The warning came too late.
Shiraishi was already waiting beside the elevator doors. He thrust his hammer between them, and the obstruction kept them from closing.
He ducked into the spacious elevator. The bodyguards inside had no time to draw their guns-or rather, drawing guns in a place like this would have been an extremely unwise choice.
There were twenty-one people in the elevator. Shooting wildly was more likely to kill one of their own than the enemy.
They could only rely on their black-belt karate skills.
"Ah!"
A wail rang out.
Clearly, no matter how tough their karate was, it was no match for an iron hammer.
Shiraishi gritted his teeth and let their fists rain down on him. Relying on his sturdy Gigai and great strength, he swung the hammer like a raging bull, with no technique whatsoever.
Even so, after one sweep, almost no one could stay on their feet. They all fell to the floor, wailing.
Only Tai Hideo remained standing. Panic flashed across his face before he forced himself to regain his composure. "What do you want?"
Shiraishi rolled his neck, making it crack. He exhaled and said, "Congratulations, you've been kidnapped. Are you walking out of the elevator yourself, or do I have to make you?"
Tai Hideo's face darkened. He chose the former and stepped out of the elevator on his own.
"Don't worry. As long as you cooperate, I won't hurt you."
"How much money do you want?"
Shiraishi smiled. "Don't be in such a hurry. I'm not interested in money."
"Heh." Tai Hideo sneered. If he wasn't interested in money, would he risk being shot to kidnap him?
He must be planning to demand an exorbitant sum.
At that thought, Tai Hideo couldn't help seething. Once he got back, he would definitely fire that boastful instructor.
The man had claimed they were as good as marines. Were marines this useless?
He grumbled inwardly but kept walking until he reached the car.
A very cute girl sat on an unconscious bodyguard's stomach, with a black cat perched on her shoulder. Was she an accomplice?
Tai Hideo could hardly be blamed for wondering. Who brought a defenseless girl along on a kidnapping?
"Open the door. At your age, you should have learned to drive, right?"
Shiraishi asked.
Tai Hideo nodded. "Yes."
"Good. Drive me to the biggest bank in Karakura Town."
"All right," Tai Hideo agreed, growing even more puzzled. Kidnapping someone and going straight to a bank to withdraw money-did he really think the police were useless? "You really want to go to a bank?"
He wasn't worried about Shiraishi getting caught. He was worried that, if the man was backed into a corner, he would kill his hostage.
No, given how strange this was, perhaps one of his sons had hired someone to kidnap him, then find an excuse to kill him and inherit the family fortune.
"How much did Tai Masao pay you? I promise I'll give you twice as much, and I won't hold you responsible."
His eldest son was the first to come to mind. Under the system of primogeniture, if he died suddenly without leaving a will, that son would inherit most of the family fortune.
Shiraishi had no idea what he was thinking. He tapped the roof of the car. "Do as you're told, or do you want to experience what this hammer can do?"
"..." Tai Hideo opened his car door. He was cautious by nature and always kept the car keys himself.
Before he turned forty, he had even driven himself. Only after forty, when he began to worry about lacking the energy, did he start giving the keys to a driver before setting out.
Now, he hadn't driven in nine years and was rusty. He even mixed up the brake and the accelerator.
The car jerked three times on the spot before finally getting going. It slowly pulled out of the parking space and followed the road toward the parking lot exit.
The barrier at the exit had been dismantled, and a security guard lay motionless on the ground. Tai Hideo sighed inwardly and glanced at the rearview mirror. Both the woman and the cat were there.
That made him even more certain these were no ordinary kidnappers, and there was a good chance they would kill him. What should he do?
"My name is Tai Hideo. What's your name, young man? Is the woman in the back your sister?"
"Shiraishi. She's my girlfriend. Her name is Soi Fon."
"Oh, you two make a fine couple. You're skilled, and I doubt making money would be difficult for you. Why do something illegal?"
Tai Hideo wanted to guide him patiently, using conversation to break down his resolve bit by bit.
Unfortunately, he had missed the crucial point, so his efforts were doomed to fail.
"You're really chatty. I just want to break the law."
Shiraishi rolled his eyes. The car stopped at an intersection to wait for a red light, and he spotted someone outside the window riding a cool-looking motorcycle. He hurriedly opened the door. "Soi Fon, keep an eye on him for me."
Bang.
The car door closed. Shiraishi walked over to the motorcycle and smiled. "Good afternoon, buddy. You're being robbed."
The young man looked utterly bewildered.
The next second, a fist as big as a sandbag struck him in the face, followed by a kick to the stomach. He and the motorcycle fell together.
Shiraishi reached out and caught the motorcycle, letting the man fall.
The light turned green.
He swung onto the motorcycle, laid the hammer on the fuel tank, twisted the throttle, shifted gears, and rode off.
The driver beside him was stunned, and the young man was even more dumbfounded. Was this really peaceful, tranquil Karakura Town?
Someone had actually stolen a motorcycle so brazenly in broad daylight.
To make matters worse, the young man couldn't even call the police, because he had stolen the motorcycle himself.
"Haha." Shiraishi laughed. Right now, he felt as if he were playing Grand Theft Auto, rampaging through the city, free to beat anyone and steal anything.
The feeling of committing crimes as he pleased was intoxicating.
A madman... Tai Hideo finally understood that his earlier guess was probably wrong. This guy was a complete and utter madman.
After about ten minutes, Karakura Town First Bank appeared in Shiraishi's sight. He twisted the throttle all the way, pushed the motorcycle to its top speed, and raced down the sparsely populated street straight toward the bank entrance.
"Hey, stop!" The security guard only had time to shout once. Seeing that the motorcycle wasn't slowing down, he didn't dare try to stop it with his body and hurriedly jumped aside.
As he reached the threshold, Shiraishi yanked upward. The front wheel used the threshold as a ramp, launching the entire motorcycle into the air. Like something out of a movie, it flew through the entrance toward the counter.
Before the front wheel touched the tempered glass, Shiraishi grabbed the hammer from the fuel tank with his right hand and hurled it forward with all his strength.
Crack! The hammer punched through the tempered glass, spreading countless cracks across its surface. Then the motorcycle slammed into it, driven down by Shiraishi's weight.
Crash! The tempered glass could hold no longer. It shattered over the counter behind it like rain, while six bank employees scrambled to hide underneath.
Crashes and clatters echoed behind the counter as shards of tempered glass hit the floor and the motorcycle's engine roared.
Shiraishi jumped off and shoved the motorcycle toward a desk piled with documents. As expected, the desk was knocked over. The motorcycle toppled too, its wheel spinning freely a few times before stopping.
He stepped across the broken glass, picked up the hammer, and smiled. "Everyone, please stay calm. First, press the alarm button, then close the bank doors for me.
"As long as you cooperate, I won't hurt you. If you don't, you'll have to suffer a little."