"Bang—"
The trigger was slowly pulled.
That same pistol, the one that had once killed his own father, was now aimed by Doflamingo at his younger brother—Rosinante.
Why...
Why!!!
He was my dearest brother!
He had even thought more than once that, when the time was right, he would bring Rosinante back with him to the Holy Land.
All their past pain and suffering would be left behind—they would still be noble Celestial Dragons.
As long as they managed their business well and showed enough loyalty...
Why did Rosinante have to stand in his way?
Everything he did was for the sake of the two of them! Those wars, those slaves… what did any of that have to do with nobles like them?!!
Yet in the end, Rosinante still chose betrayal...
No one could understand the grief and confusion raging inside Doflamingo's heart at this moment.
And all of it was about to end—the instant the bullet was fired.
If nothing unexpected happened, the bullet would take Rosinante's life... and Doflamingo would become the murderer of his last remaining family.
The bullet drew a silvery arc through the air, flying straight toward Rosinante's chest.
And just before it could pierce through—
A gloved hand suddenly appeared out of thin air.
"After all, he's your brother."
"Killing him seems... a bit much, don't you think?"
"Sss—"
The bullet, still spinning and smoking hot from the barrel, touched the fingertip of that black glove—then, with a faint hiss, lit a cigarette.
Orin had caught the bullet bare-handed, using it to light his smoke.
His sudden appearance stunned everyone present.
The executives standing behind Doflamingo instinctively prepared to attack the tall stranger, but the moment they saw his face, their hands froze midair.
Even Doflamingo himself, his face just moments ago twisted in grim fury, now stood slack-jawed in disbelief.
"O… Orin-sama…"
Rosinante, who had already accepted death, and the bloodied Law lying on the ground both widened their eyes in shock.
"Alive…? We're still alive?"
Orin rubbed the bullet between his fingers—it crumbled instantly into fine iron dust.
He stood there quietly, cigarette in hand.
Doflamingo was the first to regain his voice. He looked at the iron dust and frowned slightly.
"Why… Orin-sama, Corazon is a traitor to the family…"
If it were the Orin of the past, he might have just given Doffy a cold look. Did he ever need a reason for what he did?
But the Orin of now was no longer that imperious emperor looking down from on high.
As the pirate known as [Black Gun], he had gradually accepted Doflamingo's friendship, even placing him somewhere close to Crocodile's level of acquaintance—
A friend, more or less.
Well, something like that. They were comrades of sorts, though Doffy had always been a bit too unruly and had earned a few beatings for it.
Still, they had history.
In fact, Doflamingo was the first among the current Shichibukai that Orin had ever met.
"Just call me Orin-san. These days..."
"I'm nothing more than a simple pirate."
Ever since leaving the Sabaody Archipelago, people had stopped calling him "Orin-sama."
Aside from CP and the Marines, most now simply called him "Orin-san."
"Actually, I knew from the start that Rosinante was a Marine. Strictly speaking, I shouldn't be meddling in such things now that I'm retired..."
"Hah..."
Orin smirked slightly, his eyes full of confidence and amusement.
"But these two still owe me their lives, so I can't just let you kill them, Doffy."
There was no righteousness or cruelty behind his words—he acted purely according to his whims.
"..."
The hand holding the gun finally lowered.
Whether it was because he truly feared Orin's power, or because deep down he didn't want to kill his brother—
Doflamingo gave up.
"Since you've said so, Orin-san..."
"I'll let it go."
The atmosphere fell into silence.
The two brothers, Doflamingo and Rosinante, stared into each other's eyes—one proud and upright, the other battered and disheveled.
Then suddenly, Doflamingo laughed.
But the smile wasn't directed at Rosinante—it was aimed at Orin.
"I thought you might be interested, so I was planning to give you the Op-Op Fruit, Orin-san."
"But it seems that won't be necessary now."
Just as Orin had said, Law was already his person. And Doffy suspected that maybe—
The "life debt" Orin spoke of might someday be repaid through the Perennial Youth Operation.
But Orin only shook his head.
"I've got no interest in the Op-Op Fruit. Most of what that fruit can do, the Warp-Warp Fruit can handle just fine."
"Aside from a little personal sentiment..."
"I just wanted to see—"
"If someday, in the future, you'll be grateful that I stopped you from killing Rosinante."
Orin's gaze pierced straight into Doflamingo's soul, leaving him silent.
Finally, Doflamingo turned and left.
He had come in high spirits—but departed in silence.
Orin tossed a roll of bandages to Rosinante, looking down at his half-dead state and sighing.
"So, what will you do now?"
He was curious—after changing the course of Rosinante's fate, what kind of life would he choose next?
Coughing up a few mouthfuls of blood, Rosinante looked at the unconscious Law lying beside him. A genuine smile tugged at his lips.
"I'll return to the Marines first. Law's alive, and now he can pursue his own dream..."
"And I'm free!"
In the end, Rosinante was rescued by the Marines.
Under Orin's watchful gaze and the escort of Marine soldiers, Vergo could only pretend not to see him.
Corazon glanced briefly at Orin and Law—then said nothing, as if he hadn't noticed Vergo at all.
In this long and tangled war of undercover plots between the Marines and the Donquixote Family, the family had ultimately won.
Defeated by Rosinante's kindness—that was the truth of it.
"Goodbye, Law."
Orin hitched a ride on the Marine warship, freeloading a meal before he left. Before departing, he mischievously tugged at Law's cheek.
"Hey, Rosinante, just a warning—don't expect Law to stay a good little Marine forever!"
"Eh?! Really, Law!?"
"Yeah. After what they did to my hometown, all I feel toward the World Government and the Marines is hatred!! …Well, except for you, Corazon."
"Hahahahaha!!!"
"Pirates are the freest people in the world, Law. Go chase your dream!!!"