Op-Op Fruit / Baleruz Pirates

Atlas thought a lot. He definitely had to go to the New World. Putting aside the increase in strength, it was also related to his future promotion to the rank of Admiral. As a Candidate Admiral, he was no longer suitable to stay in a place like Paradise.

Thump thump thump...

Suddenly, a rhythmic knocking sound came from the office door, interrupting Atlas's thoughts.

"Please come in!"

Atlas snapped out of his reverie and said loudly.

Squeak!

The office door opened with a click, and a tall figure walked in slowly. The epaulets on the naval Justice cloak clearly showed his identity as a naval lieutenant commander, and his rugged face was covered with food scraps.

The most eye-catching thing is a French fry dipped in ketchup, and a pair of cool sunglasses hanging on the bridge of his nose, but the top of his short hair is abruptly missing a patch of hair that is still attached to his scalp.

Vergo!

Vergo was already quite capable, made significant contributions during Atlas's renewed purge of Sabaody, and was quickly promoted from captain to major, only one rank below Smoker after his promotion.

Smoker's physique is now almost fully Awakening with Two-Color Haki, but his Armament Haki is unreliable, while his Observation Haki Armament Haki is only so-so. Combined with his well-developed Logia abilities, he is much stronger than he was at the original time.

"Is there something you need, Vergo?"

Atlas was unsure of Vergo's motives. Although he knew from the beginning that Vergo was a spy sent by Doflamingo, he rarely used Den Den Mushi to communicate with Doflamingo. While he wouldn't get any valuable information given his current position, it was enough to show how cautious he was.

"Your Vice Admiral, I would like to request a period of leave!"

Vergo is direct and to the point, without any unnecessary literary fluff.

"Oh? Why do you suddenly want to take leave?"

Atlas raised an eyebrow slightly. According to the information faxed from Marine Headquarters, if he remembered correctly, Vergo's family information section listed him as an orphan, whose parents and family had been slaughtered by Pirates.

Moreover, the Navy's investigation revealed that everything was traceable. However, Atlas was certain that most of the information was likely false. As the king of the North Blue Underworld, it would be incredibly easy for Doflamingo to fabricate a false identity for a Red Heart executive who had never appeared in the public eye.

Vergo steadied himself slightly, completely unaware that Atlas was already guessing his intentions. "I've found the trail of the Pirates who killed my parents, and I want to go and take revenge myself."

The reasoning was sound, and the timing was impeccable. As a son, Vergo was eager for revenge, and Atlas couldn't refuse him. Moreover, it was a crucial moment to prepare for his journey to the New World, and Vergo was certain that Atlas wouldn't spare any attention for a mere major like him.

Everything seemed perfect, but one crucial premise was flawed: Atlas knew that Vergo's supposed identity information was fabricated, making his motives for requesting leave highly questionable.

Suddenly, Atlas had a flash of inspiration, but his face remained expressionless. "Oh? Where are those Pirates now?"

"North Blue."

"Doesn't that mean you need a very long vacation?"

"Yes, we hope that Your Excellency the Vice Admiral will approve it."

Unlike Atlas and Garp, Vergo is not Vice Admiral. He cannot be sent on private leave by a dedicated flagship. This would cause a delay of almost one or two months.

"Okay, I'll approve two months of leave for you first. We'll head to the New World first. There should be warships transporting ships to the New World then. You can take one to G-5 base on the way."

Atlas didn't make things difficult for them and readily agreed.

"Yes, sir! Thank you, Lieutenant Vice Admiral!"

"Then you should go back and prepare, and plan your return route."

Atlas wasn't worried at all. Countless merchant ships traveled from Paradise to the Four Seas, and even if things went badly, Doflamingo would most likely secretly send ships disguised as merchant vessels to give Vergo a ride.

Click!

The office door was slammed shut once again, and Vergo disappeared from Atlas's sight.

Thump... thump thump... thump thump thump!

Atlas unconsciously tapped on his gleaming desk, his mind replaying information about Rosinante.

In the year 1509 of the Sea Circle Calendar, this should be the time when the Op-Op Fruit appeared. If that's the case, Rosinante will die by Doflamingo's gun in about a month. But why did Doflamingo summon Vergo to the North Blue?

Could it be that he sensed a threat from Vice Admiral Tsuru, and was therefore willing to expose Vergo's undercover identity to ensure the Op-Op Fruit fell into his hands?

"Tch~ I really don't understand the thought process of these Pirates."

Atlas was having a headache, but the only thing he could be sure of was that Rosinante would die soon, so Atlas had to go to the North Blue!

Oh, and that guy too...

With that in mind, Atlas dialed the messenger's Den Den Mushi.

"Hey, bring recruit Gild Tesoro over here."

"Yes, Lieutenant Vice Admiral!"

A short while later, Tesoro, dressed in Marine Uniform, appeared in Atlas's office.

"Lieutenant Vice Admiral, is there something you need from me?"

Tesoro's tone was very respectful, even bordering on fanaticism. This was not only because Atlas had saved him with Conqueror's Haki in Mary Geoise, but also because the man before him had given him a new life.

Long before Atlas returned from his vacation, he had already used the power of the Horse Talisman to remove the Celestial Dragon's Hoof from Tesoro's back!

It's important to understand that once someone is branded with the Celestial Dragon's Hoof, it can never be removed, meaning they will forever be considered inferior beings belonging to the Celestial Dragons. This is almost unbearable for any species with an independent personality, and it is also one of the most painful memories in their hearts!

Tesoro had initially thought that Atlas's offer to help him remove the brand was just a comforting remark, but he never expected that Tesoro would actually take it to heart.

"Hmm... You'll stay by my side for now. When the warship heads to the New World, you'll come with me to the North Blue."

Atlas's goal this time was very clear: to destroy the Donquixote Family, or at the very least cripple this so-called king of the Underworld. After all, Doflamingo wasn't Shichibukai yet, and he could pretend not to know about Doflamingo's former Celestial Dragons identity and just kill him!

Chapter 167 The Op-Op Fruit

Three days later, the Atlas- affiliated warships departed from the Sabaody Archipelago on schedule, following the official issuance of the Marine Headquarters' documents, and headed to their base in the New World.

However, without anyone's knowledge, including Sengoku, Atlas embarked on his journey to the North Blue with only Gild Tesoro.

Above the clouds, two figures, one tall and one short, flew slowly through the sky like gods hidden from the world.

"Lieutenant Vice Admiral, are we heading to North Blue on some kind of mission?"

Tesoro was somewhat puzzled. Although Atlas had told him three days ago that the destination was the North Blue, he had not told him the specific mission.

"Hmm... I'll find you a suitable fruit first, and then I have an important task for you."

As Atlas explained, he used his Observation Haki to search for Vergo's figure.

Tesoro obtained the Gold-Gold Fruit at an auction held by Doflamingo, so it's highly likely that it's still with the Donquixote Family. Moreover, Doflamingo has dominated the North Blue Underworld for so many years, so even if he hasn't gotten his hands on the Gold-Gold Fruit yet, he must have a lot of other rare Devil Fruit in his collection.

This time, he's determined to save Rosinante, and he's also determined to obtain the Gold-Gold Fruit!

"What? A fruit...?!"

Upon hearing this, Tesoro's eyes welled up with tears. He had never expected the Vice Admiral to value him so highly. He felt that he would entrust his life to such a man.

Atlas didn't notice Tesoro's expression. Instead, he increased the range of his Observation Haki. Three days had passed since Vergo set off, and in order not to arouse suspicion, Atlas simply pretended to be heading to the New World.

Although he had secretly investigated Vergo's general route, he hadn't gone into too much detail to avoid alerting Vergo. In the short term, he would have to rely on his Observation Haki to find Vergo quickly.

The main problem was that he couldn't quite remember the name of the island where Rosinante was killed, so he could only find it by tracking Vergo.

He could have actually made Vivre Card for Vergo. As Vergo's superior, he could have easily found an excuse to spar with him, accidentally cutting off a finger or a small section of his nail—wouldn't that have been quite reasonable? But then he dismissed the idea.

Creating Vergo's Vivre Card is indeed easy, but to track Vergo's whereabouts using the Vivre Card, one would have to tear off a piece of the Vivre Card and place it on Vergo himself. For a Hand-to-Hand Combat master like Vergo, it would be almost impossible to silently place a small piece of paper on him without him noticing.

North Blue.

Click!

A man wearing a black haori coat and clown makeup casually hung up the Den Den Mushi he was holding, then turned around and grabbed a little boy with large white patches on his face. He excitedly lifted the boy above his head, his mouth almost reaching his ears, and shouted.

"You have a chance to live!!"

"It doesn't matter if we don't see a doctor!! As long as we get the Op-Op Fruit, your Amber Lead Syndrome will definitely be cured!!"

"Rejoice!! Luo!"

This man is none other than Rosinante, codenamed Corazon, who infiltrated the Donquixote Family!

"Op-Op Fruit...? What's that?"

The little boy, called Luo, was puzzled.

Rosinante's excitement hadn't faded as he explained to Luo, who was being held aloft, "That's the ability to modify the human body!! I've heard that with this ability, one can perform miraculous surgeries and cure any disease in the world!!"

"How is that possible??"

Luo was startled. Could something so almost magical really exist?

"That's right, that's the amazing thing about Devil Fruit —as long as you have enough medical knowledge, you can use their abilities!!"

"This is practically made for you! If you take it, your Amber Lead Syndrome will be cured!!"

Rosinante was thrilled. He had spent nearly a year taking Rosinante to visit renowned doctors all over the North Blue, but they still couldn't find a way to treat Rosinante's Amber Lead Syndrome. He never expected that Doflamingo would bring him a glimmer of hope today.

"But..." Roden paused, glancing hesitantly at the Den Den Mushi, "Didn't Doflamingo say he wanted Mr. Corazon to eat it?"

"Idiot, a person can only eat one Devil Fruit. Doflamingo doesn't know I'm a Devil Fruit user yet. Besides, neither of us can go back to our families. Given Doflamingo's intelligence, he's probably already starting to suspect I've betrayed them."

Rosinante, seeing the puzzled look on Luo's face, continued, "Actually, there was another reason why Doflamingo made me eat the Op-Op Fruit... Hehe."

Rosinante didn't continue speaking after that. Instead, under Rosinante's puzzled gaze, he lit a cigarette and added with a self-deprecating smile.

Dover probably wants me, your always-obedient brother, to help you obtain eternal life, right?

Yes, Rosinante naturally knew the ultimate secret of the Op-Op Fruit: the ability to perform Perennial Youth Operation! But the price was the user's life!

Suddenly, Rosinante half-squatted down, gripping Law's shoulders tightly with his free hands, and excitedly said through a cigarette dangling from his mouth, "Listen up!! Law, we're going to strike first and snatch the Op-Op Fruit for you to eat!!"

"Go prepare for another voyage. We must get our hands on this Devil Fruit! Then we'll hide away and cure your Amber Lead Syndrome."

However, what worries him most now is that Doflamingo hasn't told him where the transaction for the Op-Op Fruit will take place, which shows that Doflamingo has begun to be wary of him.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Rosinante's mind.

This Devil Fruit of paramount importance; the World Government's intelligence agencies would certainly know about it and interfere, so...

The Navy must have known the time and place of the transaction!

I'm sorry...

A hint of apology flashed across Rosinante's face, then he pulled out a Den Den Mushi without hesitation and dialed a number he knew best.

Blub Blub~ Blub Blub~

"Moshi Moshi, Little Rice Cake, it's me."

The call connected, and a deep, authoritative voice of a middle-aged man came from the Den Den Mushi.

"Senbei, is it convenient to talk over there now?"

Rosinante covered his mouth slightly and whispered.

"Okay, go ahead and say it."

"I want to know information about the trade of the Op-Op Fruit..."

"Pfft! How did you know? This is top secret!"

Sengoku was startled and nearly spat out his hot tea. He knew that the only people in the entire navy who knew about this top-secret matter were him and Tsuru!

Chapter 168 The Barrel Pirates

"I want to know the whereabouts of the Pirates who possess the Op-Op Fruit."

"It's impossible. Those despicable Pirates will never easily reveal their whereabouts before a transaction..." Sengoku was also helpless. As a Marine, how could he honestly wait for the two sides to trade? Naturally, it was safest to wipe them out in advance.

"What if I told you... Doflamingo planned to forcibly take the Op-Op Fruit finalized?"

Rosinante knew very well that he and Law alone could not possibly snatch the Op-Op Fruit from Doflamingo. Only by involving the Navy and completely muddying the waters would he have a chance to fish in troubled waters and obtain the Op-Op Fruit.

"Are you telling the truth...?!"

Sengoku was slightly surprised. If this information was true... then the navy might end up with nothing.

Where did they conduct their transaction?

Rosinante seized the opportunity to press for more information.

"The transaction will take place three weeks later at 'Rubeck' in the North Blue."

"Doflamingo informed me that I should meet at 'Swallow Island' on the evening of the third day before the transaction, where the entire Donquixote Family will be arriving..."