Ten days later, Spidermiles Port, the harbor city where Doflamingo had made his fortune.
"Quite a few people. It wasn't completely abandoned, but there was barely any security."
Outside the Donquixote Family's castle, Van pulled down his coat hood, held his left palm downward, and activated the Op-Op Fruit.
ROOM!
The space rapidly expanded, enveloping the front section of the castle. Then the buildings began to tremble slightly.
Because of the Silence ability, no sound traveled outside, though the people within remained unaffected.
"What's going on?"
"An enemy attack?"
Startled cries pierced the silence as more than a dozen lackeys rushed out the gates, raising their guns at Van.
"Could you help me contact Doflamingo? Tell him I've come for a visit and brought him a grand gift."
Van remained where he was, but the buildings shook ever more violently, cracks spreading across many parts of them.
"You think I'm an idiot? You caused all this, didn't you?"
"You dare destroy the Donquixote Family's headquarters? You've got a death wish, brat!"
Before he could finish speaking, the squad leader pulled the trigger, intending to kill Van outright.
Yet before the bullet could leave the chamber, the gun barrel suddenly snapped in two.
"Looks like you don't intend to cooperate."
Van's expression darkened as the power of space erupted.
The next second, every lackey, along with his weapon, was sliced in half.
"Y-you... what kind of monster are you? The family officers won't let you get away with this!"
"Lord Doflamingo is the ruler of the North Blue! If you stop now, there's still time. Otherwise, you'll die without a grave!"
"Spare us! There isn't anything important here anymore! We're just outer members trying to make a living..."
Overcome by fear, some screamed threats while others wept and begged for mercy.
But Van ignored them and simply kept walking forward.
"Crack, crack..."
The entire structure split apart. Wooden beams, stone bricks, and metal components shot through the air like cruise missiles, smashing precisely into the remaining lackeys inside the castle.
Screams rose one after another before they were all swallowed by raging flames, leaving no sign of life behind.
When the final building collapsed, Van emerged from the other side of the castle with a special Den Den Mushi bearing the Donquixote Family emblem in his hand.
"Pururururu..."
"This is Señor. What is it?"
A calm, steady voice came from the Den Den Mushi. Van paused for a moment before quickly recalling the name.
Señor Pink, an officer of the Donquixote Family and a Paramecia-type Swim-Swim Fruit user.
"Tell Doflamingo that I've brought him a grand gift. From now on, he won't have to worry about the Marines coming to Spidermiles Port to cause trouble."
"I imagine he won't like it, so more gifts will be arriving soon. Tell him to wait patiently."
With that, Van tossed the Den Den Mushi behind him, pulled his hood back on, and headed toward the docks.
On the other end, Señor was somewhat dumbfounded, having no idea what had happened.
Fortunately, he did not need to think too much about it. He only needed to report the situation directly to Doflamingo.
The Donquixote Family possessed not only formidable power of its own, but also many partners. Its eyes and ears could be said to spread throughout the North Blue.
After investigating, they not only confirmed that Van was the culprit, but also used the merchant ships' routes to deduce several other locations that might come under attack.
Unfortunately, they had been too far away while evading Vice Admiral Tsuru's pursuit. By the time they could rush over, it was already too late, so they could only have those places reinforce their defenses.
As for arranging evacuations, Doflamingo could not afford such humiliation, and his partners might not agree anyway.
Another week passed. Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"That fellow called Van has shown himself again. This time, it was the White Land Kingdom. Doflamingo probably can't sit still anymore."
In the office, Sengoku spoke of the latest developments in the North Blue while pushing an intelligence file toward Tsuru.
"The White Land Kingdom is different from Spidermiles Port. Someone pressured the nearby Marine branch, didn't they?"
Tsuru had been urgently recalled because nobles from several allied kingdoms, acting under Doflamingo's instructions, had jointly donated a special annual tribute to the World Government.
Afterward, the World Government issued orders forbidding the Marines from entering those countries to conduct operations without permission.
Now the Marines' hands were tied. The only targets they could deal with were the Donquixote Family itself and secret bases outside allied kingdoms, or those that had yet to be discovered.
That meant the intelligence Rosinante had brought back at the end had become worthless paper. Other than costing Doflamingo a great deal of money, it served no further purpose.
Thus, Tsuru was not in a good mood. She could not even be bothered to look at the intelligence file Sengoku had pushed over.
"That's certain, but the Marines can't be blamed. They were the ones who refused to let the Marines enter and deploy. If something happened, they could only blame themselves."
"What gives me a headache now is Rosinante. He's angry with me and says he wants a transfer to the North Blue."
Sengoku wore a bitter expression as he continued, "I thought it was too dangerous, so I refused."
"He's been out there for so many years, yet his strength has barely improved." Tsuru spoke bluntly. "This outcome proves that sending him undercover was a mistake from the start."
"What's done is done. Regret won't change anything. I plan to let him rest for a while, then send him to the Elite Training Camp to temper himself again."
Sengoku said helplessly, "We'll have to wait until Zephyr returns before discussing this. I don't know whether he'll agree."
"This year's Elite Training Camp internship has already begun, hasn't it?" Tsuru asked. "Where was it arranged?"
"The North Blue! The internship ship arrived there a few days ago. Before you returned, I had already asked Zephyr to look into Van's whereabouts while he was there."
Sengoku paused before explaining, "I've carefully reviewed all the investigation reports. Van's strength far exceeds expectations. The Marines at the branches likely can't handle him."
"Zephyr has only been willing to train recruits these past years. Why would he suddenly involve himself in this?" Tsuru asked doubtfully.
"I promised him that if they capture Van, this year's top recruit will receive an additional promotion."
"Recruit internships are primarily meant for capturing pirates anyway. Adding a special target at the last minute just gives them another prize to compete for."
"As for whether they can claim it, that will depend on their luck."
At that, Sengoku picked up another file from his desk, opened it, and pushed it in front of Tsuru.
"I called you here because there is something more important."
Tsuru glanced over it casually, then her expression immediately shifted to surprise. "The Land of Women?"
"That's right! The new Pirate Empress of the Amazon Lily Kingdom, the new captain of the Kuja Pirates, eighteen-year-old Boa Hancock, has made her first appearance before the outside world."
"Her display of strength has caused quite a stir. The news will soon spread throughout the world, and those above intend to invite her to become one of the Shichibukai."
"Considering the Land of Women's unique location, the contact mission will be carried out by the Marines. I intend to send you."
After hearing Sengoku out, Tsuru considered it briefly and agreed. "Then I'll go to the North Blue after some time."
"Good! During this time, I'll send more intelligence personnel to investigate the Donquixote Family's secret bases, making your later operations more convenient."
Sengoku finally breathed a sigh of relief. After seeing Tsuru out of the office, he returned home as well, intending to have a proper talk with Rosinante and resolve the rift between father and son.
Before you continue