After discussing Robin, that disobedient little troublemaker, Gion added, "By the way, do you know about Admiral Sengoku's political mission?"
"Of course I know. The Ope Ope no Mi, right? Have you found a lead?" Finn asked quietly.
"Yes, we have." Gion responded, then continued, "The Chief of Staff just left Headquarters leading a team to the North Blue."
Finn's expression grew more serious. "Tell me the details."
He knew everything about the Ope Ope no Mi situation, but he was still worried something might go wrong.
After all, this concerned Rosinante's life. Rosinante called him "Big Brother," and nothing less. Over these years, Finn had received considerable care from Admiral Sengoku. He couldn't simply watch the man lose his son in his old age, could he?
Therefore, Finn was prepared to save Rosinante's life no matter what.
Gion sounded somewhat surprised. Why did Finn care so much about an ordinary political mission to find a Devil Fruit?
But since he'd asked, Gion didn't hide anything. "Former Marine Commodore Diez Barrels. Do you know him?"
Gion was asking casually. Barrels wasn't a particularly outstanding individual, nor was he part of Finn's faction, and he had no backing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been desperate enough to defect from the Marines.
There were many rear admirals like him at Marine Headquarters.
As a Marine Admiral, how could Finn possibly know them all?
To Gion's surprise, Finn replied without hesitation, "I know him. He's just a greedy fool."
"Well, that's fairly accurate," Gion muttered, then added, "Although he's a greedy fool, he seems remarkably lucky. Not long ago, he found the Ope Ope no Mi in the North Blue. He was very tempted by the 5 billion berry bounty the World Government posted in the underworld, so he decided to sell it to them."
"Admiral Sengoku learned of this news, right?" Finn said with a knowing smile.
"Correct. This man asked Doflamingo to act as middleman. The World Government assigned Admiral Sengoku to handle this matter, so the Admiral sent the Chief of Staff to the North Blue to complete it," Gion said pleasantly.
Finn frowned.
Judging from their tone, it seemed neither Admiral Sengoku, Gion, nor even the Chief of Staff took this particularly seriously. They didn't think Doflamingo needed special attention?
In truth, Finn's understanding of the "future" had shifted somewhat regarding this matter.
In the original timeline, after Barrels asked the Donquixote Family to act as middleman, Admiral Sengoku had immediately recognized the opportunity. On one hand, he'd anticipated Doflamingo would rob his fellow criminals. On the other, he'd used the opportunity to apply to the World Government for Doflamingo's arrest, and the Government had decisively approved.
Therefore, in that incident, the Marines hadn't only wanted to obtain the Ope Ope no Mi—they'd also wanted to eliminate Doflamingo.
It simply hadn't succeeded in the end.
But now, whether because Doflamingo had performed exceptionally well in recent years, or because Admiral Sengoku had become somewhat overconfident, feeling that with the Marines' current strength, Doflamingo wouldn't dare provoke them—
He didn't take Doflamingo seriously at all.
They had no intention of arresting him, nor did they think Doflamingo would dare steal from the Marines' plate.
"I suspect Doflamingo will rob his fellow criminals," Finn said gravely.
Gion sounded stunned on the other end. "Impossible? Would he dare touch our Marines' goods?"
"Although this man has been very cautious these past few years, don't forget he's not a good person. Whether he dares touch our Marines' property depends on whether the benefits are substantial enough—and the Ope Ope no Mi is absolutely worth the risk," Finn said with absolute seriousness.
"It's just 5 billion berries..." Gion said with some confusion.
"It's not about the 5 billion. Do you know what the political mission description is for the Marines obtaining the Ope Ope no Mi?" Finn asked.
"Well, the Ope Ope no Mi is one of the most powerful healing abilities. If Mary Geoise can obtain this fruit, the lives of high-ranking officials, nobles, and even Celestial Dragons will be better protected... I heard this from Admiral Sengoku," Gion said, frowning.
Finn was momentarily stunned. He'd assumed Admiral Sengoku already knew the Ope Ope no Mi could grant immortality!
After all this, he didn't know?
Perhaps he'd only discovered it afterward?
He had to admit, the reason Mary Geoise gave was indeed reasonable. The Celestial Dragons were currently domineering, and no one dared provoke them except the reckless Dragon.
So basically, the Celestial Dragons faced no external threats.
Therefore, their life-threatening dangers could only come from illness and similar natural causes.
If the Ope Ope no Mi could be obtained, it seemed the threat in this area could be greatly reduced. It was reasonable to issue a political mission to the Marines with this justification.
At this point, the World Government probably hadn't anticipated that Doflamingo, a former Celestial Dragon, would be involved in this matter. They likely just thought Barrels had found a middleman from the underworld, right?
If they'd known Doflamingo was involved, they definitely wouldn't have concealed this from the Marines anymore.
In fact, this was precisely the case. Because Admiral Sengoku hadn't taken Doflamingo seriously, he hadn't mentioned Doflamingo when reporting upward.
In the original timeline, it had been because of Doflamingo's involvement that Admiral Sengoku learned the Ope Ope no Mi's secret.
In short, due to various factors, this confusing situation had emerged.
Finn took a deep breath. "The Ope Ope no Mi has a hidden secret that perhaps only the Celestial Dragons know. I also learned about it by chance. This Devil Fruit can grant someone the power of eternal life. Do you think Doflamingo will take action?"
"Absolutely!" Gion said in shock.
She didn't doubt Finn's words. She knew Finn wouldn't lie to her, much less joke with her about something this serious.
"In other words, if Doflamingo obtains the Ope Ope no Mi from Barrels first, the Admiral's mission will be a failure?" Gion asked again.
"That's about right," Finn said with a slight smile.
"You can still laugh?" Gion said with dissatisfaction.
"The higher-ups didn't explain the Ope Ope no Mi's true importance, so in the end, even if it fails, the Admiral will at most be scolded. Can they dismiss him? So it's nothing serious," Finn said casually.
After thinking carefully, Gion realized this was indeed the case, and she felt somewhat relieved.
"What should we do now?" Gion asked.
"Fortunately, I'm in the North Blue. The Chief of Staff might be too late. Naturally, I'll handle this myself," Finn said matter-of-factly.
After a brief pause, before Gion could respond, Finn continued, "Alright, don't worry about this matter anymore. It's quite complicated. I'll contact Admiral Sengoku immediately."
Seeing this, Gion didn't say anything more and quickly ended the call.
At this point, Hina beside him asked quietly, "Admiral, is it troublesome?"
"Very troublesome," Finn said softly.
There was something critical happening, so Finn and Hina tacitly ignored the accidental kiss from moments ago. No one mentioned it.
There genuinely was no commotion on Finn's side. It had just been an accidental kiss—no major issue.
But some changes had occurred in Hina's heart, though they hadn't surfaced yet. Perhaps she herself hadn't noticed them.
Without any delay, Finn quickly dialed Admiral Sengoku's Den Den Mushi.
"Finn? I heard you went to the North Blue. Are you planning to cause trouble for Doflamingo? The Gold-Gold Fruit?" Admiral Sengoku said cheerfully through the receiver.
He seemed to be in excellent spirits.
In fact, he genuinely was. He'd originally assumed completing the Ope Ope no Mi mission was impossible, but suddenly there'd been progress. In Admiral Sengoku's eyes, it was already on track. As long as Tsuru arrived in the North Blue and paid the money, the matter would be settled.
Before Finn could speak, Admiral Sengoku continued, "If you want to cause trouble for Doflamingo, slow down a bit. We have business with him as well. Once we're finished with our business, you can—"
"Wait, listen to me," Finn couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted Sengoku.
Admiral Sengoku was momentarily stunned, then heard Finn say, "The true value of the Ope Ope no Mi lies in its ability to grant others eternal life! This is a secret known only to the Celestial Dragons!"
That was all Finn said.
The expression of Admiral Sengoku, who'd been so cheerful moments ago, suddenly transformed. He looked shocked, furious, and... sorrowful?
It was just one sentence. Even an intelligent admiral like Sengoku had immediately understood many implications. Wasn't Doflamingo a Celestial Dragon?
If they let him act as middleman, there was zero chance the fruit would reach the Marines!
This had originally been a guaranteed success, but suddenly it became uncertain. It would be strange if he weren't shocked and angry.
Were the people at the World Government mentally deficient?
Such a critical matter, yet they remained so vague about it. Who were they guarding against? Him?
With this attitude, they still wanted to obtain the Ope Ope no Mi? Damn them all!
Even if they could have obtained it, they'd ruined everything by concealing this!
After a moment of shock and fury, Admiral Sengoku's eyes shone with sorrow as he spoke. "Two hours ago, Rosinante came to me inquiring about the Ope Ope no Mi. I told him and asked what he needed it for, but he just said he was curious... That kid deceived me."
He felt sorrow about this because Rosinante was also a Celestial Dragon. If Doflamingo knew this secret, Rosinante should know it too.
But even knowing this, Rosinante hadn't told him. Instead, he'd asked for intelligence and Marine operational details.
At this point, Admiral Sengoku could easily believe that Rosinante had betrayed his trust to obtain eternal life.
That's why he felt such profound sadness.
"Stop wallowing in sorrow over there!" Finn complained.
Sengoku's internal response: ???
My son has betrayed me and become an ungrateful wretch. Can't I be sad for a moment?
"Rosinante isn't pursuing eternal life, so you don't need to be too distressed. But since he didn't explain the situation to you, it does prove he's betrayed your trust. He has a kid with Amber Lead Disease in his care—you know about that, right?" Finn said quickly.
"I know." Admiral Sengoku nodded. At the time, he'd been the one who recommended Rosinante visit the Drum Kingdom.
Thinking about it this way, some of the cause lay with Admiral Sengoku himself, didn't it?
There were so many complications here—it was a genuine mess.
"When I contacted him previously, I learned some secrets. It's true Rosinante wants to obtain the Ope Ope no Mi, but not for immortality. Although he's a fool who can't distinguish between public and private matters and has betrayed your trust, he's not despicable enough to betray you for something like eternal life. How should I put it—that guy has his own conscience and wants to use the Ope Ope no Mi to save that kid," Finn said without hesitation.
Although his trust had been betrayed, Admiral Sengoku's sorrowful mood improved considerably hearing that Rosinante was trying to save someone rather than seeking eternal life.
He even felt somewhat... proud?
Look, what a kind and upright child, willing to give up eternal life to save another person. What did this prove? It proved his teachings had been effective!
Finn had no idea what Admiral Sengoku was thinking. If he'd known, he probably would have spat in his face. What utter nonsense!
"I heard from Gion that the Chief of Staff just left Marineford, right? She probably won't arrive in time. Tell me the transaction location. I'm in the North Blue now—I'll see if I can salvage this situation." Finn paused meaningfully. "Of course, don't hold too much hope. Rosinante doing this hasn't only betrayed your trust—it's also ruining Doflamingo's business. That man would even kill his own father in a rage. If Rosinante interferes, he'll definitely die... I can't promise you the Ope Ope no Mi. This time I'm primarily going to save Rosinante."
The World Government had concealed the truth about the Ope Ope no Mi from Sengoku, making him extremely passive now. It was highly likely his son would die in the North Blue.
Admiral Sengoku was naturally furious. He didn't care about some garbage mission anymore and said directly, "Minion Island. Minion Island in the North Blue... Finn, I'm leaving Rosinante's safety in your hands."
He didn't mention the Ope Ope no Mi at all—only asked about Rosinante. Finn naturally understood what Admiral Sengoku meant.
So it really was Minion Island. Surprisingly, nothing had changed...
"Don't worry. I watched him grow up, after all. I can't let you lose your son in your old age, can I?" Finn replied with a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~