Chapter Seventy-Four: The Plan

“Beppo, is it just me, or are you growing a bit too fast?” Although a fiercely loyal white bear had suddenly intervened, since the fight itself wasn’t particularly technical, Qiubai’s attention had started to drift again...

No, actually, considering the visual effect, it’s not really off-topic at all—now that Beppo was standing between Qiubai and Law, Qiubai’s field of vision was completely filled with white. This bear had become a living wall, blocking all signals, so that Qiubai could no longer see Law at all.

Chances were, Law couldn’t see him either—not that it mattered right now.

It’s only when time and space shift that one realizes how much things have changed. Compared to their first encounter in the Calm Belt, Beppo’s length, width, and height had each more than doubled. If you cube that, the sheer mass presents an overwhelming visual impact… To put it simply, he had graduated from being a bear to becoming a furball.

As the “pet” of an officer—especially one who could speak—the hierarchy aboard this pirate crew actually placed Beppo in a rather high position, almost among the ruling class. In practice, someone was always specially assigned to take care of his meals. Far from being mistreated, Beppo was in fact constantly well fed.

After all, he could speak up and complain if he was ever hungry. If he ever wasted away, who would be held responsible?

“It’s just a growth spurt, a growth spurt! How many times do I have to tell you, my species’ growth phase is different from you humans’!” Beppo forgave Qiubai’s ignorance and attempted to enlighten him once more.

“So your idea of ‘growing’ is to evolve into a fat furball? Honestly… I’m a little concerned about your future.” Qiubai’s tone even took on a mournful, almost resentful quality.

If one day Beppo, plagued by his own weight, were to steal someone else’s catchphrase and declare, “In this new era, there’s no ship that can carry me,” honestly… he might just rock the ship right out of the water.

“I-I’m just preparing fat for the winter! Why can’t you humans ever understand?” Beppo, momentarily forgetting about the enemy before him, turned back to Qiubai, a little more agitated this time.

It’s worth noting: In refuting Qiubai, he had indirectly admitted to being a bear… Though he looked like a bear, strictly speaking, he was a Mink.

Still, no one could blame him for being emotional—“furball” is neither a friendly nor a polite word. Its sting is second only to being called a “fat slob.”

“So… is your seamanship progressing as fast as your waistline?” Even an agitated bear couldn’t keep Qiubai from sinking into despair.

At these words, Beppo’s radiant and charming figure was instantly shrouded in a cloud of gloom. Seamanship was a skill that depended heavily on experience and long hours at sea. Without practical time, theoretical knowledge was useless.

So, in theory, there was no way it could outpace the speed at which he was putting on weight.

The conversation between man and bear continued, sentence after sentence, while Law, almost entirely ignored, could only stare in shock at this talking white bear.

Clearly, “Mink Tribe” lore wasn’t part of Law’s knowledge base. His “common sense” and vivid imagination promptly led him to a rather dramatic conclusion:

There really were those who crossed the forbidden line into love between human and beast.

That must be true love. But as for the resulting child, this was as pitiable, sorrowful, and lamentable as it could be.

Wait—why was Law feeling all these complicated emotions, rather than just resentment?

“Let’s get back to business.”

Qiubai stepped forward, gave Beppo’s head a firm pat, and with his ultimate head-rub technique, rescued him from his dejection.

Qiubai’s approach was akin to stabbing someone and then patching them up, but it worked: Beppo remembered there was still serious business to attend to.

To be objective, Law’s earlier actions were undeniably attempted murder. In the world of pirates, such deeds could earn you the death penalty, plain and simple.

Law’s intent to kill was genuine, so when Beppo turned around, he wore a truly “fierce” expression.

And when a bear’s face contorts into “fierce,” it’s not just fierce—it’s terrifying. At last, Law realized that even if the opponent was a round, fluffy bear, it was still, fundamentally, a bear. Right then, Qiubai’s clear voice rang in Law’s ears.

“Hold on, hold on—are you going to eat someone again?”

“In broad daylight, can you at least try to think about the consequences?”

At these words, Law’s perspective shifted: The spray from Beppo’s roaring mouth, caught in the light, looked almost like scarlet, viscous blood.

Law kept his gaze locked on Beppo and began to slowly back away.

Seeing this, Qiubai silently gave Law a thumbs-up.

The fact that Law hadn’t turned and run screaming showed just how “experienced” he really was.

Qiubai kept his hand on Beppo’s head, restraining him from acting rashly. While the claim that his little companion had eaten humans was slander, if he ever did “let the bear off the leash,” it would be more than enough to handle the situation.

Qiubai hadn’t really taken it to heart, but if Beppo did rush forward and take a bloody bite, it would be far too brutal.

But this feeling… Is putting a bear on a diet really too cruel?

It’s truly pitiful, how humans can’t resist even the smallest “temptation of plush paws.”

…

While Qiubai was busy playing with the bear, Doflamingo had already begun planning his first five-year plan. He was now considering a “strategic shift.”

“The value of the North Blue has nearly reached its limit. I thought Flevance could still be used, but the World Government moved faster than I expected…”

Doflamingo’s words weren’t entirely accurate. Even if Flevance still held some value, for a pirate with a “business mindset,” the market in these seas was already saturated. Staying in the North Blue any longer was simply not worthwhile.

“So, is our next target the New World?” For some reason, the only one discussing “strategy” with Doflamingo at this moment was Trebol. In theory, all of the top officers should have been present.

“The New World? Of course. Where else would I go? But that territory is vast—I have no intention of swallowing the entire New World like Qiubai. For now, I simply want to reclaim what once belonged to the Donquixote family.”

Dressrosa. Doflamingo’s gaze was set on Dressrosa.

Historically, the Donquixote family had been Dressrosa’s royal line, until they left for Mary Geoise and became Celestial Dragons, the world’s most exalted rulers.

But later, when Doflamingo’s foolish father renounced his Celestial Dragon status, Doflamingo became a mere mortal again. Once the Donquixotes left Mary Geoise, there was no way they’d ever be accepted back. So, being realistic, Doflamingo’s greatest hope now was to reclaim what the Donquixotes had possessed before becoming Celestial Dragons—he wanted to be king of Dressrosa once more.

Picking up what he once scorned and abandoned was a bitter fate, but for now, Doflamingo was only a pirate. To leap from pirate to king was nearly impossible.

“Still, there’s no need to rush. Everything has to be done step by step…”

To “conquer a nation” is no simple task—tackling a high-difficulty challenge requires thorough preparation.