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Chapter 541: Fate's Encounter
Chapter 541: Fate's Encounter
In a corridor within the Tenshukaku.
"Kill!"
The 'Bestowed' who had consumed the Artificial Devil Fruit, their bodies partially transformed into animals or animals occupying their bodies with humans reduced to accessories, and the 'Laughing Maniacs' who, after consuming the fruit, were affected by the joy factor and could only burst into laughter, charged at one of them.
The sword's gleam flickered, as if capable of twisting, it snaked flexibly, stabbing and twisting into the bodies of these people. It pierced through the last person's back, revealing a straw tip.
Puff, puff, puff!
The straw whip lashed sideways, tearing a gaping wound on their bodies, then retracting and transforming into a sharp blade. It was grasped by the man with wavy golden hair standing in the center of the corridor.
"Mortality rate, approaching 100%."
Hawkins placed a free hand on a tarot card and stuck it onto the straw tip protruding from a body. He glanced at the fallen figures on the ground, shook his head, and continued forward.
The battle had already begun here.
Samurai and pirates fought everywhere, samurai against samurai, and pirates against pirates, creating a chaotic mess.
"Hmm."
He stuck another tarot card, furrowing his brows, "Survival rate below 1%, not me, but the other pirates who broke in here. My survival rate remains at 3%."
"Is it fate?"
He swung his sword again, cutting down a group of Beast Pirates charging towards them.
Among these pirates, two were particularly interesting. One had a gorilla's upper body growing from his left arm, while the other had both hands and his back merged with a pink baboon, lacking only its legs.
"Is this the power of the Artificial Devil Fruit? That Caesar has indeed produced some results, but unfortunately, the effect still falls short of the original. Hmm, not everyone is suited to cultivating Haki and strengthening their willpower." Hawkins spoke indifferently.
They were well aware of Caesar's achievements, but Lord Sag had little regard for them.
For ordinary people at sea, even if they could awaken Haki, the minuscule amount was far from sufficient. Not everyone could skillfully master their willpower.
Although willpower was something everyone possessed, Lord Sag had once said it was the anthem of humanity.
Being an anthem, not everyone could master it skillfully.
Among their Calamity Pirates' 3.6 million members, only a few tens of thousands could rival the strength of the Marine Headquarters' new recruits. Only three hundred thousand dared to face the Navy in battle on the high seas.
These individuals had, to varying degrees, awakened their willpower, and some could also wield Haki, delivering powerful strikes.
However, those with both quantity and proficiency numbered less than a hundred, and only a dozen or so could be considered decent.
Including the Magnet Men, their strength, and Haki were not exceptional; only their physical qualities and trained martial arts were formidable.
As for the selected 1,700 elites?
They were merely better than the average.
But in the vast sea, they were all considered elites.
There weren't many proficient Haki users.
Devil Fruits were also rare, and those who consumed the Artificial Devil Fruit, neither human nor ghost, possessed combat power that qualified them as squad leaders within the Calamity Pirates.
Unfortunately, they encountered Hawkins, and...
"Hmm?"
He took out another tarot card, paused slightly, and looked towards the side corridor.
Swish!
The sword blade transformed into straw, twisted around the corridor wall, shredding it to reveal a relatively spacious area.
There, a group of people were engaged in a chaotic battle. Bestowed ones fought against each other for unknown reasons, and pirates and samurai clashed in a deadly struggle.
Among them, three individuals stood out.
"Explosion!"
A Longarm Tribe member slammed his chest, causing the bodies of most people to explode as if struck by a cannonball.
Amidst the smoke, a figure with an 'X' shaped scar on his chin and an 'X' mark on his chest emerged, dual-wielding a rapier and an axe. He slashed fiercely at the Longarm Tribe member.
At the same time, a masked man with only his golden hair visible from behind, wielding two spinning scythes, also rushed out, attacking the Longarm Tribe member.
(End of Chapter)"Sonic Shock!"
The Longarm Tribe member, with his double-jointed arms, extended his hands, revealing holes on his arms like a flute. As strange music played, he unleashed a shockwave towards the duo, causing them to quickly retreat under the force of the attack.
The man with the 'X' mark crossed his weapons, coating them with Haki to block the shockwave. His body also shifted to the side, blocking the scythe of the masked man who had missed his initial target and turned to attack him.
Clang!
Their weapons briefly clashed, and due to the force, their bodies were sent flying backward, forming a triangular standoff between the three of them.
At that moment, they all turned their gaze towards the distant corridor that had been breached.
Their expressions varied as they caught sight of Hawkins.
The Longarm Tribe member wore a look of astonishment.
The 'X' mark man furrowed his brows.
As for the masked man, his expression was hidden.
"Scychoman Ap, the 'Sea Roar' of the Flying Six, and Drake, the 'Slaughter Samurai,' are all from the same batch. It's been a while since we last met."
Hawkins casually strolled forward, then took out two tarot cards and placed them on the straw tip, focusing his attention on Drake and Kira, "Oh, my fate, does it lie with you two?"
"Hawkins?!"
Ap exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you here?"
"A subordinate of Calamity."
Drake spoke in a deep voice, "Has Calamity arrived as well?!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Kira let out a meaningless laugh behind his mask.
"The captain? He's currently raiding Kaido."
After answering, Hawkins glanced at them and said, "Drake, one of the Flying Six. Kira, Kidd's subordinate. If you two are fighting, it means Kidd is here as well, but right now, it's a chaotic battle."
"I read the newspaper. You and Kidd formed an alliance, like the Straw Hat and Law's alliance. But with the chaos, the situation seems different. Internal strife? Hmm."
Sheathing his longsword, he removed the tarot cards, shuffled them, and placed a few on the straw tip again.
"Justice, Sword X."
Gazing at the two tarot cards facing Drake, he said slowly, "Betrayal and Balance. I see, you're a spy for the Marines."
Then, turning to Ap, he continued, "You also have the Sword X and the Devil. It represents betrayal but also the power to tempt others to walk the path to hell. It seems the alliance was a facade, and you're Kaido's subordinate."
"As for you,"
Hawkins turned to Kira, his brows slightly furrowed, "The Tower, Power X, Death, and Devil. These cards indicate that you'll face great challenges, burdened by something, and restricted by difficulties. But the Devil here is illusory, and you might break free from these constraints. It's the guidance of fate."
Staring at the straw tip, he saw the Death tarot card, which seemed to fall onto his face, and said in a low voice, "Is it here?"
Without asking, Hawkins understood the situation through his knowledge of intelligence, grasp of the current affairs, and the divination of the tarot cards.
As one of the three masterminds of the Calamity Pirates, he had earned his position.
The results of his divination were unexpected.
With only a 3% survival rate, he found that fate pointed to Drake and Kira, especially Kira.
As the straw tip tightened, Hawkins removed the tarot cards, drew his longsword from his waist, and said,
"Forget it, whether it's two or three, more or less, right now, we'll all join forces. Ap, Captain Sage said that whether we win or lose, we'll enter each other's camp. But for future stability, let's have a fight."
He turned to Drake and Kira, "Drake, Kira, will you fight or surrender?"
As the first half of the New World was about to be unified, it was a prime opportunity to recruit new members.
What? A Marine spy?
They had no fear of spies; they were already like a sieve.
As long as they could get the job done.
(Chapter End)
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