Chapter 126: To Live Well Is to Do Meaningful Things

“According to the intelligence we obtained earlier, the fleet transporting the Heavenly Tribute should consist of five warships and two or three vice admirals. Apart from the tribute ship, which must be protected at all costs, the remaining vessels are to be sunk immediately. Understood?”

Doflamingo’s source of intelligence was remarkably reliable, after all. It had come from the mouth of a vice admiral who had personally overseen operations of this kind.

The time was ripe, and so the Donquixote Family, which had been anchored at Gourmet Island, finally made its move. Following the route chart they had obtained earlier, they sailed straight toward the tribute ship. Before long, the two sides would inevitably collide head-on.

The Navy’s escort force could hardly be called weak. Five warships, together with the vice admirals serving as their core combat strength, would be virtually fearless in the face of any threat below the level of a Yonko. Besides, much of this escort existed only for show—for the benefit of the Celestial Dragons.

No one had ever been foolish enough to attack tribute meant for the Celestial Dragons. It had never happened before.

But “virtually” was still only virtually. It was not absolute.

With the entire Donquixote Family mobilized, dealing with the expected opposition would not be a problem. After all, vice admirals were not all cut from the same cloth. Someone like Vice Admiral Garp could never possibly appear near a tribute ship. The “D.” hated the Celestial Dragons, and the Celestial Dragons certainly had no love for the “D.”

With Doflamingo, Trebol, Diamante, and Pica working together, handling a smaller number of vice admirals should not have been difficult—provided they were merely ordinary vice admirals.

Of course, Pica of the Spade Army could be called a titan of the land. So long as both his feet were planted on solid ground, he was practically an unstoppable juggernaut. Unfortunately, the battlefield would inevitably be the surface of the sea. In an environment like that, he would be lucky to display twenty percent of his strength. Without stone, what the hell was he supposed to play with?

The others, such as Gladius, Senor Pink, and Lao G, were likewise rare specialists capable of launching direct assaults. Naturally, they too would be able to exert considerable force.

As for Qiubai… well, he did not belong to the assault, close-combat, or strike divisions in the first place. This time, he had decided to perform his proper role:

He was a long-range fire-support unit.

His task was to destroy as many Navy warships as possible before the two sides engaged in boarding combat. Once the fleets closed to short range, there would be nothing left for him to do. The matter was of great importance, and Doflamingo had already decided to take action personally. There was no need for Qiubai to muddle things by getting in the way.

Three days west of Gourmet Island, roughly two hundred kilometers east of Tahal Island, the Donquixote Pirates finally ran into the Navy fleet transporting the Heavenly Tribute.

“Naval tribute ship sighted!”

“Unidentified pirate crew spotted… No, that flag… It’s the Donquixote Family from the North Blue!”

Almost simultaneously, the lookouts on both sides spotted one another.

The encounter took place in the evening. Visibility was exceptionally clear, and the Navy fleet was enveloped in the last rays of daylight. Because of the planet’s curvature, the six ships were plainly sailing straight toward the Miss Rab Dab ship, yet from a visual standpoint, they seemed to be sailing toward the setting sun instead.

As though advancing toward the end of the world.

Surrounded in a ring by five warships, the tribute ship at the center was three to five times larger than the warships. If one chose it as a target, it was practically a living bull’s-eye.

This magnificently decorated giant ship also carried several enormous cannons, all of them “exquisitely crafted.” They were obviously little more than ornamental props—impressive to look at, but useless in practice.

“Alert! First-level combat readiness! Train every cannon on the enemy! Await my command. If they show any intention of approaching, open fire immediately and drive them away!”

At that moment, the vice admiral in charge of the fleet naturally assumed that the two sides had encountered each other by accident. His mind was perfectly clear. Although striking pirates was the Navy’s duty, their current mission was to protect the tribute ship. They had every reason to turn a blind eye to the pirates.

So long as the pirate ship “fled at the sight of them,” everyone could remain “peaceful and unharmed.” Faced with a fleet armed to the teeth, no pirate crew—so long as its captain was not an idiot—would charge straight in.

Doflamingo, of course, had nothing whatsoever to do with the word “idiot.” Every move he made was deliberate.

The cannon barrels of all five warships slowly swung around. Thick, long, black, and hard, those barrels would make anyone facing them recoil, regardless of gender.

Doffy, however, had no objection to such an unusual kind of play. In fact, a trace of excitement appeared on his face. In truth, planning something like this was far more important than carrying it out. Now that they had reached the final step, there was no difficulty left.

They simply had to let loose.

The pirate ship was still well outside the effective range of the warships’ cannons. Anyone who was afraid at a time like this would have to be a complete moron.

Qiubai climbed the rope net with considerable self-awareness, preparing to scale the mast and gain a better view from above.

“Qiubai, I’m leaving it to you. Do your job properly. And… keep your eye on the target. Don’t accidentally hit the tribute ship,” Doflamingo said.

The first half was merely a routine instruction. The second half was the real point—a “kind” reminder.

“…Understood, Doffy.”

Qiubai’s hands and feet stiffened for a moment before he continued climbing.

Did people not have even the most basic trust in one another? Was little Qiubai really that unreliable?

“Shift change.”

“…Huh? Yes!”

Qiubai quickly climbed to the lookout platform. After patting the lookout on the shoulder, he motioned for them to switch places.

Qiubai glanced at the Navy fleet in the distance.

Now then… which ship should he hit first?

It hardly mattered.

After three days apart, people should look at one another with new eyes. At long last, Qiubai was able to perform the role expected of a long-range unit.

Like an arrow on a drawn bowstring, he could strike wherever he aimed—as long as the target’s minimum dimensions were taken into account.

“Welcome to naval warfare where nuclear pacifism reigns supreme.”

The original lookout had barely climbed halfway down when he heard a rapid buzzing overhead.

Then a tremendous explosion rolled in from the distance. He spun around at once and saw a warship’s bow leap violently into the air.

The blazing light seemed close enough to touch, radiating heat that scorched the eyes.

Yet the attack still bore Qiubai’s unmistakable style—as though he simply could not feel comfortable unless he smashed something.

His attack had struck the base of a gun turret at the bow of one of the warships. The impact flipped the entire turret over. One of the severed cannon barrels then slammed viciously into the Sea Soul Bell on the deck, and as the bell issued a dying wail, the barrel smashed both bell and pedestal into fragments.

The cannon barrel then spun wildly into the sky, tracing a perfect parabola that would allow Newton to continue resting in peace, before crashing down onto the tribute ship beside it.

The towering, building-like superstructure could not withstand the direct impact of something carrying such immense kinetic energy. Amid a cloud of smoke and the tooth-grating crack of compressed, splintering wood, one corner of the highest level of the tribute ship’s main tower collapsed completely.

Qiubai: “…”

Fuck. That had to count as an accident, right?

He had genuinely been doing his job this time.