Chapter 64 – Trafalgar Law
Rosinante let out a long breath of relief as he peeked over the low wall and spotted the small figure lying weakly on the ground. The boy's chest was rising and falling—barely, but enough. He was still alive.
That was all that mattered.
As long as Law was still breathing, Rosinante believed—no, he knew—that once the boy ate the Ope Ope no Mi, he could survive the Amber Lead Syndrome that had been slowly killing him from the inside.
"Law… hey, Law, wake up. Don't sleep on me now..." Rosinante crouched down and gently shook the boy's shoulders, his voice rough, but filled with tenderness.
The gentle shaking stirred Law's fading consciousness. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open.
And the first thing he saw… was the face he trusted most in this world.
"Corazon... am I going to die?" Law asked, his voice barely audible.
Rosinante didn't answer.
Instead, he quickly shook his head and pulled a heart-shaped red fruit from his coat—the Ope Ope no Mi—and without hesitation, pushed it into Law's mouth.
"Ugh…"
The taste was vile.
A bitter, rancid flavor exploded across Law's tongue like something that had been rotting for decades. It was so revolting he nearly threw it up.
But the moment he swallowed it, something stirred inside him.
An unseen power began to awaken deep within his body.
Standing to the side, Tachibana Kyūjō remained quiet, his eyes calm but sharp, focusing all his senses on the process unfolding before him.
Ten minutes passed.
Kyūjō's eyes were dry and stinging from not blinking. Finally, he sighed and rubbed them, giving up.
"…Is it because the power level is too high?"
Just what was the power of a Devil Fruit, really?
A system? A law of nature? Or was it truly the power of an actual demon?
One thing was certain—he couldn't sense anything. He saw no flow of energy, no aura, nothing.
He shook his head slowly, brushing away those thoughts.
"Well... if I can't understand it, I guess I'll just stop trying."
Besides, he never planned to eat a Devil Fruit anyway.
Even if he gained incredible powers in this world, once he moved on to the next, only his memories and soul would remain. The power wouldn't follow.
That had already happened twice before… and it likely would again.
— — —
A little while later, Law was able to stand on his own.
Seeing that, Rosinante exhaled deeply, relieved. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his coat, took one, lit it, and drew in a long breath before exhaling into the cold night air.
Then he turned toward the boy.
"So, Law... how do you feel?"
But Law didn't answer.
He was stunned—completely speechless—as he stared at his hands in disbelief and quiet joy.
And then—
His expression changed.
Suddenly alert, Law's eyes locked onto someone standing not far away.
A tall man, dressed in a high-ranking Marine officer's uniform.
The Justice kanji flapped boldly on the back of his coat.
Law's face went pale.
"Corazon! There's a Marine! Right behind you!" he shouted, panicked. "He's a high-ranking officer! We need to run—!"
But Kyūjō didn't even flinch.
He just took out a cigarette of his own and lit it, calmly smoking in silence.
He had no interest in clearing up the misunderstanding. That wasn't his job. Let Rosinante explain it.
Kyūjō had come here for two reasons, and two reasons only:
First, to eliminate Virgo—Doflamingo's spy inside the Marines.
Second, to capture Doflamingo himself.
Whether Rosinante and Law chose to join his G-11 base or not, that was entirely up to them. He wasn't here to force anyone into his command.
Rosinante glanced over at Kyūjō, a bit surprised. "I thought you didn't smoke."
Then he turned to Law.
"Calm down, Law."
"…I'm a Marine too."
He said it plainly, without flinching.
And then he told Law everything.
The years he'd spent undercover. His complicated past with Doflamingo. His strange place between the Marines and the underworld. His real identity.
While trying to ease Law's hatred toward the World Government, he also wanted the boy to see the humanity within those who wore the Marine uniform.
But mid-sentence, Kyūjō stepped forward.
"Rosinante-san," he said firmly, "if you want Law to live, bring him to my G-11 base in the Grand Line. And don't tell anyone about this—aside from Uncle Sengoku."
"You already know the legends about the Ope Ope no Mi, right?"
"If the World Government finds out... not even the Marines can protect him. It's your call, but I'd say that's good advice."
"As for Doflamingo's crew... they're already on this island. I'll take care of them myself."
With that, Kyūjō plucked the cigarette from his lips and flicked it into the snow. Then he gripped the hilt of his sword, Rairyūken, and turned to leave.
— — —
"Kyūjō, wait!" Rosinante called out, rushing over.
He reached into his cloak and pulled out a bundle of documents.
Official records. Secret files. Evidence.
Everything he'd gathered on Doflamingo's crimes—including his plans for the Kingdom of Dressrosa.
"This… this is enough to get him locked away in Impel Down for life," Rosinante said, handing the files over.
"Kyūjō, please—if possible, don't kill him. I'm begging you."
He bowed deeply.
Even after everything, Rosinante still couldn't bring himself to wish death upon his brother—the man who had murdered their father in cold blood.
Kyūjō accepted the documents silently, then nodded.
"I understand, Rosinante-san. I never planned on killing him anyway. As long as Doflamingo doesn't come looking for death, I won't give it to him."
Relief washed over Rosinante's face.
As Sengoku's adopted son and a Commander in the Marines, he knew exactly how strong and principled Kyūjō was.
Vice Admiral Seiryu, the future Admiral candidate.
If Doflamingo somehow managed to survive a fight with this man, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
With a final nod to both Rosinante and Law, Kyūjō turned and strode off—heading first for his nearest target:
Virgo.
— — —
Virgo, one of the original top executives of the Donquixote Family, had infiltrated the Marines long ago.
His role as a spy allowed Rosinante to take his place as "Corazon."
Currently, Virgo was still posing as a regular Marine officer. But in truth, he was as strong as a Vice Admiral—and an absolute master of Busoshoku Haki.
His entire body could be coated in Armament Haki, rendering him nearly immune to physical attacks and vastly enhancing both strength and speed.
Unfortunately...
While Virgo possessed a powerful body and massive reserves of Haki—his actual combat technique?
Wasn't anything special.
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