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The Donquixote Family had made their difficult decision and were fast approaching Minion Island.
From another direction, several dozen nautical miles away, the Marine warship was also closing in. Their objective was twofold: secure the Op-Op Fruit under the World Government's absolute orders, and capture Doflamingo to reclaim the hijacked Heavenly Gold.
If they couldn't recover the gold, they were prepared to use the final Shichibukai slot as a bargaining chip.
On Minion Island...
The Barrels Pirates, a ragtag collection of mediocre outlaws, were singing and dancing. They envisioned a mountain of Berries flying toward them, blissfully unaware that their deaths were imminent.
In a world where power is everything, possessing a treasure of unbearable weight without the strength to protect it is a death sentence. No one was going to play by the rules or listen to reason.
The World Government's promise of five billion Berries was a trap for the foolish. Once they had the Op-Op Fruit, they would arrest the Barrels Pirates in the blink of an eye. The reason? Simple: they were Pirates.
In the eyes of the law, whether you are a "good" pirate or a "bad" pirate, those six letters represent ultimate evil. For the Government to eradicate "evil," no rules were necessary.
It was a cold reality. Against those they deemed outlaws, the Government didn't believe in "chivalry" or "fairness"—they simply swarmed and suppressed.
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Puru Puru Puru Puru!
"Moshi moshi? Rosinante, this is Tsuru."
"Vice Admiral Tsuru... how much longer?" Rosinante asked, his voice thick with urgency.
Law, cradled in his arms, was at the end of his rope. His breathing was shallow and erratic, as if his life force could extinguish at any second. Rosinante was breaking into a cold sweat.
"About forty nautical miles. We'll be there soon." Tsuru could hear the instability in Rosinante's voice. She didn't know the full extent of the situation, but she tried to soothe him. "What's wrong? Stay calm..."
Click.
"Hello? Talk to me! Don't do anything reckless, Rosinante! Corazon! Think of Sengoku's teachings—don't let him down!!" Tsuru sensed something was terribly wrong, but the connection was dead. She immediately turned to the bridge and barked an order.
"Full speed! Faster!!"
"I... I can't wait any longer," Rosinante muttered, looking down at Law's face, which was as pale as a sheet. "If the Marines get the fruit, they'll hand it over to the World Government. They'll never let Law eat it."
Before coming to the island, a doctor had said Law might have a few days. But looking at him now—struggling for every breath—it didn't look like he had days. He looked like he had minutes.
Disconnecting from Tsuru, Rosinante carefully adjusted Law on his back, trying not to wake him, and began his infiltration of Minion Island.
He was going to steal the Op-Op Fruit. Only by giving this fruit to Law—combined with the boy's inherited medical knowledge—could they pull his life back from the brink.
Trudging through knee-deep snow against a biting, frigid wind, Rosinante encountered no resistance. He reached the edge of the ruins where the Barrels Pirates were stationed, stopping near a small wooden shack on a snowy slope.
The area was cluttered with barrels and large crates—any of which could easily hide Law's small frame.
He gently laid the sleeping boy down and touched Law's face. It was stark white, devoid of any color, a symptom of the Amber Lead disease that had ravaged his entire body. Through the translucent skin, dark veins were visible like a spiderweb; he looked fragile enough to shatter.
Despite his gentleness, Law woke up.
"Cora-san... just leave me..." Law whispered, his voice barely audible.
Though young, Law wasn't ignorant. Over the past months, Rosinante had carried him across the world to see every doctor imaginable. His own father had been a world-class physician, and even he had been helpless. Law had long ago resigned himself to his fate.
"I won't give up as long as there's a shred of hope!" Rosinante made a goofy, exaggerated face to make him smile. "You know about the Op-Op Fruit, right? Once you eat it, you can cure any disease!"
"Just wait for the good news!!"
With that, he turned away, unable to look into Law's eyes any longer. He remembered having that same look in his own eyes when he first met Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
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Activating the Silent-Silent Fruit power, Rosinante approached the spacious, makeshift building in the ruins without a sound.
Peering through a crack in the wooden planks, he saw a warm bonfire burning. Several pirates were passed out, drunk, while a young boy (Drake) sat in the corner, staring blankly at his knees.
The captain, Diez Barrels, sat at the only table in the room, deep in thought.
Waves of heat radiated through the cracks, momentarily chasing away the freezing chill and warming Rosinante's numbed limbs.
Under the influence of the Nagi Nagi no Mi, the group inside had no idea that a predator was at their doorstep. Not even Observation Haki could easily detect a man hidden behind a barrier that erased not just sound, but his very presence.
The Silent-Silent Fruit didn't just mute noise; it created an invisible "Soundproof Wall" that could isolate an entire space. This was why Rosinante would later hide Law in a chest, knowing that even Doflamingo wouldn't sense him from inches away.
Hooo—
Rosinante took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. His face, painted with clownish makeup, set into a mask of grim determination.
BAM!!
He kicked the door open. The sudden noise sent the sleeping pirates bolting upright in shock. Before they could process what was happening—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Rosinante drew a modified flintlock from his cloak, firing in rapid succession. Several pirates dropped instantly. He didn't hesitate, lunging straight for the wooden chest resting on the table.
The move sent Diez Barrels into a towering rage, his distinctive butt-chin quivering with fury.
"The Donquixote Family has no honor! You've come to steal it?!"
No more words were exchanged. The fight was instantaneous.
Barrels was a former Marine officer, but his strength was unremarkable—roughly on par with Rosinante. However, he lacked Rosinante's suicidal resolve. Amidst the chaos, the Op-Op Fruit was snatched right from under his nose.
The battle was over as quickly as it had begun.
Exultant, Rosinante clutched the fruit to his chest and broke away from the skirmish, sprinting out of the wooden house.
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The Donquixote Family's great flamingo ship was now visible on the horizon. From the other side, the Marine warship was practically ready to dock.
High in the sky—
Arthur streaked through the clouds at his absolute limit. He descended over Minion Island, his Observation Haki unfurling without restraint.
Through the "Heart Net," he saw it: a heavily wounded Rosinante, blood pouring from his body, clutched a specific item in his hands. It was the heart-shaped, spiraled fruit that Arthur had been hunting for a decade.
The Op-Op Fruit.
"I don't recall giving anyone permission to touch my property."
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