Seeing that the Den Den Mushi had connected, Bater and Brother Kun tactfully left the private room, allowing Cifer and Mingo to speak alone.
"Mm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm~" There was a brief pause on the other end before Mingo's distinctive laugh came through. "Why would a man like you go to such a remote place?"
"Just earning a little extra," Cifer said, casually setting the package on the table. "There's something I need your help with."
"The Small-Small Fruit? What a useless fruit no one's ever seen before~ So, what are you planning to offer as payment?"
After some discussion, Mingo was naturally willing to do Cifer this favor, though he also needed to gain something in return.
"When necessary, I can make a move for you once, whether the opponent is a Marine Admiral, one of the Four Emperors, or even a Celestial Dragon."
"Mm-hahahahaha! Deal, Black Winged Great Demon!"
In Mingo's eyes, trading an almost useless fruit for a single move from someone at an Admiral's level was an absolute steal!
Once the conversation ended, Cifer and Mingo naturally had nothing more to chat about.
Cifer returned the Den Den Mushi to Bater outside the door. After taking it, Bater ran to a corner and repeatedly nodded and bowed as he listened to the instructions coming from the other end.
When Bater returned to the private room after hanging up, he was completely different. The panic he had shown upon first meeting Cifer was gone, replaced by smug satisfaction and respect.
"Mr. Cifer, the young master asked me to give you this Den Den Mushi so it'll be easier for you to stay in touch," Bater said respectfully, offering it with both hands. "Also, he said that if there's anything in this Auction House you like, you may take it as the young master's gift for our first meeting."
"Oh? Then I should take a look."
Since Doflamingo was being so accommodating, Cifer was naturally willing to accept his goodwill.
Led by Bater, Cifer and Brother Kun arrived at the backstage area of the auction, where goods that had not yet been auctioned off were stored.
"Daddy! I'm here! Daddy, save me!"
Inside one of the cages, a beautifully dressed and adorable little girl of about five or six burst into tears when she saw Brother Kun.
"Little Sunflower!"
Brother Kun ran toward the cage in disbelief. He had merely gone out to make some quick money, yet his daughter had been captured and brought to the Auction House!
Brother Kun turned and wanted to kneel before Cifer, but Cifer grabbed him and stopped him. It was only natural for the weak to kneel before the strong, but he did not want a father kneeling before someone else in front of his child.
"Let the child go. I still don't like seeing human traffickers."
"Understood!"
Bater immediately had his men release Little Sunflower from the cage.
At the same time, he ordered his subordinates to deal with the human traffickers on the island.
The human trafficking business on some remote little island was nothing to Bater. Even if it disappeared, so be it. He would soon be heading to the New World anyway; pleasing the man before him was what mattered now.
Once freed, Little Sunflower threw herself into Brother Kun's arms and cried bitterly. From the moment she had been captured until now, she had screamed herself nearly hoarse, but no one had been willing to pay attention to her. She had thought she would never see her father again in her life.
Brother Kun's eyes reddened as well.
He suddenly felt that the most sensible thing he had ever done in his life was meeting Cifer today. If he had not led Cifer here and had gone off to do something else instead, he did not dare imagine what would have happened to Little Sunflower.
Cifer walked around the backstage area and found nothing but useless junk. Good Fast Swords, jewelry, and the like could not even catch his eye.
"Are there any Bounty Criminals on this island?"
Cifer could only turn his attention back to bounties.
"Uh... Mr. Cifer, this island may be called Crime Island, but in reality, it's just a place where small fry who can't make it on the Grand Line stay for long periods."
Bater broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that there were practically no people with bounties as high as Cifer's who still lingered in the first half of the Grand Line.
This answer was within Cifer's expectations. It seemed he would have to travel around more; for the time being, he had no plans to return to the New World.
"A head worth 37 million Belly. You can exchange it for cash here, right?"
Cifer tossed the package in his hand to Bater. If it could be handled here, it would save him the trouble of figuring out how to get to a Marine branch, especially since he had two Marines on his ship who had been abducted.
"Of course! I actually already sent someone to get the money."
Bater took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, handing the package to a guard nearby.
Then he had someone bring over the things he had ordered prepared earlier.
While Cifer had been speaking with the young master earlier, Bater had learned what happened in the Colosseum. It had been easy to guess that Cifer had come for the bounty.
Though Bater was not strong, he had been able to serve under Doflamingo in the underworld because he was skilled at reading people and situations.
Many things did not need to wait until the boss told you to do them. The mark of an excellent subordinate was having everything ready before the boss even gave the order.
"Here is the Belly Mr. Cifer requested. There are also some valuable jewels, gold, and the like inside, as gifts for Mr. Cifer."
Cifer took the package, large enough to fill the arms of several men, from the two guards and casually slung it over his shoulder. There was no reason to refuse gifts people offered him.
"I'll be leaving now. This place is far too boring."
Cifer had originally thought he could earn at least one or two hundred million on this island.
He had not expected the pirates' bounties here to be so low, nor that there would be only one wanted criminal.
It seemed he had overestimated the strength of the first half of the Grand Line. Perhaps only wherever King Luffy passed through would there be more Bounty Criminals.
Fortunately, he had gotten to know Doflamingo and gained quite a few benefits. Cifer estimated that the package on his shoulder alone was worth over a hundred million.
"Benefactor, I, Sang Kun, will never forget what happened today!"
Brother Kun's voice came from behind him. Cifer merely waved a hand. It had been nothing more than a small effort. As for whether they would be retaliated against by Bait's subordinates after he left, Bater naturally knew how to handle it.
With a light swipe of his finger, Cifer tore open a massive crack in the space before him and stepped through it amid everyone's astonished gazes.
"You guarded my ship properly, right?"
At the docks, space shattered, and Cifer emerged from it carrying the package.
"Yes! Reporting to you, sir, we have guarded it well the entire time. Two groups came looking to make a move against your ship, but we drove them all away."
The middle-aged man who had taken the money stood ramrod straight, answering Cifer as though a soldier reporting to his commanding officer.
Seeing several injured men scattered among his subordinates, Cifer knew he was not lying.
"What's your name?"
Cifer looked at the man who had initially been chewing on a blade of grass. His shirt had become tattered, but he did not seem injured.
"Charlotte Will."
Will showed no fear at all, staring straight into Cifer's eyes. He even wanted to see just how wide the gap between himself and the man before him was.
"What is Big Mom to you?"
"I don't know her!"
One of that woman's blood relatives who had ended up outside?
Cifer could not be certain, but Will's physical talent was the best he had seen since setting out to sea.
"My ship is still short a helmsman. Are you interested?"
He could not keep making Hina serve as both navigator and helmsman! Besides, if he really became one of the Shichibukai, he would have to return her eventually.
Quick, agree!
Everyone present silently chanted the same thought. Boarding this man's ship would be a one-step path to the heavens!
"I refuse!"
To everyone's surprise, Will gave his answer after thinking for only a moment.
"You're strong, but I can become even stronger! One day, I'll have my own ship and find my own companions. I'll surpass you!"
Before you continue