Chapter Six: The Night Market Deception
As the bidding for the Devour Fruit intensified, Adam observed everything with the eyes of a hawk—reading body language, scanning the guards, calculating every second.
He noticed that the main guards rotated every fifteen minutes, and that one young guard always stood in the corner—watching more than intervening, his eyes betraying the fear of an inevitable explosion.
With his background in psychology, Adam knew the boy wasn't a direct weak point—but he'd be the first to run or hide if chaos erupted.
He built his plan around the principle of "mass distraction," like in major bank heists:
Create disorder in one spot, then exploit the confusion somewhere else.
Adam had crafted his own lock-pick tool days earlier, inspired by safecrackers' kits:
An old piano wire, heated and hammered until it became thin and flexible.
He shaped its tip at a sharp angle and glued it into a small fish bone handle—disguising it as a dining utensil.
This tool could open old-style locks commonly used in treasure vaults, capable of manipulating the inner pins with both speed and precision.
As the auction reached its peak, Adam gave a subtle signal to a mafia man—someone he'd made a deal with two days prior (in exchange for a valuable piece of information).
That man fired a shot into the air.
Some lanterns went dark (Adam had tampered with their wicks an hour earlier).
A scream followed:
— "Raid! The Navy is here!"
Panic exploded instantly:
Pirates ran for the exits.
Gang members fired warning shots.
Guards rushed toward the noise.
Navy agents clashed with syndicate men.
The hall became a storm of smoke and screams.
People struck in every direction—some fled, others hunted the shooter, while many clutched their precious goods.
Jairo, still young, blended into the fleeing crowd.
He moved with a group of small-time pirates and street kids, unnoticed in the chaos—just like children escaping through a store's emergency doors during a staged panic.
Meanwhile, Adam slipped toward the treasure room.
He spotted the young guard hiding behind a column, frozen in fear.
Adam passed him swiftly—the kid too distracted by the shouting to notice.
At the door, Adam pulled the lock-pick from its bone handle, slid it into the keyhole, and opened it in seconds like a seasoned thief—speed and silence.
Inside, he replaced the real chest with a near-perfect fake he'd prepared in advance, rearranged everything meticulously to avoid suspicion, and slipped out just as the guards began screaming about the missing fruit.
Adam exited through a side door (one he'd memorized during a prior tour) and vanished into the fleeing mob.
Outside, he reunited with Jairo in a narrow alley, both of them breathless from the tension.
They boarded the small boat and pushed into the fog—behind them, the island still roared with gunfire, smoke, and the auctioneer's screams upon discovering the fake chest.
Jairo asked, stunned:
— "How did you know when to move?"
Adam gave a faint smile, his eyes gleaming with cleverness:
— "Every great chaos begins with a small spark… the rest is just timing."
The island lights disappeared into the mist, and the sea ah
ead opened wide—full of endless possibilities.
End of Chapter.