A Clean Getaway

"Brrr brrr..."

On the speedboat, the Den Den Mushi suddenly rang, and Van immediately became alert.

He looked ahead and saw that the outline of Swallow Island had become clearly visible, then shifted his gaze to the female lieutenant.

"Have you reached Swallow Island?"

A familiar voice came from the Den Den Mushi—it was Colonel Kya.

"We can already see the harbor. We're expected to dock in three minutes," the female lieutenant answered honestly.

"Those people are Lieutenant Colonel Rosinante's friends. Continue escorting them after they disembark, and ensure their safety."

"Vice Admiral Tsuru has returned. We'll be heading back shortly and will pick you up then."

Perhaps worried that something might go wrong, Kya's tone was extremely stern.

"Mission acknowledged!"

The female lieutenant suspected nothing. After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, she even smiled at Van and the others.

"Sorry for the trouble."

Van returned her smile, then gave Drake a look, signaling him to stay alert.

They had only managed to fool Colonel Kya earlier because all the Marines rescued onto the warship had been on the verge of death and unable to reveal what had happened aboard the surveillance ship.

But those people would wake up eventually. Doflamingo might even deliberately leak information, so Van had rather left Rosinante behind than risk failing to escape before the secret was exposed.

Judging from the current situation, Vice Admiral Tsuru clearly already knew he had eaten the Op-Op Fruit. Otherwise, there would have been no need for Colonel Kya to make this call.

"Can't catch Doflamingo, so you want to hand me over as an excuse? Keep dreaming!"

The moment the speedboat docked, Van raised his hand and released his power, intending to use his operating space to seal off the entire pier.

But to his bemusement, Baby-5 made her move at the same time. Her hands transformed into cannons, each aimed at Van and the female lieutenant.

"Get off the boat now, or don't blame me for getting rough!"

She tried to sound fierce, but she unconsciously swallowed, clearly nervous.

"You're a Devil Fruit user?" The female lieutenant was startled. "But aren't you companions? Why are you doing this?"

"Idiot!"

Law bluntly mocked her and paid it no mind. Drake, on the other hand, looked nervous—or perhaps ashamed.

He had been on guard against the female lieutenant the whole time, never expecting Baby-5, the harmless-looking little girl, to strike first.

"I don't like having guns pointed at me. Please put them away."

As he spoke, Van expanded his operating space, sliced the female lieutenant in two, and tossed her onto the shore.

The harbor was crowded. The people had originally been pointing and gossiping as they watched the spectacle, but the moment they saw that horrifying scene, they scattered in panic.

There was no way he could chase them all down and silence them, so he could not be bothered to kill the female lieutenant either.

"Y-you... do you need me?"

Baby-5's hands returned to normal. Covering her flushed face, she twisted shyly and did not dare look at Van.

"Yes! Doflamingo doesn't want you anymore, but I need you. I'll always need you!"

Van smiled and extended his hand to Baby-5. "As long as you behave, you can stay by my side. I promise I'll never abandon you."

"That's right! Doflamingo was only willing to save Buffalo. He definitely doesn't want me anymore."

Baby-5 sadly threw herself into Van's arms and swore, "I'll listen to you from now on!"

In her eyes, there was no distinction between right and wrong, good and evil. As long as she could be useful, it did not matter whom she followed or who used her.

"I'm a doctor. From now on, you'll be my nurse and my assistant."

Van rubbed Baby-5's head and comforted her softly.

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll be a nurse and follow Young Master Van forever!"

Baby-5 hurriedly nodded, afraid that she would be abandoned if she hesitated even a moment.

"You can call me Doctor from now on, or call me Big Brother like those two."

After correcting how she addressed him, Van looked at Drake and asked, "Can you drive a speedboat?"

"Yes! I used to..."

Drake's expression darkened. He swallowed the words he had meant to say, and in the end, only two words came out of his mouth. "Played with one."

Does this have something to do with Barrels? That childhood obsession runs deep...

Van pondered for a while before saying, "You drive. We're leaving immediately!"

"Where to?"

Drake took the helm and began fiddling with the controls, trying to get a feel for them.

"South! To Maji Island!"

Van spoke loudly enough for everyone on the pier to hear.

Ignoring her lower half, the female lieutenant hurriedly pulled out her Den Den Mushi and reported the situation to Colonel Kya, who was on her way.

Once the speedboat left, the bystanders who had fled earlier gathered again. Seeing that she had been cut in half yet remained alive, they could not help clicking their tongues in amazement.

Even more astonishingly, someone found a doctor and tried to stitch her together. Her severed body actually returned to normal.

"Who has a fast boat?"

The female lieutenant asked around, but no one was willing to help. In the end, she could only resort to threats and promises of reward to find a fishing boat and head out to sea.

There was no chance of catching up. She only wanted to reach Maji Island as quickly as possible and investigate Van's group's whereabouts.

However, the speedboat never went to Maji Island. Instead, it quickly circled halfway around Swallow Island and stopped at an uninhabited shore on the island's other side.

The area was surrounded by steep cliffs, with only a stretch of mountain forest farther inland. It was far from the town near the harbor.

In the original story, after Law escaped Minion Island, he had hidden here and lived through his most difficult period of growth.

Things were too heated now. Running around everywhere would make it easy to expose their whereabouts, so Van decided to rest and regroup here for a while as well.

He first used his power to move the speedboat into a hollow, then covered it with dead branches and fallen leaves. Only then did he lead Drake and the other two, along with their remaining supplies, deep into the forest.

Not long after, the two warships led by Vice Admiral Tsuru arrived at Swallow Island.

Out of caution, she left one warship behind to question people and conduct a search, while she led the other toward Maji Island.

Seeing this, Rosinante could not help but worry.

"I've already sent the evidence to Admiral Sengoku. Shouldn't we be rushing to wipe out the Donquixote Family's secret bases?"

"The North Blue is too vast. We don't have nearly enough people." Vice Admiral Tsuru looked troubled. "Headquarters needs to coordinate the operation and mobilize branches from all over the region."

What truly worried her was that the Donquixote Family's criminal activities implicated many member nations.

From kings and nobles at the top to wealthy merchants and commoners below, far too many people were involved.

If those connected to the matter were willing to spend money to buy their safety and brought in the World Government to interfere, the whole thing would likely be wrapped up carelessly in the end.

Rosinante understood that darkness as well, which was why he had reason to insist on his opinion. He hoped even more that the Marines would uphold justice.

"Doflamingo won't sit around and wait for death. If we delay too long, much of the intelligence will become useless."

"You should say that to Sengoku." Vice Admiral Tsuru gently shook her head. "I follow orders. My mission now is to capture the person who took the Op-Op Fruit."

"The Op-Op Fruit was taken from pirates. Van hasn't committed any crime—he even saved my life."

Rosinante became emotional and demanded, "Is it right to arrest an innocent person?"

"I know what you're thinking, but the matter has already been decided. You should go back and rest."

Vice Admiral Tsuru could not be bothered to argue. After saying that, she summoned Kya and, in a somewhat forceful manner, sent Rosinante back to his cabin to rest.