Looking at the file containing the information about the Heart Pirates, Cifre's lips curved upward into a satisfied smile as she nodded.
"You must be Trafalgar Law, right? I have come here specifically for you." As she spoke, Cifre gracefully gestured to Law, signaling one of her subordinates to bring over a box.
「Me? I am deeply honored that a mighty Celestial Dragon would pay special attention to a humble pirate like me. Could it be that you've taken a fancy to my abilities?」
"Yes and no. My imperial brother, who is also my husband, is suffering from a terminal illness. As it happens, we discovered the whereabouts of the Ope Ope no Mi's user. If the user of the Ope Ope no Mi steps in, is there any disease in this world that cannot be cured?"
"Princess Cifre! Be careful!" Reiju cried out in panic as she watched Cifre walking step by step toward Law, immediately calling out a warning. After all, the Germa were present as well, and if a Celestial Dragon came to harm here, the consequences would be more than the Germa could bear.
"It's fine. Someone who hasn't even mastered Haki could never pose a threat to me. I happen to be quite accomplished in swordsmanship; the title of master swordsman is not unearned." At Reiju's warning, Cifre merely lifted her delicate hand to lightly tap the cavalry sabre she wore at her waist, then continued walking toward Law.
"Donquixote Doflamingo, Donquixote Rosinante, the Nagi Nagi no Mi..." Hearing Cifre rattle off one name after another, Law was struck as if by lightning, dumbfounded beyond belief.
How could she possibly know? Right, she was a Celestial Dragon—how could a Celestial Dragon's intelligence network be anything less than formidable?
Though Law had no idea what elaborate theories he had spun in his own head to plunge himself into such shock, these names were precisely what Eleco had drilled into Cifre before her departure. Eleco had sworn up and down that once she saw Law, she just needed to execute the plan step by step.
This had been the initial scheme from the start. After all, who could have anticipated that when Cifre and her group arrived, Law would coincidentally be out testing the performance of the Polar Tang?
"You..."
Gazing at Cifre, who had finally reached him, Law finally snapped back to his senses, reaching out to take the box from her hands.
"This was specially entrusted to me by my imperial brother to hand over to you. Oh, by the way, we happen to know the whereabouts of the Nagi Nagi no Mi!"
"What? — Ah! —"
Just as Law was still immersed in the shock of Cifre's words, he suddenly let out a sharp cry of dismay.
Snap!
"This is... Seastone?..."
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The moment Cifre handed the box to Law, she dropped the news of the Nagi Nagi no Mi to throw him off balance, then fiercely kicked him, causing Law to cry out in instant agony and scattering his focus.
Immediately afterward, he was firmly locked in place by Seastone handcuffs that sprang out from inside the box.
This entire sequence was meticulously designed by Eleco. Among the Heart Pirates at this stage, only Law's ability was somewhat troublesome. They had not yet anticipated Luffy's presence, and Bepo had not yet obtained the Rumble Ball given by Chopper, so controlling Law, who could manipulate spatial distances, was all that was necessary.
"Captain!"
Seeing their captain bound by Seastone and stripped of his strength, the members of the Heart Pirates whom Law had specifically stationed on the shore as backup instantly panicked and sprang into action.
"Germa, let me see what you're capable of. Could it be that you can't even settle a trivial matter like this? If so, I will be deeply disappointed in you. Oh, and I want them alive."
Having successfully subdued Law, Cifre hoisted him up like a helpless chick and tossed him carelessly to the guards nearby. After giving her instructions to the Germa, she left everyone with a nonchalant glimpse of her back as she departed with her people.
Inwardly, she mused: Her imperial brother is truly brilliant. As expected, someone who hasn't even mastered basic Haki is utterly helpless no matter how formidable their Devil Fruit ability might be. If Law had managed to use even a shred of basic Observation Haki earlier and remained slightly alert when she made her move, she might have had to resort to other means to control him.
Well, in truth, there was a misunderstanding here as well—this entire affair had been meticulously orchestrated by Eleco.
In this world, the fear of the Celestial Dragons was engraved deep into people's very bones. Suddenly, a Celestial Dragon shows up out of nowhere, first kidnapping your family member, then digging up your past memories, and finally catching you off guard with a swift kick—who could possibly see that coming?
Moreover, striking a Celestial Dragon was completely out of the question. Under this crushing weight of oppression, Law had simply been subdued in a daze.
Cifre delivered a casual chop to the back of Law's neck, knocking out the man who was still muttering intermittent curses. Afterward, her attendants locked Law and Wolf away together. If not for the fact that this man was useful to Eleco, Cifre's curses alone would have inspired a hundred different methods of slow execution.
On the other side, after Cifre's departure, the Germa effortlessly subdued all the remaining members of the Heart Pirates, including those left behind in the sea to provide backup aboard the Polar Tang. Apart from Law, who possessed some capability, and Pegin, Shachi, and Bepo, who had a modicum of strength, the rest of the Heart Pirates were nothing more than small-fry characters. With three Germa modified humans taking action, dealing with them was as easy as turning over a hand.
"Well, matters are more or less settled. It's time to go home; my imperial brother must be missing me by now."
With the objectives of the trip largely achieved, Cifre began planning her return journey, her yearning for Eleco growing stronger by the day.
Meanwhile, in the Holy Land of Marijoa, within the Fielder Family's estate, Lord Eleco of the Fielder Family was currently facing his daughter with a severe headache.
For someone who had suddenly become a father overnight, having a cute daughter wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and over these past few days, he had grown accustomed to it. Moreover, in order to mend relations with the family, Eleco had spent his remaining time each day—after finishing his official duties—accompanying his original self's parents and daughter.
This had resulted in his daughter, who had studied medicine frantically from a young age in order to cure her father's illness, latching onto him completely, demanding to subject him to all sorts of medical treatments and research every single day.
For Livina, since her royal father was finally showing concern for her, she had to perform at her absolute best, which was why she clung to Eleco day in and day out.
One had to remember that the original Eleco had maintained a completely hands-off approach toward this daughter, leaving her entirely in Cifre's care. But now...
Ah, life was truly unpredictable, full of twists and turns...
Buru buru buru—
"Hello, is this Cifre? I see, everything is resolved? You've really worked hard. It won't be long now—once my illness is cured, how about we go on a trip? How about boarding a luxury liner and sailing around the world?"
"Father! Father! Is that Mother? Mother, Livina misses you so much, and Livina wants to go travel the world too."
Seeing Eleco on the phone with Cifre, Livina immediately stopped her busy medical preparations, bounced over to Eleco's side, and chimed in.
Well, it seemed the results these past few days had been quite good; because of the original self's erratic behavior and conduct, Livina had always been somewhat afraid of him, but now the dynamic had completely flipped.
"Where does Livina want to go play?"
With Eleco regaining his desire to live, Cifre herself had also grown much more cheerful. After all, what woman wanted to be a widow at a young age? Furthermore, she and Eleco currently had only one daughter; if Eleco were to pass away, her own standing would inevitably come under attack from the main family.
Life right now was just right.
"Mother, Mother, Father says he knows the whereabouts of the legendary City of Gold! When you come back and Father is cured of his illness, let's go find the City of Gold together!"
Though Livina had harbored a grand ambition since childhood to cure the illness afflicting Eleco, tirelessly poring over all kinds of medical texts for that very purpose, for an eight-year-old girl, the allure of those wonderful, fantasy-filled storybooks was ultimately impossible to resist.
During this period, in order to forge a closer and more harmonious relationship with his precious daughter, Eleco had spared no effort. Knowing her fondness for storybooks, he had cleverly used them as a "stepping stone" to open each other's hearts.
Sure enough, this tactic had worked brilliantly, successfully igniting deep within his daughter's heart an infinite yearning for the vast world outside.
As far as Eleco was concerned, he understood profoundly that if one merely demanded a child to bury their head in medical books while neglecting other aspects of development, it would undoubtedly be a short-sighted and flawed approach to education. Children needed to step out of enclosed spaces, experience firsthand the magnificent beauty of nature, and encounter the rich tapestry of everyday life. Only then could they truly broaden their horizons, increase their knowledge, and achieve well-rounded growth and progress.
Meanwhile, in the distant sky of Skypiea, that notorious God Eneru was busy constructing a massive ship called the "Ark Maxim." It was said that this vessel was laden with countless amounts of precious gold, flashing with a dazzling and mesmerizing brilliance.
As the saying goes, money makes the mare go—and Eleco was also quite interested in the Logia Goro Goro no Mi. Speaking of which, I wonder how Shining is getting along with those few tasks?