Chapter 53: Betrayal

n the streets of the capital.

"Hawkins, I heard you are good at fortune-telling, can you read my fortune?"

Rorschach's face was full, and it was unclear what he was chewing. While running, he turned to Hawkins beside him.

"Pick a card from this tarot deck."

Hawkins reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of tarot cards stained with some blood.

"Pick the twelfth card from the top. I like that number."

Hawkins began shuffling the cards with a calm face, then drew one and placed it between his fingers to show Rorschach.

On the face was a picture of a man hanging upside down.

"Is this the Hanged Man card?" Rorschach said, uncertain.

Hawkins nodded, "Yes, it's the Hanged Man card."

"And what does this card mean?"

Rorschach was interested in Western divinations and occultism.

In the world of pirates, some individuals specialize in this field.

And Hawkins was undoubtedly one of the best.

Even if he hadn't yet acquired the ability of a Devil Fruit.

"The Hanged Man card means many things, but under the current circumstances, I usually understand it as 'sacrifice and a new opportunity.'"

"Sacrifice and a new opportunity?"

Rorschach nodded thoughtfully and did not ask further questions.

Fortunes are usually vague and depend on personal interpretation.

If you believe in them, they work. If you don't, they're useless.

Just like if you ask a fortune teller for the winning lottery numbers.

Even if you try to get an answer, the best a fortune teller can give is a poem, and they won't give you the numbers directly.

"Great, thanks, I'll give you an apple."

Rorschach smiled and handed him an apple.

"Give me one."

Drake extended his hand and took one.

The three of them bit into their apples with calm faces.

"I say..."

"Why are you so relaxed?"

Lao said with a face full of black lines, looking at them nervously.

Drake scratched his head and noticed a piece of bread falling from the sky. He caught it and handed it to Lao.

"Here, eat this to replenish your energy."

"Get away! I hate bread!"

Lao cried in panic, his lips trembling, feeling a great sense of helplessness.

He covered his face with his hand and said, "Why did I listen to this idiot and team up with them?"

Drake sighed and patted his shoulder gently, "I understand your feeling, Lao. At first, he told me he knew a way to enter the city quietly."

Boom! The ground shook, and long cracks appeared, with a terrifying white shadow moving underground, approaching them.

A few steps away, a huge crowd of capital residents advanced, waving various items like black waves.

The four started running towards the royal palace.

Suddenly, a mushroom cloud rose hundreds of meters high from the direction of the palace.

A massive explosion of fire and black smoke rose to the sky.

Followed by a violent shock wave!

Boom!

It felt like an apocalyptic storm had erupted in the capital, causing the fierce winds to slap the faces of the four, making it impossible for them to open their eyes.

This was the state of Rorschach and his friends, so how would the chasing crowd fare?

Except for the large shadow moving underground, the strong wind wave extended over the massive crowd of capital residents, making them fall like bundles of wheat.

Many fainted due to the strong winds.

Those who didn't faint suffered severe injuries.

Fortunately, they were far from the center of the explosion, preventing mass casualties.

"What a terrible explosion, what happened there?"

Lao put his hand on his forehead and looked in that direction.

But the capital was too dusty, and visibility was limited, so he saw nothing.

"It's a battle between Kujaku and the others! That terrible explosion, I hope Peacock isn't hurt?"

Drake swallowed a piece of apple, his eyes filled with worry.

"Look! They're flying!"

Rorschach suddenly shouted, pointing to some small black dots in the sky.

They focused their gaze and saw a group of people flying, tossed around like leaves in the fierce wind.

They were Kujaku, Beppo, and others!

Suddenly.

The ground beneath them exploded, and a deep gap opened, swallowing the four.

"Beppo!!"

Worried about his companions' safety, Lao used his operating room ability without considering his energy consumption.

"ROOM!"

The transparent operating room expanded to a hundred-meter radius, causing the four to disappear suddenly, leaving the giant monster to crash into the ground.

Swoosh!

The four appeared in the air tens of meters high, with Rorschach quickly using his technique to walk on air to catch Kujaku and Beppo.

They settled on a rooftop, while Drake grabbed four officers with his teeth and lifted them with his huge claws.

An explosion sound came from his back, creating a large hole in the ground.

Lao started using his operating room ability again to move the rest.

"Lao! You traitor! I finally found you!"

From the thick smoke, two shadows emerged, a man and a woman, heading towards Lao.

The man had long silver hair like a sword.

His feet exploded, propelling him upward quickly.

The woman transformed into a rocket heading towards Lao.

"Gladius, Baby 5!"

Lao waved his hand, moving the others to the rooftop next to Rorschach, then tried to escape himself.

But he forgot about his energy consumption.

Two uses of the large room had drained his strength.

Now, he wasn't as strong as he was four years ago.

"ROOM"

The room was forming slowly, then vanished like a breeze.

As he fell, Lao's face was pale, clutching his chest.

"No good!"

Rorschach, Drake, and Hawkins were shocked.

Rorschach moved quickly, trying to reach him.

"Hahaha, your energy is exhausted, Lao!"

Gladius laughed as he approached, attempting to grab his neck.

"I'll destroy you and present you to the master!"

"Damn!" Anger filled Rorschach, increasing his speed.

The distance was still too far!

Sweat dripped from Lao's forehead as he looked at Baby 5.

"Baby 5! I need you! Help me defeat Gladius!"

"You need me?"

Baby 5's face appeared on the rocket, her face blushing.

"I'm so happy to be needed."

"Bad! Lao! You little traitor! Baby 5! Wake up! He's an enemy now!"

"Shut up! I'll do anything for someone who needs me! Gladius, die!"

The cannonball that Baby 5 transformed into suddenly accelerated, hitting Gladius directly in his shocked and angry eyes.

Boom!

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