~ If you're interested. you can read 40+ Advanced Chapters :story by becoming a patron.
patreon.com/NovelsWorld
---------------------------------------------------
Night fell.
The deaths of more than three hundred people vanished into the silence of Loguetown.
Just as when Alucard had slaughtered hundreds before, no one truly cared—except for a few highly suspicious individuals taken back for "special" interrogation. The rest were cast into the sea, their bodies swallowed by the dark water.
Those who survived—were they lucky… or cursed?
"Damn pirates—!"
Smoker kicked a chair across the room, his face twisted with rage.
He'd once had a father.
A man who, instead of standing with him to witness the Pirate King's execution, had been taken away by the Marines.
That alone might have been nothing… but then, after being released, his father was cut down—slaughtered by pirates who believed someone among them had stolen Roger's corpse.
"Damn it—it's all the fault of the one who took the Pirate King's body! And those cursed pirates! I've decided—one day I will become a Marine and wipe out every last piece of garbage among them!"
The windless sea lay flat and silent.
Three hundred bodies had stained the water crimson for a moment before being swallowed by the deep.
From that same sea, a figure slowly pulled itself ashore.
A crimson flash passed over Alucard's form, and in an instant his clothes were dry. But he did not revert to his true appearance.
You could never be too careful.
If someone happened to see him now, he could still run. But if his real face was discovered while he was still weak, it would complicate the future.
As long as high-ranking Marines remained in Loguetown, the city was far from safe.
With the incident still fresh, the town would be on lockdown. No ship would leave without heavy scrutiny—unless its captain was powerful enough to ignore Marine presence entirely.
Better to lay low.
Alucard slipped quietly through the back alleys, avoiding patrols.
The net was tight—the criminal was still at large.
He stopped before an old apartment building. Blood hardened into a key in his hand, and with a click, the door opened.
This had once been the home of someone he had consumed.
"Oh, Mr. Rodo? Where have you been these past two days?"
"Hello," Alucard said with a nod, offering nothing more. He opened the door to "his" apartment and stepped inside.
"Still the same as ever, Mr. Rodo—" the woman across the hall chuckled, disappearing into her own room.
The man whose life he had taken was a recluse, with no family and few acquaintances. Barely anyone noticed his existence.
Which made this the perfect hiding place.
Rummaging through memories, Alucard knelt by the bed and retrieved a small box from underneath. Inside—stacks of Beli. Around one hundred thousand.
Enough for now.
The plan was simple: wait until the Marines left Loguetown, then slip away to some small, quiet island. Train until his power had grown—then set sail again.
Meanwhile, at the Marine base in Loguetown's center:
"Well? Still nothing?"
"No, sir."
Sengoku rubbed his temples as he spoke into the transponder snail to Steel Bone Kong.
"We've narrowed it down to three suspects, but…" He frowned. In truth, he knew these "suspects" were just distractions. None of them were anything more than ordinary people with slight oddities.
"I see. Bring them back. The World Government will handle the interrogation personally."
"Understood."
The plan was set. Tomorrow, Sengoku would return to Marineford with the suspects in custody.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
A voice called urgently from outside his office door.
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones
~ Every 400 PS = Bonus Chapter!
❁❁❁❁
~ If you're interested. you can read 40+ Advanced Chapters :
patreon.com/NovelsWorld