Chapter 108: Those Who Return and Those Who Flee (Part One)

Previously, Doflamingo paid no mind to other pirate crews in the North Blue. Whether the Komodo Pirates existed or were wiped out, he did not believe it would have any impact on his plans, but the reality proved otherwise.

The timing was disastrous. The Navy’s attention had been drawn at the very moment Doflamingo least desired, and at the very least, Vice Admiral Tsuru had begun a relentless pursuit of the Donquixote family once more. As it turned out, Qiubai had used his own personal experience to illustrate a rather philosophical truth: the world is universally interconnected.

In the North Blue, the pirate ship Miss Love Duck—translated as Miss Duck—was Doflamingo’s flamboyant and flashy vessel.

"Ship approaching! Prepare for interception... No, cancel the alert. They are our own."

The announcement from the crow's nest changed as the approaching small boat flew the Donquixote flag. More importantly, the three figures appearing in the telescope’s view were exceptionally familiar.

"Notify Master Trebol; the officers have returned."

The two officers who had been away from the family for quite some time on a "confidential" mission had finally returned. The small boat slowly pulled alongside the pirate ship, and a rope ladder was lowered. Bepo carried Qiubai on his back, with Ain following close behind, as they climbed up one after the other.

By this time, the family officers, led by Doflamingo, were already waiting on the deck. While there was no exaggerated "welcome back" ceremony, at least the expected demeanor was maintained. They were a "family," were they not? Even though Qiubai found it deeply ironic at that moment, this "scene" was still necessary.

"Doflamingo, everyone... we are back." Qiubai’s face peeked out from over Bepo’s shoulder, a smile gracing his features.

"...You’ve worked hard."

After a silence lasting several dozen seconds, these were the words Doflamingo finally spoke in a low, calm voice. From Meowgalapagos to crossing Reverse Mountain into the East Blue, venturing into the Grand Line, eventually returning to the North Blue, encountering the Komodo Pirates, "striking back," and finally returning to the family after a brief recovery—they had left at the end of 1506, and it was now nearly the end of 1507.

Although most of that time was spent in peaceful sailing, there had been several serious incidents. Yet, was "you've worked hard" the only evaluation he would receive?

Qiubai, however, had no complaints; he had never served Doflamingo wholeheartedly from the very beginning anyway.

At this point, Ain stepped forward, walked up to Doflamingo, and handed him a strange-looking fruit.

"The only thing we managed to bring back is the Hobi Hobi no Mi (Hobby-Hobby Fruit). As for the mermaid... I am terribly sorry, we failed."

Doflamingo took the Devil Fruit with one hand and held it high toward the sun, as if checking the authenticity of a banknote.

"The mermaid matter... I can only say it is a great, great pity. But to have escaped from the Fish-Man pirates is already quite impressive. Fish-men have never been particularly polite to humans, especially those who target their own kind. They likely do not realize that this is one of the reasons their race is feared by humans as 'beasts'..."

"More importantly, regardless of any errors that occurred along the way, the feat of single-handedly crushing the Komodo Pirates is enough to wipe away any failures."

As he spoke, seemingly having verified the authenticity of the Devil Fruit, he pulled his hand back. Judging by his attitude, one could not sense anything else; his words seemed to come entirely from the heart.

"Hey, I’m impressed. With your strength, how did you manage to pull that off? I am quite curious. A pirate with a bounty of two hundred million shouldn't be an opponent you could handle, no matter how I look at it." Trebol leaned his large face in, the translucent, mucus-like substance hanging from his nose swaying.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know how I did it either, otherwise I wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state." Qiubai responded with a foolish, naive expression. "But, for the Donquixote family, 'an eye for an eye' is inevitable, isn't it? That was the only thing on my mind at the time."

Qiubai’s current state of severe injury was enough for the others to "grudgingly" accept after witnessing what had transpired. If he had returned without a scratch after taking down the Komodo Pirates, that would have been truly unacceptable. It was for this very reason that Qiubai did not ask Ain to revert him to his younger state. Firstly, the reversion was only a temporary measure and would not solve the problem—once the ability wore off, his injuries would remain. Secondly, it was a bit silly; it was simply a way to sell his misery to Doflamingo.

To craft an image of heroic self-sacrifice for the sake of the family... that was likely impossible, but his current appearance could at least earn him some points.

"Regardless, your performance exceeded my expectations. Perhaps in the future, I can entrust you with more significant tasks. Get well soon; we will be making big moves in the near future." Doflamingo even patted Qiubai on the shoulder, causing the latter to wince in pain.

This statement was half-true and half-false. Doflamingo would likely not let Qiubai act alone again, but his performance had indeed exceeded expectations. Doflamingo had assumed that facing an enemy like Komodo, Qiubai being slaughtered was the most probable outcome, and the best-case scenario would have been a frantic escape. The reality, however, was far beyond his anticipations. Even if Qiubai had only achieved the power to defeat the Komodo Pirates through a momentary burst, such explosive potential was something to look forward to in certain situations.

Regardless, Qiubai’s biggest task at the moment was to recover his health as quickly as possible. Therefore, despite the "long-awaited reunion," what Qiubai needed most was "recuperation." The conversation, or perhaps pleasantries, between him and Doflamingo did not last long, and he was immediately faced with a comprehensive physical examination by the ship’s medical staff.

Perhaps the results of this diagnosis were also something Doflamingo required. On one hand, he could confirm the "truth" of the battle based on the severity of Qiubai’s injuries; on the other, he needed to judge whether these severe wounds would cause any permanent, life-long impairments to this "excellent" subordinate.

If he were to suffer from something like paralysis... well, the laws of the pirate world were cruel indeed. The way one treated a valuable subordinate versus one without value could never be the same. What determined how Doflamingo would treat Qiubai in the future was, in a sense, not what he had done in the past, but whether he could still be of use later on.

Of course, there was actually nothing to worry about. Although he looked wretched beyond measure, Qiubai would not have any lasting issues...

Probably not.