According to the intelligence gathered by Sengoku and the others prior to this war, Alucard had never engaged in underwater combat. Although records indicated that Seastone was ineffective against him, he clearly harbored a distaste for seawater.
Based on this, Sengoku chose to strike first with aerial units and torpedo boats. His primary objective was to sink Alucard's vessel and plunge him into the ocean, thereby seizing an early strategic advantage.
In the sky, hundreds of flying soldiers loomed; beneath the surface, countless torpedo boats locked their sights onto the hull of Alucard's small boat.
"Attack!!"
As the commands from the aerial and sub-surface commanders fell simultaneously, a storm of bullets, Rokushiki techniques, and torpedo missiles converged on the small craft beneath Alucard.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
At the exact moment the Marine assault was set to impact, a violent torrent of black and red blood erupted from Alucard's body. It coalesced into the silhouette of a gargantuan hand, swatting down every incoming attack, whether they came from the heavens or the depths.
The soldiers on both fronts were stunned. However, as veterans of a hundred battles, the aerial captain was the first to snap back to his senses. He bellowed: "Don't panic! He's still in his undying state! Aim for the surrounding sea! Hit the water around him and blast Alucard and his boat straight into the depths!"
The commander of the underwater torpedo fleet would not be outdone. Gritting his teeth, he roared: "This is the battle that decides the future of the world! We offer our lives without regret! All units, ignore ammunition conservation! Fire! If you run out of missiles, ram your boats directly into him!"
Against Alucard, no one harbored the illusion of returning alive.
Ammo and techniques were expended with suicidal fervor. They didn't worry about depleting their munitions or draining their stamina; their only concern was whether they would still be breathing in the next second.
The blood pool transformed into several massive hands, flailing wildly across the sky and sea. Not only did they intercept the incoming barrages, but they also counterattacked sporadically, swatting aerial soldiers into the sea and crushing torpedo boats into scrap metal.
"Releasing Restriction System. Level 4... Level 3... Level 2... Level 1…"
Alucard's pupils constricted as he suddenly incanted the words.
In the next heartbeat, the blood pool erupted with even greater ferocity, flooding the sea as far as the eye could see. The once-azure ocean turned a murky, dark red, covered in countless rotating, lidless eyeballs.
"W-What is this thing?"
The crews of the torpedo boats were terrified by the sight. They launched their missiles, only to watch them be swallowed by the dark red blood pool, vanishing without a trace.
"Don't lose your cool! Send two boats in first to scout the situation!"
The torpedo fleet below was now essentially irrelevant. Alucard stepped off his small boat, walking directly onto the surface of the sea, which was now coated in a layer of the blood pool. Seeing this, the aerial units above cursed under their breath. "An ability similar to former Admiral Aokiji? The plan to sink him is useless now."
The way Alucard used the blood pool to turn the sea into solid ground reminded the air force of the Summit War, when Kuzan used Ice Age to freeze the entire ocean.
Sengoku stared at the blood pool beneath the ship's hull and the eyes swirling on its surface. He shouted to the helmsman, "Can the ship still move?"
"Report! Barely! But the scouts say this substance is impenetrable; things can move on top of it," the helmsman replied.
Sengoku thought for a few seconds before barking an order: "All units, retreat! We take the fight back to the island!"
"Is that wise, Sengoku-san?" Borsalino asked, hands in his pockets. "Once we go back to the shore, won't it just become Alucard's home field?"
"It's better than here," Sengoku said decisively. "Unlike the ice Aokiji created during the war with Whitebeard, Alucard could retract this substance at any moment. If our Devil Fruit users are standing on it when he does, we're in trouble."
Sengoku feared Alucard would suddenly withdraw the blood pool acting as the floor. If their ability users were caught off guard and fell into the sea, they would be as good as dead. Rather than risk that, it was safer to retreat to the shores of St. Poplar and fight on solid ground.
In a standard war, Sengoku's logic would have been sound. However, it did not apply to Alucard.
Alucard couldn't be bothered with such petty tricks; he preferred a direct slaughter.
As the release progressed, the shadow hands surged with even more violence. The torpedo fleet underwater was somehow rendered unable to continue their assault, and the aerial units were being beaten back step by step. Some soldiers relied on their agility to dodge, but they were eventually swatted down.
Those who crashed onto the blood pool gasped in pain, but were secretly amazed, the surface felt almost exactly like solid ground.
"You've fought hard, gentlemen."
Alucard's wide-brimmed hat had been lost somewhere in the fray. With his hair disheveled and two guns in hand, he walked up to the fallen aerial soldiers. He pressed the barrels against their foreheads. "And now, farewell."
Bang! Bang!
Two shots rang out, scattering brain matter. The remaining aerial soldiers, seized by horror, immediately began a frantic retreat. Though they had come prepared to die, that didn't mean they were willing to be slaughtered like cattle.
On the shores of St. Poplar, under Sengoku's orders, the coast had been reinforced into an iron wall by the Marines. Simultaneously, the Marines stationed at other parts of the island received orders to converge on this location at maximum speed.
Standing not far to Sengoku's left, Fujitora thought to himself: The Marines are fighting with everything they have out here, yet the Government's army inside the city hasn't made a move... I need to see what's happening.
Alucard stepped onto the island. As his foot hit the sand, he addressed the Marines several hundred meters away with a mocking tone.
"Gentlemen, if you do not wish for war, then step aside."
Sengoku ignored Alucard's nonsense. He gave a stern command: "He is currently in his undying state! No one is to engage him in melee! Long-range combat units, prepare to engage!"