Chapter 301: The Devil Fruit and The Intelligence
Rubeck Island, Swallow Island, Minion Island. These three islands were situated in a tight triangular formation within the North Blue.
Currently, these three islands had attracted numerous terrifying gazes, all due to the legendary Op-Op Fruit.
The World Government had officially scheduled the multi-billion Berry transaction to take place on the northwestern Rubeck Island. Meanwhile, Diez Barrels and his pirate crew, having successfully acquired the Op-Op Fruit, were currently hiding out on the northeastern Minion Island.
As for Doflamingo, who harbored absolute ambitions of violently hijacking the fruit, his initial tactical plan was to stage his forces on the southern Swallow Island.
This was the intelligence currently known. It was also the exact, classified intelligence Rosinante had secretly transmitted to Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Consequently, before Doflamingo had even arrived, the Marines had already deployed Vice Admiral Tsuru and two heavily armed warships to set a massive ambush near Swallow Island.
Thick, heavy snowflakes violently danced through the sky. A massive storm front had descended, burying the North Blue in a rare, brutal blizzard.
Inside a temporary hideout on Minion Island, Barrels was eagerly examining the bizarre, heart-shaped fruit covered in mesmerizing swirls.
"This single fruit is actually worth five billion Berries! The government dogs must have completely lost their minds! To think they're willing to pay such an astronomical fortune for a piece of fruit!" Barrels laughed greedily.
"Captain, with that much money, we won't even need to be pirates anymore, right?!"
"Yeah! Who the hell wants to live as a hunted pirate when we can be filthy rich?!"
The entire crew was heavily intoxicated by the beautiful delusion of sudden, boundless wealth. They didn't understand much about the Op-Op Fruit's true mechanics. They had only heard rumors of a doctor who ate it and magically became a legendary, miraculous surgeon capable of curing countless terminal illnesses.
Within the medical community, the fruit was an absolute, mythical treasure.
But to these pirates, medical miracles were completely irrelevant. The massive stack of physical Berries was the only thing that mattered.
"Stay sharp, boys! The transaction is in three days!" Barrels roared, taking a massive swig of rum.
Simultaneously, near Swallow Island, Vice Admiral Tsuru's fleet hadn't found a single trace of Doflamingo.
This was because Doflamingo had completely bypassed Swallow Island. He was currently sailing directly toward Minion Island, fully intending to launch a preemptive strike and violently seize the Op-Op Fruit before the transaction date.
"What's wrong, Corazon? You seem incredibly tense," Doflamingo noted smoothly, leaning against the railing of their ship.
Thump... Thump...
"I suppose it's to be expected. This operation is indeed highly dangerous," Doflamingo chuckled. "But the risk is worth it. I will have that fruit. Our goal isn't to engage in a drawn-out war with the Marines. The very instant we secure the fruit, you will eat it, and we will evacuate immediately."
Doflamingo's reassurance didn't relax Rosinante in the slightest; it made his heart pound even faster. Worst of all, he currently had absolutely zero opportunity to contact Sengoku and update the Marines on Doflamingo's sudden change of plans. He could only silently follow his brother, desperately trying to formulate a countermeasure.
At that exact moment, hovering high above Rubeck Island, Ginny and Kuma stood safely within a completely transparent, isolated spatial dimension.
The surrounding environment of the Door World emanated a faint, eerie green glow. Through this unique spatial barrier, they had a crystal-clear, unobstructed view of the oceanic movements between the three islands below.
"Diez Barrels, a former Marine officer turned pirate captain. He's the one currently holding the fruit and brokering the deal with the World Government," Ginny whispered, reading off her intercepted intelligence notes.
"Donquixote Doflamingo, Captain of the Donquixote Pirates. Currently moving to hijack the Op-Op Fruit.
"And Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, Great Staff Officer Tsuru. She's leading a task force to capture Doflamingo... but it looks like she completely bungled the ambush location."
Her extensive wiretapping had provided Ginny with a flawless, macroscopic understanding of the tactical board. Furthermore, her eyes were currently glowing with a piercing crimson light. After her vampiric conversion, her vision had undergone a terrifying evolution.
Even though the violent blizzard and dark clouds severely obscured the outside world, Ginny could see the ships navigating the waters below with absolute, terrifying clarity.
She clearly saw a ship rapidly approaching Minion Island. Someone was making their move early.
"It looks like they're starting the party," Ginny smirked. "Once Doflamingo launches his assault, we'll use the chaos to seamlessly snatch the fruit. The Marines will naturally assume Doflamingo successfully stole it, and we'll walk away completely unnoticed. What do you think of the plan, Kuma?"
"It seems viable. And the tactical details?" Kuma asked calmly.
"The details? The details are 'improvise on the fly'! As long as we don't get caught, who cares?! Let's move!"
This time, they didn't utilize Kuma's teleportation. Instead, they moved rapidly through the parallel dimension of the Door World, swiftly bypassing the blizzard and establishing a perfect ambush position near the ruined "Ghost Town" on Minion Island.
Upon making landfall on Minion Island, Doflamingo didn't strike recklessly. He was genuinely terrified of startling Barrels. If the panicked pirate realized he was cornered, he might just spitefully eat the Op-Op Fruit himself to prevent it from being stolen.
Rosinante, however, desperately wanted to startle the pirates. Even if he couldn't contact the Marines, Barrels eating the fruit was infinitely preferable to Doflamingo getting his hands on it.
Thud!
With a muffled sound, Rosinante "accidentally" tripped, violently slamming his head into a nearby tree and collapsing into the snow. A massive pile of snow cascaded from the branches, completely burying him.
This wasn't an act; it was a deeply established character trait. Rosinante was notoriously, comically clumsy.
Tripping over his own feet, locking himself inside treasure chests, and accidentally setting his own coat on fire with his cigarettes were daily occurrences.
"Corazon... can't you take things seriously for even one second, especially at a time like this?" Doflamingo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"..."
"Are you so nervous that you're completely distracted...?"
Doflamingo was fully aware that his younger brother was an absolute klutz. This was exactly why he never seriously suspected Rosinante of being the highly competent Marine spy.
After all, sending a clumsy, mute idiot who constantly set himself on fire to act as an elite deep-cover operative was simply an illogical, profoundly stupid tactical decision.
"You wait here for our signal... No, actually, stay with the main group," Doflamingo commanded. "Baby 5, keep a close eye on him. Don't let Corazon do anything stupid."
Since Doflamingo urgently needed Rosinante to consume the fruit the moment they secured it, he ultimately decided to keep his brother close.
Since Doflamingo didn't know Barrels's exact location, he immediately deployed Buffalo to conduct aerial reconnaissance.
As the user of the Spin-Spin Fruit, Buffalo could rapidly rotate any part of his body. Utilizing this power, he essentially functioned as a human helicopter.
Minion Island was practically deserted. In the freezing winter, it didn't take long for Buffalo to spot a single plume of smoke rising from a chimney, pinpointing Barrels's hideout.
"Young Master, I found them! They're in the ruined town up ahead! It's the only place on the island with signs of human activity!"
"Fufufu, excellent news. Prepare for the assault. The Op-Op Fruit is our absolute primary objective. Nothing else matters. Remember that!"
The moment the words left his mouth, a massive swarm of incredibly sharp, razor-thin strings erupted from Doflamingo's fingertips, shooting high into the sky. The strings rapidly fanned out, violently descending like a massive, impenetrable dome that completely engulfed the entirety of Minion Island.
The Birdcage.
It was one of Doflamingo's most terrifying, restrictive techniques. The ultra-durable strings were virtually impossible to sever, transforming the entire island into a sealed prison.
Not only did it absolutely prevent anyone from physically entering or leaving, but the dense network of strings completely severed all Den Den Mushi signals.
To prevent anyone from secretly slipping away with the Op-Op Fruit, Doflamingo had ruthlessly eliminated all variables.
However, the Birdcage generated by the String-String Fruit ultimately possessed physical limits. Even if the strings were sharp enough to slice through descending meteors, they were completely useless against individuals hiding within an alternate, parallel dimension.
"This guy seems pretty capable," Ginny muttered, observing the Birdcage from the Door World. "But seriously, Kuma, don't you think the surname 'Donquixote' sounds incredibly familiar?"
"Are you referring to that specific Celestial Dragon family...?" Kuma frowned. "Surely a Celestial Dragon wouldn't be out here acting as a pirate..."
"I wouldn't put it past them," Ginny scoffed. "Knowing their psychotic arrogance, if they found out some commoner happened to share their sacred surname, wouldn't they instantly dispatch assassins to slaughter their entire bloodline?
"I need to keep a very close eye on this guy. I might uncover something huge."
Ginny didn't claim to perfectly understand the twisted psychology of Celestial Dragons, but an ordinary person's moral compass couldn't even begin to fathom the depths of their depravity.
Someone who thought being locked in a closet was the pinnacle of child abuse could never comprehend the sheer, sadistic evil of Celestial Dragons, who viewed horrific atrocities and genocide as casual afternoon entertainment.
"You have a point," Kuma agreed grimly.
"I can tell you're just agreeing with me to be polite," Ginny rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's move! If we wait any longer, they might actually eat the fruit. My intuition is screaming that letting Doflamingo get this fruit is an exponentially worse outcome than the World Government getting it."
Hiding out in the Ghost Town to escape the cold, Barrels completely failed to notice Buffalo scouting from the sky. Ginny and Kuma, however, were tracking Doflamingo's movements perfectly, rapidly closing in on the town from within the Door World.
Doflamingo didn't launch a loud, frontal assault. Instead, he utilized his Parasite strings to secretly seize control of several pirates standing guard outside. He then commanded the remaining Family executives to swiftly and silently assassinate any pirates who weren't under his control.
A moment later, Doflamingo callously manipulated his Parasite puppets, forcing Barrels's own crew to violently butcher each other. Meanwhile, Doflamingo casually strolled into the main hideout, confronting Barrels as if he were watching a theatrical performance.
"You have the Op-Op Fruit, don't you? Hand it over immediately, and I might consider letting you live."
"S-Stay back! Get away from me!"
"Captain! I can't control my body! Stop me! AHHHH!"
Doflamingo didn't use physical torture to extract the fruit, nor did he waste time negotiating. He simply forced Barrels's crew to endlessly slaughter each other right in front of him, utilizing the psychological horror to break the pirate captain's resolve.
Even if they were just pirates, having sailed together for years, they undeniably shared bonds of camaraderie.
"Stop it! Make them stop!!" Barrels screamed in horror.
"Oh?"
Doflamingo paused his twitching fingers, staring at Barrels with a sadistic, mocking smirk.
Barrels knew this monster wouldn't stop. If he didn't surrender the fruit, Doflamingo would systematically butcher every single person in the room.
The terrifying, absolute control of the Parasite strings had completely shattered his will to fight. Weighing his options, Barrels ultimately chose to capitulate.
"Swear it! Swear that if I give you the fruit, you'll leave immediately and never target us again!" Barrels demanded, his voice trembling.
"I swear it."
Doflamingo didn't hesitate for a microsecond to utter a profoundly vicious, binding oath. Of course, he didn't believe in karma or oaths in the slightest, so the words meant absolutely nothing to him.
If he hadn't been worried that the fruit might be hidden elsewhere on the island, he would have simply slaughtered everyone and searched the corpses.
Only when Barrels retrieved the heart-shaped fruit and placed it in his hand did Doflamingo's face erupt into a terrifying, triumphant grin.
"Fufufufu! The Op-Op Fruit! It's finally mine! Corazon! There's no time to waste! Eat it right now!"
Rosinante, who had desperately been searching for a window to intervene but failed, slowly reached out and took the Op-Op Fruit.
[Should I pretend to take a bite? Will that fool him long enough to escape...?]
[Or should I just forcefully eat it myself and completely ruin his plans...?]
Rosinante's agonizing internal debate lasted for less than a second. The very instant his fingers brushed the Devil Fruit, a devastating, apocalyptic explosion violently erupted directly beside him.
BOOM—!!!
The air itself seemed to violently detonate. The terrifying, hyper-pressurized shockwave violently blasted Rosinante off his feet, completely obliterating the hideout and sending Doflamingo and the other executives flying in all directions.
"ENEMY ATTACK!!"
"PROTECT THE YOUNG MASTER!!"
"I'm fine! Check on Corazon! WHERE IS THE OP-OP FRUIT?!" Doflamingo roared.
As the dense dust settled, Doflamingo furiously sprinted forward, frantically digging Rosinante out of the shattered rubble.
"Corazon! Did you... did you eat it?!"
Rosinante's hands were completely empty; there was no trace of the Devil Fruit. As Rosinante weakly shook his head, Doflamingo's absolute, triumphant dream violently shattered.
With a furious, agonizing roar, Doflamingo swept his hand forward. Countless razor-sharp strings erupted outward, violently shredding Barrels and the surviving pirates into bloody ribbons.
"FIND THEM!! SEARCH EVERY INCH OF THIS ISLAND!! THEY CANNOT ESCAPE THE BIRDCAGE! THEY MUST BE CLOSE!!"
For some inexplicable reason, Doflamingo felt a profound, chilling sensation that the thief was standing right in front of him. But his Observation Haki couldn't detect a single living soul. In blind, screaming fury, he wildly slashed his strings in every direction, violently venting his rage on the ruined town.
Having the ultimate prize violently ripped from his grasp the moment he touched it was infinitely more agonizing than never acquiring it at all.
What Doflamingo didn't know was that, standing mere inches away from him in a parallel dimension, Ginny was calmly observing his meltdown.
"Kuma, is this what they call 'incompetent rage'?" Ginny smirked.
"Let us depart, Ginny. It would be highly problematic if we were discovered," Kuma noted mildly.
"Relax, Kuma! If he possessed the ability to breach my Door World, he would have done it already. Why would he just stand there screaming like an idiot?"
From the very beginning, when Doflamingo first entered the room and demanded the fruit, Ginny and Kuma had been standing right there. They simply hadn't moved.
After all, Doflamingo already possessed a Devil Fruit power. It was biologically impossible for him to consume the Op-Op Fruit without dying.
They waited patiently until Doflamingo physically handed the fruit to Rosinante. The moment the transfer occurred, Ginny opened a tiny, imperceptible Air Door.
For a user of the Door-Door Fruit, drastically improving the combat lethality of the fruit was incredibly difficult. Aside from achieving Awakening, the fruit's primary application was simply opening doors on various surfaces. Therefore, a user primarily trained to increase their opening speed and spatial awareness.
The instant the Door opened, Kuma immediately fired a highly compressed, pre-charged Ursus Shock, utilizing the resulting catastrophic explosion and blinding chaos to flawlessly snatch the Op-Op Fruit from Rosinante's hands.
"But you're right, it's time to go," Ginny chuckled. "This Birdcage technique he set up is actually pretty impressive. It even completely blocks Den Den Mushi signals! Before we leave, let's cause a little more chaos for him."
Ginny and Kuma casually strolled out of Minion Island via the Door World as if they were returning from a leisurely picnic. The moment they exited the Birdcage's signal-jamming radius, Ginny pulled out a specialized Den Den Mushi and transmitted a highly classified, encrypted message.
"V-Vice Admiral Tsuru!! We just intercepted an anonymous, high-priority transmission! Doflamingo and his executives are currently on Minion Island!"
"Vice Admiral Tsuru! A patrol ship near Minion Island just reported hearing massive explosions! There are signs of a massive battle on the island!"
Tsuru, who had been internally cursing Sengoku for providing such catastrophic, faulty intelligence, instantly made a tactical decision. She ordered her fleet to immediately abandon the Swallow Island ambush and set a direct course for Minion Island at maximum speed.
Realizing the Marines were rapidly converging on his position, Doflamingo, consumed by furious, agonizing regret, was forced to hastily evacuate the island, barely managing to shake Tsuru's pursuit.
Ultimately, the Marines secured absolutely nothing of value on Minion Island. The only thing they found was a sickly, unconscious young boy hidden inside a treasure chest.
Meanwhile, sitting safely on their ship, Ginny was carefully examining a small, crumpled piece of paper.
"What's that?" Kuma asked.
"I smoothly pickpocketed it from that guy who was supposed to eat the fruit," Ginny smirked. "Kuma... I think this guy is an undercover Marine spy."
Reading the highly classified, encoded intelligence written on the slip of paper, Ginny rubbed her eyes in sheer disbelief. Suddenly, she felt that compared to the legendary Op-Op Fruit, the intelligence she had just stolen was infinitely more terrifying and valuable.
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