Luffy looked at them with a half-smile, which immediately made cold sweat break out on their backs.
"D-Don't kill me! I—I know some secrets! I can tell you everything!" Spandam decisively sold out the World Government.
"What kind of secrets could the useless head of CP9 possibly know?" Luffy wondered.
After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "Forget the other three. As for you… Franky, tie stones to him and throw him into the sea to feed the fish."
"Yes, Luffy!"
Franky knew that Luffy must have heard what he had said earlier.
Feeling grateful from the bottom of his heart, he immediately carried out the order.
In panic, Spandam was thrown into the sea with a small splash. Seeing this scene, the expressions of the remaining three people changed drastically.
Jabra forced a very reluctant smile and spoke ingratiatingly,
"Straw Hat! We surrender!"
Ignoring the three of them, Luffy said to Usopp, "Go inform everyone. I'm heading out again."
"Got it."
Not long after, Nami and the others returned.
Reuniting with them were Sabo and Koala.
"Luffy, this is for you."
Sabo handed him a Vivre Card, smiled, and said,
"Generally speaking, something like this should never be given to others. It would be too easy to expose the Revolutionary Army's base. But if you have this, you can come at any time. I think Mr. Dragon would want to meet you as well. What are your plans now?"
"I'm going to send those kids home," Luffy said as he put away the Vivre Card, thinking about making a few himself when he had the time.
Sabo looked at the children playing not far away, thought for a moment, and said,
"Are they still sick? Why don't you leave them with me? I'll take care of them for a while and send them home once their condition is completely stable. I plan to stay on this island for some time."
Naturally, Luffy didn't refuse.
"Then I'll leave them in your care."
After a brief pause, he turned to Zoro's two followers.
"Yosaku, Johnny—stay behind."
"What are your orders, Aniki?"
"Stay here and help Sabo. Record everything that happens in this country, and if you encounter anything unusual, make sure to report it to me as soon as possible."
"Yes, understood!"
The two looked at each other and nodded in unison.
After that, King Riku brought his daughter Violet, along with Cyrus and his granddaughter Rebecca, to see them off.
"Thank you very much, Luffy."
"You're welcome. I'll continue to keep an eye on what happens to this country in the future."
Luffy reached out and gently patted Rebecca on the head, smiling as he said,
"I hope that when we meet again, you'll have become an outstanding warrior like your father."
"Yes, Luffy! I'll definitely work hard!"
Rebecca nodded earnestly, replying with clear reluctance to part.
"Then goodbye. I hope that the next time I come, this country will be an even better place."
Luffy waved farewell to everyone.
After that, they returned to the Sunny.
The two ships slowly set sail.
On the coast, Sabo and the others watched them depart.
---xXx---
On the Sunny, on the deck
Doflamingo sat on the edge of the ship, with two women beside him.
One was the little girl Sugar, who concealed the ability of her Devil Fruit, and the other was Sugar's older sister, Monet.
"Luffy, I want to exchange hostages with you."
Luffy wasn't surprised at all. After all, he had already discovered this while underground.
Nami and the others, however, looked displeased.
Men were not welcome on the Sunny.
Seemingly sensing this hostility, Doflamingo immediately said,
"My feet haven't even touched the deck of this ship yet, furfurfur… Luffy, if you leave like this, aren't you afraid I'll turn people into toys again?"
People who were turned into toys would "disappear" from all social relationships, and no one would remember them.
That was why, if he truly wanted to do something, he could act discreetly and make it extremely hard to detect.
But Luffy wasn't worried in the slightest.
Doflamingo was a man who understood the current situation very well. When it was time to persuade, he never pretended to be coercive.
At least until his downfall, Doflamingo wouldn't dare disobey his will.
"You're here to trade for Caesar?" Luffy said flatly.
"Yes. That guy is useless to you, right? You have no interest in SMILEs, but for me, artificial Devil Fruits can't be produced without his help."
Doflamingo was clearly helpless about this and could only proceed this way.
"You already know about Sugar's ability. I'll hand her over to you, and you won't need to worry about any schemes I might carry out in Dressrosa."
Luffy's gaze fell on Sugar.
This little girl looked no more than ten years old, but her true age was twenty.
The moment she ate her fruit, her body stopped growing.
Seeing Luffy looking at her, Sugar immediately took a few steps back in fright.
"Then what about this woman?" Luffy asked, turning his eyes to Monet.
"They're sisters, and Monet is very worried about Sugar's situation. With her by Sugar's side, she can take care of her."
[Of course I'm giving you a woman!]
[Maybe Monet will become yours—then I'll be safe!]
[If I'd known this would happen, I could've planned ahead.]
Luffy sensed that the man was somewhat regretful for not planning this situation more thoroughly.
After thinking for a moment, Luffy played along with the wording.
"Very well. I accept your proposal. The two of them will stay, and you can take Caesar. You're free to do your own thing—I won't interfere. But that doesn't mean no one else will."
"Don't worry. I'll investigate what you asked for as quickly as possible," Doflamingo immediately promised.
The ages of the Five Elders.
The mystery of Imu's abilities.
Even information about the members of the God's Knights…
All of this would require careful, gradual investigation.
"You may leave now."
Luffy waved his hand, dismissing him.
After that, he found Shirahoshi and said to her,
"Summon some Sea Kings and have them protect this country."
---xXx---
Sabaody Archipelago
After finishing the coating and just as they were about to head toward Fish-Man Island, the navigator suddenly exclaimed,
"Something's wrong!"
"What is it?"
"The Log Pose is pointing to a different location!!"
"What? Didn't the Sabaody Archipelago lack magnetism?"
"It's not a magnetic overlap, but… it looks more like Fish-Man Island is moving!"
The Log Pose in the navigator's hand had originally been pointing toward Fish-Man Island, which lay ten thousand meters beneath the sea.
But now, the Log Pose was tilted upward—as if Fish-Man Island were in the sky!
Moreover, it kept shifting constantly.
This suggested that its magnetism was weakening and being overtaken by other, stronger magnetic fields.
"What the hell… what's going on!?"
At this moment, it wasn't just this one group of pirates.
This strange phenomenon was happening to every Log Pose that pointed toward Fish-Man Island.
Today…
The passage between Paradise and the New World was completely blocked!
(End of Chapter)