At this moment, stationed at the base of the Red Line on opposite sides, the Kuja Pirates and the Golden Hair Pirates held their positions. The Golden Hair Pirates were in the first half of the Grand Line, while the Kuja Pirates occupied the New World side. Both crews were looking straight up toward the unseen heights of the Holy Land, Mariejois.
Of course, looking up from the sea, no matter how much you strained your neck, Mariejois remained invisible to the naked eye.
The reason the Golden Hair Pirates, who were supposed to be waiting at Sabaody Archipelago for news on Blackbeard, and Hancock of the Neo Amazon Lily were here was due to orders from Dr. Vegapunk. He had predicted that Alucard might rashly infiltrate the Government and suggested both crews provide backup, just in case.
Dr. Vegapunk had originally intended to send Aranea and Kuma, given their superior aerial mobility, but they were currently deadlocked with the World Government's Army on the Sky Islands and could not make it. For now, this was the force they had.
Several ships bearing the Government's cross-star symbol surrounded the Kuja ship, but the Government soldiers on board had all been turned to stone. Each statue had hearts for eyes, making it perfectly clear who was responsible for their state.
"Viola, can you see what's happening up there?"
Hancock stood at the bow, questioning Violet, the Glare-Glare Fruit user behind her.
"My Glare-Glare abilities rely on the perspective of birds," Violet replied. "The birds can no longer fly high enough to reach that altitude."
"Honestly..."
Hancock's brow furrowed. Suddenly, her expression shifted violently. She looked upward; although clouds and mist blocked her view, she felt it. Her sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold, looked at her in confusion. "Onee-sama, what's wrong?"
There was no need for an answer. Soon, their faces paled as well. Even through the dense layers of clouds, they could sense a colossal buildup of energy.
The Kuja on the New World side felt it, and on the other side of the massive wall of the Red Line, the Golden Hair Pirates in the Paradise half felt it too. Because of the trajectory, the Kuja Pirates sensed it with terrifying clarity.
Seconds later, a blue-silver flash of light tore through the clouds surrounding the Red Line. It streaked toward the horizon at the end of the sea, far beyond Hancock's sight, at a speed that defied any possible reaction.
RUMBLE!!!
Moments later, a thunderous roar erupted from the direction the flash had disappeared. At the same time, gargantuan waves were kicked up in every direction, showing no signs of settling.
"Furl the sails! Quickly!" Koala screamed.
In the face of such a violent storm and massive waves, if the sails remained open, the ship wouldn't just lose direction, it would likely be swept into the sky by the gale.
Watching a wave nearly a hundred meters high crash toward them, Hancock brushed back her hair. She extended her left hand and pulled back with her right, mimicking the motion of drawing a bow.
This was not a Slave Arrow. Dark red, flame-like blood pools manifested on Hancock's arms. Unlike Alucard's, her blood pools bore no eyes.
"Impudent... Begone!"
Hancock released her right hand. The blood pool instantly transformed into arrows that streaked out, piercing the giant wave and turning it into harmless spray.
On the other side of the Red Line, even with such a thick barrier between them, the tremors continued to vibrate through the air. The Golden Hair Pirates' navigator ordered the sails furled immediately, and they barely managed to stabilize the ship.
"What on earth happened over there?" Beckman asked, shielding his eyes with one hand. Only when the wind died down did he lower it, his heart still racing.
"I don't know," Ivalis said with a cold face. "But if my perception is correct, the Kuja crew on the other side must have witnessed everything. We'll just have to ask them later."
The rest of the crew was simply stunned into silence.
The attack had been aimed at the New World, separated by the massive wall of the Red Line. If the aftershocks were this terrifying even with that obstruction, they couldn't imagine how powerful the direct hit must have been.
In the New World, in a sea over a hundred nautical miles from Hancock's position, a coffin lay embedded in the muddy sediment ten thousand meters below the ocean floor. After a long while, it slowly creaked open.
"If I had been using the River of Death, I would be dead right now."
Alucard's body was soaked in seawater. Compared to Devil Fruit users, his situation wasn't much better; for a vampire, the depths of the ocean were the very bottom of hell.
He strained to summon his power, calling forth Jormungandr. The serpent quickly carried Alucard back to the surface. If he had used the River of Death out of desperation and then taken that hit, he truly would have died.
"Just what was that...?"
Standing atop Jormungandr's head, Alucard recalled the scene right before he was about to destroy the Holy Land.
The "National Treasure" the Gorosei spoke of... was it that thing? If they had such power, why didn't they use it to intimidate pirates or the increasingly disobedient Marines? Why hide it?
"Whatever. Perhaps they'll know some inside information."
Alucard thought of the eight Celestial Dragons he had kidnapped. He had no intention of launching another immediate assault; his priority now was to uncover the secrets of the World Government's trump card.
While Alucard wanted to know the secret of the "National Treasure," the Government was just as eager to learn the secret of Alucard's body. They needed to know why that bastard wouldn't stay dead; without knowing that, they were just wasting the power of their ultimate weapon.
The first round between the two sides had ended. Next came the investigation phase. Both sides sought to expose the other's hidden hand so they could strike at the heart in the next encounter.
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