One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 225: Cheating Rosinante!

After a brief silence, Sengoku said in a deep voice, "Perhaps he really does have some issues... damn it. But he's a good boy, I know it."

"Now is not the time to get emotional, you idiot!" Tsuru scolded the wavering Sengoku before abruptly hanging up the Den Den Mushi.

She didn't want to listen to Sengoku's excuses or his pleas on behalf of Rosinante. It would just be more pointless justifications. If Sengoku were to act recklessly, it might implicate him even further. Without another word, she hung up, leaving Sengoku speechless on the other end.

After cutting off the connection,Tsuru returned to the deck.

As she watched the flames engulf Minion Island, her mind raced with thoughts. While Doflamingo seemed unharmed, there was definitely trouble brewing on their side.

If the operation to secure the Ope-Ope Fruit went without any issues, then fine.

If not, things could spiral out of control.

Supporting Sengoku's decisions might have been her instinct, but here? On this matter? As long as the World Government received the Ope-Ope Fruit, they likely wouldn't dig deeper into the details. But if there was a problem? This time, it wouldn't just be Marine facing consequences, it could bring disaster on all of them.

While Tsuru mulled over these thoughts, Claudius's ship, Prometheus, slowly docked in the port. Seeing this, Tsuru promptly disembarked from the warship to board the Prometheus.

Unlike Doflamingo, who she could treat with a colder attitude, Claudius was a Celestial Dragon of high standing, far above her rank. She couldn't afford to put up any pretense or airs. There was no way she could let Claudius come aboard the warship to meet her instead, it would be unthinkable.

As the flames from Minion Island reflected in Claudius's eyes, he seemed to have a vague idea of the situation but chose to feign confusion. When Tsuru approached, he turned to her with a questioning expression.

"Sister Tsuru, what's going on? The operation only just started, didn't it? Did you change the plan already? Are you resorting to force? Isn't that a bit reckless? If I recall correctly, Marine approved five billion Berries for this mission. Was there really a need to take such a big risk?" Claudius asked, pretending to be puzzled.

Tsuru's expression stiffened slightly. After a brief pause, she said, "Your Highness, some unforeseen circumstances have occurred on the island. Someone acted before us, and we had to adjust our plans accordingly."

Claudius's expression froze for a moment before darkening. "Was it Doffy? I warned him repeatedly not to act. Don't tell me he still ignored my orders?"

"No, no, Your Highness, there's no need to get upset. I don't think this has anything to do with Doflamingo," Tsuru quickly explained. "We haven't figured everything out yet, but we've already started intervening. I'm confident we'll get answers soon."

"It's nothing. This isn't the time to worry about me. Hurry up and eat this. We need to leave Minion Island as soon as possible!" Rosinante said as he grabbed Law. Without waiting for the boy's consent, he forced the Ope-Ope Fruit into his mouth, making him swallow it.

Dragging the retching Law along, Rosinante pressed onward until exhaustion finally overcame him.

"Mr. Corazon, where are we going now?" Law asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"To find my brother," Rosinante said suddenly, a conflicted expression crossing his face.

Unlike the original timeline, where Doflamingo's actions were purely evil, this version of Doflamingo wore the guise of a CP-X agent. In theory, Rosinante and Doflamingo were technically on the same side, even if they belonged to different factions.

Yes, Doflamingo was still as ruthless as ever, but he hadn't yet done anything so heinous that Rosinante couldn't bear it. Most importantly, Doflamingo hadn't killed their father in this version of events. As a result, Rosinante still harbored some remnants of brotherly affection for him.

Even though he was an undercover agent sent by Marine, Rosinante had never leaked any information about Doflamingo. There was nothing to leak, really. Doflamingo's actions, brutal as they were, aligned with the World Government's interests.

Only this time, Rosinante had "betrayed" Doflamingo by secretly handing the Ope-Ope Fruit to Law. But in Rosinante's mind, his brother was still the best option for ensuring Law's survival. If Law ended up in the hands of the World Government, it would be a death sentence.

Of course, if there had been a third option—somewhere to take Law to live out his days in obscurity—that would have been ideal. But given the circumstances, there was no choice.

Rosinante believed that, through their remaining brotherly bond, he might be able to reason with Doflamingo. As for the World Government? He knew he had no leverage there. Not even his godfather, Sengoku, could defy their authority. Being a Celestial Dragon himself, Rosinante understood all too well the limits of Marine's power against the will of the World Government.

"Your brother?" Law asked, confused. "Didn't you say we needed to stay away from him? Why are we going to him now?"

Before Rosinante could explain, a sharp slash suddenly struck the ground in front of them, blocking their path. Moments later, the figure of Gion emerged from the shadows, her blade glinting in the dim light.

"So it really was you, Rosinante," Gion said coldly, her voice laced with anger. "Hand over the Ope-Ope Fruit. Maybe, for Doflamingo's sake, I'll let you go."

"Momousagi...," Rosinante murmured, his expression darkening as he stared at her.

This was bad. Only a select few knew of his status as a Marine undercover agent, and Gion wasn't one of them. This made things far more complicated.