A Terrified Vergo

Broken planks still floated on the distant sea, and the smell of burning drifted in on the sea breeze.

The fires at the port had yet to be put out, but no one in the Donquixote Family dared speak.

Doflamingo stood beside a broken wall, his face dark.

Those slashes still lingered in his mind.

"All right."

Ron casually tossed Zhenyuan into the spatial door and brushed the dust off his coat.

"I've said hello and cleared out the pirates. Time for me to go."

With a click, an Air Door slowly opened beside him.

Doflamingo's face darkened, and he suddenly spoke. "Leaving already?"

Ron looked back with an easy smile. "What? Can't bear to see me go?"

A vein throbbed at Doflamingo's temple.

Trebol opened his mouth, but couldn't quite bring himself to say anything.

He'd figured it out: the more relaxed this brat's smile was, the uglier the young master's expression became.

"Ron."

Doflamingo gritted his teeth. "I'll remember what happened today."

"Good."

Ron nodded, sounding as though he were giving advice to a junior.

"Now that you'll remember, behave yourself. Otherwise, the next time I come by, you won't get off with just a beating."

"..."

Doflamingo nearly slapped himself. He could have just let Ron leave, so why had he opened his mouth?

Rosinante stood at the very back with his head lowered, his shoulders trembling slightly as he struggled to hold back his laughter.

Ron had already stepped halfway through the door when he suddenly stopped.

"Oh, right."

As though he'd remembered some insignificant little thing, he poked his head back out.

"That guy Vergo..."

As soon as he spoke, everything fell silent, leaving only the sound of the sea breeze.

Doflamingo's expression abruptly froze.

Several of the top officers around him exchanged glances without thinking.

They were all longtime family members, so they naturally knew where Vergo had been planted.

Even the lower-ranking members had been kept in the dark about that plan, yet Ron had casually mentioned his name.

Rosinante's pupils also contracted.

Vergo? The guy who had followed Doflamingo in the early days and then suddenly disappeared without a trace?

Why would Ron suddenly bring him up?

"What about him?"

Doflamingo stared at Ron, his voice flat and icy.

"Nothing."

Smiling, Ron began counting on his fingers. "He's hard-working. He picked up Armament Haki quickly, and he's got a solid grasp of the Six Powers. He's one of the best recruits, and his instructors don't want to let him go. Best of all—"

He deliberately paused.

"He's an even better actor."

Crack.

A piece of rubble beneath Doflamingo's foot was crushed to pieces. He could no longer smile.

Had Ron known from the start?

Then had Vergo just happened to deliver himself to Ron's doorstep when he boarded the Marine warship, or had this brat deliberately chosen him?

If it was the latter, how much of the information about the route, sailing speed, and operational schedule that had been sent back over the past few days was actually true?

Rosinante was startled too. Vergo actually infiltrated the Marines? No wonder I was able to fill the vacant officer position so easily back then.

"Don't look at me like that."

Ron waved a hand. "Relax, I'm not planning to kill him for now."

"Why?"

The question almost burst out of Doflamingo's mouth.

Ron blinked. "He's got so much potential. Wouldn't it be a waste to kill him? I'm planning to keep him on my ship."

"But you'd better pass a message on to him."

The smile faded a little from Ron's face.

"If he's staying in the Marines, he'd better be a proper Marine."

"If he passes on anything he shouldn't again, I can't guarantee he'll come back in one piece."

Doflamingo clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

Ron added, "Train him well. I'll have a use for him later."

With that, the Air Door closed completely with a click.

The figure in white vanished without a trace, leaving only the mournful sound of the sea breeze blowing through the broken walls of the manor.

"Young master..."

Trebol spoke cautiously.

"Has Vergo already been exposed?"

"Shut up!"

Doflamingo casually waved his hand, and nearly invisible strings tore several wooden crates nearby to pieces.

Bang!

Wood splinters flew everywhere.

The look in his eyes behind his sunglasses was frighteningly dark.

He had once thought that Vergo's infiltration of the Marines was a nail he had planted there.

Only now did he realize that someone might have had that nail in the palm of their hand all along.

Was Vergo watching Ron?

Or had Ron been using Vergo all along to send him the information he wanted him to hear?

"Young master, should we call Vergo back?" Diamante asked quietly.

Doflamingo didn't answer.

Call him back? If we do it now, there's no telling whether Ron will let him go. And once Vergo is exposed, the other Marines will definitely kill him.

Leave him there? That guy is right under Ron's nose every day.

Worst of all, they couldn't even guess how Ron planned to use this pawn.

"Don't do anything yet."

Doflamingo finally spoke, keeping his voice very low.

"Don't send any more critical intelligence through that line, and don't contact him out of the blue."

He looked up toward the place where the door had disappeared and gave a low chuckle.

"Fuffuffu... The Marines really have raised a terrifying monster."

This time, there was no trace of smugness in his laughter.

On the deck of a Marine warship in the North Blue.

The adjutant was arranging a change of watch when he suddenly heard a soft click.

An Air Door opened out of thin air, and Ron walked out, stretching as though he'd just come back from cadging a meal at the cafeteria next door.

"Major?"

The adjutant's eyes widened.

Just then, the communications officer came running over with a Den Den Mushi in his arms. "Urgent report from a nearby branch! All twelve of the Black Whale Pirates' warships were just wiped out outside a Donquixote Family port!"

An uproar broke out on deck.

Ron pointed at himself. "I did it. Remember to report it to headquarters and collect the bounty."

"Major, how did you get back so quickly?!"

"I finished talking."

"And the Donquixote Family...?"

"Still there."

"...What do you mean, still there?"

"Some of their buildings collapsed. Not many people died."

The adjutant's eyelid twitched. You call that 'finished talking'?

Vergo was standing by the rail and looked up the instant he heard the commotion.

He struggled to keep his expression steady, but his mind was in turmoil.

Ron had only just left, yet he was already back.

What had happened to the young master in such a short time?

Had the account books been moved? Had anyone been exposed?

Most importantly, had Ron met the young master or not?

He held back for as long as he could, but finally stepped forward and gave a proper salute.

"Major, how are things with the Donquixote Family...?"

Ron slowly turned his head, his gaze resting on Vergo's face for a second.

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Vergo's back.

He hadn't said a single word out of place, but for some reason, he felt as though he were standing in an interrogation room, with someone seeing straight through him.

"Nothing much."

Ron suddenly smiled. "I had a good chat with that flamingo."

"F-flamingo?"

"The one wearing pink feathers. He can jump pretty well, and he flies fast too."

Ron thought for a moment, then added, "His landing wasn't very graceful, though."

Vergo's heart sank.

The young master... actually got beaten up?!

"What, you know him?" Ron asked casually.

Vergo immediately shook his head, shaking it like a rattle. "No! I've only heard of him."

"Oh."

Ron patted him on the shoulder. "Then if there's a chance, I'll introduce you two sometime."

"...Thank you, Major."

Vergo nearly bit his own tongue.

No need! Really, there's no need!!

Ron had already turned to call to the adjutant. "Turn the warship around."

"Huh?"

The adjutant hurriedly opened a nautical chart. "Major, haven't we yet to reach the target port?"

"We're not going."

"Then the North Blue arms case..."

"We'll keep investigating, and send the report to Vice Admiral Tsuru as usual."

Ron reached out and tapped the chart, his tone casual. "I never said we were calling it a day."

The adjutant breathed a sigh of relief. "Then where are we going now?"

Ron remembered the little girl in the headquarters hallway holding out her little hand and asking for a present, then thought of the two bags of North Blue candy Rosinante had mentioned in the warehouse. He couldn't help smiling.

"Find an island nearby with a town."

"We're buying candy."

The adjutant: "..."

Vergo: "..."

You barged into the family's stronghold and beat up the young master, then came back and told me to keep investigating the arms case. And now you're turning around to buy candy?!

Vergo looked at the relaxed Ron and suddenly felt a despair unlike anything he had ever known.

Young master! Couldn't you think of a way to get me transferred back?

I don't want to spend another day undercover!!