Chapter 61

"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream~" On top of one exquisitely designed ship that bore the jolly roger of Donquixote pirates, one tall man hummed with binoculars in front of his eyes, "Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream~"

This man, bearing the unique facial feature of red rectangular streaks running down from his forehead, through his eyes, to his chin—is none other than Diamante, the top executive officer of Donquixote pirates along with Trebol and Pica.

"Oi, Trebol," Diamante, grinning as he continued to check his surroundings with binoculars, spoke up, "How was my singing just now?"

In response, Trebol's voice resounded from the nearby Den Den Mushi, <<Beheheh! You surely improved!>>

"Naw, I know I suck."

<<Ya really do, Diamante!>>

"Aw, stop, no need to feign your opinion for me. I know I still got lots to improve."

<<Hm... I'll stop the—>>

"Well if you say so, I'll have to acknowledge it! I suppose that I am good just as you say, uhahaha!"

The subordinates on the same ship sweatdropped at Diamante's antics, which the man ignored.

<<...Beheheh, by the way, do you want to hear something funny, Diamante?>> Then, Trebol began a new topic.

Diamante, placing his binoculars down, raised his eyebrow, "Hm? What can it be?"

The Den Den Mushi made a shrewd grin, reflecting Trebol's facial expression, <<Giolla. How do you think I managed to discover her betrayal?>>

"Eh..." Diamante scratched the back of his head, trying to think of an answer. Then, he grinned yet again while saying, "Aha, I know! You saw her meeting up with White Hunter!"

<<Nope! Beheheh, the correct answer is... I made it up!>>

Diamante frowned in confusion, "...Eh?"

<<Listen, listen!>> Trebol spoke in an excited tone, <<For the past months, around ten subordinate pirate crews were killed by Doffy out of suspicion! And then, Doffy was getting suspicious and losing his trust in us as White Hunter kept locating the slave ships! And we, as his loyal servants, cannot afford to earn his doubt, ya know! So whether there was a betrayer among us or not, I had to do something to ease his mind!>>

"Ohh, I see," Diamante nodded as if having understood.

<<Beheheh, and therefore, I fabricated the information that Giolla betrayed us! Bam! Doffy is no longer suspicious of us! Plan success!>>

"...Trebol," Diamante muttered, "You are a fucking genius."

<<Beheheh, I know right? Though I'm sad that Giolla had to sacrifice herself, it was a necessary one—>> Trebol then said, <<—oh, I think I gotta go! Have fun on your side! See ya!>>

"Bye~"

The call was abruptly cut, and the subordinate pirates of Diamante all stared at the Den Den Mushi in disbelief—unsure of what they just heard.

"Ah, wait..." Diamante turned and gazed at the pirates, "Did you hear what he just said?"

The pirates all froze up in response to Diamante's question. Then, they looked at each other with pale faces, before turning back to Diamante and shaking their heads in fright. Diamante, scratching the back of his head, turned away from them, "Alright then."

The pirates visibly relaxed, knowing that they were about to be killed. And just as they thought so, Diamante, who was observing the front with his binoculars again, suddenly shouted,

"All of you, get ready to engage!! Uhahahaha, we finally found it—" Diamante's eyes widened in anticipation, "The land full of perfect candidates, Amazon Lily...! Uhahaha, it's just as Doffy said!"

The atmosphere of the ship suddenly changed. The pirates' eyes adopted a mix of greed and lust as they gazed at the island in the middle of the Calm Belt.

"Attackkkk!!!!"

And this day, Amazon Lily met an invasion that they never faced before.

__________

[September 14th, 1505]

<Purururu, Purururu,>

A week before, Smoker received a call from his pink-haired colleague,

<...Smoker. Are you there?>

Hina.

Hina didn't finish her words back then, but it was clear what she was trying to say.

Smoker asked back then, <Which marine divisions are under the escort missions like we are?>

<...Four different royals were given the privilege of being escorted. Apart from you, there are divisions under the following officers: Vice Admiral Bayard, Vice Admiral Tensei, and Vice Admiral Onigumo.>

The well-known followers of the Absolute Justice.

<Smoker,> Hina expressed her worry back then, <I think this is a trap. I have a bad feeling about this.>

Of course Smoker knew. Doflamingo was seething to kill him for months, after all.

As far as Smoker could deduce, they will probably turn the other way, ignoring Doflamingo's attack on him. Furthermore, if the civilians or nobles are to fall into danger due to Doflamingo, they will act in order to prevent any loss of reputation.

Therefore,

Smoker stated with confidence back then,

And here they were in the present—docked to the newly built port of Knockdown island. Smoker stood behind king Moqueca as the staircase was laid out from his ship to the port platform—where the butlers and maids were standing in an orderly manner, bowing and welcoming the arrival of the world noble.

"Sammmbarabaraba!!! No wonder they said that Sabaody Park cannot dare to compete against this place!!!" King Moqueca exclaimed in delight as he excitedly descended and walked through the bowing butlers and maids.

"...All marines, we're moving out."

Smoker, Aramaki Rosinante, Robin, and the other marine soldiers began to follow king Moqueca and his royal guards, with Koala holding Robin's hand with amazement in her eyes. They, walking on top of the red carpet that was laid out all the way from the port to the tallest building in the center, came across the views of various attractions that were full of civilians.

"This way, please," A middle-aged butler said calmly as he opened the gate of entry into the tallest building. The inside was lit up by the luxurious chandeliers, which contributed to showcasing the well-designed interior. It was essentially a banquet hall full of delectable foods and drinks, filled with fellow world nobles who enjoyed a nice meal among themselves.

"Sammmbarabaraba!!! What a paradise!!!" Moqueca, screaming in joy, ditched the rest of his group and ran toward the food bar.

"K-king Moqueca!!! Please wait for us!"

His royal guards, sweating profusely, immediately followed the king. The butler, who served as a guide, bowed skillfully before moving away, leaving Smoker and his division standing by themselves.

"...Uh, Smoker-san, should we follow the king?" Rosinante, who was trying his best to hide his nervousness, asked Smoker, "We're tasked with protecting him, right?"

Aramaki, on the other hand, mumbled, "...Where is Joker, that despicable scum?"

"For one, never let your guard. As for the king, I got him covered." Smoker finally stated after briefly looking around the room, "Also, be suspicious of everything around you—"

"Ah, if it isn't Marine's pride, Rear Admiral Smoker." Then, a voice came from Smoker's left. Turning in that direction, Smoker and his division saw,

a handsome man with orange-coloured hair: Vice Admiral Bayard, one whom Smoker came across a couple of times before, and the younger brother of 'Seidohebi,' Admiral Blaise.

"Vice Admiral Bayard, long time no see." Smoker replied casually.

"I heard about your noble feats in the Sabaody Archipelago. Prevented every single slave ship from reaching the Human Auction shop, eh?" Bayard, acting friendly, then draped his arm around Smoker's shoulder and pulled him away from the rest of his division.

'...Trying to separate me from my subordinates... I guess I'll comply for now.'

Smoker, not resisting Bayard's lead, began to walk along with the orange-haired Vice Admiral. While doing so, he turned back and looked at Aramaki, who nodded back at him before leading the rest of the division elsewhere.

And now,

"Tensei, Onigumo, guess who I brought here."

Smoker was in front of one round table, where two Marine Vice Admirals were silently enjoying their meals.

"Rear Admiral Smoker," Tensei, whose eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, nodded stoically, "Pleased to meet you. I believe that this isn't the first time we've met."

Onigumo, on the other hand, simply frowned as he chewed on a piece of steak—completely ignoring Smoker's presence.

Bayard, smiling pleasantly, took a seat and pointed at the sole empty seat, "Take a seat, Smoker, and have a meal with us."

Smoker, in response, saluted lazily, "Greetings to senior marines. I will excuse myself then," before complying with Bayard's wish and taking a seat.

On table, there lied delectable dishes, which Smoker didn't bother to look even once.

"...Rear Admiral Smoker," Then, Onigumo suddenly growled, glaring at Smoker with evident disdain, "Why did you kick Shepherd out?"

Smoker's eyes gleamed in interest, "Oh? Were you the one who recommended that useless man to my division, Vice Admiral Onigumo?"

Bam!

"...Useless?" Onigumo slammed his fist on the table, "Did you just say that my nephew is useless?!"

'...Condoriano is Onigumo's nephew?'

Smoker, not affected by Onigumo's outburst at all, snorted, "If he isn't useless, then who is? Must I really explain any further?"

Onigumo, unable to bear his rage any further, stood up from his spot, "Why, you—"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Onigumo." Bayard, smiling in a troubled manner, held his hands out at the seething Onigumo. He then turned to Smoker with the same smile, "And you should apologize as well, Smoker. You know that it isn't nice to insult one's own family member."

"...How idiotic," Then, Tensei said while placing his glass of wine down, "I side with Rear Admiral Smoker in this matter. Lieutenant Commander Shepherd, he's recently joined the Bureau of Investigation and showcased nothing but 'uselessness' as Rear Admiral Smoker quoted. If not for you, Onigumo, I would've stripped him of his rank already."

Onigumo, gritting his teeth angrily, then turned to Tensei, "And now you're picking on me—"

However, Onigumo's words were never completed, as,

Tap. Tap.

one blonde man with flamboyant sunglasses and a pink feather coat entered and made his way into the hall with a grin on his face and his hands in his pockets.

"...So that's how Joker looks," One noble with a black mustache whispered, "Hm... he looks younger than I thought though."

However, Smoker's eyes narrowed instead, '...Strange. Though I've never seen Doflamingo face to face before, one standing in front of me right now... something feels off.'

'Doflamingo,' making his way to the centre of the hall, spread his arms wide open and stated,

"Hahahaha, welcome, dear hegemons of the world... Have you enjoyed your meal?"

Everyone, falling silent, placed their eyes on him.

'That isn't Doflamingo. I don't sense a particular "will" within that man.' And at the same time, Smoker concluded, 'But question is, what's the point behind the entrance of this "fake" Doflamingo—'

Smoker's eyes gleamed in crimson as he quickly turned his head to the back. He could see that all of his subordinates' eyes were placed toward the 'fake' Doflamingo, and Rosinante, in contrast to them, was walking out of the hall as if lured by something.

"Now that everyone arrived, why don't get straight into the business? I know that you didn't come for boring things outside. I know what exactly my fellow nobles want! Please, follow me—"

"It was nice meeting the three of you," Smoker, cutting his attention off from fake Doflamingo's words, stood up from his seat.

Bayard raised his eyebrow, "Oh, but you haven't eaten anything yet. Isn't it too early to go?"

Tensei simply gazed at Smoker stoically. Onigumo didn't even bother to make an eye contact with him.

"I'm not here to fool around, Vice Admiral Bayard. And please, though your hospitality was pleasant,"

Smoker, whose justice coat-covered back was facing the Vice Admirals now, then stated while turning his head and gazing at Bayard through the corners of his eyes,

"don't act as if we're friends, will you?"

Bayard, for the first time upon hearing Smoker's words, had his smile faltered. Smoker, ignoring Bayard's demeanour, walked up to Aramaki, who was sitting along with the rest of Smoker's division. Aramaki moved his eyes to Smoker upon noticing the latter's approach, and Smoker whispered, "Rosinante disappeared."

Aramaki's eyes widened. He turned to his left and right and found that Smoker's words were true.

"Don't worry though, I know where he is." Smoker patted Aramaki on the shoulder, and continued, "I'm going to go and fetch him, so ensure to keep Orobi and Koala within your sight. And forget Moqueca. I'll take the blame if he dies from the cross-fire."

"...Cross-fire, huh," Aramaki murmured, before nodding seriously, "Will the other marines help, Smoker-san?"

Smoker chuckled as he lifted his hand up from Aramaki's shoulder,

"Good question."

and silently exited the hall, to the direction in which Rosinante went to. At the same time, Aramaki let out a small laugh,

"Rahahaha… you gotta be kidding me."

The longer and longer Aramaki stayed in Marine, the more he learned, of just how different Smoker was from the rest of the marines.

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