"Rosinante! The Marine fleet has entered Wano's inland sea!"
A samurai rushed into the SWORD Classified Special Forces' temporary command post to deliver the news.
"Thank you for your hard work."
After the samurai left, Rosinante immediately stood up.
The surrounding SWORD members also rose sluggishly.
"This is ridiculous! Why are we stuck with cleanup duty?!"
"Can't be helped. Michael is still with the Revolutionary Army, after all."
"Enough. This is the Marine's responsibility to begin with." Rosinante raised a hand to silence them.
"Besides, this was also for your own good... Some of you still need promotions to vice admiral, after all."
With that, under Rosinante's lead, everyone exited the temporary command post and headed toward the inland sea coast.
As they approached, they could already hear Garp's boisterous laughter from afar.
"Ahahaha! The Minks' sense of smell is truly impressive! To sniff out Dyna Stone buried so deep underground!"
"I say, how'd you like to join the Marine? We're sorely lacking warriors like you!"
"Hm!? What's that? Someone recommended you for the Marine? A friend with many wings?"
Rosinante and the others quickened their pace, and soon came into view of the laughing Garp...
And Duke Inuarashi and Master Nekomamushi, whose shoulders were clamped in Garp's grip, their faces screaming "help" but utterly unable to escape.
The two rulers of Mokomo Dukedom—Day and Night—stood there docilely under Garp's arms, obedient as house pets.
...
Though it might also have been the Minks' extraordinary senses detecting the danger radiating from Garp.
"Vice Admiral Garp, please maintain some decorum," Rosinante stepped forward, rescuing the two from Garp's grasp.
"Even though Mokomo Dukedom on Zou isn't a World Government-affiliated nation, it has existed for centuries. Could you at least show them some respect?"
"You brat! I was just chatting with them!" Garp huffed. "Besides, they just agreed to let some of their seasoned Mink warriors join the Marine!"
Rosinante blinked, glancing at Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
The two nodded in unison, their expressions free of any coercion.
"What's going on? Aren't you retainers of Wano?"
"We are retainers of Wano, yes—but only the two of us," Inuarashi said with a smile. "That doesn't mean the rest of our people are bound to Wano... in these matters, everyone is free!"
"Most importantly, our winged friend has promised that uncovering the Dyna Stone will serve as our pledge of allegiance," Nekomamushi added, patting his belly contentedly.
"With that, Mink warriors can establish a Marine Branch near Zou! Though I must admit, I mistook our winged friend for Kaido at first—his scent was just too similar."
Rosinante's eye twitched.
'Winged friend? He means my brother, doesn't he?'
Kaido's scent? After fighting him for a long time, of course he'd reek of Kaido!
But when he turned, Rosinante met Garp's scrutinizing gaze.
"So... where's Michael?"
"Ahaha, what are you talking about, Vice Admiral Garp..."
"Fine, keep playing dumb." Garp nodded, then swept his eyes over the entire SWORD Forces.
"According to reports, you took quite the beating from Bullet and Wang Zhi... High Command has unanimously decided that once you return to Marine Headquarters, you'll undergo special training."
"Sp-special training?" Rosinante muttered. "Old man Garp! What's left to train? And who in the Marine could even train us at this point?"
"Rosinante, I didn't expect you to be so bold now!" Garp flashed a mischievous grin as he replied.
"But this time, Sengoku is going all out. The Fleet Admiral himself is leading the charge, along with the former and current Admirals, to put you through two months of special training… Of course, I'll be joining in too."
"Your good days are yet to come! Hahahaha!"
Rosinante opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to speak.
Meanwhile, Hawkeye, standing closest to him, seemed to hear the sound of sanity snapping.
"Ahh… I really want to defect from the Marines now."
"Rosinante… Isn't it a bit too late to say something like that now?"
...
Outside, the search and inspection of Dyna Stone was in full swing, while the dungeons of Wano Country were packed with members of the Beasts Pirates and their allies.
In the silent, shadowy depths of the prison, footsteps echoed until they reached the very end.
"Tap, tap, tap…"
Finally, they stopped in front of a cell.
There, the flamboyant flamingo lay sprawled in a "big" shape on the cold, damp floor, shackled in seastone restraints.
"You've really fallen low this time, Dofflamingo."
"Fufufufufu, you came after all, Tsuru."
Doflamingo didn't even need to look up to know who it was… not that he could lift his head anyway.
Tsuru didn't respond immediately. Instead, she opened the cell door and stepped inside.
Standing beside him, she gazed down at the former Warlord, now a prisoner of the Marines.
"Tell me, wouldn't it have been better to live out your days as a benevolent king in Dressrosa?"
"Fufufufufu! Even now, you still love your jokes, Tsuru?" Doflamingo's laughter echoed through the dungeon.
"A benevolent king? Don't make me laugh. How could I spend my life wearing such a hypocrite's mask? I am Donquixote Doflamingo! I am pure evil!"
"Is that really true, Doflamingo?" Tsuru lowered her head, her aged yet wise face wearing a sorrowful expression.
"Do you truly believe… you are pure evil?"
"What else?" Doflamingo sneered. "I killed my own father…"
"You may be evil, but not pure evil… Why didn't you treat your Donquixote Family as expendable tools? Why did you install those anti-collision measures around the Dyna Stone? Admit it, Doflamingo… perhaps you were just longing for family."
"Only… you took the wrong path." Tsuru turned her gaze to the opposite cell. "And you ended up killing your real family."
There lay the fallen executives of the Donquixote Family.
"So, Donquixote Doflamingo…"
"Accept your fate. Let the evil within you be cleansed."
"That way… perhaps the sorrow in your heart will lessen."
"Wash-Wash Fruit: Blank Slate."
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