The den-den mushi fell silent. As the video call ended, Captain Doll slowly turned toward Vice Admiral Rosen, her expression caught between awe and unease.
"No wonder," she began quietly, "when I asked you, 'Will your next strike be to kill Germa 66?' you only answered, 'I'm considering how to face the King of Germa.'"
Her voice sharpened as she held his gaze.
"So it wasn't even a question of whether—you had already decided. Your second strike was Germa's execution, wasn't it, Admiral?"
Her eyes locked into his. Doll truly couldn't grasp the man before her.
Yes, he was ruthless. Yes, he carried the air of a butcher. But after leaving Marine Headquarters, Rosen had already saved hundreds, perhaps a thousand souls, along the way. And upon arriving in the North Sea, his first act was not to claim his branch, flaunt authority, or wallow in privilege. His first blade fell upon the Donquixote Pirates.
His second cleaved toward the Vinsmoke Kingdom of Science.
Speaking of justice—he was reckless enough to order Donquixote Doflamingo to hijack Heavenly Tribute itself, stripping Judge of his crown and humiliating a recognized ally of the World Government.
Speaking of cruelty—he showed mercy to no one in Cipher Pol. Without hesitation, he had ordered Doflamingo to shatter the limbs of Who's-Who, once CP9's pride.
And yet, speaking of compassion—he shielded every sailor with Susanoo during the assault on Dressrosa's fleet, not letting a single marine be cut down in the crossfire. Upon reaching the 1st Branch, his first action was to heal the sick and wounded.
And in his heart, he never once forgot the blood debt of his mentor Zephyr, slaughtered family and all, still vowing to uncover the murderer.
Contradictions. Too many contradictions.
"The North Sea Admiral's burden," Rosen finally said, smiling faintly, "is to eradicate piracy from this ocean. Shichibukai, Germa, even World Government affiliates." His voice hardened.
"Wear a collar—or die."
Doll's brows furrowed. "But Admiral, even if Doflamingo struck in the Grand Line, Cipher Pol isn't weak. They'll find out. They'll trace it back to you."
For the first time, her hand shot forward, fingers clutching his arm as though to pull the truth out of him.
"And Doflamingo—he's useful, but he knows too much. If he lets it slip—if he exposes everything you've done—"
Her words stalled, but the implication was clear.
"The North Sea Admiral sending a Warlord of the Sea to raid Heavenly Tribute, all for the capture of Judge… who would believe it?"
Rosen's calm never wavered. "Do you think Marine Headquarters would believe pirates, or me?"
She bit her lip. "Headquarters will believe you, yes… but the World Government?"
He chuckled low. "They can only choose to believe me."
"Why?"
Even as an officer raised at Marine HQ, Doll understood the fragile dance between the World Government and the Navy. Partners in name, rivals in truth. Mutual use. Mutual suspicion. Never trust, never relax.
Rosen's eyes narrowed. "Unless, of course, the World Government wishes to abandon the Grand Line entirely—before the Great Pirate Era even runs its course."
The words sank like cannonballs. Doll's pupils shrank, her grip tightening on his arm until her body trembled. His calm tone masked ambition so immense it shook her to the core.
For the first time as his adjutant, she saw Rosen unmasked—his trust laid bare, his intentions revealed as though she were confidant or kin. It made her chest swell with pride, but it also twisted her with hesitation.
How was she to follow a man like this?
"Do you remember," Rosen asked gently, "our first meeting at the docks?"
Her breath caught.
"No matter what comes," he continued, "stay at my side. Advance when I advance. Retreat when I retreat. You need not choose whether to trust me. As long as you serve as my adjutant, uphold your justice. Nothing more."
Their eyes met.
"As for the rest," Rosen said, voice carrying weight like iron, "you need neither worry nor care. Because—" His hand rose, pressing firmly on her shoulder.
"—I will never allow even a single wave, nor a single wind, to touch you."
Each word struck like a fist wrapped in Haki, battering her heart with force.
Then he released her, turning back to his chair. Sitting heavily, his eyes glowed a faint crimson as his Observation Haki erupted outward, enveloping the entire 1st Branch. He sifted through hundreds of signatures until his senses locked onto one overwhelming aura.
"Bullet," Rosen murmured. "Come here. I have need of you."
…
On the shoreline, Douglas Bullet froze mid-exercise. The voice had not reached his ears, but his heart.
"Consciousness transfer… this is the highest realm of Observation Haki." His scarred jaw clenched.
"Impossible. Such Haki, like Conqueror's, is innate. It cannot be trained. How… how did Rosen achieve it?"
He remembered only one man with that gift—his former cellmate, Patrick Redfield. And Redfield had fallen to Rosen's blade.
And now… Rosen wielded the same power.
"This man grows stronger still."
Bullet's lips curled into a grin. Suddenly, Rosen's vow to end the Great Pirate Era no longer sounded like empty rhetoric. The man had the strength, the will, the inevitability.
And that meant Bullet had a goal worth chasing. A home worth keeping.
He clenched his fists, then strode toward the base.
…
Knock.
The office door rattled once before Bullet wrenched it open.
"Come in," Rosen said coolly.
Bullet stepped forward, broad frame filling the doorway, his grin sharp.
"Admiral," he said. "Who do you want me to kill?"
The title slipped out unbidden. Not Rosen. Not Vice Admiral. Just Admiral
Just as Doll had done before.
To them both, the change of title was no mere formality. It was surrender. A mark of recognition.
And, perhaps, the beginning of something far larger than the North Sea.