Four days later, the smuggling ship, along with the two captured pirate ships, finally arrived at the port town of Spaidamyrus.
This was also one of the Donquixote Family's current bases in the North Blue.
"Thank goodness, we're finally back."
"It's a good thing Mr. Pink was there this time. Otherwise, those bastards might actually have pulled it off."
"Yeah, being able to work under Mr. Pink really is a blessing."
"Oh, right, Mr. Pink, what are we supposed to do with those two brats? Are we really taking them to see Captain Doffy?"
As they were disembarking, one of the crewmen behind Senor Pink asked a rather strange question.
Then, in the next moment, two boys were tossed off the ship.
And they were none other than August and Law, the very two who had hidden inside the barrels and snuck aboard.
Maybe they had already used up all their luck when they successfully got onto the ship, because by the third day, the food and water they had brought with them had completely run out.
So they had decided to leave the barrel and try their luck.
After all, at the time, they had no idea where the ship was actually headed or how many more days it would keep sailing.
To avoid becoming the first transmigrator in history to starve to death, August had no choice but to gamble.
The result was that he lost.
The moment they sneaked into the kitchen and started stuffing themselves like mad, they were caught red-handed by a crewman who had come looking for a late-night snack.
Considering that he had come after the Donquixote Family in the first place, August barely resisted at all. He simply let himself and Law get captured without much fuss.
Then they were taken straight to the officer, Senor Pink.
And fortunately for them, the one they ran into really was Senor Pink.
A hard-boiled iron man whose style of doing things was completely different from the rest of the Donquixote Family.
While everyone else in the Family would be out looting, killing, and burning, this guy would probably be out helping an old lady cross the street.
Not only was he loyal and deeply sentimental, he also possessed the rare ability to feel genuine sympathy for the weak.
It was honestly unbelievable.
Anyone who did not know better would think this guy was some moral role model in the Marines.
August truly could not understand how on earth Doflamingo had managed to recruit a subordinate like Senor Pink. The two of them did not feel like the same kind of people at all.
So when faced with Senor Pink's questioning, August understood perfectly how to make use of his current "age advantage." He selectively told the story of himself and Law, while strongly expressing their desire to join the Donquixote Family.
Two children who had escaped from White Town, wanting to join the Family and take revenge for the dead during the short lives they had left.
What a moving story.
Whether anyone else would have believed it was another matter, but Senor Pink, who knew the truth behind everything, believed it.
After all, the White Lead Disease on August and Law's bodies could not be faked.
If it had been any other officer, they might have simply disposed of the two brats on the spot to avoid trouble.
But Senor Pink would never do that.
So his decision was to take the two children to meet Young Master Doffy and let him decide their final fate.
First, because he did not have the authority to bring people directly into the Family itself, not counting cannon-fodder outsiders.
Second, because Doflamingo himself was currently in the middle of recruiting. Not long ago, he had even taken in more than a hundred children, planning to pick out those with talent and raise them properly.
So August and Law showing up now could only be described as perfect timing.
"Get everything we gained from this trip ready. I'm taking them to see Captain Doffy."
Senor Pink lit himself a cigarette, thinking only one thing in his heart:
A real man always keeps his word.
Hearing that Mr. Pink was really going to do it, the crew behind him could only sigh helplessly. They knew his old habit of sympathizing with the weak had flared up again.
But none of them could really say anything, because the reason they themselves were still alive right now was precisely because of that same "bad habit" of his.
Otherwise, they would have been thrown into the sea to feed the Sea Kings long ago for failing in their duties.
"Hey, you two. When you see Captain Doffy later, remember to be respectful and polite. If you get Mr. Pink scolded because of your stupidity, I'll be the first one to throw you overboard!"
Faced with the crewman's threat, neither August nor Law reacted at all.
August was because he had seen another side of things through all this and realized that Senor Pink genuinely was respected and loved by his subordinates from the bottom of their hearts. That undoubtedly had a lot to do with the force of his character.
As for Law, he was simply past the point of caring.
In his mind, the thought was simple.
I'm not even afraid of death anymore, so why would I be afraid of some low-level nobody threatening me?
...
In the center of Spaidamyrus's waste disposal yard stood a cluster of buildings flying a pirate flag.
The flag showed a grinning face with its mouth stretched wide open to reveal all its teeth, split across the middle by a diagonal line.
This was the flag of the Donquixote Family, and in the current North Blue, almost nobody failed to recognize it.
Senor Pink walked in front carrying two large black suitcases in his hands, while August and Law followed behind him.
Malicious eyes were everywhere around them.
But because of Senor Pink's status as an officer, not a single person dared step forward and ask questions.
Only after they climbed to the second floor and stopped in front of a certain room did he set one of the suitcases down and knock on the door.
"Come in."
Only then did Senor Pink pick the suitcase back up and push the door open.
"Captain, I'm back."
"Oh, Senor. So it's you. Looks like this operation went quite smoothly if you're back this quickly. Hm? Why are there two little brats here too? Don't tell me they're your illegitimate kids out there somewhere. Fuffuffuffuffu~"
"Don't mind it. Just a joke."
Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the man seated in the center of the room.
He had striking blond hair styled upward like flames. A pair of fashionable sunglasses covered his face. He wore a well-fitted black suit, along with an absurdly flamboyant pink feather coat draped over his shoulders.
He was the one who had just spoken.
With such a signature appearance, plus that conversation just now, the man's identity was already obvious.
He was the Celestial Dragon-born founder of the Donquixote Family, Donquixote Doflamingo.
Besides him, there were also two tall figures standing behind him.
The one on the left was a scruffy man wearing a cape like a quilt, small sunglasses, and a half-hanging strand of snot, with messy stubble all over his upper lip.
The man on the right wore a furry-edged hat, a red cloak, and a pair of pale purple transparent glasses, dressed in a style that was both "fashionable" and somehow like a tribesman straight out of the wilderness.
Judging from appearance alone, they should be two of the four highest officers: Trebol and Diamante.
As for the other officers, none of them were here yet, and there was no telling who had already joined the Donquixote Family at this point.
(End of Chapter)
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