The shouts, the clash of blades, the screams before bodies fell…
Ten seconds. Twenty meters. Half a minute.
Still, no one had broken through on this side.
Rosinante grew increasingly anxious. He took a deep breath, lifted a foot to go in and check—when suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came rushing from the stairwell corner.
"There's another exit here—this way!"
"Faster, hurry!"
The next moment, five or six Marines stumbled out from the corner.
They were all battered, streaked with blood, looking disheveled. When they saw Rosinante standing guard at the doorway, their faces immediately darkened.
"Damn it… even this way is blocked."
The leading Lieutenant Commander gritted his teeth, eyes turning fierce. "The pursuers are right behind us—there's no way back. Everyone, charge together, take this guy down, force a breakout!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines drew their blades in unison, ready to rush him—only to freeze in shock when the man blocking their path, Rosinante, quietly stepped back two paces to the right, leaving the exit wide open.
…Huh?
The Marines blinked, exchanged glances, and looked at Rosinante with suspicion.
"Don't just stare at me—what are you waiting for?" Rosinante sighed. To be cautious, he first opened his Silence field, then pointed toward a secluded alley in the northeast. "I checked earlier—there's a sewer entrance that way. Hurry up and go."
"What kind of game is this?"
The Lieutenant Commander didn't buy it. He gripped his sword tightly and said coldly: "Aren't you one of Donquixote's executive? Why would you be so kind as to help us escape?"
"I was born into the Donquixote Family, that's true. But at the same time, I'm also from Headquarters…"
Rosinante lit a cigarette, his expression cold.
"And in terms of rank, I'm three grades higher than you. So cut the crap—just think of it as following orders. Take your men and go. I'll cover your retreat."
Honestly… you lot from the North Blue First Branch are just dragging me down.
Do you have no idea how terrifying the Donquixote Family's intel network is in the North Blue? And yet you still dared to sneak men here early? If you'd just waited another day or two, once Brother Nao arrived, then—
…Huh?
Rosinante, who had just exhaled a puff of smoke, suddenly froze.
Because he clearly saw.
The Marines he had warned and urged to hurry up not only showed no intention of retreating quickly but were instead huddled together, coldly laughing and whispering to each other.
The leading Marine Lieutenant Commander even pulled out an eavesdropping Den Den Mushi from somewhere. After giving a brief report, he quickly cut the line.
The very next moment—
The sounds of battle in the distance abruptly vanished. The entire street around the hotel fell into a strange, deathly silence.
Thud… thud… thud…
Heavy footsteps echoed from behind. Rosinante's body went rigid. He slowly turned his head.
At the street corner, dozens of meters away, Vergo walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back, face expressionless.
And behind him trailed a crowd of pirates and marines. Even the Rear Admiral Jabe—who should have been locked in a desperate duel with Vergo—was among them.
When Rosinante stared at him in disbelief, "Rear Admiral Jabe" grinned, ripped off his fake beard and wig, and tossed them aside.
Rosinante's heart sank little by little.
Damn it, I walked right into a trap...
"Seems your realization came a bit late, Rosinante."
Vergo halted ten meters away. Behind his sunglasses, his gaze fixed on Rosinante. He sighed softly. "Or perhaps… should we be calling you Marine Headquarters CommanderRosinante? Or is it Captain now?"
He raised his palm. The black eavesdropping Den-Den Mushi yawned lazily, then wriggled into Vergo's sleeve.
Rosinante silently watched it vanish, then lifted his eyes again to meet Vergo's. His expression had already returned to calm.
"Three ranks above a Branch Commander? Of course that makes me a Captain."
He took another drag of his cigarette, exhaled smoke with a faint smile.
"So straightforward and honest?" Vergo's brows lifted slightly. "I thought you'd at least say something, try to explain or argue…"
"You went through the trouble of setting up such an elaborate trap for me, so there's no need for that, right?"
Rosinante flicked the ash from his cigarette, looked at Vergo, and asked,
"I just don't understand. I've always been so careful, I haven't even contacted Headquarters much. Where did you… and when did you see through me?"
"…"
Vergo was silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"That's something you don't need to know."
He snapped his fingers, giving a cold command:
"Tie him up."
The surrounding executives, who had been watching like tigers eyeing their prey, immediately swarmed forward like a pack of wolves. Rosinante instantly drew his sword, resisting with all his might.
However, he was heavily outnumbered. In just a few minutes, he was beaten until his head was bleeding and he was covered in injuries, kneeling weakly on the ground.
His sword slipped from his grip, tumbling into the bushes.
The executive who had disguised himself as Rear Admiral Jabe grabbed a thick rope and bound Rosinante tightly, knot after knot.
Rosinante instinctively tried to struggle, but several brutal kicks rained down on him. One in the stomach made him curl up in agony like a shrimp, groaning from the pain.
"Still not behaving at a time like this?"
Another executive, who had been slightly injured, even vented by slapping him across the face, snarling viciously, "This bastard wanted to infiltrate and get the Young Master killed by the Marine—such a sinful traitor!"
Rosinante's right cheek immediately swelled up visibly.
"Hold back a little. Don't overdo it."
Vergo frowned. "Just keep him tied up. Watch him closely. Take him to the docks."
"Yes, Corazon-san!"
About half an hour later…
The group arrived at the harbor. Gentle waves lapped against the shore. A few seagulls perched on the wooden posts, tilting their heads curiously at the people approaching.
Bathed in twilight, Vergo stood on high ground with his hands clasped behind him, silently watching the blazing clouds roll across the sky.
"At a time like this, shouldn't you be torturing me for information already?"
Forced to kneel, Rosinante raised his head with effort and sneered. "How do you still have the mood to admire sunsets?"
"I'm not looking at the sunset., I'm looking for someone."
Vergo didn't turn around. His voice remained calm.
"You're still Doffy's blood brother. So only he has the right to interrogate you face to face…"
Looking for someone?
What did that mean…?
Before Rosinante could process it, his gaze was drawn to the sky. His face froze.
In the glowing clouds, a figure in a pink feathered coat was gliding effortlessly, drifting as though leisurely—but at incredible speed. With just a few rises and falls, he had crossed the horizon and was now above the island itself.
Is that him?
Rosinante's pupils shrank. He can actually fly through the sky just using his strings? Has that guy's Devil Fruit ability developed to this extent?
"The Young Master is here," one executive said coldly. "Everyone, make some space. The Young Master's mood definitely isn't great right now, don't be foolish and anger him further."
"Hmph, isn't it all because of this traitor? If you ask me, we should just throw him into the sea to feed the fish. That way the Young Master doesn't have to see him and ruin his mood further."
As the crowd whispered among themselves, they all stepped back, leaving a wide open space around Rosinante.
Thud.
Doflamingo landed on the harbor, slowly straightened up, and looked at the kneeling Rosinante.
"It's only been a few days," he said in a deep voice. With half his face hidden behind sunglasses, no emotion could be read. "But it feels as if decades have passed, little Rosinante…"
"Cough, cough…"
Rosinante spat out a mouthful of blood, then lifted his head again with a self-mocking smile. "What a coincidence… I have a similar feeling in this situation…"
Snap!
Suddenly, the ropes binding him snapped apart. His right hand shot like lightning into his coat, pulling out a pistol. With a click, the hammer drew back and the muzzle lifted—aimed straight at Doflamingo.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"
"You got a death wish?!"
"How dare you point a gun at the Young Master?!"
The surrounding executives erupted in fury, raising their weapons and aiming them at Rosinante's head.
"Put them down."
Eh? The executives froze, staring at their Young Master in confusion.
"He can't shoot me." Doflamingo leaned forward slightly, looking down at Rosinante as he spoke calmly. "Am I right, little Rosinante? You and Father are too alike. But I'm no longer the man I was back then. And you… it seems you've never grown at all."
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. Doflamingo's pupils contracted sharply, almost subconsciously tilting his head to dodge.
His reaction was swift enough, but he didn't completely avoid it. The bullet grazed his right ear, scraping the skin, leaving a burning, painful sensation.
"…"
Doflamingo touched the wound on his ear, staring down at Rosinante in stunned silence.
"Don't be so full of yourself, Donquixote Doflamingo!" Rosinante met his gaze, a difficult, grinning smile forcing its way onto his blood-stained face.
"I am now a dignified Marine Headquarters Captain, an outstanding graduate of the Elite Camp, Marine Code 01746! I infiltrated your family for the sole purpose of stopping you, a man who was born to be evil..."
Bang!
The trigger was pulled again. Another bullet burst from the chamber, heading straight for Doflamingo's face.
But just centimeters out of the barrel, an almost invisible string cut through it. The bullet split neatly in two, its force dissipating, and both fragments clattered uselessly to the ground.
"You think that with me on guard, a little toy like that can still hurt me?"
"Attacking your own elder brother repeatedly, you've really grown some nerve, Rosinante!"
Thud!
With a chilling voice, Doflamingo slammed his fist down. The revolver—and Rosinante's hand clutching it—were both smashed deep into the ground.
Rosinante groaned in agony, but still, through trembling, he tried to raise his mangled right hand and fire. Only when he pulled the trigger did he realize—the gun was warped and ruined beyond recognition.
Clang!
Doflamingo slapped the pistol away. With no expression, he seized Rosinante by the throat with one hand, pressing him violently into the ground as cracks spread like a spiderweb around them.
From the index finger of his other hand, pale, glowing threads began to sprout.
"Fufufufufufu, what a twist of fate…" He looked at the helplessly struggling Rosinante and smiled sinisterly:
"Why did you have to come back to me after joining the Marines, Rosinante? Why did you force me to kill my real family twice..."
Force you?
Don't flatter yourself, you demon…
The memory of his father's head being severed amid the raging inferno years ago flickered through his mind like a lantern reel. Rosinante glared at Doflamingo, wishing he had the strength to spit in his face… but his body was far too weak to even do that much.
He could only twitch the corner of his mouth under Doflamingo's gaze, managing another scornful smile.
"You're still smiling…?" Doflamingo was finally provoked beyond restraint. He laughed in rage, raising his left hand high, threads gleaming white around his fingers.
"Fufufufu! That smile makes me sick to my stomach. If you want to die so badly, then I'll grant your wish—take that smile with you to the afterlife, and say hello to Father for me."
Szzz!
At the instant the threads were about to slice Rosinante's throat, dozens of arcs of blue lightning suddenly wrapped around Doflamingo's arm. Sparks crackled between his fingers, locking his entire hand in place.
"Sorry, little brother."
A calm voice came from behind. "Mind stepping aside?"
"After all… that man there is my brother."
Doflamingo froze. His eye twitched as he slowly released Rosinante's throat and turned his upper body, looking toward the man who had appeared without anyone noticing.
A figure over three meters tall stood before him, like a mountain looming.
His impossibly handsome face was expressionless, unreadable. Blue lightning flickered faintly across his body before dissipating, while the white coat of justice on his back snapped in the sea breeze blowing over the harbor.
The entire shoreline fell into utter silence.
Every Donquixote family member—common pirates, enforcers, executives—
Even Vergo, one of the top executives—
All of them stared at the figure standing behind their Young Master, pupils shaking, faces stricken with disbelief, unconsciously stepping back.
"W-wait… I'm not seeing things, am I…?"
"That man…"
"Isn't that…"
At last, a terrified, piercing scream shattered the silence of the harbor:
"Marine Headquarters Admiral Candidate—White Dragon Nao!!!!"