August could not help feeling a little unwilling to accept it. He still felt that skill should not be so simple.
But under the current circumstances, this was not the right time to test it.
Meanwhile, the massive brawl at the harbor was finally nearing its conclusion.
Boom!
Black Bear Miles's enormous body was smashed into the ground once again.
This time, though, he could not hold on any longer. His eyes rolled back, and he blacked out on the spot, his body shrinking back from black bear form to human form. He was completely out of the fight.
Silverlight Sword Lawrence looked even worse.
A few minutes earlier, he had already been punched to the ground by Mr. Pink's Cat-Ear Punch, coughing up blood with half his face swollen and ruined.
Before the battle began, neither of them could ever have imagined that they would lose this badly.
The two of them had teamed up against one man and still gotten crushed, and they could not even find an excuse for it.
Because that man named Pink had defeated them fair and square.
Once the two captains were beaten, the remaining pirates naturally stopped being a threat. Terrified, they scattered in all directions and fled.
Only then did the local soldiers, who had been standing around watching the entire time, finally make their move and begin cleaning up the aftermath.
Nearly every pirate who had caused trouble was either captured or killed. Not a single one was let go.
If they could have, they would have liked to arrest the Donquixote Family's people too.
But once they thought about the retaliation that would surely follow, they realized they could not afford it and could only give up reluctantly.
"Hiss..."
Amid the cheers and flattery of the surviving crew, Mr. Pink lit another cigarette and stared up at the sky with a distant, melancholy look in his eyes, as if lost in some private thought.
That whole sequence should have looked cool.
It should have looked charming.
But his current appearance had absolutely nothing to do with the word handsome.
The left side of his face was swollen so badly it looked like he had stuffed a bun into his cheek.
His sunglasses had been shattered, leaving only the frame.
But the worst casualty was his suit. At this point, it had practically become beggar's clothes, strips of fabric hanging off him everywhere and exposing far too much.
It could not be helped. That was just the kind of man he was.
Even though he could have relied on his Devil Fruit ability to ambush enemies and win easily, he would still rather stand right in front of them and defeat them head-on.
You could only say he had eaten the wrong fruit.
"Hey, are you the officer the Donquixote Family sent this time?"
A government official stood in front of Mr. Pink with his chin lifted, protected by a ring of soldiers.
"Senor Pink."
"Hm? What?"
"You may call me by my name, or you may call me Mr. Pink. A man without manners is terribly unromantic."
Is this guy an idiot?!
The official's expression darkened instantly. If these bastards had not caused trouble here in the first place, why would he be standing here negotiating with a filthy pirate?
"Then... Mr. Pink. My king requires an explanation and an answer for what happened here today."
"Do not forget that we already purchased a large quantity of 'goods' from your Donquixote Family according to our agreement. No matter the reason, today's incident should never have happened. Wouldn't you agree?"
Senor Pink said nothing. He simply kept smoking, his face still full of melancholy.
A few minutes later, the official left while pinching his nose in disgust.
Before leaving, he had the unconscious Silverlight Sword Lawrence tied up and taken away.
That man was the explanation and answer Senor Pink had given him.
A 35 million Beli bounty was more than enough to cover the harbor's reconstruction costs, and no one could complain about that.
As for Black Bear Miles and the two pirate ships, Senor Pink planned to bring them back as his own explanation to Captain Doffy.
That was only because Senor Pink had this kind of personality. If it had been any other member of the Donquixote Family standing here just now, forget about giving any explanation or answer. The fact that they did not simply kill everyone present would already have counted as a day of mercy and prayer. Those soldiers and that suicidal official would not have survived.
And they still dared ask for an explanation?
Believe it or not, they could have wiped out the entire country.
A moment later, one of the crewmen hesitantly approached Senor Pink.
"Mr. Pink, during the earlier battle, we used some of the cargo that was supposed to be traded next..."
"I already know. Don't worry. This wasn't your fault. When we get back, just put all the blame on me."
"Mr. Pink..."
The crewmen who heard that all looked deeply moved and guilty at the same time.
Sure enough, no matter when it was, Mr. Pink was always the person they trusted and respected the most.
That was something they could never experience under the other officers.
...
That night, out in the countryside, August and Law were busy stuffing themselves with food from their latest zero-cost haul while August casually described the brutal battle that had taken place at the harbor.
Law listened with complete focus, and before he realized it, even his eating slowed down.
"So this Donquixote Family is really that powerful? They sent just one officer and he defeated the combined forces of two pirate crews!"
"You've never heard of the Donquixote Family?"
August was genuinely surprised.
Law shook his head. "Nobody in my family was interested in that kind of thing. But I do know about Germa 66."
"Huh?"
"I saw it once in a comic. The hero Sora led a transforming robot and defeated the evil army Germa 66!"
"..."
August was instantly speechless.
That was probably another stunt pulled by the World Government and the Marines, trying to brainwash children by shaping an image of justice and strength through stories.
Even Law, the moment he mentioned the name Germa 66, frowned instinctively and revealed a look of disgust. That alone showed just how effective the propaganda had been.
"August..."
"Yeah?"
"I want to join the Donquixote Family you mentioned."
August froze for a second before asking, "Are you serious?"
"I've thought it through. If it's just the two of us, then we can barely even manage to eat our fill every day. We can't do anything at all."
"You and I only have a few years left to live. I don't want to keep wasting them like this!"
"If the two of us alone can't do it, then we should just fall into darkness, join the bad people ourselves, and use their power to destroy and kill as much as we want!"
The madness burning in Law's eyes at that moment was enough to shake even August.
But once he calmed down, he could understand how Law felt.
If he had not obtained his cheat, if he had not gained a way to extend his life, then perhaps he too would be just like Law now, hysterical and reckless.
But even putting all that aside...
August was destined to be different from Law.
So now he began seriously considering the idea Law had just proposed.
Joining the Donquixote Family.
What benefits would that bring him?
What help would it offer?
And if the answer was none at all, then perhaps this was where he and Law would part ways.
(End of Chapter)
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