A Conversation (Please Read!)

Buru buru buru~

Buru buru buru~

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"Is that Tsuru? Calling at this hour must mean the capture operation has concluded."

Inside the Fleet Admiral's Office at Marine Headquarters, a man wearing frog-eyed glasses smiled as he picked up the Den Den Mushi. His long chin beard was braided, and a seagull symbolizing the "Navy" perched on his cap. Beneath it was a head of unruly hair.

This man was none other than the current highest authority in the Navy, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, known as "Buddha Sengoku."

"Ah, that slippery brat got away again."

Tsuru's voice came from the other end of the line.

"I see. That's certainly a headache."

"There might be something even more troubling."

"Don't tell me Doflamingo's gotten in touch with those Celestial Dragons again?"

"..."

"Hahaha, I'm just kidding. Go on, I'm listening."

"I'm calling about a child."

This time, Sengoku listened quietly as Tsuru explained. His expression gradually grew serious.

"A boy of only about ten who can already use Flying Slash so skillfully—he's certainly a rare sword prodigy. What a shame. Sigh!"

The thought that such a promising talent might have been driven toward the Donquixote Family by some of the Navy's actions, setting him on an evil path, filled him with grief and deep helplessness.

"Although I don't know where you get the information you give me about the Donquixote Family every time, I have a rough idea. Maybe you can ask him and see if there's still a chance to turn things around. At the very least, we have to find a way to keep him away from the Donquixote Family. Otherwise, I can't imagine what that boy will become in ten years. A swordsman? Or even a Great Swordsman? Do you really want the Navy to have another enemy like that?"

Tsuru spoke calmly, but her words went straight to the heart of the matter.

A prodigious young talent wasn't frightening. What was frightening was a monster painstakingly raised by an evil force!

Tsuru's instincts told her that if they didn't find a way to deal with this now, the boy could become an even more troublesome figure than Doflamingo.

Sengoku fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "In principle, I can't tell you anything. But I'll see what I can do. Just don't get your hopes up."

No matter what the future held, his first priority was to ensure the safety of the undercover agent.

Even if the boy grew into one of the Navy's greatest foes, as Tsuru predicted, he would never let that person take any risks.

Whether for personal or professional reasons, he had made his decision, and nothing would change it!

Tsuru sighed softly at his words. "I hope you're right. I'll have someone send you the details of the operation shortly."

"Thanks for your hard work. Take some time to rest with your people. Wait for my word."

After hanging up, Tsuru gazed at the bright sky and murmured, "I hope I'm just being too sensitive. This world has never been short of geniuses, but in the end, only a handful ever stand at the top of the sea."

At the end of an alley in the port town of Spadamalus.

"Damn it, you made me miss the operation! Just you wait. When Doflamingo gets back, I'll expose you as a fraud and tell everyone you can talk!"

Luo kicked a trash can hard, then glared at Corazon with undisguised hostility.

He'd waited so long, and at last he'd had the chance to kill and take revenge on the world. But right before he could leave, this bastard had stopped him.

If Corazon hadn't covered up the fact that Luo had stabbed him instead of exposing him, Luo wouldn't even have bothered talking to the man.

"Hey, hey, hey. Silence."

Corazon snapped his fingers and used the Silence-Silence Fruit to keep anyone else from hearing their conversation. Then he leisurely smoked his cigarette, entirely unbothered by Luo's threat.

Well, when Luo had first threatened him with that, he had been a little nervous.

But in truth, Luo had only been talking. If he'd meant to tell, he would've done it already instead of waiting until now. So Corazon had long since put his mind at ease.

"Come on, no need to say things in anger. I'm keeping you from going for your own good. This operation will be dangerous."

"I think staying with you is what's dangerous. When you decide to play with fire, stay away from me, okay?"

"Hm? Ahhhhh! It's hot, it's hot!"

Bang!

At some point, the cigarette in his mouth had set his feather coat on fire. As he frantically tried to pat out the flames, he accidentally tripped over his own feet and fell.

He rolled around on the ground and struggled for quite a while before finally getting back up, covered in dust and soot.

Though Luo had seen it happen before, he still found the sight both astonishing and exasperating!

"How can someone be this naturally airheaded?"

Remembering how badly this clumsy fool, who could trip over nothing, had once beaten him—and how he'd run away on his own—made Luo so angry he wanted to glare holes through Corazon!

"Ah, I was born a clumsy, awkward fool. There's no cure for it."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Ahem. Anyway, you have to leave before Doflamingo gets back. Don't ever come back."

"No way! Some fated clan, the Clan of 'D,' the natural enemy of the gods—it's all nonsense. I can't understand any of it! Anyway, I'm staying. I'm going to become a monster who kills without mercy!"

Luo stormed off.

Corazon was about to stop him, but the most important Den Den Mushi in his coat suddenly rang.

With no other choice, he had to let Luo go and answer it.

"This is Big Senpai."

"This is Ximigu. A silence barrier has been set up around us. Please give your instructions."

After confirming the code phrases, "Big Senpai" immediately said, "The operation to capture Doflamingo failed again."

"Failed again? Was the information I sent too late, so you couldn't get there in time?"

"No, it wasn't your fault. The information you sent was timely. Something unexpected happened along the way. Anyway, you did well. Make sure you stay safe, and don't reveal Doflamingo's whereabouts for the time being, so you don't arouse suspicion."

"Yes, understood."

"Also, I'd like to know whether a boy recently joined the Donquixote Family."

Corazon froze for a moment, then promptly replied, "Someone did join, but it wasn't one boy. It was two."

"Two? How much do you know about them? Is there any chance we can get them to leave the Donquixote Family, like we did before?"