Doflamingo brought Trafalgar Law into the Donquixote Family, taking his sister Lami in as well. In the lounge, he listened to a report from one of the family's physicians.
"Trafalgar Law's condition isn't good. His Amber Lead Syndrome has already begun to flare up. He's eight this year and has around five years left. His sister's situation is slightly worse, but she should also have roughly five years..." After completing the examination, the doctor reported.
Doflamingo swirled the wine in his glass. A trace of regret flickered behind his sunglasses, but he soon asked, "Even though many doctors have confirmed it, I still want to hear it again. There really is no cure?"
The doctor shook his head. "With standard medical treatment, there's no hope. Amber Lead Syndrome isn't a natural illness. Theoretically, it's an extremely rare, hereditary form of deep metal poisoning..."
Doflamingo had never paid much attention to Amber Lead Syndrome before, knowing only that it couldn't be cured. He had never understood why. Now that he cared about Trafalgar Law, he had questions.
"Explain."
"Based on current research, when Amber Lead is mined—at the moment the ore, sealed within the rock, is exposed to air—it releases a faint metallic toxin. Small-scale exposure is almost harmless and nearly impossible to detect. But Flevance has been mining Amber Lead for over two hundred years. That's why almost the entire population of Flevance suffers from Amber Lead Syndrome...
"Normally, when metal toxins enter the body, as long as the dose is low, they don't cause major harm and are slowly expelled through metabolism. But Amber Lead is different. Its metallic toxins fuse with the human body in an astonishing way, becoming deeply embedded and passed down genetically. Over generations, the accumulation has reached the point where Amber Lead Syndrome is impossible to reverse. The difficulty in treating it lies in how deeply it binds to the patient. Conventional medicine can't 'expel' the metal toxins at all. And without removal, the Amber Lead keeps damaging the organs until they fail. That's when the patient dies." The doctor finished his explanation.
"So you're saying that if some kind of unconventional method existed, Amber Lead Syndrome might be treatable?" Doflamingo asked after thinking it over.
"In theory, yes. If we had medical instruments with extremely high precision, we could gradually remove the microscopic Amber Lead particles attached to each organ through interventional procedures. That would cure the condition. But this approach clearly can't be applied on a large scale, and I've never heard of any such equipment being developed..." the doctor replied.
After Doflamingo nodded, he continued, "There's another possibility: a special Devil Fruit. Devil Fruit abilities can perform miracles, and Medical-type fruits are especially varied. If the right fruit power were used, it might do the job. That's what I meant by 'in theory.' In theory, Amber Lead Syndrome has a solution—intervene within the patient's body through some means and help expel the Amber Lead. Then they'd recover."
Doflamingo nodded. "I understand... You may go."
He didn't demand that his own doctors cure Trafalgar Law. The physician had been clear: right now, there was no effective method. Unless they had advanced, specialized equipment to assist the treatment, or a Devil Fruit ability capable of intervening appeared, Amber Lead Syndrome had no cure.
After the doctor left, Doflamingo leaned back on the sofa, thinking quietly... High-precision instruments weren't impossible. The Marines had the legendary greatest scientist, Dr. Vegapunk. With Vegapunk's abilities, he might be able to develop equipment that could treat Amber Lead Syndrome.
If he sought help from Ortoren, then with Ortoren's connections and influence, it might be possible to gain Dr. Vegapunk's support.
In this regard, Doflamingo was actually quite correct. While Dr. Vegapunk was a great scientist, his research in biological science was exceptionally thorough—otherwise, he would never have developed the Lineage Factor.
In the original story, even the so-called "incurable" Sapphire Scales disease was cured by Dr. Vegapunk, proving his capability in this field.
Beyond seeking Ortoren's assistance, Doflamingo was also considering a solution involving Devil Fruits. According to legend, the "Ope Ope no Mi," said to cure all illnesses, should be capable of handling this as well.
Doflamingo had always been interested in the Ope Ope no Mi. For years, the Donquixote Family had been dealing in Devil Fruit trades within the underworld. This business carried a special responsibility: acquiring exceptional Devil Fruits for the family.
Only those abilities Doflamingo deemed worthless ever entered the market. Any outstanding Devil Fruit was kept within the family.
Take that so-called Logia-type Yuki Yuki no Mi, for example.
The Surgery Fruit was one of Doflamingo's top targets. As a Celestial Dragon of the highest Yellow Flag class from Mary Geoise, Doflamingo knew many secrets unknown to ordinary people. One such secret was that the Surgery Fruit might contain the power of immortality.
He had only heard rumors and had never seen concrete proof, but that did nothing to diminish his anticipation.
If he could obtain the Ope Ope no Mi, Trafalgar Law's Amber Lead Syndrome could likely be resolved with ease. By granting such a favor—and by raising and training Law from childhood—Doflamingo believed he could secure Trafalgar Law's loyalty.
Once Trafalgar Law grew strong enough to awaken the Ope Ope no Mi's ability, Doflamingo was confident he could make Law willingly offer him immortality.
A perfect two-for-one result.
"First, make every effort to locate the Ope Ope no Mi and use it to treat that brat Roronoa. That benefits me the most. If things don't go well, then I'll go to that Ortoren guy and see whether he can draw on Vegapunk's strength to solve this problem..." After a moment of thought, Doflamingo finally sorted out his plan.
Of course, this was all an ideal scenario. They might never find the Ope Ope no Mi, and Dr. Vegapunk might not be able to cure Amber Lead Syndrome at all.
But did that matter to Doflamingo?
Not in any meaningful way. It was nothing more than a convenient attempt. If it worked, he gained greatly; if it failed, he would lose nothing but Trafalgar Law.
There was virtually no cost involved.
...
Meanwhile, in Rosinante's room, after confirming that the environment was secure, Rosinante activated his Devil Fruit ability and immediately contacted Admiral Sengoku at Marine Headquarters through the Den Den Mushi.
"Admiral, I've obtained new information!" Rosinante reported the moment the call connected, not even stopping to greet him. "The Donquixote Family is currently extracting large quantities of Amber Lead in Flevance. They're smuggling this mineral, which has extremely high military value, to the Big Mom Pirates in the New World. And just recently, they completed their first transaction with the Beasts Pirates. I believe these dealings will accelerate the military technology development of both the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, posing a considerable threat and future impact to our Navy..."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Admiral Sengoku listened with a speechless expression. He wanted to tell Rosinante, "Everything you're reporting was arranged by me through Ortoren. You didn't need to report it at all."
But since Rosinante's rank wasn't high enough to know such secrets, Sengoku let out a helpless sigh before straightening his tone. "Good work, Corazon. This intelligence is extremely valuable. I'll record your contribution. Continue infiltrating the Donquixote Family and keep gathering information. Report any new developments immediately."
Hearing that he had earned merit and contributed to justice, Rosinante responded with barely contained excitement. "Yes, Admiral!"
After ending the call, Admiral Sengoku shook his head. After a brief pause, he wrote a merit entry for Rosinante in the records, thinking to himself, "Your infiltration within the Donquixote Family has really put this old man through a lot."
Still, Sengoku was very satisfied with Rosinante's current situation. Being undercover in the Donquixote Family kept him safe. Even if his identity were exposed, Doflamingo would have to give face to the Marines, to Sengoku, and to Ortoren. He wouldn't kill Rosinante—at worst, he would be confined.
At the same time, Sengoku could keep piling on achievements for Rosinante. Even if the kid didn't uncover any intelligence, it didn't matter.
If he didn't find anything, this old father could simply write some "intelligence" into the reports and merit records and claim Rosinante had secretly gathered it. After all, Sengoku knew everything about the Donquixote Family anyway.
When Rosinante eventually returned or was exposed, Sengoku would be able to promote him openly based on these achievements. No one could accuse him of favoritism.
This preserved Rosinante's pride and upheld Sengoku's dignity as an Admiral. A win on all fronts. This undercover mission was perfect—aside from having no real practical value, it was all profit.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/PinkSnake