Looking into Doflamingo's sinister eyes, Rosinante spoke softly, "Navy Headquarters Commander, marine code 01746, operative name 'Arare.' Doflamingo, I am a Marine! So you don't need to wonder if I dare to shoot you or if I will shoot you. Don't touch Law! I will never allow Law to become a person like you. This world has enough of one lunatic like you. Let him go! He has eaten the Op-Op Fruit. He has broken the curse of fate brought by Amber Lead Syndrome! He is free!!!"
Doflamingo slowly tossed the bullet he was holding onto the ground, while his other hand picked up a pistol, aiming it at Rosinante.
"Free?" Doflamingo's eyes flashed with rage. "Free? Who in this world isn't struggling in the mud? Freedom? Who truly possesses any freedom? Fate? Don't talk nonsense about fate here, Corazón! We were born noble, yet we fell to this wretched state. What is that? Freedom? Fate? Are you the same as that idiot Homing? Always rambling about these things that have no meaning whatsoever! Don't imagine yourself to be so noble! What do you think you're doing? You're still manipulating Law's life! Do you think you can act recklessly under the banner of doing good for others? You should know that I hate that kind of talk and behavior the most. You, or Father, if not for your reckless actions, if not for your naivety..."
At this point, Doflamingo's arm was trembling, not from fear, but from sheer anger.
He was only eight years old back then when that Homing idiot went off his rocker, deciding not to be a Celestial Dragon and insisting on becoming a commoner in the North Blue. He claimed everyone was human, with no high or low status, and that Mariejois was nothing more than a birdcage; even Celestial Dragons weren't truly free and he didn't want that kind of fate.
And what was the result?
In the end, his beloved mother died of illness in a dilapidated shack, never having a full meal before her death.
In the end, their family couldn't integrate into the "everyone is human" environment at all, and they were hunted down, hung on a wall, and shot at with arrows like targets.
In the end, he was forced to kill that idiot father, Homing, with his own hands, bringing his head to Mariejois to beg those damned Celestial Dragons to let him and his brother return.
Why? Was it not all because of their naivety?
Always thinking things will be the way they wish? The more naive a person is, the more they think the world revolves around them. But it's never that simple!
"By what right do you stand on the high moral ground of justice, light, and goodness to call me evil, to call me a criminal, Rosinante?" Doflamingo demanded, shouting in rage.
"You..." Rosinante was about to speak.
Bang!
Doflamingo fired his pistol, striking Rosinante squarely in the shoulder, drawing a spray of blood. Law was stunned, tears immediately streaming down his face as he quickly rushed to support Rosinante.
"Enough. I'm not here to ask you for an answer. The path I walk, the path I've chosen, doesn't need anyone's approval, nor do I need to explain it to you!" Doflamingo's furious emotions had now subsided, returning to a calm composure.
It must be said that Doflamingo's control over his emotions was truly exceptional.
Rosinante, hit in the shoulder, could no longer aim his gun accurately at Doflamingo.
Doflamingo pointed his gun at Rosinante's head again, then looked at Law. "Law, I'll say it once more: Get over here. Otherwise, I'll blow his brains out right now!"
"He's your brother!" Law yelled at Doflamingo.
"My brother?" Doflamingo murmured softly, then looked at Rosinante. "Yes, you are my brother. But why must you force me to kill my own kin with my hands again?"
"Again?" Law looked at Doflamingo in disbelief. Could someone really kill their own flesh and blood?
"Is that so? He never told you? I personally killed our father. Do you think I would hesitate to kill him again?" Doflamingo gave Law an evil smile.
"Don't believe him, Law!" Rosinante braced against the gunshot wound, shielding Law behind him. A smile appeared on his face. "You're too late, Doflamingo. Admiral Diarmuid is already on the island. I know you're terrified of him. I've already told him that Law ate the Op-Op Fruit. You can't take anyone away. You can try killing me and see if he comes for revenge!"
Just then, Doflamingo suddenly felt a weight press down on him. The previously loose snow on the surrounding ground instantly became dense and heavy.
Not only him, but Rosinante was instantly forced onto one knee, and Law was directly pressed face-down into the snow. Baby 5 and Buffalo were in a similar state, violently forced onto the snow, unable to move. The other Donquixote Family executives were also affected to varying degrees.
Simultaneously, a voice entered everyone's ears.
"You can shoot that traitor dead right now. Believe me, Doflamingo, I absolutely won't avenge him. In fact, I might even thank you for helping the Navy clean up a defector."
Hearing the voice, Doflamingo's eyes darkened. He turned around without expression, looking at the figure standing not far behind him.
Indeed, it was Diarmuid, dressed in a thick Navy cotton coat and a cloak of Justice. He looked as though he had just taken a cigar from his pocket and was about to light it.
Behind him, to the left and right, stood Vergo and Hina.
Click.
Diarmuid lit the cigar. Only then did he raise his head and look toward Doflamingo. He exhaled a puff of smoke, glanced at the kneeling Rosinante, saw Law with white spots (the effect of Amber Lead Syndrome) on his body, and finally settled his gaze on Doflamingo.
"Two things," Diarmuid said, holding up two fingers.
Before Doflamingo could speak, Diarmuid went straight to the point. "First: I'm taking Rosinante and this boy with me. If you dare to talk back, I'll beat you up."
Doflamingo's expression grew even darker, yet his lips curled upward into a wicked, somewhat maniacal smile, as if he were preparing to fight Diarmuid.
But Diarmuid completely ignored Doflamingo's shifting emotions and continued to speak on his own terms. "Second: You will deliver the Gold-Gold Fruit to my warship within three days. If you do that, I can pretend I didn't see you shoot one of our Navy Commanders."
After concluding, Diarmuid exhaled another puff of smoke. "Alright, I've had my say. Who votes in favor, and who votes against?"
Though Diarmuid asked the question, his eyes remained fixed solely on Doflamingo's face.
The smile on Doflamingo's lips grew more frantic. Suddenly, he yelled, "You surround me with my own people, and you protect my own brother? Do you think being a Navy Admiral makes you amazing!?"
The instant the words left his mouth, Doflamingo violently snapped his hand down, and five colorful threads burst forth from his fingertips, lashing out directly at Diarmuid.
As Doflamingo moved, Vergo seemed to receive a signal. He coated his hand in Armament Haki, and a dagger slid from his sleeve. He lunged, stabbing directly at the small of Diarmuid's back.
But the moment he moved, Hina reacted as if she had known what he would do all along. She spat the cigarette butt in her mouth toward Vergo's face and, simultaneously, her long legs swept out in a high roundhouse kick that seemed to defy limits.
Hina's long leg instantly struck Vergo. Then, her Cage-Cage Fruit ability activated; her leg passed through Vergo's body, and he was immediately bound by black iron bars. Not holding back, Hina reversed her motion and delivered a cross-body punch that also passed through Vergo's chest, securing a second cage around him. With the two cages locked, Hina's initial kick landed perfectly, and her body was now positioned directly behind Vergo. She coated her hands in Haki and delivered two powerful punches to the small of Vergo's back, while her iron-toed snow boots kicked his hamstrings twice.
From the moment Vergo attacked until Hina finished her combination, only two breaths of air had passed.
Vergo didn't even realize what happened before Hina had pinned him in the snow, her foot planted squarely on his back.
Meanwhile, Diarmuid had caught the five colorful strings in his hand. He examined them with a smile. "See? We're all the same, aren't we? You also placed your own person right next to me."
Doflamingo was stunned. He had seen Vergo standing right behind Diarmuid. If Vergo seized the opportunity to deliver a heavy blow, seriously wounding Diarmuid, Doflamingo might have been able to kill the Admiral today.
If that happened, no one on the island could stop Doflamingo from taking Trafalgar Law. The remaining issues could be dealt with slowly. Even though he would have angered the Navy, gaining the power of immortality seemed worth it. Moreover, if he managed to kill a Navy Admiral like Diarmuid, it would surely shock Marine Headquarters into hesitation, preventing them from easily moving against him again. That would buy him enough time to find a hiding place.
That was why he attacked, opening with his killing move, Goshikito (Five-Color String), and Vergo did not disappoint, attacking right alongside him. Everything had been going according to plan; Doflamingo could almost see the scene of Vergo stabbing Diarmuid through the heart from behind.
But in the very next second, everything changed. The unknown woman accompanying Diarmuid, reportedly just a small secretary, reacted with lightning speed. In just two or three seconds, she had completely subdued Vergo. What the hell is going on? You're that strong, and you're a secretary?!
At the same time, his full-power killing move, Goshikito, was shattered simply by Diarmuid catching it with his hand.
The atmosphere was suddenly incredibly awkward.
Fortunately, Doflamingo was a man who could take and give, and one with a thick skin. He immediately burst into laughter. "Fuffuffuffu. A Navy Admiral is amazing!"
"Hahahahaha..." Diarmuid roared with laughter, looking at Doflamingo. "You are truly becoming more and more interesting."
"It was just a joke, Admiral. I trust you don't mind," Doflamingo shrugged with a cheerful smile.
It was as if the scene moments ago, filled with killing intent, had truly been a lighthearted jest.
"I was just joking with you, too," Diarmuid said, smiling.
Then, Diarmuid's expression immediately turned serious. He reached out, grabbed a revolver from Hina's holster, and without looking, fired a series of 'Bang! Bang! Bang!' shots at the bound Vergo on the ground, emptying all six chambers of the revolver.
All six bullets struck Vergo's back. In the blink of an eye, blood gushed out, staining his pure white coat of Justice red. Although he had been shot six times, for Vergo, who possessed the technique of Life Return, it wasn't enough to kill him instantly, though he was gravely wounded.
Doflamingo's expression turned sinister again.
Diarmuid suddenly smiled, re-holstered the revolver on Hina's waist, and looked at Doflamingo with a grin. "Well? Was that funny?"