Over the next few days, Ortoren and Gion stayed at Marine Headquarters, meeting several times with Kuzan and the others. When New Year's Eve arrived, they joined the rest of headquarters in celebration, welcoming the dawn of the year 1504.
On the morning of the first day of the new year, Ortoren and Gion didn't linger. They soon departed for the Sabaody Archipelago to meet with the coating craftsman Old Ray and the information broker Madam Shakky.
At the very moment Ortoren boarded the ship bound for Sabaody, a major event was unfolding in the North Blue—the Flevance Uprising and the nation's complete destruction.
After years of turmoil, Flevance, once the wealthiest country in the North Blue, had finally fallen to the Amber Lead Disease. In the two years following the flight of its ruling class, the nation had been consumed by chaos.
The World Government had abandoned all rescue efforts, while the three neighboring countries sealed off the borders, leaving the people of Flevance utterly forsaken. With no internal order and no external aid, the citizens were like beasts trapped in a cage, tearing each other apart in a desperate struggle for survival.
It was nothing more than the last spasms of a dying land.
At the start of the Sea Circle Calendar year 1504, on the second day of the new year, the World Government officially announced to the world: Flevance, the former jewel of the North Blue, had perished.
Following the declaration, the surrounding nations, hoping to avoid further unrest, began armed suppression throughout Flevance. Waves of Amber Lead sufferers were systematically purged and erased.
Meanwhile, deep within the North Blue, one of Flevance's Amber Lead mines stood in stark contrast to the outside chaos. Here, strict order prevailed under the heavy guard of armed soldiers. This mine was one of the Amber Lead sources now under the full control of the Donquixote family.
Inside the mine, more than six thousand pirate slaves toiled relentlessly in the dim tunnels, digging out the precious ore buried deep within the mountain.
Donquixote overseers, masked against the poison, cracked their whips over any worker who dared slow down. But even more terrifying than the overseers were the zombie miners.
The zombies worked more efficiently than the living slaves—they needed neither food nor rest, endlessly digging day and night.
The pirate slaves were horrified by these "companions," many of whom had once been their fellow laborers. When a slave collapsed from exhaustion and died, the body would be dismembered, useful organs harvested by the Donquixote family, and the corpse reanimated—its movements driven by the stolen shadow of another living slave.
Every slave in the mine now existed without a shadow. If they dared to step outside into daylight, they would die instantly.
Escape was impossible.
Crushed beneath endless exploitation, they could only endure, suffering in silence while giving the last remnants of their lives to "the cause of justice," their final light fading in the darkness.
Inside, the mine was a vision of hell—an abyss of blood and suffering. Yet outside, at the mining base, everything moved with cold precision. Members of the Donquixote family sorted and crated the extracted Amber Lead ore, transporting it to the port where it was loaded onto the family's ships and sent to the New World for storage.
On this day, Donquixote Doflamingo, having recently arrived from Dressrosa in the New World, was personally inspecting the Flevance operations alongside Moria.
Watching the crates of Amber Lead being loaded into the warehouse, Doflamingo's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Hehehehehe... these days, the price of Amber Lead has reached its highest point in history. A single crate of this stuff is worth nearly half its weight in gold."
Moria's eyes gleamed with excitement as he grinned wickedly. "I heard from Mr. Tesoro over at G-5 that we'll be releasing a controlled amount of Amber Lead into the market this year. Just this batch alone—excluding all expenses—could bring in a net profit close to one trillion berries..."
"Exactly. Which means that this year, the two of us should each make at least a hundred billion berries from Flevance," Doflamingo said with a booming laugh.
At those words, Moria's eyes burned with greed. With that kind of money, he could rebuild his pirate crew—or even form a full-fledged grand fleet.
Not long ago, he had been in contact with Ortoren. Ortoren had told him he was planning to take down Ochoku on Hachinosu this year. Chances were high that Ochoku would be wiped out, and when that happened, Hachinosu would be handed over to Moria.
That island would become his stronghold. Moria was already envisioning how he'd expand and fortify it.
Then his thoughts turned to Kaidou—that damned bastard. The very name made him grind his teeth. Once he had Hachinosu under control, he would issue a red bounty for Kaidou through the underworld.
Right now, Marine Headquarters had Kaidou of the Beasts listed at over two billion berries. Moria scoffed. Two billion? That's nothing. Once I'm sitting on my throne in Hachinosu, I'll test the waters by putting a two hundred billion berry price on your head, Kaidou.
If that's not enough, I'll raise it by fifty billion every year.
Sooner or later, someone will deliver your damned head to Hachinosu!
As Moria indulged in his fantasies, one of the Donquixote Family's top officers, Senor, approached from a distance. Stopping beside Doflamingo, he said, "Young Master, two brats showed up outside the mine gates asking to see you. I think they're... interesting."
"Interesting," of course, meant that Senor hadn't ordered the guards to shoot them on sight.
After all, this mine was one of Doflamingo's key revenue sources, guarded with extreme security. Two random kids getting close was impossible—unless someone allowed it.
"Hm?" Doflamingo cast Senor a surprised look, then nodded slightly. "Promising material, maybe? Seems we've stumbled upon an unexpected bonus..."
The Donquixote Family had a long-standing habit of taking in orphans from all over the world. So Doflamingo wasn't particularly shocked—he just hadn't expected to find children here that even Senor found intriguing.
After exchanging a few words with Moria, Doflamingo left with Senor and headed toward the base entrance.
Before long, he spotted two children surrounded by armed family members. They were young—a boy and a girl who looked like siblings. The boy appeared to be around eight or nine years old, while the girl, no older than five or six, cowered behind him in fear.
Both had pale, blotched skin—the unmistakable sign of Amber Lead Syndrome.
The boy gripped a few small bombs he must have scavenged from somewhere, his face expressionless as he stood off against the armed guards.
Doflamingo watched, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Interesting..."
That kind of composure and courage already surpassed most children. The coldness in the boy's eyes—the madness and hatred burning beneath the surface—was something Doflamingo knew far too well.
"Remind you of someone?" Senor asked quietly, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Doflamingo understood instantly. He gave a small nod. "Too much... He's just like me back then. I was the same—roaming the island with Rosinante, fighting those bastards for scraps."
With that, Doflamingo stepped through the ring of guards, utterly unconcerned about the boy's bombs. He walked forward with his usual sinister confidence until he stood before the two children.
He glanced first at the frail little girl, then focused on the boy. A faint, eager smile tugged at his lips. "Kid, state your name."
"Trafalgar... Law." The boy holding the bomb looked up at Doflamingo, his voice firm and unwavering.
"Law, huh?" Doflamingo nodded approvingly. "And what are you here for?"
"I've got Amber Lead Syndrome. I don't have much time left. I heard you're the most evil and ruthless man in the North Blue. That's why I want to join the Donquixote Family. Before I die, I want to make others feel my despair and pain. I want to make this world suffer!!!" Trafalgar Law's voice was sharp with rage and defiance.
"Fufufufufufu... fufufufu..." Doflamingo burst into laughter, unable to contain it. Yet as he laughed, his gaze toward Trafalgar Law grew even more satisfied.
Meanwhile, at a nearby building window, Donquixote Rosinante stood silently, a cigarette between his lips, watching the scene unfold below.
Their eyes met for an instant.
After a long pause, Rosinante tapped the ash from his cigarette, a flicker of resolve glinting in his eyes.