Fortunately, the remaining crew members had been incapacitated by the powerful electric current Hikaru applied to Capone Bege. They were on the brink of death, and even falling ten meters wouldn't rouse them or cause pain.
"You monster!" the gang members cried out. "You've already shocked us senseless! We've suffered enough, and you still want to revive us just to inflict more pain?"
Taking a moment, Hikaru felt the immense power of his Devil Fruit, the Castle-Castle Fruit, surge within him. He realized Capone Bege's development of its abilities was far too conservative.
"It's a simple concept," he mused. "Who said a fortified castle's door can only open around the waist or abdomen?"
He extended his palm like a gate and slapped his target. Upon contact with the Devil Fruit's power, the target would automatically shrink, forcefully pulled into his personal small world. As the master of this internal castle, Hikaru possessed countless ways to subdue his opponents.
However, he knew better than to be reckless when facing a truly formidable foe. He wouldn't want to end up like Princess Iron Fan, who unknowingly swallowed Sun Wukong, only for chaos to erupt inside her.
"Yes, with the power of the Castle-Castle Fruit, it will be so much more convenient to capture new consorts or store treasures. No need for storage rooms. After all, the safest place is right on your person."
Hikaru snapped back to reality and noticed Basil Hawkins, who was trying to slip away quietly, leaving his men at the entrance. Casually, Hikaru pointed a finger, and a spear of lightning burst forth, effortlessly piercing Hawkins' head.
He chuckled, "Where do you think you're going, 'Magician' Basil Hawkins? Leaving without a word isn't very polite, is it?"
Hawkins' head transformed into straw, his expression unchanged even after being impaled by the lightning spear. A small scarecrow fell from his sleeve, revealing his Straw-Straw Fruit ability had taken the hit. The column of blood that erupted was merely one of his men's heads exploding, the lightning spear's "achievement."
Hawkins remained calm, silent, knowing escape was impossible. He turned as Hikaru gracefully descended from the second floor.
By this point, Jewelry Bonney had released her Age-Age Fruit power, reverting to a little girl. She lay on the back of one of her pirate crew members, gazing at Hikaru with a pitiful expression.
[Damn it! How did I get caught in this inexplicable mess? I hope he doesn't notice how kind-hearted I am…]
"So cute," Hikaru thought. "But that little green hat is so plain. I'd probably cry for a long time if I punched him…"
Hikaru curled his lips, walked over, and gently touched Bonney's pink hair. "Don't worry, my little Bonney. I'll talk to you after I've dealt with all these annoying guys~"
Bonney seemed to forget her fear, instinctively retorting, "Who… who's your little Bonney!"
"Hmm?" Hikaru feigned displeasure, casting a cold glance at Bonney's eyes.
Bonney flinched, then offered a wry smile. "Of course it's me! I'm your little Bonney~"
[Hmph! When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. No point bothering with him now. Let's just find a way to get the uncles to wake up and leave!]
"Haha~ That's good~"
Hikaru slowly pinched her little cheek. Why did he find Bonney more appealing as a child than as an adult? Was it his own lingering childishness? Never mind, there was no need to dwell on it. Bonney could switch between various ages at will – toddler, 18, 28… As long as she wasn't an old woman, her appeal was undeniable.
Hikaru's gaze sharpened, settling on Hawkins, who was frantically reading tarot cards. "So? Any results?" he teased.
Hawkins' mouth twitched. The other party truly spoke without a care. He had been divining for ages but couldn't find a way out of today's predicament. Even surrender had only a 10% chance of being accepted!
Taking a deep breath, he tried to remain composed. "According to my divination, if I kill someone today, it will harm my fortune…" he stated calmly.
"Oh? What a pity, I've taken quite a few lives today…" Hikaru's expression showed a hint of regret. He raised his hand, lightning crackling around his fingertips, then aimed at Hawkins and unleashed several lightning bolts in quick succession.
"Let's see how much luck I'll lose by killing you."
Powerful lightning relentlessly struck Hawkins' body, and one by one, the small scarecrows fell from him. He broke into a cold sweat and quickly transformed into his giant scarecrow form, his body growing so large it easily burst through the restaurant roof. At the same time, he cried out:
"Wait, Mr. Divine Emperor Hikaru! I have no intention of being your enemy, and I don't want to offend your divine power. Please, can you let me go? Or, if you don't mind, I am willing to be a sharp blade in your hand!"
"Your Devil Fruit is quite interesting and has many uses. The ability to save your life is particularly commendable, but… you are still too weak right now."
Hikaru's answer was dismissive, showing no interest in recruiting Hawkins. Indeed, these Supernovas were notoriously unruly. Even Bonney, the only female, acted as if she were the most important person in the world. They might temporarily surrender due to overwhelming strength, but given the chance, they would undoubtedly betray their master.
"I'm too weak…" Hawkins secretly cursed Hikaru, thinking him unkind. He was, after all, the third-highest bounty among this year's Supernovas, second only to Eustass Kid and Monkey D. Luffy. In the new generation, he was considered exceptionally strong!
Seeing no room for negotiation, Hawkins abandoned any thought of resistance. He raised his scarecrow arms and waved, flinging all sorts of tiles from the roof at Hikaru, then fled outside without looking back.
But the tiles were easily shattered by the lightning. Hikaru's lightning was too dense. In a flash, all of Hawkins' remaining crew members were implicated and perished through the Straw-Straw Fruit's damage transfer ability.
With his crew gone, Hawkins suffered immensely. A shrill, tragic "Scarecrow!" echoed as his enormous scarecrow body crashed to the ground. The restaurant door was only twenty steps away, but his hope of survival remained distant. In a split second, he had only managed to take one step.
Hikaru shook his head, retracted the lightning-emitting finger, and blew gently. A faint wisp of gray smoke seemed to drift from it.
"What a shame! I wanted to test how many scapegoats your scarecrow can bind, but it turns out you have too few followers. Not enough for my experiment."
Hawkins' face darkened. No wonder Hikaru hadn't killed his crew first. He had intended to use him as a guinea pig! In truth, there were some scapegoats outside the restaurant, but since his real body was injured, those outside would have died too.
"Cough, cough…" Hawkins suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood. Unfortunately, still in his scarecrow form, his actual face couldn't be seen, but his "little face" felt even paler.
Bonney: Known as the "Big Eater," she typically appears around 24 years old with long, silky pink hair. She possesses a lively personality and an innocent, sunny outlook. As she is still quite young, perhaps Hikaru will need to "feed" her for a while before he can truly "eat" her?