out of each other’s way.
But he never expected that his rare intervention in government affairs would lead to such a mess, infuriating Zephyr.
Zephyr’s third chief student, Kuzan, walked in from outside, holding a photo—Alucard’s.
Kuzan placed the photo on the table in front of Zephyr and said, "Dracula D. Alucard. If we’re issuing a wanted poster, use this photo. Should I... report it?"
When Zephyr was communicating with Kong via Den Den Mushi earlier, Kuzan had been waiting on the other side. He noticed that Zephyr hadn’t reported Alucard’s incident and found it very strange.
"Kuzan, you go test him. See if there’s a chance to recruit that kid!" Zephyr tore the photo directly in half.
Kuzan was momentarily stunned. After two seconds, he waved his hand and said, "Wait, wait, I’m not good at this sort of thing! Why don’t you go yourself, Sensei?"