Chapter 139: The Big Boss and the Mid-Boss

To navigate through Fish-Man Island, a hull-coating procedure is essential. Consequently, after departing from Dressrosa, the first destination for Qiu Bai and his companions was an island named "Fafnir," located beneath the Red Line on the New World side.

Their primary objective at this moment was to put as much distance as possible between themselves and Doflamingo.

Meanwhile, Doflamingo, having temporarily suppressed Dressrosa with an iron fist, decided to carve out two hours to pursue the "defector." Tracking Qiu Bai’s trajectory was hardly a challenge. After securing the royal palace, Doflamingo gained a new asset: Violet, the second daughter of King Riku and user of the Glare-Glare Fruit, who was forced into the service of the Donquixote Pirates to ensure her father’s survival.

Her ability proved immediately effective. The Glare-Glare Fruit grants the power to see through objects, invade the minds of others, and survey an area with a radius of up to 4,000 kilometers. In short, there was no way for Qiu Bai to escape her detection range in a single night. For Doflamingo, knowing Qiu Bai’s heading and destination was more than enough.

Qiu Bai had miscalculated; he assumed that under the current circumstances, Doflamingo could not possibly leave Dressrosa. In reality, the latter’s fury was such that he could not endure even a moment’s delay. The heated words exchanged had been too provocative—Qiu Bai had effectively invited this trouble upon himself.

As for the method of pursuit, Doflamingo’s mobility was unparalleled. He was a "birdman" capable of flight, using the powers of the String-String Fruit to hook onto clouds, allowing him to traverse the sky in a way that defied physics. His travel speed was comparable to a high-speed vehicle; for instance, a voyage from Dressrosa to Punk Hazard to the west would typically take a ship at least a day, yet Doflamingo could drift across the distance in a matter of hours.

To Doflamingo, eliminating Qiu Bai was no strenuous task—he might even make it back in time for lunch—so he set out immediately. And so, without Qiu Bai truly realizing it, the mid-level boss of this world was closing in behind him.

Compared to the threat of Doflamingo at their back, the situation directly ahead perhaps demanded more immediate attention.

"Qiu Bai, we have a situation up ahead!"

Just as Qiu Bai was about to explain their next steps, Law, who was on lookout duty, suddenly shouted.

"A situation?"

Judging by the tone of Law's voice, Qiu Bai sensed it wasn't anything simple. Could it be that this stretch of sea was about to start raining icebergs again? Or perhaps volcanoes? In the New World, it was common for extreme weather to shift every five minutes, sometimes changing all day without ever repeating.

However, once he reached the deck, he noticed no unusual changes in the weather.

"Look straight ahead! I think we’d better change course and steer clear." As Law spoke, he tossed a telescope down from the crow's nest.

Vague silhouettes of ships appeared in the distance. Qiu Bai pressed the monocular to his eye, and he immediately understood why Law had made the suggestion.

"The Whitebeard Pirates?"

If Qiu Bai was not mistaken, the ship sailing toward them was the "Moby Dick," which they had encountered previously at Fish-Man Island. It was such a massive vessel that mistaking it for anything else was impossible. Was it a coincidence?

Still, it wasn't particularly shocking to see Whitebeard returning to the New World; it would have been more abnormal to see them in the first half of the Grand Line. In fact, due to the recent upheavals on Fish-Man Island, Whitebeard had gone there to stabilize the situation. After all, ever since the dawn of the Great Pirate Era, Edward Newgate had declared that territory his own. This was the primary reason why Fish-Man Island, a vital gateway to the New World, had not been subjected to devastating persecution by passing powerful pirates over the years. Anyone considering such an act would have to think twice: if you destroyed Whitebeard’s turf, you would have to face the man himself. Most people knew how to weigh the consequences.

However, due to the explosive conflict between the fish-men and humans, Whitebeard had been forced to visit the island personally to ensure peace was restored. The suppressing effect of such a heavyweight figure was significant; the strongest man in the world had only stayed for a few days, yet the rampant tensions had already begun to subside.

"No, we can proceed directly," Qiu Bai said. Facing the Whitebeard Pirates, he did not adopt the usual approach of avoiding them; he had no intention of changing his course. "People may have times when they have to tuck their tails and run, but there are also times when they must stand their ground. We aren't going to turn tail and flee just because we hear the name Whitebeard."

It sounded noble, but that was all it was. If the person approaching hadn't been the "Strongest Man in the World," but rather the "Strongest Creature in the Sea, Land, and Air" whose hobby was suicide, Qiu Bai would have undoubtedly turned around and dove straight into Doflamingo’s embrace. Even among figures of the same tier, "Whitebeard" and the "Beasts" were different. Whitebeard was a unique pirate; his stature could not be measured by conventional logic.

Pirates don't need a reason to kill one another; likewise, they don't need a reason to leave each other in peace. To put it bluntly, if you were walking and happened to pass an ant, would you go out of your way to crush it? Whitebeard certainly didn't have the petty interests of a delinquent child; there were many things he simply wouldn't bother to notice.

However, the reality wasn't quite as Qiu Bai imagined. After all, the ship he was currently on was flying the Donquixote flag. People might not notice passing ants, but cockroaches were a different story—you couldn't ignore them even if you wanted to.

The two ships drew closer. Ain and Monet had, without realizing it, stepped behind Qiu Bai. There is no comparison without contrast; the *Miss Love Duck* was by no means a small ship, but in front of the *Moby Dick*, it was tiny. After all, Whitebeard himself was a man of immense proportions—just as a ship used by the Giant Pirates wouldn't be the same size as one used by average people.

In any case, the group felt a mix of tension, curiosity, and perhaps even a sense of pilgrimage as the massive shadow cast by the prow of the *Moby Dick* completely enveloped the *Miss Love Duck*. In the reach of Qiu Bai’s Observation Haki, a vast presence moved closer step by step. In truth, he didn't need such refined perception; his hearing and senses were enough to know that someone was approaching. And it was someone truly extraordinary.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped.

Qiu Bai reached up to shield his forehead, straining his neck to look up. He saw the tall figure standing at the bow of the *Moby Dick*, gripping a naginata. His snow-white mustache, curved like a crescent moon, was his most striking feature, both in physical reality and psychological presence. His eyes were looking down upon the few people below.

"Is this... the spiritual pressure of a captain-level fighter?" Qiu Bai muttered in a voice so low he could barely hear it himself.

"An expert, eh? Are you the 'spun-sugar' pirate who delivered yourself to my doorstep?"

First of all, this was certainly not captain-level spiritual pressure. Second, the latter sentence was absolutely not Whitebeard’s reply; it was merely an inexplicable auditory hallucination that had surfaced in Qiu Bai’s mind.