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Chapter 43: The Death of Line
Let me tell a little story from the past.
Around eight years ago... right after I set out from Dressrosa in search of the Huge Huge Fruit.
King Riku, the monarch of Dressrosa... who was also Viola's father... allegedly sent his army to attack his own citizens out of a sudden greed for money. The maddened King assaulted the people, cutting them down, shooting them, stabbing them, burning their homes... throwing Dressrosa into the depths of terror overnight.
The one who put an end to King Riku's atrocities was a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo. Hailed as the hero who saved Dressrosa, Doflamingo then ascended the throne as the new King.
...What are your thoughts after hearing that story?
Most people would probably think, Dressrosa was always a poor country, so I guess King Riku was blinded by greed, or, Doflamingo is so cool, he's basically a superhero!
But as someone who knew King Riku's character, the whole story felt a little... no, it felt incredibly off.
That old King was the type of person who, for better or worse, never sought to line his own pockets. In fact, he was the kind of man who would say things like, "I don't need money, just please avoid fighting!" The idea of King Riku committing armed robbery out of greed was completely contradictory to everything I knew about him.
And even assuming King Riku's madness was real... Doflamingo's perfectly timed arrival was extremely suspicious. The whole situation reeked of something foul.
"..."
That was precisely why I was planning to take my ship, the Listruck, and temporarily return to Dressrosa. I wanted to go back to my homeland to uncover the truth of what really happened on that day, at that time...
...
"Fuffuffu..."
But... it seemed returning to Dressrosa was no longer necessary...! Because standing right in front of me was the man who knew the absolute truth about what happened to my homeland...!
"Are you... Doflamingo!!?"
"Fuffu... Hm? Who the hell are you...?"
In the midst of the world's greatest war—Whitebeard vs. The Marines vs. The Warlords—he was the only man floating in the air with a smirk on his face... A member of the Seven Warlords and the "current" King of my homeland.
Donquixote Doflamingo.
"L-Line-san, what's wrong? Your expression completely changed."
Jinbe looked at me in confusion when I suddenly stopped in my tracks to face Doflamingo. Yeah... I understood his reaction.
We were in the middle of the Summit War. People were slaughtering each other everywhere. If we seriously wanted to survive, the smartest choice would be to ignore this guy and run away as fast as possible.
But... Ahhh! Dammit!
Faced with Doflamingo, running away was simply not an option for me. I guess I couldn't act high and mighty toward Ace for not running from Blackbeard anymore...
"...Jinbe, your legs aren't injured, right? Can you walk?"
"A-Ah... I'm fine, but..."
"Then take Arlong and go on ahead..."
"Eh!?"
Dropping the Jinbe I had been carrying and thrusting the frozen Arlong into his arms, I shot upward with full force toward the floating Doflamingo.
"Tail Copter!!"
"Oh? So you can fly, despite being just a dwarf. Fuffuffu... So? What does the trending criminal, the Invisible Phantom Thief, want with me?"
"..."
Even as I flew up to him, Doflamingo's relaxed smirk didn't waver for a second. He looked 90% like a villain, but... there was still a non-zero chance that he genuinely was the hero who saved Dressrosa from a crisis. I swallowed hard.
"...I'll get straight to the point, Doflamingo... Eight years ago, King Riku supposedly attacked the citizens out of greed... Is it true that you were the one who stopped his rampage? Answer me."
"Hm? Why would you ask something like—...Ah, I see. So that's what this is! Fufu, fufufu... Fuffuffuffuffuffuffu!"
For some reason, my question caused Doflamingo to burst into laughter. Laughing with his mouth wide open, "Fuffuffu." What a weird laugh... Wait, that didn't matter right now!
"What's so funny!?"
"Fuffuffu... No... it's not funny. It just makes perfect sense now. ...The Tontatta man mentioned in Monet's reports... that was you, wasn't it? Invisible Phantom Thief."
"...Huh?"
Monet? Why was Doflamingo bringing up Monet's name?
"Oops, did I let that slip? Fuffuffu..."
"D-Don't try to dodge the question! What about Monet!? And you still haven't answered me about Dressrosa! Answer me!"
"Oh, I'll answer you... There are no problems in Dressrosa. The country was peaceful then, and it's peaceful now. And it will be forever... Fufufufu..."
"Liar!!"
No matter how you looked at it, that was not the face of someone telling the truth!! If he wanted me to believe him, he should at least take off the sunglasses! They made him look incredibly sketchy!
"...Oh? You doubt me? Fuffuffuffu! It's exactly as Monet reported...! Among the highly gullible Tontatta tribe, there is one uniquely skeptical man... That's you, isn't it, Line?"
"!? L-Like I asked, why are you bringing up Monet's name! ...Y-You bastard, don't tell me you did something to Monet!?"
"Fufufu... Relax. I didn't do a single thing to Monet... Rather, it's the exact opposite."
"The opposite?"
"Monet did something to you lot..."
"???"
Monet did? To us? Something? ...What did that mean?
"Still don't get it? Fufu... Then I'll spell it out for you. Monet was a spy I sent in to take over Dressrosa."
"...Huh?"
A s p y? A spy...? Monet? Doflamingo's? To take over Dressrosa? Huh? No, no, no, what the hell is this guy talking about...
"Fuffuffuffu...!"
"I-I'm different from the other Tontattas!! You think I'd fall for such an obvious lie!? You idiot!"
"Unfortunately, this isn't a lie. A spy who infiltrated the Royal Palace for two whole years as the Princess's personal maid... That is Monet's true identity..."
"Liar!"
"Thanks to Monet, Dressrosa's layout, military strength, population... I knew absolutely everything. Your information was sent to me as well, you know? Invisible Phantom Thief. I heard that when you lived in Dressrosa, all you ever did was steal underwear."
"...!?"
H-How...! How does he know about my time in Dressrosa...!? Doflamingo arrived in Dressrosa after I left, right? S-So how did he know!? About my past...
D-Don't tell me... Monet really was...
"N-No! You're wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong!! Monet... Monet isn't a spy! She's... she's...!!"
"You used to play some homemade board game called Dresspoly with her all the time, didn't you? Sounds like you had a lot of fun. Fuffuffuffu..."
"~~~!!!?"
T-That's...!! Information only Viola, Monet, or Leo would know...!?
"Monet is an excellent intelligence agent in my pirate crew family. She won your trust beautifully."
"...L...i...a...r..."
"Fuffuffu... Among all the information Monet provided, the details on the Tontatta tribe were particularly useful..."
"Eh... Eh!?"
"Small, agile, and boasting monstrous strength. Their knack for cultivating any plant imaginable... and above all, their ecology of believing any ridiculous lie told to them... Fufufu! Could there be a race more perfectly suited to be utilized as slaves...?"
Sla...ves?
"Gahhh!!? GAAAAHHHHH!!!? You bastard!! What did you do to Leo and the others!!!"
Fueled by pure rage, I lunged at Doflamingo. But he effortlessly dodged my fist.
"Fuffuffuffu... Scary, scary. But your movements are too linear. Why the government put a 1 billion Berry bounty on your head... is completely beyond me. Tamaito!"
"Guga...!?"
From Doflamingo's fingertips, something resembling a bullet shot out and pierced my stomach. It hurts...!!
"Fufufu, what's wrong? You look like a toy with a broken propeller."
"Ugu... gunu! Ah!? Y-You bastar... gah!? I-... Gih...!"
It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! Crap... every shot is a direct hit...
I couldn't use future sight... my Observation Haki was in disarray...! Hearing about the current state of Dressrosa had completely shaken my mind...! Calm down! Observation Haki won't activate unless I'm calm! I need to calm down...!
"Hah, hah, hah...!"
Aerial combat was a lost cause right now. I canceled my Tail Copter and dropped to the ground.
"Tamaito!"
"Hup! Fuh! Tah! T-Those slow bullets aren't going to hit me anymore! Hah, hah...!"
"Oh...?"
As long as I focused entirely on his fingertips, I could dodge those attacks even if my Observation Haki was somewhat unstable. Calm down, calm down... For now, until my future sight returns, I just need to steady my heart...
"Fuffuffu... Still a dwarf, even at your worst. That speed and that size... if you focus entirely on running away, hitting you would certainly be difficult. ...Then, how about this? Everwhite!"
"Eh!?"
Doflamingo pointed his right hand straight down... and in the next instant, the ground... turned into string.
Hah!? What does that mean!? Crap, my feet are sinking. I'm being swallowed up!
"Obobobohobo...!?"
"Line-san!"
"Buha!? J-Jinbe!"
Just as I was about to be dragged into the strings, Jinbe yanked me up with a strong pull.
"Line-san, Doflamingo is an Awakened user of the String-String Fruit! He can turn any inorganic matter into string!"
"T-The String-String Fruit? I feel like I might have seen that name in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia a long time ago... wait, Jinbe! You haven't escaped yet!?"
"Of course not. I could never abandon you, Line-san!"
"Well, thanks for that! What happened to Arlong?"
"I threw him into the sea."
"Hey, hey..."
Is Arlong gonna be okay? ...Well, he's a Fish-Man, he'll probably be fine. I made sure to tell Jinbe, "Thank you for saving me."
"Fuffuffu... My, my, Jinbe... Why is a Warlord like you taking orders from a pathetic little dwarf?"
"Doflamingo!! Someone like you could never understand! Line-san is the man who will one day... change the future of the Fish-Man race!!"
"A dwarf? Changing the Fish-Man race? Fuffuffuffuffu!! Don't make me laugh, Jinbe...! There is no future that can be changed by a mere dwarf."
"..."
Why did Jinbe believe in me so much? Come to think of it, he had been saying that since we first met. That I was the savior of the Fish-Man race... Was it because I freed the slaves? Even so, that sounded like a massive exaggeration...
Well, thinking about it was pointless right now.
Right now, I needed to focus entirely on the enemy in front of me! I infused my tail with Armament Haki.
"Tontatta Combat! Tail—"
"Fish-Man Karate! Five Thousand Brick—"
Jumping alongside Jinbe, we charged at Doflamingo. However...
"Fuffuffuffu... Jinbe, you are a pitiful man. Invisible Phantom Thief, you too... Parasite!"
"Ugh...!?"
"Hah...!?"
Bzzzt. My entire body suddenly froze.
Huh? W-What is this? I can't move...! J-Jinbe! You too?
"This is bad... Doflamingo had this technique! ...L-Line-san! Please! Run away right now! Get away from me—"
"Eh? What—Gaha!!!?"
While completely paralyzed, I was suddenly punched. By Jinbe. Right in the face...
"O... gogogo... gohea..."
"Uwooooh!! Stop! Stop this, Doflamingo!!"
"Fuffuffuffu... If you love that dwarf so much, I'll let you deliver the finishing blow with your own hands, Jinbe...! Fufufufufu...!"
"Stoooooop!! Doflamingo!!"
I could see massive tears welling up in Jinbe's eyes. He pulled his fist back and brought it crashing down toward me.
"Pigya...!?"
Utterly defenseless, I was crushed by the blows... What? What is happening? Right now...
"Fufufufu... Jinbe, if only you hadn't been injured, you might have been able to resist my control...! Fuffuffu!"
Control...? Eh? You mean... Jinbe and I are both being physically controlled by Doflamingo right now? This is...
"...!!"
In that instant, a cold chill ran down my spine. Because that meant...!!
"D-Doflamingoo... cough...!"
"Fufufu, what is it? Invisible Phantom Thief."
"K-King Riku! Attacking the citizens of Dressrosa! Hah, hah...! Don't tell me! That was all! Y-Your doing!?"
"So you finally realized. Fuffuffuffu! That's right! Everything happened in the palm of my hand. The foolish citizens didn't realize a thing! The King attacking them... was actually just being controlled by me the entire time! Fuffuffuffuffuffu!!"
"H-How much of a scumbag can you be!! You bastard!!"
I could hear the blood vessels in my head snapping. I understood... I completely understood now...!
This guy was the root of all evil! If I didn't defeat him, peace would never return to my homeland, to Dressrosa. He was the one enemy I absolutely had to defeat! This guy!!
"Guh!! Giggigiiiiii!!!"
I refused to let a guy like this take away my body's freedom! I poured all my strength into every muscle in my body! I had to break out of this Parasite technique no matter what! I wasn't going to let him use me like a puppet!
Just as I was straining with all my might...
"Fuffuffu... Oh, that's right, Invisible Phantom Thief. Since we're on the subject, I'll tell you... what happened to the Princess Viola you were so close with..."
"!!! V-Viola...!?"
"Yes. Fufufu... What do you think happened? To that beautiful Princess... Fufufufufufu!"
"Do...flamingoooo!! You bastard!! Don't tell me!! You did something to Viola too!? Are you kidding me!!! If that's true!! I really won't ever forgi—"
"She's dead."
...Huh?
Dea... dead? Huh?
Viola... is? Ah? Eh? Nneh???
"Fuffuffu... Honestly, I never intended to kill her. The Glare-Glare Fruit had its uses. I was planning to take Princess Viola hostage and welcome her into my pirate crew family... But it seems having her country stolen drove her to absolute despair. Fufufu... Princess Viola threw herself into the sea and committed suicide. Her body hasn't washed up, but as an ability user... there's no doubt she's dead. Truly a waste, isn't it? Such a beauty. If she had lived, I wouldn't have minded taking her to bed at least once, but to go and die like that! Fufu, fufufufu, fuffuffuffuffuffuffu!!"
What... is this guy saying?
Viola... is dea... dead... dead?
Huh?
Then... I can never see her again? Never...? NEVER!?
Viola... Viola... Vi—
"Vi... o... gah... AHHH!!? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
"Line-san!!? C-Calm down! Hold yourself together!! Don't listen to anything Doflamingo says!! Line-san!!"
Ahhh... Aahhh... Ah, ahhh, ahhh... Ahhh...
"Fuffuffuffu... What's this? The Parasite string broke. Did he lose consciousness? For a man with a 1 billion bounty, his mental fortitude is incredibly fragile."
Ahhh... Ahhh... Viola... Viola... Viola... Violaaaa...
My whole body swayed. My head was pounding. I felt sick. Stomach acid rushed up my throat.
"Ahhh... Ahhh... Ahhhh... G-Goga... Cough...!!"
I had screamed so hard my throat tore. Blood spilled from my mouth... Stomach acid dripped down. I didn't even know if I was breathing in or out right now... My arms and legs were shaking... What is happening to me? What am I doing...?
"Fuffuffuffu... Consider this a final mercy. I'll send you to the same place as Princess Viola..."
Five glowing strings appeared from Doflamingo's fingertips... I didn't even need Observation Haki to know... those strings were meant to slice me to pieces... If I didn't dodge, I'd be killed... But my legs wouldn't move... They were trembling like a dying fawn...
"Goshikito!"
"I won't let you!!" BAM!!
Just as I was about to be sliced apart, Jinbe threw himself in front of me, taking the blow to protect me.
"Gu, nu... uuu...!!"
"So you broke out of the Parasite on your own. Impressive. Fuffuffu. But still, why do you continue to protect him? Jinbe."
"I-Ever since Line-san rescued me from Level 6 of Impel Down... I swore I would dedicate my life to this man...!!"
"What tear-jerking loyalty... Fuffuffuffu..."
"Line-san! I'll hold Doflamingo off! So please, just for now, don't think about anything else and run away from here!! I'm begging you!!"
"..."
Run? What would be the point of running away? Monet was a traitor, and Viola is dead... I have no hope left to live for...
"..."
If he's going to send me to the same place as Viola... wouldn't it be fine to just let him...?
Just as that thought crossed my mind...
"Line..."
...Suddenly, Viola's figure seemed to float into my mind. This happened once before too, didn't it...
The Viola in my mind had grown up a little compared to the last time I saw her eight years ago. Her short hair was long now, and her boobs were even bigger.
...Is this... my imagination?
Just my own imagination of what Viola would look like if she were still alive... Or is she actually still alive? Viola? I don't know...
I don't know, but...!
"Gu, uuuuuu...!! Uuuuhh...!!"
I slowly stood up. My throat was torn, my body was covered in wounds, and my heart ached. But even so...
(I haven't... confirmed her dead body with my own eyes yet...! Viola...! I don't want to give up...)
As I staggered forward—
"What makes you think you have the right to survive?"
"!!!"
—The Grim Reaper, Akainu, appeared before me.
Huh? Why is Akainu here? Wasn't he chasing after Luffy and Ace? Why is he standing right in front of me? Why?
"Invisible Phantom Thief... Because of you, both 'Fire Fist' Ace and Dragon's son managed to escape...!!"
"..."
It seemed Ace and Luffy had successfully shaken off Akainu's pursuit. Probably thanks to the Whitebeard Pirates' support. Fuhehe...
"The Marines have lost all face because of this. ...So at the very least, I must take the head of the man who started it all...!!"
With a bubbling gopo-gopo, Akainu's right arm transformed into magma.
"..."
I looked to the right. Jinbe and Doflamingo were fighting.
I looked to the left. Whitebeard, Kizaru, and Aokiji were fighting.
Luffy, Ace, the okama army, and the other Whitebeard Pirates... were nowhere to be seen.
...In other words, there was no one left to save me.
(Fuhehe... checkmate... huh...)
Looking back, it was a miracle I had survived this long...
"Do you have any last words...!!?"
Akainu raised his magma fist.
Last words... I have so many... To Viola, to Monet, to Esune... And Leo, Mansherry, Ray-san, Shakky, Marguerite, Densuke... Thinking about it, I've been helped by so many people. I want to say thank you. But my throat is torn, so I can't leave any last words...
"It seems you don't... Meigo!!"
"!!"
The palm of magma... absolute death... closed in on me.
"..."
My Observation Haki was no longer functioning. And my Armament Haki... at my level, there was no way I could guard against Akainu's attack.
I'm going to die... die... die... And then—
» "...!!! Go ba...!!!" «
I was swallowed by the hand of magma.
"——..."
Scorching magma that burned everything to ash. It was hot, and it was agonizing... I knew this would happen, but this was definitely fatal... Akainu must have been certain of his victory too. A smirk formed on his face.
Ah... but, fuhehe...! If I'm going to die anyway, I might as well leave a parting gift...!
"——————!!!!"
BUJIIIIII!!!!
"GWOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!??"
With every last drop of Haki I had left in me, I ripped Akainu's right arm clean off!!
"Ga!? Go...!!! Y-You bastard!!! Invisible Phantom Thief!!!"
Fuhehe... Even if you're a Logia user... I infused it with Armament Haki... meaning I grabbed your true body when I ripped it off. You won't be able to regenerate that. You got careless because you thought you'd won. Serves you right. Fuhehehehe...!
"...!! ...! ..."
Ah, but... that truly was the very last of my strength. My entire body went numb, scorched to a crisp, and I could feel my life slipping away...
I had experienced this sensation once before. In my past life. It was the exact same feeling as when I was struck by lightning and died...
So this was it. I couldn't be saved. I was going to die... Goodbye, my second life... or rather, my dwarf life...
If I get reincarnated again, I want to be a tall, handsome guy next time...
...No, being short is fine too.
Being short, staying a dwarf is fine... So...
When I'm reborn next time, please...
Give me the strength to protect... the people I love... Please...
With those thoughts in mind, I drew my last breath...
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