Chapter Text
The battle was slipping from Kuzan’s grasp.
The thought had barely surfaced in his mind that his instincts screamed at him—move.
He twisted his upper body, just in time. The bullet that had been aimed at his shoulder tore past him, grazing his arm. And while it was not sea-stone, the sniper’s haki bit into his flesh, leaving a thin red wound that stung.
"Kuzan, please stop!"
His name cracked through the chaos, and he almost groaned aloud. The way these men were using his given name, almost with intimacy, was really starting to bother him.
And surrender? That was out of question.
Sweat clung to his skin, blood streaked his clothes in deeper shades of red and black. Yet he answered the sting of the bullet with another attack, trying to freeze the sniper where he stood. But the man slipped free, too quick, too practiced, dancing out of reach of the ice.
These men were fast, and strong. Of course they were, but that was precisely why he couldn’t give up. Because this crew would not stop until he was dead.
My love, can you hear me?
The words tore through his skull without warning. The battlefield dissolved, for a heartbeat, into a haze of pain and warmth. He wasn’t on the beach anymore—he was on his back, half-conscious, a shadow bending over him.
"My love, can you hear me?"
Where was he?
Kuzan felt groggy, a heavy fog clouding his thoughts, and a sharp pain was burning through his body.
"Come on, look at me."
At those words he almost expected to smell something akin to fine whisky and cold cigarettes, and for some reason its absence made his chest ache. Instead, saltwater and sulfur filled his nose, harsh and stinging.
Wrong. All wrong. What was happening to him?
"It’s all right. I’m here now."
That voice— Kuzan knew it. Too well in fact. But something about it grated against his memories, panic and fondness fighting in equal measure.
"Kuzan please… I’m scared for you."
How strange… Those words did not belong with this deep and powerful voice. This man did not fear. Not for himself, not for anyone—least of all for Kuzan. Yet there was no denying the worry in those brown eyes.
"I know they’ll kill you if they get the chance. They already tried once."
Someone had tried to kill him? Yes… that made sense. And of course, the other man had come to save him. After all, he would always come for him.
"I need you, my love."
My love… Those words slid into his mind like a key in a lock. Because this man loved Kuzan, and Kuzan loved him back.
Kuzan shook his head sharply, forcing the vision away. His chest burned as he dragged air into his lungs. He couldn’t afford to falter, not here and not now.
"Damn it, Captain—what do we do?" asked the sharpshooter, his voice raising over the noises of the battlefield.
"I don’t know…" came the answer, ragged with frustration.
They circled him like wolves, but none of them dared to lunge at him yet. Their hesitation was almost laughable, and Kuzan nearly scoffed aloud.
They knew how powerful he was. For all their infamy, for all their supposed strength and freedom, these pirates weren’t fools. They knew they would need to be careful if they wanted to kill him.
But though he still stood tall before them, he could feel it—his body betraying him, his strength bleeding away with every shallow breath.
"They want to get back at me, that’s why they are coming after you. They want to hurt me, and they will use you to do so, like the cowards they are."
Yes… It was to be expected with such a crew. After all, they were nothing but a bunch of cowards and back-stabbers.
"They already came for you once, remember? They have hurt you before."
And suddenly he did remember. A battle. The unbearable burn in his leg, his arm. Pain seared through the haze like lightning—and then softened again into fog.
Was it why he could not focus? Why everything was so fuzzy? That must have been it. The fog, the confusion. That was why his thoughts slid like water through his fingers.
It stirred something sharp, wrong. His chest tightened—panic coiling, ready to claw through the fog... And then a hand cupped his cheek. Firm, warm, tender. The man’s gaze pinned him in place, anchoring him.
"I love you, Kuzan."
The words silenced everything else. Doubt melted away, dissolved into nothingness. All that remained was the truth: this man loved him, and Kuzan loved him in return.
"Please," the voice whispered, low and steady, "help me keep you safe."
And the world narrowed to this man’s eyes.
“Stand down, Kuzan!” the captain barked, and the present slammed back into focus. The man’s voice carried authority, but under it was something sharper, something desperate.
But Kuzan wasn’t swayed. Instead, ice surged at his feet, spreading across the sand in jagged shards.
"Damn it—he’s not slowing down!" someone shouted.
"He’s bleeding out, Captain, he won’t last long like this!" another man’s voice —probably their doctor's— broke through, raw with urgency.
Kuzan’s teeth clenched at the truth behind that statement, and he pushed forward, frost coiling up his arm. The sniper fired again, haki crackling in the bullet, but this time Kuzan’s ice caught it midair.
The sharpshooter rolled aside, narrowly avoiding being trapped by Kuzan’s counterattack, but the ice wielder had anticipated it and was ready.
However, just as he was about to finally neutralize the other man, a blur of steel intercepted Kuzan’s next attack, sparks flying as a blade cut through the frost.
Kuzan’s gaze snapped to the swordsman. Golden eyes regarded him with an unreadable calm, and for a heartbeat, Kuzan faltered. Something in those eyes—too steady, too sure—gnawed at his focus. But he forced it away, frost coiling up his arm in one final desperate strike.
He hurled another wave of ice forward, but the swordsman didn’t flinch. His blade moved once, the gest fluid, effortless.
Yet the fatal blow never came. Instead, the swordsman surged forward with terrifying speed. A flicker of motion, a blur of steel—and then the hilt of the sword cracked hard against the side of Kuzan’s head.
White pain bloomed in his skull, his knees buckled, and the world tilting sideways. Kuzan’s vision swam, colors bleeding into darkness. He tried to summon ice one last time, but nothing came.
His last thought went to the man that meant the world to him.
I love you, Sakazuki.
And then the dark swallowed him whole.