A conversation in the night

Time slipped quietly by.

Night fell, wrapping the city once more in darkness and faint lamplight.

In a cramped house, Doflamingo suddenly sat bolt upright in bed.

His breathing came fast, his chest heaved, and cold sweat slid down his temples.

Before he had fully regained his senses, those eyes had already surfaced in his mind.

Calm.

Unfathomable.

As though they could swallow every struggle, every ambition, every shred of anger—even his very soul.

So this was... Azure Dragon.

The thought sent an involuntary chill down his spine, and his fingertips trembled.

Noticing movement beside him, he whipped his head around.

On the other side of the bed, Rosinante slept quietly, curled up on himself.

His breathing was steady, but a trace of unease lingered on his face. His brow was slightly furrowed, as though he had yet to escape the day's chaos.

Doflamingo practically crawled over to him.

Kneeling beside the bed, he reached out with unprecedented care to check his brother's arms, shoulders, and neck, even examining the skin beneath his collar.

No wounds.

No blood.

At last, the tension that had held him rigid eased a little.

Just then—

"Oh, you're awake~"

A lazy, casual voice drifted over from the other side of the room.

Doflamingo jolted and turned on reflex.

Under the dim yellow lamplight, Rock sat at the wooden table in the middle of the room, utterly at ease.

A simple but clean tea set stood on the table. He was leisurely pouring water into a cup, the rising steam slowly dispersing through the light and shadows.

He had taken off the Marine coat that symbolized his authority and draped it casually over the back of a nearby chair.

Doflamingo raised a hand and pointed at him. His fingertip trembled, but he forced his voice