Chapter 163: The Emperor's Desperate Retreat
She increased the force in her hand, the muscles beneath her pristine white armor tightening like steel cables.
She could feel the tremors of resistance vibrating through the handle of her massive battle-axe, transmitting the desperate power emanating from the opponent's blade directly into her palms.
"Don't waste your effort, insect," Albedo said, her voice dripping with the golden, honeyed malice of a devil looking down upon a mortal. "Struggling against the absolute will not change any outcome. It only prolongs your suffering."
Shanks gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging and pulsing with the strain. He could feel the intense, searing pain radiating from the frostbitten wound on his waist—a parting gift from Esdeath—tearing open further under the immense pressure. The cold was seeping into his bones, stiffening his movements, but the flames in his single eye burned even brighter, fueled by a ferocious, unyielding will.
"If you don't try..." Shanks forced the words out through clenched teeth, his Conqueror's Haki flaring up to coat his blade in fierce black-and-red lightning, pushing back against the encroaching darkness of her axe inch by agonizing inch. "How will you know I can't do it!"
...
Meanwhile, far removed from the desperate struggle on the ice, the atmosphere on the deck of the steel behemoth, the Pola, was tranquil, almost jarringly so. The massive warship stood firm like an unshakeable fortress amidst the chaotic waves, unaffected by the freezing winds.
Suzaku leaned leisurely against the railing, a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee in his hand. The steam curled up, carrying the rich aroma of roasted beans, which mingled strangely with the faint scent of salt and blood carried by the wind.
He watched the distant battle, stained red with ice and blood, with a bored expression. He took a slow, deliberate sip, savoring the bitterness, then pouted slightly as he lowered the cup.
"Seriously, why do they have to be so tragic about it?"
He muttered softly, his tone full of genuine incomprehension, as if he were critiquing a poorly written stage play rather than watching a war.
"Anyone who didn't know the context would look at this scene and think we were the big villains—demons who burn, kill, plunder, and commit all sorts of evil, specifically arriving here just to break up a happy family of adventurers. Look at them, struggling with tears in their eyes."
Suzaku swirled the dark liquid in his cup, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the desperate resistance of the Yonko's crew.
"Clearly, they were the ones who didn't have eyes. They insisted on looking for trouble, blocking our path with their self-righteous justice. And now? Now they're putting on a show of 'we are righteous companions and will never bow to evil'... Tsk, this really leaves me speechless! It's the height of hypocrisy."
His complaint instantly interrupted the current mournful atmosphere that had begun to settle over the observers on the deck.
Carrot, who was happily munching on a crisp carrot while leaning on the railing nearby, immediately perked up her long rabbit ears. She swallowed her bite and indignantly took over the conversation, waving her half-eaten snack in the air to emphasize her point.
"Exactly, Captain! You are completely right! We didn't do anything wrong! They were the ones who insisted on rushing up to bother us with their ships!"
The mink girl puffed out her cheeks, looking aggrieved on Suzaku's behalf.
"We didn't provoke them at all! Captain, you were kind enough to give them a chance to leave. You even warned them! But they didn't cherish your mercy! Now that they're losing, they act like victims. This is all their own doing! You absolutely cannot be soft-hearted, Captain!"
Suzaku smiled at her passionate defense. He took another sip of hot coffee, letting the warmth spread through his chest, and said nothing more.
Soft-hearted?
Toward a group of pirates who came prepared to wage war against him simply to maintain their so-called "balance"?
That wasn't kindness. That would be having water in one's brain. In this world, power was the only truth, and those who challenged that truth had to be prepared to pay the price.
...
Back on the frozen battlefield, the tragic atmosphere continued to ferment, reaching a boiling point.
"Stubborn insect! Your persistence is becoming an annoyance."
Facing Shanks' unyielding gaze and his refusal to be crushed, Albedo completely lost interest in toying with him. The game had gone on long enough.
Her eyes turned cold, losing their mocking glint and becoming voids of pure killing intent. She stopped talking nonsense. She retracted her massive battle-axe, the black metal absorbing the ambient light. Then, with a speed that defied the bulk of her armor, she drew a terrifying black arc through the air.
The weapon let out a piercing shriek that tore through the atmosphere, sounding like the wail of a banshee, as it once again cleaved down towards Shanks' head!
This axe strike was without any frills, techniques, or feints. It was only pure, overwhelming power—a blow meant to crush flesh, bone, and spirit alike.
"You all, quickly go!"
Shanks roared, turning his head slightly to use all his strength to issue his final command to his companions behind him. His voice cracked with urgency.
"Leave this place to me! Don't look back!"
His single arm's muscles bulged to the point of tearing. The wound on his waist burst open under the strain, and fresh, hot blood soaked his clothes, staining the ice beneath his feet. Yet, he seemed to feel no pain. He poured all his Haki, his spirit, and his will into the blade of his beloved Griffin.
He went all-in to meet that fatal axe blade!
"Clang—!!!"
Another earth-shattering roar exploded across the ice field. The shockwave pulverized the frozen surface for dozens of meters around them, creating a crater of shattered ice and blinding snow.
The remaining executives of the Red Hair Pirates—Limejuice, Bonk Punch, Building Snake, and Hongo—looked at that lone figure standing against the apocalypse. Facing Albedo and the three powerful female warriors behind her, their hearts were filled with a chaotic mix of grief, shame, and hesitation.
But they also knew the truth.
Any hesitation at this moment would be a desecration of their Captain's resolve. Staying here with their injuries would not help him; it would only become a burden that would drag him to his grave.
"Go! Move your legs!"
Everyone supported each other, gritting their teeth until they bled. They dragged their broken bodies, placing all their hope and faith on that retreating figure, and began a desperate evacuation toward the coast.
Seeing everyone retreat, Shanks hardened his heart. He knew he could no longer afford to simply parry and entangle with Albedo. He had to create a massive opening. He had to clear the last obstacles for his companions, even if it cost him everything.
He gripped his sword, his eyes glowing with red abyssal light.
"Divine Avoidance!"
Black and red Conqueror's Haki lightning once again erupted in a furious manner! The air screamed as the massive slash of concentrated will tore through the space between them. This was his strongest attack, the same technique that had once belonged to the Pirate King, Roger.
However, facing this world-splitting slash, Albedo didn't even move her feet.
She merely raised her left hand contemptuously, her fingers splayed open.
"A Tier-Zero attack? How adorable."
A black divine shield, composed of pure dark magic and geometric barriers, instantly unfolded before her!
"Buzz—!"
The "Divine Avoidance," capable of severing islands and splitting the heavens, struck that seemingly thin shield. But there was no explosion. There was no destruction.
It was like a mud ox entering the sea. The terrifying energy merely stirred up a negligible ripple on the surface of the black barrier before dissipating into nothingness, absorbed and nullified completely.
"What???"
Shanks' heart sank to the bottom of the abyss. His eye widened in horror.
What kind of ability was that? It wasn't Armament Haki. It wasn't a Devil Fruit awakening he had ever seen.
To be able to effortlessly withstand a direct hit from his full-power Conqueror's Haki coating without even a scratch?
He instantly understood the reality of the situation. Continuing to entangle with this woman would only lead to his own futile death. He could not defeat her. There was no other outcome.
Shanks made a decisive move. He didn't pause to despair. Using the residual impact force of the blocked "Divine Avoidance" as propulsion, he feinted a second strike.
Then, his entire body turned into a red afterimage. He no longer wished to fight. He turned and chased in the direction his companions had retreated, his speed pushed to the absolute limit.
I have to make sure they get out!
He knew that the true "obstacle" was still waiting ahead.
As expected.
As the surviving Red Hair executives staggered towards their ships, panting and bleeding, a pale figure had silently stood there at some unknown point, blocking their path to "life."
He stood amidst the wind and snow, his white clothes fluttering gently. There was no killing intent radiating from him. There were no words spoken. There wasn't even an expression on his face.
He just stood there. But that invisible, oppressive feeling was more suffocating than any ferocious beast or roaring enemy. It was the pressure of nothingness—a void that threatened to consume their very souls.
Ulquiorra Cifer.
"Be careful!"
Building Snake, who had been severely wounded by a single strike earlier, looked at that figure with eyes filled with absolute terror. He clutched his bleeding chest and hoarsely warned his comrades.
"This guy... is ridiculously strong! I didn't even see how he drew his sword before he wounded me! Don't let your guard down for a second!"
The spark of hope that had just ignited in the crew's hearts was instantly extinguished by this bucket of ice water.
Looking at this unscathed man before them, standing with his hands in his pockets, and then looking at their own miserable state—all wounded, covered in blood, and exhausted—an emotion called "powerlessness" instantly gripped everyone's hearts.
How could they fight this?
Just then!
A red lightning bolt flashed past them from behind, tearing through the snowstorm.
"Stand back!"
Shanks stopped steadily in front of Ulquiorra, shielding everyone behind him with his own body. He panted heavily, but his grip on his sword remained firm.
He had arrived!
"Don't worry."
Shanks stood with his back to the crowd. His voice was hoarse from blood loss and fatigue, and his body trembled slightly, but the aura unique to an Emperor had not wavered in the slightest.
"I'll clear the way for you! Get to the ship!"
However, just as Shanks was about to burst forth again, preparing to fight Ulquiorra to the death to carve out a bloody path for his companions...
Whoosh—!
A sharp sound pierced the air.
A bullet, imbued with high-level Armament Haki, streaked through the air like a black meteor. It carried a spiral of destructive force, shot with extreme precision towards Ulquiorra's forehead!
Ulquiorra's deep green eyes moved slightly. He didn't block. He didn't dodge. His body merely shifted a fraction of an inch to the side.
The bullet, capable of piercing steel plate armor, flew past his cheek without having any effect, hitting the ice far behind him.
But this attack successfully attracted everyone's attention!
"Captain! You quickly take everyone and leave here! Do not stop!"
A familiar yet hoarse voice, filled with endless fatigue and unshakeable determination, rang out from the direction the bullet came from.
The members of the Red Hair Pirates turned their heads sharply, their eyes widening in shock.
"Vice-Captain!"
"Is that... Beckman?"
In the Valley of Despair, a ray of hope once again shone!
However, the cheers that were about to erupt from their throats abruptly stopped the next moment. They were replaced by a heartbreaking silence that was heavier than the snowstorm.
The tall figure slowly approaching no longer had any of the composure and calmness of the "Wisest Man in the East Blue."
It was Benn Beckman.
But he was a ruin of a man. He was covered in blood from head to toe. His cherished cape was gone, and his scorched uniform was ripped into rags, revealing gruesome, frostbitten wounds underneath.
Most shocking of all, several crystal-clear ice spikes were protruding from his back. The longest one had pierced completely through his left shoulder, with dark red blood gushing out and freezing instantly against his skin.
He walked with a stagger, each step leaving a bloody footprint on the white ice.
That was no "resurrected" reinforcement, but clearly a... severely wounded body with one foot already in the grave!
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