The well-trained guards all froze, staring at the scene before them in disbelief.
Their captain—the guard captain who had mastered Armament Haki—
had actually had his head split open by a pirate so badly wounded he could barely hold his blade?
How was that possible?!
Scarface himself was stunned.
He gripped the hilt, feeling the unmistakable sensation of the blade cutting through bone and flesh, then lowered his head to look at his trembling hand.
He had really done it!
For that instant just now, he seemed to see a sea of blood-red. Had he entered the state of emptiness his master had spoken of?
Even that expert's swift punches had seemed to stop for a moment in his eyes.
He had no time to think further.
"Cough, cough..."
The violent coughing made him spit out several more mouthfuls of bloody foam. After the surge of adrenaline from his counterattack faded, deeper Hollow weakness and searing pain took over.
His legs gave out, and he dropped to one knee, using his curved blade as a crutch to barely keep from collapsing.
This should have been enough. At the very least, Hikari had already taken Locke and his two brothers far away.
He had fulfilled his duty as captain.
"Th-the captain is dead!"
"Kill him! Avenge the captain!"
The guards finally snapped out of it and roared as they lunged forward!
Their training kept them from falling into complete disorder over their captain's death.
Instead, their attacks became even more frenzied!
Scarface watched blade light surge toward him from every direction, his heart turning cold.
That strike had drained the last of his strength. Now, even standing was difficult.
Was his life about to end here?
Just then—
"Get out of the way!!!"
A deep, furious roar exploded from the direction of the backstage!
It was accompanied by several incomparably sharp sword slashes!
Crescent-shaped azure sword light swept out from the backstage entrance, precisely cutting toward the four guards charging Scarface!
The four guards' faces changed drastically as they hastily raised their blades to block.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The four crisp sounds nearly merged into one! The steel blades in the guards' hands snapped apart!
The sword light did not slow, leaving bone-deep wounds across their chests as blood sprayed out!
A figure rushed out from backstage like a gale!
It was Gal, supporting a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was thin and dressed in ragged clothes, with an explosive collar still locked around his neck.
Yet he held a longsword he had somehow seized, its blade stained with blood, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
He was the first item auctioned off earlier.
The former general of the West Sea Kingdom, Amamiya!
"Captain!"
Gal helped Amamiya rush to Scarface's side and said anxiously:
"We got Uncle Amamiya out! But he's injured, and his collar hasn't been removed!"
Amamiya looked at Scarface, who was kneeling on the ground and coughing blood. A trace of pity flashed across his weathered face.
But it was immediately replaced by resolve. "Gal, help him up! I'll clear the way!"
"Damn slave! You're courting death!"
Three more guards charged in, swords and blades striking together!
A cold gleam flashed through Amamiya's eyes as his longsword drew three Hollow afterimages before him.
"West Sea Style: Swallow Return!"
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Three soft chimes rang out as the three guards' weapons were knocked aside at once, and each of their throats gained a thin line of blood!
They clutched their necks and fell, unable to believe it.
"Go!"
Amamiya shouted low, pointing his sword toward the window the red-haired woman had smashed through earlier.
His steps were somewhat Hollow. Days of imprisonment, combined with his recent outburst, had clearly exhausted him greatly, but the hand holding his sword remained steady as a rock.
Gritting his teeth, Gal hoisted the nearly unconscious Scarface onto his back.
Amamiya led the way, his longsword dancing into a sheet of azure light as he held off the continuously rushing guards.
But there were simply too many guards, and more kept arriving.
"Stop them! Don't let a single one escape!" a guard who looked like a Vice Captain shouted sternly.
The encirclement tightened further and further.
Amamiya's swordsmanship began to falter, and several new wounds appeared on his body.
With Scarface on his back, Gal could barely move freely, and he was nearly struck several times.
At that critical moment—
Crash! Boom!
The wall on the other side of the Auction House was suddenly smashed open from outside by an enormous force!
Amid flying bricks and stones, the three Fishman Boys from earlier were actually carrying a huge boulder as they smashed through the wall!
Before anyone could react, the three Fishman Boys tossed aside the boulder and scampered off again.
"Quick, chase them!"
Several guards at the front were about to rush after them.
Thud! Thud! Thud!!!
The muffled sound of bullets striking flesh rang out one after another through the dust from the broken wall!
The three guards charging at the front immediately fell, blood blossoming from their chests or shoulders. The wounds were not fatal, but they instantly lost their ability to fight.
The sudden sniper fire stalled the pursuing guards, who instinctively began searching for cover.
"There's a sniper!"
"On the rooftop across from us!"
Several dozen meters away, on the rooftop of another Red Tree building, a red figure knelt on one knee, faint smoke still drifting from the muzzle of her long sniper rifle.
It was Hikari, the red-haired woman who had led the three Fishman Boys out earlier!
She had not gone far at all!
The moment she left the Auction House, she had found high ground and provided long-range support with her sniper rifle!
"Don't stop! The sniper needs time to reload! Take down these people first!"
The Vice Captain roared sharply, hiding behind a pillar himself as he warily watched the opposite rooftop.
The guards regrouped and charged Amamiya and Gal, braving the possibility of more bullets flying their way!
Amamiya's pressure suddenly increased. His injuries were serious, and he had to protect Gal, who was carrying Scarface. His sword circle grew smaller and smaller, perilously close to breaking.
Hampered by the person on his back, Gal's blocks were clumsy, and his arm gained another wound.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out!
This time, the bullet precisely shattered the musket in a guard's hand, and the flying fragments cut his face!
"Damn it! Send two men to deal with the sniper on the opposite rooftop! The rest of you keep going!"
The Vice Captain cursed.
Two guards immediately broke away from the fight and rushed toward the Auction House exit, preparing to take a detour to deal with Hikari.
However, just as they were about to charge through the doors—
Boom!!!
A huge impact sounded from the breach in the wall that the Fishman Boys had smashed open earlier!
Through the billowing dust, a massive wooden barrel could vaguely be seen being hurled fiercely inside from somewhere outside. It rolled across the floor and knocked over two tables!
"Watch out for a trap!" The guards became suspicious, slowing their offensive once more.
As the dust gradually cleared, the barrel came to a stop, but nothing happened.
"Just a Hollow bluff!" The Vice Captain had barely breathed a sigh of relief.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three small figures darted out like ghosts from the shattered window and the ceiling vent at the same time!
They were the three Fishman Boys, who had returned after leaving!
They had no weapons, but each carried a large sack of brightly colored powder.
"Locke! You guys!" Gal cried out.
Without saying a word, the three Fishman Boys used all their strength to hurl their sacks of powder toward the area where the guards were most densely gathered!
Poof! Poof! Poof!
The powder sacks were sliced open in midair by the guards' swords and blades, and vast amounts of pungent, spicy, choking dust instantly spread everywhere!
Chili powder, lime powder, and some unknown fish-scale powder that gave off a strange fishy stench!
"Cough, cough, cough! My eyes!"
"Achoo! Achoo!"
"What is that smell?! Ugh—"
Caught completely off guard, the guards were engulfed by the dust. Tears and snot streamed down their faces as they coughed and sneezed without end, their formation thrown into chaos!
Those who inhaled the fish-scale powder in particular felt waves of nausea and dizziness.