In the memory fragment, the stone box had no mechanism and it could be opened simply by lifting the lid.
Law had initially thought that the reason he couldn't open it earlier was due to the Post-Mortem Nen, but now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
'Could it be sealed with some kind of powerful adhesive? But even without Nen, my strength was not weak, so how could I not open it?'
Law put down the stone box, turned to look at the other two people in the room, and said, "I can't open it. You try."
Since he couldn't use Nen right now, perhaps Ging or Linne had the ability to open the stone box.
Ging temporarily set aside his amazement for Law's Nen Exorcism methods, walked over to the table, and picked up the stone box. This was the first time he touched the stone box, and it was surprisingly heavy.
Linne also came to the side and watched silently.
The three people in the room were very interested in the stone box, but Kuro had no interest in it. At this time, he had already rummaged through the fridge, searching for something to eat.
He hoped that Law could digest the Post-Mortem Nen as quickly as possible and increase his Potential Aura. By then, once the plundering conditions were met, he could take more Aura for himself.
In other words, the more Potential Aura Law has, the more benefits Kuro will get.
Ging held the stone box and first tried brute force, but there was no movement.
'No wonder Law couldn't open it.'
Gyo!
Ging's Aura surged and gathered between his hands.
Ging gradually increased his strength, but the stone box didn't budge in the slightest and was as immovable as a mountain.
Even after Ging used up all his strength, he still couldn't open the stone box. He suppressed his surging Aura and looked at Law with a look of doubt in his eyes.
"You can't open it either?" Law frowned.
"Hmm." Ging stared down at the stone box, 'It clearly had no Nen, but it still wouldn't open? The amount of force I had used should have been enough to crush the box outright.'
"Let me try." Linne suddenly said.
Ging was stunned when he heard this, but quickly handed the stone box to Linne.
Linne took the stone box and covered her body in Aura. Even when she used her full strength, she still couldn't open the stone box.
'The Post-Mortem Nen has been removed, and there are no Nen left on the stone box, so why can't it be opened?'
Both Ging and Linne were deeply puzzled. Since the two of them exerted their full power, even if the box weren't hollow, it should have been torn apart by force. How could it be this sturdy?
Seeing that even their combined efforts couldn't open it, Law was even more confused than they were, because the information he saw from the memory fragments was not like that.
'If even Nen-enhanced strength couldn't open it, perhaps the box wasn't affected by physical force. In other words, brute strength alone wouldn't work… no matter how overwhelmingly strong that force might be.'
The room suddenly fell into silence. The three of them sat around the stone box, staring at each other.
After a while, Law suddenly turned his gaze toward Kuro, who was still making a mess in the fridge, and said, "Kuro, come here."
When Kuro heard the call, he poked his head out of the refrigerator, with a sausage in his mouth, and asked, "What?"
"Turn into a harp." Law ordered.
"Huh?" Kuro swallowed the sausage in one gulp and said, "Boy, you don't want to play that song, do you?"
"Stop wasting time. Get over here." Law glared at Kuro.
He was indeed planning to play the harp version of the Sonata of Darkness, thinking that perhaps this method could open the stone box.
As for the price, he didn't take it seriously.
He had rarely used it before because the price was a reduction in lifespan, but now that he knew there's food that can increase lifespan in the Dark Continent, his concerns had lessened.
If he had known that the White Smoke Font could mitigate most of the cost, he might not have kept the Sonata of Darkness sealed away for so long, and he might have even tried using it against the Void.
Seeing that Law was determined, Kuro slammed the fridge shut, came in front of Law, and turned into a black harp in an instant.
Luo took the harp that Kuro had transformed into and said to Ging and Linne, "Stand back."
"What are you planning?" Ging asked.
Law showed a dangerous smile and said, "I'm going to play the Sonata of Darkness."
Both Ging and Linne had heard of the Sonata of Darkness before, so they were inevitably shocked when they heard Law say this now.
"Trust me."
Before the two of them could speak out to stop him, cut them off with those two simple words.
His tone and attitude were so resolute that no one could find any way to break them.
Reluctantly, the two retreated to the corner again, watching as Law positioned his fingers over the harp strings.
The Sonata of Darkness was one of the most unreasonable abilities in existence, as even an ordinary person could unleash its power as long as they knew how to play it.
Right now, Law couldn't use Nen, but he knew how to play the melody, and that's enough.
As he plucked the strings with his fingers, contradictory sounds, a blend of deep and bright, flowed out and echoed in the room.
Black mist bloomed from Law's fingertips like a blossoming rose, swirling behind him in an eerie dance.
A chilling aura silently spread, filling the entire room, causing Ging and Linne, who were standing in the corner, to subconsciously tense up.
Law's fingers moved faster across the strings, the melody growing more intense. The flowing black mist obeyed his will, surging toward the stone box and engulfing it in an instant, wrapping it in a dark sphere.
As the final notes of the sonata faded, Law felt something inside him being drained… his lifespan, which is the price of playing the Sonata of Darkness.
On the table, the black mist suddenly dispersed.
Law stopped playing immediately as the score had ended.
The lid of the stone box had been opened and placed aside.
'It's opened.'
Law casually tossed the harp away, and it transformed back into Kuro in midair.
Ging and Linne quickly approached Law and checked his condition immediately, but found nothing unusual.
Everyone had their secrets, and although the two were curious, they did not ask too many questions.
However, in Ging's eyes, Law had become even more enigmatic, as if he was shrouded in a faint, intangible veil.
Law turned his attention to the stone box, inside which lay a round object that looked about 60% similar in shape to a walnut. Its surface was covered with rough lines, and it was brass in color with a metallic luster.
At a glance, it looked like a brass-cast sphere, but Law knew very well that it was the life form called [Seed] that fed on flesh and blood, and was a truly bizarre existence.
Law really wanted to touch it with his own hands, but he couldn't use his Nen now, so he though he couldn't confirm whether the [Seed] was dead, he didn't dare to touch the [Seed] rashly.
After all, if the [Seed] still has life, then if he touches it without the protection of Nen, he may be sucked by the [Seed].
For a moment, the three of them stood around the table, quietly looking at the item in the stone box without saying anything.
After a while, Ging broke the silence. "A brass ball?"
Based on appearance alone, that was the only logical conclusion he can draw.
Law hesitated for a moment and said, "This is a seed."
Then, he told them all the information he had.
A seed… waiting to sprout.
No one knows how much blood and flesh this seed needs to absorb before it can germinate, and what will happen when it finally did.