Chapter 147: Re-entering Marineford
’Not here...’
At the entrance to Secon Island’s volcano, Alucard hid among the countless curious onlookers, observing the Marines stationed in the distance, along with a number of scientists from the Marine Science Unit.
From his vantage point, Vegapunk was nowhere to be seen, which brought a hint of disappointment to Alucard.
To infiltrate Marine Headquarters wasn’t too difficult, honestly, but infiltrating the Science Unit was another matter entirely. Last time, he’d only managed to get close to Vegapunk by leveraging a CP0 identity. Now, the difficulty was immeasurable.
Still, what exactly were the scientists at Marine Headquarters researching at this volcano?
’Gathering more information wouldn’t hurt.’ With that thought, Alucard decided to remain in the town for now, awaiting an opportunity.
As night fell, the scientists continued to manipulate various specialized instruments, studying the volcano’s geological features, constantly extracting substances from volcanic rock for observation.
"Ugh, haaa~" It was already past 3:30 AM, and even the professionally trained Marines couldn’t help but feel their eyelids droop.
A Marine on patrol had just yawned when an officer, whose rank on his shoulder was clearly a step above his, slapped the back of his head. "What are you dozing off for?! This is an order directly from Headquarters! If something goes wrong, how will you explain yourself to your superiors?!"
"What’s the big deal? They didn’t even send a Rear Admiral to guard this place. How important could it be?" the slapped Marine retorted, unconvinced.
The highest-ranking officer on this mission was only a Captain. They were told to protect the Science Unit personnel as they studied the topography. While they hadn’t been told precisely what was being researched, the deployment didn’t look like a particularly important mission.
"What do you know, you idiot!" The Master Chief Petty Officer harshly knocked him on the head again. "If we sent a Rear Admiral, or even a Vice Admiral, do you know how conspicuous that would be?! Fool! It’s precisely because this operation needs to be kept secret that we can’t send an overly noticeable force!"
"I see..."
Just as the Master Chief Petty Officer finished speaking, a voice suddenly entered both their ears. They instinctively looked around, finding no one to their left or right. They then felt a faint sense of where the voice had come from and, with disbelieving expressions, looked down at the ground.
Under the faint moonlight, the shadows on the ground suddenly became three-dimensional, forming a human outline. On the head, a single crimson eye was revealed. Before the two could even cry out, Alucard suddenly extended his hands, gripping their throats.
Blood splattered from Alucard, instantly enveloping the two men, then covering Alucard’s body, ultimately transforming him into the likeness of the Master Chief Petty Officer.
In the darkness, no one noticed what had just transpired.
Alucard, now in the form of the Master Chief Petty Officer due to his Blacklight Virus ability, walked up to one of the scientists who was squatting on the ground, studying volcanic ash. "Sir, my superior asked me to inquire if Dr. Vegapunk came along with you?"
The scientist, who was examining the volcanic ash, looked up at Alucard in surprise, then scoffed, "Are you crazy? Vegapunk is the ace scientist of the Science Unit right now. How could he possibly appear in the New World, which is practically crawling with pirates?"
"So, he’s still at Headquarters?"
"That’s right. We’ll collect the samples, compile the report, and then you Marines will deliver them back to the research institute at Headquarters."
"Is that so? Thanks." Alucard then walked away. The scientist resumed his work, only realizing after a moment that something felt off about that soldier. He started to look up again but saw that the person had already left. Shaking his head, he went back to work.
Two weeks later, the research on Secon Island’s volcano finally showed some progress. The scientists dispatched there compiled their research findings and collected volcanic samples.
Two scientists were assigned, along with a contingent of Marines, to return to Headquarters and deliver these research results to Vegapunk, who was currently the Science Unit’s ace.
Heavily protected by the World Government, he absolutely wouldn’t show himself in public. Vegapunk’s research typically followed this pattern: his subordinates would conduct preliminary research, and then he would analyze the samples and their findings to determine if his personal presence was warranted.
As Alucard, disguised as the Master Chief Petty Officer, boarded the ship bound for Marine Headquarters as one of the hundred soldiers protecting the two scientists, the Captain tallied the numbers. He frowned, "Hmm, strange. Why are we short one?"
The missing person the Captain referred to was undoubtedly the dozing soldier Alucard had eliminated, just like the Master Chief Petty Officer.
Alucard chuckled softly. "The entertainment industry on this island is quite good. Perhaps he went to enjoy himself?"
The Captain’s brow furrowed slightly at this, then he waved to one of his subordinates. "Go investigate. Delivering these research results to Headquarters is the top priority right now. We don’t have time to waste on a single officer."
"Yes, sir." The subordinate replied, descending the warship. More than half of the Marines remained on Secon Island, as the research investigation was far from over.
The Captain shouted to the helmsman, "Set sail! Return to Headquarters immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
Alucard gazed at the distant sea, thinking to himself, ’A new era has arrived. What new tactics will the Marines come up with? It wouldn’t be a bad idea to use this opportunity to see for myself, would it? Marine Headquarters...’
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