Chapter 112: Three Small Islands (Part One)

November 11, 1518, Sea Circle Calendar. North Blue.

“Doffy, because of the Op-Op Fruit, we’ll have to postpone our original plan yet again, won’t we? Still, the Op-Op Fruit is certainly worth making the delay for.”

Diamante sat in a chair in the standard posture of a small-time thug. As he repeatedly swung his raised leg, the chair rocked back and forth with it.

“Fuffuffuffu. If you ask whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, then of course it’s a good thing. The Op-Op Fruit has appeared again, and a bunch of foolish pirates have willingly brought it right to our doorstep… Could there be anything luckier than that? As for Dressrosa… it will remain there all the same. Anything belonging to the Donquixote Family, sooner or later, I’ll take back. So don’t worry. This is nothing more than a slight delay.”

For those who obtained the power to become immortal, it might be called a kind of curse. But for those who could not obtain it, there was no blessing greater than that. Thus, although the pirates who had acquired the Op-Op Fruit and demanded five billion from the World Government were idiots, they were exceptionally “adorable” idiots.

After all, in order to negotiate with the World Government, they had sought out a reliable intermediary—the “omnipotent” Doflamingo of the underworld.

Then Doflamingo changed the subject.

“However, before we make contact with them, there’s one more thing to do… I need to share this good news with my beloved little brother.”

“Say, Doffy, Corazon has been gone for about half a year now, hasn’t he? Don’t you think we’ve encountered the Marines less often in his absence? Especially Vice Admiral Tsuru,” Trebol reminded him, for the moment.

“What exactly are you implying?”

Though Doflamingo asked the question, he neither defended his younger brother nor showed any anger. His attitude was as calm as ever… because he knew precisely what Trebol meant.

“Ghehehe. It’s nothing. Of course I’m willing to believe in Corazon too.”

Everyone was merely pretending not to understand what they all understood perfectly well. Yet they were not lying, either. If one asked whether Doffy was willing to believe in his own brother, the answer would certainly be yes. After personally killing his father, he surely had no desire to experience something similar a second time—not even a demon was incapable of displaying human emotions.

Ignoring Trebol, Doflamingo drew a transponder snail close and skillfully dialed a number.

The call connected soon afterward.

“Corazon?”

Doffy’s voice was carried by mysterious radio waves to some unknown corner of the world.

This was the first time Doflamingo had initiated contact since Rosinante’s departure.

Several seconds later, a crisp tapping sound came from the other end. It was indeed Corazon, but perhaps because they had already formed their suspicions, everyone could sense his hesitation.

“Where are you now…? That doesn’t matter. Get back to the ship immediately. There’s a chance to cure Law’s illness. I’ve obtained information about the Op-Op Fruit.”

“It’s extremely dangerous, but I’ve decided that this time, I’m going to get the fruit no matter what. And then… I’ve decided to have you eat it. That way, you can cure Law yourself.”

Doflamingo did not elaborate on the Op-Op Fruit. Rosinante was a Celestial Dragon as well, and naturally understood how powerful the fruit was.

From removing a child’s appendix to replacing a brain and attaining eternal life, there was almost nothing it could not do. It was quite simply the power everyone dreamed of possessing.

By then, Law’s illness had already reached its final stages. Rosinante would never abandon such an opportunity, no matter what. Once he clearly stated his decision to return, Doflamingo told him where they would meet, then ended the call.

The Perennial Youth Operation required the user of the Op-Op Fruit to sacrifice their own life in order to succeed. That was why Doflamingo wanted his younger brother to eat it. What he did not know was that Rosinante had already consumed another Devil Fruit.

And whether on this end of the call or the other, there was one thing both sides could be certain of: this was probably Doflamingo’s final test of his brother’s identity. If Rosinante failed to give the answer he was supposed to give, then Doflamingo would have no choice but to do what was necessary and painfully “kill his own kin.”

“Hey, Doffy, are you sure it’s all right to tell Rosinante the location directly?” Diamante asked.

“Of course it is. Swallow Island is where we agreed to meet, while the exchange will take place on another island, Rubeck… For now, all I hope for is to see Corazon return as scheduled.”

Doflamingo spoke with no idea, perhaps, that his younger brother would manage to obtain the “highest state secret” of this transaction directly from the man almost certain to become the next Fleet Admiral of the Marines.

Rosinante was indeed a spy, but what made him special was that his direct superior was a man named Sengoku.

“Everyone has a rebellious streak. At certain stages of life, it’s perfectly normal for daughters to hate their fathers and sons to grow weary of their mothers. But Corazon is different. Ever since he was little, he obeyed my every word. So even though he suddenly disappeared at the age of eight and returned without warning fourteen years later, I never found it particularly suspicious. After all, we’re blood brothers…”

Doflamingo hoped his younger brother would continue obeying him without question. Even if a rebellious phase was unavoidable, it would be best if Corazon did nothing to disappoint him.

“Doffy, a Marine surveillance ship has been following us.”

At that moment, Qiu Bai suddenly entered the cabin. It seemed the conversation had just reached an uninteresting lull.

“A surveillance ship?”

Doflamingo thought for a moment before speaking.

“It shouldn’t pose much of a threat. We were going to become intermediaries between the Marines and the pirates anyway, so being watched is only natural. Still, to be safe… sink them. Pirates allowing the Marines to track their movements so easily is never a good thing.”

Doffy issued the order as casually as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

In truth, as intermediaries, the Marines had no intention of acting against the Donquixote Pirates—at least not before the transaction was complete. Their mediation was indispensable. So even with a surveillance ship following them, there was no need to worry about Vice Admiral Tsuru suddenly appearing.

But all of that depended on one condition: the Marines could not learn that Doffy intended to keep the Op-Op Fruit for himself. Otherwise, the so-called intermediary would be nothing more than a pirate. And when dealing with pirates, no amount of courtesy from the Marines would be enough to make the encounter peaceful.

“…Understood.”

There were probably not many pirates in the world who would attack the Marines without a second thought. But the man standing before Qiu Bai was unquestionably one of them.

Still, that decisive, utterly uncompromising attitude was truly worthy of admiration.