Boom!!
A gunshot rang out. Even though it was a large-caliber 13mm Seastone explosive shell, when it slammed into Zephyr, who was like a giant deity, it was still like throwing a pebble into the sea—it instantly vanished.
The bullet sank into Titan Zephyr's wrist. After about two seconds of silence, a sudden explosive sound erupted, punching a tiny hole in the Titan's wrist. It was so small that one wouldn't see it without climbing up close.
"…"
Zephyr let out a muffled grunt, but quickly raised his hand again. From Alucard's perspective, fragments of the forest constantly peeled off Zephyr's body. In a moment, Zephyr raised his hand again, a sky-darkening, mountain-sized fist slamming down hard.
"So, you're aiming for the sky?"
Alucard smiled at the giant fist descending from the air. He did not dodge until Zephyr's mountain-like punch struck the ground, causing half the island to tremble violently before the motion gradually ceased.
"Damn it!"
Fallon and the other people remaining on the island desperately grabbed onto anything they could, or pulled out their weapons and plunged them into the ground to maintain their balance.
It had only been about half a year since Z acquired his Devil Fruit power, but his bounty had already surpassed that of Jack the Drought. This wasn't without reason; it felt like even Jack couldn't withstand that punch.
"He's showing no mercy, Zephyr…"
After stabilizing his balance, and despite his old wounds, Beckman insisted on lighting a cigarette.
"No," Ivalis shook his head. "He knows he has no chance if he doesn't do that."
Ain glared at Ivalis from the side, but he ignored her. She then silently clasped her hands together in a prayer gesture. "Please be alright, Z-sensei."
Gurgle gurgle~
Suddenly, the ground beneath Zephyr's giant fist emitted a bubbling, bursting sound, like boiling water. Just as Zephyr prepared to lift his hand to look, he found that a pool of blood, intentionally filled with countless eyes, had captured and covered his arm, making it impossible to retract his fist immediately.
"Do you know how Kronos, the Titan King, died, Zephyr?"
Suddenly, the symbol of the Immortal Pirates appeared in the pool of blood, followed by a white-gloved hand floating up beneath the symbol. Finally, Alucard's entire body twisted and fully surfaced from the pool. "He was overthrown by his sons and ultimately suffered the punishment of being eternally imprisoned in darkness."
"Today, you will also be killed by your own student, dying with your ability just like the legendary Titan King."
Alucard raised both hands to the sides of his face and chanted softly, "Releasing Restriction System Level Three, Level Two, Level One…"
"Situation A. The Cromwell approval is now in effect. Hold release until target is silenced." [1]
ROAR!
The pool of blood began to spread, covering Zephyr's entire shoulder. From within it, the black dog Baskerville started to materialize, letting out a series of fierce barks.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Zephyr roared, exerting his full strength. He violently yanked up his blood-soaked left arm. The colossal pillar-like arm began to tremble, and he slammed it heavily onto the ground, attempting to shake off Alucard and the blood pool covering him.
Grrr! Grrr! Grrr!
Baskerville was not thrown off. Instead of behaving like a dog, it drilled into Zephyr's massive body like a snake, destroying his body from the inside.
At first glance, it was deeply unsettling, like a person's arm being pierced by several snakes.
Unlike Pica's Stone-Stone Fruit, which creates a rock giant by concealing the user's main body inside the stone, Zephyr's ability involves fusing with the immense body. In his Titan form, he can use Armament Haki, but his true body still takes damage when the Titan is injured.
"Ugh!!!"
Zephyr ignored the pain of his arm being pierced. He swung his other right hand, which, in his eyes, was a colossal force catching the bug-sized Baskerville. He tore the elongated body in two with a pull. Blood splattered onto the ground like rain, creating a gruesome sight.
In an instant, pitch-black Armament Haki dyed Zephyr's gigantic right fist pure black. Utilizing Observation Haki to precisely sense the opponent's presence, Zephyr seized the moment. He grabbed another black dog, crushed its body, and from within, Alucard's body was revealed.
Alucard jumped out of Baskerville's body, covered in dog blood. He looked up at Titan Zephyr's colossal head, which was now right in front of him. "To still use Haki perfectly in this form is admirable."
"But you still haven't killed me, have you?"
Zephyr turned his head to face Alucard, who had leaped into the air, and smashed down with his mountain-sized head in a head-butt attack.
Before the head-butt even connected, the resulting shockwave alone was enough to fill any ordinary person with awe.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
An ear-piercing shriek entered the ears of the observers. Alucard, right before the attack could connect, transformed into a swarm of bats, circled Zephyr's head once, and flew toward the ground.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Alucard escape his attack, Zephyr snorted. His movements were incredibly fast, and he immediately changed his technique, slamming his fist hard into the ground.
Suddenly, the earth, as if obeying Zephyr's command, surged like a wave, beginning to surround and enclose the swarm of bats flying in the air.
In mid-air, Alucard, whose upper body had reverted to human form, saw the surging mud wave chasing him from below. He hadn't anticipated that the Titan Fruit had this kind of application.
He recalled that when he fought the previous Titan Fruit user, the Celestial Dragon elder, he had defeated him by overwhelming him with the sheer number of lives released through his River of Death ability. However, compared to Zephyr's current level of ability development, that might have been slightly inferior, or perhaps his luck was just better back then.
"It truly is an ability where you cannot lose as long as you stand on the earth," Beckman praised. "If not for his age, he could at least organize a force second only to a Yonko."
Hearing the famous Ben Beckman say this, a glimmer of hope sparked in the hearts of Ain and the other students. But this flame of hope was extinguished in the very next second by a single sentence from Ivalis.
"But Captain Alucard hasn't gotten serious yet."
[1] I don't know where that came from. Cromwell has never been mentioned in this fic until now.