Chapter 13-god valley 2

Kuma's POV

"The games begin now!"

The tournament had just started, and those words alone had started chaos erupting around me. I started to run away from the center and while running, I started to hear the yells of desperate screams of those hunted echoing through the thick jungle and the laughter of those who took in the pleasure of killing the helpless. My heart raced as I sprinted deeper into the wild undergrowth, dodging roots and low branches.

"I had to find a way off this island. There has to be a secret path"

I kept looking for a hidden route — anything that would get me out of this nightmare Island.

I had to live, live for my parents, live for Ginny

.

.

.

[Ten minutes later]

I was panting hard and wheezing, sweat soaking my tattered slave clothes. My lungs burned with every breath. Staggering to a stop, I slumped against a tree, my legs trembling like they were made of jelly.

"Just… just a second," I whispered to myself, trying to calm my nerves.

The rustling of leaves and sticks nearby made me freeze. My ears perked up, catching faint voices.

"There's gotta be a way off this damned Island, I refuse to not acknowledge there isn't a way out!" voice one growled, rough and deep.

"You're dreaming," another scoffed. "No one gets out of here alive unless the Celestial bastards say so."

"I ain't dying here," the first one spat. "We'll find a way. Or we make one."

I swallowed hard, fear twisting my stomach into knots. I pressed myself tighter against the bark, trying to make myself blend in and not make a noise.

The men came closer, stepping through the dense foliage. They were pirates, no doubt about it — dangerous-looking slaves with wild eyes and cruel grins. One of them, a giant-like man with a face covered in scars, paused and tilted his head towards the tree I was hiding, and then sniffed the air like some kind of animal.

Then I heard his footsteps and the other's footsteps coming towards me while snickering, making my heart drop to my stomach

"Well, well," he laughed. "What do we have here?"

Before I could run, they were on me like wolves and pushed me onto the ground.

"Thought you could hide from me, do you boy?" the man with scars all over his head was the one who was looking for a way out, he laughed as he drove a fist into my stomach. Pain exploded through my body, knocking the wind out of me.

"Stop… please I didn't do anything wrong," I gasped and groaned, but the three pirates didn't care.

" Qui Qui Qui, Who told you to be weak boy, in this world only the strong live and the weak die, that's the written rule and you failed to follow it," said the second slave pirate laughing with his weird laugh.

Another pirate kicked me in the ribs hard, sending me sprawling onto the dirt. I coughed up blood, my vision blurring as they continued to beat me down. My body screamed in agony, but I couldn't fight back — I was too weak, too scared.

"Let's just kill this brat and be done with it," the third one said coldly, pulling a rusted blade from his belt.

"Good idea," the one with the Scar on his face grinned. "No point wasting time on the weak."

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the final blow.

Then—

BOOM!

The ground shook violently as an explosion ripped through the jungle, sending shockwaves through the trees. The pirates stumbled, eyes wide in confusion.

"What the hell was that?" one of them shouted.

BOOM!

BOOM!!

BOOM!!!

The blasts got louder and closer. Leaves and branches rained down as the explosions tore through the forest.

Then, like a meteor crashing from the heavens, it landed in front of us with a deafening thud, kicking up dust and debris.

And after a while, the dust settled down after a few seconds and in the crater, there was a person.

'It's him, from back then' I thought as a certain memory began to resurface in front of my mind

[Flashback- 1 year ago]

"FIGHT!!"

"FIGHT!!"

"FIGHT!!"

"FIGHT!!"

The crowd roared like animals, their laughter annoying as ever. I sat stiffly next to my master, the bastard lounging in comfort while smoke drifted from his cigar and then plunging the cigar in my skin to put it out, while others nobles saw this and started using me as an ashtray and now I have multiple burn marks on my arm.

'I hate them!. I hate all of them!'

But I couldn't do anything about it, I'm still too weak, too scared.

Then announcer's voice boomed over the arena cutting my train of thought.

"Ladies and gentlemen! For our next match—two undefeated warriors will clash! First, a pirate with a bounty of 500 million berries, Hyo the Red Fist of North Blue!"

The crowd went crazy. This guy was massive—built like a freaking mountain with fists that looked like they could crush steel. Blood stained his knuckles, and the grin on his face made my skin crawl.

"And his opponent… the one, the only, Shiki D. Yami! A beast with a perfect record—no losses, no mercy!"

The cheers got even louder.

Then he walked out.

Yami.

He was still the same, he was huge—towering over almost everyone at 8'5", with muscles scarred from battles. His blood-red eyes looked like it was glowing, and Yami came out with a calm face. He didn't smile. He didn't taunt. He just walked into the ring, ready to fight.

I couldn't take my eyes off him, for some reason.

The bell rang, and Hyo charged like a bull, fists swinging wildly. His punches could shatter bones, but Yami? He just moved—calm, smooth, like he'd done this a thousand times before.

The whole crowd went wild at the sight, an experienced pirate was being treated like a kid by a kid, no older than a 13-year-old boy.

After a while hyo backed off into a corner and then his fist turned black and had a smirk on his face and his face had a smugness to it like he had this fight in the bag, but it was the same Hyo throwing punches, Yami kept dodging them easily.

'He's reading him' I realized, yami is just not dodging the attacks, he is predicting hyo next attack.

Yami dodged every punch like it was nothing, then began going offensive, landing quick, brutal jabs to Hyo's ribs and stomach, liver. The sound of fists meeting flesh and bones breaking made my stomach gag. Hyo coughed up blood, stumbling back with shock plastered on his face.

"You call that a punch?" Yami said, his voice was neutral as if he didn't care for this match.

"I'll show you bastard!!"Hyo roared like a wild animal

coming at yami again, more feral this time. They clashed hard—fists flying, blood spraying, bones crunching, teeth flying. The dirt beneath their feet turned red and most of it was from hyo.

It was brutal and honestly satisfying.

But then something changed. Yami shifted his stance, his expression more locked in.

I knew that look I've seen it multiple times. It was the look of someone about to end a fight.

And he did.

With one punch to Hyo's chest, Yami sent the pirate slave flying across the arena. The guy hit the metal wall so hard that I thought the metal wall might fall.

Silence.

Hyo didn't move.

He wasn't even breathing.

The crowd lost their minds, screaming for more blood.

But I just sat there, frozen.

After announcing that Yami was the winner, Yami began to walk away with guards at his side and while walking yami turned his head slowly, and our eyes met.

My breath caught in my throat.

I don't know what it was, but something about the way he looked at me—it wasn't just a stare. It was bloodlust. Pure and suffocating.

My vision blurred, and I saw things—my dad, fire, endless pain. My darkest fears wrapped around me like a noose.

I couldn't breathe.

'What the hell is he?!'

Yami's gaze lingered before he looked away, blood dripping from his knuckles.

The announcer's voice echoed in the background, but I didn't hear it.

All I knew at that moment, that Shiki D. Yami was not someone you wanted to make an enemy.

[flashback end]

And now, here he was again, crashing down in front of me like a demon.

Blood-red eyes gleamed, he stood tall, cracks forming under his feet with every step he took.

The pirates froze, terror, etched onto their faces.

"Since you guys like to follow the law of the Jungle, then allow me to enforce that rule unto you," Yami said coldly, grinning.

And then he moved.

To be continued. . .