No One Can Make Me Shut Up

Corazon, the codename for the leader of the "Heart Army," one of the four executive divisions of the Donquixote Family. The second to hold this title was Rosinante, while the first was the marine in sunglasses standing right before him.

"Vergo?" Rosinante called out the man's name. Looking at the twitching corpse of the marine in the pool of blood, he asked in shock and fury, "Why are you here?"

"That is a question I should be asking you." Vergo's expression was cold; he stepped over the corpse and pressed forward, step by step.

"The Family's scheduled meeting is the day after tomorrow at Swallow Island in the southwest. Why are you appearing at this location at this time? And what does the fire on the mountaintop have to do with you?"

"Stop right there!" Rosinante drew his Lead Bullet Gun and pulled the trigger. He finally understood where Vergo had gone after stepping down from his post—he had been undercover in the Navy all along!

Facing the muzzle, Vergo remained expressionless. He ripped off his marine cloak, revealing a chest and arms defined by thick, muscular slabs. Matte-colored Armament Haki coated his skin, granting him an indestructible appearance.

"Rosinante, I have always wondered where you went during those years you were missing. I think I understand today. Were you actively seeking out the Navy just now?"

Two undercover agents, meeting on a desolate, frozen island.

The wind and snow devoured their body heat. The hand Rosinante used to grip his gun was frozen to the bone, yet his back was drenched in hot sweat.

He knew clearly that Vergo's strength was far superior to his own.

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

Rosinante gritted his teeth and remained silent, just as he had while playing the mute for years. The surveillance ship was still a long distance away, down the sea cliff behind Vergo. With his path blocked, he could only retreat and try to maneuver his way out.

Vergo pulled out a Den Den Mushi to dial. "I am contacting Doffy now. Let him decide how to deal with you..."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The lead bullets fired in rapid succession, emptying the chamber.

They struck the muscular, armored chest, sliding off uselessly with a crisp metallic clatter.

Vergo shielded the Den Den Mushi with his palm, his lightning-shaped sideburns pulling into an incredible, cold sneer. "You intend to... cross blades with me?"

Rosinante quickly reloaded, glancing sideways at Conrad. Though the boy had the aptitude for Conqueror's Haki, he was ultimately too young.

"Kid! Run! Go find Vice Admiral Tsuru of the Navy and seek protection! If you can, help me tell Law..."

"My name is Conrad!" Conrad held his head high and stepped through the snow. He moved forward three paces, one hand on his hip, the other pointing a finger at Vergo's nose, and roared at the top of his lungs:

"Audacious pirate! Your identity has been exposed! This island has been surrounded by our forces! Kneel and surrender immediately, damn it!"

His voice rang out loud and clear, seemingly sweeping away the oppressive atmosphere in the gloomy sky, standing in the bright, clear air that spies usually avoided.

"Shut your mouth, brat!"

Vergo charged like a bull from the Dressrosa coliseum. His powerful momentum pushed even the flying snow aside, preventing it from blowing near him.

"Unless I go mute and lose the ability to speak, no one can make me shut up!" Conrad's words grew even louder, as if declaring to the world, wanting the entire island and even the seas beyond to hear him. "Damn it! Let's blow him up!"

Rosinante, briefly stunned, pulled his focus back and opened fire.

Though the Lead Bullet Gun could not break through his defense, it could at least drain a bit of the opponent's stamina.

Vergo ran toward the bullets without dodging or flinching. He raised his right arm over his shoulder to build power, aiming to smash it straight into Rosinante's face like a cannonball.

Rosinante braced his arms to protect his head and take the hit. His lineage gave him a towering frame of over four meters; even without formidable Haki, his physical constitution remained excellent.

Yet, the opponent's strength was too great, causing his blood to surge. He couldn't tell if his arms, numb from the cold, had already broken.

But he was not fighting alone. The boy beside him had already stepped forward to throw a punch, passing him by. The eye contact in that fleeting moment made him understand what the boy was expressing.

And so, the user of the Calm-Calm Fruit, the man who had pretended to be a mute for years, did so the second his body could no longer withstand the heavy blow and he was sent flying.

He spat out a mouthful of blood onto Vergo's iron-black face and let out a shrill, miserable scream unlike anything he had ever made in his life: "Help!! Pirates are killing people!!"

At the same time, Conrad's fist had already been thrown, upright and domineering, striking toward Vergo's throat: "Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist!"

Amidst the chaotic noise, Vergo's cold face finally flickered, showing clear irritation. These two weaklings actually dared to face him head-on?

His sunglasses shifted to look at Conrad. His left arm bent and lifted with the speed of teleportation; instead of defending his own throat, he delivered a swift, hooking punch into Conrad's stomach.

Boom!

Conrad vomited a large mouthful of blood and flew off like a kite, landing in a heap in the snow. Blood vessels crawled across his black eyes, which had been as bright as stars in the night sky. "Still... a step behind, huh..."

Vergo remained standing in place, a veritable iron-cast statue. He did not pursue, instead touching his own Adam's apple and swallowing hard.

Perhaps because it was too close to his head, he felt a sudden sense of dizziness and fragmentation, as if a hammer had smashed into his brain—he had been struck by the boy's Haki.

"Are you alright!" Rosinante caught his breath, wanting to help Conrad.

"No problem!" Conrad pushed off with his hands and feet, springing up from the ground. Ignoring his ruptured internal organs, he spat out blood and stood firm. "You take the left, I take the right! We charge separately!"

Rosinante felt his blood inexplicably stirred and heating up. He nodded heavily, bending his waist to sprint.

But an incredibly familiar voice rang out, causing his entire body to tense up in a stress response. Even the adrenaline he had just secreted could not mask his instinctive panic.

"Hey, hey~ Vergo, any situation to report?" The Den Den Mushi in Vergo's pocket connected, the tone carrying a mix of gloom and laughter that made one think of a mocking grin.

"Doffy!" Vergo grabbed the receiver and said anxiously, "Corazon, your own brother, is a Navy mole! Our plans have likely all been exposed! Where are you now?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment, then the snail formed a sinister smile. "Though it is sad, my guess has indeed come to pass."

"I was just observing the bay at the rendezvous point, Swallow Island, and actually discovered two Navy warships. So, I have already circled around to the east side of Minion Island, preparing to dock and land. Your position?"

"Charge!" Conrad didn't have the habit of waiting for people to finish their phone calls. He decisively circled around from the right, running toward the sea cliff. Rosinante did not hesitate either, sprinting toward the left.

Vergo looked at Conrad, scrutinizing him carefully, before frowning and saying, "On the west coast of the island, on the forest path leading up from the surveillance ship's cliff, I intercepted Rosinante and a boy. But the boy didn't have the white spots of Amber Lead Syndrome, and he didn't claim his name was Law..."

"You didn't kill them, did you? Their target is likely the Op-Op Fruit; they might have already obtained it."

"No." Vergo glanced toward the smoke rising from the pirate crew's stronghold on the mountaintop, then moved to intercept the faster-moving Rosinante.

"Capture them. We will be there shortly. Baby-5, Buffalo, you two fly out first to scout and monitor the Navy's communications."

Hanging up the receiver, Vergo kicked off the snow and soared into the air.

Turning his body sideways, he used Geppo to charge straight at Rosinante, his limbs wrapped in the force of the impact, striking with the thunderous power of Armament Haki.

Rosinante had also trained in the Six Powers of the Navy and braced himself with Tekkai, but under Vergo's onslaught, it was as if he had no defense at all, and in the blink of an eye, he was beaten beyond recognition.

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

Seeing him stubbornly resisting, Vergo changed his strategy, gripping his neck like an iron vice, lifting him up while stepping on Geppo, and turning to pursue the others.

Even while dragging a captive, Conrad had already run quite a distance, but Vergo could still easily intercept him, like a goshawk pouncing on a rabbit.