Chapter 208: One Step to Heaven, One Step to Hell
It had to be said that even though Alucard intentionally ordered the guards to turn a blind eye, when they saw the three Hancock sisters’ outfits, if they still couldn’t see anything wrong, they would be completely blind, not just turning a blind eye.
Perhaps because this was their first time at sea and they were kidnapped, they didn’t know much about the outside world. Hancock and her sisters hadn’t realized how strange their current outfits were.
The two younger sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold, who were a bit more muscular and already had the height of adults, barely managed to fit into the suits. They stuffed their long hair into their hats, which looked a bit odd, but at first glance, it wasn’t easy to notice. Of course, that was only if you didn’t look at their faces.
But Hancock, the eldest sister, was in a more awkward situation. Her height was completely inferior to her two sisters. Even though she was considered tall among girls, wearing a grown man’s clothes made a large part of the pants drag on the ground and the sleeves cover her hands. It was too out of place. Even with her hair crammed into the hat, the problem was obvious with a single glance.
"Should we cut it?" Sandersonia had clearly noticed the issue with the oversized clothes and wanted to help Hancock cut off the extra part. But when she reached into her pocket, she suddenly remembered that their weapons had been confiscated when they were captured.
Hancock had no choice but to roll up the extra length of the pant legs and sleeves. She said, trying to make the best of a bad situation, "Let’s go!"
This was the only thing they could do now.
The three sisters once again followed the route they remembered from when they were first brought in. But they didn’t notice the surveillance video Den Den Mushi hidden in every corner of the walls.
These weren’t like the ones in Impel Down, which were openly displayed. Instead, they were specially designed to be hidden in dark spots, with only their eyes peeking out to monitor. Coupled with the fact that these hidden doors were usually in corners, even the Celestial Dragons who lived here couldn’t perfectly tell which spots had video Den Den Mushi.
Alucard was currently using the main surveillance video Den Den Mushi to watch the three Hancock sisters’ escape. A moment later, he gave another order to the platinum Den Den Mushi. "All guards, ignore the three suspicious figures you see in disguise."
"...Yes, Aptheim-sei." The person on the other end probably guessed what kind of game "Saint Aptheim" was playing. Although there were some risks, because of his status as a Celestial Dragon, he had no choice but to obey the order.
However, to prevent these three slaves from causing any trouble, they had to increase security for the palaces where the other Celestial Dragons lived. After Alucard’s last attack, Mariejois couldn’t afford another loss.
The main hall of Mariejois was massive, like a small football field, and it was decorated to the extreme. The three Hancock sisters snuck all the way to this point, looking at the exit with desire.
That was it! Once they passed through there, they would be free again! But as the main entrance and exit of Mariejois, how could the security be lax?
On the walls of the main hall, there was a bodyguard standing every two meters. The huge main hall was guarded by hundreds of people.
"What do we do now? We’ve come this far. We can’t turn back," Marigold said. The three girls were hiding behind a huge vase on the second floor, their heads poking out to look at the main entrance on the first floor.
Although Hancock felt that their journey here had been a bit too smooth, her desire for freedom made her lose her calm judgment. Her eyes were fixed on the door. But the number of guards in the main hall was too overwhelming. They couldn’t go through the front. What were they going to do?
Just as the three Hancock sisters were at a loss, a man in a suit suddenly ran into the main hall from a side hall on the first floor. He said with a panicked expression, "This is bad! Something happened in the side hall! Everyone, follow me! Hurry! Hurry!"
Upon hearing this, the guards in the entire hall began to move toward the side hall. They were well-trained and moved in unison. In just about five minutes, all a few hundred of them had moved to the side hall, leaving the huge main hall empty.
The three Hancock sisters stood there, dumbfounded, looking at the huge and empty main hall in disbelief. Was this a gift from God?
"Our luck can’t be this good, can it?" Hancock said in disbelief.
"No matter what, this is our only chance now." Sandersonia steeled herself and grabbed Marigold and Hancock’s hands.
"Let’s go!" Hancock looked at the door again, biting her lip. The three girls jumped from the second floor directly into the main hall and rushed toward the door together.
However, the moment they stepped out of the main gate of the Mariejois palace, they suddenly saw at least a thousand suit-wearing guards standing at the entrance, forming a semicircle and completely blocking all the surrounding roads.
In the middle of the crowd, a man wearing the white, expensive clothes that only Celestial Dragons could wear, with a slightly bloated body and glasses, was sitting on a chair. It was as if he was watching a show. After a servant girl served him, he took a sip of red wine, slowly stood up, and said with a sinister smile, "Well, what a shame. You were just one step away."
"A-Aptheim-sei..." Hancock was stunned. She said the name of the Celestial Dragon in front of her in disbelief, "You... Weren’t you sleeping? No, no, why did you get to the gate before us?"
Alucard rose, flinging his wine glass over the edge. It shattered against the Red Line below with a loud crack as he walked to the three girls. With a wicked smile, he said, "Of course, I took the special passage for high-ranking Government officials."
Although Hancock didn’t know much about the outside world, she wasn’t dumb. Recalling how smoothly they had come all this way, she couldn’t help but gasp in shock. "Did... you control all of this?"
"Ah... The result is already out. The process isn’t important anymore," Alucard said. Out of habit, he used his right hand, which was still wearing a white glove, to lift Hancock’s chin. "But I’m a little hungry now. Since you lost, just come back with me."
After he finished speaking, Alucard ordered the thousand-plus guards behind him, "Alright, everyone, return to your posts."
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