Chapter 165: The Meaning of Companions!
"CLANG! CLANG! BOOOOM!"
The deafening sound of impact did not belong to the clash of weapons, but to the desperate struggle of flesh against nature.
On the frozen, unforgiving surface of the New World sea, a rhythmic, industrial cacophony echoed across the icy wasteland.
Bonk Punch and Lucky Roux, two of the Red Hair Pirates' strongest officers—men who usually spent their days revelling in music and meat—had transformed into tireless machines of destruction.
"Break! Damn you, break!"
Bonk Punch roared, his voice hoarse and raw. He swung his massive fist, coated in blackened Armament Haki, smashing it repeatedly into the profound ice that trapped the Red Force.
His knuckles were split open, skin peeling back to reveal raw flesh, and blood splattered onto the pristine white ice with every strike, freezing almost instantly upon contact.
Beside him, Lucky Roux was no longer the smiling, carefree soul of the party. His round body moved with the momentum of a cannonball, throwing his entire weight against the glacial wall. He was panting heavily, white steam rising from his overheating body into the biting cold air caused by Esdeath's earlier attack.
They used their fists. They used their shoulders. They used every ounce of strength in their battered bodies.
"Crack... Creak...!"
Finally, under the almost self-mutilating efforts of the two elites, the thick layer of profound ice let out a mournful groan. It could no longer bear the weight of their desperation. A massive fracture line, like a bolt of lightning, spread rapidly from the bottom of the ship's hull outward.
The icy grip shattered.
"It's open! The ice is broken!"
" The ship is moving!"
On the deck of the Red Force, the surviving companions let out a cheer of pure relief. It was the sound of men who had just escaped the guillotine. For a fleeting second, shoulders slumped, and breath returned to lungs that had forgotten how to inhale.
However, fate was cruel. The smiles on their faces lasted less than a single second before they completely froze, stiffening into masks of absolute horror.
At the very end of their line of sight, emerging from the white mist like heralds of the apocalypse, three figures walked slowly toward them.
To the left was Albedo, her black wings blocking out the pale light. To the right was Esdeath, tapping her rapier against her thigh with a sadistic smile. And in the center, walking with hands in his pockets, was the embodiment of emptiness, Ulquiorra Cifer. Behind them, the Rem sisters and the assassin Akame followed silently.
The sheer pressure—a mix of Haki and alien spiritual energy—rolled over the ice like a physical tsunami. The glimmer of hope that had just ignited on the Red Force was instantly extinguished, suffocated by the presence of these monsters.
"Damn it... damn it all!"
The blood vessels in Red-Haired Shanks' crimson eyes were visibly bursting. He stood at the railing, his knuckles white as he gripped the wood. He looked down at the ice, at the gradually chilling corpse of his Vice-Captain, Benn Beckman, and then at the two friends who were now standing alone against the encroaching death.
"Crack."
Shanks' fingernails dug deeply into the solid oak of the ship's railing, splintering the wood. His Haki flared uncontrollably, cracking the deck beneath his boots. He couldn't leave them. He wouldn't.
He suddenly pushed off the railing, his leg muscles coiling to jump down, intending to buy precious escape time for his companions with his own life!
However, on the ice below, Bonk Punch and Lucky Roux had an unspoken understanding. They had sailed together for decades. They didn't need words.
The two stopped their attack on the ice and looked at each other. In that brief exchange, amidst the howling wind, they saw the same determination and composure in each other's bloodshot eyes. They knew this was the end of their journey.
"CAPTAIN! YOU GUYS HURRY AND GO!"
"LEAVE THIS TO US!"
The two roared in unison, their voices overlapping to create a thunderous shockwave that shook the heavens.
Without the slightest hesitation, they resolutely turned their backs on the ship—their home. Dragging their heavily injured bodies, bleeding and exhausted, they faced the three invincible "monster" enemies. They lowered their stances, looking like two defiant bulls launching a suicidal charge against a tidal wave.
"NO! COME BACK!"
Shanks' eyes were bloodshot, and he roared anxiously, reaching out his hand. "YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR THEM!"
He tried to vault over the railing, but a pair of arms tackled him from behind.
"Let me go!"
"Captain! Hurry and go!" Hongo, the ship's doctor, cried out. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with soot and blood. He held onto Shanks' thigh with all his might, burying his face in his captain's sash. "Don't waste the intentions our companions sacrificed their lives for! Don't let them die in vain!"
Another executive rushed over, helping Hongo restrain the struggling Emperor.
In the cockpit, Gab, the navigator with the fierce face, was calmer than anyone else at this moment. He forced himself to ignore the tragedy unfolding on the ice. He didn't waste a second. He rushed towards the helm, his hands trembling slightly as he desperately spun the wheel to start the ship that had just broken free of its restraints.
On the ice, the charge began.
It was tragic. It was heroic. And it was short-lived.
Bonk Punch and Lucky Roux channeled every last drop of their Haki, rushing forward with a speed that defied their injuries. But what awaited them was an outcome that had been predetermined the moment they stepped off the ship.
They originally had no chance of winning against these summons, let alone now with their battered, exhausted bodies.
Facing the two pirates who charged at the front, Ulquiorra Cifer didn't even stop his steps. His expression remained as blank as a sheet of paper.
He simply removed one hand from his pocket.
"Zap."
A high-pitched sound of tearing air echoed—the sound of Sonído.
Ulquiorra didn't appear to move; he simply existed in a different location a split second later. As he passed the charging pirates, he swung his energy katana, Murciélago, twice. Casually. Without effort.
Two flashes of emerald green sword light dissected the air, faster than the neurons in the pirates' brains could process.
"Thud! Thud!"
With two dull, heavy sounds, the tall figures of Bonk Punch and Lucky Roux collapsed. Their momentum carried them forward for a meter before they fell heavily onto the ice.
Blood instantly pooled beneath them, dyeing the pristine white ice layer a shocking, vibrant red.
"Hmph, bugs are just bugs," Albedo commented disdainfully, looking down at the fallen two with her golden, vertically slit eyes. She brushed a speck of dust from her dress. "They never know their own limits, daring to try and stop us."
"Shut up, you idiot woman."
Esdeath, standing beside her, coldly glanced at the Succubus. A hint of appreciative cruelty played on her lips as she looked at the corpses.
"The spirit of sacrificing oneself for companions... it is a raw, primal instinct. It moves even this King," Esdeath said, her voice sharp. "You, a stupid woman with an empty head, understand nothing at all about the nature of war."
"What did you say?!" Albedo instantly flared up in anger, her wings twitching aggressively. "Are you pitying our enemies? Do you intend to betray the great Lord Suzaku?"
"Don't try to label this King with your petty logic," Esdeath scoffed, crossing her arms. "I merely respect enemies who are worthy of respect. Unlike a certain idiotic woman who only knows how to flaunt her power as a victor but understands nothing... at all!"
"Are you looking for a fight?" Albedo hissed, dark energy gathering around her hand.
"Come on!" Esdeath grinned, ice forming at her feet.
Seeing the two about to quarrel again right in the middle of the battlefield, Rem and Ram exchanged helpless glances.
The twin maids simultaneously let out a sigh, perfectly in sync. They skillfully stepped forward to mediate, acting as the buffer zone.
"Lord Albedo, Lord Esdeath, please calm down," Rem said politely but firmly. "The enemy is about to escape!"
Ulquiorra ignored the two women who were constantly arguing behind him. He didn't care about their squabbles. He continued his pursuit, walking toward the retreating Red Force.
However, as he took a step, he felt a resistance.
His pant leg was gently pulled.
He stopped, looking down. A bloody, mangled hand had gripped the white fabric of his hakama.
It was Lucky Roux.
The man hadn't completely died yet. He was clinging to his last breath, lying on his back on the cold ground. A massive wound crossed his chest, fatal by any medical standard. Yet, he used all his remaining strength to complete this insignificant action.
Ulquiorra lowered his head and quietly looked at the fat man with his calm, pale green eyes.
"Oh?"
For the first time, his hollow tone carried a barely perceptible hint of inquiry.
"With only your last breath... instead of trying to cling to life, you still want to stop me?"
"Cough... cough..."
Thick, dark blood continuously gushed from Lucky Roux's mouth, choking him. He spoke with difficulty, each word seemingly draining all his remaining life force.
"I... will not... let you... pass..."
After speaking, he looked up at Ulquiorra. Slowly, the corners of his mouth twitched upward. A simple, satisfied smile actually appeared on his dying face.
Ulquiorra watched him silently for a few seconds. The wind howled around them, carrying the scent of blood.
"So that's it... This is what they call 'companions'!"
Ulquiorra seemed to be trying to understand an interesting concept he had never encountered before in Hueco Mundo. He analyzed the illogical behavior of the human before him.
"To go to such lengths for companions... Illogical. But..."
"I acknowledge you."
He slowly raised the sword in his hand, pointing the tip downwards.
"Unfortunately, as an enemy, I shall grant you equal respect... Death!"
"Pfft!"
The long sword fell, precisely piercing Lucky Roux's heart.
Lucky Roux's body jerked once. His eyes instantly lost their focus, turning glassy and staring at the grey sky. The hand that had gripped Ulquiorra's pant leg went slack and fell limply to the ice.
The smile on his face was forever frozen.
"LUCKY ROUX...!!!"
"PUNCH...!!!"
On the ship, Red-Haired Shanks, who once again witnessed the tragic deaths of two more companions right before his eyes, let out a beast-like roar of pain. The sound was raw, tearing at his throat, echoing the agony of a king losing his kingdom.
Just then, the executive Limejuice, who had been silent all along, stepped forward.
He adjusted his sunglasses, hiding the emotion in his eyes, and suddenly gave the ship's doctor Hongo, who was holding Shanks, a knowing look.
Hongo was startled. He looked at Limejuice, then back at the hysterical Shanks. He understood. He grit his teeth and tightened his grip on Shanks, holding the Emperor back with desperate strength.
Shanks noticed Limejuice letting go of the defensive line. He was about to rush out recklessly, but Hongo held him even tighter.
"Captain," Limejuice grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. His smile was as hearty and confident as ever, betraying none of the fear he surely felt.
"Next, leave it to me!"
With that, he didn't wait for a response. He didn't say goodbye.
He gave Shanks a dashing thumbs-up, turned his back on the safety of the ship, and with a beautiful, acrobatic backflip, he leaped high from the ship's railing.
His figure soared through the air, flying towards the vast ice plain not far away, descending to meet the monsters below!
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