Encountering Pirates

"Something about this island feels strange. There are actually so many strong people here?" Standing on the deck, Doflamingo narrowed his eyes.

He still had his illusion active. Anyone else on the ship who saw him would merely find him somewhat familiar before immediately forgetting him. Thus, even though he stood at the bow, he drew no attention from the others.

However, his Observation Haki sensed something unusual about the island called Malin.

In fact, his Observation Haki could cover a range of ten kilometers. Even that was limited by his body; he was still far from being able to fully unleash his Mental Energy.

This island was no bigger than a village. There were only a few hundred people on the entire island, and they normally made their living by supplying passing fleets.

With a sweep of his Observation Haki, Doflamingo covered nearly half the island. Near the docks, he sensed at least a dozen life auras far stronger than ordinary people, carrying a bloody stench.

Three of them were no weaker than himself. In the Navy, they would definitely qualify as headquarters-level field officers.

The strongest among them was considerably stronger than him, likely close to the level of a Navy Captain or even a commodore.

Doflamingo turned to glance at the fleet he was traveling with and immediately understood. Are pirates planning to lie in wait for prey?

Doflamingo's Observation Haki was exceptionally remarkable. Not only did it cover an enormous area, but it could even sense certain mysterious traits from others.

Their vitality exceeded that of ordinary people, and they carried a bloody aura. They were clearly no good people, most likely members of a Pirate Crew. Hiding on this island, they were probably after the merchant ships.

After all, this island was merely a supply stop. The residents were not poor, but neither were they wealthy. A Pirate Crew with Navy Captain-level strength would never set its sights on such a small island.

Moreover, few people were willing to damage islands that served as supply points. It was like destroying a water source in the desert—on the seas, such behavior was considered taboo.

Merchant ships, on the other hand, were loaded with valuable goods. Once they docked, they would have no way to escape, making them far more likely targets for pirates.

Most importantly, Doflamingo saw no other ships along the shore. Clearly, these pirates had come prepared and hidden away their Pirate ship.

If they had not intended an ambush, why would they go so far?

With that thought, Doflamingo glanced again at the sailors from the merchant convoy beside him.

Anyone capable of sailing the Grand Line was no ordinary person. This merchant convoy was not weak either; the captain leading the fleet was not much weaker than Doflamingo himself.

Still, their strength was likely somewhat inferior to that of the pirates lying in ambush. Not to mention the other side held the advantage of a surprise attack. If they truly fought, the merchant convoy would suffer heavy losses.

"No helping it. I'll just consider it a good deed for the day." Doflamingo sighed. He was on one of the convoy's merchant ships himself, so naturally he could not stand by and watch them die.

The merchant ships soon docked. Before several of them had even stabilized, more than a dozen burly pirates leaped out from the docks.

"Guhahahaha! Not bad, not bad! After waiting so long, a fat sheep has finally arrived!"

At the front of the pirates stood a towering pirate over four meters tall, his face covered in a thick beard. Behind him stood two pirates who looked much like him, only slightly shorter. Clearly, they were the pirate leaders—and a rare trio of brothers at that.

"You're... the Three-Headed Serpent Pirates!" The captain of the merchant ship at the front frowned, glanced at the three men, and shouted.

"It's Three-Headed Hydra! Three-Headed Hydra!" the tall pirate leader roared angrily.

"Uh, Three-Headed Hydra?" The captain scratched his head, seeming somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry, I think I got it wrong again."

A smile appeared at the corner of Doflamingo's mouth. The nickname Three-Headed Hydra reminded him of a minor character from Old Master Jin's novels, a third-rate fighter with three fleshy lumps on his head.

And judging by appearances, these three hulking men seemed to be exactly that sort of fool.

"It's fine, I forgive you." The leading captain patted his chest and said happily. "Treat us to a meal! We've been hungry for nearly a day! This island doesn't have enough meat, so how can we fill our stomachs by eating nothing but meals?"

"Eat! Eat!" the two tall pirates behind the pirate leader shouted.

"A meal? Perfect! I brought some fine champagne from the Sabaody Archipelago. Why don't we hold a banquet?" Hearing that, the captain immediately grew excited as well.

"Hey, hey, hey!" At that moment, a short dwarf walked out and stomped on the foot of the Three-Headed Hydra Pirates' leader. "Captain, could you wake up already?"

"Aji, what are you doing?" The leader scratched his head and stared blankly at the furious little man.

"That's right, what are you trying to do to big brother?" the two tall pirates behind him chimed in.

"That's what I should be asking you! What are you doing? We're robbing them—robbing them! Don't forget, our Pirate ship has already sunk into the sea! Do you want to stay on this little island forever?" The dwarf looked utterly dead inside.

"Oh right, we're robbing them!" The pirate leader immediately remembered. He drew the large blade from his back and shouted, "Robbery! Hand over all your stuff!"

"Hand it over, hand it over." Those were the two background pirates.

Doflamingo covered his face. Fine, he had overthought it. This was no ambush, merely an unfortunate and bizarre Pirate Crew whose ship had already sunk into the sea.

He had nearly forgotten this was no longer the real world. Weren't bizarre people like this the most common thing in the Pirate World? Brains? What were those?

"Robbery? No. These are all our goods." The captain immediately drew his weapon as well. Strange as they were, he knew perfectly well how to deal with a Pirate Crew trying to rob him.

"Men, get them!" The dwarf immediately waved his hand and ordered the Pirate Crew.

"Charge!" The tall pirate leader roared and rushed forward with his two brothers.

Before the dwarf standing in front could even react, he heard a thud as the tall pirate leader stepped on him. Then the dozen-plus pirates behind him trampled over him one after another.

"Damn it! @%*$!" Only his faint screams and curses remained in the air.

Doflamingo tightly covered his mouth. Fine, this was a Pirate Crew. He could not expect anything more from them.

Then the merchant convoy's sailors leaped down as well and began fighting the Pirate Crew at close quarters.

In terms of strength, the Pirate Crew was an elite force, with each individual possessing greater combat ability. However, the merchant convoy had several large ships and at least a hundred sailors, all young and strong men. They held the numerical advantage.

Thus, once the battle began, neither side could gain the upper hand in the short term.