"A mere Shichibukai? A mere Donquixote Family? They can't keep Bai Yu restrained."
Bai Yu's calm and confident declaration rendered everyone around him speechless.
Especially the Maya trio, who had been following Bai Yu closely ever since the Punk Hazard incident.
Bai Yu had long disliked taking large groups on missions. As he often explained it: too many people just tie my hands.
But this time was different. Due to the high number of children and civilians needing rescue and protection, Bai Yu had agreed to operate with a larger force.
So what if it was Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?
Didn't Bai Yu almost single-handedly wipe out his entire organization?
Crocodile was now rotting in Impel Down.
"Let's move."
"We'll deliver the children to safety as soon as possible and rush to regroup with you," Maya said after exchanging glances with her two companions.
After a brief pause, the trio nodded firmly. Maya stepped forward to speak on their behalf.
"Wait!"
"How can you agree to this so easily?!"
Tashigi turned toward them, clearly startled by their quick decision.
She didn't understand how the three of them could follow Bai Yu so blindly into danger.
"We trust Bai Yu's judgment."
"Instead of wasting time debating, we should escort the children to safety and then hurry to back him up," Maya said plainly.
"…"
Tashigi was at a loss for words.
"I've already made my decision."
"There's no need for you to rush over."
"The opponent is Doflamingo. I didn't expect a simple hostage exchange with him."
Bai Yu spoke up again, addressing both parties.
He understood the Maya trio's good intentions—but what he hadn't expected was that they'd run into Doflamingo first and get captured.
If that happened, it could turn into an actual hostage-for-hostage scenario.
"Understood."
The Maya trio agreed, then began organizing the remaining personnel to gather all rescued children and hostages, as well as collecting information on their origins, hometowns, and families.
They would wait for reinforcements from a nearby Marine branch before heading out.
---
Elsewhere.
Bai Yu and Smoker, accompanied by Caesar and a handful of Marines responsible for operating the ship, approached a pirate ship moored on the nearby coast.
Curiously, the vessel flew the flag of the Donquixote Pirates.
"Let's go."
After everyone boarded, Bai Yu gave the order to set sail.
Their destination: an uninhabited sky island near Punk Hazard—chosen as the rendezvous point for a potential exchange.
---
Time passed.
Bai Yu stood at the bow, eyes scanning the endless ocean.
Beside him, Smoker was absently rubbing his palms, visibly uneasy.
"What's this?" Bai Yu smirked. "The reckless Smoker getting nervous?"
"I'm not nervous," Smoker muttered. "I just think it's too easy."
"Doflamingo agreed to your terms far too quickly. Doesn't that seem suspicious to you?"
"You think I haven't considered that?"
"Of course I have."
Bai Yu smiled faintly and looked toward the horizon.
"But I don't let fear dictate my actions."
"There's always a way through—hesitation just makes things worse."
"…"
Smoker could only shake his head with a bitter smile.
Only Bai Yu could be this relaxed before facing a Warlord like Doflamingo.
Their conversation drifted off into silence.
---
"Report!"
"A small island has been spotted two thousand meters northeast!"
"No signs of human habitation observed."
A Marine soldier hurried over with the news.
"There it is," Bai Yu said. "Change course. Bring us in and prepare to anchor."
"Yes, sir!"
The Marine saluted and rushed back.
The pirate ship adjusted course and headed straight for the isolated island.
Soon, they arrived and docked successfully.
"You guys find a place to hide."
"This part's out of your league."
Bai Yu ordered the dozen or so Marines to take cover.
Then, nodding to Smoker, he stepped off the ship and entered the jungle interior with Caesar in tow.
As expected, the island wasn't large, and the deeper they went, the denser the forest became.
There was no trace of any previous habitation.
Once Bai Yu felt they'd reached the center, he stopped walking.
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed Doflamingo.
The line connected quickly.
Bai Yu relayed the island's coordinates, then abruptly hung up without giving Doflamingo a chance to respond or bluff.
"With that String-String Fruit of his, he should be able to get here quickly," Bai Yu said calmly.
"Until then, let's rest."
"You were right—if he's prepared, this could be a brutal fight."
With that, Bai Yu casually tied Caesar to a tree, found a nearby boulder, and sat down to rest with his eyes closed.
Smoker followed suit and found a spot to relax.
---
Night fell swiftly.
Doflamingo still hadn't shown.
By then, Bai Yu and Smoker were well-rested and had kindled a small fire to cook food and stay warm.
Beep beep beep…
Suddenly, the Navy-issued Den Den Mushi in Bai Yu's coat rang.
He answered it, raising an eyebrow.
"BAI YU, YOU BRAT!!"
A deafening voice erupted the moment the line connected.
"Old man Garp," Bai Yu chuckled. "What brings you to me now?"
"You're still in the mood to joke?!"
"If I hadn't forced Koby to tell me, were you planning to keep this stunt hidden forever?!"
"You're chasing Doflamingo all the way into the New World?!"
Garp was clearly furious, his voice rattling the snail receiver.
Bai Yu laughed lightly.
"Nothing's happened yet."
"As the saying goes, 'A soldier worth his salt solves his problems without orders.'"
"You…"
Garp was so flustered he couldn't find the words.
"Where are you?"
"A small island near Punk Hazard."
Bai Yu answered honestly.
He rarely kept secrets from Garp—after all, the Vice Admiral had always supported him, unlike other stiff-necked higher-ups at HQ.
"…"
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.
Then Garp spoke again, more seriously.
"According to intel from our spies in the New World…"
"That lunatic Kaido already knows about you."
"And he's begun to move."
Garp's voice dropped, low and grave.
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