Jack landed lightly on his feet, sword at the ready. Redfield glanced down at the torn fabric and the small bead of blood forming on his torso. He lifted his gaze to meet Jack's.
"So," Redfield said softly, a genuine smile flickering across his lips. "You've managed to surprise me."
Jack held his blade high, his stance unwavering. "Wouldn't be much of a pirate if I was completely predictable, mate."
In the distance, a small, desperate cry pierced through the sounds of splintering trees.
"RED!"
Red's glassy eyes slowly opened. Next to him, Gibbs shifted his head with a painful grunt.
A flash of brilliant crimson streaked down through the broken canopy. Pato swooped in, flapping its wings in a frantic panic before crash-landing in the leaves beside the old painter.
"Red! Red!"
The old artist's expression softened. For the first time since Redfield had cornered them, the weight of fear lifted from his eyes. "Pato…"
The little creature hurried over, pressing its head against Red's trembling, ink-stained palm. Red gently stroked its feathers with his thumb.
"There you are, little one," Red whispered.
Pato's eyes brimmed with tears. "You're hurt! You're bleeding so much!"
Red let out a soft, raspy laugh. "I've noticed."
"You promised you'd be careful!" Pato cried, nuzzling into his hand.
"I lied, Pato."
"That's bad! That's really bad!"
"Yes… it is." Red's smile warmed, becoming genuine—the kind he used to share with the children of Trans Town when the sun was shining bright and the world felt whole. "Look at you. You've become so brave."
Pato shook its head vigorously. "No! I'm scared!"
"You are," Red chuckled, before a violent cough erupted from him, dark blood spilling down his chin.
Pato panicked, flapping its wings helplessly. "Red! Don't die! Please!"
"I'm alright, Pato…" Red murmured, though it was clear his strength was fading.
Footsteps crunched through the underbrush behind them. Van Augur stumbled into the clearing.
"You're flying too close to the sun, bird," Augur rasped, his gaze sweeping over the chaos—Gibbs on the brink of death, Red losing strength, and the fierce three-way clash unfolding just fifty yards ahead.
In an instant, Redfield's head whipped around. His Observation Haki had picked up on Pato's presence, and he immediately shifted his focus away from Jack, Dragon, and Crocodile.
His eyes zeroed in on the crimson creature. "Finally."
Redfield sprang into action.
Crocodile noticed the change in his stance right away. "Stop him!"
Dragon unleashed a powerful gust of pressurized air, but Redfield sliced right through it with a Haki-infused swipe of his umbrella. Crocodile launched a barrage of sand spears, but Redfield danced through them with ease. Jack charged in to block him, but Redfield slammed his shoulder into Jack's chest, tossing him aside like a ragdoll.
Nothing stood between Redfield and the creature now.
Red's grip tightened around Pato, shielding the bird with his own body. "No…"
Redfield appeared right above them, his free hand reaching down to snatch Pato. The little bird let out a terrified shriek.
BANG!
A single, precise gunshot rang out.
Blood sprayed.
Redfield froze in his tracks.
A high-caliber bullet had blasted through the back of Redfield's outstretched hand, shattering bone and forcing his fingers to open.
Slowly, Redfield turned his head.
Fifty yards away, Van Augur leaned against a tree, Senriku smoking in his hands. Despite his battered body, cracked glasses, and blood-soaked clothes, the sniper's aim remained unwavering.
Redfield stared at the gaping wound in his hand, then shifted his gaze to Augur. His expression tightened—not with rage, but with a weary irritation.
"You."
Augur chambered another round with a sharp click-clack. "Unfortunately for you."
Redfield's red eyes blazed. "I spared your life once today, sniper."
Augur adjusted his cracked glasses with a bloodied finger. "You failed to kill me once today."
A heavy silence fell over the clearing.
Crocodile raised an eyebrow. Jack, pushing himself up from the dirt, offered a faint, impressed whistle.
Redfield slowly lowered his wounded hand, blood dripping onto his coat. "You young fools… are becoming extraordinarily irritating."
Augur raised Senriku back to his shoulder, lining up the crosshairs. "Get used to it."
Behind the sniper, Red continued to stroke Pato's feathers. His smile remained, but his eyes shifted from the bird to Gibbs, lying broken beside him.
The decision was made. Red looked at Pato one last time, his mind settled on what had to be done.