'Dead soul' refers to one who has already died.
Coo specifically mentioning this seemed related to why the Mender had attacked Stargie.
Law looked at Coo, waiting for her to continue.
"In the Mender's eyes, a resurrected existence is like a fishbone lodged between teeth. That's why the Mender only attacked her and not you all."
Coo lowered her head, looking at her abdomen, her expression gloomy.
Her child had also been attacked by the Mender, indicating its nature was similar to Stargie's.
But she only explained the reason for the Mender's attack on Stargie.
Law didn't press further. Based on the logic of the Mender's attack on Stargie, he could guess why it attacked Coo's child.
Most likely, the Mender believed that certain life forms shouldn't exist and would actively purge them.
Stargie was a resurrected person, so in the eyes of the Mender controlling Annual Rings, she needed purging.
As for Coo's child, it was probably due to Kuro's doing.
Regardless of how Kuro got Coo pregnant, perhaps because Kuro was a Nen Beast, the Mender considered 'offspring should not be born' as a reason to attack Coo's child.
Clearly, the Mender's two attacks were precisely targeted at Stargie and Coo's child.
If it had wanted to attack anyone else, or even Coo herself, the situation would be different now.
Having clarified the reason for the Mender's attacks, Law was now more concerned about Stargie's condition.
Earlier, Coo had said her child wasn't dead, implying Stargie might still be alive.
Law didn't consider that Coo's agitated rambling... at the very least, he personally leaned toward the possibility that Stargie had been sealed within the Mender's pages.
Even if a page in his God Hand book had turned black, it wouldn't shake his belief.
Thinking this, Law looked at his teammates but couldn't bring himself to state his decision decisively.
Going to find the Mender, even becoming its enemy, was an extremely risky endeavor. The worst-case scenario would be losing the entire team.
According to Coo, as long as one doesn't violate the Mender's rules, one could traverse the entire continent without it seeking them out. They kept to their own side.
But actively becoming its enemy was different.
Law wanted to speak but held back.
But regardless, he wouldn't back down.
Law surveyed the group and said calmly, "The Mender is overwhelmingly powerful."
Hearing Law's words, no one objected. They all looked at Law.
They had witnessed the Mender's strength firsthand... no detailed explanation from Coo was needed.
"But I'm going to find the Mender and bring Stargie back."
The room fell silent.
They heard the determination in Law's voice.
A moment later, Biscuit was the first to speak.
"Of course."
She directly supported Law's decision, as if she hadn't considered the risks of confronting the Mender.
"Isn't that only natural?"
Then, Ging also expressed his support. In his view, as long as they were exploring the Dark Continent, the Mender was a hurdle they had to cross sooner or later.
If they lacked the courage to face it now, their path would definitely not lead far, let alone to the top of the World Tree.
Starting at the World Tree and ending at the World Tree was his lifelong dream.
With Biscuit and Ging taking the lead, the others also voiced their support.
"Since Stargie might be alive, is there any reason not to bring her back?"
"Yes, yes!"
Even though everyone knew Law's decision was extremely dangerous, no one backed down.
Even if someone wanted to, like Nique, they were already on the boat and had to see it through.
Seeing that his teammates didn't object, Law couldn't help but smile, sharp light flashing in his eyes.
"You... are you all insane?"
Just then, the skeleton poured cold water on them.
Hearing this, everyone looked at the skeleton.
Facing everyone's gaze, the image of the Mender in the apartment flashed in the skeleton's mind.
"The Mender is simply invincible. What you're doing is practically walking to your deaths."
He had a deep, soul-level understanding of the Mender's power.
He never considered himself weak, but only Law and Stargie were stronger than him here.
Yet, Stargie, who was that strong, was taken down by the Mender in a single encounter.
That time the Mender suddenly looked at him, he felt as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar, even a sense of despair as if targeted by death itself.
He had a premonition that if the Mender had wanted to attack him, it would have been a matter of moments.
Though he had narrowly escaped, the resulting gloom lingered in his heart.
Listening to the skeleton's words, the others remained silent.
They, too, knew the Mender was strong, but not invincible.
Ultimately, the Mender wasn't a god, but a product of Nen created by humans.
As long as the Mender existed within the Nen System, they, as Nen Users themselves, had a chance.
"Invincible..."
Law watched the skeleton's intensely fluctuating red light in his eye sockets and said calmly, "Without trying, how can you know the result?"
"You... are insane."
"Is that so?"
Law looked directly at the skeleton.
The sharp glint in his eyes gradually silenced him.
"I'll go too."
Just then, Coo's voice came.
"Go... where?"
Kuro was dumbfounded.
Coo still ignored him, looking up at Law.
These humans were going to retrieve Stargie, and she wanted to get her child back.
At least on this matter, they were on the same side.
Everyone's gaze shifted to Coo.
They understood her motive, but letting her join had both pros and cons.
Seeming to sense these humans' concerns, Coo looked at Law and said coldly, "If you wanted, killing me is just a thought, isn't it?"
"Correct."
"So what more is there to worry about?"
"..."
...
The New Continent, the Great Wall's boundary line.
Gatekeeper Blue Shadow sat on the edge of a treehouse platform, silently watching the distant blue sky, white clouds, and the most unreachable horizon.
Suddenly, a wisp of smoke-like Nen flew from the distant sky.
Blue Shadow remained calm, letting the Nen fly into him.
That wisp of Nen was what he had used to summon the guide.
The guide having fulfilled its duty, naturally returned to his body.
The Nen's return also brought some information to Blue Shadow.
For instance, clan members had secretly planted a Calamity on the returning humans.
Blue Shadow showed no reaction to this.
In his view, the clan's actions hadn't overstepped. Using Calamities as a warning was one of their rights.
"Hmm?"
Blue Shadow's expression shifted slightly. He rose and walked into the treehouse.
On a simple, ordinary wooden table, a mass of Nen materialized out of thin air, transforming into a blue eyeball plant.
"Blue."
A female voice came from the eyeball plant.
"Spear Flower, is it..."