Chapter 135: Mr. Virgo? (Part 1)

Although it had nothing to do with being an artistic youth, the gloomy weather suited Qiu Bai’s mood perfectly. Whenever the sky looked like this, the air was always thick with the scent of an impending "event."

The only question was: had it already happened, was it happening now, or was it yet to come?

"This is strange. No matter how you look at it, this place doesn't seem like what you'd call a 'Ghost Town,' does it?" After a short voyage, Bepo had docked their ship at a port on Minion Island. Yet, the small town before them, while not particularly populous, was bustling with the signs of daily life. It looked nothing like the legendary ghost town.

Bepo began to doubt his own existence. Had he taken the wrong route at such a critical moment and ended up on the wrong island entirely?

"Calm down." Qiu Bai patted Bepo on the shoulder before jumping onto the pier first. Even an amateur like him could easily read the sea chart at this distance, and since Bepo was a navigator and they weren't in the Grand Line, such a rookie mistake was impossible.

"This is definitely Minion Island, but no one ever said an island could only have one town, right? Think about it—where did the residents of that abandoned town go?"

The answer was simple: they had likely relocated here.

As he spoke, he crouched down, flashing a remarkably kind smile, and beckoned to a young girl who was sneaking glances at them.

In a town this isolated, the arrival of strangers was bound to attract attention, and eighty percent of children were shy by nature.

And so, she walked toward Qiu Bai—mostly because when he beckoned, he had also revealed a handful of candies in his other hand.

It is said that eighty-one percent of children cannot resist the temptation of candy. Those interested might want to try this method of "enticement"—a friendly approach, provided you try not to let their parents see, whether they are her parents or your own.

"Little girl... your hair is growing quite beautifully. It's so full of vitality."

The child’s hair was a standard grass-green. It was the kind of look that would surely command respect in the future.

"Do you know if there’s a place on this island called 'Ghost Town'?"

The child nodded, pointed in one direction while clutching the candy in her other hand, and then, with her floral dress fluttering, she took off running.

"That kid might turn into someone big one day..." For no particular reason, the thought crossed Qiu Bai’s mind. He stood up and said to Bepo, "We’re in the right place, but we chose the wrong spot to land. We should have docked on the other side of the island."

There was no reason for the child to lie; this was definitely Minion Island.

"No, more than that, I want to know why you carry candy around with you?" Bepo had watched Qiu Bai’s smooth, practiced movements, which looked as though they had been rehearsed dozens of times. He was terrified that Qiu Bai would say something like, "I keep them around just in case I run into a little girl."

"What do you mean 'carry around'... I snatched these candies from Dellinger earlier."

Fortunately, Qiu Bai gave a different answer. Wait—that behavior was just as malicious! Dellinger was just a child!

Bepo’s intelligence, which was quite advanced for a beast, forced his thoughts back to a rational track. "What do we do now? Go back to the ship and sail to the other side of the island?"

"No, we’re much faster than Doflamingo’s crew. They probably haven't arrived yet. We’ll just walk there; the island isn't exactly large."

In the center of the island stood a low hill. It was likely that the bustling town lay on this side of the slope, while the abandoned Ghost Town lay on the other.

"Let’s go."

Noticing the white mist of Qiu Bai’s breath, Bepo remembered to shake his head and then, following Qiu Bai’s lead, pulled the hood of his coat over his head.

The two made their way slowly toward the other side of the hill. The residents of the town cast curious, yet wary, glances at the two strangers.

After they had departed, in one of the houses:

"Sister! Sister! I got some candy!"

"Sugar? It really is candy. Where did you get it?"

Jokes aside, Qiu Bai only thought of the green-haired child as an ordinary girl. In truth, up to this point, both she and her sister were indeed quite ordinary. But this child was destined to have a lifelong connection with sugar... though sadly, she had natural green curls, not white ones.

...

On the other side, having left the town, Qiu Bai and Bepo quickly crested the hill. Looking down from here, the landscape was already a vast, snowy white.

"The abandoned town. It really is here."

Qiu Bai felt there wasn't much to like about unruly brats, but at that age, they were actually much better than "dirty adults." At the very least, you rarely saw them "take the candy and not do the job."

Because of the weather, Qiu Bai couldn't tell what time it was, but that same gloom allowed the scattered points of firelight in the Ghost Town to stand out, signaling the traces of human activity.

That would be the Barrels Pirates.

"Let’s wait for Doffy here, Bepo. Build an igloo. You should be good at that, being a neighbor to the Eskimos, right?"

The pirates down the mountain were quite bold; their noisy shouts could be heard even from here.

"So, what kind of species do you think I am, Eskimo..."

Bepo’s retort was interrupted by a "brr-brr-brr" sound.

Qiu Bai hurriedly fished the shivering Den Den Mushi from his coat—he had accidentally dunked the poor creature in seawater earlier.

"Doffy?"

"It’s me. Where are you now?"

"I’ve reached Minion Island. I’m currently scouting the Barrels Pirates."

"Is that so? Be careful. I suspect Rosinante is already on the island. His target is also the Ope Ope no Mi. If necessary, you can prioritize acting on your own judgment. I’ll be there shortly, but we’ve detected signs of Marine activity here, which might be a bit troublesome."

"I... understand."

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing. The road is slippery, almost dropped the Den Den Mushi."

"...Be careful!"

"...Understood. I really understand this time."

Qiu Bai had hesitated during the exchange, not because he had almost tripped, but because the pirates in the town had suddenly exploded in place.

Although blinding light and massive amounts of smoke and dust had erupted, miraculously, not a single sound of the explosion reached them. The reason for this phenomenon was simple: the Nagi Nagi no Mi.

Corazon had made his move.

"Qiu Bai, it’s Rosinante!"

Against the pure white snow, Corazon’s all-black attire was quite conspicuous. Guided by Bepo, Qiu Bai spotted him too.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Eh? Aren't we going to chase him?" Seeing Rosinante, Bepo wanted to give chase immediately, but Qiu Bai pulled him back.

"Why would we chase him?"

"But Doflamingo’s orders... the Ope Ope no Mi..."

"Let him take it," Qiu Bai said bluntly, then emphasized, "Let Rosinante take it."

Doflamingo’s orders? Don't make me laugh. When Doflamingo wasn't looking, when had he, Qiu Bai, ever actually followed those orders?

What an utter joke.