NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: Chapter 6: "Separation"
The flames danced dangerously close, crackling and hissing as William and Robin stood resolute against the advancing threat of the CP9 agent. Their hearts raced as chaos enveloped Ohara, but the bond between them fueled their resolve.
"William, we need to escape!" Robin urged, scanning the surroundings for any opportunity to turn the tide.
"I know!" he replied, clenching his fists, determination surging within him. Just then, he caught a glimpse of something ominous in the distance—a warship, looming on the horizon, its cannons primed and ready. The urgency surged in him.
"Robin, distract him! I have an idea!"
With a swift nod, Robin darted to the side, drawing the agent's attention. "Hey! Over here, you coward!" she shouted, tauntingly waving her arms.
The CP9 agent turned, irritation etched on his face as he shifted his focus to Robin. "You think you can escape? You're just prolonging the inevitable!" he sneered, his eyes narrowing in contempt.
In that fleeting moment, William seized the opportunity. With all his might, he lunged forward, tackling the agent to the ground. "Got you!" he growled, dragging him toward the warship and its ominous cannons.
"Let go of me, you brat!" the agent shouted, panic rising in his voice as he struggled against William's iron grip.
"Hope you like fire!" William exclaimed, adrenaline surging through him. As they approached the warship, he spotted a massive cannon being loaded with an explosive shell. His heart raced—this was the chance he needed.
Using every ounce of strength, William propelled the agent toward the cannon just as the crew ignited the fuse. The cannon roared to life, and with a deafening boom, the shell was sent hurtling through the air.
"William, no!" Robin's voice echoed in his ears, but the chaos drowned her out. In one swift motion, he hurled the CP9 agent toward the incoming shell, hoping to use the explosion to his advantage.
The moment the shell struck, the world erupted in fire and fury. Flames engulfed them both as the force of the explosion knocked William backward, pain searing through his body.
As the smoke cleared, he struggled to sit up, vision blurred and ears ringing. He desperately searched for Robin, fear clawing at his insides. "ROBIN!" he shouted, but his voice was lost in the chaos.
Through the haze, he saw Robin being pulled away by two familiar figures, Nico Olvia and Jaguar D. Saul. Her eyes were wide with fear and desperation as they dragged her further from the chaos. "William! No! Let me go!" she cried, thrashing against their hold.
"Robin, don't!" William pleaded, reaching out, but the distance between them felt insurmountable.
"William is gone, Robin! You have to live for him!" Olvia shouted, urgency lacing her voice.
"No! He's not dead! He can't be!" Robin protested, tears streaming down her face.
In that moment, all William could feel was helplessness. He tried to rise, but the pain held him down like chains. "ROBIN!" he screamed, but the chaos continued to rage around him.
"Live for him! You have to survive!" Saul urged, pushing her further away into the fray.
"WILLIAM!" Robin's voice broke through the noise, a desperate cry that echoed in his heart as they vanished into the smoke.
William's world shattered as he lay there, the reality of their separation crashing over him like a tidal wave. The flames of Ohara roared behind him, but all he could feel was the suffocating weight of loss.
"Robin…" he whispered, his voice barely audible. Clenching his fists, determination ignited within him amidst the pain. "I will find you again. I promise."
But as the destruction escalated around him, William understood—this was the end of their childhood, the end of everything they had shared on this island.
The echoes of their laughter faded into the distance, swallowed by the chaos, and with it, a part of their souls—forever entwined yet forever separated.