"Are those... Dyna Stones!?"

Yako noticed the stack of bottles containing oval-shaped stones on Jormungandr’s back and recognized them instantly.

"I see. If those are involved, then such massive tremors are no surprise."

Yako had confirmed the source of the vibrations shaking the Holy Land, but before he could act, Law struck. Utilizing his Op-Op Fruit powers, Law maneuvered freely through the air.

"Shambles!"

Law flicked his index and middle fingers. In an instant, before Yako could react, he found himself plummeting dozens of meters, his position swapped with one of his subordinates.

"The Op-Op Fruit... what a nuisance."

BANG!

Just as the thought crossed Yako’s mind, a bullet encased in a blue glow grazed his cheek. It struck his helmet, knocking it off and clipping a lock of his hair. He looked down to see Alucard standing atop the giant serpent’s head, watching him with a mocking smirk.

"Withdraw!"

Yako’s mission was investigation, not combat. Realizing the disparity in strength, he wasn’t foolish enough to stay. He quickly maneuvered his flight armor to retreat.

"Don’t even think about it!"

In the sky, seeing Yako flying toward him, Law slashed at the Red Line wall with Kikoku. Several massive boulders fell, and using his ability, he swapped the falling rocks with Yako before the Vice Admiral could exit the ROOM.

Simultaneously, Aranea, having finished setting another round of Dyna Stones, rocketed out from the crater. Her blood-red gun-lance slammed heavily into Yako’s wrist.

CLANG!

Yako managed to coat his arm in Armament Haki at the last second, preventing the lance from piercing him through. Under the sheer force of the impact, he crashed onto Jormungandr’s serpentine body, rolling a great distance before coming to a stop.

Whoosh—

The steam dissipated from Aranea’s body as she landed beside the fallen Yako. As he tried to rise, her gun-lance slammed down, pinning him by the neck.

"Aranea... you..."

Yako gritted his teeth. Looking at the battle in the sky, he knew defeat was only a matter of time. Not a single person would return to the Holy Land to report.

"Don’t give me any lectures, Vice Admiral," Aranea said, her lips curling slightly. "To be honest, I don’t really want to kill you."

"Are you kidding? He’s a lapdog of the Government!"

Bonney, whose hatred for the Government was absolute, stormed over. "If you can’t do it, I will!"

"Aranea, you’re too soft-hearted," Law added, descending from the sky and pointing Kikoku at Yako’s heart. "Can’t bring yourself to kill your former superior? Then I’ll do it."

Aranea bit her lip. "Then let’s just tie him up and take him back as a prisoner. Is that okay?"

Seeing her insistence, Law and Bonney had no choice but to stand down.

BOOM!!!

Another round of explosions erupted. The bound Yako hissed through gritted teeth, "Do you have any idea what the consequences of this will be?"

While the Dyna Stones couldn’t bring down the entire Red Line, they were carving an irreparable hole into it, a new passage allowing free travel between the first and second halves of the Grand Line.

"I don’t care about the consequences. I only know the Government is in for big trouble," Law said darkly.

He lived for two purposes: to avenge Corazon by killing Doflamingo, and to avenge his family and homeland by destroying the World Government. If the Government suffered, he was happy.

Meanwhile, Alucard was no longer content to watch from Jormungandr’s head. He wanted to know the secrets hidden within the Red Line. He stood directly inside the tunnels, letting the explosions destroy the red earth, and himself, along with it. To him, the loss of a life was nothing.

As the explosions continued, blue fiber-like entities flew out from the stone walls and surged into Alucard. He felt new souls merging into his River of Styx.

This was the second "river" Alucard obtained after ascending to a True Ancestor Vampire. While the River of Death contained the bodies of the deceased to be summoned for battle, the River of Styx contained their souls.

Usually, the River of Styx served as a support for the River of Death. But now, Alucard realized the number of souls within the Styx was rapidly increasing. These blue fibers were a manifested form of souls.

"The bodies are gone, yet the souls remain in a place like this?" Alucard touched the blasted stone wall, puzzled.

He had once assumed that unless he personally killed someone, their soul would move on. But it seemed that as long as he utilized his power before the souls moved on, he could claim them even if he wasn’t the killer.

In this world, the existence of souls was an acknowledged fact. Big Mom’s Soul-Soul Fruit and the way Devil Fruits reincarnate after death were proof enough. But where did the average person’s soul go? Most assumed "heaven," but now Alucard knew better.

"Captain, there are only three Dyna Stones left," Aranea reported.

Alucard glanced toward the end of the tunnel. "Blow it."

Aranea planted the last stones. With one final shot from Alucard, the last explosion roared. Alucard felt a final surge of souls, while Hancock and the others saw light.

The passage was open!

———————

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