New World · Dressrosa.
Inside the castle atop the King's Plateau, Doflamingo sat on the windowsill, gently swirling a glass of red wine as he spoke into a Den Den Mushi.
"Since he wants to trade the Ope Ope no Mi with the World Government, set the location on Minion Island. It's the largest dark market trading hub in the North Blue. That way, he'll feel at ease."
As he spoke, Rosinante passed by outside the door. He seemed to catch something, his ear twitching slightly, but he didn't stop. His steps remained casual as he continued on.
Doflamingo heard a faint sound and glanced back, catching sight of Rosinante's retreating figure. He didn't dwell on it and continued issuing instructions.
"I'll head over soon. Until then, don't cause any trouble. That's all."
...
After turning a corner in the corridor, Rosinante suddenly picked up his pace. Excitement and barely concealed joy flashed across his face as he rushed straight to Trafalgar Law's room on the first floor.
"Law!"
Before Trafalgar Law could even react, Rosinante scooped the boy up in his arms.
"Hurry! Grab your sister, pack your things. We're leaving right now!"
"Huh?"
Trafalgar Law stared at him in confusion. "Corazon-san, where are we going? Didn't we just get back?"
"The Ope Ope no Mi that can cure you and your sister's Amber Lead Syndrome has appeared," Rosinante said excitedly. "It's in the North Blue, on Minion Island! But Doflamingo is going there too. I heard he plans to trade the Ope Ope no Mi to the World Government."
His tone grew urgent.
"Once that fruit ends up in their hands, you'll never get another chance. We have to get the Ope Ope no Mi before Doflamingo completes the deal!"
Trafalgar Law still didn't fully understand what was happening, but over this period of time, his relationship with Rosinante had grown rapidly. The dark, closed-off thoughts in his young heart had already changed a great deal under Rosinante's guidance.
Before long, Rosinante secretly slipped out of Dressrosa once again, taking Trafalgar Law and his sister Lami with him.
The Donquixote Family soon learned of this, but then again, Rosinante acting up like this wasn't exactly new. Everyone had more or less gotten used to his habit of disappearing from time to time.
...
Just as Doflamingo was preparing to depart, Ortoren's Den Den Mushi rang in his hand.
Draping his flamingo-feather coat over his shoulders, Doflamingo answered the call with a cheerful smile.
"Admiral, what can I do for you?"
"Doflamingo," Ortoren said, "I hear you're heading to the North Blue to trade an Ope Ope no Mi?"
Doflamingo froze briefly, then quickly understood what this meant. His expression turned slightly troubled.
"That's right..."
"You're not planning to take this chance to swallow the Ope Ope no Mi for yourself, are you?" Ortoren asked with a laugh.
"Ahem..."
Doflamingo coughed awkwardly. After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his voice.
"The Ope Ope no Mi has the power to grant eternal life..."
"So you really are thinking of doing it?" Ortoren laughed, then his tone turned serious. "The Ope Ope no Mi was personally requested by the World Government. The five up in Mary Geoise even assigned a political mission to us Marines, demanding that this transaction succeed. If you start causing trouble here, even as a Shichibukai, you might not be able to handle the consequences."
Doflamingo's expression grew complicated. After struggling for a moment, he still couldn't help saying,
"But that's eternal life..."
"Immortality isn't limited to just that one method," Ortoren replied.
Hearing this, Doflamingo couldn't help but complain.
"You're not about to tell me about something like an Elixir of Immortality or a Fountain of Youth, are you? Those are just rumors from the sea..."
"Isn't the Ope Ope no Mi also a rumor?" Ortoren shot back. Then he continued more calmly,
"Compared to the Ope Ope no Mi, Pure Gold is far more valuable and far more feasible. Have you heard of it?"
"Pure Gold!?"
Doflamingo exclaimed in surprise. "I've heard of it. Over two hundred years ago, there was a group on the seas calling themselves 'alchemists.' Using some special technique that's now lost, they created a metal said to grant eternal life. That metal was Pure Gold."
His tone grew serious.
"This was clearly recorded among the Celestial Dragon families in Mary Geoise. Back then, many of those families wanted both the technique and the Pure Gold itself. But the island where those alchemists lived disappeared..."
"It was eaten by a massive lantern fish capable of swallowing an entire island," Ortoren said reassuringly. "Stop fixating on the Ope Ope no Mi. When we have the time, I'll take you to find Pure Gold."
Doflamingo felt utterly helpless.
You expect me to give up the Ope Ope no Mi just from that one sentence? Isn't that a bit too much to ask?
That promise sounds way too unreal.
"There's a little girl named Myskina Olga. Well, to be precise, she looks about six years old, but in reality, she's an old woman over two hundred years old. She's a descendant of the alchemists. As long as we find her, we can follow the trail and locate Pure Gold. In short, this is all real. I just haven't gone to verify it yet. We've worked together for so many years. You know me. Once Ortoren makes a promise, I never go back on it."
Ortoren didn't wait for Doflamingo to reply before adding that last sentence.
Doflamingo weighed his words carefully. He didn't fully believe Ortoren, but thinking back on Ortoren's usual conduct… aside from his habit of never paying back debts, his credibility really was solid.
But that wasn't the most important part.
The real problem was that Ortoren had already spoken. If he refused outright, their relationship would sour. And if he went after the Ope Ope no Mi anyway, he would inevitably offend the World Government.
Offending the World Government while also offending Ortoren, with no one backing him up… immortality didn't mean invincibility. If someone beat him to death, there wouldn't even be anywhere to complain.
And besides… even if he obtained the Ope Ope no Mi, he couldn't instantly become immortal, disappear on his own, and wait until Ortoren and his entire faction died off before resurfacing. He would need a long time and enormous resources to prepare. If he were discovered during that period, forget immortality. He wouldn't even leave behind ashes.
While Doflamingo hesitated, turning these thoughts over in his mind, Ortoren continued speaking.
"I'll be arriving in Dressrosa soon. Fleet Admiral Sengoku has assigned this to me as a political mission and told me to keep an eye on you. I'm only giving you advance notice because of our relationship, so things don't turn unpleasant later."
That sentence completely extinguished Doflamingo's lingering hopes. If Ortoren was personally watching, trying to pull anything now would truly be asking for trouble.
"Don't string me along about this Pure Gold business," Doflamingo replied helplessly.
"Relax," Ortoren laughed. "When the time comes, I'll definitely bring you along. Once the technique is in hand, it won't just be you. Even every member of your Donquixote Family getting a share won't be a problem."
Doflamingo let out a short laugh.
"Then I'll wait for you in Dressrosa. We'll head to the North Blue together."
After ending the call with Doflamingo, Ortoren rolled over on the sofa like a salted fish.
Just then, Rouge walked in from outside. Seeing Ortoren, she asked,
"What do you want for dinner tonight?"
Ortoren looked at Rouge, hesitating for a moment before finally speaking.
"Rouge, Gion and I have confirmed our relationship. The two of us…"
Rouge froze for a second, then acted as if she hadn't heard him at all and continued speaking to herself.
"I learned how to make Iron Ox Beef Noodles today. I'll cook some for you later, alright?"
"Rouge…"
Ortoren stood up, walked over, and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"I—"
Before he could finish, tears suddenly welled up in Rouge's eyes. She threw her arms around Ortoren.
"Don't say it. Don't abandon me. I know you won't leave Gion. I don't want anything else. Just don't abandon me…"
At the very beginning, she might have only been seeking a sense of security from Ortoren. Her intentions hadn't been pure. But after living together for so long… truthfully, the time she had spent with Roger was nowhere near the time she had spent with Ortoren.
So when Ortoren opened his mouth just now, Rouge suddenly realized that she no longer wanted only security. Without even noticing it herself, she had already developed deep feelings for Ortoren. She had grown used to him being her husband and even enjoyed it, drawing the sense of happiness she wanted from that role.
She had fallen in love.
As she spoke, Rouge shoved Ortoren hard. By all logic, she shouldn't have been able to move him, yet Ortoren was pushed straight back onto the sofa. In the next instant, Rouge straddled him and pressed her lips firmly against his.
Ortoren was momentarily stunned. What he had been about to say was that Gion would probably be moving in with them as well.
As for breaking things off with Rouge, Ortoren had considered it before. In the end, his decision had been to have it all.
Ace had already been raised this big. If he split things up now, wouldn't all that effort have been for nothing?
Gion, of course, had brought this up with Ortoren as well. When she learned of his shameless decision, Ortoren had expected her to explode and make a scene. He had even prepared himself to cling to Gion without any dignity. After all, if you wanted a harem, what face was there to save?
But the result surprised him.
After giving him the cold shoulder for two days, Gion never mentioned it again.
Ortoren didn't press the issue either. He understood that she had tacitly accepted it. As for the reason, he didn't know. Maybe it had something to do with the era. But there was no need to dig into it. That would just be asking for trouble.
Before this, Ortoren and Rouge had always lingered in an ambiguous space, neither of them truly piercing that final layer. But now, the spark had finally ignited.
Ever since his so-called "recovery period," Ortoren hadn't interacted with Gion at all. With Rouge being this proactive and passionate, there was no reason for him to keep pretending to be a gentleman.
After their intense kiss, Ortoren pulled Rouge into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom.
Sorry, Roger. After everything I've done for you, enjoying myself a little… that's only fair, right?
As for Dressrosa… Doflamingo probably isn't in any rush to leave. One more day won't make a difference.