Chapter 118: The Moment of Death

In Qiubai’s limited experience, the level of Armament Haki displayed by Vergo was undoubtedly unprecedented. Just as he was contemplating whether to deploy his reality marble on an unprecedented scale to counter it, the conflict between the two was interrupted.

Dense, white beams of light shot into the sky... no, that wasn't light; perhaps "threads" would be a more accurate term?

These densely packed threads shot vertically into the high heavens, then bloomed uniformly like fireworks before being pulled back down from above, piercing the ground one by one.

"Birdcage."

This signaled that Doflamingo had arrived, and with characteristic decisiveness, he had used his ability to seal off the island. It was a wise judgment, though the only flaw was that it was all a bit too late. By now, Law had likely already experienced the unforgettable taste of a Devil Fruit.

Before long, a buzzing sound similar to a multi-rotor drone echoed from above. Qiubai looked up to see a fat man flying outside the Birdcage. It was the reconnaissance duo, Buffalo and Baby-5.

"Brother Qiubai, what are you doing? Young Master has arrived!" Baby-5’s voice drifted down from the air.

"Nothing, just searching for traces of Rosinante. Does Doffy have any new instructions?" Qiubai replied.

"No, please continue with your original mission!"

Even after Doflamingo’s arrival, he would not immediately find Rosinante. However, with the "Birdcage" in place, Rosinante should have realized that escape was impossible. Perhaps Law still had a glimmer of hope, but it would require an extreme measure to create it. Of course, Law might have been able to easily slip through the gaps of the Birdcage—after all, a child had succeeded in doing just that this time—but Rosinante clearly hadn't considered such a possibility.

While conversing with Baby-5, Qiubai walked away with a movement that seemed natural but was, in fact, incredibly deliberate. He appeared to be continuing his search for Rosinante, as if he had completely forgotten about Vergo. Or perhaps, Vergo, who had armed himself until he looked like an African tribesman, had been utterly ignored. There is no truth more heartbreaking than being treated as if one does not exist.

Fortunately, as a top executive of the family, Vergo understood the importance of the big picture. He suppressed his various negative emotions and headed off in a different direction to search for Rosinante.

As the rest of the family members went to hunt down Rosinante, Doflamingo headed straight for the pirates' ship. He clung to a sliver of hope to confirm a fact that really needed no confirmation. His efforts proved to be an exercise in futility, for the Op-Op Fruit had indeed been stolen; the dim-witted pirates certainly wouldn't have thought to use an apple as a decoy to mislead those with ulterior motives.

And what would happen once the fruit reached Rosinante's hands? Doflamingo could already imagine everything. Why had things gone so wrong? For a moment, Doffy didn't even know where to vent his rage. Was Qiubai to blame? Honestly, he had merely been slacking off and watching the situation develop with indifference this time; he hadn't intentionally caused chaos like he did during the mermaid incident. Ultimately, it was Doflamingo’s own mistake. If he hadn't told Rosinante about the Op-Op Fruit, there might not have been any problems at all.

"Found him! We've found Rosinante!" Gladius's shout interrupted Doflamingo’s thoughts.

After hiding Law, Rosinante, fueled by a resolve for self-sacrifice, had revealed himself to the family members. He knew full well what fate awaited him if he appeared before his older brother.

Rosinante, whose combat ability was mediocre, was nearly beaten by the entire group. Due to certain circumstances, even Ain gave him several kicks without much hesitation. By the time Qiubai arrived at the scene, the ordeal was nearing its end. Betrayal of the family meant death—it was that simple, even for Doflamingo’s own brother. Seeing a subtle gesture from Ain, Qiubai felt at ease.

After Doflamingo learned from Rosinante that Law had already consumed the Op-Op Fruit, he naturally wanted to regain control of the boy. However, he regretfully received a false report from Baby-5 and Buffalo: the Navy had already protected a youth. Because of Rosinante’s bluffing and Doflamingo’s preconceived notions, the youth’s identity was immediately assumed to be Law. No one suspected that it was just an unrelated stranger—except for Qiubai. He remembered clearly that Law was currently hiding inside the treasure chest behind Rosinante.

With his own brother revealed as a Navy spy and the primary target, the Op-Op Fruit, now lost, Doflamingo was momentarily struck by a tragic, melancholic feeling that "it is not I who is wrong, but the world."

The two Donquixotes stood pointing handguns at one another, but Doflamingo knew that Rosinante could never pull the trigger on his brother. And so it was; Rosinante had no intention of firing.

But he was different, because he was Doflamingo.

For some reason, Rosinante’s gaze shifted toward Qiubai, who was acting as a background wall. He vaguely recalled a cryptic sentence the man had uttered when they first met: "When it is time to die, one must die thoroughly."

So, was it finally time for him to die?

Noticing Rosinante’s fleeting glance, Qiubai offered a standard, professional smile, as if he were bidding someone farewell from this world with the utmost kindness.

The finale was no longer worth watching. The executives began to turn and leave. Qiubai was the first to step forward, hoisting the not-so-small wooden chest onto his shoulder. Although they had lost the Devil Fruit, the family hadn't walked away empty-handed; they had plundered the wealth accumulated by their peers over the years, which at least covered their travel expenses—there was even a surplus. Though, that would never be enough to improve Doflamingo’s mood.

Unnoticed by anyone, Qiubai slipped a note into the chest.

After gathering everything worth taking, the group began to move toward the shore. Providing a rhythmic soundtrack to the executives' departure were the steady gunshots from their captain. The sound of gunpowder propelling lead bullets from the barrel revealed only his fury and decisiveness.

What necessity was there to maintain such blood ties? A brother who was worthless and only brought harm had no reason to live.

From this moment on, there was only one Donquixote in the world.

The one who fell could only be Rosinante.