Although the most troublesome Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu, lay silent, Ben Beckman showed no trace of relief on his face. He had only destroyed two blades, mere creations of Rosen's Arms-Arms Fruit power. For all he knew, Rosen could manifest an entirely new Katen Kyōkotsu at will. Even if he couldn't, the victory felt hollow.
Ben Beckman could not find peace. If Hongo, initially gravely wounded by Katen, still had a chance of survival, then Rem Jones, instantly killed by Suzumebachi's Jakuhō Raikōben, was truly gone. Even if Rosen could never recreate those Zanpakutō again, it wouldn't change the harsh reality: the Red-Haired Pirates had permanently lost a key crewmate.
"Your turn!"
Fueled by rage and the need for vengeance, Ben Beckman raised his flintlock rifle, aiming at Suzumebachi, who was embedded in the fortress wall in the distance. He would shoot down every Zanpakutō Rosen had created, one by one. This was how he would appease Rem Jones' spirit in the afterlife.
"Heh heh heh!"
Targeted by the gun of the Red-Haired Pirates' first mate, any normal opponent would have despaired. Yet Suzumebachi, thrown back by the recoil of the Bankai and lodged in the wall, merely laughed—a sound filled with pity and mockery.
"Go back to hell and keep laughing!"
Ben Beckman didn't care why Suzumebachi laughed. Right now, his only objective was to eliminate every Zanpakutō in his sight. He would use their destruction to honor Rem Jones' memory.
Just as Ben Beckman's finger tightened on the trigger, a chilling, bone-deep cold seized him. It was far colder than the frost emanating from Sode no Shirayuki's Bankai. This wasn't mere temperature; it was a spiritual pressure that pierced the soul, striking directly at the will.
It's getting colder?
Before Ben Beckman could analyze the shift, the environment darkened visibly. Eerie shadows resembling black pines stretched across the ground beneath his feet.
"What is this?"
Ben Beckman shifted his gaze to the periphery. He saw Hana, whom he had shot through the heart with a Haki-infused bullet and believed dead, floating upright. Kyokotsu, similarly shot through the heart, rose alongside her.
"Bankai," Katen stated, staring intently at Ben Beckman. "Katen Kyōkotsu: Kushinshū."
As the murmured words fell, an aura of absolute chill surged, tightening around Ben Beckman like a vice.
"How is this possible?"
Ben Beckman's pupils constricted. "Even with his heart pierced, he cannot be killed? Are all Zanpakutō unkillable? Or are these two uniquely resilient?"
Faced with this sudden reversal, thoughts raced through his mind. He immediately dismissed the notion of invulnerability. Regardless of their bizarre nature, Zanpakutō were products of a Devil Fruit ability; strong enough Haki should destroy them completely. If they survived, it implied his Haki wasn't absolute—though Ben Beckman stood at the pinnacle of Haki mastery, surpassed by few.
"You..." Ben Beckman gritted his teeth. "You are truly reckless. You forced Hana and Kotori to reveal their Bankai."
At this moment, Suzumebachi pulled free from the wall. Instead of joining the fray against Hana and Ben Beckman, she kept her distance, seemingly wary of collateral damage.
"What do you mean?" Ben Beckman demanded, the bizarre situation and Suzumebachi's undisguised sarcasm fueling a strange unease.
"When we Zanpakutō were created by Lord Rosen," Suzumebachi explained, her voice taunting, "we secretly engaged in an internal war to determine who was the strongest. You don't need to know the outcome. You only need to know that even the strongest among us—Hyōrinmaru, or even the arrogant Zangetsu—are reluctant to fight Hana-nee when she is serious."
Suzumebachi didn't attack. Firstly, she hadn't recovered enough to unleash a second Jakuhō Raikōben. Secondly, it was unnecessary. In her view, the battle was decided the moment Hana-nee activated her Bankai.
"Is that so?" Ben Beckman's expression remained immovable. A king of his caliber, possessing unwavering will, would not be intimidated by idle threats.
Since the first Haki bullet hadn't completely killed Katen Kyōkotsu, he would fire another shot, imbuing it with even more potent Haki than the first.
Crackle.
Accompanied by the sound of crackling lightning, visible black and red lightning wreathed the pistol in Ben Beckman's hand. He had coated the bullet in Armament Haki and infused it with Conqueror's Haki.
"If I were you," Katen said, her voice icy, ignoring the gun aimed at her, "I would use Observation Haki to foresee the future before firing that second shot."
She glanced down at her left chest, where the bullet had pierced her. Seeing the wound on her breasts—the source of her pride as a woman—her eyes turned as cold as steel. Even if Rosen could heal the damage later, Hana's anger and murderous intent were absolute.
"Foreseeing the future?"
Hearing this, Ben Beckman's finger paused on the trigger. Whether out of caution or instinct, he complied, activating his Observation Haki to peer into the future.
What he saw made his expression shift instantly.
"First Stage: Hesitation and Wound Sharing!" Hana murmured, a slight smile playing on her lips as a chilling killing intent washed over the area.
Thud.
Color drained from Ben Beckman's face. His body trembled violently as a bullet hole appeared in his left chest—the same location and size as the wound on Hana's body.
But simultaneously, a deep gash tore open on Hana's back, mirroring the injury Ben Beckman had sustained earlier from Shadow Demon.
"Is this your Bankai?" Ben Beckman groaned, blood seeping from both the corner of his mouth and the hole in his chest. "A bizarre ability. It shares the damage I inflicted on you directly to me. No—it's mutual sharing. You slashed me, so you bear the damage of that slash as well."
"Oh?" Hana observed Ben Beckman, surprised he was still standing. "Your bullet pierced my left chest; your heart should be pierced too. How did you survive?"
She quickly understood. "I see. You used Armament Haki to resist the Devil Fruit's power. Haki... as always, is utterly detestable."
Ben Beckman let out a shaky breath. "I almost died." A shadow crossed his face, though he felt a sliver of fortune. Having witnessed Lawson's solo raid on Wang Zhi's crew and the terrifying effectiveness of the God-Slaying Spear, combined with his naturally cautious personality, he hadn't hesitated to expend Haki when facing these unknown Zanpakutō. He constantly maintained covert Armament Haki to defend against their strange abilities, hoping to at least mitigate the damage. To avoid being killed instantly upon first contact.
Thus, while struck by the "Hesitation" wound-sharing attack, the active Armament Haki had resisted the full lethality of Kyōkotsu: Withered Pine. Though the rule-based ability was too powerful to completely negate, he avoided instant death, retaining combat capability.
"It's too early to be relieved," Hana said with a half-smile, sensing his hidden relief. "First Mate... have you forgotten? The bullets you fired weren't just one. They were two."
"Are you insane?" Ben Beckman's expression shifted drastically. He finally realized the trap. "Your Bankai doesn't just share your injuries with me—it shares all injuries between us. But don't forget, as Zanpakutō, you lack Armament Haki. A double piercing of the heart, shared simultaneously, will kill us all."
"I appreciate your concern," Katen's lips curled into a dazzling yet dangerous smile. "But who said we would die?"
"Ichi-moku: Hesitation and Wound Sharing!"
Kyokotsu activated his Bankai ability in response.
"Hngh!"
The agony of a second heart-piercing wound was shared among all three. Katen, Kyokotsu, and Ben Beckman simultaneously groaned in pain. A stream of scarlet blood erupted from Ben Beckman's left chest like a fountain.
He swayed violently, his knees buckling as he collapsed at the entrance to the Judge's Forbidden Zone.
In contrast, Katen and Kyokotsu—despite lacking any Haki and bearing fatal injuries—managed to stand steadily after suppressing their groans of pain. Unlike Ben Beckman, who lay in a pathetic, kneeling heap, the Zanpakutō remained standing.
—-
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