"Yes."
While peeling a fruit, Tanaka responded to Rosinante's inquiry.
"So, you dealt with them too?"
Rosinante scanned the surroundings, his heart tightening.
From the battlefield's traces and the bodies of some pirates, he could tell that not all of them were killed using the powers of the Op-Op Fruit.
In other words, before even eating the Devil Fruit, the boy had already slaughtered Barrels' pirate crew.
A boy who might not even be ten years old had wiped out an entire pirate gang.
A complete monster.
"Of course."
Tanaka put down the knife and took a bite of the apple in his hand.
The sweet and sour taste of the fruit finally washed away the nauseating aftertaste of eating the Op-Op Fruit.
"So it's true!"
Rosinante's expression was extremely complex.
The one who had intercepted the Op-Op Fruit was a child. He truly couldn't bring himself to strike him down.
Even if he wanted to, it would be useless.
If he made a move, he had no doubt that among the people lying on the ground with severed limbs and heads, there would soon be one more—himself.
Even in the best-case scenario where he won, it wouldn't matter.
The Op-Op Fruit had already been consumed. Even if he managed to defeat the boy, it would be meaningless.
"..."
Realizing this, his expression darkened. Like a walking corpse, he turned around and left.
The Op-Op Fruit had been taken.
For Law, this meant the countdown to his death had begun.
Right and wrong no longer mattered.
Rather than fighting here and getting himself cut into pieces, it was better to turn back and spend whatever little time Law had left with him.
"Aren't you trying to save someone with the Op-Op Fruit?"
"What's this?"
"You're just going to leave?"
Tanaka watched Rosinante's dejected, weary figure, feeling a slight stir in his heart.
Law wasn't the only one who needed the Op-Op Fruit to change his fate.
He himself, marked by the Caged Bird, was just another version of Law.
At least Law had Rosinante willing to risk everything to steal the fruit for him.
But he could only rely on himself.
"What else can I do if I don't leave?"
Rosinante didn't stop walking, nor did he look back.
"Going back empty-handed—is that really okay? The boy down the mountain. He's waiting for you!"
Tanaka's words made Rosinante's face change drastically.
"How do you know that? Who exactly are you?"
A shiver ran down Rosinante's spine as he suddenly turned around, staring intently at Tanaka.
When his eyes met his pale, featureless ones, a chill spread through him like never before.
It felt as if he had been stripped bare, his very thoughts laid out for the other to see.
"Of course I know. After all, I've been watching you. From the moment you placed that boy on the bed, all the way until you arrived here."
Tanaka's words made Rosinante's pupils shrink, his heart pounding violently.
"Impossible!"
Rosinante found it hard to believe as he desperately tried to guess Tanaka's true identity.
"More importantly, you should be focusing on Law's condition right now. His Amber Lead Syndrome has already worsened."
"Aside from the Paw-Paw Fruit, only the Op-Op Fruit can save him."
Tanaka shook his head.
"I know that. But the problem is—the Op-Op Fruit has already..."
Rosinante trailed off.
Because the Devil Fruit had already been eaten—by Tanaka.
"Yes, I ate the Op-Op Fruit. But your goal wasn't to have him eat it, was it? You just wanted to cure his Amber Lead Syndrome."
"Isn't that right?"
Tanaka looked straight into Rosinante's eyes.
"That's right."
Hearing this, Rosinante felt something click in his mind, as if he had grasped a crucial thought, but he couldn't quite process it immediately.
"I ate the Op-Op Fruit, but that doesn't necessarily conflict with curing his Amber Lead Syndrome, does it? What do you think?"
Tanaka smiled faintly.
"..."
Rosinante was shaken to his core.
That was right!
The Op-Op Fruit had been taken, but that didn't mean curing the Amber Lead Syndrome was impossible.
Having the fruit would have been ideal, but not having it wasn't the end of the world.
As long as—
"I can cure Law's Amber Lead Syndrome."
Before Rosinante could even plead, Tanaka spoke first.
"You're willing to save him?"
Rosinante's weary and grief-stricken face instantly lit up with overwhelming joy.
To an outsider, it might have seemed like he was the one suffering from Amber Lead Syndrome, not Law.
"Why wouldn't I?"
Tanaka responded with a question instead of an answer.
If he had no intention of helping, he would have left the moment he consumed the Op-Op Fruit.
The reason he stayed and watched with his Byakugan as Rosinante sprinted up the mountain was because he had already decided to treat Law.
Firstly, because he had suffered before—he was marked as a slave to the main house. Seeing someone else afflicted by Amber Lead Syndrome, another victim of fate, sparked a sense of empathy in him.
Secondly, despite Law's future reputation as a rebellious, cunning, and cold individual, he had helped countless people in need. He had saved many with the power of the Op-Op Fruit. If it had been someone like Eustass Kid instead, Tanaka would have simply walked away.
Thirdly, it was an opportunity—a test run before attempting to remove his Caged Bird seal. He could start with Amber Lead Syndrome.
"I entrust everything to you. As long as you're willing to save Law, no matter what you ask of me, I will do it."
Realizing what was happening, Rosinante immediately dropped to his knees before Tanaka.
After eating the Op-Op Fruit and annihilating Barrels' pirate crew, the boy didn't leave. Instead, he sat there calmly peeling an apple, as if waiting for him to arrive. The boy also knew everything—about him, about Law.
It was clear that he had been expecting this moment, intending to help treat Law's disease.
No matter who the boy was or what his motives were, none of that mattered to Rosinante anymore.
As long as he could save Law, nothing else was important.
"I don't need you to do anything for me. At least, not for treating Law."
After finishing his apple, Tanaka stood up and walked toward the door.
Rosinante quickly followed, stepping ahead to lead the way.
"You have grenades, don't you?" As the two stepped out of the building, Tanaka suddenly paused.
"I do!"
Rosinante didn't even question how Tanaka knew he carried grenades. Without hesitation, he pulled out three from his pocket and handed them over.
Clink!
Tanaka caught the grenades, pulled the pins without hesitation, and casually tossed them behind him into the building. He didn't even turn back.
BOOM!
Moments later, a series of thunderous explosions erupted from the building, shattering windows in all directions.
At the same time, the three grenades ignited into massive fireballs, engulfing the bodies of the fallen pirates.
Such efficiency… Such ruthlessness… Is this really something a child is capable of? Rosinante turned his head to look at Tanaka.
Against the blazing fire, Tanaka's cold and eerie demeanor was striking.
Just a moment ago, he had been casually talking about saving Law.
Now, with the same nonchalance, he had just wiped out an entire pirate crew.
The contrast was so big that, for a brief moment, Rosinante had the illusion, that the one who had just sworn to save Law… and the one who had just turned his back on the explosion... were two completely different people.