"We should probably split up after all. Alubarna has four gates, and there are exactly four of us. One person can take responsibility for each gate."
Before the soul-shielding membrane dissipated, Sanji took a drag from his cigarette and proposed this after exhaling the smoke.
"No way! The four of us are safer together. Splitting up would be too dangerous!" Usopp immediately objected.
The soul-shielding membrane would soon disappear. Once that protective barrier vanished, they would have to face the Cartel's artillery barrage and an army of hundreds of thousands. The four of them could at least protect one another if they stayed together, but splitting up would be far too dangerous.
As Alabasta's capital, Alubarna had become a trade center after advances in technology and road construction. The city had therefore been remodeled, with gates on its eastern, western, southern, and northern sides.
Besides, even if there were no gates...
With the Cartel's firepower, given enough time, they could blast the walls apart anyway.
So although they were supposedly defending four gates, they were actually defending the city's four directions: east, west, south, and north.
That was far too dangerous!
Seeing that the other three did not take the matter seriously, Usopp hurriedly added, "I suggest we give up the gates for now and go straight to the palace. Don't forget that Nami is still sleeping there."
At the mention of Nami, Sanji's expression became eager, but Zoro said, "Forget it. She doesn't need you to protect her. If there's any danger, she'll definitely wake up."
"Guard the gate properly and keep the Cartel's people from getting in. That alone will be a great accomplishment."
"What did you say, moss-head? I think you're the one who should be worrying about that! If the gate you're guarding is breached, I'll take you down!"
"Hah? If you've got the ability, come and try." Sparks flew between Zoro and Sanji. Usopp could not help smacking his forehead. "You two, don't make decisions on your own!"
He had known it would turn out this way. Luffy needed no further explanation—he would certainly agree that each person should take one direction.
Sure enough, the moment they finished speaking, the soul-shielding membrane began to dissipate. Under the Cartel's overwhelming artillery suppression, Alubarna's final defensive measure had disappeared as well.
The people erupted into an uproar and panic, unable to stop themselves from becoming afraid.
"Mr. Crocodile... he's gone!"
"The defensive barrier has disappeared! Alubarna is going to fall, and that pirate must have run away!"
"Damn it! I knew pirates couldn't be trusted!"
"Forget it. He wasn't from Alabasta in the first place. The fact that he helped us for this long is already enough."
Some people spoke in terror, some in despair, some in anger, while others managed to retain a measure of reason.
Most of the royal-capital soldiers were under extreme mental strain. They had to worry constantly about whether the Cartel would launch another attack, whether Alubarna would be bombarded from the air again, how many days their food would last, and what they would do when their ammunition ran out.
At that moment, all their unease, fear, and anger erupted at once.
At that very time, the "king" stood at the highest point and shouted down at the soldiers, "We have nowhere left to retreat, because our families are behind us! The land where we have lived for decades is behind us! The place where our ancestors have lived for generations is behind us! Our memories are behind us. Retreat has never been an option for us!"
"Abandon the walls and fight street by street!"
"On the land where we have survived for generations, drive out every last enemy!"
The "king" stood at the highest point. His voice spread throughout Alubarna, and everyone in the city could see where he was standing. The Cartel's people could see him as well.
The moment he began his declaration, countless bullets were already flying through the air. A huge number of bullets swept toward him. If Koza had not ordered them to capture the king alive, he would probably have been riddled with bullets already.
Even so, on a battlefield where both sides had been driven into a killing frenzy, some soldiers still fired at this "king." As soon as he finished speaking, a bullet struck him, and the "king" withdrew while enduring the pain.
"You're being far too reckless!" Bell pulled Igaram away at high speed. That was right—the king just now had been Igaram in disguise. Since he had been standing at the highest point with almost no one around him, everyone could only see his figure indistinctly.
He wore the king's clothes and used the king's voice and manner of speaking. Therefore, he was the king!
"There was no other way to do it." Igaram endured the pain. The bullet had struck his shoulder, but as captain of the kingdom's guard, he could withstand this amount of pain.
He had to create the impression that the king was still in Alubarna. Only then would the royal-capital soldiers regain their morale, and only then would the Cartel fail to notice anything unusual!
Sure enough, the king of a country risking his life to issue a declaration restored the royal-capital soldiers' morale. The soldiers, who had nearly lowered their guns, tightened their grips on their weapons again.
Seeing that the Cartel was about to break through the walls, they followed the king's order and withdrew in an orderly fashion, preparing to use the city's terrain to fight the enemy in the streets.
"Looks like we don't have to guard the gates anymore!" Usopp put his hands on his hips. "Hey, Luffy...?!"
He had been about to say something else, but Luffy had already run off to one side.
"I'll do what we said before and take the southern gate!"
Usopp raised a hand, then lowered it helplessly. He looked at Zoro and Sanji nearby. Their eyes were sparking too, but they were somewhat more rational than Luffy. Sanji said, "We'll meet at the palace later."
Holding this city would be incredibly difficult. Unless something unexpected happened, they would certainly retreat to the palace at the center of the city and discuss their next strategy there.
"That Seven Warlord is gone too! Damn, he sure ran fast!" Usopp could not stop Zoro and Sanji, so he could only complain about Crocodile.
Boom boom boom!
Three fierce explosions erupted in the distance. The Cartel's cannons had bombarded the walls, and under the tremendous artillery fire, the wall beneath their feet seemed ready to collapse.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had already run in three different directions, so Usopp hurriedly retreated with the soldiers defending that section of wall.
Boom!
The main gate was blasted open by cannon fire. Alubarna, which had held out for several months, finally could not withstand the pressure and was blown apart. A huge number of Cartel soldiers rushed in through the entrance, their battle cries shaking the heavens. Usopp, the Quincy, felt as though even his soul were trembling!
"Rain of Light!"
Against ordinary soldiers, the best response was a scattered attack like Rain of Light. A single attack could knock down dozens or even hundreds of people. Yet the enemy seemed endless. No matter how many fell, just as many more rushed in through the entrance. Seeing this, Usopp felt enormous pressure.
Suddenly, he felt a terrible sense of dread.
This fear made his heart tremble for no reason. He had never felt such intense fear before—fear stronger and more terrifying than at any other time.
But the truly terrifying thing was not these Cartel soldiers. It was...
Their...
Souls?!
Only at that moment did Usopp remember.
This was a battlefield with more than five hundred thousand people. Every second, an unknown number of people were dying. Then...
What about the souls of those who died?
He suddenly froze in place. He did not need to think hard to know what those souls would attract.
Hollows!
Hollows liked to devour souls. Souls were their nourishment. Back in Syrup Village, Usopp had faced several Hollows that wanted to devour the villagers' souls.
Those Hollows seemed to be a special kind of soul as well.
And now, how many people would die when this war ended? How many souls would be produced?
Would these souls...
Attract those Hollows?
Usopp swallowed. He thought of the humanoid Menos he had seen on the sea not long ago. If that creature came too...
Bang!
His mind raced. Cold sweat kept breaking out over his body, and he was even trembling all over!
Yes, this war was only an appetizer. No matter which side won, both sides would suffer devastating casualties, and the souls of the dead would attract even more powerful Hollows.
Consumed by these thoughts and fear, Usopp even stood in place and forgot to dodge the bullets behind him.
Sure enough, as he stood there in a daze, the Cartel soldiers immediately focused their fire on him. A huge number of bullets shot toward Usopp.
"Usopp, what are you spacing out for?!"
But at that moment, a reindeer charged over. Relying on his coarse fur, he blocked the bullets aimed at Usopp and simultaneously placed Usopp on his back. Only then did Usopp come to his senses.
"Chopper?! What are you doing here?"
"The protective barrier covering the sky disappeared. I was worried something might happen to you, so I came over. Where are Luffy and the others?!" Chopper carried Usopp at a mad sprint while asking hurriedly.
"They went in the other directions!" Usopp hurriedly replied. "I just thought of something terrifying. We can't let the two sides keep fighting!"
"How could we possibly make them stop fighting now?!" Chopper immediately answered.
Yes. At this moment, both sides had already been driven into a killing frenzy. The Cartel continued pursuing them, while the royal-capital soldiers retreated and counterattacked at the same time. Both sides kept pulling their triggers and firing. Some people even hid in dark corners, waiting for Cartel soldiers to approach before charging out with swords and engaging them in close combat!
The next moment, tank after tank appeared through the main gate. Clearly, the Cartel intended to flatten the city.
"Damn it!" Usopp gritted his teeth. Then he suddenly thought of something. "If you left, what about Nami?! Is she alone in the palace?!"
"The big sister who saved us before is in the palace. She said she would look after Nami!" Chopper said. "I was too worried about you, so I..."
The big sister who had saved them before?
Usopp immediately thought of Robin. He did not know who she was, but remembering what Zoro had said earlier, he relaxed.
Although Nami was asleep, that did not mean she had no vigilance. If someone tried to harm her, she would certainly wake up.
She had inherited the Demon King's blood. She was not some fragile little girl!
Usopp sat on Chopper's back, and the two worked together well. Chopper handled dodging, while Usopp fired backward, doing his best to eliminate the pursuers behind them.
"The other three should be fine. Let's do our best to hold this direction. At the same time..." Usopp glanced at the platform where the "king" had appeared earlier. He gritted his teeth and said, "Take me to find the king. I have something to tell him!"
He did not dare imagine what kind of terrifying monster nearly a million souls would create.
Hollows devoured the souls of the dead, but they would not spare the souls of living people right beside them either. They had no restrictions; they only wanted to keep devouring.
If they discovered that a huge number of souls were waiting here for them to consume, they certainly would not spare the living who came afterward.
Syrup Town had already attracted so many Hollows. The Hollows of the Grand Line were of a higher quality. What level of Hollow would tens of thousands of souls attract...
He did not dare imagine it.
More importantly, those Hollows seemed to be coming for him.
That meant this place contained not only tens of thousands of souls, but also him, Usopp. If he put it another way...
Perhaps Koza had to be added as well?
Just now, Usopp had felt that the soul inside Koza's body might resemble his own. He suspected that Koza might also be a Quincy, and there might be other people like them within the Cartel.
If that was the case, wouldn't this place be a lavish feast for the Hollows?
It would be difficult for them not to be tempted!
If ordinary Hollows appeared, that would be fine. What made Usopp most uneasy was the possibility that another Arrancar might appear.
That Arrancar possessed incredibly powerful strength, probably much greater than his own.
And according to what that Arrancar had said, he was merely the most ordinary and lowest-level Menos Arrancar...
Above him were mid-level Menos and high-level Menos. If even a low-level Menos was so terrifying, how frightening would the mid-level and high-level ones be?
That was why he had to find the king and tell him about this.
He had no idea that Cobra had already left Alubarna and was heading toward Yuba, where the Shinigami Mausoleum was located!
No more than three people in all of Alubarna knew this.
Igaram, Bell, and...
Robin!
At that moment, Robin watched Nami sleeping soundly on the bed, her eyes narrowing slightly.
She sensed an extremely powerful aura of evil from the girl. She could be certain that the orange-haired girl was a demon.
It was not particularly strange for a demon to travel with pirates. On the Grand Line, many pirates could not resist the temptation of demons, accepted demonic power, and transformed into demons themselves.
But Robin truly did not know many demons like Nami, whose appearance was almost indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person.
In her memory, there was only one demon whose appearance was completely identical to a human's: Toguro, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Therefore, she had developed some interest in Nami and come here.
Robin possessed this ability naturally. Nami had hidden herself very well, and even Crocodile had failed to discover that she was a demon, but Robin could see it at a glance.
Because...
She was the host of a Secret Angel!
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