Waiting for the Hare?

"Great, we don't have to be slaves anymore!"

"This place isn't safe. Don't celebrate too soon."

"We owe our freedom to this lord..."

Overjoyed, everyone burst into tears and looked at Van with gratitude. Some even dropped to their knees on the spot and repeatedly kowtowed.

"You two, come with me! And get a few more people to carry her too!"

Van beckoned Sugar and Monet over, then picked several relatively strong men from the crowd and ordered them to carry the fish tank.

Merfolk had difficulty moving on land, so she needed help to escape.

"Thank you, my lord!"

The mermaid gazed at Van through tear-filled eyes, refusing to look away for even a moment, as though she wanted to carve her benefactor's appearance into her heart.

Unlike her, Sugar and Monet, who had been summoned over, felt flattered and overwhelmed. They lowered their heads timidly, not daring to look too much.

"Don't mention it!"

Van smiled at the three of them, then ordered, "There are ships at the harbor. Everyone else, pick up the weapons on the ground and fight your way out with me!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Freedom was within reach, and everyone was fired up. At that moment, even if the heavens themselves stood in their way, they would have dared to pick up weapons and fight for their lives.

Before they left, someone set a fire, and the warehouse quickly began to burn.

"The man behind this warehouse is a duke of the Nodiss Kingdom. I just blew up his auction house, so he'll definitely send people to investigate."

"Since you're setting fires anyway, set a few more. It'll make it easier for us to escape."

Not only did Van not stop the slaves from setting fires, he also helped deal with the guards at the other warehouses and encouraged them to create chaos.

He had no time to search for the armory, so he could only cause as much destruction as possible and strike across the board.

"My lord is right! We have to destroy this place to get proper revenge on those damned nobles!"

In the eyes of many commoners, nobles were a species even more hateful than pirates.

With Van backing them and others taking the lead, the fury buried in everyone's hearts was instantly ignited.

Boom...

The blaze spread rapidly, soon consuming the harbor's warehouse district. Explosions rang out from time to time.

The group fought as they retreated. By the time they reached the docks, many ships had already raised sail and were preparing to leave this troubled place.

Monet suddenly spoke up. "My lord! There are too many of us. One ship probably won't be enough."

"Then seize more ships! Split up and run. Even if the enemy catches up, we won't all be wiped out."

With a flip of his palm, Van rapidly expanded the Operation Room, enveloping the three nearest ships.

Amputate!

The power of space precisely separated the people aboard the three ships, leaving them unable to resist.

However, Van made no further move. He intended to let the slaves who boarded decide whether those people lived or died.

Technical personnel such as navigators, helmsmen, and doctors could be kept if needed. If not, the slaves could deal with them however they wished. He could not be bothered to interfere.

"I'll take the merchant ship on the left. The rest of you, board the other two ships."

"From here on, save yourselves. I hope you all survive."

Van and the fifty-odd people around him vanished at the same time, appearing aboard the merchant ship that had already left the shore.

Saving these slaves had merely been convenient. It did not mean he would deliver every one of them to safety.

Whether the others could escape, or whether they could survive afterward, had nothing to do with him.

All he truly wanted were Sugar and Monet, with the mermaid at most added to the list.

"The lord just left... What do we do now?"

"Get aboard quickly! The lord has already done everything he could. From here on, we rely on ourselves!"

"If you trust me, come aboard a ship with me. I'll definitely get you out of here..."

After a brief bout of panic, those left on shore split into two groups and boarded the other two ships in an orderly manner.

By then, the fire in the warehouse district was burning fiercely and had begun spreading into the surrounding areas.

Some people were putting out the fire, while others skirted around the burning zone and sprinted toward the docks.

"Lord Guweit! We arrived too late. That man has already escaped with the slaves."

"Contact the nearby Marine branches in my name. Have them send ships to search the surrounding waters. They must find that bastard!"

Somewhere in the North Blue, the Flamingo sailed through the night.

Normally, the ship would have been quiet at this hour, but today was an exception.

News of the incident at the Nodiss Auction House reached them, causing Doflamingo, who had been restraining his anger these past few days, to lose his composure in public and curse furiously—a rare sight.

His rage was not directed at Van, the culprit, but at the partners who had let the culprit escape due to their carelessness.

They had been warned long ago, yet something still went wrong. It was hard for him not to be furious.

"Forget it! Since those fools are useless, there's no need to work with them anymore."

"Anyway, we're heading into the Grand Line. From now on, we just need to manage the factories in each region and focus on selling goods."

After calming down, Doflamingo adjusted his expansion strategy and planned to have the Donquixote Family fully move into the Underworld.

"Vergo's identity has already been exposed. He can no longer provide the family with convenience and intelligence support. It probably won't be easy for us to gain a foothold in the Grand Line," Trebol said worriedly.

"Conflicts between people are nothing more than matters of profit. As long as we're willing to spend money, there will always be a way."

After pondering for a moment, Doflamingo instructed, "Vergo, you'll take the lead next. Go to the Grand Line and make contact with the various powers there. Establish initial footholds for the family."

The Donquixote Family seemed to have no shortage of talent, but few could truly stand on their own. At present, Vergo was the only one he could barely trust.

"No problem!" Vergo nodded in agreement.

The family's affairs had long since been divided up. Staying behind made him seem somewhat superfluous, and going to the Grand Line suited him perfectly.

"Then are we still going to Nodiss?" Diamante asked. "That idiot duke failed to protect our business. He has to be punished, doesn't he?"

The family's strongholds had been attacked one after another, which was no different from being slapped across the face. Yet for the time being, they could not catch the culprit.

To vent his anger, Diamante intended to settle for the next best thing and first go after their partner who had lost his value.

"We'll discuss that later. There's no need to completely fall out with the nobles of those allied nations for now, and there's no need to go to Nodiss either."

Doflamingo's expression darkened as he continued, "According to our deductions, that guy's next target is most likely the Deliru Kingdom, right?"

"There are family businesses closer to Nodiss, but that guy probably doesn't know about them. The Deliru Kingdom is more conspicuous, so it has the greatest chance of becoming his target."

Diamante gave a sinister smile and added, "If we change course now, we'll get there before him."

Everyone understood what he meant: arrive at the Deliru Kingdom in advance and wait for the prey to come to them.

"I'll go to the Deliru Kingdom personally. You all go to the other nearby strongholds. As long as he dares to show himself, he definitely won't escape!"

Doflamingo proposed a more reliable plan. Diamante and the others all agreed, immediately began flattering him, and the atmosphere aboard the ship soon relaxed.