"Boss, how should we dispose of him?" Daz Bonez asked, his cold gaze fixed on the bruised and battered Executive lying on the deck.
"Don't kill him. This is one of Doflamingo's most beloved 'family' members," Bardock smirked, pointing a finger at Diamante. "Lock him up in the brig! We'll hold him until Doflamingo comes to pay the ransom."
"YOU BASTARDS!" Diamante screamed hoarsely, struggling against Daz Bonez's grip. Losing the fight was one thing, but being captured alive like a common hostage infuriated him beyond belief. "Doffy is going to completely annihilate you! He won't let you get away with this!"
"Save your breath," Bardock waved his hand dismissively. "I've heard rumors that your Donquixote Family absolutely does not tolerate failure. You'd better pray that Doflamingo is willing to pay a suitably massive ransom for your life. Otherwise... I'll gladly toss you overboard to feed the Sea Kings."
Without another word, Daz Bonez slapped a heavy pair of Seastone handcuffs onto Diamante's wrists, completely neutralizing his Devil Fruit powers, and dragged the cursing Executive down into the darkest, most secure cell in the White Dragon's brig.
Meanwhile, back on the deck of the smaller flamingo galleon, a massive pile of unconscious, heavily injured Donquixote pirates lay groaning in pain.
Bardock pondered for a moment. After thoroughly stripping the ship of all its valuables, he decided they would tow the vessel to the nearest Marine Base and dump it there. As for how the Navy chose to deal with the injured pirates, that was none of his concern.
"Captain! We hit the jackpot!"
A cheerful, high-pitched voice echoed from the enemy ship's cabin. It was Leo. Bardock had specifically dispatched the Tontatta warrior to scour the ship for hidden compartments immediately after the battle ended. It seemed his keen eyes had found something good.
Leo sprinted across the deck, using both of his tiny hands to lift a small, highly ornate wooden chest above his head. To Leo, it was a massive burden; to Bardock, it was the size of a jewelry box.
"Judging by that specific size and design..." Bardock's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Could it be?"
"That's right! It's a Devil Fruit!" Leo, being incredibly honest and straightforward, didn't bother building suspense and immediately confirmed Bardock's guess.
Bardock eagerly took the small chest and popped the latch. Resting inside on a bed of velvet was indeed a genuine Devil Fruit. It was shaped somewhat like a pear, covered in beautiful, mesmerizing, and highly distinct swirling patterns. However, just by looking at it, he had absolutely no idea what specific powers it contained.
"Robin, do you recognize this one?" Bardock asked, turning the fruit over in his hands.
Robin walked over, her eyes scanning the unique swirls. After a brief moment, she shook her head. "No. I don't recognize the pattern. It has never appeared in any of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedias I've read."
"How annoying... an unknown variable," Bardock sighed, though a smile remained on his face. He carefully closed the chest and stored it in his personal inventory. A Devil Fruit was a Devil Fruit—it was an incredibly rare, priceless treasure regardless of its classification.
Shortly after, the rest of the crew hauled the remaining spoils onto the White Dragon.
One had to admit, the Donquixote Family was obscenely, unfathomably wealthy.
Putting aside the massive stacks of Belly and the single Devil Fruit, there were literal crates filled to the brim with raw gold, precious jewels, and high-quality armaments like master-crafted swords and advanced firearms.
Bardock even found a small, highly secured crate containing refined Seastone. Finding this specific, highly regulated military material deeply confirmed his suspicions: Doflamingo had already successfully established his infamous 'Joker' persona and was actively pulling strings in the Underworld's black market.
As it turned out, hunting down Bardock's crew was merely one of Diamante's side objectives. His primary mission had been sailing across the North Blue to collect the accumulated tribute and loot from all the Family's subordinate pirate crews, intending to transport the massive haul back to their headquarters at Spider Miles.
Unfortunately for Diamante, his overwhelming arrogance had led him to view Bardock's crew as easy prey. He had assumed he could effortlessly crush them and add their legendary gold to his collection. Instead, he had completely crashed and burned, effectively hand-delivering the Donquixote Family's entire regional treasury directly to Bardock.
While sorting through the loot, Bardock specifically singled out a highly decorated, unique-looking Den Den Mushi from Diamante's personal quarters.
If everything went according to plan, Doflamingo would inevitably use his own master snail to call this specific Den Den Mushi for a status report. If Bardock wanted to successfully extort a king's ransom out of Doflamingo in exchange for Diamante's life, this snail was the absolute most critical piece of leverage he possessed. Bardock carefully placed the snail on his desk and fed it some fresh lettuce, ensuring it remained healthy and active.
He held all the cards now. All he had to do was wait for Doflamingo to name his price.
With the looting officially concluded, the White Dragon resumed its voyage across the North Blue, now casually towing the battered flamingo galleon behind it via a thick towline.
As for the defeated grunts, those who had unfortunately perished during the crossfire were unceremoniously returned to the sea. Those suffering from critical, life-threatening injuries were given just enough glowing dandelion spores by Mansherry to stabilize their vitals, ensuring they wouldn't bleed to death before reaching a port.
A few hours later, the White Dragon approached an island housing a mid-sized Marine Branch Base. Bardock casually severed the towline, leaving the heavily damaged flamingo ship drifting directly into the harbor's shipping lane, and immediately ordered his crew to sail away before they could be spotted.
From a safe distance, Enel used his Mantra to observe the ensuing chaos on the island.
When the local Marines first spotted the iconic flamingo-shaped galleon drifting toward their base, absolute panic erupted. Across the entire North Blue, everyone knew that anyone authorized to sail a ship of that specific design was an elite Executive of the Donquixote Family.
The Branch Commander frantically ordered the base into a state of high alert, assuming they were about to be violently besieged by Doflamingo's forces. The Marines manned the cannons, gripping their rifles with trembling hands, fully prepared to fight to the death.
However, upon nervously boarding the drifting vessel, they discovered it was completely devoid of hostile forces, filled only with groaning, heavily bandaged pirates. The terrified Marines instantly let out a collective sigh of profound relief.
The panic quickly morphed into chaotic excitement. An entire ship of Donquixote pirates handed to them on a silver platter? It was a massive, completely free military merit! However, amidst the celebrations, the older, more experienced officers nervously whispered among themselves, deeply terrified of the inevitable, bloody retaliation Doflamingo would unleash once he learned his men had been arrested.
Back in the safety of the Captain's quarters on the White Dragon, the silence was finally broken.
Puru puru puru puru...Puru puru puru puru...
The highly decorated, confiscated Den Den Mushi sitting on Bardock's desk slowly opened its eyes, imitating a pair of sharp, highly aggressive sunglasses.
The call had finally arrived.