Beckman felt an indescribable sadness welling in his chest. After living on the seas for so many years, he had never felt as humiliated as he did today.
He looked at Bullet and Shiryu, forcing himself to stand despite his trembling legs.
Staring at the two of them, Beckman felt helpless and furious.
"Two against one… a completely unfair fight. You two are famous powerhouses—yet you still join forces to attack me alone…"
Beckman had begun to stall for time with words — a tactic normally used by Shanks, but today, Beckman himself resorted to it.
But in his current condition, even speaking was difficult.
His injuries were severe—non-fatal for someone of his caliber, given enough rest—yet with the situation as it was, recovery was impossible.
Facing the two of them, Beckman could only hope his words would have some effect.
He wasn't afraid of death. As the right-hand man of the Red-Haired Pirates, he had long accepted that death could come at any time.
What he truly wanted was to protect the Red-Haired Pirates.
He was provoking them, buying time—because Beckman knew the Marine was already mobilizing its full force. Such an unprecedented formation wouldn't be easy for Elior's Three-Yonko Alliance to resist.
If he could just delay long enough for the Marine's super-legion to arrive, the Red-Haired Pirates might avoid total annihilation.
They must not be wiped out from the world like the Revolutionary Army had been at the hands of Elior's pirates.
They were the mighty Red-Haired Pirates.
"I think you misunderstand," Shiryu said. "This isn't a sparring match. We're here to cut you to pieces."
Shiryu vanished in a blur and appeared in front of Beckman, swinging his sword without hesitation.
Beckman tried to raise his gun, but Bullet suddenly appeared to his right, striking with a devastating airborne kick. Like a falling battle-axe, the blow crashed onto Beckman's right shoulder.
The sound of cracking bones, muffled impacts, and flesh being cut rang out simultaneously.
Shiryu sliced off Beckman's gun-wielding left hand and tore across his torso, blood spraying violently.
Bullet's kick ripped Beckman's right shoulder apart, tearing off his entire arm in a brutal burst of force. Blood spurted in sheets as the ground beneath Beckman shattered.
Both arms were gone—his right violently torn, his left cleanly severed.
"M-my hand…"
Beckman gasped. The pain didn't make him faint, but he couldn't even scream.
His face turned deathly pale, sweat pouring down, his entire body trembling violently.
The bloodflow was uncontrollable. His nerves were quickly going numb from the agony.
With no arms left, he had lost all ability to resist.
Shanks had lost one arm.
Now Beckman—had none.
"Don't worry," Bullet sneered. "Red-Hair and the rest of your crew will die soon enough."
Bullet had always despised the Red-Haired Pirates.
As a true pirate, he loathed Shanks's ideals—just like Blackbeard despised Whitebeard for having great power but no desire to dominate the world.
Shanks was a peacemaker—or rather, a nuisance.
After speaking, Bullet exchanged a glance with Shiryu. Shiryu understood immediately.
With a low growl, Shiryu swung Raiu. A surge of dark purple lightning erupted, forming a massive ferocious skull that slammed into Beckman.
The powerful slash struck like a cannon blast. Beckman's already broken body was torn apart. Fragile as tofu, it was shredded into chunks of flesh.
His head flew into the air—the only intact part left—and eventually landed on the ground, rolling a few times before stopping, eyes wide open.
Those eyes were filled with unwillingness, pain, helplessness, anger, and hatred…
And then, silence.
One of the New World's most renowned fighters—died in humiliation.
"I won't team up with you for the next opponent," Bullet said coldly. "And don't interfere either."
People from Marine would arrive soon. Bullet wanted to face a powerful foe alone—and defeat them.
He was dissatisfied with needing Shiryu's help earlier.
Shiryu replied, "As you wish."
Bullet kicked Beckman's severed head, sending it flying like a cannonball. It crashed into a terrified young Red-Hair pirate who was trying to flee. The impact crushed the young man's skull, killing him instantly.
"Cowards who flee the battlefield deserve death. Either face it—or be crushed by it," Bullet said coldly.
The battlefield was chaos. The fighting was fierce, but the power difference was overwhelming. The Red-Haired Pirates were being crushed, and their numbers were rapidly thinning.
Those who remained fought desperately.
To them, the alliance of the three Yonko was a nightmare.