Chapter 1618 Ancient Fear
Capone Bege's telepathic connection suggests that the pirates, driven by some unseen competitive spirit, have once again taken the initiative.
Hawkins took a step forward more eagerly than anyone else present, even staggering slightly from the speed of his movement.
He approached the counter, his voice hoarse with urgency: "I don't just want to become stronger, I just want to predict my fate more accurately, I want to live longer and avoid those deadly probabilities."
This was his deepest obsession, almost an instinct.
Hawkins was immersed in divination from a young age, and later he obtained the Straw Fruit. All his behavior was based on anticipating and transferring risks.
In previous battles, especially when facing the overwhelming power of the Five Elders, his divination and Stand abilities, which he relied on for survival, seemed so powerless.
He felt that his ability to glimpse fate had hit a ceiling, and he became more superstitious about divination, but also more afraid of its limitations.
He believed that only by understanding fate could he truly save himself from countless future calamities.
The shop owner listened quietly to Hawkins's request, then turned back to face the deep cabinet, where a rather inconspicuous box could be found.
The shopkeeper placed the box on the counter, gently ran his fingers across the leather surface, and opened it in front of Hawkins. Inside lay a tarot deck.
The back of the card has a deep starry sky background with indescribable, seemingly wriggling silver patterns floating on it.
The deck looks a bit old with rounded edges, but it is exceptionally well-preserved. Most importantly, the deck has never been opened and remains in its complete sealed state.
The shop owner's voice was calm, yet carried the air of someone introducing a rare item: "This deck of cards came from an old woman, but unfortunately, she followed the wrong master, which is why it ended up with me."
"Using it for divination, one can glimpse the truth hidden beneath the dust of the past, see the threads in the fog of the present, and even, to a certain extent, reflect some tributaries in the torrent of the future."
"Most importantly, it is extremely difficult for external factors to interfere with or shield it; ordinary forces can hardly distort the trajectory it reveals."
He gently picked up a card, showing its special material: "It is impervious to water and fire, and cannot be destroyed by ordinary forces. For you, it should be a more handy divination tool than those ordinary cards you've used before."
Hawkins' breathing suddenly quickened, and the desire in his eyes burned like wildfire, impossible to conceal any longer.
When I entered the store just now, the divination cards that I cherished instantly burst into ashes. I still vividly remember the helplessness and fear I felt.
Now, this tarot deck, which the shop owner described as so miraculous, is practically the ultimate treasure tailor-made for him.
With it, he could see danger more clearly, avoid death more accurately, and even glimpse some secrets about the shop and even the shop owner in front of him.
However, after the euphoria came a deeper chill.
The more powerful and magical the card's function, the more astonishing the price that must be paid!
Kaku sacrificed 25 years of his lifespan and future potential, Capone Becky sacrificed the future of his offspring, so what about himself?
"What price will I have to pay?"
Hawkins' voice trembled slightly as he stared intently at the tarot deck, as if it were a drowning person's lifeline, knowing it might be poisonous but having no choice but to grasp it.
Upon hearing this question, a clear smile appeared on the shop owner's lips. He could make a big deal out of Hawkins; it was a rare breakthrough point.
"You can't afford this price..."
The shopkeeper's gaze did not fall on Hawkins, but instead passed over him and fell on a shadowy corner in the shop that was not fully illuminated by the oil lamp.
These words plunged Hawkins into an icy abyss.
"You don't need to pay anymore. Since Federico is here, come out and see me."
Who is Federico?!
Everyone in the shop, including Kid, Lucci, Luffy, and the Eren siblings, felt a strange, instinctive chill.
The name was unfamiliar, but the shop owner's tone and posture at that moment clearly indicated that he was speaking to someone who had been lurking there for a long time.
As an agent, Lucci was hearing the name Federico for the first time; it was a name that had never appeared in the World Government's intelligence.
Judging from the shop owner's attitude, he values Federico very much. Lucci doesn't even know the shop owner's name. Everything about this shop is shrouded in mystery.
"Uh... Ahh..."
Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Hawkins, who was standing in front of the counter, suddenly let out a painful, inhuman groan.
His originally normal human pupils began to spread uncontrollably and turn red, the whites of his eyes were quickly covered by spider web-like blood vessels, and finally turned into two dark, empty holes that seemed to be burning with dark red embers.
His body began to twist and twitch unnaturally, his joints creaked, his arms stiffly rose and then fell limply, swinging back and forth in a bizarre manner, like a scarecrow swaying in the wind in a field.
Even though Hawkins didn't open his mouth, the hoarse, mournful cawing of crows suddenly echoed through the shop.
The sound did not come from one place, but from all directions, from the shadows and even from the depths of everyone's hearts, layer upon layer, carrying an aura of ominousness and death.
"No, retreat!" Lucci shouted first, dragging the not-yet-fully-recovered Kaku back quickly.
Kidd instantly picked up Capone Bege's massive head and retreated abruptly to the wall, while Luffy unusually displayed an extremely wary expression.
Alan and Ada also stepped back, retreating behind the crowd. At this point, nothing that happened in the shop would be surprising to anyone.
Everyone realized something was wrong; a terrifying change was taking place in Hawkins.
Hawkins' clothes began to tear and decay on their own, as if weathered by the passage of time.
What was revealed beneath the crack was not flesh and blood, but withered, twisted, and tangled dark yellow straw. The straw seemed to have a life of its own, growing out of his body and quickly covering and replacing his original body.
His head was also deformed, his features blurred, and it was eventually replaced by a simple and tattered straw head. Only where his eyes were, two dark red lights were burning.
In just a few breaths, magician Basil Hawkins had vanished; he might not even be human anymore.
Standing in place was a dilapidated scarecrow, about two people tall, exuding an aura of endless death and ancient fear.
It stood there quietly, its head slightly tilted, as if watching everyone in the store.
A deep, hoarse voice, a blend of countless painful sobs, crow cries, and the howling of the wind, emanated from the straw body: "I'm lost..."
"Can someone help me?"
