บท 170: Chapter 170: Ain and Tashigi Survival
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Wal Island—a small, desolate island covered in towering, lush trees, with an ideal but largely uninhabited environment—lay not far from the Red Line's entrance to the New World.
Typically, this unassuming place saw few visitors. Yet now, it had become a landing spot for the Beasts Pirates, one of the Four Emperors' crews.
"Those two female Marines and their crew landed on this island, right?" Kaido asked, gazing at the modest-sized island.
"Yes, they abandoned their ship on the other side, so they're likely hiding in the forest," Queen volunteered eagerly.
"Boss, how about I go in there with some of the crew and drag those two out?"
Kaido shook his head. "Our goal this time isn't to capture those two Marines, but to lure Byakuya out of the G-5 base."
"There's no need to waste energy on them. As Doflamingo suggested, keeping them alive gives us a better chance of drawing Byakuya out."
"But will just waiting here really work?" King, standing nearby, chimed in.
"We gave them enough time to send out a distress signal during the pursuit. By now, Byakuya should be aware of their situation and may already be on his way here."
"It's dull, though," Queen muttered, sulking as he squatted on the beach and started drawing circles in the sand with his finger.
Seeing this, Kaido sighed, "Fine, if you're so bored, take two people with you and bring those Marines back here."
"But don't kill them yet—they might still be useful once Byakuya arrives."
"Got it!" With Kaido's permission, Queen picked two close comrades from the Flying Six and led them into the forest.
Meanwhile, Ain and Tashigi were hiding deeper in the forest with around fifty Marines, their faces etched with grim expressions.
They knew the Beast Pirates, one of the Four Emperors' crews, waited just outside. If captured, they faced certain death.
The group carefully advanced into the denser parts of the forest, avoiding any traces of their passage.
But with the island's limited size, they soon reached the forest's centre, surrounded by towering trees on all sides.
Tashigi reassured the group, "Let's rest here for now. Ain and I will keep watch nearby."
"If they come after us, we'll use the forest's terrain to try and shake them off."
Ain, however, sounded uneasy. "But this isn't a long-term solution. If we stay in the forest, they'll eventually find us."
With a resigned sigh, Tashigi replied, "There's not much else we can do."
"I activated the distress signal when we abandoned the ship, so any nearby Marine ships should receive it. Let's hope someone comes to help us."
"Do you think if Byakuya-senpai hears we're in trouble, he'll come to save us?" Ain asked.
Tashigi answered with certainty, "Byakuya will come."
Ain forced a faint smile. "Honestly, I'd rather he didn't."
Tashigi fell silent. The truth was, both of them didn't want Byakuya to come. They understood that he would—yet they wished he wouldn't.
During the pursuit, they realized that, besides Kaido himself, the entire Beasts Pirates' top brass was there.
This could mean only one thing: they weren't just after Ain and Tashigi. The real target was Byakuya himself.
Combined with Byakuya's recent warnings about a group secretly investigating him, their suspicions solidified.
This was a death trap, one laid by the Beasts Pirates with Byakuya as its true aim.
It was precisely because they knew Byakuya would come for them that they hoped he'd stay away.
"Still… once he knows, there's no way Byakuya will just sit back," Tashigi admitted.
"Exactly. And that's why I like him so much," Ain confided, perhaps emboldened by the looming threat.
Playfully, she teased, "And you, Tashigi—you like him too, don't you?"
Blushing deeply, Tashigi mumbled, barely audible, "Yes…"
Ain laughed, "I knew it!"
Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, Ain's brows furrowed, and she muttered in frustration, "Too bad Byakuya-senpai is such a coward."
"He understands everything but still acts clueless. It's infuriating!"
She sliced through branches in front of her, as if venting her frustration on Byakuya himself.
Tashigi teased back, "Well, what if Byakuya came sneaking into your room in the middle of the night, huh? Would you welcome him?"
"Hmph! He'd have to be bold enough to try! You can't expect me to make the first move, can you?" Ain replied, rolling her eyes.
"But what if he did?" Tashigi pressed.
"He did?" Ain's mischievous blue eyes sparkled as she pulled Tashigi into a hug, laughing, "Then I'd offer you up to Byakuya-senpai, so he'd let me go!"
"You!" Tashigi blushed furiously, too embarrassed to respond.
Despite the levity, both felt a little lighter, though they knew that dying here would be the greatest regret of their lives.
Soon, the sound of trees crashing reached their ears from the direction they'd come.
Queen and his men were barreling through the forest, tearing down any trees that blocked their way, making a path as wide as a highway.
Queen called out as he smashed down trees, "You two had better be hiding well! If I catch you, I'll make you experience true pain!"
Queen, always eager to hunt down Marines, thrived on the thrill of the chase. The thought of cornering his prey sent shivers of excitement through him.
Plus, his hobby of experimenting with viruses required a steady supply of live subjects, and the fifty or so Marines here would keep him entertained for a while.
Ain and Tashigi perched on a high branch, watching as Queen and his two allies moved steadily closer to their hiding place.
At this pace, they'd be discovered in less than twenty minutes.
Tashigi turned to Ain, "Take the soldiers and retreat in the opposite direction. I'll stay here to buy you time."
"You're insane! That's Queen of the Beasts Pirates' Three Calamities—'Plague' Queen! You can't take him on!" Ain urgently pulled on Tashigi's arm.
"I know," Tashigi replied, gently shaking off Ain's hand.
"But if we let them search the area unhindered, none of us will make it out alive." She looked at Ain seriously.
"Don't waste any more time—get them out of here." Tashigi hesitated for a moment, but then her gaze hardened.
"If you make it out and see Byakuya, please tell him that I, Tashigi, have no regrets about liking him."
"I… I will…" Ain's eyes welled up with tears as she glanced back at Tashigi's lone figure on the branch while she turned to lead the others away.
Taking a deep breath, Tashigi leaped down from the tree, landing right in front of Queen and his companions.
"Well, well, look what we have here! One of our targets, delivering herself to us!" Queen sneered, eyeing Tashigi with amusement.
"What happened? Did your friends sacrifice you to save themselves?"
Tashigi drew her sword, Shigure, her voice cold. "You think we Marines are as despicable as you pirates?"
"All this talk won't save you," Queen smirked, signaling to Sasaki.
"Sasaki, this Marine is yours. But remember what Kaido said—not to kill her."
Sasaki, a towering figure with pointed teeth, a horned military cap, and wooden clogs was one of the Tobiroppo and wielded the Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit, model Triceratops.
He was ranked among the top fighters in the Beasts Pirates.
As a swordsman himself, Sasaki immediately lunged at Tashigi with his longsword.
Tashigi met his attack, but from the very start, Sasaki had her on the defensive.
With his Triceratops form, Sasaki had a raw strength advantage that Tashigi struggled to counter.
Each swing of his sword sent her reeling back several steps, forcing her to deflect his blows to avoid being overwhelmed.
Were it not for Byakuya's recent training in swordsmanship, Tashigi would've likely fallen already.
After driving her back with a powerful strike, Sasaki laughed mockingly.
"Is this all the Marines can muster? Looks like Kaido was too cautious bringing us all out here."
"If the Marines are this weak, I could take down Byakuya myself!"
Tashigi's gaze was steely. "If Byakuya were here, you wouldn't have the chance to be so arrogant—he'd cut you down with a single strike."
Sasaki sneered. "Once I capture you, I'll make sure you watch how I bring Byakuya to his knees! Horn Thrust!"
Sasaki charged, his sword splitting into three prongs aimed directly at Tashigi's abdomen.
Though she deflected two of the prongs, her arm was left trembling from the impact, struggling to hold her sword against the pain.
She knew Sasaki was holding back to capture her alive, a tactic intended to lure Byakuya into a trap.
But that was exactly what Tashigi wanted to avoid.
Determined to prevent her capture from becoming a weapon against Byakuya, she prepared to end her own life.
Just as Tashigi raised her sword to make the ultimate sacrifice, a familiar figure leaped in front of her, blocking Sasaki's final strike.
"Quit spacing out, Tashigi! Let's fight him together!" Ain shouted, snapping Tashigi out of her shock.
The two women joined forces, their coordinated attacks now forcing Sasaki on the defensive.
Thanks to their training and teamwork, Sasaki's body was soon covered in shallow cuts, his pride wounded in front of Queen and Page One.
"You've done it now!" Sasaki roared, his muscles swelling as he began to transform fully into his Triceratops form.
Noticing the shift, Ain and Tashigi exchanged a glance and wordlessly prepared their next move.
Taking advantage of Sasaki's moment of transformation, Tashigi lunged with her sword aimed at his eyes.
Before she could strike, Sasaki's clawed hand intercepted her, grabbing Shigure with a crushing grip.
"That weak attack won't work on me!" he sneered.
But then, Ain appeared behind him, her porcelain hand resting lightly on his back. Her voice was cold as she muttered, "Return."
Sasaki's transformation slowed, and, to his horror, he felt his body rapidly regressing.
His animal form faded, and his body reverted to its human form. But more shockingly, his physical age began to rewind.
Within seconds, Sasaki looked a decade younger. Panicking, he shouted, "What… what's happening to me!?"
Ain, perspiring but resolute, continued, "Return."
Sasaki's body continued to shrink, regressing to the appearance of a ten-year-old boy, his strength diminished to that of a child's.
His high-pitched, panicked voice was a stark contrast to his earlier bravado, echoing his newfound helplessness.
Queen and Page One watched in stunned silence, hardly able to believe their eyes.
<End Chapter>
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