Doflamingo and Ortoren's group passed through the port town of Minion Island, heading toward the outskirts of the settlement.
"This is really far out. Wouldn't it be easier to do the deal inside the town? Why come all the way out here?" Ortoren complained as they walked.
Doflamingo chuckled.
"Rats that live in the gutter always feel like someone's out to get them, so they like hiding in places that never see the light. You'll get used to it. Besides, I've been to that church before. It's not far ahead. You'll see it once we pass this intersection."
Ortoren was only grumbling casually and didn't really care, so he dropped the topic and shifted gears.
"To be honest, I didn't really need to come along. I trust you quite a lot. But Fleet Admiral Sengoku still has some concerns. If this transaction goes smoothly, he probably won't doubt you without reason anymore. Oh, and about what I told you last time, I wasn't joking. I've already set up a secret Marine file for you. I had Gion register you under the Navy Intelligence Department…"
"Huh? Intelligence?" Doflamingo said with a surprised laugh. "I thought it'd be G-5. Fufufufu."
"G-5 wouldn't work," Ortoren replied with a smile. "The file I created states that in Sea Circle Calendar 1498, you secretly joined the Marines in Loguetown and accepted a long-term undercover mission, infiltrating pirate forces and the underworld to gather intelligence. Back then, I hadn't taken up my post at G-5 yet, so the record has you entering the Intelligence Department in 1498 as a Captain. In 1500, you were promoted to Commodore for meritorious service, and in 1502, you were promoted again to Rear Admiral. Remember that clearly. When you return to the Marines later and people ask, don't get it wrong."
As he spoke, Ortoren laughed and patted Doflamingo on the shoulder.
Before Doflamingo could respond, Ortoren continued,
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku knows about all of this, and he didn't stop it, which means he approves. In a few more years, once you've built up our Coast Guard forces and we have the confidence to say no in Mary Geoise, you'll be promoted again for your achievements and return to Marine Headquarters as a Vice Admiral. I've even thought of your code name already. I don't know why, but animal codenames are all the rage in the Marines lately. You'll be called 'Flamingo Vice Admiral.' What do you think?"
Doflamingo found it genuinely amusing. After all these years in the underworld, just by choosing the right side and following the right boss, he might actually end up as a Marine Vice Admiral who had endured humiliation and remained undercover for years. The idea itself was entertaining.
He laughed.
"I'll leave everything to the Admiral's arrangements. Just take the next turn ahead and you'll see the church."
As he spoke, the group turned off the main street and reached the edge of town. Beyond it lay an undeveloped mountain forest, where the last traces of spring snow had only just melted.
This was where the church was supposed to be.
But the moment Doflamingo rounded the corner, his expression froze. He stared blankly at the ruins in the distance, clearly at a loss.
Wait… where's the church?
Where did my huge church go!?
"Hm?" Ortoren paused for a moment, then teased, "Doflamingo, did you take the wrong road?"
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!" Doflamingo's face twitched.
Then he seemed to notice something. There were bodies in the ruins!?
"Something's wrong!" Doflamingo reacted instantly, and the entire group rushed toward the remains of the church.
When they got closer, they saw it clearly. The target of this transaction, Diez Barrels, had been shot several times. His body was soaked in blood, and he lay lifeless amid the rubble.
Doflamingo crouched beside the corpse and reached out to touch his forehead. His brows furrowed.
"The body's still warm. He was killed not long ago. Damn it, who did this!?"
He was extremely irritated. This deal should have been fairly confidential. Only certain people on the World Government's side and the Donquixote Family knew about it.
By all logic, nothing should have gone wrong.
Could it have been some personal vendetta Barrels brought upon himself?
As Doflamingo was thinking this over, he instinctively glanced back at Ortoren, only to notice Ortoren's gaze fixed on a gap in the rubble on the other side of the body.
Frowning slightly, Doflamingo stood up and looked in that direction as well.
Then he saw Ortoren crouch down, rummage through the debris a couple of times, and pull out a musket that had fallen among the ruins.
"Is this the murder weapon?" Doflamingo muttered casually at first, then suddenly froze.
Damn it!
The Donquixote Family crest was engraved on the gun.
Ortoren had clearly noticed it as well and shot Doflamingo a rather strange look.
The moment Doflamingo saw that expression, he instantly understood what Ortoren was thinking.
"Admiral, please let me explain!!!" Doflamingo cried out miserably. "I absolutely did not go behind the Navy's back and secretly send other family members here to seize the Ope Ope no Mi in advance!!!!"
He was practically losing his mind at this point. In his panic, he even started calling the Marines "us," desperately trying to prove where he stood.
Who the hell did this!?
Who's framing me!?
Looking at the scene now, it was all too easy to interpret it as Doflamingo deliberately stalling Ortoren, dragging his feet on the way to the North Blue, while in reality having already sent trusted subordinates to Minion Island before they ever met.
After securing the Ope Ope no Mi, those people would have silenced Barrels and his crew. Then, just before leaving, someone carelessly left behind a Donquixote Family firearm, exposing the entire scheme.
If not for this gun, Doflamingo could have easily shifted the blame. Combined with his earlier cooperative attitude, Ortoren might very well have believed he had nothing to do with the incident and let it slide. Even if an investigation followed later, it might not have uncovered anything at all.
"Doflamingo, this…" Ortoren said, looking at him with clear discomfort.
"A setup, Admiral! This is absolutely a setup!" Doflamingo snapped in agitation. "Someone deliberately wants to sow discord between the Donquixote Family and the Navy. Someone is trying to drive a wedge between your trust and mine!"
After a brief pause, he continued quickly,
"But please rest assured. This particular model of firearm produced by the Donquixote Family is issued only to officers. I anticipated that something like this might happen one day, so outsiders don't know that there's a hidden marker inside these guns to verify authenticity. Just open the stock. If there isn't a flamingo inside—"
As he spoke, Doflamingo took the gun from Ortoren's hand and swiftly disassembled the stock.
He froze on the spot.
Damn it… there really was a flamingo emblem inside.
It was genuine.
Seeing Doflamingo's expression flip back and forth so many times in such a short span, Ortoren was almost amused enough to laugh.
"Who did this!? Who was it!?" Doflamingo roared furiously, then began examining the gun more carefully. In the end, he spotted a red heart engraved on the gun's body.
That was the mark of the Red Heart unit's officers.
Vergo!?
The name flashed through Doflamingo's mind instantly, but he rejected it just as quickly. Vergo was still in the New World, busy building the Coast Guard force. His loyalty was beyond doubt. There was no way he would suddenly appear here.
Once Vergo was ruled out, Doflamingo's already dark expression grew even more ominous.
Rosinante!!!
His own younger brother!!!
Doflamingo was no fool. On the contrary, he was extremely sharp. In an instant, he connected everything together. Rosinante must have lost his mind. For some reason, he had grown exceptionally close to Trafalgar Law, often personally taking him around in search of doctors and medicine, trying to cure the Amber Lead disease affecting Trafalgar Law and his sister.
At the same time, Doflamingo had long sensed Rosinante's rejection and resistance toward him as an older brother, as well as his aversion to the Donquixote Family as a whole.
He simply hadn't cared much before. He never expected Rosinante to accomplish anything or be of any help. As long as he stayed alive and safe, that was enough.
Now, it seemed Rosinante had accidentally overheard his Den Den Mushi call that day and learned about this deal. Believing that the Ope Ope no Mi could save Law's life, he immediately brought Trafalgar Law and the others to Minion Island.
They searched the island, found Barrels before Doflamingo did, and killed him to take the fruit.
To cause trouble for the Donquixote Family, and even destroy it if possible, Rosinante deliberately left behind the firearm he carried, one that proved his status as a Donquixote Family officer.
That way, the Marines and the World Government would naturally target Doflamingo. And with Doflamingo tangled up in trouble, he might not be able to spare the time or energy to come after Rosinante.
"You really are vicious at heart… Corazon," Doflamingo snarled, fury and hatred flashing through his eyes.
...
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