Chapter Seventy-Five: Meowgalapas

November 23, 1506, Year of the Ocean Circle. Clear skies.

The last time Qiubai set out to sea, it was still late summer. Who would have thought that by the time he sailed again, winter was already on the horizon? Truth be told, such a rhythm of coming and going was contrary to the habits of pirates—after all, summer was the season when merchant ships, travelers, and all kinds of sea vessels were at their busiest. Never had he expected pirates to choose this time of year to rest.

Fortunately, Qiubai had finally received a new assignment.

He had not inquired into what the other officers of the Don Quixote Family were setting out to do, but if it were an operation of real importance, the intelligence would surely have leaked to the Navy—so long as Rosinante was still around.

Thus, operating alone had its advantages: at the very least, he could exclude himself from suspicion as a Navy spy on the grounds of not being informed. If information about a major operation was leaked while Qiubai remained in the dark, it would indicate two things. First, there truly was a spy within the family. Second, that spy was not the conspicuously suspicious Qiubai, but someone else entirely.

“Blood ties” are a mysterious bond. No matter what, Doflamingo’s tolerance for his own younger brother was different from that extended to anyone else. Unless truly provoked, he would not want to raise his hand against his kin… this, at least, was fact.

But if someone as neurotic as Qiubai came under suspicion, the outcome was anyone’s guess. What if Doflamingo decided to “rather kill the wrong man than let one escape”?

So, taking on a mission solo was something Qiubai was happy to do. More importantly, when acting alone, there was no one to limit him—he could do as he pleased.

Thus, on this occasion, all those involved in the operation were “his own people”—only Ain and Bepo. He could have brought a crew of underlings along, but saw no need; in fact, he thought they would only hinder him.

Word that the “Child’s Play Fruit” was to be auctioned had already spread widely on the black market. That Doflamingo would obtain such intelligence was no surprise, and for Qiubai, who knew something about the fruit’s properties, it was hardly shocking that Doflamingo coveted it.

The ability of the “Child’s Play Fruit” was to turn anyone it touched into a puppet, but its true value lay in the fact that, upon transforming a hostile target, it simultaneously erased all memories of that person from the minds of everyone who ever knew them—wife, children, parents, or closest friends, none would remember that such a person ever existed.

This was far more interesting—and meaningful—than simply killing someone. It was particularly suited for dealing with those important figures who absolutely could not be openly targeted. In a sense, the Child’s Play Fruit was a way to make someone truly “vanish from the world.”

Because of its unique nature, it was best to secure it for oneself in every possible respect. That was why Doflamingo had tasked Qiubai with obtaining it.

This mission was neither too large nor too small—assigning Qiubai to it could be seen as a gesture of trust.

…

“First of all, let’s take down the pirate flag.”

Not long after leaving the coast, the Interna sailed toward the island marked on their chart, and the first thing Qiubai did was remove the pirate flag from the mast.

Safety came first. Pirates were a presence most people hated but dared not speak against.

Their destination lay outside the traditional sphere of influence of the Don Quixote Family. That ostentatious flag might not intimidate anyone here—more likely, it would only draw trouble.

There was another consideration: although none of the three had bounties on their heads, there was no guarantee that some passing, ultra-powerful bounty hunter wouldn’t take an interest in their little ship and send them to the bottom on a whim.

Bounty hunters were a vital force in maintaining balance on the seas. Naturally, their strength varied, and this was one reason why the Navy kept raising the bounties on powerful pirates—to encourage bounty hunters to pursue them according to their own strength and the amount offered.

Generally, a pirate’s bounty rarely rose much above 300 million, as few bounty hunters would risk their lives against such fearsome pirates. But this was not absolute; in fact, a bounty around 500 million still held plenty of meaning.

There were countless strong individuals among “ordinary folk”—who could say when a monster might appear? For instance, an obscure man named Fujitora might one day require a large sum of money for some reason. Unwilling to resort to robbery, but hearing that the head of a notorious pirate passing by was worth 500 million, what if he on a whim decided to play the part of a bounty hunter?

No one could ever say such things would never happen. In fact, more than a few seemingly formidable pirates had met their ends in such inexplicable ways.

Qiubai was nowhere near that level, but it didn’t mean he wanted to tempt fate. On his little ship, with only a couple of companions, he couldn’t weather much of a storm.

“What do we do next?”

Ain watched as the pirate flag was first soaked in seawater, then sank to the bottom, and turned to Qiubai to ask. Indeed, to be extra cautious and prepared against the possibility of a naval boarding, he had thrown the Don Quixote pirate flag straight into the sea.

“We’ll see when we get there. First, we gather some intelligence at our destination, and from there, we’ll have to play it by ear,” Qiubai replied, facing the now chilly sea breeze.

It was hard to gauge his confidence in the mission’s success—this task truly called for improvisation.

To those in the know, the Child’s Play Fruit was valued somewhere between several hundred million and over a billion, but Doflamingo hadn’t given Qiubai a single coin. He would have to find his own way to acquire the fruit. In truth, even if money were provided, it would be difficult to secure the fruit by financial means alone.

Qiubai would likely need to resort to some unconventional methods, and began to ponder how best to proceed…

At that moment, the navigator Bepo was at the helm.

Under favorable weather conditions, Bepo could handle the little ship with remarkable skill, and so the Interna sped across the sea, almost as if blessed with a legendary wind at its back.

In fact, their schedule was fairly generous—the auction would be held at the end of December, and the interval was certainly enough for the three of them to reach the Meowgalapagos Islands.

Still, it was wise to make haste. As Qiubai had said, the means of securing the fruit would have to be decided on arrival; in other words, they needed time to prepare, so as to be ready for whatever might come.