Minion Island.
Close to the temporary hideout of the Barrels Pirates, a place that seemed like a storage place got blasted by a rocket launcher. The warehouse, which was all in one piece before, got ripped apart right away.
But the weird part is, even with the big explosion, there was no reaction, almost like it existed in a different world compared to the rest of the island. Naturally, it didn't catch the attention of the Barrels Pirates at all.
Later on, a crew member who went out for a bathroom break suddenly yelled, "Captain!!! There was a massive explosion outside, and we didn't even realize it!!"
"What!!? What are you talking about?"
"How could this happen!!? There was an explosion right under our noses, and there was no reaction at all!?"
"What happened to the things in the warehouse?"
Upon hearing this, the pirates who were enjoying their drinks suddenly began shouting one after another. The wealth they had accumulated from years of plundering, burning, and killing was in that warehouse!
Even though they were about to receive 5 billion berries, they were greatly distressed. After all, the 5 billion hadn't been obtained yet, but these treasures truly belonged to their hard-earned savings.
"Is there someone intruding?"
"Hurry and extinguish the fire! Save whatever you can, it's worth it!"
Barrels appeared anxious but still tightly held onto the Op-Op Fruit in his hand.
However, what all the pirates present failed to notice was that a figure wearing a black cloak had stealthily entered the room.
"...."
Suddenly, the once brightly lit room dimmed, and the lightbulbs on the ceiling fell silently. Only a few glass shards rained down on Barrels and the others unexpectedly.
"Eh!!? Are there broken glass shards falling to the ground?"
A pirate touched the broken glass on his neck and couldn't help but exclaim.
Boom!
Barrels, who was curiously trying to figure out the situation, suddenly felt a heavy fist hit his face. His entire head went blank, and then his hand was empty—the Devil Fruit he tightly held disappeared!
Everything happened so suddenly and silently that none of the members of the Barrels Pirates present could react. Their dream of becoming rich was shattered in an instant!
"What's happening!!?"
"Light up quickly!"
After the black shadow departed, everything seemed to return to normal. Chaotic footsteps echoed, and the sounds of pirates expressing fear and anger filled the air everywhere...
"Op-Op Fruit is gone!!? Retrieve it immediately; it's a big deal worth 5 billion!!!"
.....
The other side.
Rosinante, having successfully grabbed the Op-Op Fruit, hurriedly rushed to where Law was hiding with excitement.
"Mr. Corazon...!!?"
Law, weakened by the Amber lead syndrome, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rosinante running towards him. He had thought he would never see Rosinante again.
"Look, this is the hope for curing your lead poisoning—the Op-Op Fruit!!"
Rosinante looked excited and raised the Op-Op Fruit high in his hand, wearing an innocent smile on his face like a child.
Even though he wasn't related to Law, he had a kind heart and formed an indelible bond with the boy when he decided to help Law cure his Amber lead syndrome!
"Mr. Corazon, you... it's great that you're safe. I saw the burning house in the distance and heard gunfire. I thought you... had an accident."
Apparently, Law misunderstood that the gunshots fired by the Barrels Pirates just after Rosinante retreated were meant for Rosinante.
"Hey! Now is not the time to discuss such matters. We've already got the Op-Op Fruit that can save your life!!!"
"Is it true? Can a terminal illness like mine really be cured with just a piece of fruit? I still can't believe it..."
Law's eyes were already a bit blurry, and the torment caused by the illness had left him too weak to even speak.
"Don't say anything foolish. Eating it will surely cure your Amber Lead Syndrome!!!"
Rosinante said eagerly, stuffing the Op-Op Fruit in his hand into the mouth of the ailing Law.
"Mmm.....mmm....."
"What are you doing... uh uh..."
"Hurry up, swallow it, eat it all!"
Though there were rumors that even a small bite could grant the power of the Devil Fruit, Rosinante didn't dare to risk Law's life to test this. Hence, he could only insist that Law eat the entire fruit. When a life is on the line, the difficulty of consuming such a small thing becomes insignificant.
"Huh~"
Law struggled but managed to swallow the entire fruit. Despite the taste being much worse than he anticipated, he still followed Rosinante's instructions and consumed the whole fruit.
Plop!
Suddenly, at the moment when Law completely swallowed the Op-Op Fruit, Rosinante could no longer support his scarred body and fell directly to the ground. However, his face bore an extremely relieved expression.
"Great, this way you can cure the disease yourself, but... you can't escape from Doffy's grasp with the Op-Op Fruit alone. You also need..."
As Rosinante spoke, he reached into his arms with trembling hands.
"Stop talking, Corazon!! You're covered in blood!!!"
Law looked at the shocking wounds exposed on Rosinante's body and couldn't help but cry.
Although Rosinante successfully seized the Op-Op Fruit without any danger, in the final moments of escape, he was struck by a stray bullet fired by the pirates of the Barrels Pirates. He held on, managing not to collapse along the way.
"Don't cry, Law. Listen carefully. I want to ask you something. Give this to the Marines. They are on the West Blue shore of this island. Remember... you must hand it over to the Marines with your own hands!"
Rosinante handed the intelligence document he took out from his arms to Law. He knew that now he had no way to safely take Law off the island. His only hope of escape was to leave Law alone.
However, knowing Law's stubborn nature, he would never leave Rosinante to face things alone. Therefore, Rosinante could only ask Law to deliver the intelligence document he had initially planned to give to Sengoku to the Marines. He believed that the Marines would surely rescue Law from Doflamingo.
"Okay!! I promise you, Corazon, I will definitely find the Marines to save you!!!"
Law almost cried out this sentence.
Rosinante smiled slightly when he heard this. He knew that as long as Law successfully found the Marines, Law would undoubtedly be able to survive, especially considering that the Marine chasing Doflamingo was the renowned Vice Admiral Tsuru!
After giving Rosinante some quick treatment to stop the bleeding, Law ran in the direction Rosinante had indicated.
Soon, a peculiar Marine with a bamboo on his back appeared in front of Law...
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