Law had long been suspicious of Rosinante's true identity.
Although Rosinante never spoke of it, Law felt that Rosinante was not at all like a pirate. When they first met, he violently chased away all the children adopted by the Donquixote Family, and only Law, Baby 5, and Buffalo stubbornly remained.
At that time, Law truly believed he was a vicious pirate.
But later, Law discovered that this 'Mr. Corazon' was a somewhat clumsy but exceptionally kind person.
Otherwise, why would he take Law all over the world searching for doctors, desperate to save him?
Travel is often the best way to reveal a person's true nature. Law and Rosinante had been traveling together for a long time, seeking famous doctors everywhere. Everything Law saw and heard along the way made him feel that Cora-san was a good man.
He was polite to everyone, and he never did anything evil. He even helped rescue street orphans.
Is that something a pirate would do?
Therefore, Law had long harbored doubts about Rosinante's identity, though he had never asked about it. His cold heart had already been warmed by Cora-san.
Today, he finally heard Rosinante's 'little secret': he knew a Marine Admiral?
And judging by the way he spoke, he seemed incredibly familiar with this Admiral, calling him "Big Brother"!
Although young, Law was very clever. He vaguely understood that his Cora-san might be a Marine.
Truthfully, Law's impression of the Marines and the World Government was poor, especially the World Government. In his view, the World Government was at least fifty percent responsible for the destruction of Flevance.
As for the Marines, all one could say was that they were inactive.
But now, upon learning that Cora-san might be a Marine, Law's perception of the organization became even more complex.
He had believed all Marines were hypocrites, proclaiming 'Justice' but failing to save his country.
But looking at Cora-san if he was a Marine, then perhaps the Marines weren't as bad as he imagined? And the Marine Admiral who was good friends with Cora-san and called 'Big Brother' must also be a good person, since he was Cora-san's older brother figure.
In Law's heart, the fondness for Cora-san naturally extended to the Admiral. Although he had never met Diarmuid, he already held a good impression of him.
The boy who had once stormed the Donquixote Family headquarters, strapped with bombs, was no longer thinking about destroying the world.
Cora-san... Rosinante, the saint, had ultimately used his kindness to rescue a person from the abyss of destruction.
Rosinante might be a disaster for others. To Doflamingo, this younger brother was a burden who betrayed his trust.
To Sengoku, this foster son was a disaster who betrayed his trust.
To the Marines, Rosinante was undoubtedly a betrayer of their faith.
However, to the child Trafalgar Law, Donquixote Rosinante, his Cora-san, was undoubtedly the most precious beam of light in his darkest life.
He was the only person who reached out and pulled him back when he was falling into the abyss.
The boy no longer wanted to destroy the world or kill more people.
The child now sometimes thought that if his Amber Lead Disease could truly be cured, he would simply forget about the Donquixote Family and follow Cora-san.
"Ah..." Rosinante muttered awkwardly, then said, "I'm taking a little kid to see a doctor."
"A little kid, you say?" Diarmuid chuckled, then asked, "Is that so? How is the illness?"
Rosinante realized he might have exposed something, but it seemed inappropriate to try to speak privately while avoiding Law now.
He hesitated for a moment, but after looking down at the trusting gaze of the boy, Rosinante sighed and said, "It's bad. It's the Amber Lead Disease."
"Amber Lead, huh..." Diarmuid murmured on the other end. He then said, "You really are as kind as you used to be. You know Amber Lead is incurable, but you're still stubbornly throwing yourself into it?"
"I have to try, no matter what," Rosinante said very seriously.
"Well, whatever you like. You never listen to advice anyway," Diarmuid joked.
A smile appeared on Rosinante's face, but before he could speak, Diarmuid asked again, "Can you speak freely?"
Rosinante glanced at Law, then replied sincerely, "Yes, I can."
Law froze for a second, then lowered his head, his eyes flashing with delight and relief.
Sure enough, Cora-san trusts me.
"Your old man told you already, right? To stop lurking in the Donquixote Family. Doflamingo has been behaving strangely these past few years and doesn't pose much of a threat. There's no use keeping you there, and it's dangerous, so hurry up and pull out. Once you're back, your old man will arrange for you to stay in the Intelligence Division for two years and then promote you to Rear Admiral," Diarmuid said casually.
Law was completely bewildered. Isn't Cora-san Doflamingo's biological younger brother?
Then who is his 'old man'?
Isn't that Doflamingo's father?
Is their father still alive?
Then what did Doflamingo mean when he said Cora-san was his only blood relative left...
"Admiral Sengoku did tell me. I've been considering it, but I've been undercover for so many years and haven't accomplished anything significant. Wouldn't it be too embarrassing to sneak back now, oniisan..." Rosinante said somewhat helplessly.
"It's good enough if you can return safely," Diarmuid said softly first, then continued, "But setting aside your old man for a moment, I have a request. See if you can handle it. If you can, help me do it. If not, I'll figure something else out."
"Just tell me, oniisan," Rosinante replied with a smile.
"According to our intelligence, Doflamingo has a Gold-Gold Fruit, a Paramecia ability, in his possession. I need this Devil Fruit now. Can you manage to get it?" Diarmuid asked.
"Ah..." Rosinante hesitated, looking troubled.
At this moment, Law was completely stunned. He wasn't stupid. He naturally understood that Cora-san's 'old man' was Admiral Sengoku of Marine Headquarters!
Holy cow!?
That's a high status!
He also confirmed that Cora-san was a Marine, merely an agent undercover in the Donquixote Family!
Rosinante's difficulty wasn't that the mission was dangerous. In fact, if the Gold-Gold Fruit was truly in Doflamingo's or the Donquixote Family's hands, he had many ways to get it.
The crucial point was that he didn't have enough time! He needed to take Law to find the Op-Op Fruit, and he had no leads on it. Law didn't have long to live, so they had to race against the clock.
In this situation, going after the Gold-Gold Fruit...
It was possible that by the time he secured the Gold-Gold Fruit, the boy Law would have already died from the disease.
"Is something wrong?" Diarmuid asked on the Den Den Mushi.
"Yes, time is the issue," Rosinante said heavily.
"Time?" Diarmuid sounded surprised.
"Exactly. The boy with Amber Lead Disease, his time is limited. Dr. Nightingale, the 'National Doctor' of the Drum Kingdom, told me that perhaps the Op-Op Fruit could cure his disease. I was just about to take him to search for the Op-Op Fruit..." Rosinante explained without reservation.
'National Doctor' was an honor reserved for the top doctors in the Drum Kingdom. Nightingale, known as the 'Soul Hunter of the Underworld,' was one of them.
Diarmuid fell silent for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll figure out another way for that matter. You focus on what you're doing."
Rosinante sighed with relief, his gratitude toward Diarmuid's care deepening.
Saving the child Law from Amber Lead Disease was his personal mission, while the task assigned by Admiral Diarmuid was an official request.
Yet, when he expressed a small difficulty, Diarmuid immediately accommodated him. How could he not be grateful?
"Onii-san, if you still haven't managed it by then, I'll go help you get the Gold-Gold Fruit after I cure Law..." Rosinante quickly said.
"Hahahaha, the thought is what counts. Law... is that the boy's name?" Diarmuid asked.
"Mm, Trafalgar D. Water Law," Rosinante said with a smile.
"That's a good name. I think he will live. Meeting you is his good fortune," Diarmuid said.
After chatting a little longer, the two hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Law finally spoke. "Cora-san, are you a Marine?"
Rosinante was silent for a moment, then nodded. "That's right. I'm a Commander at Marine Headquarters, a member of the Intelligence Division's Special Operations Team, codenamed Corazon."
"And the person just now, is he a Marine Admiral?" Law asked again.
"Hehehe, that's right. That's Marine Admiral Rodriguez Diarmuid. I've known him since I was about your age. He looked out for me a lot back then, and he even saved my life from Shiki in the North Blue... I've always considered him my older brother," Rosinante said with a smile. When he mentioned Diarmuid, his eyes were full of respect and admiration.
"Is he a good person? A good person like you?" Law asked curiously.
"A good person?" Rosinante murmured, then shook his head. "Probably not."
But after saying that, Rosinante reached out and rubbed Law's head, smiling as he said, "Law, you're still young, so it seems to you that the world is only made up of good people or bad people, black and white... But when you get older, you'll realize that many things, and many people, can't be defined by simple good or bad."
Law nodded, half understanding, but didn't ask any more questions.
Seeing this, Rosinante didn't say anything further either. He took Law's small hand and said with a smile, "Let's go."
"Where are we going, Cora-san?" Law asked.
"Let's head back to the North Blue first, to the Donquixote Family's territory," Rosinante said softly.
It would be a pipe dream for him to find the Op-Op Fruit alone. As for using Marine resources, he definitely couldn't ask for it, as this was a private matter. Diarmuid had already been very generous; he couldn't push his luck.
Therefore, he could only return to the Donquixote Family to see if he could gather any intelligence there. And, perhaps, see if he could help his good onii-san get the Gold-Gold Fruit.
That's right. Even though Diarmuid didn't demand it, Rosinante still took the task to heart.
Meanwhile, back at G-1 in the New World, Diarmuid looked at the disconnected Den Den Mushi, feeling a headache.
He had planned to pull Rosinante out of the entire Op-Op Fruit affair, but now he realized it was impossible.
If the boy hadn't learned that the Op-Op Fruit could cure Law's disease, he might have been able to manipulate the situation.
Now... it was difficult.
As for the Gold-Gold Fruit, without Rosinante's help, Diarmuid had other ways, including directly extorting Doflamingo.
He wasn't overly concerned about that.
After a long silence, Diarmuid sighed. "Forget it. Maybe Trafalgar Law meeting you was truly fate, meaning he wasn't meant to die. And maybe you, you damn saint, meeting me back then meant you weren't meant to die..."
To pull Rosinante out would be to abandon Law's life. Given Rosinante's nature, he would never agree.
Since that scoundrel called him 'onii-san' and had always admired and respected him since childhood, saving his life was the least he could do at this point.
"Based on the timeline, I can still make it to the North Blue..." Diarmuid thought for a moment and muttered.
Whether it was the Op-Op Fruit or the Gold-Gold Fruit, he had to make a trip to the North Blue to see Rosinante, to see Trafalgar Law, and to see... Doflamingo.
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