Despair, a word they once believed was furthest from their reach, now gradually seeped into the hearts of the remaining three Gorosei and the last two Celestial Dragon patriarchs.
The crux of the matter was that Alucard remained completely unscathed, and he had now added three of their own comrades to his ranks. They were no fools; at this rate, defeat was merely a matter of time.
Having spent decades together, their mutual understanding and unspoken chemistry allowed them to grasp each other's thoughts with a single exchange of glances.
Retreat!
They had to abandon everything they owned and withdraw. It had taken the World Government nearly twenty-five years to fully understand the secret of Alucard's immortality. If this new "Power of Existence" took another twenty-five, fifty, or even a hundred years to decode, so be it.
But if they died here, everything would be lost.
"Thinking of running?"
Alucard's voice rang out inside the minds of the remaining five. He had manifested in their consciousness once again.
"It's a pity, really. I exist everywhere. Were you planning to scurry away and live like dogs in the dirt? Unfortunately, you aren't even worthy of that."
The corners of the five men's eyes twitched. They had momentarily forgotten that Alucard possessed the ability to invade their consciousness. They stood paralyzed; in this state, they couldn't even flee.
Whoosh—
The pool of blood began to flow violently. The dead of night brought with it the omen of death.
"The power of the Mantra National Treasure, which the Government has used to rule the world for eight hundred years, is beyond your imagination!" Nedseo roared.
He pushed the National Treasure's power to its absolute limit. The scene previously witnessed at Spring Queen Island repeated itself as the Mantra Giant, massive enough to burst the very sky, reappeared.
"Go back to the bottom of the deep sea for a few more years!"
Nedseo frantically unleashed the power. Beside him, the curly-haired, cane-wielding Gorosei cried out in alarm, "Unleashing that much power at once will put even Mariejois in jeopardy!"
The first time they used the Mantra to repel Alucard, they had used only 5% of its strength. The time they blasted him into the seabed at Spring Queen Island, they had mobilized the power of the entire royal lands, causing the island itself to sink. Now, by estimation, the force generated was at least five times greater than that first encounter. If this attack hit, there was no telling what would become of the Holy Land or the Red Line.
"Have you lost your mind?" Alucard mocked, then shook his head with an air of nonchalance. "I find myself missing the specialty rum from the East Blue. Go ahead, take your time gathering power. Fire when you're ready."
The five were stunned as Alucard vanished. Nedseo used the Mantra to sense him, but even within a ten-mile radius of the Holy Land, he couldn't find a trace of Alucard's shadow.
"Calm down! Aside from how much power this will drain from the National Treasure, if he enters our consciousness again, won't this energy be wasted?" Meinfini interjected, stopping him.
Nedseo regained his composure upon hearing this. He was right. What was the point of using even the strongest technique against Alucard? He was utterly and completely immortal; all the intelligence they had gathered over the past twenty years was now scrap paper.
Thinking of this, Nedseo retracted the Mantra Giant. Yet, the moment the giant dissipated, Alucard suddenly appeared behind him, pressing a gun to the back of his head.
BANG!
He blew his head off.
"Foo…"
Alucard held his gun in one hand and a bottle of rum in the other, sneering, "Five against four now."
As Nedseo's body slumped over, becoming a corpse, Alucard tossed the bottle of rum beside him. The glass shattered, and the wine-colored liquor mixed with Nedseo's blood. Alucard grinned darkly. "A fitting death for you. I've decided I don't want to drink it anymore; it's a gift for you."
…
At that very moment, practically on the other side of the ocean, inside Makino's bar in Foosha Village, the owner was still reeling from shock.
Though it only lasted half a minute, she had seen him. She had seen that man, the man who killed Shanks, appear in her tavern, take a bottle of rum, and vanish. Makino rubbed her eyes, but looking at the empty spot on the shelf, she turned pale. She let out a cry and ran upstairs, burying herself under her blankets, trembling uncontrollably.
"Don't come back... please don't come back..." she whispered, her voice shaking.
…
Back at the summit of the Holy Land.
Watching another "accomplice" fall, the hearts of the three Gorosei and the final Celestial Dragon patriarch were slowly filled with panic.
He actually went and grabbed a bottle of rum...
"Oh? It seems there's not much combat value left here."
Alucard sensed the terror in the remaining four and walked toward them slowly. "Well, I suppose this is all you're worth."
"DAMN YOU!!!"
The long-bearded Gorosei could no longer maintain his usual composure. In a state of total breakdown, he let out a roar and transformed into a streak of blue light, attacking Alucard at a speed that even Borsalino would find hard to match.
"Heh heh heh..."
Alucard chuckled eerily and spread his arms. The blood pool rose like flames to a height of dozens of meters. Jormungandr and Baskerville emerged from within simultaneously.
ROAR!!!
Hiss—
One familiar let out a blood-curdling howl, while the other flicked its long tongue.
Despair had arrived!
…
As the night began to wane, Hancock spoke up. "Let's go. Move up."
"Snake Princess, we're going now? The battle might still be raging up there," Ivalis asked with a frown, still holding the Oodenta Mitsuyo.
Finders keepers; though many eyed the Supreme Grade blade with greed, they knew Ivalis had found it, and there were few swordsmen in the crew who could best him. They could only swallow their envy.
"Master said that daybreak marks the end of the war," Hancock replied plainly. She then led the three ships of the Kuja Pirates toward Mariejois.
"Alucard said that? He really is confident in his strength..."
Morgans was astonished, but the real surprises were yet to come. When he saw the three Kuja ships slowly lift off and soar into the sky, Morgans and the staff of the World Economy Newspaper were so terrified they fell flat on the deck.
"T-t-they're flying? The ships are flying!?"