Chapter 88: Escape
Treating people like boxed cargo was something Issho could never tolerate.
The moment Forsyth said he had already "hidden the goods," the air in the room changed.
Forsyth himself did not notice it at first. He was still smiling toward Adelaide, acting as if everything were under control.
"What's wrong?" he asked with a laugh. "Brother Adelaide, haven't you finished inspecting the merchandise yet?"
Adelaide did not answer.
He knew exactly what was coming.
He would never forget the suffocating pressure he had felt the first time Issho pressed him into the deck like an insect under a millstone. The blind man was usually quiet, polite, even gentle. But once his anger was stirred, that gentleness became even more terrifying.
Forsyth frowned, misunderstanding Adelaide's silence.
He assumed the old man was unhappy because the merchandise had been moved before he had a chance to inspect it. So he hurried to explain.
"It isn't that I didn't want you to see them, but the situation was urgent, and I had to move fast. You understand how these things are"
He got no further.
The instant the word merchandise left his mouth, a crushing force slammed down on him.
Bang!
Forsyth's fat body hit the floor hard. His stomach was flattened against the polished boards, his limbs pinned so tightly he could not move an inch. The fat along his back bulged outward under the pressure, and the pain tore a strangled scream from his throat that never fully escaped.
His bodyguards fared no better.
The men who had been standing proudly behind him were all driven to the ground at the same time, their faces twisted in terror as invisible weight bore down on them from above. Some could not even lift their heads. Others could only tremble and gasp.
Even Hawkins' expression sharpened slightly.
He had seen strange powers before, but no matter how many times he witnessed it, that clean, merciless pressure still made the skin crawl.
Forsyth's face turned purple.
At first, he tried to shout. Then he tried to curse. In the end, all he could do was wheeze into the floorboards while panic rose in his chest.
This was no ordinary Devil Fruit ability.
This was something monstrous.
Only then did he understand why Adelaide had dared walk in with so little concern.
He forced his eyes sideways, trying to seek help from the bodyguard he trusted most, only to find the man sprawled nearby, shaking under the same pressure, his usual confidence nowhere to be seen.
Forsyth's heart sank.
Then the weight lightened, just enough for him to breathe.
A calm voice followed.
"Where are they?"
Issho stood where he had been all along, one hand resting lightly on his cane sword, his blind eyes lowered, his tone steady.
Forsyth greedily sucked in air.
"Wh who?"
"The people you kidnapped," Axel said flatly. "Take us to them."
The moment he heard that, Forsyth understood.
Adelaide had sold him out.
The old rat had betrayed Joker.
A curse flashed through Forsyth's mind, but his expression shifted almost immediately. He forced himself to calm down. If they had not killed him yet, then he still had value.
That meant there was still a way out.
"I'll take you there," he said at once.
Axel narrowed his eyes.
Too smooth.
Way too smooth.
There was definitely something wrong here, but he did not say it aloud. Tricks only mattered when the gap in strength was small. Right now, their side had Issho and Hawkins. Unless some hidden monster was waiting inside this building, whatever Forsyth had prepared was not going to change the final result.
Adelaide, meanwhile, silently moved in behind Forsyth.
He did not know what Forsyth was planning, but he did know one thing: if chaos broke out and Forsyth escaped, then his own chances of running would improve dramatically.
So for now, he intended to keep close and wait for the right moment.
Axel noticed that little movement and smiled to himself.
Old bastard. Still dreaming.
Hawkins said nothing. He merely watched Adelaide with those unreadable eyes of his. There was something mournful in that gaze, as though he had already drawn a card and disliked the result.
Without further delay, Forsyth led the way.
He did not take them deeper into the Chamber of Commerce.
Instead, after leaving through a side passage, he brought them back out into the street.
The town was still lively. Shops were open. People laughed, bargained, and chatted as if the island were nothing more than a peaceful trading port. When they saw Forsyth appear, faces lit up all around.
"It's Lord Forsyth!"
"Look, it really is him!"
"The town's biggest benefactor!"
Cheers rose from the crowd.
Some even waved enthusiastically. A little girl darted forward with a flower in her hand, cheeks red with excitement as she offered it to him before scurrying back to her parents for praise.
Forsyth took the flower with practiced warmth, smiling as he waved back like a beloved nobleman on parade.
Axel watched all of it in silence.
The scene made his stomach twist.
The town was prosperous.
The roads were clean. The storefronts were well maintained. The people looked fed, clothed, and content.
And all of it rested on rot.
It reminded him of Dressrosa. A bright kingdom draped over filth. A smiling face hiding a throat full of blood.
Issho's expression changed as well.
Though blind, he could hear the joy in the people's voices. That sincerity only made the truth uglier.
Forsyth led them all the way to the edge of town.
There stood a large building with a modest, respectable sign out front.
Orphanage
Axel almost laughed.
So that was the trick.
Outwardly, Forsyth was the generous merchant who collected and raised abandoned children. That explained his popularity, his public reputation, and the steady flow of food and daily necessities to the building. Everything had been dressed up perfectly.
A den of trafficking hidden behind the name of charity.
They had not even stepped inside before several townspeople nearby smiled and called out greetings to Forsyth. He did not answer this time. He merely quickened his pace and headed straight for the entrance.
Some curious residents followed anyway. Opportunities to meet the "kindhearted" Forsyth were rare, and they clearly cherished them.
"We're here," Forsyth said, stepping inside.
The moment he crossed the threshold, a figure surged out from the darkness and grabbed him.
It happened so fast that Adelaide did not react in time.
Forsyth was yanked sideways, out of their immediate reach.
At the same moment, armed men appeared from concealed positions throughout the building and the surrounding corridors.
So that was it.
This was the trap.
Forsyth's face, which had been pale moments before, twisted into triumph.
He had no intention of surrendering. He had only needed time to reach a place where he still held the advantage.
Even if he could not win, chaos was enough.
If he escaped now, then he could abandon this entire operation, flee by sea, and disappear before Joker's anger reached him. Losing the merchandise was a terrible crime, yes, but being dead was worse.
"Attack!" he roared.
At once, his men raised their guns.
Adelaide's eyes lit up.
This was the opening he had wanted.
The second the shooting started, he intended to throw himself sideways, use the walls for cover, and disappear into the confusion.
As for the blind man hearing him move
Under a hail of gunfire, how could anyone distinguish one old man's footsteps?
That was the fantasy.
Reality was much crueler.
Before Adelaide could even take a step, Axel appeared in front of him and blocked the path with casual ease.
At the same time, Issho's gravity pressed down again.
Adelaide hit the floor face first with a miserable grunt.
At the far end of the room, Forsyth was just about to make his escape through a concealed door when a few townspeople rushed in front of him.
"Lord Forsyth!"
"What's happening?!"
"We'll protect you!"
They had no idea what was going on. To them, the scene was simple: armed men, chaos, and their benefactor seemingly under attack.
They threw themselves in front of him without hesitation.
Issho's brows tightened.
If he increased the pressure there, he would crush innocent civilians along with the traffickers.
That single moment of restraint gave Forsyth the chance he needed.
He shoved open the hidden passage and slipped inside.
His men did not hesitate at all.
They opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots exploded through the orphanage. Screams erupted from inside and outside the building as the residents panicked.
Yet not a single bullet hit its target.
The rounds stopped in midair.
Hundreds of them, suspended like a glittering wall of steel, quivering under two opposing forces.
Then gravity crushed them downward.
Clatter. Clatter. Clatter.
They rained harmlessly onto the floorboards.
"Monster!"
One of the gunmen's voices cracked with fear.
Others fired again, frantically, as if more bullets could somehow solve the problem.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The result was exactly the same.
The bullets never even came close. They hung in the air, then dropped uselessly at Issho's feet.
.....
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