Vergo's Bad Luck

Doflamingo?

Of course not!

Kane knew perfectly well that the one causing the disturbance was Doflamingo's younger brother, Rosinante—the spy Sengoku had planted beside Doflamingo.

To be honest, Kane rather admired Rosinante. After all, he had relied on the Calm-Calm Fruit, which possessed almost no combat power, to forcibly snatch the Op-Op Fruit from Barrels.

If he had not carelessly tripped while fleeing, he would not have been severely injured by the patrolling pirates.

Kane had suggested setting an ambush on Minion Island partly because he wanted to save Rosinante. There were not many good people in this world of pirates, and Rosinante counted as one.

But judging by the current situation, Kane had still arrived a step too late. Rosinante would definitely be seriously injured; whether he ultimately died depended on whether Kane could find him in time.

Time was of the essence. Kane immediately activated his Observation Haki and headed toward the hill with Cuckoo and Hina, while taking out his Den Den Mushi to contact Tsuru.

Tsuru had already received the news from the Marine surveillance ship and was on her way, but she could not help being stunned when she heard Kane's report.

"Someone got to the Op-Op Fruit before you did?"

Tsuru immediately came to the same conclusion as Cuckoo. "Could Doflamingo have already arrived?"

"That remains uncertain. We're heading to Barrels' stronghold to confirm it.

"If Doflamingo made the move, I'll find a way to hold them back, but we can't rule out the possibility that an unidentified fourth party acted first."

"Investigate immediately. I want firsthand intelligence."

Tsuru understood the urgency of the situation and swiftly ordered, "Kane, on the premise of keeping yourselves safe, delay Doflamingo as much as possible."

"Understood!"

Kane ended the call. Tsuru's orders had not mentioned the Op-Op Fruit once, but Kane knew perfectly well where the mission's true priority lay.

He turned to look at Cuckoo and Hina. Cuckoo gave a slight nod to show she understood, while Hina looked somewhat stiff. It was her first time taking part in such an important mission, and she was nervous.

Seeing this, Kane fell half a step behind and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about anything. Just stay close to me."

"Hina understands." Hina took a deep breath and obediently stopped overthinking, following closely behind Kane.

The three moved extremely fast and soon arrived outside the stronghold. Before they could get close, they saw eight or nine corpses lying in the snow, while angry roars rang out from inside.

"Find a way to snatch the Op-Op Fruit back for me first! That thing is worth five billion!"

Kane stopped, shook his head, and began examining the bodies.

"It was indeed taken, and Doflamingo wasn't the one who did it."

Cuckoo and Hina exchanged glances. Cuckoo asked curiously:

"How do you know?"

"The footprints and the bloodstains."

Kane pointed at the messy snow around the corpses, his voice calm and certain.

"There is only one set of footprints leading away from the stronghold, and the strides are huge. That means one person was running at full speed, which doesn't fit Doflamingo's crew's habit of moving in groups.

"And there are signs of fighting and large bloodstains right in the middle of these bodies. That means he was surrounded by them and fought back. He killed them, but he was injured.

"Afterward, his footprints became messy and dragging, which means his injuries were severe."

Hina's eyes lit up.

"Hina understands! As long as we follow the footprints, we can find the Op-Op Fruit!"

"That's right."

Kane nodded, then turned to explain proactively to Cuckoo. "Doflamingo hasn't appeared yet. That's the best news we could have.

"But to ensure the operation goes smoothly, we need to recover the Op-Op Fruit first."

Cuckoo nodded. "Before we set out, Vice Admiral Tsuru told me to follow your command in everything. You don't need to explain every single thing to me."

Though she said that, Kane's attitude pleased Cuckoo greatly.

"Let's go."

Kane had already guessed what they might encounter once they caught up, so he quickened his pace and followed the tracks.

The matter was too important for the three to hesitate. In the blink of an eye, they followed the footprints to the outside of some ruins.

Just then, dull thuds of flesh being struck suddenly came from within the ruins, mixed now and then with furious scolding and a child's wails!

"...Never thought... there'd be such a big... rat... inside the Family..."

"...Stop it! Mr. Cora... will be beaten to death by you!"

"...Just because you... his own younger brother... Doffy never..."

Kane's expression darkened. Cuckoo shot him a questioning look, but he raised a finger to signal silence and quietly crept toward the source of the voices.

Soon, the three reached the edge of the ruins, and a tall, muscular man entered their view.

The man wore a Marine uniform, with lightning-shaped sideburns at his temples. His sunglasses concealed his eyes, but his face was extremely grim. Clearly, he was in a terrible mood.

At his feet lay two figures, one large and one small. Both were covered in blood and looked miserable, clearly having just suffered a vicious beating.

Vergo!

The Donquixote Family's first Corazon!

The spy Doflamingo had planted within the Marines!

A name flashed through Kane's mind. He silently cursed himself for still arriving half a step too late, though he did not know whether Vergo had already contacted Doflamingo.

The appearance of Kane and the others immediately put Vergo on alert. He demanded warily, "Who are you people?"

To avoid exposing their identities during the operation, all three were dressed in civilian clothes. Hearing this, Cuckoo stepped forward.

"I'm Marine Headquarters Colonel Cuckoo. Who are you? State your unit number and position!"

Vergo's heart immediately sank. He knew Cuckoo; she was one of Tsuru's powerful Marine officers.

He had not yet had time to contact Doffy. To encounter Cuckoo now, could it be...

Tsuru had come to Minion Island too?

Hadn't they been lured to Swallow Island?

It was a trap!

He had to get the message to Doffy!

With that thought, a vicious glint flashed in Vergo's eyes behind his sunglasses, though his expression remained doubtful.

"Please show identification proving who you are. Otherwise, I refuse to answer your..."

Before he could finish, Kane interrupted with a cold laugh. "The Doffy you just called out to was Doflamingo, wasn't it?"

Vergo froze, then spread his hands. "I don't know what you're talki—"

Soru!

Kane vanished from where he stood. The next instant, he appeared in front of Vergo, his pitch-black fist wrapped in Armament Haki smashing straight toward Vergo's face!

Boom!

A thunderous impact erupted, and the gusts between them blasted up a swath of snow.

Vergo crossed his arms before him to block, feeling a faint ache in his arm bones. His feet plowed two long trails through the ground as Kane's single punch sent him back several meters!

This guy... his strength is terrifying!

Kane stood where he was and rolled his wrist.

Setting aside all the other abilities he had copied, the combination of Giant Strength and Armament Haki was not something as simple as one plus one equaling two.

Every punch he threw was like an unstoppable battering ram, smashing everything in front of him to pieces!

Kane looked at Vergo provocatively. "Take a guess at how long we've been watching from the side.

"To make sure you don't guess wrong, I'll give you a hint. Be bold—guess more than three minutes."

More than three minutes...

They had seen everything?!

Vergo no longer held even the slightest hope of luck. He assumed a fighting stance and focused intently.

Kane, however, wore a teasing expression, like a cat toying with a mouse, as he walked toward Vergo step by step.

His words were not meant only for Vergo; they were also for Cuckoo and Hina behind him.

Sure enough, after hearing Kane's words and seeing Vergo's reaction, both women's expressions immediately turned grave.

Cuckoo gripped her sword hilt in reverse, while Hina spread her arms, ready to activate her ability at any moment. They moved to Vergo's flanks from opposite sides.

Vergo's face darkened further, and rage burned in his heart.

Damn it!

They had been hiding in the dark all along!

As expected, they're a bunch of hypocrites. They actually stood by and watched Rosinante die!

The thought of retreat arose in Vergo's mind. The man before him was already difficult enough to handle. If the other two women were as strong as he was, then he had absolutely no chance of winning one against three.

Only after joining up with Doffy and the Family's officers would he have a chance to deal with them.

But...

Could he get away?

Thinking of Tsuru, who could be hidden somewhere nearby, Vergo grew increasingly anxious, clenching his fists tightly.

Pururururu...

The Den Den Mushi suddenly began ringing. Vergo instinctively glanced toward his pocket, only for Kane's figure to abruptly disappear from his field of vision.

Crafty bastard!

Just as the shocked and furious Vergo covered his entire body in Haki, a dark blur appeared at the corner of his eye—a pitch-black fist hurtling toward his temple!

Before the fist even arrived, the fierce wind it carried had already tightened the skin on his face!

Caught off guard, Vergo hastily raised an arm to block and twisted his body slightly, trying to redirect the terrifying force behind Kane's punch.

Thud.

A soft sound rang out as fist met arm. The expected crushing impact never came, yet the fist changed direction the instant it touched him, perfectly disrupting his balance.

Damn it!

Vergo was startled and was just about to adjust his stance when a flash of blade light burst out beside him, streaking across his chest like lightning!

Blood burst forth!

Vergo roared in pain and swung his fist at Cuckoo, but Kane kicked the back of his knee, making him drop to his knees with a thud.

Cuckoo turned and swung her blade with perfect coordination. Her Haki-infused sword danced in a blur, its gleam circling Vergo like a flying bird and leaving afterimages in its wake.

Click.

As Cuckoo elegantly sheathed her sword, blood burst from Vergo's body in great sprays, splashing dark red across the pristine snow.

Before he could collapse, Hina had already rushed forward and activated her Devil Fruit power, binding him tightly.

Vergo sprawled helplessly on the ground. A hand suddenly slipped into his pocket and pulled out the Den Den Mushi, which was still ringing nonstop.

Vergo raised his head with difficulty and saw Kane answer it with a bright smile.