"Blood is the currency of the soul. After death, the soul flows into the Styx; the flesh flow into the River of Death."

Nothing described the two rivers flowing within Alucard’s body better than this phrase.

Alucard rose slowly. The coffin at his back gradually creaked open. The eyes revealed within were not the dark crimson of his Blood Pool state, but a haunting violet tinged with a dismal ash-gray.

"What is this? This sensation... I loathe it to my very core."

Sengoku, his upper body bare as he commanded the overall theater of war, followed the source of this aura. He found that Alucard, who had been sitting atop the coffin lid, was now standing. A gale swept past, making his greatcoat snap and howl in the wind.

"That man..."

"What is ’The Immortal’ planning now?"

Members of the Whitebeard Pirates, retreating under the orders of Marco and Vista, looked back.

"Master... what is he...?"

Robin gazed across the chasm. Because everyone present viewed her as Alucard’s subordinate, neither Pirate nor Marine dared to lay a finger on her.

If Sengoku’s Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha represented the supreme yang, the celestial power of Heaven, then the Styx now spilling from the coffin radiated the supreme yin, the collective wails of Hell itself.

For this reason, Sengoku felt the sheer terror emanating from that coffin more acutely than anyone else.

"Ignore him!"

Near the harbor, Issho spoke to Kuzan. "Our objective remains Fire Fist Ace!"

At that moment, experts like Ivankov, Sabo, and Izo blocked Issho’s path, while Namur, Blenheim, Rakuyo, and other Whitebeard Commanders stood before Kuzan.

"Arara... I know."

Kuzan wore a rare look of gravity. "But the guys here aren’t exactly easy to handle, either."

Swish!!

Suddenly, a flash of golden light streaked across the chasm. A figure appeared directly above the clearing where Whitebeard and the Blackbeard Pirates stood.

"K-Kizaru!" the Whitebeard Pirates cried out.

"If I do absolutely nothing, I’ll be held responsible for the negligence~~"

With that, Borsalino crossed his hands, touching his thumbs and index fingers together to form a circle. Golden light erupted. "Yasakani no Magatama!"

"Back off, Kizaru!"

Shiryu of the Rain, who had long since finished his skirmish with Marco, lunged toward Borsalino. Before the technique could fully launch, he intercepted the Admiral, cutting the momentum of the ultimate move short. "Until I confirm the success of our plan, I can’t have you doing as you please."

"Ohh~ Warden Shiryu. You really show no mercy to your former colleagues." A thin trail of blood appeared on Borsalino’s cheek.

Wooooo—Wooooo—

Suddenly, a chorus of countless wails filled the air, striking a chill into everyone within the inner circle.

The agonizing screams were pouring from the half-opened coffin behind Alucard.

"That man...!!"

Borsalino and Shiryu landed simultaneously, both gripped by a sudden, bone-chilling dread.

"Hey! Teach! Hurry up! Do you want to die?!" Shiryu couldn’t help but roar at Teach.

"Fufufufu~~"

Doflamingo crouched atop the ruins of the fortress. "That man with the cursed blade... he’s afraid~~"

Doflamingo’s eyes remained fixed on Alucard. "Well, well. Let’s see exactly how much power you have left, Alucard!"

"Black Vortex!"

Teach attempted to use the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit to seal Whitebeard’s ability. However, the signs of Alucard making a move caused a flicker of panic in his heart, throwing his attack off its perfect trajectory.

Whitebeard seized the opening. He grabbed Teach’s ugly face, slammed him into the ground, and unleashed his vibration energy!

With the scent of death closing in, Teach was terrified into begging for mercy. "Stop! Stop, Pops! I’m your son! Please, stop!"

The word "son" struck a chord in Whitebeard’s heart, causing his hand to falter and the energy to dissipate.

Laffitte, Pizarro, Devon, and the others seized this chance. They drew their weapons and began relentlessly attacking Whitebeard.

Teach scrambled away from Whitebeard’s grip, laughing manically. "Zehahaha! Soft-heartedness is your greatest weakness, Pops!"

"Curse you, Teach! Using Pops’ kindness against him!!" the Whitebeard Pirates roared through tears and fury.

Whitebeard stood his ground, his memories drifting back to a bygone era...

"What? You’re dying? Roger?"

"Yeah... I don’t have much time left. Shall I tell you how to get to Laugh Tale?"

"Forget it. I’m not interested."

"Do you know what the Government is calling me now? Gold Roger."

Roger shook his head. "No, no. My name is... Gol D. Roger."

"D... I hear that name sometimes. I have a man named Teach in my crew... What does it mean?"

"Haha, that’s a story from long ago... Let me tell you..."

Teach’s laughter gradually subsided. "This time... you’re finally dead, aren’t you?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Suddenly, Whitebeard spoke: "It’s not you, Teach..."

Teach recoiled two steps, startled. "H-He’s still alive?"

"The man Roger is waiting for... is definitely not you..."

Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, took a deep breath. Ignoring Sengoku’s pale, protesting face, he unleashed a world-shaking roar:

"THE ONE PIECE... IS REAL!!!"

"You bastard!!" Sengoku bellowed.

The scene fell into a deathly silence, both at Marineford and before the monitors worldwide.

"Zehahaha, a magnificent final regret, Pops."

Teach’s gaze sharpened. He deactivated both his diamond and darkness powers. "Laffitte!"

Laffitte stepped forward, pulling out the black cloth from before. "Understood."

"The gifts are finished."

Just as Blackbeard prepared to do to Whitebeard what he had done to Jozu, Alucard spoke from behind. At that exact moment, countless wailing, translucent silhouettes of souls surged out from the coffin.

A river of violet and ash-gray spilled forth, drowning the ground.

Releasing Restriction: Level 0 — Styx — Liberation!

"I renounce God! I shall rise from my own death to avenge hers with all the powers of darkness. The blood is the life, and it shall be mine!"

———————

Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]