"Woohoo! We're finally home!"
Back at the manor, Blake threw himself onto the sofa and slouched lazily, completely unconcerned about his image.
Although this voyage only lasted about a year, he had experienced quite a lot.
Originally, he planned to circle the Grand Line first, and then go to the East Blue to find Kuina.
However, midway through, he received news about pure gold and ran into Dr. Fran.
After dealing with the Anglerfish incident, he finally proceeded to the East Blue according to his original plan, only to then rush to the North Blue for the Ope-Ope no Mi.
It had been quite a hustle.
Life aboard the sanctuary wasn't boring, but Blake always felt something was missing.
Perhaps after so many years, he had already come to regard Mary Geoise as his home.
Returning to the manor gave him a sense of grounded relaxation.
The two-hundred-year-old loli who followed him in muttered softly:
"A World Nobles, yet he has no image whatsoever!"
Blake slightly opened one eye and glanced at the loli:
"Having to maintain a facade even at home, how tiring..."
"But speaking of which, you little maid dare to criticize your master! Looks like I need to teach you a lesson!"
Hearing Blake's half-serious threat, Olga put her hands on her hips, her small face full of defiance, but she began to whisper to herself:
"What should I do? This guy seems to have malicious intentions.
Should I apologize right now?"
"No, no, that would be too embarrassing! I have to be tough!"
After finishing her mental preparation, she raised her head and looked fearlessly at Blake:
"Hmph! Who's afraid of you?!"
The others chuckled.
Even after spending nearly a year together, everyone still found Olga's habit of speaking her true inner thoughts very amusing.
Seeing her demeanor, Blake put on a lazy yet slightly mischievous smile:
"Is that so? Then I shall punish you!"
"In light of your disrespect toward your master..."
He deliberately drew out his words:
"I shall punish you by making you spin in place ten times, and then loudly declare: 'Saint Blake is the greatest and wisest World Nobles!'"
"What?! That's childish!"
Olga's small face immediately fell.
Perona, who was standing nearby, instantly sided with her little friend:
"Exactly! Who praises themselves as great?"
Blake glared at the young girl:
"You too!"
Perona was shocked and looked pleadingly at Robin.
Robin merely gave her a look that said she couldn't help.
In the end, the two reluctant young girls began clumsily spinning in place, muttering under their breath:
"Saint... Blake... is..."
The two spun until they were dizzy and disoriented, unable to even complete a single sentence.
Their flustered yet adorable appearance made everyone present burst into laughter...
North Blue, Queen Mama Chanter.
Charlotte Linlin, who had just entered the North Blue, called Perospero over:
"Where is that pirate named Barrels now?"
Cold sweat broke out on Perospero's forehead.
He quickly pulled a sheet from a stack of documents and answered, referencing the information:
"Mama! Regarding their latest news..."
"The last place we confirmed their appearance was Tiafas Island, and they subsequently sailed southeast."
"Tiafas?"
Charlotte Linlin frowned deeply, her already terrifying face becoming even more ferocious:
"I've never heard of such a place!"
Her massive body shifted restlessly in her seat, and her displeased gaze landed on Perospero:
"Don't you have any more precise information?"
Perospero sweated even more profusely.
He quickly added:
"Although we don't know their exact location right now..."
"But Mama, sailing southeast from Tiafas, the distribution of islands within the North Blue is very sparse..."
He tried hard to make his tone sound more confident:
"As long as we pursue them in this direction, we will quickly be able to pinpoint their exact location!"
Hearing this addition, Charlotte Linlin's expression softened slightly, but she had clearly lost her patience:
"Since you know that, hurry up and go!"
She slammed her hand down on the armrest of her chair:
"Don't let my Ope-Ope no Mi get away!"
"Yes, Mama!"
Perospero felt as if he had been granted a reprieve, and he quickly withdrew to relay the orders.
The speed of the entire ship noticeably increased.
Barrels believed that hiding on the vast ocean wasn't too difficult, and originally, this belief wasn't entirely wrong.
However, he clearly didn't realize that with the leak of the Ope-Ope no Mi news, the Barrels Pirates had become a target for everyone.
With multiple factions making their own efforts and knowing the precise scope of the North Blue, his meager hiding methods were insufficient.
Perospero hadn't misled Charlotte Linlin; the area where Minion Island was located was near the edge of the North Blue, and there were few inhabitants or islands.
Barrels thought he was concealed, but this actually made him easier to find.
On the other side, Doflamingo stood on the deck of the Flamingo, advancing toward Minion Island.
Just then, the transponder snail in his pocket suddenly made a "buru buru" sound.
Doflamingo frowned.
This transponder snail was specifically for contacting Vergo, and unless something major had happened, Vergo wouldn't initiate contact lightly.
A bad premonition surged in his heart, and Doflamingo immediately answered the call.
"Doffy, it's me!"
The transponder snail mimicked Vergo's placid voice, but the urgency in his tone was still discernible:
"Garp suddenly left Marineford several days ago.
He entered the North Blue via Red Port and has been sailing southeast the entire time.
His objective is very clear!"
"What?"
Doflamingo's voice instantly dropped, and the gaze behind his red sunglasses became terrifying:
"Fufufufufu..."
"It seems I was right..."
"There really is a rat inside the Family..."
Although he was laughing, those words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
After a brief, suffocating silence, he decisively ordered:
"Vergo! You are closer to that location! Depart immediately!"
"You must secure the Ope-Ope no Mi before the Marine and the World Government!"
"Don't worry, Doffy, leave it to me!"
After hanging up the call, Doflamingo's expression remained grim.
Originally, he had planned to surround Minion Island first to prevent any accidents.
However, it was clear now that Plan A was no longer viable.
He had to execute Plan B—race against time and secure the Ope-Ope no Mi before that old man Garp arrived.
He gently adjusted his sunglasses, his gaze falling on Rosinante's cabin door, his face dark.
It could now be confirmed that there was absolutely an infiltrator within the Family, and the person with the greatest suspicion... was Rosinante!
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