Chapter Sixty: You and I Are Destined by the Cat (Part One)

The instinct to "always want to make big news" is almost intrinsic to every journalist, but whether one can actually land a major scoop depends on being the right person with the right abilities. And the magnitude of the news one can create often hinges on just how fearless one is.

By common knowledge, Flevance is currently a contamination zone ravaged by an incurable disease with a one hundred percent infection and mortality rate, surrounded by formidable military force—a place from which none return, a certain death for any who enter... Yet, in the end, Qiubai saw this "world-shaking" headline in a humble newspaper.

"Any questions about my arrangement for you?" Doflamingo asked, having explained his intentions.

"Not really," Qiubai replied.

"Not really? They say Flevance is still shrouded in an unsolvable virus. Aren't you worried?"

"Amber Lead Syndrome... Even with my limited medical knowledge, I can surmise it’s a case of mass heavy metal poisoning, with minimal or almost no chance of contagion," Qiubai said. From an outsider’s perspective, simple common sense would reveal that Flevance had suffered nationwide heavy metal poisoning, not a contagious disease.

Yet, people like Qiubai—those unable to truly empathize with the suffering of those citizens and their neighbors—are essentially in a position to talk without feeling the pain. "Common sense" always loses to an enemy called "panic." In extreme circumstances, people make extreme judgments. That the neighboring countries of Flevance deemed Amber Lead Syndrome a deadly infectious disease was by no means foolish; on the contrary, it was a perfectly rational response. With such a large-scale outbreak, what if, just what if, it truly was contagious?

No one would risk their own safety.

So, in the end, Flevance did not perish from slow heavy metal poisoning, but from a swifter, fiercer, more violent war.

If there is anything that can wipe out humanity with the greatest speed and efficiency, it is always humanity itself.

However, the idea of "total annihilation" is not entirely accurate. To Qiubai’s knowledge, at least one person managed to escape that hell alone.

Because of disease and warfare, he lost his parents and younger sister. At just ten years old, the boy hid himself among corpses and was later taken out of Flevance by those "handling" the bodies.

But... now was not the time to speak of that.

"A smart deduction. Amber Lead Syndrome, while deadly, is not contagious as you said. So there’s little risk in being in Flevance for a short time... The real contagion is panic," Doflamingo replied.

After some thought, Qiubai did find a point he didn’t quite understand:

"Doflamingo, if the mines are still there, do you intend to resume mining in that deserted country? But now that Amber Lead is widely known to be poisonous, does it still have any commercial value?"

"Heh, Qiubai, you’re making a mistake. Don’t assume everyone is as clever as you." Doflamingo tapped his temple with his left index finger. "Most people in this world are fools. Amber Lead is indeed toxic, but as long as we don’t say we’re selling Amber Lead, our goods are non-toxic, understand? And as long as Amber Lead remains a shiny, beautiful metal, there will always be people willing to take it home."

It sounded almost absurd, but Qiubai immediately understood, for he had seen it happen countless times in his previous life: as long as a harmful product was renamed, it could still sell like hotcakes. Sometimes, not even the "soup" was changed, let alone the "medicine"—they didn’t even bother with appearances.

"Understood. So, when do I set out?"

"The sooner, the better," Doflamingo replied, a touch of impatience in his voice. He faced the same problem as everyone else in the world... a lack of money.

Once it was confirmed that the Amber Lead mines of Flevance could still be exploited, Doflamingo had a whole chain of follow-up plans—from mining to production and sales. If he wanted to see any money, the process would be complicated. So when he said "soon," he truly meant it.

At this moment, the pirate ship was already en route to Flevance.

Doflamingo would send Qiubai to a certain point, but not too far into Flevance’s waters. Given the situation there, the area would surely be swarming with navy ships; recklessly sailing a pirate ship in would be asking for trouble.

For Qiubai, this mission was a major undertaking, involving a large sum of money. But to go alone... Indeed, this was best handled solo.

However, since he’d be away for several days, he still needed to explain the matter, at least in outline, to Ain.

"Flevance... Is it that Flevance?" To his surprise, Ain produced an identical newspaper.

Some of Qiubai’s efforts were instantly in vain.

"...Alright, I just thought you didn’t need to get involved. It’s better if I go alone. That ‘White Town’ environment would ruin your skin, might even make your hair dry and split. In short, it’s not a place for a woman..."

If something went wrong in Flevance, it would be much worse than just split ends and dry skin, but Qiubai had made his point.

He felt safe enough going to Flevance himself, but considering Ain... Strangely, he felt the danger level shoot up.

"I understand." Thankfully, Ain was a reasonable person; she quickly caught his meaning.

Qiubai nodded in return. Good, Ain always understood him so easily.

...

After several days at sea, the pirate ship had gotten as close to Flevance as possible—this was the limit. From here, Qiubai would transfer to a small boat bound for an adjacent country’s port, not directly to Flevance, since it remained under total blockade.

The pirate ship dropped anchor, but no one came to see Qiubai off; he wasn’t worthy of such honors yet.

This time, the small boat was not the familiar Interna but another vessel, piloted by a subordinate Qiubai didn’t know—presumably a professional sailor, certainly more skilled than he was.

As he boarded, Qiubai instinctively considered renaming the boat, but the thought vanished the moment he looked up at the deck.

"Why are you on the boat?" he asked, a bit annoyed. Hadn’t she just said she "understood"?

"Relax," Ain said. "I don’t want split ends or dry hair either, so I’ll wait for you at the port. I won’t be going into Flevance with you."

Unusually, she even smiled.

That smile made Qiubai quickly turn his head away... Truly, must she smile like that? With just one smile, he could no longer refuse her.

"Rarity makes things precious" is an eternal truth—the less someone smiles, the more irresistible their smile becomes, or at least, the less one can bear to refuse it.

Qiubai, in any case, could not refuse.