Evernight Island, Bridge of Doom.
Time seemed to stretch into thick, sticky syrup.
Crack, crack
Every brittle sound was like the footsteps of death, hammering against the hearts of the four people on the bridge.
Falcon's breathing had already grown as heavy as a bellows, his lungs burning. The two gold tokens in his chest felt unbearably heavy, both the key to advancement and a death sentence.
His Observation Haki was running at full throttle. Not only did he have to predict the trajectories of the three killing intents behind him, but he also had to constantly sense the structural limits of every inch beneath his feet.
Five meters, three meters, one meter… the entrance to the lone peak pillar was right in front of him!
But behind him, Rock Mountain Grove's roar nearly shattered his eardrums:
"Stop right there!!"
That terrifying chain hammer swept in from behind with a howling gale, sealing off his path upward!
At the same time, from the shadows on the left, three poisoned throwing knives flew silently, aiming at his neck, waist, and ankle!
Shadow Dancer Sutherland clung to him like a parasite!
On the right, Poison Scorpion Vera's stinger needles poured down like a torrential storm, covering every possible angle of evasion!
Ahead was a dead end, behind were pursuers, and both sides were killing blows!
A true dead end!
Falcon's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
But in that instant between life and death, a nearly insane resolve flashed through his sharp hawk-like eyes!
He did not attempt to block or dodge any of the attacks; that was impossible.
Instead, he did something no one expected, not even his pursuers.
He lunged forward, not toward the platform, but toward the jagged pile of exposed rocks at the junction between the bridge and the pillar, rocks revealed by the earlier strike of the abyssal claw!
Pfft!
A dull sound echoed as flesh met stone. A sharp rock spike pierced straight through Falcon's left shoulder, blood spraying out!
But with that lunge, using the momentum and angle, he narrowly avoided the hammer's sweep, the knives' trajectories, and most of the poison needles, all within a hair's breadth!
"What?!"
Grove froze for a moment, not expecting such a self-destructive dodge.
But Falcon wasn't done yet!
At the instant his body collided with the rocks, the spike piercing his shoulder snapped with a crack, broken by his own strength and body weight!
Half remained embedded in his shoulder, while the other half, he snatched it with his still-functional right hand in a flash!
At that moment, his body rebounded slightly upward from the impact, stuck in the most awkward state, no old force, no new force to rely on.
Grove was momentarily stiff after missing his swing.
Sutherland's knives had just passed.
Vera's needles were retracting.
'Now!'
A cold gleam burst from Falcon's eyes. The broken stone spike in his hand, was not aimed at anyone. Instead, he drove it down with all his strength,
Straight into the cracked surface of the bridge beneath his feet, at an extremely precise point!
"Break for me!"
CRACK!!!!
The already collapsing bridge let out its final wail!
From the insertion point, a massive crack instantly split across the entire structure!
"Shittt!!"
Grove, Sutherland, and Vera's faces changed drastically!
But it was too late.
RUMBLE!!!
The entire bridge collapsed from the middle!
Massive rocks shattered and fell into the endless dark abyss below!
At the moment of collapse, Falcon used his blood-soaked left hand to claw onto a protruding rock at the edge of the pillar. His body dangled like a rag over the abyss, swaying with the falling debris, dangerous, but… he didn't fall.
As for the other three, "AAAHHH!!" Grove's massive body had no footing and plummeted with the debris!
But as a high-tier powerhouse, he roared and hurled his chain hammer upward!
Clang! The hammer embedded deep into the rock wall, leaving him hanging in midair, shaken but alive.
Sutherland reacted the fastest. At the instant the bridge broke, he turned into a wisp of black smoke and clung to the back of a falling rock, descending with it. He temporarily left the battlefield, losing the ability to pursue.
Vera was the most agile; her scorpion tail shot out, hooking onto a crevice above the pillar platform. She dangled in the air, barely avoiding the fall, but was stuck outside the cliff, unable to climb up for now.
In an instant, the situation reversed!
The doomed Falcon, with a brutal self-harming tactic, tore open a path to survival!
Though heavily injured, his left shoulder pierced, hanging on the cliff's edge,
He was alive.
And the two gold tokens were still in his possession.
More importantly, the only path to the lone pillar was gone.
For now, he was safe.
...
"OOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!!!!"
A tidal wave of cheers nearly blew the roof off the plaza!
Rehn had completely lost it. He tore open his pajama collar, jumped onto the commentary desk, veins bulging as he roared into the microphone:
"Did you see that?! Audience! DID YOU SEE THAT?!!"
"Survival in a dead end! Ultimate reversal, no! Ultimate breakthrough! Lieutenant Commander Falcon used blood! His life! And unmatched courage and decisiveness to show us what it means to survive after embracing death!!!"
"Self-harm! Bridge destruction! One move, three gains! My god! This tactical awareness! This mental strength! This ruthlessness, even toward himself, I'm blown away!!!"
The gamblers went completely insane!
"I WON! I WON! I bet Falcon would last half an hour! One million, five times payout!!"
"Damn it! I bet on Rock Mountain, it's all gone!!"
"That bridge break was insane! Who could even think of that?!"
"Medical team! Zoom in! I want to see that wound! This counts as work injury, right?! Will Lord Renzo reimburse it?!"
In the noble boxes, screams and fainting happened simultaneously.
"Ahh! He's hurt! So much blood!"
A young lady in a pale yellow dress covered her eyes but peeked through her fingers.
"So… so handsome! Even more handsome injured! That fragile beauty! That determined gaze! I'm dying!"
"Quick! Donations! Cover his medical bills! One million Beli, no, two million! Get the best doctor!"
Several weaker-hearted ladies had already fainted "happily" in their maids' arms, still clutching fans printed with Falcon's face.
Renzo had straightened up at some point, lowering his sunglasses slightly to reveal his gray eyes, tinged with surprise.
He stared at the young lieutenant commander hanging off the cliff, half his body soaked in blood, refusing to let go. He was silent for five full seconds. Then he clicked his tongue.
"This kid…"
Leaning back, he popped a peeled grape from Monet into his mouth.
"Good brain. Ruthless methods."
"Just a bit… costly in medical resources."
Rehn immediately leaned in, still flushed with excitement. "My lord, your meaning is?"
"Make a note."
Renzo said lazily, "If he's still standing after the match… send him to the 'Hellhound' Special Operations Unit. Someone ruthless enough toward himself is perfect for dirty work."
Rehn's eyes lit up. "Brilliant! Truly brilliant! This shows your care for your soldiers while maintaining efficiency above all! I'll note it immediately!"
...
Late-night viewing lounge
Donquixote Doflamingo swirled his wine, lounging with one leg crossed, watching the screen with interest.
"Fufufu… G-5 really has no shortage of talent."
He took a sip. "A Rear Admiral picked up the Flame-Flame Fruit, a blind man summoned a meteor, and now even a lieutenant commander can pull off something like this…"
Behind him, Trebol sniffled. "Behehe… Young Master, that Falcon kid looks useful. Should we…"
"No need." Doflamingo waved a hand.
"People like him are loyal hounds. They only serve one master. Renzo has already marked him, we can't poach him."
His gaze deepened.
"What we can do… is find more like him."
"And send them to G-5."
"Let Renzo's ranks be filled with people we recommended… fufufu, that's long-term business."
...
Evernight Island, nearby platforms
The opportunistic contestants who had planned to scavenge now stood frozen, chills running down their backs.
"Damn… are all G-5 guys this crazy?"
"He's that ruthless to himself… how ruthless would he be to enemies?"
"Forget it… I don't want the token anymore… I still want to live…"
"Retreat! Stay away from that pillar!"
Many began withdrawing quietly.
After this battle, Falcon's reputation for brutality was firmly established. For now, no one dared target his two tokens.
...
Edge of the lone peak platform
Falcon hung on the cliff, vision darkening from pain. Blood poured from his pierced shoulder, dripping into the abyss.
Grinding his teeth, he used his last strength to inch upward.
Every movement was agony.
But he couldn't let go.
Letting go meant death.
Below, Grove was still cursing, Vera was climbing, and Sutherland was missing, but surely alive.
He had to get up, treat his wounds, recover, finally, under the gaze of tens of thousands, his mangled right hand reached the edge first.
Then his left.
"Ugh!"
With a suppressed grunt, he dragged himself up, collapsing onto the platform, gasping heavily.
'Safe... for now'
Struggling to sit up, he took out the two faintly glowing gold tokens from his chest, gripping them tightly.
On his blood-streaked face, a tired but relieved smile finally appeared.
He won the gamble.
...
Seeing Falcon survive, the plaza erupted again in thunderous applause!
"Hero!!!"
"True warrior!!!"
"Pride of G-5!!!"
Rehn wiped nonexistent sweat and picked up the mic again with a grin:
"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's once again give the loudest applause and rewards to Evernight Island's survivor, Lieutenant Commander Falcon!"
"He used courage, intelligence, and blood to show us what a naval elite truly is!"
"And of course, a reminder."
Rehn winked, "Never corner an honest man in G-5. Because you'll never know how ruthless a quiet scout can become when pushed to the edge!"
"Now then! The Evernight Island midnight spectacle pauses briefly, but battles rage on in other zones!"
He pointed to other screens:
"Look! Zone 3, 'Flame Emperor' Shelby is grilling squid in a volcano! Zone 9, 'Ghost Blade' just cut down another unlucky guy! Zone 1, that old scammer is fooling his sixth victim with fake tokens!"
"The night is long! The fights continue! Bets are still open!"
"Viewers! Time to grab more caffeine, stretch those numb legs, and continue enjoying this, sleepless night!!!"
"WOOOOOO!!!"
The crowd reignited. Coffee and energy drinks sold out instantly.
Gamblers rushed betting counters.
Noble ladies demanded more snacks and blankets.
Marines excitedly analyzed the battle.
This night, was destined to be sleepless.
...
At the top of the Temple of Sloth, Renzo watched the lively plaza below, then glanced at the ongoing battles on screen, letting out a yawn.
"Quite lively…"
He pulled down his sleep mask and adjusted into a more comfortable position.
"Rehn."
"At your service, my lord!"
"Wake me at dawn."
Renzo's voice grew drowsy.
"If they're still not done by then…"
"Add a little something extra."
"For example… airdrop some supply crates."
Rehn froze for a second, then grinned wickedly.
"Understood."