A Hyūga's Gate Between Worlds

"Did you find them?"

"Nothing on my end."

"Neither Rosinante nor that brat. I haven't seen either of them."

"Keep searching. The Young Master has already sealed off the entire island with the Birdcage. They can't escape!"

On Minion Island, the executives of the Donquixote Family were searching everywhere, determined to turn the entire island upside down.

Just half an hour ago, Doflamingo had located Barrels' base, only to be met with a scene of corpses strewn everywhere and the remains of buildings reduced to rubble by grenades and explosive tags.

From the pirate corpses left at the scene, he immediately realized that his Op-Op Fruit had been snatched away.

And the one who took it was most likely his own brother.

Thus, he deployed the Birdcage to seal off Minion Island and ordered a thorough search by his executives.

"Fufufufufu! I found you. Rosi... and two little rats."

High in the sky, he stood like a demon straight out of myth, gazing down from above.

His sharp eyes scanned the island below.

With his elevated vantage point, he quickly spotted several figures dashing through the snowy terrain in the distance.

Among them was someone he knew all too well—someone burned into his memory.

"Follow me!"

Doflamingo gave the command to his subordinates below and then flashed forward, flying toward Rosinante.

"Did the Young Master find them?"

The other executives followed closely behind.

Before long, three figures came into their view.

"Fufufufufu."

"Rosi."

"It seems, just like our father, you've chosen to betray me."

Doflamingo swiftly caught up with Rosinante, looking down at his younger brother from above.

Although he had long suspected his brother's betrayal, the moment his suspicions became reality, a surge of indescribable rage welled up within him.

He couldn't understand it.

He couldn't comprehend it.

They were family—bound by blood. So why would his own brother choose to betray him?

"..." Rosinante turned his head slightly, glancing up at Doflamingo. He said nothing.

Instead, he held Law tightly in his arms and continued following Tanaka without hesitation.

"You think you can escape from me?"

Doflamingo watched with a smile, but his expression grew colder.

He didn't rush to attack. Instead, he walked through the air at a leisurely pace, trailing after his brother like a predator slowly cornering its prey.

As expected, after running several kilometers, Rosinante was ultimately forced to stop.

Not because of the Birdcage, but because—

"Traitor!"

Standing in their way was Vergo, clad in his Marine uniform, his entire body hardened with Armament Haki.

"The cat-and-mouse game ends here, Rosi."

Doflamingo descended gracefully from the sky, landing in front of Rosinante. Behind him stood several executives, with Diamante leading the group.

"Aren't you going to say anything to me?"

"Fufufufufu!"

Seeing Rosinante frozen in place, silent, Doflamingo grinned wickedly.

"It's the cat that should be done playing." Tanaka turned around.

"Did I give you permission to speak? Interrupting someone else's conversation comes at a price, kid."

Doflamingo flicked his finger.

Bang!

A sharp thread shot out like a bullet, slicing through the air and piercing Tanaka's body.

However, there was no scream.

No blood.

Only—Poof!

Tanaka's body vanished into a puff of white smoke, dispersing with the wind and snow.

The sight of it wiped the confident smirk right off Doflamingo's face, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"What...?"

Vergo, equally shocked, froze in place.

"This is as far as we play today."

Law peeked out from behind Rosinante's back.

Bang!

Without a word, Doflamingo fired another string bullet, piercing Law's shoulder.

He wasn't sure which of the three had eaten the Op-Op Fruit, so he chose not to aim directly at the head.

However, the moment the boy was hit, just like Tanaka earlier, his body transformed into a cloud of white mist.

"You... You're not Rosi."

Doflamingo's gaze sharpened like a blade as he locked onto Rosinante.

If he weren't worried that another attack would result in more "mist," he would have already made his move.

"Did I ever say I was Rosinante?"

Rosinante chuckled lightly.

"Fufufufufu."

"Interesting."

"I never expected such an amusing little bird to sneak into my cage."

Doflamingo stared deeply at the man before him.

"Speak, who exactly are you?"

His voice was cold and deliberate.

Bang!

Rosinante no longer concealed himself. Dispelling the clone technique, he reverted to his original form—Tanaka.

Of course, it was merely a Shadow Clone.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Tanaka."

"Hyūga Tanaka."

Faced with Doflamingo and his subordinates' murderous glares, the shadow clone remained calm and composed.

"You can't escape!"

Vergo declared coldly.

As one of the four Elite Officers of the Donquixote Family, he had even more faith in the Birdcage than Doflamingo himself.

"Don't spout such arrogant words so easily—it only makes you look weak." Tanaka chuckled before turning to Doflamingo.

"Alright, this is as far as I'll play with you today."

"We'll have plenty of chances to meet again in the future."

"Until next time, goodbye."

As soon as Tanaka finished speaking, his body transformed into a cloud of white mist, vanishing into thin air before Doflamingo's eyes.

"..."

Silence.

Aside from the howling wind and falling snow, no other sound could be heard.

Every single member of the Donquixote Family wore dark, grim expressions.

They had gone through so much effort, mobilizing their entire crew, only to be toyed with by a child.

It was even more humiliating than being chased across the North Blue by Tsuru.

Since the establishment of the Donquixote Pirates, they had never suffered such disgrace.

"You have no future left."

Doflamingo shot into the sky.

He refused to believe that this brat could escape his Birdcage.

"Doffy. If Rosinante really is with the Marines, then the most likely escape route is that way."

"Tsuru's warship is docked at the port over there."

Despite his seething rage, Vergo remained calm and analyzed the situation rationally.

Whoosh!

The moment Doflamingo heard this, his body surged with an overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, making him look like a vengeful demon from the underworld.

He tore through the air, flying toward the direction Vergo had indicated.

The other executives immediately followed.

So what if Tsuru was there?

Even a Vice Admiral like her couldn't break the Birdcage.

Likewise, neither Tanaka nor his companions could escape.

In the end, Tsuru would stand outside the Birdcage, watching helplessly as the Donquixote Family slaughtered Tanaka, Rosinante, and Law right before her eyes.