After some investigation, Captain Jess's team found several witnesses who claimed to have seen children running out of the alley near the explosion site shortly before the blast.
Others claimed to have seen several vagrants following a small child into the alley.
These accounts all pointed to the same target.
This clue is crucial!
Captain Jess refused to believe it was a coincidence. There had to be something suspicious about those two children.
He wasn't convinced they were the culprits, but his intuition told him they knew something.
Otherwise, he couldn't imagine why anyone would bother targeting a group of vagrants. Even all those worthless bums combined weren't worth a single bomb!
He ordered his men to create simple wanted posters based on the limited information, hoping to find the children quickly and question them about what they had witnessed.
Meanwhile, Captain Jess had no intention of letting the recent bomb buyers Old Jack had named slip through his fingers. The crime scene spoke for itself—the killer had undoubtedly used explosives.
Following this lead was the only logical course of action.
Now dressed in a new outfit, Abel was trying to gather information about ships, preparing to flee the country with Law.
The world was vast, yet it seemed there was no place for them to find refuge.
As he passed a notice board, Abel immediately spotted two wanted posters. His original clothes and Law's distinctive spotted hat were both listed as identifying features.
Clearly, after making such a scene, they had finally caught the authorities' attention.
Fortunately, these features weren't too conspicuous, and the clothes he was currently wearing had just been "borrowed" from someone's yard, still damp in places.
At first glance, he looked no different from any other boy his age on the street.
In fact, he had already turned away several little girls who wanted to play with him along the way.
Just then, two soldiers slowly approached, holding newly issued wanted posters in their hands.
Abel showed no sign of fear, remaining completely calm.
As expected, the soldiers merely glanced down at him before continuing on their way, making no connection between him and the targets on the posters.
Trying to find someone based on such meager clues was a stretch.
But they had no choice. This was all the information they had gathered, and they couldn't possibly arrest every boy they saw on the street.
And so, Abel arrived at the port without incident.
The port was bustling with activity, crowded with ships and people coming and going. Most of the vessels were merchant ships, with passenger ships being less common.
He even spotted two pirate ships flying their flags, brazenly docked as if they had no fear of being captured by the Marines.
This situation was largely due to the White Town.
To bury the secrets of Flevance, the powerful figures in charge had allowed neighboring countries to wage war against it. They had even withdrawn the nearby Marines, using this as a pretext to avoid sending aid.
If any loose ends remained, they could simply use pirates to finish the job!
The plan was foolproof, and Flevance indeed failed to endure, reduced to ashes.
Thus, it was no surprise that pirates roamed the island freely before the new Marines arrived.
After wandering around the port for a long time, Abel finally prepared to return. He realized there were only a few ways to get out to sea:
Find a small, dilapidated boat or build a raft and leave his fate entirely to the elements. Even if a single wave capsized him, he'd have to accept it.
Abel dismissed this option almost immediately.
If they had to set sail this way, Abel would rather stay and continue being wanted.
Buy tickets and leave directly on a passenger ship.
The advantage was safety and stability, but the downside was the risk of exposing their identities.
And most importantly... they had no money!
This was the tragedy of being broke—every step forward was a struggle. Sigh.
Find a way to change their identities, such as joining one of the two pirate crews, and then set sail naturally.
Abel wasn't opposed to the pirate life itself, but their age was undoubtedly a major obstacle. Most pirate crews wouldn't take in young pups like them.
Moreover, if they revealed their wanted status, it was hard to say whether it would be a bonus point or lead to the crew turning them in for a reward.
Abel didn't believe that all pirates on the sea were like the protagonist Luffy's crew, running around dispensing justice and shouting about dreams and freedom.
In reality, treachery, cunning, and ruthless betrayal were the common slogans of most pirates.
These two little lambs might end up escaping the tiger's jaws only to fall into the wolf's den—a truly hopeless situation.
Just then, another large ship slowly docked nearby.
Abel, who was about to leave, suddenly recognized the flag hanging from the ship. It looked strangely familiar...
The next day, Abel didn't rush into action. Instead, he continued his reconnaissance.
With the help of some loose-lipped sailors, he finally confirmed the identity of the faction behind the familiar flag:
It was a smuggling ship belonging to the Donquixote Family!
During the war that destroyed Flevance, at least half of the vast quantities of armaments used by the warring nations had been purchased from the Donquixote Family.
Now that the war was over and the spoils had been divided, these nations were flush with wealth.
Clearly, the Donquixote Family had set its sights on them once again.
More precisely, they were after the nations' riches!
After expending so much weaponry and ammunition, wouldn't they need to replenish their supplies?
If not, that was fine too. The other nations were buying, so they could handle things however they pleased!
After all, war could break out at any time, and when it did, the Donquixote Family would certainly not be the ones to suffer.
When it came to instigating wars between nations and profiting from the chaos, the Donquixote Family was unmatched in the North Blue—absolute professionals in the art of warmongering!
Forced to swallow their pride, the nations of Minz and others reluctantly initiated a new arms race.
After all, weapons were something they couldn't afford to be without, even if they didn't plan to use them.
The Donquixote Family had these nations by the throat, raking in massive profits with each transaction.
Hidden in the shadows, Abel watched as crates of weapons were unloaded from ships, only to be replaced with crates of money and supplies for the return voyage. A plan began to form in his mind.
But Abel wasn't the only one eyeing the Donquixote Family.
Two pirate crews, who had docked here to resupply, burned with envy.
Though Doflamingo's Black Market was thriving, he hadn't yet become the underworld emperor of the future, nor had he even earned the title of Warlord of the Sea.
Even in the North Blue, many still harbored hostility toward the Donquixote Family.