Chapter 133: ONE PIECE (Part I)

Why were the Whitebeard Pirates in the first half of the Grand Line? That was a question, but for Doflamingo, it was an answer he neither knew nor needed to know. In any case, if you cannot afford to offend someone, is it not better to stay out of their way? Thus, the Donquixote Pirates steered clear.

However, after brushing past the Whitebeard Pirates, the path for the Donquixote crew became much smoother; at the very least, they encountered no further "perils." With one of the world-class bosses currently passing through this region, not even a Sea King would dare to stir up trouble.

And so, the Donquixote Pirates arrived safely at Fish-Man Island. Instead of heading to the main island, they followed the currents directly to the "Sea Forest."

Once within the territory of Fish-Man Island, the coating that had kept them in contact with the atmosphere naturally disintegrated. If they intended to emerge on the other side of the Red Line, the ship would require a re-coating operation. However, this period of downtime, similar to the previous one, offered no opportunity for free movement—or rather, Doflamingo strictly forbade his crew from leaving the vicinity of the Sea Forest.

The Whitebeard Pirates had also arrived here, and with Whitebeard himself likely staying on the main island, Doflamingo had no desire to invite trouble. This was a sound judgment; if allowed to roam freely, some would certainly have gone to gawk at Whitebeard.

Naturally, Qiubai had wanted to venture deeper into the Sea Forest, but that, too, was disallowed. He had to remain within Doflamingo’s line of sight. As for the Sea Forest... that would have to wait until they returned.

Furthermore, Doflamingo’s decision to bring his own coating artisan along turned out to be a stroke of blind luck. Without one, they would never have found a local artisan to do the job—not because the local guild was on strike, but because, lately, the fish-men would absolutely not work for humans.

To be more precise, due to two major events occurring in rapid succession, the entire fish-man race had become extremely hostile toward humans. If the Donquixote crew had headed for the main island instead of the desolate "Pirate Graveyard" that was the Sea Forest, they would have been in serious trouble. Going even further, had they ended up in Fish-Man Street...

Any human daring to visit Fish-Man Island lately was simply out of luck; the mortality rate was approaching 100 percent. The fish-men were not targeting any specific individual; their hatred for humanity had reached a fever pitch.

In short, Fish-Man Island was Whitebeard’s territory, and Doflamingo was merely passing through; he had no designs on the island. As for the beautiful mermaid ladies... honestly, even though Doflamingo was involved in the large-scale slave trade, he was not so beneath his station as to personally engage in kidnapping; that would be far too demeaning.

The atmosphere of Fish-Man Island was frantic and skin-prickling. Upon learning what was transpiring there, Doflamingo forced the coating artisan to accelerate his work—they had to leave the island as quickly as possible. The consequences of being swarmed by a horde of fish-men were truly unbearable.

And so, in less than three days, the Donquixote Pirates worked overtime, without pause, to ascend.

Ten thousand meters above lay the New World, a place that made pirates tremble. For Qiubai, it was more of a "long-lost" New World.

***

Dressrosa was a country filled with tropical charm. Thanks to the benevolent governing policies of its successive royal families, the citizens lived lives of abundance and happiness.

The Riku kings were objects of national reverence, and the people believed that as long as the Riku dynasty’s rule continued, so too would their current way of life. This was a beautiful vision; those who have known happiness naturally harbor the hope that such happiness will be extended indefinitely. However, a vision is merely a vision. Riku’s gentle method of governance could not be considered entirely correct, so how could it last forever?

At the very least, this peaceful kingdom possessed a fatal, irreparable flaw when facing external pressure: it lacked the necessary means to cope with war.

"43 Baker Street, this must be it, right?"

On the street, passing children sang playful, nursery-like songs. Qiubai adjusted the fisherman’s hat pulled low over his head, cross-referenced the note in his hand with their current location, and slowly walked into the shop before him.

The "Family" had been here for a week; intelligence gathering and operational preparations were complete. Doflamingo had decided to strike tomorrow.

"Welcome!"

A radiant, enthusiastic smile greeted Qiubai. The first impression was already a level above that certain bar.

"Flower of the Underworld"—that was the name of the shop. Though it sounded a bit macabre, in reality, they simply sold coffee.

Qiubai nodded at the smiling young woman and chose a seat by the window at random. Not long after, the person he was waiting for arrived at his side with a cup of black coffee.

White shirt, black vest, red bowtie—if you looked only at that, he was just an ordinary waiter, though one might wonder if the shop was violating labor laws by employing a child.

But there was one thing about him that seemed quite out of place: a pure white hat with black spots, styled like a cow pattern.

Qiubai tilted his head, carefully scrutinized the man's face and neck, and then said, "It seems your illness has been cured." His tone was as casual as saying, "your cold is better," though the sickness in question was far more serious than a cold.

"Yes, I have mostly figured out how to use the ability."

After setting down the coffee, the waiter did not leave but sat down opposite Qiubai.

"That’s good. Otherwise, things would have been quite troublesome. But... I didn't expect you to be such a straightforward person, actually waiting here until now." Qiubai offered a seemingly admiring remark.

"Fools, wise men, the mediocre, the ambitious—there are all sorts of people in this world. The kind, the neutral, the evil. These people have their own stances. In a web woven of various relationships, using others or being used is commonplace. But there is one type of person one should never attempt to deceive... and that is someone like you."

Though Law seemed to be speaking a profound truth, the core meaning was simple: never try to play games with a psychopath.

"Haha, it’s been a while; you’ve become quite eloquent..." After an awkward laugh, Qiubai continued, "It seems traveling ten thousand miles is indeed necessary. Learning brings happiness."

Compared to when he first appeared before Doflamingo, Law’s personality had softened considerably. This was less a result of growth from his travels and more the result of Corazon’s teachings. The fact that Law appeared at the agreed-upon location to rendezvous with Qiubai meant that Corazon was still alive and kicking.

"What are you going to do next, and what do you need me to do?" Law did not pick up on Qiubai's remark, cutting straight to the point.

"What am I going to do? Nothing at all, other than leave..."

"It’s time for me to leave the Donquixote family, just like you."