Chapter 16: The Gambler and the Unlucky Spy
"As predicted... escape is impossible. Chance of victory: 0%. Chance of escape: 0%. Chance of survival if captured: 0%... While my death is not foretold for today, this feels no different." The "Magician" Basil Hawkins spoke with a hollow despair, recalling the three absolute zeros his tarot cards had revealed earlier. He'd never envisioned divining such a fate for himself. To encounter an enemy of this caliber so soon after setting sail… The probabilities when the Celestial Dragon was first struck hadn't indicated this. The Fourth Admiral was a variable beyond calculation.
"What a coincidence," Capone Bege muttered, a grim, sarcastic smile twisting his lips as he saw the line of fellow Supernovas ahead. Seeing others share his miserable fate made his own feel slightly less bitter.
Levi now walked with only Gion and a small, elite Marine squad. The bulk of the force was deployed across the archipelago, maintaining order and rounding up the scores of lower-bounty pirates—those worth millions or tens of millions. Against such numbers and firepower, even those pirates couldn't easily escape capture.
"To think we'd all be this unlucky. It's all those idiots—Straw Hat, Kid! They brought a damn Admiral down on us for no reason!" Scratchmen Apou grumbled, furious. He'd just been watching the show, and now he was paraded around like a trophy pet. They didn't dare resist or object. Only by staying alive was there any hope.
"Damn it… Didn't Fleet Admiral Sengoku say I was on their side?" X "Red Flag" Drake walked in the middle of the procession, feeling utterly wretched. Even my life lacks basic affection! He'd been planted by Sengoku himself to infiltrate the Beast Pirates, leveraging his Ancient Zoan fruit to appeal to Kaido's preferences. The plan involved his "desertion," a tailored backstory, and a future "chance encounter" in the New World. To be captured by his own side because of someone else's mistake… it was absurd.
Oh no, Fleet Admiral Sengoku thought back at Headquarters, suddenly remembering. I forgot to mention Drake is one of ours… Well, his target was the Straw Hats anyway. The others being caught is fine. We can find a way to release him later… He dismissed the concern. In a life-or-death situation, Drake would surely reveal his allegiance to another Admiral. And using a Den Den Mushi now risked the covert op being exposed. It was a last-resort measure. Everything was to ensure Drake could successfully embed himself within Kaido's rapidly expanding, Wano-fueled empire.
Meanwhile, Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law's crews had suffered the fewest desertions. Most remained, desperately trying to free their captains from the crushing light pillars.
"No good! Anything that enters this light gets pinned! How do we get them out?!" Bepo the polar bear Mink cried, clawing at his fur in distress.
"Move, damn it… just a little…" Law strained with every fiber of his being, trying to lift a single finger. If he could just move a digit, he could minimally activate his Op-Op Fruit powers. But the enemy was a monster of an entirely different breed. This beam of light made the simplest motion a Herculean task. A storm of furious resentment churned within him. Yet, the world was full of the unwilling. From the day they became pirates, they knew this could be their end. It wasn't regret that consumed him, but the burning fury of unfinished business.
"BASTARD!!" Kid roared, humiliation a white-hot brand on his soul. To lie here like a broken dog, completely powerless… it was unbearable! "I'M THE MAN WHO'LL BE PIRATE KING! I WON'T DIE OR BE DEFEATED LIKE THIS!!" His body crackled with electromagnetic energy; his fingers actually twitched.
In that crucible of extreme rage and shame, something primal erupted. A wave of Conqueror's Haki—raw, untamed, and powerful—burst from Kid. This wasn't a controlled release; its strength was tied to the ferocity of the emotion behind it, like Luffy's burst at Marineford that stunned the executioners. The spiritual shockwave briefly disturbed the three towering light pillars, causing them to flicker.
For just a moment, the pressure wavered.
Law seized the opening with razor-sharp precision.
"ROOM—"
A pale blue dome snapped into existence. In a flash of displaced air, three figures swapped places with three pebbles just outside the perimeter of the beams.
Under normal circumstances, Law wouldn't have cared if Kid lived or died; he might even have taken the chance to finish him. But now, with an unseen enemy of unprecedented power looming, he needed every possible ally. Kid's explosive will had created a sliver of hope. Survival, however slim, required sticking together.
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For every 50 power stones 🥳🥳