The North Blue is different from the other seas; mafia families and gangs are the dominant powers here. There are pirates, but they are weak compared to these other forces.
After landing on the periphery of an island, Kaito sensed a village nearby and decided to approach. Upon arriving, he saw that the people seemed happy. He frowned, as this place was close to the Donquixote family's territory.
After lurking around for a while, he discovered an underground weapons manufactory. So this is how they are rich, he realized.
Kaito found it amusing but also intriguing that Doflamingo still maintained such a shrewd operation. He might really be a born king. And as for weapons manufacturing... in a world where war, hunger, and slavery are common, it's nothing as long as you care for your own people.
After thinking for a while, he decided to go to the Donquixote stronghold. He traveled to Spider Miles and started walking around with a mask on his face; this was a famous port for mafia and underground crime lords to trade in.
This port town was truly a sin city, a paradise for criminals where goodness had no say. It featured underground fighting arenas, pleasure houses, slaves, and, of course, weapons transactions.
Keeping himself hidden, he found a gathering place for minions in the Donquixote family. He entered and started gambling while listening to their conversations.
From what he heard, it appeared Corazon and Law hadn't left yet. Knowing this, he decided to leave. After he exited, he knew he was being followed, likely because he had won some money. Shaking his head, he moved into a side street and immediately sped up. When his pursuers reached the street, they found nothing.
He then went directly to the stronghold of the Donquixote family and spent time monitoring them. He saw Law fighting gangs with Baby 5 and Buffalo. He saw Corazon fall clumsily on the ground while walking. He saw them go out on two missions: one was successful but they had to run away as Tsuru appeared, and the second one failed because Tsuru appeared before they could complete it.
A month passed since he had arrived when, one day, he overheard Law speaking with Baby 5 and Buffalo.
"You're saying that your name is Trafalgar D. Water Law. What does the 'D' mean?" Baby 5 asked, not knowing its significance.
Corazon, who was hiding nearby, heard their conversation. He immediately took Law aside and activated his silence barrier.
"Law, you should be on my side right now. If my brother knows you are from the 'D' family, he will kill you!"
"Who's talking?" Law asked, looking around, as Corazon was known to be unable to speak.
Corazon turned his head to Law and spoke so he could see. "Don't ever reveal that name to anyone! Not to Doflamingo… not to anyone! If the world learns you bear that name, you'll be persecuted."
"You can talk?" Law asked, confused.
"Promise me to never tell anyone about this name!"
"Why? What's so special about the 'D'?"
Corazon's expression was serious as he whispered, "There's a certain clan… throughout history, everyone with that name has been called the 'Natural Enemy of the Gods.' The Celestial Dragons… the so-called 'gods of this world'… they fear it deeply. Those who carry the 'D.' are fated to oppose them."
"…Enemy of the Gods?"
"Yes," Corazon said grimly. "Remember this, Law… those who carry that initial bring storms with them. It is a dangerous name. Hide it. Live quietly with it buried inside… for your own sake."
"What are you talking about right now? I have only one year to live anyway. I'm going to kill for as long as I can, and then I will die. Hehehe, I'm going to tell Doflamingo that you can talk. I bet he will do more than just kick your ass!"
"No, stop!"
Law kept running for a while, then stopped, huffed, and went in another direction.
"Oh, aren't you going to tell him?" a voice suddenly asked beside him.
Law, thinking it was Corazon, answered while turning his head. "I owe you one because you didn't—" He stopped when he saw a masked kid holding a passed-out Corazon.
"Who are you?!"
"Hehe, that's not important. What's more important is who you are."
The masked man then suddenly knocked him out and took them both to a secluded spot on the island. He brought out a rope and tied them up, then woke them with a small zap of electricity.
"Oh good, you're awake."
"Hey, let me go! I'm going to kill you!" Law yelled.
"Interesting, really interesting. A 'D' serving under a former Celestial Dragon—the same kind of people that destroyed his hometown and family."
Law stopped struggling against the ropes and stared at the masked kid after hearing that. "What are you talking about?!"
"Oh, you don't know that Doflamingo is a former Celestial Dragon, and you are from the 'D' family, which is the enemy of the Celestial Dragons?"
"You mean the Celestial Dragons are the people who destroyed my hometown and family?!"
"You shut up! Don't speak to him anymore!" Corazon yelled, noticing the despair washing over Law.
"Yeah, you may not know, but the World Government was behind the isolation of Flevance. They were the ones who spread the rumors about it being contagious. They even knew about the poisoning effects of the white lead but didn't inform you. It was an easy way for them to get rich, and when you served your purpose, they killed you."
Corazon started to struggle while yelling, "Shut up!"
"Impossible..." Law was shocked.
"He should know the truth about what happened to him. It's cruel, but it's the truth nevertheless."
"What purpose does that serve? This is just cruelty!" Corazon shouted.
"No, the cruelty would be letting him serve someone who killed his own father and delivered his head to the Celestial Dragons in a last, desperate attempt to regain his status."
Corazon stopped talking, looking shocked. He didn't know how anyone could have this information.
"Your situation is also very interesting. A born Celestial Dragon whose father decided to throw away his status and live among ordinary people. But after being discovered, you were tortured. In the end, the elder brother killed his father after escaping, trying to regain his Celestial Dragon status, but they refused. I can actually understand Doflamingo more than I understand you. Maybe Doflamingo went a bit overboard with his decision to kill his father, but you have to understand that he was only a child who was in heaven and then thrown into hell. You were too young to understand what Celestial Dragon status entitled you to because your father was a kind and naive man. But in Doflamingo's eyes, he was the one who killed your mother by throwing you, himself, and your mother into that hell after living like kings. It's normal for him to snap and turn crazy. But you, in return, becoming a marine is something I don't get."
Kaito, of course, knew that Corazon was semi-adopted by Sengoku, but unlike the previous revelations, this one wasn't common knowledge.
"Who is a marine?" Law asked.
"Come on, I've been spying on you for a month. I was really shocked when I found out you were a marine spying on your brother to destroy him."
Corazon kept silent.
"Well, if you don't speak, I will start torturing this kid," Kaito said, moving to shock Law with electricity.
"Stop!" Corazon immediately yelled.
"Hmm, just as I thought. You've been hitting the kids to prevent them from joining the crew by scaring them."
Law was shocked by the conversation. Celestial Dragon? A spy for the marines? The guy he hates and who has been hitting him was actually protecting him?
"You both are really interesting people, so I'll tell you what. You tell me how you joined the marines, and in return, I will let this kid leave."
Corazon stayed silent for a while, then started to speak. "I was found by Admiral Sengoku after my brother killed my father." He then told the whole story.
"Interesting. And the job you received was to spy on your brother, who you see as absolute, born evil. I wonder how much of this is coincidence and how much is planned. I have to say the World Government are master manipulators. I wonder if Sengoku is being manipulated, knows but can't refuse orders, or is just manipulating you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, in your story, you were placed in an orphanage at first but then taken in by Sengoku into the marines. You grew up hearing about what your brother was doing and that someone should stop him. Afterwards, you, who had been nurtured to have a sense of justice and belonging to the marines, couldn't stand the evil your brother was doing, making you volunteer to be a spy. But have you never wondered why you are still alive today? Your father was a Celestial Dragon, but when he descended, they left him alone and allowed people they consider beneath them to catch and torture you. Would their arrogance allow a former Celestial Dragon to be tortured by those people? How can your brother have a base and grow this much but never be captured? They keep sending Tsuru over and over again, which restricts Doflamingo's development but never catches him. Why don't they send an admiral or Garp if they think Doflamingo is that dangerous?"
Kaito noticed a change of the expression on Corozan face.
"Oh, it seems like know the reason. Is it something you requested because you don't wish for your to die?. No maybe they said to you that we will only send Tsuru because her powers aren't fatal and would be able to capture him after washing away his evil nature. Or something like that. I wonder which one is it but either way, they are really good."
Corazon's mind started to reel from the questions.
"Well,you might be wondering why they were doing this and I would be lying if I said I know the answers, but I can tell you some theories. First, your father, as a Celestial Dragon, had information that he used to negotiate a safe exit from Mary Geoise. He may have also entrusted this information to someone else to be spread if he was killed. Second, and the best possible scenario, the Five Elders or the God's Knights wanted to make an example out of you. They may have even encouraged the civilians to hunt you down and torture you to prevent any other Celestial Dragon from having such thoughts again. They also brainwashed you to let you brothers kill each other. Do you think it's impossible? Then I will tell you a secret: Doflamingo's character is actually the same as the Celestial Dragons. If he is inherently evil, then Celestial Dragons are inherently evil. That means the marines are serving inherently evil people. I actually think your brother was turned evil because, from what you said, he was a gentle kid when he was young, but the world screwed him over so much that he turned off his morals to survive after his mother died and he was tortured. So, which one do you think is more possible: your point of view or mine?"
Corazon was shocked into stillness. He wanted to cry, to deny it, to do anything, but he couldn't. He started to think that what happened to his family was something the World Government was truly capable of.
"Hey, how about a bet? I bet that your brother will continue to get stronger, won't be stopped, and will reach Dressrosa and rule it. You want to know why? It's because the king of Dressrosa is a benevolent king with a very good reputation. Such kings are always the ones the World Government hates, so they must be destroyed."
"Aaaaaaahhhh!" Corazon finally lost it.
Kaito kept silent until Corazon stopped crying and calmed down. Then, he cut their ropes and freed them.
Corazon and Law looked at him with confusion.
"Wondering why I let you go?" Kaito said. "It's because I'm curious about your choices. What are you going to do? Try to kill me and deny my theories? Try to kill Doflamingo because, whatever the reason, he is still pure evil? Try to kill the marines, who are servants of the Celestial Dragons? Or something else entirely?"
He then turned to Law. "And for you, I'm very curious as well. You now have information that could let you kill a Celestial Dragon—well, a former one, but one nonetheless. Or are you going to protect the man who was trying to save you and live out the rest of your life?"
Law stayed silent for a moment, but just as he was about to answer, Corazon hit him on the head, knocking him out.
"Oh?" Kaito was surprised by Corazon's action.
Corazon looked at Kaito for a long moment, then picked up Law and turned to leave.
"Can you tell me what you're going to do?" Kaito asked. "I'm just curious."
Corazon turned to look at him. "I recognize you. You are the one who attacked Mary Geoise and freed the slaves, aren't you?"
"Oh, you got me. Are you going to tell the marines about the evil guy who disrupted the lives of their masters?"
Corazon looked at him. "You're really an asshole. But no. I just think that you wouldn't kill us because we've never hurt innocent people."
"Hehehe, maybe that's true. But this world is so wrong that there are no innocent people anymore. Marines say they will protect civilians but watch them be taken as slaves by their masters without a word. The Revolutionary Army fights against evil kings to free people, but in the process, they kill soldiers who only follow orders. Pirates are just misfits who kill each other and raid civilians because the world fucked up their minds at some point. Civilians stay silent when others are taken away to be slaves, saying, 'As long as it's not me, it's not my problem.' So maybe there are no innocent people after all."
Corazon stayed silent, then asked, "Then why are you still fighting?"
Kaito answered immediately. "For my future and my kids' future. I know that I may be hurting others, but this is war. I will keep fighting for myself and for my kids' future. I only know that this world is wrong, so I will keep fighting until I find a way to fix it."
Corazon stayed silent for a while, then said, "Are you going to free the slaves here?"
Kaito was quiet for a moment before answering. "No. I thought about it, but the slaves here are from defeated gangs and crime syndicates who used to capture slaves themselves. So it's probably for the best to let them rot."
"But there are still many villagers who were captured!"
"Oh? Then you tell me: do I release these people, knowing that some of them will probably go out and hurt more people than the ones I saved?"
Corazon stayed silent and didn't answer.
"I thought so," Kaito said. "So what are you going to do?"
"I will go look for a cure for this kid," Corazon said after a while.
"A cure? There's no way you'll find such a thing."
"The world is full of wonders. I think I might be able to heal him."
Kaito stayed silent for a moment, then said, "I'm telling you there's no cure because I know how it can be cured."
Corazon's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"The world doesn't know, but Mary Geoise has researched the disease and can cure it. They even improved the poison's effect and created a new disease: the Sapphire Scale disease, which causes a genetic mutation in the person exposed to the poison and is inherited by their descendants."
This was something Kaito had discovered but kept secret, suspecting Bonney was likely part of an experiment to see if she would inherit the disease. He even theorized that in the original story, they let Ginny return before her death to manipulate Kuma into voluntarily turning himself into a cyborg.
Shaking his head to clear such thoughts, he heard a thud. He looked to see Corazon kneeling on the ground.
"Please," Corazon begged. "Save him."
Kaito looked at him for a while, then said, "I can't trust you. You should understand—it's not that I don't want to, but this involves other people. If you or he betray me, good people could get hurt. I'm sorry, but I can't allow that."
Corazon pleaded, "I swear I will keep your secret, whatever it is! No... you can just take him and keep him unconscious until you treat him, then bring him back."
"Oh, that's an interesting proposition," Kaito said, a sly tone entering his voice. "What do you think, Law?"