First Meeting with Mingo

Four days later, the smuggling ship, along with two captured pirate vessels, finally made it to the port town of Spadamalus.

This was also one of the Donquixote Family's current strongholds in the North Sea.

"Great, we're finally back."

"Lucky we had Mr. Pique on this trip, or those bastards would've gotten us."

"Yeah, being able to work under Mr. Pique is a real stroke of luck."

"By the way, Mr. Pique, what do we do with those two brats? Are we really taking them to see Captain Dof?"

As they disembarked, a crew member behind Senor Pink asked a strange question.

Then two kids were tossed off the ship.

And it was none other than Abel and Luo, who had stowed away in a barrel earlier!

Whether their luck had run out when they snuck aboard or not, by the third day, their hunger had consumed all the food and water they'd brought. So they decided to take a chance and come out of the barrel—after all, they still had no idea where the ship was headed or how many days the voyage would take.

To avoid becoming the first isekai victim to starve to death, Abel had to gamble.

And he lost.

When they snuck into the kitchen and started wolfing down food, a crew member who'd gotten up for a midnight snack caught them red-handed.

Since Abel's goal all along had been to get to the Donquixote Family, he put up almost no resistance and let himself and Luo be captured without a fuss.

Then they were brought before the executive, Senor Pink.

And thank goodness it was Senor Pink they ran into!

This iron-blooded hard man had a style completely different from the rest of the Donquixote Family. While others were busy burning, killing, and looting, this guy was helping old ladies cross the street.

Not only was he loyal and devoted to his comrades, but he also had a rare compassion for the weak.

It was absolutely absurd!

If you didn't know better, you'd think he was some moral paragon in the Marines.

Abel couldn't figure out for the life of him how Doflamingo had managed to recruit someone like Senor Pink. It felt like they were from completely different worlds!

So when Senor Pink questioned them, Abel knew exactly how to play his "age advantage." He selectively told the story of him and Luo, strongly expressing their desire to join the Donquixote Family.

Two kids who escaped from White Town, with only a limited time left to live, wanting to join the Family and avenge the dead—

What a touching story!

Whether others believed it or not, Senor Pink, who knew the inside story, did. Because the Lead Sickness on Abel and Luo's bodies couldn't be faked.

Any other executive might have just disposed of the two brats to avoid trouble.

But Senor Pink would never do that!

So his decision was to take the kids to see Young Master Dof and let him decide their fate.

First, because he didn't have the authority to recruit people into the Family's core (peripheral cannon fodder didn't count). Second, because Doflamingo was in the middle of recruiting himself—he'd even taken in over a hundred kids recently, hoping to pick out promising seedlings to train.

Abel and Luo showing up now was just perfect timing.

"Get the haul ready. I'm taking them to see Captain Dof."

Senor Pink lit a cigarette, thinking to himself that a real man always keeps his word.

The crew members behind him, hearing that Mr. Pique was actually going through with it, sighed in resignation. They knew it was his old habit of sympathizing with the weak acting up again.

But they couldn't say much—after all, they were still alive because of that very "old habit." Otherwise, they'd have been thrown into the sea to feed the Sea Kings long ago for incompetence.

"Hey, you two, when you see Captain Dof, make sure you're respectful and polite. If you get Mr. Pique scolded, I'll throw you into the sea myself!"

Faced with the crew member's threat, both Abel and Luo remained unmoved.

Abel saw another side to this—Senor Pink was genuinely respected and loved by his men, which no doubt came from his strong personal charisma.

As for Luo, he was just being reckless!

His thoughts were all, I'm not even afraid of dying, so why would I fear some small fry's threat?

In the center of Spadamalus's waste treatment plant stood a cluster of buildings flying a pirate flag.

The flag bore a smiling face, mouth wide open with teeth bared, split by a diagonal line.

This was the Donquixote Family's emblem, and few in the North Sea didn't recognize it.

Senor Pink walked ahead carrying two large black suitcases, with Abel and Luo following behind.

Unfriendly eyes watched them from all around.

But because of Senor Pink's status as an executive, no one dared to approach.

Only when they reached the second floor and stood before a certain door did he set down one suitcase and knock.

"Come in."

Senor picked up the suitcase again and pushed the door open.

"Captain, I'm back."

"Oh, it's Senor. Looks like this operation went smoothly, since you're back so soon. Huh? And two brats? Don't tell me they're your illegitimate kids, fufufufufu~"

"Don't mind me, just a joke."

Through the sunlight streaming in from the window, a man could be seen sitting in the center of the room.

This man had striking golden hair, spiked up like flames. He wore a trendy pair of sunglasses, a well-fitted black suit, and a flamboyant pink feathered coat with an exaggerated design and color.

It was he who had just spoken.

With such iconic attire and the conversation that followed, the man's identity was unmistakable!

He was Donquixote Doflamingo, a former Celestial Dragon who had single-handedly founded the Donquixote Family.

Besides him, two tall figures stood behind Doflamingo.

On the left was a slovenly middle-aged man draped in a cloak like a quilt, wearing small sunglasses, with a dangling snot bubble and stubbly upper lip.

On the right was a man with a brimmed hat, a red cape, and a pair of light purple transparent glasses, dressed in a way that was both 'stylish' and reminiscent of someone from some indigenous tribe.

From their appearances alone, they were likely two of the four top executives—Trebol and Diamante.

As for the other executives, they had yet to be seen, and it was unclear who had already joined the Donquixote Family.