One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 227: The Death of Rosinante, The Sadness of Doflamingo

Once Gion disappeared from view, Doflamingo broke the silence. "You're Marine, aren't you?"

Rosinante froze, then said softly, "You knew all along?"

"You idiot. Nothing escapes me. How could you possibly think you could hide it from me?" Doflamingo snapped angrily.

"Then why did you make me one of your top executives?" Rosinante asked in a surprised tone.

"I was naïve. I thought you were my brother. What does it matter if you're Marine? After all, I'm CP-X. As long as you didn't act against the World Government, I could tolerate it. But this... this is unforgivable! How am I supposed to clean this up now?!" Doflamingo shouted, his frustration clear.

"Yes, I'm Marine. But I've never leaked a single thing about you," Rosinante said earnestly. "In fact, Marine doesn't trust me enough to give me any real authority. I'm just a pawn in their political games. You should know better than anyone how suspicious the World Government has always been of you, even with Cousin Claudius protecting you. You trust him more than me. Compared to me, he's more like your real brother." Rosinante smiled sadly.

"That's because my cousin has never betrayed me. You've only disappointed me over and over again!" Doflamingo's voice was thick with bitterness.

Rosinante fell silent. Their bond as brothers had always been strained. Perhaps, in Doflamingo's eyes, Rosinante had only ever let him down.

"You're right. Ending this is simple," Rosinante said quietly after a moment. "Just let me die. Pin all the blame on me. The World Government won't hold you or Cousin Claudius accountable. They'll believe me because of my identity as Marine."

"You want me to kill my own brother?" Doflamingo growled through gritted teeth.

"You don't have to. Just release your Parasite String, and I'll do it myself," Rosinante replied with a faint smile.

Doflamingo's anger boiled over. He yanked Rosinante into the air with his strings and slammed him to the ground.

"Mr. Corazon!" Law cried out in panic.

"Shut up! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't—" Doflamingo roared, his voice shaking with rage.

Law flinched at the outburst, silenced by fear, but tears streamed down his face as he began to grasp the weight of what was happening.

"Young Master!" Torrepol and the other officers arrived, their faces filled with concern.

They froze at the sight of Doflamingo holding Rosinante's body and the sobbing Trafalgar Law beside him. Even Torrepol, usually so brash, was at a loss for words.

Doflamingo had stopped crying by then. His face was calm, but he still held Rosinante's body tightly. The faint traces of tears on his face were the only evidence of his grief.

"The World Government has one more debt to settle with us," Doflamingo murmured, his tone filled with quiet hatred.

He stood slowly, lifting Rosinante's lifeless form in his arms. "Trebol, take Law and leave. Make sure no one sees him."

"Yes, Young Master," Trebol replied, quickly leading Law away.

Doflamingo turned and began walking through the snowy landscape, Rosinante's blood-stained body in his arms. Behind him, a trail of red marked the pure white snow.

---

Marine thoroughly searched Mignon Island but found no trace of the Ope-Ope Fruit. Based on reports from Doflamingo and Gion, they ultimately concluded that the fruit had been destroyed in the explosion.

The official account was that Rosinante, acting as an undercover Marine, had tried to steal the Ope-Ope Fruit but failed, leading to its destruction. Rosinante had died in the process, and Marine's mission was deemed a failure.

As for Doflamingo, he left Minion Island without a word, returning to Dressrosa to bury Rosinante in the flower fields.

---

On the Prometheus, Claudius listened quietly to Stussy's report. When she finished, he said nothing, his expression unreadable.

"Maybe I made a mistake," Claudius murmured softly, his tone heavy with emotion.

"Your Highness..." Stussy called out gently, worried.

Claudius shook his head and waved her off. "Don't worry about me. It's nothing," he said quietly.