Don't ask how they got there so quickly. The plot needed it.
A little girl in tattered clothes huddled in her mother's arms.
Tear tracks covered the little girl's face as she looked timidly at Lorne.
"Look at them."
Lorne spoke, his voice cold to the bone.
"You know better than I do what sort of scum Doflamingo is."
"He's a complete and utter madman!"
Lorne spun back around, his gaze blazing.
"If I leave with you now."
"When he gets here and sees Diamante's corpse."
"What will he do?"
Ethan was speechless, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
"He'll go berserk!"
Lorne answered the question at the top of his voice.
"If he can't catch the warship, he'll vent his rage on innocent islands along the way!"
"He'll kill every single person he sees!"
Lorne strode up to Ethan.
"You want me to flee with these civilians?"
"You want me to lead a crazed Shichibukai toward civilian settlements farther away?"
"You want me to pass this disaster on to other innocent people?"
Lorne fired off one question after another.
Ethan's legs went weak, and he nearly dropped to his knees.
He truly hadn't considered that.
The little girl Lorne had saved walked up to him.
She took hold of his tattered trouser leg.
"Big brother, those bad men killed my daddy."
She tilted her head up, her large eyes brimming with tears.
"They locked us in a dungeon, too, and beat us every day."
"Big brother, you drove the bad men away. You're our god."
The little girl's mother rushed over and pulled her into her arms.
"Sir, we'll stay and help you!"
The mother bit through her lip, drawing blood.
"We may not be strong, but we can take a blade for you!"
"Our worthless lives are