A Narrow Escape

"Pfft!"

Two muffled impacts rang out at once. Rosinante was pierced by the threads and slammed into the wall behind him.

With Baby-5 serving as a human shield, Van was in much better shape, though a bloody hole had still appeared in his chest.

That was only because he had let go in time and dodged desperately. Otherwise, he would have been skewered together with Baby-5, becoming a pair of tragic lovebirds.

"My patience is limited. I'll ask one last time: will you join the Donquixote Family willingly, or do you want me to drag you back?"

As he spoke, Doflamingo controlled the threads, trying to pull Rosinante and Baby-5 back.

"Mr. Cora!"

Law shouted anxiously, trying to break free from Drake's arms.

Fortunately, Drake was calm enough to remember Van's instructions and never let go.

"I'm... fine..."

Rosinante coughed up blood as he comforted Law, a smile even appearing on his face.

"I almost forgot. You're a traitor too, betraying the Family that raised you."

Doflamingo still refused to let it go. The thread skewering Rosinante suddenly lengthened and slowly stabbed toward Law in Drake's arms.

He was not only venting his rage, but also creating fear and forcing Van to make a decision quickly.

I can't stall any longer... No matter what, I can't exhaust myself until I pass out. I can only gamble one last time.

Van steeled himself and activated his transfer ability with all his strength.

In an instant, every person and corpse that could be moved vanished from the deck. In their place floated bombs, each one already cracked open.

"Boom..."

The bombs detonated at once. The upper cabins and deck were instantly ripped apart by the shockwave, while only the lower hold remained intact, preventing the ship from sinking.

"You dare toy with me!"

Doflamingo looked somewhat disheveled, veins bulging on his forehead as he roared, "Find that brat! Leave him barely alive if you must. I don't care whether the others live or die!"

"Their presences have disappeared again," Vergo reminded him. "And we don't have much time to linger here."

"I know. It must be some special ability. Even Baby-5's presence has been concealed."

As he spoke, Doflamingo raised his hand and fired a thread through the shattered deck, accurately dragging Buffalo out.

"Tell the others to retreat. Lead them and bring the ship over to pick us up."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Buffalo was about to activate his Spin-Spin Fruit ability and take off when Doflamingo's expression abruptly changed. He turned toward the distant sea.

Several figures were racing through the air with Geppo, and at their head was Vice Admiral Tsuru, the woman the Donquixote Family both hated and feared.

"She got here that fast!"

Doflamingo's face darkened. Gritting his teeth, he said, "That's nothing like her usual style. Looks like the Marines know something happened to the Op-Op Fruit too."

"If we can't get it, then the Marines shouldn't get their hands on it either," Vergo suggested. "Should we just kill the guy down there?"

"No! He took the Op-Op Fruit against everyone's expectations. He surely won't be willing to be controlled, so there's no need for us to give up yet."

"As long as he survives, we'll have another chance... Fuffuffuffuffu!"

Doflamingo motioned for Vergo to jump onto Buffalo's back, then shot a whip-like thread from his palm and grinned wickedly as he swung it at the battered surveillance ship.

Twisting Whip!

The ship split apart on impact, and seawater rushed through the breach into the lower hold.

"We're leaving!"

Having vented his anger, Doflamingo no longer lingered. He decisively left with Vergo aboard the "Spin-Spin" plane.

"Leave one warship behind to rescue survivors. The other one follows me at once. We absolutely cannot let him escape this time!"

Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had rushed over in haste, left a female colonel behind to handle the shipwreck while she led the others after Doflamingo.

"Have we been discovered?"

"No, I think the ship sank!"

"These wooden crates are waterproof. They should hold up for a while."

"Let's hope you're not a jinx this time."

The crate's sudden movement made Van and the others realize that they had likely fallen into the sea. It was a matter of life and death now.

There were only five people inside the crate. Aside from one sickly patient, the other four were Devil Fruit users who could not swim.

Drifting away gave them a sliver of hope. But if the crate broke and took on water, none of them would escape.

"Young Master! I'm here! Please save me..."

Baby-5, who had been quiet and obedient all along, suddenly burst into loud sobs. Her voice was painfully shrill in the cramped darkness.

"Stop crying!" Law snapped impatiently. "Even if you scream your throat raw, no one outside will hear you!"

"O-Okay." Baby-5 immediately wiped away her tears. "Since Law asked me to, I won't cry."

"Hahaha! You're still as cute as ever... Cough..."

Rosinante threw back his head and laughed. Though it came with a fit of bloody coughing, it eased the tension somewhat.

"There's been no movement outside for so long... Could it be... ROOM!"

Waiting passively was not an option. After hesitating for a moment, Van expanded his operating room.

In an instant, everything around him came into view. Outside, only a warship was searching for survivors, with no sign of the enemy.

"We're safe for now. Next, we still have to fool the Marines."

Van was somewhat relieved and began discussing their escape plan with Rosinante.

Once they had settled on every word and contingency, he had Drake smash the wooden boards above them.

"Bang!"

"Over there! Hurry and rescue them!"

The sound alerted the Marine lookout searching for survivors aboard the warship. Before long, a lifeboat rowed over to the crate and pulled the five of them aboard.

"Lieutenant Commander Rosinante?" A tall, slender female colonel came forward. "I'm Colonel Kya of Marine Headquarters, one of Vice Admiral Tsuru's subordinates. I'm glad you're all alive."

It was obvious from her form of address that she already knew Rosinante's true identity, so he gave her a military salute.

"Colonel Kya! It's fortunate you arrived in time. Otherwise, we would have been dead for sure."

"Forget that for now. Your injuries are serious. A doctor needs to treat you immediately."

The female colonel was very friendly, and as she spoke, she ordered her subordinates to fetch the military doctor.

Van did not want to waste time, so he gave Drake, who was holding Law, a meaningful look.

"Hey! What's wrong with you? Don't die on me!"

Drake shook him hard, nearly giving Law, who was pretending to be unconscious, a concussion.

Rosinante cooperated as well. "My injuries aren't serious. Please take us to Swallow Island as soon as possible, or this child won't survive."

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku did mention in his orders that there was a child in urgent need of treatment, correct?"

Colonel Kya looked at Law and suggested, "There are doctors and professional medical equipment aboard this warship. It should be more suitable than Swallow Island."

Was she being kind, or did she simply not want to let them go?

Van frowned inwardly, but he could not speak up rashly. He could only place his hopes on Rosinante.

"To be honest, this child has Amber Lead Syndrome. There is currently no cure."

"I'm in such a hurry to get to Swallow Island because I found out there is a special medicine there that can keep him alive a little longer."

"Amber Lead Syndrome?"

Colonel Kya's expression changed. The surprise in her eyes as she looked at Law instantly turned into sympathy.

Even so, she still shook her head and refused. "Vice Admiral Tsuru's mission was to rescue you. If you want to leave, you must have her approval."