Upon closer look, it was Killer—firmly held by Lancelot—who was subtly adjusting the angle of the weapon in his hand.
Though the movement was slight and gradual, it carried a clear intent: he was waiting for an opportunity to launch a desperate counterattack!
And it was precisely this slight, gradual change in angle that caused the light reflecting off the blade to shine directly into his eyes.
Upon witnessing the scene before him, Basil Hawkins slowly curled the corners of his mouth upward, forming a mocking smile.
His already stern face now appeared even more sinister.
In a cold and disdainful tone, he said, "I suggest you stay put. According to my divination, your mortality rate has reached as high as 97.77%."
As soon as he finished speaking, as if feeling it wasn't enough, he added, "Give up resisting. This is your only hope of survival."
Hearing these words, Killer froze instantly, as if struck by a paralysis spell, standing rigidly in place without moving a muscle.
Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, his eyes filled with boundless fear and despair.
Because he could already feel Lancelot's gaze falling upon him once again.
The threat of death loomed over him once more, making him too afraid to move.
Just then, a strange laughter suddenly rang out. "Kehhehehe..."
The one laughing was none other than Lancelot.
He shifted his gaze and looked at Basil Hawkins with interest before asking, "Since you're so skilled, why don't you calculate who will win in the upcoming confrontation—me or that guy over there?"
With that, he casually gestured with his hand toward a spot not far away.
Basil Hawkins was momentarily taken aback, clearly not expecting Lancelot to make such a request.
However, he soon followed the direction Lancelot was pointing.
There, an old man was leisurely walking toward them.
Each step the old man took seemed extremely lazy, as if he were taking a casual stroll after a meal.
Yet, he exuded an inexplicable sense of calm and composure.
But his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
"This is..."
Both Basil Hawkins and Killer, who was being held by Lancelot, widened their eyes in disbelief.
Anyone who was a pirate would recognize this man.
And precisely because they recognized him, they were shocked to the point of disbelief.
"Silvers Rayleigh, known as the Dark King. The first mate of the Pirate King Roger and his right-hand man," Lancelot narrowed his eyes.
Although he had anticipated this moment, he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
Lancelot glanced back at Blueno, who was observing from a distance. If no one had informed him, he wouldn't believe that Rayleigh would arrive so quickly.
Of course, it could also be Rayleigh's chick, Shakky.
Shakky was no ordinary figure either—the former empress of Amazon Lily and the former captain of the Kuja Pirates.
Her place was not only an underground intelligence hub on the Sabaody Archipelago but also a center where information converged and was rapidly disseminated.
For anything happening on the Sabaody Archipelago, this intelligence station could learn about it immediately and respond swiftly and accurately.
Therefore, it was no surprise at all that she could obtain relevant information so quickly when he appeared here.
So, it was hard to say exactly which reason led Rayleigh to learn that he had arrived on the island.
At that moment, Basil Hawkins and Killer both widened their eyes, their mouths agape as if they could swallow a whole egg.
Although they had already recognized the newcomer earlier, when they truly saw this legendary pirate standing alive before their eyes, an overwhelming sense of disbelief surged from the depths of their hearts.
After all, such figures usually only existed in stories passed down by word of mouth.
To have one appear so tangibly before them now was somewhat hard to accept.
It wasn't until Rayleigh slowly walked up to them that the two finally snapped out of their daze as if awakening from a dream.
Basil Hawkins and Killer first glanced at Lancelot simultaneously, seemingly wanting to confirm from him whether the person they were seeing was real.
Then, their gazes shifted to Rayleigh, filled with awe and curiosity.
But interestingly, faced with the same situation, their reactions were vastly different.
Basil Hawkins unhesitatingly pulled out his mysterious deck of Tarot cards and began calculating with intense concentration.
His fingers nimbly flipped through the cards while he murmured under his breath, as if trying to reveal the significance of this legendary pirate's appearance and its potential impact through this method.
In contrast, Killer's thoughts were clearly more complicated.
While secretly observing Rayleigh's every move, he was calculating his own plans in his heart.
If Rayleigh weren't here, he truly wouldn't dare.
After all, the gap in strength between him and Lancelot was too vast—so vast that it left him no room for resistance.
But with Rayleigh here to restrain Lancelot, if he could just find the right opportunity, he might have a chance to escape.
Rayleigh's deep and sharp gaze first focused on Lancelot, as if trying to see through his exterior into the depths of his heart.
He scrutinized him like this for a long time, seemingly wanting to discover some hidden secrets or clues from Lancelot.
Then, Rayleigh's gaze swiftly swept like lightning over Killer, who was being tightly held by Lancelot, and Basil Hawkins standing nearby, intently calculating some outcome with his Tarot cards.
When he saw this scene, an involuntary look of surprise appeared on Rayleigh's face, but it quickly transformed into intense curiosity.
He slightly furrowed his brows and asked with great interest, "Tarot cards? What are you calculating?"
Hearing Rayleigh's question, Basil Hawkins slowly looked up, first glancing at Lancelot before turning his gaze to Rayleigh.
In a low, soft voice, he replied, "I'm calculating the final outcome of the impending battle between you and this Admiral Candidate."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, the curiosity in Rayleigh's eyes grew even stronger.
He thought for a moment before adding, "I do know of someone in this world who, like you, can predict future events through divination. And reportedly, the accuracy of her divination prophecies reaches one hundred percent! So today, I'd like to see... whether you possess divination abilities that can compare to hers."
Basil Hawkins, who had been fully concentrated on his calculations, trembled violently upon hearing Rayleigh's words, nearly dropping the Tarot cards from his hands.
His face was filled with astonishment, and his heart surged with tumultuous waves, causing him to exclaim involuntarily.
"What?"
Although he was also a fortune-teller, achieving a 100% accuracy rate in divination and prophecy was an unattainable goal for him—so much so that even having such confidence felt like a luxury.
At this moment, he was filled with curiosity, pondering who this legendary fortune-teller could be, capable of making such precise and flawless predictions.
After all, in his own predictions, the future was ever-changing, not fixed.
Just like his recent prediction of his chances of surviving in Lancelot's hands.
Simultaneously, a fierce competitive spirit surged within him.
"Huff..."
He softly exhaled a breath of turbid air, as if trying to expel the churning emotions from his heart.
Then, he took a deep breath, attempting to calm his restless heart.
As his breathing gradually steadied, he slowly closed his eyes, focused his mind, and once again immersed himself in the mysterious and complex calculations of divination.
Meanwhile, Lancelot couldn't help but smile faintly at the corner of his mouth.
Basil Hawkins didn't know, but how could Lancelot not?
This fortune-teller was Madam Shyarly.
She was also the most famous fortune-teller on Fish-Man Island.
Though she couldn't predict the exact timing of events, her prophecies had a 100% accuracy rate.
At the age of four, she had foreseen the arrival of the Great Pirate Era and even predicted Whitebeard's demise before the Paramount War occurred.
However, because she repeatedly foresaw misfortune, she grew to dislike divination and refused to predict the future.
On one occasion, she performed a divination again, and the result showed that Fish-Man Island would be destroyed by Luffy.
Thus, Madam Shyarly screamed and demanded that Luffy be driven out of Fish-Man Island...
But Basil Hawkins truly lived up to his reputation as a renowned fortune-teller in the world of pirates.
In no time, he had a result. He immediately looked up at Lancelot, his eyes filled with shock.
Rayleigh—that was the right-hand man of the Pirate King Roger, known as the Dark King, a testament to his strength.
In Hawkins' view, such a legendary pirate crew's power was definitely not inferior to Kaido's.
But now, according to his calculations... It was this unbelievably young Admiral Candidate who held the majority chance of victory.
Eighty-eight percent.
Yes, Lancelot's chance of defeating Rayleigh was as high as eighty-eight percent.
The chance of repelling him was ten percent.
The chance of killing him was one percent.
And Rayleigh's chance of survival was only one percent.
'Good heavens!'
As a fortune-teller, Basil Hawkins couldn't claim to predict outcomes with 100% accuracy, but the probability of his results being wrong was extremely low.
Therefore, he was extremely confident in his divination results.
So, he had never once doubted the outcomes of his predictions.
But now... he truly found it hard to believe.
"Gulp..."
Basil Hawkins couldn't help but swallow hard.
Seeing Basil Hawkins' expression, Rayleigh, who was nearby, raised an eyebrow slightly.