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"Of the two hundred people who went missing, I investigated… and three came back alive. Based on my guess, two of them genuinely have no idea where they went that night. But the third… is our enemy."
"And their names?"
"Yes, sir. They are Mura, Lodo, and Dalton."
"I see…" Sengoku smiled slightly. "Then—Marine!"
"Sir!"
A guard at the door stepped inside.
"Go. Call Garp, Zephyr, Aokiji, Kizaru, and Sakazuki here. We have a target."
"Yes, sir!"
"Major Roland!"
"Sir!"
"You've done well. We'll discuss your reward later. For now, the priority is to capture the man who took Roger's body."
"Understood. I'll take my leave."
"Go."
A moment later, the doors slammed open.
"What's the meaning of this, Sengoku?! I was in the middle of eating donuts! What's going on?" Garp grumbled.
"The target has appeared." Sengoku cut him off. "No time for games. Zephyr—you and Kizaru head to this location: Mura's home. Bring him in. Garp—you and Aokiji go to Dalton's home, same objective. I'll take Sakazuki to Lodo's place. Bring extra Marines skilled in Observation Haki, surround the area with a detection net, and if any fighting breaks out, all nearby units are to rush in for backup. This time… we capture him for certain."
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines moved out immediately.
Meanwhile, Alucard—still lying in bed, combing through the scraps of Roger's memories—suddenly felt a chill.
Knock, knock.
"Mr. Lodo? We have some questions for you."
I've been exposed.
That was Alucard's first thought. But how? How had they found him?
He could not allow himself to be captured by the Marines again—not with twenty-four hours of constant Observation Haki and eyes everywhere. Escape would be impossible.
Calm… stay calm…
He let a single drop of blood slip from his hand, seeping quietly into the floorboards.
Drip.
"Hm?"
A man named Lance looked up at the ceiling, frowning slightly.
"What is it, Lance?"
"Nothing… thought I saw water leaking from upstairs. Must've been my imagination, Dad."
Alucard exhaled quietly.
That drop of blood contained a fragment of his consciousness, Roger's lingering essence, and a hundred of his bound souls. It sank underground, hidden so deeply that even Observation Haki might miss it.
The knocking at the door continued. That meant his decoy had worked.
Now… time to get away from here.
"Who the hell is it?! Let a man sleep!" Alucard shouted, putting on the act of someone rudely awakened. "Keep it up, brat, and I'll tear you apart!"
"We're the Marines!"
"…What?"
He hurried to the door, feigning nervous surprise. Cracking it open, he saw the uniforms and instantly shifted his tone.
"Oh—my apologies, my deepest apologies, officers! I didn't realize—please forgive me!"
"Enough." One Marine waved him off impatiently and snapped a pair of seastone cuffs onto his wrists. "A high-ranking officer wants to see you. You're coming with us."
"Yes, yes—of course."
From a distance, Sakazuki watched the scene, frowning.
"Doesn't look like it's our guy…"
"Agreed. What are you—Sakazuki!!" Sengoku barked.
BOOM!
Before Sengoku could finish, the Admiral hurled a massive magma sphere, obliterating the building where Alucard had been staying. Everyone inside was incinerated instantly.
"What the hell are you doing, Sakazuki?!"
"Nothing," he said coldly. "Just eliminating every possible threat."
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