"Buffalo, let's go!"
"Remember, be back in thirty minutes."
Doflamingo reminded them.
Safety wasn't a concern for him—after all, not every strong fighter had as much free time as he did to… train the little ones in the Calm Belt.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it."
Yamato waved dismissively, glancing at the crimson watch on her wrist. Just a while ago, she had been excited about it, but now she was already feeling the urge to toss it away.
"Doflamingo-sama, we're heading out."
Buffalo activated his flight mode and soared into the dusk.
...
Dressrosa.
"Captain, she already finished our emergency food supply for the night."
"She even ate the fish we just killed."
"She's from the Longleg Tribe, right? That has to be it! Damn, that's insane!"
"Keep your voice down! She can hear you!"
Cricket gave an awkward smile to the tall woman who had turned her gaze toward them.
"Hello, we're a pirate crew from the North Blue. My name is Cricket."
"I'm Masira."
"I'm Shoujou."
"..."
"What's your name?"
Swallowing the last bite of fish with some difficulty, the woman finally regained her strength, her complexion looking much better. She bowed slightly.
"Thank you all for saving my life. I am Charlotte Smoothie."
"My apologies for eating your food."
Masira stared at her long legs, immediately shifting into admiration mode.
"Smoothie, huh? That means fruit juice, right? What a beautiful name."
"Char… Charlotte?!" Shoujou's expression changed as he recalled a recent newspaper headline:
"BIG MOM Attacks Beehive Island! A Great Pirate of the Old Era Defeated—Status Unknown!"
"What the hell are you yapping about?!" Masira smacked Shoujou, annoyed. He was in the middle of flirting, and his idiot friend had to ruin the mood.
Cricket, however, narrowed his eyes. Unlike the others, Shoujou ignored Masira's outburst and hesitantly asked,
"Miss Smoothie, your Charlotte… does that mean you're part of the Charlotte Family?"
"Yes."
"Yes...?!!"
The entire crew instinctively huddled behind Cricket, clutching onto him as if he were a human-shaped life raft. From a distance, they looked like a giant lump of tangled limbs.
"There's no need to be afraid. You're my benefactors. Without your help, I would've been fish food by now."
Smoothie pointed at the fighting fish still lurking in the sea, their eyes gleaming hungrily. She gave them a small bow.
"Even among pirates, we have a sense of honor."
"That's… good to hear."
A collective sigh of relief spread among the crew. Cricket also exhaled discreetly. Who in the New World wasn't afraid of the Charlotte Family?
Seeing the tension ease, Smoothie took in her unfamiliar surroundings and asked, "Benefactors, where are we?"
Ever since she barely escaped that storm, her luck had taken a turn for the worse. The ship she hijacked had sailed straight into a storm front. If she hadn't not eaten a Devil Fruit yet, she'd be lying at the bottom of the sea by now.
"This is Dressrosa—the Kingdom of Love and Passion. It's Donquixote Doflamingo's personal territory."
Donquixote Family?
Smoothie's eyes lit up as she eagerly asked, "Is Doflamingo here?"
The pirates hesitated, giving different responses:
"Doflamingo?"
"The Devil?"
"Our benefactor?"
"The Devil?"
Smoothie's expression darkened. She unsheathed her spiral sword, her gaze turning sharp.
If they were enemies of her lord, then breaking the code of honor would be more than justified.
"No need for hostility, Miss Smoothie!" Cricket quickly stepped in, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Forget whether they could even fight her—any commotion would immediately attract the Donquixote Family's enforcers. If that stone guy showed up, they'd be dealing with a mixed beatdown from both sides. They didn't have nearly enough lives to survive that.
Seeing her expression ease slightly, Cricket continued, "On the contrary, we actually owe our survival to Doflamingo-sama's generosity."
To prove his point, he pulled out an identification slip given to him by the Shandian chieftain on Skypiea and handed it over. He had kept it, intending to show it to Kagasi next time he visited Mock Town for drinks.
Smoothie looked at the document, her gaze lingering on the photo of Doflamingo's trademark wide grin.
Unconsciously, a smile crept onto her own lips.
Her lord was so handsome.
Cricket added, "However, to my knowledge, Doflamingo-sama isn't here. Only his officers remain stationed in Dressrosa. If you want to meet him, you should head to the Royal Plateau."
"That's fine!"
Smoothie reluctantly handed back the identification slip featuring Doflamingo's face.
"I'm already so close to Doflamingo-sama. But first, let me repay you for your kindness. Where are you headed?"
The crew exchanged glances.
What an interesting take on repaying a favor.
"We're looking for the Tontatta Tribe. Based on my research, they're hidden in the Green Bit jungle over there."
Cricket pointed toward the distant, isolated island.
...
Calm Belt.
"Why don't I see the Daughter Island that Aunt Jora mentioned?"
Yamato stared at the endless, uniform stretch of ocean, looking deflated.
She wanted to visit the Daughter Island!
"It's called Amazon Lily—the Kingdom of Women."
Buffalo, ever the diligent student, corrected her with a deadpan expression.
"Even though it's also in the Calm Belt, Amazon Lily is on the other side of Mary Geoise."
"Our current location is much closer to Reverse Mountain."
"Ugh, then what's even the point?! So boring!"
Frustrated, Yamato scratched her head.
"It's time to head back, Miss Yamato. Besides, Skypiea isn't the only island in the sky. You could ask Doflamingo-sama for—"
Before Buffalo could finish, Yamato's excited voice interrupted him.
"Turn around, Buffalo! There's an island!"
"Hah? You're not fooling me."
"I'm serious!"
Buffalo didn't budge. Yamato had pulled this trick before—anything to extend their little field trip. But this time, Doflamingo had even given her a watch. If they didn't return on time, he'd be the one getting chewed out.
"Eek eek eek!!"
Yamato grabbed Buffalo's pigtails and yanked his head in the direction she was pointing.
"Ow ow ow! That hurts!"
But as his eyes adjusted, he saw it too—an unmistakable silhouette against the night sea.
"There is an island?!"
"See?! Told you so!!!"
Pouting in dissatisfaction, Yamato threw her hands up in excitement.
"Let's check it out!"
"This is an unknown island in the Calm Belt. Doflamingo-sama specifically told me that I don't have the qualifications or authority to explore it."
Ignoring the tug on his hair, Buffalo immediately turned back toward their original path.
"Buffalo!!!"
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