-Broadcast-
Trafalgar Law had fallen to his former teacher's blade. Diamante's victory had been inevitable from the moment Law chose sacrifice over strategy—depleting his stamina with repeated Room deployments to ensure Bepo and Lami could escape while he drew their pursuers in the opposite direction.
The Ope Ope no Mi demanded a terrible price for its miracles. No amount of medical knowledge could change the fundamental truth that Law possessed an ordinary human's body, with all its limitations. When exhaustion finally claimed him, Diamante had been waiting.
Now, after a full day of imprisonment, Law found himself staring at stone walls instead of Doflamingo's sneering face. From dawn to dusk he had waited, expecting to confront the man who had murdered Corazon. Instead, only silence and shadow greeted him.
His cell held two other occupants, each wearing their own set of seastone restraints. Three grown men trapped in a space barely large enough for one, yet no words passed between them. Law didn't recognize the pair of government agents—CP0 operatives whose identities remained masked even in captivity. But Lucci and Kaku knew exactly who shared their prison, though they kept that knowledge to themselves.
The monotonous hours of waiting ended when footsteps echoed down the corridor. A member of the Donquixote family approached, his distinctive appearance immediately marking him as one of Doflamingo's officers.
Fighting fish horns protruded from his skull, while his cap bore the same creature's distinctive pattern. A single earring dangled from his left ear, and his outfit combined giraffe-striped sleeves with hot pants and red high heels that added ten centimeters to his height. The overall effect was simultaneously flamboyant and threatening.
"Trafalgar Law," the officer announced, his voice carrying a mocking lilt. "Before you meet the Young Master, there's someone else who wants a word. Come along, tra-la-la."
Character Note: Derringer - Donquixote Family Officer, Fighting Fish Half-Fishman
In his hands, Derringer held a black hood, gesturing for Law to take it voluntarily. "Though our destination isn't exactly classified, we can't have Marines spotting you before the time is right. Cooperate, and this stays civilized."
Law's mind raced. Who else on Dressrosa would possibly want to see him? His list of allies on this island was nonexistent, while his enemies could fill a book.
"Why the games?" Law asked, genuine curiosity overriding his caution. "If not Doflamingo, then—"
The words died as Derringer's fist slammed into his solar plexus, Armament Haki adding devastating force to the blow. Law's vision exploded into white-hot pain as his already battered organs protested the impact. Blood rushed up his throat, forcing him to double over in agony.
"Watch your tongue, traitor," Derringer snarled, his playful demeanor evaporating. "You lost the right to ask questions when you betrayed the family."
Both men were orphans rescued by Doflamingo's twisted compassion, but their paths had diverged drastically. Where Giolla had raised Derringer with absolute loyalty to their Young Master, Corazon had planted seeds of rebellion in Law's heart. Now those different philosophies faced each other across a prison cell.
Pain proved more persuasive than words. Law accepted the hood without further protest, allowing the fabric to steal his sight as seastone shackles limited his movement to shuffling steps. Derringer's subordinates pushed him forward while their leader set the pace ahead.
The air grew thick and damp as they descended, suggesting an underground network beneath Dressrosa's streets. Law's medical training catalogued the sensations—the musty scent of stone and mortar, the faint echo that spoke of carved tunnels, the gradual temperature drop that came with depth. They were moving through the foundations of the city itself, likely approaching the industrial heart where SMILE production took place.
Minutes stretched into what felt like hours as they navigated a maze of passages. Finally, the group stopped, and hands roughly guided Law through a doorway.
"Law, meet your old friend," Derringer announced, removing the hood with theatrical flair before shoving his prisoner into the room proper.
The door closed with decisive finality, leaving Law alone with the chamber's other occupant. When recognition struck, his composure cracked for the first time since his capture.
"Surprised to see me, Law?"
The young man lounging in a simple chair wore exhaustion like a second skin. Dark hair hung in unkempt strands around features that memory had preserved from childhood, though years had carved new lines of hardship into his face. This was Eren Yeager, the boy who had vanished from Flevance so long ago.
"Eren..." Law's voice barely rose above a whisper as he settled into the offered seat. "You're alive. Lami would be—she'd be so happy to know."
For a moment, the weight of shared tragedy bridged the years between them. Two survivors of Amber Lead Syndrome, orphans who had watched their homeland burn, finding each other in the most unlikely of circumstances.
But Eren's expression remained coldly neutral as he studied his childhood acquaintance. The Trafalgar Law who had once dreamed of burning the world in revenge had evolved, focusing his hatred on a single target. Yet here he sat, defeated and captured, his quest for vengeance seemingly over before it could truly begin.
"I'm sorry about Lami," Eren said finally, his tone carrying the weight of genuine regret. "When I chose to work with Doflamingo, certain compromises became unavoidable. If you hadn't appeared when you did, I would have ensured her suffering ended quickly."
The words hit Law like a physical blow. "What did you just say?!"
Whatever fragile reunion this might have been shattered instantly. Law lunged forward, seastone restraints forgotten as he grabbed Eren's collar with trembling hands.
"You knew!" he screamed, voice cracking with anguish. "You knew what happened to Lami—that she became the Silver Girl—and you did nothing?! She and Ada were inseparable! How could you let her suffer like that?!"
Eren's response came with chilling calm: "Because I realized none of it matters anymore. Before the Rumbling begins, you, Lami, Ada—everyone will meet again somewhere else."
"The Rumbling?" Law demanded, but his question was drowned out by thunderous applause from somewhere above. The sound penetrated the basement's poor insulation, reminding both men of the world beyond their conversation.
"Where exactly are we?" Law asked, momentarily distracted by the cacophony.
"Directly beneath the main stage of Dressrosa's Music Festival," Eren explained matter-of-factly. "This building serves as the backdrop for tonight's entertainment. Above us, hundreds of families are pressed against their windows, enjoying the show."
The explanation only deepened Law's confusion. Why choose such a public, chaotic location for a clandestine meeting? Through the thin walls came a symphony of human existence—children crying, lovers gasping, neighbors arguing, furniture crashing. All the messy, vital sounds of life carrying on despite the darkness gathering below.
Then a new voice cut through the noise—the sweet, professional tone of the stage announcer reached the basement clearly. Law and Eren could hear every word, and the content of the following speech was closely related to both orphans.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please let us once again applaud and invite the surviving royal descendant of Flevance to come to the stage to speak! He will reveal the truth about the White Town to the world!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience above. The guests were extremely interested in the strange story that had happened in Flevance.
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