"Big sister, can we really go home?"
Looking at Mocha's cautious eyes, Nami reached out and patted the little one's head, saying, "Of course we can!"
The biggest obstacle on this island had already been taken care of by them. Now, all that remained was treating these children and sending them back.
Treatment could be left to Chopper, but as for sending them back...
Nami glanced at the Marines out of the corner of her eye, wondering how to communicate with them later.
"By the way, where's Usopp?"
After placing Kin'emon on the cloud platform, Brook asked, "Why haven't we seen him?"
Could he still be on the other side of the door?
At this thought, Brook's expression changed.
"Usopp is on the second floor." Meiser pointed toward the spiral staircase high above and said, "He..."
Before Meiser could finish, Usopp came rushing down from the upper staircase, shouting, "Hey, everyone, I'm here!"
Seeing this, Meiser smiled and said, "Well, he's here now."
"Yohohohoho~"
"So Usopp was on the second floor." Brook chuckled. "I wonder if he found the Sea Stone handcuffs."
If not, restraining Caesar wouldn't be easy.
After all, he's a Logia type.
"Don't worry," Meiser said. "He mentioned earlier that he found them."
"Yohohohoho~"
"That's good~"
"Hurry up!"
Watching Usopp and the soldiers in protective suits rushing over, Law shouted, "This place is about to collapse!"
"Got it!"
Hearing Law's voice, Usopp and the others quickly descended the spiral staircase and rushed to the cloud platform Nami had created at top speed.
Nami glanced at the soldiers and, after a moment's thought, allowed them onto the platform.
Clearly, kind-hearted Nami didn't want to see these people die here.
Soon, under the threat of death, the soldiers scrambled onto the cloud platform as fast as they could.
"Alright, everyone!"
Seeing that no one else was coming, Nami looked up and announced, "We're setting off!"
"Hold on tight!"
"Alright!!"
"That bastard Joker!!"
Sitting on Buffalo's back, Baby 5 said with tears in her eyes, "When I get back, I'm going to kill him!"
That bastard had destroyed her cherished fiancé and his town along with him... He really deserves to die!
Come to think of it, this was already the eighth time!
That bastard!
At this thought, Baby 5 felt even angrier.
"Why does that bastard have to ruin my happiness?!"
Buffalo: ??
Happiness?
Where was the happiness?
Recalling the oddballs who had proposed to Baby 5 before, Buffalo fell into silence.
What kind of people were those?
After a moment of silence, Buffalo said, "Baby 5, you need to learn to understand the Young Master."
"Because the young master sees you as his own sister, he personally went to kill those guys and destroy the town."
"What do I understand about him?"
Baby 5 angrily said, "He killed my fiancé, and I'm supposed to understand him?"
"I'm already being merciful by not killing him myself!"
That damn bastard—once she finishes this mission and returns, she'll definitely send that man to hell herself!
Damn Joker!
Buffalo fell silent upon hearing this. It seemed this girl truly couldn't understand the young master's well-intentioned efforts.
After sighing quietly, Buffalo said, "When will you ever learn to refuse other people's requests?"
Unable to say no to others, she casually lends money to anyone who asks, and she can't even turn down marriage proposals... What kind of mess is that?
"What's wrong with that?"
Baby 5 retorted, "It feels really good to be needed by others!"
"Is that so?"
Buffalo glanced sideways at the woman standing on his back and said, "So, how much money do you owe now?"
"You're so annoying!" Baby 5 complained. "It's only 98 million Berries."
"I see."
"Then..."
Buffalo hesitated for a moment before saying, "Could you lend me 2 million Berries?"
"Huh?"
Baby 5 was taken aback, then said with some delight, "Then... when do you need it?"
Buffalo:
This girl is hopeless.
Sighing inwardly, Buffalo replied, "When we get back."
"Okay, no problem!"
Baby 5 said happily, "Once we return, I'll find a way to get you those 2 million Berries!"
"Mhm."
Buffalo nodded slightly, too tired to comment on her personality any further.
Then, he turned his gaze toward Punk Hazard ahead and continued, "Alright, time to focus on the mission."
"We've arrived at Punk Hazard."
"Punk Hazard..."
Staring at the island completely blanketed in poison gas, Baby 5 frowned and said, "Is this the poison gas Caesar created?"
"The scale is really huge."
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but poison gas!
It could be said that there wasn't even a place to set foot on Punk Hazard now.
"What a hassle. We can't get in without dealing with this poison gas." Baby 5 took the large cannon from her back and aimed it at the island ahead. "Let me fire a shot and see if I can blow the gas away."
With that, Baby 5 prepared to pull the trigger.
"That won't be necessary, Baby 5." Buffalo stopped her and said, "Leave this to me."
"Leave it to you?"
"Yes, I can use my ability to blow the gas away." Buffalo smiled.
His Devil Fruit ability allowed him to transform his body into a giant spinning fan, capable of producing strong enough winds to disperse the poison gas.
This was probably one of the reasons the young master had sent him here.
"Got it. I'll leave it to you."
"Mhm, you jump up first. I'll handle the rest." Buffalo said.
"Alright."
Understanding Buffalo's Devil Fruit ability, Baby 5 leaped into the air without hesitation, leaving the battlefield to Buffalo.
Feeling the weight on his back lighten, Buffalo wasted no time and immediately charged toward the island ahead.
Once he reached the sky above Punk Hazard, he unhesitatingly increased the output of his ability.
"Witness the power of a typhoon!" Buffalo shouted. "Gust: Yatarō!"
"Whoosh~"
In the next moment, a terrifyingly strong gust of wind surged from Buffalo's body, heading straight for the island below.
Under the force of the gale, the poison gas gradually began to disperse in all directions, slowly revealing the edges of the island.
In the end, he successfully blew out a safe zone free of poison gas!
"Alright, that's enough, Baby 5!" Buffalo called out.
At the same time, he reduced the output of his Devil Fruit ability to avoid blowing Baby 5 away with it.
"Swish~"
"Thud~"
Landing steadily on Buffalo's back, Baby 5 smiled and said, "You're pretty capable, aren't you?"
He actually managed to blow out a safe area... truly impressive, Buffalo!
"For me, this is just a piece of cake~"
After saying this, Buffalo noticed the massive cruise ship below.
"Hmm, there's a cruise ship here..."
Buffalo tilted his head in thought and said, "Let's use this to return to Dressrosa later."
Although his Devil Fruit ability allowed him to fly, carrying so many people back would be too much of a burden, with the risk of dropping them mid-flight. So, it would be safer to return by cruise ship.
This method was the safest.
As for whether it would be too slow...
As long as they could bring Caesar back, it made no difference whether they returned a day earlier or later.
"No problem."
Baby 5 nodded and said, "Let's wait for them on the cruise ship."
Once those guys took care of Straw Hat Boy and his crew, they would come here to regroup.
"Okay."
With that, Buffalo quickly headed toward the cruise ship and soon landed on it.
After surveying the surroundings, Baby 5 said, "I hope the poison gas around here doesn't spread over."
"Don't worry, it won't come back," Buffalo laughed.
After being blown away by his powerful wind, there was no way the poison gas could spread back.
Besides, with him here, even if the poison gas did spread over, he could just blow it away again!
Then, Buffalo took out a Den Den Mushi and dialed Doflamingo's number.
"Purupurupuru~"
"Purupurupuru~"
"Purupurupuru~"
"Click~"
"Young Master, it's me," Buffalo said, leaning close to the Den Den Mushi. "It's Buffalo."
"We've already arrived at Punk Hazard."
"Have you seen any trace of Caesar and the others?" Doflamingo asked.
Since Vergo had already been defeated, there was no hope for reinforcements from that side.
Now, he only hoped that Caesar could use the poison gas to escape, so his subordinates could rescue him.
"Haven't seen them," Buffalo shook his head. "All we have here is an empty cruise ship, and the rest is just poison gas."
So, he had no idea where Caesar was.
As for going inside the research institute?
It was still unclear what the situation inside was like, and rushing in recklessly could get them killed by the poison gas.
So, until the young master gave the order, he wouldn't do it.
"No sign of Caesar, huh…"
Doflamingo said with a grim expression, "It seems that guy didn't manage to escape."
"Escape?"
Buffalo was taken aback, clearly not understanding Doflamingo's meaning.
With their side's combat strength so overwhelming, why would they need to escape?
Wouldn't it be better to wait for Vergo to defeat them all?
Baby 5 also looked at the Den Den Mushi with confusion, her thoughts seemingly aligned with Buffalo's.
As if sensing Buffalo's confusion, Doflamingo said gravely, "Vergo has been defeated."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Buffalo and Baby 5's eyes filled with disbelief.
That powerful Mr. Vergo had been defeated?
Who defeated him?
Straw Hat Boy?
Or Law?
"Young master, are you serious?"
"Of course," Doflamingo replied solemnly. "So, the situation inside is likely not optimistic."
"What should we do then?"
Buffalo glanced at the poison gas in the distance and said, "Should the two of us go into the research institute to check?"
Although the situation inside was dangerous, now was not the time to worry about such things.
If Caesar were truly killed or captured, their Donquixote Family would be finished!
So… they had to take the risk!
This time, Doflamingo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he fell into deep thought, his expression grim.
After a moment, his gaze shifted to the Den Den Mushi belonging to Monet.
If Monet hadn't been compromised, perhaps…
Just then, the Den Den Mushi on the table belonging to Monet suddenly rang.
"Purupurupuru~"
"Purupurupuru~"
"Purupurupuru~"
The moment he saw the Den Den Mushi ring, Doflamingo immediately confirmed his earlier suspicion.
Then, he said, "Baby 5, Buffalo, both of you, get away from Punk Hazard immediately."
"What do you mean?"
Confusion appeared on both Baby 5 and Buffalo's faces. Why was their young master telling them to leave Punk Hazard?
They had just arrived.
"This island is about to explode," Doflamingo sneered. "The blast will be massive. If you're too close, you'll die too!"
That terrifying explosion, capable of destroying the entire island, would surely kill everyone except Caesar!
Upon hearing Doflamingo's words, Baby 5 and Buffalo's expressions changed once again.
A massive explosion?
They'd die?
Though they didn't understand what was happening, their instincts made them trust Doflamingo's words immediately.
"We understand, young master!" Buffalo said. "I'll take Baby 5 and get away from Punk Hazard right now."
"Mm."
Doflamingo nodded and said, "After the explosion ends, come back to pick up Caesar."
"Understood!" Buffalo nodded.
Though they didn't know what the explosion was about, explosions couldn't kill Logia-type Ability Users.
So, they didn't need to worry about Monet and Caesar's safety.
Afterwards, Buffalo put away the Den Den Mushi and flew into the air with Baby 5 as fast as he could.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo turned his gaze to the still-ringing Den Den Mushi.
He then calmly answered it.
"Kacha~"
"Young... Young Master..."
"Monet," Doflamingo said. "Your voice sounds a bit off."
"Sorry, Young Master..."
Monet, forcing herself to hold on, revealed a pale smile and said, "I'm about to die..."
Having been hit so many times by the Cat Burglar's attacks, her body was on the verge of collapse.
If not for her strong willpower keeping her going, she would likely have already died.
Doflamingo fell silent for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry... I misjudged the situation."
"I truly let you all down."
Because the Blood-Eyed Ninja had already died, he had underestimated the strength of the Straw Hat Pirates and Law, which directly led to his subordinates' defeat... So it was indeed his mistake.
He admitted that.
Hearing this, Monet was stunned for a moment, then said with a grim expression, "So... Vergo was defeated too?"
That man, so powerful he could cover his entire body in Armament Haki, could actually be defeated?
"Yes."
Doflamingo closed his eyes and said, "He was cut apart by Law using his Devil Fruit power."
Though he didn't know the exact details of what happened over there, Vergo's condition was definitely not good!
After all... it was because of Vergo's presence that Corazon was killed by him!
So Law would absolutely not let go of this perfect chance for revenge!
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