East Blue, Windmill Village
Inside Makino's bar, the cheerful racket was loud enough to lift the roof off.
"Captain! Another barrel!" Lucky Roux yelled through a mouthful of meat, his words slurred.
"You idiot! You've already drunk half a barrel yourself!" Yasopp shouted, giving him a swift kick in the backside. He turned to the bar. "Miss Makino, could you fill one up for our Captain, too? He seems to be in a good mood today."
Shanks was resting his chin on his hand, a warm smile on his face as he watched two small figures chasing each other outside the window. One was his adopted daughter, Uta. The other was Luffy, the village kid who was always yelling about wanting to become a pirate.
Makino smiled and pushed a full mug of beer toward him. "Mr. Shanks, your drink."
"Thanks, Makino." Shanks pulled his gaze from the window and picked up the mug.
"Don't just watch, Captain. You should join in," First Mate Benn Beckman said slowly, leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth. "Miss Makino is a wonderful woman. If you don't make a move soon, someone else is going to snatch her up."
The surrounding crewmates erupted into boisterous laughter. Shanks nearly spat out his beer. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about, Beckman!"
Ding-a-ling—
The bell on the bar door chimed as it was pushed open. A gentle-looking woman walked in, holding a small bouquet of freshly bloomed sunflowers. Following close behind her was a small boy with a sprinkle of freckles on his face. His eyes scanned the noisy pirates in the bar with a vigilant, wary expression.
"Makino, these are the flowers you ordered," the woman said, handing them to Makino with a soft voice.
"Thank you, Sister Luna," Makino replied, taking the flowers and arranging them in a vase on the bar.
The woman's name was Luna. She had settled in Windmill Village a few years ago with her son, Ace, and opened a small flower shop next to the bar. She was known to everyone as a kind and gentle single mother.
Shanks's gaze fell on the little boy, Ace. For some reason, he felt that the look in the child's eyes—that stubborn, unyielding spirit—reminded him of a figure from long ago. He picked up his mug, walked over, and crouched down in front of the boy.
"Hey kid, want some juice?"
"Huh? Who are you?" Ace instinctively moved to shield his mother, his eyes locked on Shanks.
"Ace, don't be rude," Luna said, gently patting her son's head. She gave Shanks an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, he's a little shy."
"Hahaha! It's no problem at all!" Shanks said, standing up. A strange feeling stirred inside him. He felt as though there was a deep story hidden within this mother and son. "It must be difficult, raising a child all by yourself," he remarked casually.
Luna's smile faltered for just a moment. She stroked Ace's hair, her gaze drifting toward the distant sea. "As long as he can grow up safely, any hardship is worth it."
Shanks didn't ask any more questions. He could feel the weight behind her words. He looked at Ace one more time, and that powerful sense of déjà vu washed over him again. He eventually just shook his head, pushing the thought from his mind. Perhaps it was just a coincidence.
North Blue, Minion Island
A blizzard raged across the land, burying everything in a despairing blanket of white.
Rosinante trudged through the deep snow, carrying a large box on his back. Each step was a struggle. Inside the box, a young Trafalgar Law was curled into a ball. The white spots from the Amber Lead Syndrome had already spread across half of his cheek, and his breathing was shallow.
"Rosinante... are we going to die here?" Law's voice was hoarse, filled with a despair that no child should ever know. They had visited every hospital they could find in the North Blue, but every doctor had taken one look at the white spots on his skin and chased them away like they were carriers of a plague.
"No! Law! Trust me!" Rosinante shouted, but then he slipped, tumbling into a snowdrift. The lit cigarette in his mouth was extinguished in the snow. He scrambled back to his feet, brushed himself off, and forced a smile that looked more painful than a grimace. "See, I'm fine!"
Law looked at his clumsy, comical appearance, but he couldn't bring himself to laugh. His hope was slowly being buried by the endless snow.
Buruburuburu...
The Den Den Mushi in Rosinante's pocket suddenly began to ring. He froze, then pulled it out. It was Doflamingo's private line. He hesitated for a second before finally answering.
"Rosinante." The Den Den Mushi perfectly mimicked Doflamingo's unique, faintly sinister voice.
"Doffy..."
On the other end of the line, Doflamingo sat on a dark throne, his face hidden in shadow. After telling Rosinante about the Ope-Ope no Mi, he waited. He suspected that his only brother was a Marine spy. This call was his final test, a last act of kindness. As long as Rosinante ate the Devil Fruit and returned, he could pretend nothing had happened. Rosinante would still be his brother, still an officer of the Donquixote Family.
"I..." Rosinante clutched the Den Den Mushi. He thought of Law, dying in the box on his back. The Ope-Ope no Mi… it was his last hope. "I understand, Doffy."
He hung up and looked toward the transaction point in the distance, his eyes filled with a new, steely resolve. Using his Marine intelligence and the power of his Calm-Calm Fruit, he created a massive explosion at the chaotic scene. In the ensuing panic, he risked his life and successfully snatched the box containing the Ope-Ope no Mi.
He rushed back to the abandoned shack where they were hiding, clutching the Devil Fruit.
"Law! Quick! Eat this!" Rosinante shoved the heart-shaped fruit into Law's mouth. The taste was so disgusting that Law gagged and his eyes rolled back, but he forced himself to swallow it.
An invisible domain then unfolded around them, isolating all sound. Rosinante gave Law, who was back in the treasure chest, a big, blood-stained smile.
"Law, I cured your illness… You're free."
He mouthed one last sentence.
"I love you."
It was the last thing Law saw before his consciousness faded.
In the blizzard, Doflamingo approached slowly. He looked down at his brother, lying in a pool of his own blood, and his signature sunglasses couldn't hide the storm of emotions in his eyes.
"Why, Rosie?" his voice trembled in the cold. "Why did you force me to kill my own family?!"
Rosinante leaned against the treasure chest, panting heavily. He could no longer speak. He could only look at his brother with eyes that held no hatred, only a deep sorrow. The two brothers had walked completely opposite paths.
Doflamingo raised a pistol and aimed it at Rosinante. "This is the path you chose."
A gunshot rang out in the silent snowfield, but it was completely swallowed by Rosinante's soundproof domain. Rosinante's body slowly collapsed, that same silly smile still on his face. With his last ounce of will, he maintained the field of silence, buying the boy in the treasure chest one last chance at life.
Doflamingo stood over the body for a long time before turning and walking away, his figure looking incredibly lonely in the blizzard.
After what felt like an eternity, the silence that had enveloped everything finally dissipated. The lid of the treasure chest was pushed open, and Law crawled out.
He could hear the wind howling again. He could hear the footsteps of Doflamingo's crew in the distance. And he could hear the heartbreaking sobs erupting from his own chest.
He looked at Rosinante, lying motionless in the snow not far away, his body already growing stiff. Tears streamed down his face. The boy stumbled and ran, leaving behind the hell he had so desperately wanted to escape, with nothing ahead but a future alone. The freedom Rosinante had bought for him with his life was so heavy, it felt hard to breathe.
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