The Headquarters Siblings

"Brother Ron!"

Ron had just stepped out of the cafeteria when a rapid patter of footsteps sounded behind him.

Before he could turn around, a little body had already barreled into his lower leg.

"Ow."

He looked down. Soft strawberry-blond hair spilled over her shoulders, and her green eyes shone like emeralds dipped in honey. She wore a pink dress with red dots and a little round hat in a matching color.

Hibari (age 9)

It was nine-year-old Hibari, both arms wrapped tightly around his leg. She refused to let go.

"How did you sneak into headquarters again?"

"Grandma went to a meeting, and there was nobody to play with me. I was bored to death!"

"So you went running around everywhere?"

"I did not."

Hibari tilted her little face up at him. "I came to find you."

"What for?"

"To play."

Ron looked up at the Fleet Admiral's office building in the distance. Sengoku was still waiting for him inside.

As soon as he finished speaking, Hibari reached up to him with practiced ease and waved her little hands. "Carry me."

"You're nine already, and you still want to be carried?"

"Can't I be carried when I'm nine?"

"You have feet. Why don't you walk?"

"I don't feel like walking."

Ron laughed. "Fine. You're really going places."

He scooped the little girl up with one hand. At over two and a half meters tall, he carried a nine-year-old as easily as picking up a kitten.

Hibari wrapped her arms around his neck and swung her legs. Then she suddenly asked, "Brother Ron, where did Brother Rosinante go?"

Ron's steps abruptly slowed.

"Why are you asking about him all of a sudden?"

"He hasn't come back in forever."

Hibari knitted her little brows and counted on her fingers with utmost seriousness. "Last time, he said he was going to the North Blue and would bring me back some fruit candy from there."

"But I still haven't seen any candy, and he hasn't come back either."

Ron said nothing.

He hadn't seen Rosinante these past few days either. Normally, the guy would have cornered him at the training grounds long ago, asking if he'd been hurt during training.

Ten years ago, Sakazuki had just brought Ron back to Marineford.

Back then, he was quiet and withdrawn, always squatting off to one side by himself after training, lost in thought. But Rosinante, who was six years older, always came over to him.

The first time he trained with Zephyr, he fell and hurt himself all over, and he didn't go to dinner.

Rosinante squatted outside the medical department waiting for him. When he saw Ron come out, he tossed him a bag of meat pies.

"I heard you missed dinner."

"Did you bring these just for me?"

"I was passing by."

He spoke casually, but when he caught sight of the little kid standing beside him just after picking up a cigarette, he hurriedly put it out.

Ron only found out later that the guy's dorm was in the opposite direction from the medical area.

Later, whenever Ron got scolded by Zephyr or Hibari caused trouble and got chased down for a scolding by Tsuru, Rosinante would always sneak the two of them out to find something to eat.

Rosinante

"Hibari, how long has it been since you saw him?"

"A really, really long time."

"Didn't Grandma Tsuru tell you anything?"

"Grandma won't let me ask about him."

Ron's gaze darkened slightly.

"Where is she now?"

"She's in a meeting in the conference room."

When they reached the entrance to the office building, he put Hibari down and reached out to pat the little hat on her head.

"Be good and go find Grandma yourself. I have important business to take care of."

"No! I'm waiting for you here."

"Don't go causing trouble in the other offices."

"Got it!"

Hibari obediently nodded, but when she touched her head and found her hat had been knocked askew, she puffed up her cheeks, ran after him, and gave his heel a light kick.

Ron laughed and strode away.

By the time he pushed open the door to the Fleet Admiral's Office, the smile on his face had faded.

"You wanted to see me?"

Sengoku sat behind his desk, several North Blue intelligence reports spread out before him.

There were no documents hurled at his head, nor was there Sengoku's usual booming voice.

"Sit down."

Instead, Ron grew wary. "You're suddenly being so pleasant that it's making me nervous."

"Cut the wisecracks."

Ron sat down without looking at the documents on the desk and got straight to the point. "Where did Rosinante go?"

Sengoku's hand paused as he leafed through the documents. It was only for a moment, but Ron caught it.

"He's on a mission."

"How long has he been gone?"

Sengoku didn't answer.

"What kind of mission is keeping him away from headquarters for so long?"

Sengoku put down the documents.

"I wasn't planning to tell you."

"What about now?"

"We happen to be short of hands on the North Blue arms case."

Sengoku glanced at him.

"You may be involved in the investigation too, so there's something I need to make clear to you first."

"What is it?"

"Rosinante is undercover in the Donquixote Family."

Ron raised a brow.

"Doflamingo?"

"Yes, his real older brother."

Just as I thought.

Fragments of memories from his previous life instantly came together in his mind: snow filling the skies over Minion Island, a gunshot, and Rosinante lying in a pool of blood, gradually covered by white snow...

Ron slowly leaned back in his chair.

"How long has he been undercover?"

"Not long. According to the latest intelligence, he's already worked his way up to a family officer. His codename is 'Corazon.'"

"How often does he make contact?"

"There's no set schedule."

"Any news recently?"

"A report came in a few days ago."

Sengoku frowned. "Why are you suddenly so concerned about this?"

"I'm worried."

Ron's gaze fell on a photograph on the desk. In it, a blond man wore sunglasses, his mouth stretched into a wild, crazed grin.

"You know better than I do what kind of man Doflamingo is. If he discovers Rosinante is undercover, he'll never give him the slightest chance to explain."

Sengoku's expression gradually darkened.

"As long as he doesn't act on his own, his identity should be safe for the time being—"

"Old man."

"Hmm?"

"You should know Rosinante's temperament better than I do."

Ron frowned.

"If he finds out Doflamingo is trading ordinary people, do you think he can keep holding back?"

Sengoku was silent for a moment.

"I've already warned him."

"If warnings worked, I wouldn't be worried."

Ron stood up.

"Don't assign me those upcoming missions. I'm going to the North Blue."

"No."

"Why?"

"You're too close to him. Besides, that face of yours is already famous among the North Blue pirates."

"If you suddenly show up near Donquixote Family territory, you'll only expose his identity outright."

Ron paused for a second. "Who said I was going to find him?"

"Then what are you going to the North Blue for?"

"To investigate pirates. The North Blue isn't Doflamingo's backyard."

Sengoku was silent for a moment.

"Fine, but on one condition."

"Go ahead."

"Don't draw your sword and cut Doflamingo down the moment you run into him."

"???" Ron looked utterly baffled.

"Am I not allowed to kill pirates now?"

"You can, but it's not that simple right now."

Sengoku pulled out a document and pushed it in front of him.

"A shipment of arms was recently discovered in the North Blue, and the militaries of several kingdoms are involved."

"The investigation followed the cargo ship and led to the Donquixote Family."

Ron opened the document.

"What else?"

"In the New World, Kaido's people have also been in contact with them."

Ron narrowed his eyes.

Sengoku continued, "If you kill him now, we'll lose the trail of the arms."

"I intend to dig out both the buyers behind this and their supply channels."

Ron stared at the map of the North Blue on the desk. "So, to draw out the people behind him, we have to hold back for now even though we know he has blood on his hands?"

"Sometimes, yes."

After he spoke, the office fell quiet for a moment.

Sengoku rested his elbows on the desk and propped up his chin. Suddenly, he spoke. "Ron."

"Hmm?"

"When your father gets angry, the whole world knows who he wants to kill."

Ron didn't answer.

"You're different."

Sengoku glanced at him. "The more relaxed your smile, the less sure I am."

"That doesn't sound like a compliment."

"It wasn't meant to be one."

Ron rubbed his nose and said nothing.

"Don't give me that!"

Sengoku slapped a transfer order down in front of him.

"Several North Blue branches are short of hands to investigate the arms case, and Tsuru is also following leads on the Donquixote Family."

"This mission is yours. If you find any key leads, report to Tsuru first."

"And don't make contact with Rosinante on your own."

Ron put the transfer order away. "As long as that flamingo doesn't cross my line, I'll try to stay out of it."

Sengoku rubbed his brow. "I knew you'd say that..."

Ron walked to the door.

"Ron."

"Hmm?"

"If you do run into Rosinante, tell him everything is fine at headquarters."

"You can tell him yourself."

"I can't contact him whenever I please. It would increase the risk of his cover being blown."

Ron turned around and suddenly smiled.

"I mean, when he comes back safe, you can tell him yourself."

Sengoku froze.

"I'll bring him back safely."

With those words, the office door gently closed.

Out in the hallway, Hibari was indeed sitting obediently on a bench, swinging her two short little legs.

The moment she saw Ron come out, the little girl jumped to her feet.

"Big brother Ron!"

"You really did wait here?"

"When is big brother Rosinante coming back?"

Ron looked into her sparkling eyes and reached out to pat her little hat. His voice softened. "Soon."

"Really?"

"Mm."

Hibari laughed with delight.

Ron looked toward the end of the hallway, but his gaze seemed to travel across a great distance, settling on that field of snow stained red with blood in his memory.