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Three days later, after the official documents from Headquarters were issued, the warship assigned to Atlas departed from the Sabaody Archipelago on schedule, heading for its new post in the New World.
However, unbeknownst to everyone, including Sengoku, Atlas had embarked on a journey to the North Blue, accompanied only by Gildo Tesoro.
High above the clouds, two figures, one tall and one short, flew leisurely through the sky, like gods hidden from the world.
"Vice Admiral, sir, are we going to the North Blue for a mission?"
Tesoro was a bit puzzled. Although Atlas had told him their destination was the North Blue three days ago, he hadn't specified the exact mission.
"Mm... first, we'll find a suitable Devil Fruit for you. Then, I have an important mission to give you."
Atlas explained while using his Observation Haki to search for Vergo's presence.
Tesoro's Gold-Gold Fruit had been obtained at an auction held by Doflamingo, so it was highly likely that it was still in the possession of the Donquixote Family.
Moreover, Doflamingo had dominated the underworld of the North Blue for so many years; even if he didn't have the Gold-Gold Fruit yet, he surely had a collection of other rare Devil Fruits.
This time, he would save Rosinante, and he would obtain the Golden Golden Fruit!
"What? A Devil Fruit....?"
Hearing this, tears welled up in Tesoro's eyes. He never imagined the Vice Admiral would value him so highly. This was a man worth entrusting his life to.
Atlas didn't notice Tesoro's emotional state. He expanded the range of his Observation Haki. It had been three days since Vergo's departure.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Atlas had only feigned preparations to head to the New World.
Although he had secretly inquired about Vergo's general route, he hadn't been too specific to avoid alerting him.
Finding him quickly now would depend on his Observation Haki.
The main problem was that he couldn't remember the name of the island where Rosinante was killed, so his only option was to follow Vergo.
He had considered making a Vivre Card for Vergo. As his superior, it would be perfectly reasonable to find an excuse to spar with him and "accidentally" cut off a finger to get a piece of a fingernail.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. Making the Vivre Card was easy, but to use it to track Vergo, he would have to place a piece of the card on Vergo himself.
For a martial arts expert like Vergo, silently placing a small piece of paper on him without his notice was practically impossible.
North Blue.
Click!
A man in a black feather coat with clown-like makeup on his face casually hung up the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
He then turned, grabbed a small boy with large white patches on his face, and excitedly lifted him over his head, his grin nearly reaching his ears as he shouted.
"There's hope for you to live!!"
"It doesn't matter that we can't find a doctor! As long as we get the Op-Op Fruit, your Amber Lead Syndrome can definitely be cured!"
"Cheer up! Law!"
This man was the undercover Marine in the Donquixote Family, Rosinante, codenamed Corazon!
"The Op-Op Fruit...? What's that?" the little boy called Law asked, puzzled.
The excitement on Rosinante's face did not fade as he explained to the uplifted Law, "It's an ability that can modify the human body! I've heard that with this ability, you can perform miraculous surgeries and cure any disease in the world!"
"How is that possible??" Law was shocked. Could something so close to magic really exist?
"That's right! That's the magic of Devil Fruits! As long as you have enough medical knowledge, you can use its power!"
"It's practically tailor-made for you! If you eat it, your Amber Lead Syndrome can be cured!"
Rosinante was thrilled. He had spent nearly a year taking Law to famous doctors all over the North Blue, but had found no cure for his Amber Lead Syndrome.
He never expected that Doflamingo would be the one to bring him a glimmer of hope today.
"But..." Law paused, then glanced hesitantly at the Den Den Mushi. "Didn't Doflamingo say that you were supposed to eat it, Mr. Corazon?"
"You idiot, a person can only eat one Devil Fruit. Doffy doesn't know that I'm already a Devil Fruit user. Besides, we can't go back to the family anymore."
"With how smart Doffy is, he's probably already starting to suspect that I've betrayed them."
Seeing Law's confused face, Rosinante continued, "Actually, there's another meaning behind Doffy wanting me to eat the Op-Op Fruit... heh."
Rosinante didn't say any more. Under Law's puzzled gaze, he lit a cigarette for himself and added with a self-deprecating thought, Doffy probably wants me, the little brother who has always been obedient to you, to help you obtain eternal life, right?
Yes, Rosinante also knew the ultimate secret of the Op-Op Fruit: the ability to perform the Perennial Youth Operation on someone! But the price was the user's own life!
Suddenly, Rosinante half-knelt, his free hands gripping Law's shoulders tightly.
With the cigarette dangling from his lips, he said excitedly, "Listen up! Law, we have to strike first! We'll snatch the Op-Op Fruit and have you eat it!"
"Get ready to set sail again. We must get our hands on this Devil Fruit! Then we'll go into hiding and cure your Amber Lead Syndrome."
But what troubled him most now was that Doflamingo hadn't told him the location of the trade. It was clear that Doflamingo was already wary of him.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Rosinante's mind.
For a Devil Fruit of such crucial importance, the World Government's intelligence agencies would surely know about it and try to intervene.
In that case, the Marines must also see the time and place of the trade.
I'm sorry... A flash of apology appeared on Rosinante's face. He then resolutely pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialled a number he knew by heart.
Purupurupuru~ Purupurupuru~
"Moshi moshi, Little Senbei, it's me." The call connected, and a deep, dignified voice belonging to a middle-aged man came from the Den Den Mushi.
"Big Senbei, is it convenient to talk now?" Rosinante whispered, covering his mouth.
"Yes, go ahead."
"I want to know the intelligence on the Op-Op Fruit trade..."
"Pfft! How do you know about that? That's top secret!"
Sengoku was so startled he almost spat out the hot tea in his mouth. Only he and Tsuru knew about this matter in the entire Marine organization!
"I want to know the whereabouts of the pirates who have the Op-Op Fruit."
"I can't do that. Those damn pirates won't reveal their location so easily before the trade..." Sengoku was also helpless.
As a Marine, how could he wait for the trade to happen? Wiping them out beforehand was the most prudent course of action.
"What if I told you... that Doflamingo plans to take the Op-Op Fruit forcibly?"
Rosinante knew very well that he and Law alone could not possibly snatch the Op-Op Fruit from Doflamingo.
Only by bringing in the Marines and throwing the situation into chaos would he have a chance to fish in troubled waters and obtain the fruit.
"Is what you're saying true...!!?" Sengoku was surprised. If this intelligence was real... then the Marines might end up with nothing.
"Where is the location of their trade?" Rosinante pressed.
"Three weeks from now, the trade will take place on Rubeck Island in the North Blue."
"Doflamingo has ordered me to rendezvous at Swallow Island on the evening of the third day before the trade. The entire Donquixote Family will be there..."
"I understand..." Sengoku replied. Rosinante had made himself very clear. That would be the day the Donquixote Family met its end.
"Swallow Island. We Marines will set up an ambush there in advance. Doflamingo's journey ends here. You stay away from that island and ensure your own safety!"
Sengoku's face darkened, but he clearly understood that he had to change his deployment.
"I already have evidence of Doflamingo's dealings with those big shots. I will hand it all over to you later. Then we can expose the dark side of the North Blue to the world!"
Rosinante said, but in his heart, he was full of apology for Sengoku. He had gotten what he wanted, so he could only say sorry to the Marines.
Who is Mr. Corazon contacting with that Den Den Mushi...! The young Law stared blankly at Rosinante, who was talking to himself. A terrible guess surfaced in his mind.
Could it be that Mr. Corazon is... a Marine! At this thought, Trafalgar Law's vision suddenly went dark.
His body began to twitch uncontrollably, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Hey! Law, what's wrong with you?" Rosinante, who had been keeping an eye on Law, quickly noticed his condition.
Before Sengoku could say anything, he hastily hung up the phone, picked up the collapsed Law, and anxiously checked on him.
"Hey! Wake up! We've finally found hope, you can't fall here!" Rosinante was sweating with anxiety.
He remembered that it hadn't been three years yet; Law couldn't be at his limit so soon!
Suddenly, Law struggled to sit up, gripping Rosinante's broad hand tightly, his eyes looking earnestly at this man who, though no relation to him, had exhausted himself for his sake.
"The World Government knew that Amber Lead was poisonous, but they let us be for the sake of huge profits, and they even spread rumours that Amber Lead Syndrome was contagious..."
"So, the ones who murdered my family and the people of the White Town are the World Government!!"
"If you, Mr. Corazon, are an accomplice of the World Government—a Marine—please, you must tell me the truth..."
Corazon's face contorted as he desperately tried to deny it. "Don't be ridiculous! I'm not a Marine!"
"...That's good..." Hearing this, Law forced a smile onto his face, which was now twisted with pain.
Rosinante sighed in his heart.
If... we steal the Op-Op Fruit, not only will we have a falling out with Doflamingo, but the Marines and the World Government will probably not give up on hunting us down either.
Knowing the true value of the Op-Op Fruit, he was well aware of the stakes.
....
Time passed quickly. On the third day before the Op-Op Fruit trade...
Minion Island, a ghost town, is a small island to the east of Rubeck Island.
This was the temporary base of the Barrel Pirates. They were preparing for the trade in three days, and their captain, Diez Barrels, was shouting at his crew.
"Hey! Kid! Bring me a barrel of sake!" Barrels, a man with a butt-like chin, yelled at a skinny boy.
"Right away!" the boy quickly replied, as if a moment's delay would result in a vicious beating.
"Heheh! Do you know how much a single fruit like this can sell for?" With the sake on its way, Barrels took out the Op-Op Fruit to show off to his crew.
"The World Government people are insane! For something like this, they're willing to pay a sky-high price of 5 billion!"
"Woooah! If we had that much money, why would we still be pirates?"
"Hahaha! Exactly! Exactly..." The surrounding crew members also roared with excitement.
"You're all thinking too simply... If a doctor ate this, they would undoubtedly become one of the most famous doctors in the world! In history, doctors who have eaten it have performed 'miracle surgeries,' curing many incurable diseases."
"This is a legendary fruit, an irresistible temptation for any doctor. However..."
"That has nothing to do with us. Money is much more practical! Hahaha!"
Barrels held up the Op-Op Fruit and examined it closely. It was a red, heart-shaped fruit with the same spiral patterns as other Devil Fruits.
It was hard to imagine that this little thing was worth 5 billion Beri. Even the Pirate King Gol D. Roger's bounty was only 5,564,800,000 Beri!
However, Barrels clearly had a very limited understanding of the Op-Op Fruit's abilities and was completely unaware of its true value.
But this was also because the World Government had done a perfect job of concealing the fruit's true purpose!
The Barrels Pirates were still naively dreaming of their 5 billion Beri fortune, completely unaware that more than one faction had their eyes on them.
Neither Doflamingo nor the World Government had any intention of letting the Barrels Pirates complete the trade safely.
And unbeknownst to all three parties, Rosinante, carrying Law, had already quietly approached the Barrels Pirates' location.
At this moment, Minion Island had become the centre of a swirling vortex of undercurrents, and the Barrels Pirates were undoubtedly the lambs waiting to be slaughtered...
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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