"Nani..."
Doflamingo's curled-up smile stiffened, then slowly returned to calm.
He could no longer laugh. He didn't even care about the blood-red sunglasses that were put back on his face.
On a stretch of ruins, two figures stood frozen like this, silent for a moment, before he finally spoke slowly,
"Is this... Orin-san's will?"
Tiger closed his eyes.
"No... Orin-san didn't strictly require me to take care of someone or not take care of someone, so I don't plan to save you."
Doflamingo, true to being a dominant figure, did not fly into a useless rage because of this.
"Why? I don't think I ever offended you, Fisher Tiger."
"If we have to talk about a reason, it's because of your bloodline. I can never forgive the Celestial Dragons in my lifetime."
"..."
Hearing this reason, Doflamingo was about to collapse.
Sometimes when people are speechless to the extreme, they can't help but laugh.
"Fufufufufu..."
"Is that so."
He had spent half his life striving, trying to restore that noble Celestial Dragon status, but in the end?
He was abandoned because of that very status?
Doflamingo's life could be summed up in one phrase: the fickleness of fate.
At this moment, a squad of Marines arrived from afar, apparently rushing over because of the situation here.
At the head was an elderly white-haired granny with a dignified bearing, who now walked over with calm eyes.
From afar she already saw the cloaked figure standing beside Doflamingo, the two seemingly talking about something.
"But... rest assured. Besides the sunglasses, Orin-san also said one more thing."
"Oh???"
"Even if you enter Impel Down, you won't stay inside for too long. The great stage of the future is about to be fully built — this world needs more actors, or rather, spectators."
Hearing this, Doflamingo was first stunned, then thought of Orin's personality.
"Is that so~ Then I'm really looking forward to it~"
"Fufufufufu!!!"
As if having swallowed a reassurance pill, the sense of resignation Doflamingo had about being captured now instead felt like going home.
Didn't that Crocodile bastard go in before too?
That's nothing special, right? Could it be that the Marines and the World Government really dare to kill him?
At this moment, the Marines led by Vice Admiral Tsuru also arrived here.
She stared at Tiger in his wide cloak.
"Wounding Marines, and now still standing by the criminal the Marines are about to detain — should I say, worthy of a major criminal of the World Government, the legendary hero of liberation?"
Previously she had already received reports of Marines wounded along the coast, with obvious water-drop piercing wounds on their bodies, combined with the description of red skin...
"Actually, many years ago, when rumors spread that you were killed by Orin, I already had my doubts, because there were no traces of a corpse at the time. And during the actions concerning Sadgeo, the World Government also took notice of the traces of a mysterious fish-man. As expected, you weren't dead after all... Fisher Tiger."
Hearing this, the surrounding Marines were shocked.
"He... he's actually that fish-man who once caused havoc in Mary Geoise and freed the slaves!!!"
"The captain of the Sun Pirates, Fisher Tiger!!!"
"So he wasn't killed by the Black Gun?!"
Faced with Vice Admiral Tsuru's identification, Tiger showed little reaction, only slowly turning his head.
"I am merely... a penitent."
...
"Sengoku, I didn't expect you to come too..."
At the Marine base, Green Bull was still troubled by Sakazuki's questioning when he soon met another former Fleet Admiral.
Sengoku was now wearing shorts and slippers, holding rice crackers in his hand and eating them, completely looking like a retired old man.
"Aramaki, don't mind it too much. We're just here to do some cleanup work."
By Sengoku's side followed a man who was also somewhat tall, with golden curly hair, strange face paint, and a not-very-high rank on his shoulders.
"Old man..."
"Don't worry, Rosinante. Trafalgar Law is also on the island~"
After Rosinante was exposed and rescued by Orin, Sengoku sent him to serve at a small Marine base.
These past years, his life had been very peaceful, far removed from the matters of the Donquixote Family.
Now, with Doflamingo about to be taken into Marine custody, after some thought, Sengoku temporarily transferred Rosinante back.
It could be considered bringing things to a proper close.
And just as Rosinante was about to say something more,
"Boom—!!!"
A loud explosion rang out, coming precisely from the direction where Doflamingo was.
"What happened?!"
"Vice Admiral Tsuru seems to have just gone there!!!"
Hearing this, Sengoku was instantly alarmed.
"Nani?!"
He immediately tossed aside the rice cracker and rushed toward the direction of the blast, with Rosinante and the others following closely behind.
When they arrived at the scene, many Marines were already lying on the ground, their lives and deaths unknown.
And the cloaked man who had struck, upon seeing Sengoku arrive, was also startled.
"Tsuru!!!"
Sengoku's eyes widened at once. Golden light bloomed in his hands as he blasted toward Tiger.
Tiger did not seek a prolonged fight. Using Fish-Man Karate techniques, he mobilized the flowing Haki like ocean currents, clashing head-on with Sengoku for a punch, then hurriedly retreating.
"This is... Fish-Man Karate?!"
Feeling the damage of flowing Armament Haki inside his palm, Sengoku frowned and walked over to Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Vice Admiral Tsuru was not seriously injured. Instead, she looked gravely in the direction Tiger disappeared.
"Have the soldiers withdraw. On the sea they have no chance of contending with such an opponent — after all, he's a fish-man."
"Then could that be..."
Tsuru nodded.
"Once regarded as a hero, now already become Orin's subordinate — Fisher Tiger."
Hearing this, Sengoku sighed.
"Orin... does he want to snatch Doflamingo from our hands?"
"But it doesn't seem like it. Well... that guy's temperament is still just as unpredictable..."
While the two were talking, Rosinante, wearing the Marine justice cloak, had also come to Doflamingo's side, who was lying spread-eagle.
"You've come, Rosinante."
Doflamingo's tone was calm, but his eyes were extremely complex — murderous intent, affection, and helplessness.
"Yes, I've come."
Rosinante sat down beside Doflamingo.
The two brothers stayed quietly together like this. After a long time, Rosinante finally spoke.
"Your ambition has ended, and I... no longer want to be a Celestial Dragon either."
Doflamingo looked at his younger brother, was stunned for a moment, then smiled again.
"Ended?"
"Not necessarily..."
----------------
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (609 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)