North Blue, Winter Island, Minion.
Overcast clouds, a land of snow.
Beneath the cold wind, the ruined city lay in deathly silence.
Once a member nation of the World Government, its prosperity had rivaled that of Grove 36 on Sabaody Archipelago.
Unfortunately, as the Heavenly Tribute grew increasingly burdensome, Minion Island, unwilling to wage war on other nations to amass wealth, was expelled from the World Council. It gradually declined, now as quiet as a grave.
On the sea, five sunk battleships were burning. The corpses of high-ranking Marine officers littered the island's coastline… clear evidence of a fierce battle that had just taken place.
"Huff... huff... huff!"
Corazon, covered in bleeding wounds, lay in the snow. The white mist of his breath condensed into frost and settled back on his face.
"Half a year since we last met, Corazon!"
Doflamingo, dressed in a burgundy suit, stood before him, hands in his pockets.
"Where is Law? And why did you betray me? My dear brother!"
Corazon leaned against a piece of a battleship that had smashed ashore, sitting up. With trembling hands, he lit a cigarette for himself.
"Marineford, 01746, Commander Rosinante of Marine Headquarters. Doflamingo, captain of the Donquixote Pirates. I infiltrated to prevent the tragedy you are about to cause!"
As he spoke, he pulled a pistol from his chest and aimed it at the man before him.
"You bastard, so you can talk after all!"
Pica drew a giant sword from behind his back, blocking the way in front of Doflamingo.
"Step aside, Pica. This guy can't pull the trigger."
Stepping past the family member guarding him, Doflamingo's rage grew with every step he took.
Gritting his teeth, he also drew a flintlock from his chest and pointed it at Corazon.
"Now, there's only one question left: where is Law?!"
"Heh, you won't find him. That kid is free now!"
Corazon pinched the cigarette between two fingers, lit it, took a deep drag, and cocked the hammer of the pistol in his other hand.
He had entrusted Law to a reliable person. That boy's fate would ultimately not be bound by the detestable thing forged from Doflamingo's malice.
So now, he could finally settle things with his brother, free of attachments!
Kill him, or be killed by him!
At that moment, Diamante walked up to Doflamingo and whispered, "Doffy, the trade for the Ope Ope no Mi on the south side of the island is about to begin!"
"Of all times!"
Veins bulged on Doflamingo's forehead, spreading downward. He gripped his flintlock tightly.
"Why?! Corazon! Must you make me kill my own true family with my own hands twice?!"
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
Every member of the Donquixote Family present widened their eyes in disbelief at the scene before them.
"What kind of joke is this?"
"How dare he?!"
"Ahh, Doffy, stop the bleeding, quick!"
In the chaos, the Donquixote Family's executives rushed forward in a flurry, surrounding Doflamingo to help stanch the bleeding.
"Rosinante! You bastard..."
Doflamingo looked down, clutching his abdomen where a penetrating wound now bled. Fresh blood dripped from his burgundy suit onto the snow.
"Haha, what Sakura said was right after all! So wrapping bullets with my ability really can fool Observation Haki!"
Leaning against a broken wall, Corazon showed a look of pleasant surprise, laughing with pure, childlike joy.
"Bastard, just die!"
Doflamingo shoved away those supporting him and continuously pulled the trigger of his semi-automatic pistol.
In an instant, it was a downpour of bullets.
One after another, they pierced through Corazon's body, stealing his life.
"Tch!"
"Let's go. It's time to retrieve the Ope Ope no Mi that belongs to us!"
Not a moment was spent grieving the kin slain by his own hand. Doflamingo had already led his men to slaughter their way toward the base of the Barrels Pirates.
The heavy snow continued to fall, slowly covering Corazon's body.
In his final moments, Corazon felt as if a shadow of Law appeared before him.
'Be happy, Law!'
A smile appeared on the man's lips as his head lolled weakly to the side.
"Cora-san!"
A heart-wrenching roar echoed across the snowy plains. Law, having finally reached the coast, witnessed his passing.
Law frantically rushed forward, throwing himself down beside Corazon.
"No, no! Cora-san! Aaaaaah!"
Feeling the warmth slowly leave Corazon's body in his arms, Law couldn't even feel the external cold, wailing uncontrollably.
"Sakura-san, please, I beg you, save him!"
Choking back his sobs, Law turned and knelt before Sakura.
"Don't you kneel! Stand up! A man dying for his beliefs is the most admirable thing on these seas!"
Sakura's expression was solemn as she scolded Law.
Before her lay a man who had fallen in the snow, lifeless yet still wearing a smile. He had used his own life to buy Law a chance to stand up. Sakura would never allow Law to waste that!
From the very beginning, Corazon had known that going to confront Doflamingo was a journey from which there was no return.
But he had been resolved. He used his life as a blade to sever all the chains binding Law.
This way, whether Marine or pirate, identity and allegiance could no longer shackle Law. He would be free to choose his own path forward.
"Cora-san..."
Hearing Sakura's words, Law stood up, his arm still covering his eyes, wiping away tears.
"Paying such a price for someone completely unrelated... you're too kind, Marine."
Moving his body to a place where it wouldn't be buried by snow, Sakura took off her coat and laid it over him.
Meanwhile, in the castle occupied by the Barrels Pirates on the southern side of the island.
"Damn it! That bastard Doflamingo actually went back on his word!"
The defected Marine officer, Diez Barrels, trembled all over, smashing everything breakable in the room.
Explosions and the agonized screams of his subordinates being killed constantly echoed from outside the building, torturing the former Marine officer's nerves.
Finally, the man, with his eyes bloodshot, looked up, a trace of madness flashing in their depths.
"Doflamingo, you want to steal this fruit, don't you? Let's all perish together then!"
In his frenzy, he grabbed a subordinate and forcibly shoved the Ope Ope no Mi into his mouth.
Boom!
Coincidentally, the final barrier of the stronghold, a metal gate, was blasted open.
Doflamingo, leading a group of Donquixote Family executives, stormed into the castle. The entire group froze on the spot.
"Bastard! What have you done?!"
Screech-!
A cage constructed of threads ran wild in the sky. The pirate who had just eaten the fruit was lifted into the air and dismembered by Doflamingo's strings.
But, looking at the Ope Ope no Mi on the ground, which is already bitten and rendered ineffective, Doflamingo's roar of fury shook the entire island!
"Damn it-!!"
The roar, filled with intense resentment, echoed far and wide, reaching even Sakura on the northern coast, who lifted her head to gaze in the direction of the sound.
"Hmm?"
Though she didn't know what had happened, she inexplicably felt her mood improve considerably.
Looking down, she saw Law still hugging his knees beside her, looking as if he wanted to shut himself off from the world entirely.
Sakura rummaged through the supplies from a wrecked Marine warship and found an apple.
She walked over to Law, sat down beside him, and casually shoved the apple into his arms.
"Once you're done crying, lift your head and look forward properly."
"From today onward, your life carries an important belief entrusted to you by someone. You must live, and live more brilliantly than anyone else!"
These words caused a tremor in Law's frozen heart. Only then did he move mechanically.
He numbly picked up the apple Sakura had given him, slowly opened his mouth, and took a bite.
"Yuck~, Sakura-san, this tastes awful."
Amidst his sniffles, the boy's choked words emerged.
"Hah? You little brat, even if you're sad, you can't waste food..."
Sakura's voice trailed off, then became dry. Her eyes bulged, and her expression lost all composure.
Because before her, what Law held in his hand was a red, heart-shaped fruit with black swirl patterns.
The Paramecia-type Ope Ope no Mi!
More importantly, it had a bite taken out of it.
"Huh???"