Night had fallen.
Erica pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and silently followed behind Mio as they disembarked from the ship and walked toward the forest.
The party was being held deep within the woods.
The forest, under the cover of night, appeared dim and eerie. Shadows swayed with the rustling leaves, and the faint sound of insects echoed in the distance.
Warwick, cloaked and looming, twitched his nose and suddenly pointed in a specific direction.
Without hesitation, Mio followed that direction. Before long, a warm glow flickered into view ahead of them—a fire. It seed this was the place where Doflamingo's gathering was being held. Even before arriving, the sounds of raucous laughter and shouting reached their ears.
Mio raised his foot and calmly stepped forward.
Soon, they arrived at the clearing.
A massive bonfire stood at the center, surrounded by people drinking, feasting, and brawling. The gathering was large, with at least twenty to thirty pirate captains sitting around the fire, and with their crews included, easily over a hundred pirates had assembled here.
Doflamingo sat near the center, a smug grin on his face. Beside him stood Trebol and Seka, two high-ranking mbers of the Don Quixote family. Behind them were several large crates stacked with weapons—obviously the goods involved in tonight's deal.
Of course, Mio had no interest in the weapons.
"Hiya, hiiya, hiiya, our other guest has arrived," Doflamingo laughed loudly, noticing Mio's arrival and grinning with glee.
Following his gaze, the surrounding pirates turned their heads toward Mio. One large, burly man couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"A young boy? He looks weak and delicate. How can soone like him be a pirate? He'd be better off charming so rich noble ladies and living an easy life! Hahahaha!"
The surrounding pirates roared with laughter.
But then—
Whoosh.
A figure blurred into motion behind the laughing pirate, and a flash of cold light glinted in the dark.
The pirate's head flew into the air and landed with a dull thud on the ground.
The laughter died instantly.
Even Doflamingo's pupils shrank slightly, though a wicked grin crept across his lips as a glint of interest flickered in his eyes.
Erica silently stepped forward, sliding her weapon back into place. She was so fast that most of the pirates hadn't even seen her move. In a blink, she appeared beside Mio like a phantom, silent and poised.
The area fell into a heavy silence for a mont or two.
Then, angry shouts suddenly erupted from a nearby group.
The pirate who had just died was a captain—and naturally, he had brought his own crew, thirty to forty n who now howled in rage.
"You bastard! You killed our captain!!"
"You'll pay for this!"
"Kill them!!"
With bloodlust in their eyes, dozens of pirates charged toward Mio and Erica. The other pirates didn't move, choosing instead to sit back and watch, interested in what might unfold—even Doflamingo made no attempt to intervene.
Mio didn't even glance their way. His calm gaze remained on Doflamingo as he strode toward the campfire. Stepping over the decapitated pirate, he sat cross-legged by the flas and said lightly, "Warwick."
"Warwick knows."
With his master's call, Warwick answered obediently. Then he turned, lifting his head beneath the cloak. A crimson light flickered in his eyes.
In the next instant, Warwick vanished.
A blur swept across the darkness.
Before anyone could react, Warwick reappeared in front of the charging pirates. Twin gleams of cold steel flashed in his hands.
Two heads flew into the air.
And then, the slaughter began.
Warwick moved like a shadow, weaving between the pirates with ghost-like speed. Each sweep of his claws brought down another opponent, effortlessly slashing throats and breaking necks. His movent was brutal, efficient, and rciless—a predator in the midst of prey.
In only a few minutes,
the pirates lay dead in pools of their own blood.
Warwick, now splattered with gore, returned to Mio's side and stood still, expressionless beneath his blood-soaked cloak.
A chill passed through the remaining pirates. Many instinctively edged away, distancing themselves from Mio's group, cold sweat forming on their brows.
"I believe we can continue," Mio said, looking at Doflamingo calmly. "What do you say?"
"Fufufufufu... You're absolutely right, my friend," Doflamingo chuckled, the grin returning to his face. With a light clap of his hands, he turned to the gathered pirates. "Now, let's continue with our transaction. I trust everyone has brought enough Beli this ti. The Don Quixote family doesn't deal in credit. If you want to place an order without paying, that's just a joke—and I'm sure you all know what happens when you joke with us."
His tone carried a faint threat.
The other pirates quickly nodded and laughed nervously, indicating they had co prepared with money and were ready to complete their business.
None of them dared to test Doflamingo's patience.
Especially not after the earlier bloodshed.
In the North Blue, the Don Quixote family's na carried real weight—and Warwick's savage display had only reinforced that fear.
And so, the transaction began.
Pirates stepped forward one after another, handing over their gold or Beli in exchange for the crates of arms stacked behind Doflamingo. One by one, they took their goods and left quickly, not wanting to linger. With so many other pirates around, and the risk of ambush or betrayal looming, no one wanted to stick around longer than necessary.
Especially now.
Warwick's carnage had turned the clearing into a graveyard, and no one wanted to be the next corpse.
Roughly an hour passed.
The last of the pirates had completed their deals and departed.
Only Mio, Warwick, and Erica remained, still seated across from Doflamingo.
Trebol reached for a bottle of rum and handed it to Mio.
Mio accepted it, took a deep swig, wiped his mouth, and grinned. "Doflamingo, I need the Don Quixote family to help locate soone in the North Blue."
"Fufufufufu... Of course," Doflamingo responded, nodding without hesitation.
Though the request would likely cost ti and manpower, it didn't matter to him.
In Doflamingo's eyes, Mio was worth the investnt.
"The na is Vegapunk, from the Kingdom of the Future," Mio said slowly. Then he added, "If your Don Quixote family helps find this person, I'll give you so very interesting information in return."
"Oh?" Doflamingo's grin widened. He leaned forward slightly, clearly intrigued. "I'm curious."
"Believe , the information won't disappoint," Mio said, his tone confident, a small smirk curling his lips.
"Fufufufufu... I look forward to it then," Doflamingo laughed. "I'll have news for you within three days at the latest. But my friend, I still don't know your na. Since we're allies now, don't you think you should tell ?"
"Kurokawa Mio," Mio replied with a nod.
Doflamingo stood up, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a Den Den Mushi. He tossed it to Mio casually, then turned and walked into the forest. His voice trailed behind him as he disappeared into the darkness.
"If Mr. Mio needs anything, you can always contact the Don Quixote family. We're very interested in deepening our friendship... fufufufufu..."
Mio caught the Den Den Mushi and gave a small shrug.
Then, rising to his feet, he turned to Erica and Warwick.
"Let's go back."
And with that, the three of them disappeared into the shadows, leaving only the flickering embers of the bonfire behind.
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