"Vice Admiral Rosen."
"Why don't you let me help Doflamingo put it on!"
Doll thought that Rosen was a Devil Fruit user and probably couldn't—and wouldn't—like to come into contact with seastone.
She knew that the Naval Academy had a course on anti-seastone training.
Because of Zephyr's strict requirements for students, Rosen must have received such training. But no matter what kind of training it was, even if he slept, exercised, and fought with seastone every day, he could only adapt to a state of fatigue and weakness.
No matter how strong one's physique is, as long as one is a Devil Fruit user, once they come into contact with 100% pure seastone, they become an ordinary person without their ability.
However, the stronger the physical fitness of the ability user, the less affected they are after coming into contact with seastone.
After undergoing the seastone-carrying training prescribed by Zephyr, although he would still be unable to use his Devil Fruit power, fighting with Haki would not be a problem.
At most, his body would just be covered with a layer of weakness.
But even so, Devil Fruit users are still very resistant to contact with seastone.
After all, it is extremely uncomfortable to have their ability sealed and their body weakened.
It's like falling from the clouds into the mud.
"No."
Rosen took the seastone necklace from Doll's hand. His expression did not change at all, nor did he show any sense of fatigue or weakness, as if what he was holding wasn't seastone at all.
"Aren't Devil Fruit users afraid of seastone?"
When Doll saw this scene, she couldn't help but look shocked.
She naturally didn't know that after Rosen practiced the Haki Core and trained his Armament Haki into the Haki Seed, he also possessed a state similar to Ultra Instinct—just like with the Observation Haki Infant.
That is, the Armament Haki Infant continuously uses Armament Haki 24 hours a day, covering Rosen's body inside and out, evolving his defense.
That's why.
His body was always covered with an invisible layer of Armament Haki, as if he were wearing an extremely thin and close-fitting Haki coat. While evolving his defensive power, it also blocked the contact between his body and seastone.
In other words, even if it were one of the Four Emperors, like Red-Haired Shanks, using advanced Observation Haki to seal Rosen's Observation Haki core—blocking his constant passive Observation Haki—and then launching a sneak attack, it would be useless.
Even if he lost his passive Observation Haki, he still had the passive Armament Haki of the Armament Haki Core.
With the Static Blood Armor working every second to maintain ultimate defense, assassinating Rosen would mean instantly sealing his Observation Haki Core, penetrating the Static Blood Armor of his Armament Haki Core, and killing Rosen before he even had time to react.
"Rosen."
At this time.
Donquixote Doflamingo opened his eyes with difficulty and saw Rosen holding a seastone necklace in his hand. He had no idea what this man was going to do next.
Thinking of this, his face turned very ugly, and he growled with gritted teeth.
Like a beast at the end of its rope, he could only rage and roar helplessly, trying to stop the arrival of despair.
"Don't be anxious."
"Don't you really want the title of Shichibukai? I can give it to you."
"But I only want Shichibukai who are as obedient as guard dogs."
Rosen sat up straight on the beach chair. This was the first time he had moved since the war with the Donquixote Pirates began.
Yes.
The Donquixote Pirates had been completely wiped out, and now Doflamingo was captured alive.
During the entire process, Rosen had been lying on the beach chair. He hadn't even moved a single step, nor had he stood up once.
He just lay there and destroyed the Donquixote Pirates, captured the Heavenly Yaksha alive, and shattered his dream of becoming king.
"Do you know what you're doing?"
"I am a Celestial Dragon."
"If the World Government and the other Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise find out that you put a pet collar around a Celestial Dragon's neck, what do you think will happen to you?"
A trace of fear and anger flashed in Donquixote Doflamingo's eyes.
Death—he might still have the courage to face. But being collared like a dog would be even more painful than death.
"What?"
"Is he a Celestial Dragon?"
"Impossible!"
"How can a mere pirate be a Celestial Dragon?"
...
Hearing Doflamingo's words, the surrounding navy were startled, and then they all cast worried glances at Rosen.
If what the Heavenly Yaksha said was true, then their boss's fate would be worrying.
"I'm glad you put yourself in the shoes of a guard dog and considered your owner's situation, but I don't like the tone of your voice."
Rosen stepped on Doflamingo's head with his shoe:
"I'll only say this once."
"When you see me in the North Sea in the future, remember to bow your head and behave yourself."
"When speaking to your master, don't forget to use honorifics."
He pressed his foot lightly onto the back of Doflamingo's head. The warship's deck couldn't withstand the weight and burst open with a creaking sound.
Crack.
Bang. Bang.
The moment the deck cracked, it was like the mouth of a giant beast, swallowing Doflamingo's head directly, leaving only his body sprawled across the deck.
"Do you understand?"
"Donquixote Doflamingo."
Rosen retracted his foot, reached out, and grabbed Doflamingo's neck, like picking up a puppy, pinching his fate by the throat.
He lifted the head of this unruly Heavenly Yaksha from the deck:
"Do you think I will give in to you?"
"My life has been more eventful than you can imagine."
"Falling from the clouds to the mire—such an experience has never made me bow my head."
Doflamingo met Rosen's gaze and suddenly grinned grimly.
"That's because you haven't met me before."
Rosen looked at him, his eyes flashing with a chilling gleam, his voice calm, as if simply stating fact.
Even taming a pet dog takes three or four days, let alone taming a Heavenly Yaksha with the qualifications of a king.
He had plenty of patience.
After all, serving as Admiral in the North Sea was not a matter of one or two days.
Taming Donquixote Doflamingo.
Recovering the Heavenly Gold.
That was only part of the story.
Letting the sound of the navy's swords resound throughout the entire North Sea—that was Rosen's true purpose in coming here.
"You!"
Doflamingo still wanted to be defiant, but when he met Rosen's scarlet eyes, a terrifying pressure like a mountain torrent and tsunami crushed his body and devoured his soul.
Unprecedented fear, despair, and powerlessness surged uncontrollably into his mind.
He tried to use his will and courage to tame the fear in his body and mind, but his body couldn't stop shaking.
"Don't be so anxious. Don't be afraid. And don't try to escape."
"You're just the first, not the last."
"Whether you are a king or a Celestial Dragon, as long as you are a pirate chosen as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, I will put a collar on you one by one."
Rosen paused:
"None of you—none of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—should even think about escaping."
He changed from being as gentle and approachable as the spring breeze in front of the navy, to showing Doflamingo a coldness sharper than an ice blade, more bitter than a frost sword.
Along with it came cruelty.
And violence.