Fear.
An indescribable terror instantly caused cold sweat to stream down the backs of both Rosinante and Drake.
How could this be!
How could such a thing happen?
What exactly did this monster, Baloric Redfield, do?
Was it mind-reading?
Even if it was mind-reading, in that very instant, he hadn't been thinking about Sengoku at all!
Rosinante couldn't understand it.
But he knew they were finished.
He and Drake were completely finished.
More crucially, this entire operation was a failure.
The whereabouts of Roa and his crew would remain unknown indefinitely.
"Fufufufu! Truly incredible, Mr. Redfield!"
Doflamingo clapped his hands and laughed. "Innate Observation Haki is indeed more powerful than that which is cultivated later!"
"The ability to read another's memory in an instant—even the Boss is completely incapable of such a feat!"
Like Armament Haki, after over a year of practice, the Boss had also cultivated his Observation Haki to an incomprehensible degree.
However, strength is strength, and mechanism is mechanism.
Even the great Boss could not casually read the deep-seated memories of others the way Redfield just did.
"Just specialization, that's all."
Redfield smiled and shook his head.
Who else in this world could compete with Roa in Observation Haki?
Even that Imu would probably struggle.
"So, Mr. Redfield,"
Doflamingo glanced at the pale, ash-faced Rosinante and asked with interest, "What did the Marine Fleet Admiral send my good little brother here for?"
"Speaking of which, it's really quite amusing,"
Redfield said with a smile, "You wouldn't have guessed it, but after wandering the North Blue for a few years, this kid was actually adopted by Sengoku!"
"He became Sengoku's adopted son, and naturally, he became a Marine!"
"This time, he intended to use this opportunity to infiltrate our ranks, and then, through his relationship with you, successfully obtain our exact whereabouts for the World Government."
"Fufufufu! Sengoku's adopted son?"
Doflamingo's smile instantly broadened. "Such a thing actually happened?"
"I was picked up by the Boss, and this kid was picked up by Sengoku. Is this some kind of strange destiny opposition?"
"It's because you, inherently evil, chose the wicked Roa!"
Rosinante's voice was hoarse, but still resolute. "And I chose justice!"
"Justice?"
Doflamingo paused slightly, then, "Fufufufu! Listen to that: Justice! What a grand and lofty word!"
"What true justice is cannot be found even at the end of the world! Because this world has always been very simple: only the victor is the true definition of justice!"
"Imu won eight hundred years ago, so the World Government and the Marines became synonymous with justice! And now, the Boss will undoubtedly conquer the entire world. So, Rosinante, tell me, who will be the true justice next!"
Redfield merely smiled.
After learning the truth of the world and the essence of the World Government, the Marines' so-called justice was truly laughable.
"Stop dreaming, Doflamingo!"
Rosinante spoke righteously. "You, who have caused countless people to suffer sleepless nights, countless families to be broken, and countless nations to fall into hell, dare to speak of justice!"
"You won't be arrogant for long! Evil can never conquer justice! People may submit to you out of fear, but the rage in their hearts will never be extinguished!"
"One day, this rage will turn into fire and burn you all to ashes!"
Doflamingo and Redfield paused simultaneously.
Then.
"Fufufufu!"
Doflamingo burst into loud laughter, bending over with mirth, tears even glistening behind his sunglasses. "Did you hear that, Mr. Redfield? This kid says evil can never conquer justice!"
The usually aloof Redfield couldn't help but let his lips curl up, his smile full of amusement. "What a cute young man."
"Justice? Evil!"
Doflamingo laughed as he squatted down and patted his brother's shoulder. "Victory or defeat, what does it have to do with justice or evil?"
"Power, Rosinante, my foolish little brother, only power brings victory!"
"Say what you want."
Rosinante gritted his teeth. "At this point, I have nothing left to say. Kill me!"
"Kill you?"
Doflamingo patted Rosinante's face again. "My apologies, Rosinante, but that's not possible."
"Before I came, the Boss already said that if you were indeed playing an 'Infernal Affairs' type of spy game, then we should play a counter-'Infernal Affairs' on the World Government."
"Isn't that amazing? The Boss always knows everything!"
Rosinante's eyes widened.
What did he mean?
Did this mean that Roa had already guessed their intention before Doflamingo even arrived?
But how was that possible?
While there were indeed pirate spies within the Marines, this operation was only known to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, himself, and Drake!
Even if Fleet Admiral Sengoku reported to a superior, that superior should only be the Five Elders!
How did the intelligence leak?
"Not only will you not die, but you will live well,"
Doflamingo said with a smile. "My foolish brother, perhaps in the end, we will have to rely on you."
"..."
Rosinante's face turned even paler.
No, he had to die!
He must die!
He struggled, trying to bite off his tongue.
But the highest-purity Sea Stone shackles deprived him of even that strength. Biting his tongue felt like biting a rubber band; he could feel some pain, but he couldn't inflict any real injury.
"Fufufufu!"
Doflamingo grabbed Rosinante's hair and yanked his foolish little brother up. "No one can refuse the Boss. If he doesn't want you to die, you must live."
"In any case, please take care of me from now on, Rosinante."
Shortly after, in the sky above a certain section of the Red Line.
Inside the palace of the slowly advancing Calamity City.
"Oh? Sengoku's adopted son?"
Roa was leisurely having Hancock trim his nails.
This was a job not just anyone could do.
He couldn't help it; his body's strength was too high.
Even cutting his hair required advanced Haki to be imbued into the scissors.
And his fingernails were even harder for an ordinary person to deal with.
Even Hancock had to imbue both colors of Haki simultaneously onto the nail clippers.
This made the woman grit her teeth.
This bastard's power completely subverted her imagination.
To reach this level of bodily strength without using abilities or Haki.
Hancock truly struggled to imagine what kind of person could defeat a monster like Roa!
"That's right,"
Redfield's calm voice came from the phone. "They originally planned to infiltrate the Calamity Corporation and use Doflamingo's relationship to confirm our whereabouts."
"But Roa, how did you know about this?"
"Don't underestimate my intelligence network."
Roa just smiled. "But that's not important. So, did we get the information we wanted?"
"I'm afraid not."
Redfield's voice held a hint of disappointment. "He only knows that the World Government is probably hiding aboard a floating ship, similar to ours—likely that legendary Ancient Weapon."
"But as for the specific location where they are hiding, they don't know. Sengoku didn't reveal it to them."
"I see. That's a real shame."
Roa sighed.
He had already searched half of the Red Line but still found no trace of the World Government.
Damn you, Imu!
You're copying me!
You old fossil who's lived for hundreds of years, how dare you copy the tactics of a spirited youth like me?
"However, I found something in Rosinante's memory: Sengoku is practically raising the guy as his son. Should we try to use him to threaten Sengoku?"
"Impossible,"
Roa said directly. "How could Sengoku yield so easily?"
While the 'Version T0' tactic was effective, it depended on who and when you used it.
How could Sengoku reveal the World Government's location just for his adopted son?
"It's fine,"
Roa said casually. "Once I turn them into Changui [servants of the tiger], everything will be fine."
Sengoku wants to play a spy game?
Then let's see if he'll be wary enough to suspect the child he raised himself!
"Understood."
Redfield on the other end of the line responded. "We'll bring them back immediately then."
"Mm."
Roa nodded softly and hung up the call.
"Sigh, it's really annoying,"
Roa raised a hand and gently hooked Hancock's chin, like one would pet a cat. "Wouldn't it have been better to just stay honestly in Mariejois and wait for me to arrive? Now everyone's in an awkward situation."
"Hmph."
Hancock responded only with a cold laugh.
Just then.
"Buru-buru-buru."
The Transponder Snail in Roa's hand rang again.
"Hm?"
Roa raised his hand in surprise and answered the call.
Could something have happened with Rosinante?
Even if the Marines sent an Admiral, they couldn't possibly snatch Rosinante away from Doflamingo and Redfield, could they?
"Boss!"
It wasn't Doflamingo or Redfield. The phone transmitted the incredibly excited voice of Morgans.
"You asked me to look for the whereabouts of the remnants of the Roger Pirates, right? Hahaha! I've got a lead!!"
"Oh?"
Roa's eyes instantly brightened.
Hancock, who had been expressionless, trembled and suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with panic.
No way?
Were Robin and the others so careless that they were discovered?
"What happened?"
Roa quickly asked.
"Hahahaha! It's absolutely hilarious when you hear it!"
Morgans hastily said, "That woman delivered herself right to our doorstep!"
That woman!
Hancock's eyes widened. Could it be—
"That woman?"
Roa's lips curled up. "Are you talking about Robin?"
"That's right! Boss! The former captain of the Kuja Pirates, Roger's daughter, whose real name should be Gol D. Robin!"
Morgans suppressed a laugh. "She ran to the North Blue to discuss cooperation with the Revolutionary Army!"
Roa froze, then,
"Hahahaha! Such a thing actually happened!"
That was indeed hilarious!
So that was it. The remnants of the Roger Pirates wanted to gather more strength, so they set their sights on the Revolutionary Army, which had been persistently resisting for over a year!
But Robin probably never dreamed that this Revolutionary Army was not that Revolutionary Army.
Rewind to a short time earlier.
A certain island in the North Blue.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Artillery fire roared, and the earth shook.
Ironclad tanks rumbled continuously from the coast, advancing with an overwhelming momentum toward the already dilapidated town on the island.
At the edge of the city, behind makeshift barricades, thin, pale people held weapons and fought back bravely.
"Fight!! My comrades! Fight!"
On the roof of a house, a man waved the flag of the Revolutionary Army, shouting hoarsely, "For our nation, for our families, for everything we hold dear!!"
"Fight to the end against these devils!!"
However, courage and willpower cannot always change the tide of battle.
Under the overwhelming firepower, the rising populace was rapidly retreating. Smoke and death already enveloped the area.
By the coast, pirate ships were constantly firing.
On the deck of one large ship, a pirate captain sneered, "Reckless fools! You want to occupy this country or whatever, fine by me, but dare to refuse to pay taxes, and you're dead!"
"The Revolutionary Army? Just a bunch of idiots who don't know their place!"
"They are not idiots!"
A cold voice came from behind.
"What?"
The pirate captain turned his head in surprise.
The next moment, a delicate foot, encased in a high heel, kicked him in the face, instantly sending the man shooting up into the sky like a meteor.
A woman, completely wrapped in a dark green cloak and wearing a hooded sun hat, stood on the bow of the pirate ship.
She gazed at the chaotic battlefield ahead. "True courage is knowing the impossibility of success, yet still forging ahead for the sake of one's beliefs!"
"The Revolutionary Army, they are truly admirable people!"
Because they had no other choice.
For the people living in this sea, there were only two options: chronic slow death, or gathering courage and fighting back.
Oh, there was a third choice: becoming a pirate and sailing out to sea.
The woman took a deep breath.
She felt she had come to the right place.
Then.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The pirate ships along the coast exploded one by one. The plumes of explosive fire caused both the fiercely resisting populace on the island and the recklessly advancing pirates to pause in surprise.
Then, a black shadow streaked into the battlefield from behind, like a bolt of lightning, instantly piercing the entire pirate battle line.
Whether they were heavily armed pirates, surprisingly strong Fish-Men, or heavy steel tanks, nothing was a match for her. In an instant, a path was carved open.
No one could even clearly see what the black shadow was before the pirates were routed, fleeing in panic.
The populace, who had been prepared to fight to the last man, now gazed at the wildly escaping pirates, sinking into deep confusion.
What on earth was that—
The man waving the Revolutionary Army flag on the rooftop was equally stunned because he saw the black shadow land in front of him.
"I've come to discuss cooperation, soldier of the Revolutionary Army. Please connect me with your superior!"
The Revolutionary Army soldier paused, then immediately nodded.
"Understood!"
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi