No One Can Make Me Shut Up

Corazon was the code name for the leader of one of the Donquixote Family's four officer divisions, the Heart Army. The second to hold the title was Rosinante; the first was the bespectacled Marine before them.

"Vergo?" Rosinante called out the other man's name. Staring at the Marine's corpse twitching in a pool of blood, he asked in shock and anger, "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that." Vergo's expression was cold as he stepped over the corpse and advanced, one step at a time.

"The family's meeting is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, at Swallow Island in the southwest. Why are you here at this time? What does the fire on the mountaintop have to do with you?"

"Stop!" Rosinante drew his Lead Bullet Gun and kept his finger on the trigger. He finally understood where Vergo had gone after stepping down from his post—the man had joined the Marines as a spy!

Facing the gun barrel, Vergo remained expressionless. He ripped off the Marine's cloak, revealing a chest and arms defined by bulging muscles. Matte black Armament Haki covered his skin, making him look utterly indestructible.

"Rosinante, I've always wondered where you went during all those years you were missing. I think I understand now. Were you just looking for the Marines?"

Two spies, meeting on a desolate island in the dead of winter.

The wind and snow sapped their body heat. Rosinante's hand around the gun was frozen to the bone, yet sweat covered his back.

He knew Vergo was far stronger than he was.

"The Donquixote Family's first rule: never betray the family!" Anger crept into Vergo's voice as he clenched his iron-black fist. "You're Doffy's own brother!"

Rosinante gritted his teeth and said nothing, just as he had while posing as a mute for years. The surveillance ship was beneath the sea cliffs behind Vergo, still a long way off. With his path blocked, Rosinante could only retreat, drawing Vergo away as he tried to escape.

Vergo took out a Den Den Mushi and dialed. "I'm calling Doffy now. He can decide what to do with you..."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Lead Bullet Gun fired three times, emptying its clip in one burst.

The bullets struck the hard, Armament-coated chest and slid uselessly to the ground with a series of metallic pings.

Vergo shielded the Den Den Mushi with one hand. The lightning-shaped sideburns on his cheek framed an incredulous, cold smile. "You want to fight me?"

Rosinante quickly reloaded and glanced at Conrad. The boy had the potential for Conqueror's Haki, but he was still too young.

"Kid! Run! Go find Vice Admiral Tsuru and ask her for protection. If you can, tell Luo..."

"My name is Conrad!" Conrad strode forward through the snow, chest out. He planted one hand on his hip and jabbed a finger at Vergo's nose with the other, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"You brazen pirate! Your identity has been exposed! Our forces have surrounded this island! Get your ass on the ground and surrender!"

His booming voice rang out. The oppressive gloom beneath the dark sky seemed to vanish, leaving him standing beneath a bright, open sky where the spy dared not stir.

"Shut your mouth, kid!"

Vergo charged, like a raging bull from a Dressrosa gladiator arena. His powerful momentum shoved the snow aside, keeping it from blowing near him.

"Unless I'm mute and can't talk, no one can make me shut up!" Conrad raised his voice higher and higher, as if declaring to the world that he'd make the whole island—and even the lands beyond—hear him. "Come on! Let's blow this guy to hell!"

Rosinante snapped out of his brief daze and focused, opening fire.

The Lead Bullet Gun couldn't pierce Vergo's defenses, but at least it could wear him down a little.

Vergo charged straight through the bullets without dodging. He raised his right arm above his shoulder, winding up for a punch that shot toward Rosinante's face like a cannonball.

Rosinante crossed his arms to shield his head and braced for the blow. His bloodline had given him a towering frame over four meters tall, and even without powerful Haki, his physical abilities were exceptional.

But his opponent was too strong. His blood roiled, and his frozen, numb arms could have been broken for all he knew.

Still, he wasn't fighting alone. The boy beside him stepped forward and threw a punch, passing Rosinante as they crossed. The look they shared in that instant made Rosinante understand what the boy was telling him.

And so, in the very moment that the Calm-Calm Fruit user—Rosinante, who had posed as a mute for years—could no longer withstand the beating and was sent flying,

he spat a mouthful of blood onto Vergo's iron-black face and let out the most piercing scream of his life: "Help! The pirate's killing people!"

At the same time, Conrad swung his fist, direct and domineering, at Vergo's throat. "Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist!"

Amid the chaos and noise, Vergo's cold expression finally shifted, giving way to clear irritation. These two weaklings actually dared to face him head-on?

His sunglasses turned toward Conrad. His left arm snapped up as if by teleportation. Instead of protecting his throat, he threw a lightning-fast punch into Conrad's stomach.

Thud!

Conrad spat out a huge mouthful of blood and flew away like a kite, landing face-down in the snow. Blood vessels crept across his star-bright black eyes. "Still a little short of the mark..."

Vergo stood in place, like a statue cast from iron. He didn't pursue them, but touched his Adam's apple and swallowed twice.

Perhaps because the blow had landed so close to his head, he felt a dizzy, shattering sensation, as if a hammer had struck his skull. The boy's Haki had gotten through to him.

"Are you all right?" Rosinante recovered enough to try to help Conrad.

"I'm fine!" Conrad shoved off with his hands and feet and sprang upright. Ignoring his ruptured organs, he spat out blood and steadied himself. "You take the left, I'll take the right! We'll charge from opposite sides!"

Rosinante felt his blood inexplicably heating up. He nodded firmly and leaned forward to charge.

But a voice he knew all too well rang out, making his whole body tense with alarm. Even the adrenaline flooding his veins couldn't suppress his instinctive panic.

"Hey, hey~ Vergo, what's the situation?" The Den Den Mushi in Vergo's pocket connected. Its voice was low, with a hint of amusement that brought to mind a mocking grin.

"Doffy!" Vergo snatched up the receiver and hurriedly said, "Corazon—your own brother—is a Marine spy! Our plans may all be exposed! Where are you now?"

There was a pause at the other end. Then the snail twisted into a sinister grin. "It's sad, but my suspicions were right."

"I was just watching the bay at our rendezvous point, Swallow Island, and spotted two Marine warships. So I've already gone around to the east side of Minion Island and am preparing to land. Where are you?"

"Charge!" Conrad wasn't about to wait for them to finish their phone call. He immediately circled around to the right and ran toward the sea cliff. Rosinante didn't hesitate either, dashing to the left.

Vergo watched Conrad closely, frowning. "On the island's west coast, along the forest path from the surveillance ship's cliff up the mountain. I stopped Corazon and a boy, but the boy doesn't have the white spots of Amber Lead Syndrome. He also says his name isn't Ro..."

"You didn't kill them, did you? Their target is probably the Op-Op Fruit. They may already have it."

"No." Vergo glanced toward the smoke and flames rising from the pirate crew's base on the mountaintop, then moved to intercept Rosinante, who was running faster.

"Catch them. We'll be there soon. BABY-5, Buffalo, you two fly out and scout ahead. Monitor Marine communications."

Vergo hung up and sprang through the snow.

Turning sideways, he used Geppo to slam into Rosinante, carrying his momentum into a thunderous barrage of Armament-coated punches and kicks.

Rosinante had trained in the Six Powers too, and raised Tekkai, but under Vergo's assault, it was as if he had no defenses at all. In the blink of an eye, his face was beaten beyond recognition.

But he gritted his teeth and held on, buying Conrad time.

Seeing him stubbornly endure the beating, Vergo changed tactics. He clamped a hand around Rosinante's neck like an iron pincer, hoisted him up with Geppo, then turned and pursued the others.

Even burdened with a captive, Vergo could easily catch up to Conrad, like a hawk swooping down on a rabbit.