Just as Simon Sandi's men were about to arrive on the island,
Yuno returned to the Divination Club.
Amidst the respectful, awed gazes of everyone, Yuno made his way directly to the club's headquarters and sought out the old witch named Sharon.
Without further ado, Yuno declared,
"The time has come for you. Destroy all those who have landed on the island!"
Sharon, even more respectful than before, replied,
"Yes, sir."
"By the way," Yuno added coldly,
"When they ask you who you are, just say you're from the Donquixote Family."
(Reference: Donquixote Doflamingo and his pirate crew in One Piece, who rule Dressrosa and are infamous in the underworld.)
"That..."
Sharon hesitated but finally nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Hawkins had repeatedly emphasized the need for obedience. Even if Yuno ordered them to die, they would carry it out without hesitation.
So, Sharon hesitated briefly before affirming her loyalty.
Yuno nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave without delay.
Hawkins, although absent, did not concern Yuno.
As long as he had some sense, he wouldn't act rashly.
But if he did want to play dirty, Yuno would
"Let him experience what it means to take out a kid with one punch!"
Experience the crushing power of a powerful opponent in advance!
Meanwhile, Hawkins, hidden in a small room, suddenly shuddered. As a fortune-teller, he trusted his premonitions.
He was being targeted.
And this feeling... this pure malice... was chilling.
"What's going on?"
Hawkins picked up his Tarot Cards and began divination.
He flipped one — The Battler card.
"The battle continues... does it mean I should act?"
"Was the malice because I didn't show up and made him unhappy?"
> "The strong dominate the weak.
The weak must surrender or die.
My chances of victory are zero..."
"Yet the previous reading said my fortune was rising…?"
"This omen doesn't suggest surrender, but rather… receiving help from someone powerful."
Hawkins suddenly recalled the words Sharon brought him:
"Your understanding makes me very satisfied. In the future, I can help you solve a problem!"
Those were the words of the Quincy.
"Could a few words really improve my fate?"
"And just one unhappy thought from him could nearly give me a heart attack?"
"What kind of existence is this man?"
Hawkins was horrified by his own thoughts.
The more he considered it, the more real it seemed.
If that's the case, then...
"I have no choice but to act!"
Not out of will,
but out of instinct for survival…
Even death might be the price of inaction.
At the Harbor
A massive three-masted ship docked.
Hundreds of vicious pirates leapt ashore, led by a bald, pot-bellied man — Simon Sandi.
Simon patted his gut and fired several shots into the air —
BANG BANG BANG — drawing all eyes.
He shouted,
"Seal off the port! No one leaves. Search the island and find the bounty hunter. Kill anyone who resists!"
"Yes, Boss!"
Their expressions hardened, eyes glinting with murderous intent.
They were part of a pirate crew under the King of Shipping, handling matters in the North Blue.
Originally from the Grand Line, their strength was naturally far more formidable than that of the pirates from the North Blue! They were clearly seasoned warriors—elites among pirates!
Simon Sandi, a pirate with a bounty exceeding 80 million berries, led the charge. As soon as these men landed on the island, they spread out in all directions like locusts.
They stormed into a bar, drove everyone out, and surrounded the patrons.
Like fish on a chopping block, the islanders were at the mercy of these invaders.
One of the pirates, a fierce-looking bearded man, stepped on a thug, sneering down at him.
"Do you know where that bounty hunter Quincy is?" he asked coldly.
The man beneath his boot was a low-level thug from the island—he had never seen anything like this before. Terrified, he soiled himself and stammered,
"I—I don't... I don't know. What bounty hunter?"
"Piece of trash!" the bearded pirate spat. He kicked the man with such force that he crushed his ribs, killing him instantly.
He then swept a fierce glare across the trembling crowd, his voice sharp and icy:
"Did you hear what I just said? Has anyone seen a bounty hunter called Quincy, wearing a black-and-white mask?"
The crowd quaked in fear. These were just petty criminals, barely surviving off pickpocketing and small-time scams.
Even now, they didn't understand why such terrifying men had come for them.
Suddenly, one of them blurted out, trembling:
"S-Sir... is he the guy with the black and white mask? I—I saw him heading toward the Dia Mafia headquarters this morning..."
"The Dia Mafia?"
The bearded man's expression darkened. That was the territory of the Donquixote Family—one of the major underground forces in One Piece, run by Donquixote Doflamingo, a former Warlord of the Sea.
He remembered hearing that an official from the Donquixote Family had even traveled from the New World to close a deal with them!
Why would a bounty hunter like Quincy go there?
Was he looking to die?
After all, a bounty hunter from the North Blue, no matter how skilled, couldn't possibly take on a Donquixote executive and live to tell the tale.
But then a thought struck him. His face darkened further.
Could it be... is someone from the Donquixote Family behind all this?
It wasn't impossible.
The Donquixote Family ran a massive dark-world empire. Among their many interests, they had ties to the Shipping King, one of the underworld's big players—likely referencing Umit, one of the brokers seen at the Human Auctioning House and later the Reverie.
The Shipping King controlled advanced submarine transport technology, which could travel via deep-sea currents far faster than normal ships. Safe and reliable—but expensive.
Some factions tried elaborate tricks to avoid paying the steep fees. But such tricks never ended well.
To deceive a king of the dark world... that was suicide.
More importantly, their deal with the Donquixote Family wasn't just about shipping. There were deeper channels of cooperation.
This deal involved profits exceeding one billion berries.
That's enough to tempt even a Yonkō—let alone lesser forces in the underworld.
Rumor had it that Doflamingo was a cunning and ruthless schemer.
Could this all be part of his plan?
The bearded man quickly picked up the Den Den Mushi and reported his suspicions to Simon Sandi.
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