A vampire walking on the sea surface, even though the blood pool covered the water, the power of the sea remained. The sea, second only to sunlight, was the most detested environment for a vampire.
However, this also signified that Alucard's power had risen yet another level.
The sudden appearance of the man in bronze armor, looking to be in his forties, exuding a stable yet utterly tyrannical aura, filled everyone with awe and dread. Who is that?
Scarlett, who had not participated in the battle to avoid causing more chaos, rushed out of the Kuja Royal Palace after the returning Viola told her Alucard was back. She looked outside just in time to see the man step out of the blood pool.
"Dracula..."
True to the person who knew Alucard best, even in this form, she recognized him instantly.
"Is that... Alucard?" Viola rushed up, her voice filled with disbelief. Though he radiated the same intimidating presence, the difference between a man in his twenties and one in his forties was too vast.
"What is it?"
Alucard suddenly spoke, his voice the same as before, but much deeper. "Keep attacking. Stab my heart with your tachi. Shoot me with your bullets."
"Captain Alucard?"
"Is that really Alucard-sama?"
"Why does he look like that?!"
Ivalis, Urdaha, and others recognized the voice, and upon looking at his face, finally confirmed it was Alucard.
"His form has merely changed. What are you afraid of?"
Suddenly, a man wearing a blue scarf shouted, "He will never let us go! Whether you want to beg for mercy or fight for your lives, that's up to you! I'm attacking!"
Tsukikage Shinji the Shadow Ninja, who had not died in the previous fighting, was the first pirate captain to betray Alucard. Rumors said he could not tolerate Wano Country's isolationist policy and was eager to see the outside world, so he deliberately committed a heinous crime within Wano, was exiled, and became a pirate.
Seeing the kunai, reinforced with Armament Haki until it shone black, rush toward him, Alucard, in his Vlad the Impaler state, curled his lips into a smile, the beard above his upper lip moving slightly.
At the same time, the Undying, Unkillable System fed the information on his Vlad the Impaler form into his mind.
Dracula Form: Vlad the Impaler
Characteristics: Blitzkrieg tactics, absolute slaughter and plunder.
Skills:
[King of Execution]: Impales all opponents on spikes, leaving them for crows and vultures to devour. The more sinful the opponent, the greater the destructive power. Also known as [Impaling Castle].
[Blood Inheritance]: Temporarily sacrifices all the invulnerability of the River of Death to gain massive physical enhancements or even the power of the dead. Healing capabilities remain, and the weakness is still the heart.
[Impaler's Triumph]: Summons the knight army of Vlad the Impaler for a massive military attack. Unlike the irrational monsters within the River of Death, this army retains the fierce combat prowess of its soldier days. All are cavalry.
Legend says that the Impaler, who fell due to a betrayal by his allies, stripped twenty thousand enemies naked and impaled them on stakes outside the city gates for the common people to observe, leaving them for crows and vultures to devour. A legendary tyrant.
Looking closely, this experience is remarkably similar to Alucard's past, though he had been betrayed before.
Alucard raised his right hand, protected by his bronze gauntlet, and effortlessly swatted the kunai thrown by Shinji to the side.
'Yonko are not easily dealt with. I must seize the opportunity to attack and then look for a chance to escape,' Shinji thought internally, a sentiment shared by the vast majority of the rebels present.
Alucard raised his head, lifted his right hand toward his chest, then flung it up, holding both hands high above his head.
Suddenly, the blood pool covering the sea surface rose up like a tsunami, five or six meters high.
The next moment, Alucard sharply brought his raised hands down, spreading his palms and holding them at his sides.
The blood pool descended with the movement of Alucard's arms. Simultaneously, countless knights clad in gleaming silver armor appeared. They were armed with lances and rode warhorses similarly covered in armor, but a dense, dark blood mist surrounding them gave them a deeply tyrannical aura.
"What... what is that?"
Ivalis, whose body was bandaged over half its area, could no longer maintain his poker face, staring blankly at the nearly endless army standing on the sea of blood.
He summoned a knight regiment?
His Observation Haki couldn't detect any living presence, meaning he had summoned the dead. Was this a Devil Fruit ability similar to Gecko Moria's? Instinctively, however, he sensed the gap in power was far too great.
Alucard had no warhorse beneath him, but he fully embodied the persona of Vlad the Impaler. This was [Impaler's Triumph].
"Hmph!"
A deep sound emanated from Alucard's throat. He drew the greatsword from his waist and pointed its tip toward the pirate ships that no longer flew his flag.
Neigh!
The warhorses of the knight army reared up, neighing fiercely. The riders, one by one, pointed their lances toward the pirates. Wielding their reins, the cavalry charged, lances lowered, toward the enemy forces.
Even though these pirates were battle-hardened elites who had faced countless life-or-death situations, seeing such an exaggerated army of the undead charging at them still made them recoil a few steps in fear.
Of course, there were also brave pirates who exhibited their abilities and charged toward the Impaler's army. Since the blood pool covered the sea, creating a makeshift ground, they could run upon it.
The two sides collided. The knights leaned forward and thrust their lances into the pirates' bodies. Even when a knight was killed, the footsteps of the new knights behind him were relentless.
Unlike the souls of the River of Death, they did not fear death, yet they possessed the fierce courage of soldiers.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The rhythmic and powerful hooves of the warhorses pounded on the blood pool. Just the sound alone caused the defiant pirates to lose a significant portion of their fighting spirit.
In less than five minutes, many pirates were routed, discarding their weapons and armor in panicked flight.
Seeing the deserters break through the knight army's encirclement, Urdaha and the others watching immediately reacted, shouting, "Pursue the traitors! Pursue the traitors! Don't let a single one escape!!"
But their help was unnecessary. The fleeing pirates who had just broken through the encirclement were quickly surrounded once again by the knights' perfectly uniform formation.
They faced not ghosts, but an undefeated army of truly fierce and seasoned warriors!