Under Ivankov's despairing gaze and Ginny's pained eyes, Kuma finally trembled as he took out the Den Den Mushi.
"Calm yourself first. Looking like that, you won't fool Dragon. If you can't fool Dragon… you know the consequences," Rosse smiled faintly as he spoke, then had Ginny lie down on the floor and sat himself right on top of her.
"Alright...", Seeing that Rosse wasn't doing anything further, Kuma let out a breath of relief.
At least for now, Rosse seemed to be keeping his word.
"KUMA!"
Ivankov shouted anxiously, ignoring his own injuries.
If Kuma chose to betray them, then what had all his suffering been for? Would that make his endurance and pain meaningless?
"Don't make that face like you're about to die. Let's play a little game instead."
Rosse's lips curved upward, but his words made everyone present tense up at once, "Let's bet on whether Dragon will come to save you. Kuma, tell Dragon that the one who caught you is Shamrock, the one who looks exactly like Shanks. Just say it's Shanks; Dragon will understand."
"Then tell him Ginny's been vi*lated, and Ivankov... hmm, as for what he's been through, just tell the truth. I'll have someone explain the details to you later."
"Then tell him that, with Ginny's help, you found a chance to use the Den Den Mushi. You don't need to ask him to save all of you, just beg Dragon to come save Ginny."
Rosse paused for a moment, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
"Begging your leader to save the woman you love, surely that's not too much to ask, right? And even if he doesn't come to save her, you can ask him to kill Ginny and end her suffering instead."
"I'll give him seven days. If Dragon comes, no matter how many people he brings, no matter if he actually rescues you or not, as long as he shows up to see for himself, I'll let all of you go. I swear it in the name of the Jaygarcia family."
Hearing this, both Kuma and Ivankov's eyes flickered with hope.
If Kuma said it that way, even if Dragon didn't come to save them, surely he'd come to take a look, right?
"You must promise not to reveal that you're here," Ivankov said nervously.
If Dragon knew Rosse was aboard, he would never come, that much Ivankov knew perfectly well as Dragon's long-time friend.
"I won't reveal myself. In fact, I'll even have Vanessa and the others show themselves elsewhere. Hmm… Water 7's nearby. I'll have them rest there for a few days while we just drift on the sea. Dragon has your vivre cards, so finding you will be easy."
Rosse smiled faintly, showing no concern at all.
Right now, Kaido was about four days away from arriving at the Goa Kingdom.
And according to the latest reports from there, Dragon's wife hadn't made any move yet.
'So, Dragon, what will you choose?'
'Will you follow fate's calling to save the world… or come here to save your comrades?'
Setting aside Dragon himself, Rosse really couldn't think of anyone who could save Luffy from Kaido's hands.
What, was the Sea King supposed to turn into a god and bite off Kaido's arm?
If the Sea King really had that kind of power, humanity might as well give up the game.
"Alright. I'll do it!", Kuma didn't hesitate any further and agreed immediately.
At the same time, a flicker of hope rose in his heart.
'Dragon, he'll come, won't he?'
'We are comrades, after all!'
Holding onto that hope, Kuma dialed Dragon's Den Den Mushi.
["Hello, Kuma?"]
The Den Den Mushi's face morphed into Dragon's, and his steady voice came through the line.
"Dragon! Save us!", Hearing his voice, Kuma broke down completely.
Without even waiting for Rosse's cue, he poured out everything that had happened.
Except, as Rosse instructed, he didn't mention Rosse himself, he said they'd been captured by Shamrock, and that Ginny and Ivankov had both been violated.
He said he'd managed to make the call with Ginny's help.
When Dragon finished listening to Kuma's story, he fell silent.
This kind of outcome… was something Dragon had already foreseen.
Trying to take all the doctors away had always been unrealistic.
The moment Figarland defected, Dragon had prepared himself for total loss.
For the sake of the revolution, some sacrifices were worth it.
If success could be achieved, even sacrificing himself would be fine.
After Kuma finished speaking, before he could say anything more, he abruptly hung up the call.
———
On a deserted island near the Calm Belt of the East Blue, Dragon sat beneath a coconut tree, staring blankly at the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
In truth, after parting ways with Kuma and the others, he had handed his own group of doctors over to Shanks to escort, telling him to bring them to join up with the NEO Marine.
And the ones he chose to take were carefully selected, those who had, in the end, willingly joined the Revolution. Their reliability and safety were much higher.
Even so, Dragon hadn't planned to personally escort them.
If Shanks succeeded, all the better.
If he failed, then depending on Shanks's outcome, Dragon could judge whether this ally would be trustworthy in the future.
But today's call from Kuma had thrown all his plans into disarray.
In his expectations, Kuma and the others might have escaped, or died, or been thrown into Impel Down, but never that they would actually get a chance to call him for help.
"Go… or not go…", Dragon's expression wavered between light and shadow.
If it truly was only Shamrock there, then with his own strength he could move unhindered, he could easily rescue Kuma and the rest, maybe even kill a Celestial Dragon with both power and status.
But what if this was a trap for him?
Still… if he didn't go, such an opportunity would be lost forever, and that thought made him uneasy.
"Purururu!"
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in his hand rang again.
Dragon hesitated for a moment before quickly answering.
The call came from Windmill Village, the place he and Garp had once called home, where his wife now lived.
The caller was the caretaker in charge of watching over her, and the news was grim: she had suddenly collapsed, and the child in her womb was showing signs of danger. They needed a doctor urgently.
"At my current position, I can reach Windmill Village in two days. Including the time to find a doctor, three days at most... But if I go to the Grand Line to save Kuma, there may not be a good doctor for her there... If...", Dragon let out a long sigh and gazed toward the Grand Line, a trace of sorrow in his eyes.
"Sorry… fate decided otherwise. Whether that's a trap or not, I have no right to gamble. Kuma… I'll avenge you all."
As his words fell, a gust of wind rose and blew toward the East Blue, carrying his voice, and his figure, away.
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