Homeward Bound

"Captain! Those are..."

Some time after leaving Dressrosa, Bartholomew's ship, which had a double-horned design at the bow, encountered several vessels lingering in the nearby waters.

His underlings rushed forward to report, awaiting further instructions.

"Senior Lucci, this..."

Bartholomew was also unsure of what to do, and turned his gaze to the figure in white.

Because there were no Pirate Flag on those ships.

"I guess it's just some small fry who bought weapons through Doflamingo or got involved with the Underworld, and they're just trying to warn them."

When it comes to low-level thugs like these, Lucci naturally wouldn't bother to personally intervene if there were someone else he could order around.

He took up Cifer, found a beach chair from somewhere, put on sunglasses and lay down leisurely on it, while Yisheng ate udon noodles on the side.

"Learn!"

Bartholomew saluted, then eagerly ordered his men to move the ship closer to that side.

At this moment, on those ships.

"Oh no! A pirate ship is approaching us!"

On deck, the observer was somewhat flustered.

They originally went to Dressrosa to retrieve the weapons they had purchased, but now that Doflamingo had fallen and the Marine Admiral were still there, they dared not approach.

Originally, he was lingering nearby, thinking that he would go to the island after the navy left to see if he could take back what was rightfully his, but he never expected to run into pirates.

They don't want to waste unnecessary resources on unnecessary battles!

"Tell the other ships to clear the way and avoid direct confrontation. Our mission is to get the weapons!"

"Yes!"

A burly man, who appeared to be the captain, gave the order, and his subordinates immediately ran to relay it.

At that moment, a sound came from the sea.

"Listen up, you ships at sea, you're surrounded! Ouch..."

The arrogant words were suddenly interrupted when Bartholomew snatched the megaphone from his subordinate:

"Listen up, you lot! Dressrosa has become Las Noches territory. If you don't want to die, get out of here!"

He didn't have time to chat with these people; he had to rush to see his dream idol!

"But... but we bought a huge amount of weapons from Doflamingo! Without those things, our country would perish!"

The strong man had no choice but to stand on the bow of the boat and hurriedly explain the purpose of his visit.

Las Noches is terrifying, and they can't afford to offend it, so it's impossible for them to go to Dressrosa to steal things as originally planned.

But if they just slink away like this, what will happen to their country, which is still at war? The soldiers are all waiting for them to return with weapons!

"Hmm~ Hehehehe~ I didn't expect the creditor to show up at a time like this!"

At this moment, Doflamingo, who was lying on the deck next to Lucci, suddenly burst into laughter. Without his sunglasses, he looked much gentler.

"You can continue to pretend to be asleep. You're still far from Hachinosu. As for them, it's no longer your place to worry about them."

Lucci did not open his eyes, seemingly unconcerned that Mingo had woken up.

"My plans of so many years have been ruined by two brats. The arrival of the new era has come too quickly!"

Since the founding of the Donquixote Family, he has lost almost everything he had accumulated.

Dressrosa, the officers he once treated like family and received some warmth from, and the title of Shichibukai he used to commit evil deeds.

"If you are focused on building external things while neglecting your own potential and ignoring the fact that you yourself are the greatest asset, your defeat was already destined."

Lucci hit the nail on the head, and Mingo's face darkened; he fell silent.

"Um... Senior Lucci?"

Lucci only gave a warning, but didn't teach Barto how to respond. Barto could only scratch his head and turn around to ask for advice, feeling embarrassed.

"Let them leave the list, and we'll have someone waiting for them in Dressrosa later."

Yisheng spoke first.

He abhorred war, which he believed would only plunge the nation into misery.

However, he did not want to see some countries, whether invaders or rebels, perish because of their interference.

"Yes!"

After receiving the order, Barto went to the bow of the ship again and raised the horn.

Dressrosa at this moment.

"Mr. Burley, it seems that the forces of Las Noches are taking over the resources that Doflamingo possesses on this island. Are we really not going to do anything about it?"

Vice Admiral Maynard was somewhat uneasy. After all, they were the Sea Emperor. Wouldn't letting that group of people take over a large amount of resources only strengthen their power?

"What we should care about is not Las Noches, but the civilians. The Navy's duty is not to be the World Government's lackey, but to protect civilians."

Burley, who was clearing away the rubble for the people, didn't even turn around.

"Now that you mention it... it does seem true..."

"Brubrubru~ Brubrubru~"

Just as Maynard was about to express his agreement, the Den Den Mushi (Den Den Mushi) rang.

"Burley! Do you know what you're doing?!"

I picked up the phone, and Sakazuki's angry questioning came from the other end.

"I know very well."

Burley's nonchalant words made the other person's anger feel like a punch landing on a marshmallow.

"Because of your actions, the entire World Government have lost face!"

"My sense of justice doesn't exist to save face for the World Government!"

One was a high-ranking Admiral, and the other was Fleet Admiral. Their heated argument left Maynard and the other marines standing nearby too scared to breathe.

"How scary!"

In Sakazuki's office, Kizaru, who was trimming his nails, also stopped.

"That disobedient guy actually dared to hang up on me?!"

Looking at the now silent telephone receiver in his hand, Sakazuki's body temperature rose even higher.

"I've heard that the Black Winged Great Demon's forces have already extended their reach into Dressrosa during this incident."

Kizaru subtly changed the subject.

"His power has gradually taken shape."

Sakazuki, however, showed no emotion in response and reverted to his usual serious expression.

"The battle between the World Government and Las Noches is probably not far off."

He stood on the balcony of his office, gazing at the vast blue sea; no one knew what he was thinking.

"Uncle Sakazuki, I helped Hina take down some more pirates today!"

Inside the Marineford, the only person who could enter the Fleet Admiral's Office without knocking rushed in.

"Really? That's amazing!"

A smile, rarely seen by outsiders, appeared on Sakazuki's face.

"What?! Doflamingo has been taken away by the people of Las Noches!"

On a pirate ship, a man with an extremely burly physique and a metal jaw was in a very volatile mood.

"The message from over there is like this, so what's our next step..."

His subordinates looked up at him very cautiously.

"Get to the vicinity of Las Noches territory and intercept them before they reach Hachinosu, and reclaim Doflamingo!"

The man stared intently into his eyes, which appeared to be slightly bloodshot.