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nehswritesstuffs · 1 year ago

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banish every gaslight; let clarity shine - Part 2

I feel like a little gremlin posting this already, but meh whatever.

Part 1 [FFN/AO3]

Doflamingo makes sure his Elite Officers are prepared, while Viola makes a chilling discovery via an unlikely ally. [2632 words; AU where there is a Third Corazón, whose very existence makes Law’s life hell]

Antonia knew she was dreaming as she sat at the kitchen table, her father sitting across from her as her mother was at the stove. It was a rare day when her father was not working during dinnertime, having come home early for a change.

“What is it that you do for work, Papa?” she asked curiously. Her father, lacking the signature makeup he would later be known for, paused to think.

“It’s difficult to explain unless you know a lot of things,” he nodded. “I can explain it, once you’ve been to school for a few years, but for now, you can know that I work in an office.”

“Oh… okay…”

“You’re making her sad,” her mother chided gently. She put plates down in front of Antonia and Papa, her face blurred and out-of-focus. “Even if she doesn’t understand yet, she can know what it is you do.”

“Fine,” Papa whined dramatically, giving Antonia a sly wink. She giggled quietly as Mama got her own plate and sat down. “You see, it’s—”

A low rumble cut Papa off, making him and Mama both put their forks down.

“What’s that…?” Antonia wondered. She watched as her parents exchanged worried looks, not knowing what it meant. “Mama…? Papa…?”

“I’m going to take a look,” Mama said. Papa put his hand on hers, but she stood up anyhow. She went into the other room and looked out the window…

DO-DON

The adult Antonia woke up with a gasp, a sickening shiver wracking her entire body. She grabbed at her chest and tried to breathe, the action difficult as her panic refused to leave, instead settling in as it had so many times before. Trembling, she held herself steady on the couch as she attempted to breathe—in, hold, out—in, hold, out—in, hold, out—ignoring the blood pounding in her ears and how dizzy she felt.

It had been a long time since she had dreamt of the day her mother died, and part of her wondered why she needed a relapse right then and there. That day had been such a blur, with her father taking her from their country that had been plunged into war and brought her to Uncle Doffy’s place in Spider Miles. Papa and Uncle Doffy had been estranged from fighting before then, but when he saw her, his face lit up, and he immediately made her father Corazón.

She could barely remember back then—it had only been bits and pieces due to how young she was—so why of all things to remember from when she was five years old, it was watching her mother get blown apart by a mortar?

Breathing and heart rate finally leveled out, Antonia carefully stood and tested her balance—normal. She looked at the clock and saw that she overslept; a couple more minutes and it would be time for the Elite Officers meeting. After checking herself in the mirror and putting on her boots, cloak, and mask, she left her room and headed towards the Hall of Suites, stepping foot inside just as the minute arrived.

“You’re late, girl,” Trebol sniffed sourly. Sure enough, she had been the only one missing.

“I am on time, as you often fail to notice,” she sniped. Antonia took the seat of her birthright and became Corazón, proud that the tall back showed the Heart design that put her above the others. She looked at her uncle as he stood on the other side of the hall. “Why such a gathering, Joker?”

“We need to be on high alert,” he said. “I have reason to believe that Trafalgar Law is coming towards our lovely little chateau, complete with a housewarming present.”

“Your source is positive that he’s coming?” Diamante frowned.

“Fufufu, of course. Buffalo is too stupid to lie about a thing like that, and Law himself confirmed it. He thinks he’s being cute, claiming he has Cesar Clown hostage.”

“I thought Vergo was monitoring Punk Hazard,” Corazón noted. “Why would he let a deserter like Trafalgar take custody of him?”

“Vergo and Monet are both dead,” Joker said, the grin vanishing from his face. “He’s made an alliance with some upstarts from his Generation, thinking he can pressure me into giving up the throne and my Warlord status by dangling that little shit in front of me.”

The Hall went quiet. Trafalgar being out in the wild with no contact had definitely been a wild card, but none of them had designs as to how that card would be played. This had to be a bluff…

“Who has he allied with?” Corazón wondered.

“The Straw Hat Pirates, it seems,” Joker replied. “A little rubber freak and his adequately small-time buddies… I doubt they’ll be of much use compared to his normal crew.”

“How do you want us to proceed?” Pica asked.

“Indeed,” Diamante added. “There is the tournament to think about, Young Master.”

“The tournament continues as normal,” Joker said, waving a hand dismissively. “Tighten security, but do so discreetly. That’s still bait and plenty of upstarts and desperate has-beens are going to want a crack at it.”

“As you wish,” Diamante nodded.

“Then I shall stay with Sugar at her post,” Trebol added. “She is going to need to be in top form for the tournament, especially if the wayward brat is coming back home.”

“Then you, my darling Corazón,” Joker grinned, mirth returning to his voice, “are going to do what you do best.”

Keep the Organization beating and full of life.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Your tears are sincere, my dear; when you asked me to kill a man, those tears, your emotions… they were genuine.”

Viola huffed and her subordinates laughed. They currently were trying to beat information out of a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, the blond pervert taken in by the Donquixote Officer’s beauty.

“I know what you must be here for—to take on Doffy and pin the blame elsewhere.”

“Except, I know the tears of a woman, and you are a woman who wishes to be free of this life,” the blond crooned. Viola looked at her subordinates as they chuckled.

“Didn’t think we’d see one like him again for a while,” one said.

“No kidding—his simp game is stupid,” said another. “Shall we dispose of him, ma’am?”

“I don’t know…” She went and kicked the pirate in the face without warning, knocking him back a few feet so that he lay splayed out before her. Putting her thumb and forefinger together, she activated her Devil Fruit ability, beginning to look deep into the man’s soul. “I wonder what sort of trivialities I’ll find here…”

…except, as Viola scoured his mind, all she saw was as the blond said: he was in awe and wonder at her beauty, was in love with her fiery soul, and was ready to lay down his life if it meant she was able to live without fear or pain. She gasped, her chest feeling tight; his intentions might have involved lecherous leanings, but he was the genuine article…

“A million people of good standing could denounce you and I would still never doubt your tears.”

Viola was almost gasping for breath as his genuine convictions almost suffocated her. If this was the type of man that Law allowed himself to be allied with, then there was no way she could kill him.

Els mares siguin maleïts… if she was wrong about this…

“Hierro Lágrima… MEKUJIRA!”

It took only mere moments for Viola to take out the men assigned to her with her Devil Fruit, summoning giant whales made of tears. They all were knocked unconscious and she breathed a sigh of relief, resting long enough to get her bearings before slinging one of the blond’s arms over her shoulder.

“Quickly, before they wake,” she ordered. The blond seemed to be in a daze as he was hauled out of the warehouse and off to where Viola could help clean him up. “We need to get you out of here.”

“My crew goes when our captain says so,” he replied. She cringed at that admission.

“You have Law amongst your numbers, and he needs to fall back so we can parley with him,” she explained. She found a crate to sit him on while she began wiping his face with a handkerchief. “If anything is going to go right then he needs to work with those of us who can get him to the Corazón…”

“Wait… you’d help him kill the Corazón…?” he wondered, completely confused.

“…wait… you mean… he’s not here to rescue her…?” He shook his head at that and she cussed under her breath. “Why… why would he want to kill her…?”

“…to be thorough…?”

Viola stopped cleaning the blond’s face and stared at him, eyes wide in shock. “What…?”

“He… uh… wants to kill the Elite Officers if he at all can,” he explained. “That includes Corazón, even though he doesn’t know her.”

“…but… he does…” A weight seemed to drop in her stomach. “Oh no… I have to contact someone! Do you have a transponder snail?!”

“Yes, but I…!”

“I need to contact the Corazón’s subordinate,” Viola stated, “or else someone very important to Law is going to die and I promised I wouldn’t let that happen to her.”

That, honestly, was all the convincing the blond needed.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“This place sure is something,” Franky muttered as he sat down on some of the coliseum’s bench seating. Thunder Soldier slid in next to him, trying to keep a low profile.

“Blood sports often are,” the toy mused sourly. It scanned the crowd, pensive. “Do you really think that the boy can win?”

“Tch, yeah, I’d put money on him every day of the week,” Franky scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. He understood why someone would be wary of Luffy’s abilities at first glance. “You’ve never seen the kid in action—he’s the real deal.”

“He needs to be if he’s going to make it far,” Thunder Soldier replied. The entire stadium then hushed as someone walked out onto the battle arena.

“It’s the princeseta!” someone gasped.

“Princess Antonia?!”

“As if this couldn’t get any better!”

“Wow! A member of the royal family!”

“Whoever wins this tournament is going to be truly favored!”

“Princess…?” Franky wondered. He allowed his eyes to zoom in on the person on the battlefield, ignoring the blurry image of her on the giant snail-screens. She was dressed in an elegant pale pink blouse with hearts on it, as well as the sort of tailored slacks one would see in a high-profile business meeting. Her bronzed skin suggested plenty of recreational time outdoors, which was only complimented by her light-brown, wavy, shoulder-length hair.

“That is Princess Antonia,” Thunder Soldier said, voice deflated. “She is the pride and joy of the Donquixote Family and all of Dressrosa. Her late father was Doflamingo’s younger brother.”

“So the rumor goes.” Franky continued to stare, hoping that no one would realize what he was doing; the fact he was able to get in as a toy was a great cover so far and he didn’t want the resulting anonymity ruined so quickly. “I’ve been led to believe that she’s not entirely what she seems.”

“Correct,” Thunder Soldier said. “She is honestly the most ruthless of the Donquixote Generals, working with only one subordinate under her command. Without her, even if they were capable in their own rights, the Family would have a much tougher time keeping a hold on things.”

“I take it the little sis is a super PR machine?”

“In more ways than one.” The princess opened the tournament with pithy platitudes and the crowd roared in admiration; it was a true love for their monarch. “Just remember: she is a victim too, even though she does not know it.”

“How is she Donquixote’s most ruthless general, but still a victim?”

“…because there is a goodness in her that has not been entirely quashed by the king’s plot, and I have on good faith that underneath it all, she is still a scared little girl who doesn’t truly know what has happened over the past ten years.”

“I hope you’re right there, brother,” Franky said. He watched as Antonia waved to the crowd with a billion-watt smile, clearly in her element. “She’s just a kid—I don’t want to hurt a kid if I don’t gotta.”

“With any luck,” Thunder Soldier sighed, “we won’t.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Slipping back into the entrance tunnel, Antonia saw Diamante leaned casually up against the wall, glaring at her.

“What…?” she asked.

“I don’t get it,” he said. “What about you makes them go crazy like that? You’re not opening an orphanage or off to some diplomatic mission…”

“They know that I’m one of the strongest people here, that’s why,” she replied. The sounds of A Block getting into place was muffled by the stone around them. “They know I’m next in line.”

“…for an accident of birth.”

“…and what if it is…?” she shrugged. “I am the greatest Corazón to have ever claimed the seat, and I am their wonderful and loving princess all the while. It’s the perfect dichotomy.”

“How long can you keep it up, though?” he posed. She glared at him, which made him raise his hands in a gesture of false surrender. “All I’m saying is if you’re so tough, why aren’t you fighting for the Mera-Mera?”

“…because as much of an upstart as you think I am, I still know my place,” she fired back. “Now if you excuse me, I have other matters to attend to.” She walked off, knowing that Diamante was staring at her, sizing her up for some future spat, hoping that the day he would be taken out would be at least the day after she was cut down as well.

Then again, it did not matter. All Antonia needed to do was her job.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Law, we need to get out of here,” Sanji hissed into the transponder snail in his hand. It peered at him suspiciously.

“I know it’s a trap,” was the reply. “It’s Doflamingo—at least some part of this is meant to be a trap.”

“You see, that’s the thing: it’s more of a trap than I think any of us anticipated.”

The Den Den narrowed its eyes. “How big?”

“Big enough to where we need to get out of here, now,” Sanji repeated. He glanced over at Viola, who was watching the conversation nervously. “I’ve got Luffy’s bunch, you get the others. Avoid the Elite Officers.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” Law reminded him.

“True, but this is something where I think you’re just going to have to trust me.” Sanji ran his free hand through his hair, careful not to expose both eyebrows at once. “I know Luffy can’t follow a plan to save his life, but what I’m talking about is legitimate strategy. We have to fall back.”

“I can’t… not when we’re so close.”

“Fuck your martyr complex, Trafalgar! It’s not going to work! We! Need! To! Fall! Back!”

“Have fun.” At that, the Den Den went to sleep, making Sanji want to throw the poor snail down the alley’s length.

“That fucking idiot!” he hissed. He looked at Viola and frowned, trying to rein in his emotions. He needed to be calm now—this was the time he needed to have his head the clearest. “I’m going to extract them.”

“Then while you do that, I’ll try to take care of my end,” Viola nodded. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Sanji’s cheek, making the blond blush intensely. “Good luck.”

...because of the amount of blood he was losing? He was going to need it.

#One Piece #fan fiction #Trafalgar Law #Riku Viola #Donquixote Pirates #Donquixote Doflamingo #Straw Hat Pirates #Blackleg Sanji #Franky #Kyros #Mugiwara Kaizoku #Alternate Universe fic #again: my headcanon is that Dressrosan is the unholy love child of Castilian Spanish and Catalan #Trafalgar D. Water Law #Vinsmoke Sanji #Trafalgar Lami #Trafalgar D. Water Lami

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vividscavenger · 4 years ago

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Some couples enjoying married life

Occulus, Vergo, and Kasper belong to @penthousedragon

#my art #traditional art #sonic ocs #sonic the hedgehog #grog the bat #occulus #vitaly the pine marten #vergo the spider #davis the sea hare #kasper the chimera #i think hes a chimera #PenthouseDragon #gift art

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bultun-and-friends · 5 years ago

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Some cute couples to help me feel better

Tsubaki and Hansuke

Davis and Kasper

Vitaly and Vergo

Hansuke, Kasper, and Vergo all belong to @penthousedragon

#tsubaki the elk #davis the sea hare #vitaly the pine marten #hansuke the kyuubi #kasper the dragon #vergo the spider #friends ocs #sonic oc

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penthousedragon · 6 years ago

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I made him and forgot to post him :/

His name is Vergo but i’ve affectionately been calling him spider-bitch. A mobian con artist with surprising business sense. And corrosive psychokinesis.

#my ocs #Vergo the spider #i realized he should be posted otherwise i might ruin something cus noone will recognize him #i mean #im sure noone is gonna recognize him even now but still #I draw spiders weird leave me alone

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rochiomaru · 3 years ago

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Healing Wounds

Doflamingo had not left Law’s side since they had boarded the Numancia a couple of weeks prior, after having left Minion Island. He religiously sat next to the boy and watched as the teen took slow and labored breaths in the darkened cabin that had been turned into a makeshift sick bay. From the time he could remember, the pirate had been told he was descended from gods, and his crew further perpetuated that belief by telling him he was meant to rule as a god and a king in this life. He had spent the last 15 years building a life, scheming plots, pulling strings to bring that plan to fruition so that they could all rule the world and watch everything burn that stood in the way of his dreams.

Now as he watched a pale boy fight for life, for the first time since he was eight years old, Doflamingo knew he would give everything in exchange for the soul lying on the bed in front of him. He reached over and gently pushed back the dark hair from the boy’s eyes and couldn’t help but to notice how very small Law’s face looked compared to his hands. He wondered if Law saw him as the same monster his brother claimed he was when he looked at those hands? Those giant hands had taken too many lives to count, after all. Perhaps Law wanted nothing to do with him and would never return to this side of the veil.

The blond frowned and shook those disturbing thoughts from his mind. Law knew what Doflamingo was when he came to him, yet the boy had still sought him out.

“He won’t obey you, Doffy. He’s not the same Law that came to you that day, who lost track of himself and came to visit a crazy pirate!”

Again the words his brother had spoken in their final meeting began to run through his mind, causing the man to pull his hand back from Law and grab his blond locks in a desperate attempt to quiet his mind. The words continued to repeat themselves over and over until he truly thought he may become nothing but what he was already accused of being. ‘Is this all I am?’ he moaned inwardly as he rocked forward to place his head on his knees, ‘just a crazy pirate that no one will ever love?’

He could almost feel his brother’s brown eyes filled with hatred upon him, burning him, accusing him. When Doflamingo could stand it no longer, he stood suddenly, causing his chair to tip backwards and fall on its side. He stood there gasping for breath, feeling the blood rushing through his veins and hearing his pulse thunder in his ears, but at least it drowned the sound of his brother’s voice; for the moment anyway.

There was a knock at the door that broke through the spiral of thoughts that overwhelmed the pirate. Doflamingo’s head whipped towards the sound, and he bit his lip in concentration while attempting to bring himself back into the moment, and away from the tortuous memories of Minion Island. Though some part of him was grateful to have been interrupted, another was irritated that Law’s rest would be hindered. The blond knew that after such injuries, he needed time to heal properly.

Doflamingo narrowed his eyes behind rose lenses while watching the door and attempting to calm his ragged breathing for a few moments more, when the knocking came again along with Vergo’s familiar voice.“Doffy? Are you awake? It’s time for dinner. I brought you food.”

He sighed and closed his eyes in a weary gesture. It had been the same motions for days now. Someone would come and try to coax him out of the room, but he would not go. Doflamingo explained to them why he was staying by Law’s bedside, but yet his crew continued to send Vergo or one of the other executives to the door. Yet, how could he leave the boy when he so obviously needed him? He had let the boy go once, and it led to the current situation. In his eyes, he had failed to protect one of his own, and now the boy may not come back to him at all. This is simply unacceptable, and what kind of father would Doflamingo be if he abandoned his son again?

He opened his eyes, lifted his slender fingers and reached underneath the golden frames to rub the tiredness from them. Though the action did not truly help, it did soothe the man somewhat as he considered the other matter that had him keeping himself isolated from his crew, from his family. This was the situation of Vergo’s betrayal.

If there was one thing he would not tolerate, it was someone touching something that was his. However, the real problem lay in that Vergo was closer than anyone else in Doflamingo's life. They had been together since they were ten years old, through every trial and triumph. Doflamingo considered him a brother, more so than Rosinante had ever been. Perhaps that’s why it hurt so much to look at the dark bruises and swollen flesh on Law’s face, and to know that his closest friend had been the one to put such marks there. He simply was not ready to confront Vergo yet. Not until he knew whether or not his son was going to survive.

The knocking came again with Vergo's voice, only this time he was much louder, bordering on yelling. “I’m not leaving this time, Doffy! Not until you eat this food.” All of Doflamingo’s movement ceased at the sound of those words. Never had Vergo used such a tone with him, and it was more than a little shocking to hear him do so now. After a moment, Vergo’s voice came again more softly, “I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”

Doflamingo chewed on his bottom lip while looking at the closed door, and then to the boy lying deathly still on the bed next to where he stood. He slowly reached over and gently ran his fingers along a healing bruise on Law’s cheek, taking note that he didn’t feel as feverishly hot as he had previously. Perhaps this is a sign things are turning for the better. The blond came to a decision. No more hiding from his problems.

He straightened up and squared his broad shoulders, taking time to look at himself in the vanity at the bedside. He ran his fingers through his mussed hair and tried to pat down any wrinkles he noticed on his shirt. Unfortunately, he had discarded his tie days ago and had no clue where it had gone, and as he leaned forward to get a closer look at his face, he grimaced. The sunglasses did a fair job in covering the bags under his eyes, but he hadn’t shaved since before leaving Spider Miles. He knew he looked bad, but hadn’t realized how far he had let himself go.

‘Well, nothing I can do about it now,’ he thought to himself with a frown. Instead, Doflamingo lifted his chin and placed a carefully blank look on his face before heading to open the door. He is going to be a king, and be damned if anyone would dare think otherwise, no matter the circumstances.

As he reached for the knob, Doflamingo felt a slight tremble to his movement. He closed his eyes, clenched his hand a couple times to steele his nerves, and let out a breath to prepare himself to face his best friend over the mistreatment of his son. Again, he put his hand out and took hold of the door handle. In a quick movement, he flung the door open wide, revealing a startled Vergo on the other side. However, despite his preparation, the anger he felt when he saw the man nearly overwhelmed him.

“D..D..Doffy!” Vergo stuttered. He had meant what he said about not leaving until the young master spoke to him, but it still surprised him that Doflamingo had agreed so swiftly. He managed to hold on to the tray he had brought, but the dishes rattled as the brunet struggled to compose himself as he could feel the taller man’s fixated gaze upon him. True that this is what he had wanted, but with the confrontation upon him, all of Vergo’s well-rehearsed lines and speeches simply disappeared from his mind.

Once he had the tray settled firmly in his grasp once again, Vergo looked up at his captain and had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from verbally reacting at Doflamingo’s appearance. The man looked as though he had lost a good twenty pounds, and his normally vibrant, tan skin was pale and sallow. He looked so very tired, and about fifteen years older than he really was. Vergo swallowed back the impulse to confront Doflamingo about his appearance, and the heavy layer of guilt that had been laying on him for the last several days, now felt as though it would suffocate him. He knew was as much to blame for his captain… his friend being in this state as the traitor was. Though it was not an excuse, Vergo had not realized how much Law meant to the other.

Doflamingo continued to stare down at the shorter male, but stepped back to allow him inside the room. Vergo moved past him quickly, unsure of what to do next, so he busied himself with setting the tray down on the small table in the corner. He could feel his captain’s eyes on him expectantly, but stalled by arranging the dishes on the table. After a couple of minutes of nervous fidgeting with the items, Vergo heard Doflamingo clear his throat. His time had come, so he sighed softly and shifted to face the larger man.

When he turned, immediately a large hand took him by the throat and swung him around as though his massive frame weighed nothing, slamming him against the wall. The air was forced from his lungs and his head cracked against the wood, making him see stars and feeling like he might vomit. Vergo's head rolled bonelessly as he tried to gather his senses, slowly he came to himself as he realized the hand at his throat was tightening, cutting off his ability to breathe.

Vergo reached up and grabbed at the hand and desperately began pulling at it to try and break free, but it was pointless. He quickly found he was not a match for Doflamingo. “Dof.. I… can...ca..” he tried to beg for his release, but could only stutter out hoarse syllables. He looked into the face of the man that held him up to the wall, and for all the aggression, only saw a blank face and his own reflection in rose-tinted sunglasses. Vergo continued to struggle when he saw something that stunned him into complete stillness. A lone drop of moisture rolled down Doflamingo’s cheek. It could almost be mistaken for sweat, but somehow, Vergo knew that was not the case.

He dropped his hands and accepted his fate. He had done this, and whatever punishment his captain felt was necessary, Vergo would accept. As darkness began to close in the edge of his vision, he knew he needed to let Doflamingo know one thing. “I… I’m… s… sor… ry,” he managed to whisper out. Doflamingo cocked his head to the side and brought Vergo close to his face. Everything began to double and get fuzzy for Vergo, so he closed his eyes, when he felt himself being thrown to the floor.

Vergo gasped and curled in on himself, trying to draw as much air into his burning lungs as he could. He began to cough and retch, but was grateful as his vision began to clear. He was only granted a few moments when his body was forced flat to the floor and he found himself on his back, looking at the ceiling, unable to move. He instantly knew Doflamingo was using his strings to keep him still. Before he could attempt to form any words, the blond was sitting on his chest and leaned down until they were nose to nose.

“Vergo, what made you think you could lay a hand on what was mine? You, more than anyone, should know how I feel about my family.” Doflamingo’s face remained eerily blank as he spoke. It was a stark contrast to the deep, angry tone of his words that betrayed how much emotion he was feeling over this incident. Doflamingo knew he was not ready for this conversation, but being left alone with his thoughts for too long had let his rage go unchecked. H cared deeply for Vergo, as he was family too, so he was doing everything he could not to lose control.

He raised his face away from the man beneath him and continued to watch him attempt to catch his breath. The red marks on his neck were beginning to fill in with purple bruises in the shape of Doflamingo’s fingers, and a frown broke through his blank exterior at the sight. However, he did not regret it. Vergo needed to realize how serious this was, but the blond knew if he had used his strings, he may have killed the other man since he was still too upset over Law’s condition.

While he continued to stare at the rising bruises on his friend’s neck, the other attempted to speak, “Dof… fy, I…” His voice was raspy and raw, but the emotion in his tone was overwhelming for the blond to hear. Doflamingo could not bear it and the dam holding all of his own emotions back finally broke. Anger, fear, regret, loneliness, pain, and other things the man could not put name to swirled in his chest, causing physical pain that made him feel sick to his stomach. The veins on Doflamingo’s forehead began pulsating and he clenched his teeth to the point he could hear his jaw grinding and the bones popping. A fierce heat filled his eyes and he tried to draw a deep breath in, but found it difficult due to the pain filling his chest.

As the first tears slipped past the golden frames of his sunglasses, Doflamingo pulled his fist back and slammed it into Vergo’s cheek. “You do not get to speak right now!” he roared as he pulled back his other fist to strike him again. “My biological family is gone forever! All I have is the family I have found, and you have tried to take a piece of that from me!” The tears were pouring down Doflamingo’s face by this time and dropping onto Vergo’s throat as the larger man continued to unleash blow after blow against him.

As the blood began to pour from Vergo’s nose, the corner of his mouth, and a deep gash under his right eye, Doflamingo forced himself to stop. He clenched his fists and sat up on the man’s chest, rubbing the tears off his face, but leaving some blood behind in their stead.

Vergo closed his eyes and groaned softly, but he accepted his punishment, knowing he had done far more damage to the thirteen year old child lying in the bed across the room. Several moments passed in silence when he opened his eyes again and saw Doflamingo with his head resting in hands, fingers laced together, blocking any view the man might have of the other’s face. Vergo wanted to ask him if he was ok, but he knew the answer already, and the worst part was he was to blame for his friend’s condition. He caused Doffy’s pain. Everything in Vergo wanted to tell Doffy how sorry he was, but he had already been told not to speak, so he waited until the other was ready to talk.

Finally, without moving his hands, Doflamingo asked in a tired voice, “Do you remember that time I skinned my knee?” The question was so unexpected, that at first Vergo thought he had misheard what was asked of him.

“Doffy, I… I don’t understand,” he began, but Doflamingo’s deep sigh stopped him.

“Do not make me repeat myself, Vergo,” his voice sounded vaguely threatening, but more than anything, he sounded exhausted.

Vergo swallowed thickly and tried to gather his thoughts. “You mean when we were ten? Yeah, I remember that. I thought some of those town kids had screwed with you again since you were such a shrimp, but it turns out you were just clumsy.” He smirked up at his captain, but quickly flinched because of the pain that shot through his swollen lip.

Doflamingo dropped his hands and looked at Vergo, not having expected to be teased at a moment like this. Despite himself, a small grin broke out on his face, until he saw the look of pain on his friend’s face. He bit his lip and reached down to gently wipe away some drying blood from the corner of Vergo’s mouth. “You look like shit,” he offered casually before continuing the previous conversation. “And, yes, I mean the time when we were ten. The stones were uneven and I fell, but that was not really my point. I meant when you and the others saw I was hurt, it didn’t matter what had caused it, you had my back.”

Vergo nodded. “Of course, Doffy. Fuck that town, it was gonna burn.”

Doflamingo suddenly dipped down until their faces were within a couple of inches of each other. “Yes! That is what it means to be family!” He pulled back and looked over to the bed while pointing at Law. “That is what it needs to be for him! For all of them! Law, Baby 5, Buffalo, they are all my children and part of this family. We need to protect them, even if we have to burn the world, Vergo!” The blond brought his hand back down to rest on Vergo’s shoulder and looked into his face. “I need your loyalty to the Family, and to him, as he is my son and is going to be my right hand one day. For obvious reasons, your cover with the marines has been compromised, so I want you home. I want you back as my Corazon, but I have to know you have my back.”

Vergo could feel his face getting hot from the feelings that were starting to overwhelm him. He truly thought that he had forever thrown away any chance he had of being valued by Doflamingo again, for he knew how his actions were viewed. The bruises and blood on his face and neck were testament to that. But to actually be offered his position as an Executive again was more than he would have ever dared to hope for, and for something that he was already planning to give with his whole heart. He knew he owed this man his life, so this was not really a decision at all.

“Yes, Doffy! It will never happen again, and I pledge my very life to you and to the Family. I would die for you, and I will protect him with my life, as well. You have my word!” he proclaimed.

For the first time in weeks, a genuine smile appeared on Doflamingo’s face as he stood up. Vergo found that he could move again and when he looked up, he saw his captain’s hand reaching down to help him stand. Without hesitation, the brunet took the proffered hand and stood to his feet. Doflamingo gently shoved him in the direction of the vanity. “Go clean yourself up. I really meant what I said earlier about how you look. There’s some water and a clean towel.”

Vergo looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not sure you are one to talk, Captain. Perhaps you should visit the bath after eating your meal. I can watch the boy for 20 minutes while you clean up.”

“Fufufufu… You certainly are one for tempting the gods tonight, aren’t you Vergo?” Doflamingo cooed at the smaller male without any real malice in his words. He headed towards the table that held the meal that had been set there earlier and removed the covers from the dishes and noted some of his favorite foods were there and wondered if they had sent these same things every time in hope he would eat. He felt guilty that his family had been worried about his health in such a way, but all he had been able to focus on was Law the last two weeks, and he couldn’t change that now.

It was then he heard a moan coming from next to where Vergo was drying his face. Doflamingo immediately dropped the silver lid, causing it to crash into a plate, but fortunately the food softened the landing and no harm was done. He ran over to the bedside, pushing Vergo to the side. Since he had not been practicing his usual grooming and styling regiments, Doflamingo’s blond hair fell into his eyes as he leaned over the bed, but he impatiently pushed it back out of the way to get a look at Law stirring in the sheets.

Law moaned again and slowly raised his hand up to his face to rub at his eyes. His head was hurting and his right shoulder was stiff and hurt really badly. Slowly he opened his golden eyes and saw a thin blond man leaning over him, but his vision was very blurry. He blinked a couple of times to clear it and the face came into view. Blonde bangs and angular features. Why was Cora-san wearing Doffy’s sunglasses? Wouldn’t his brother be mad? “Cora-san?” he whispered.

Doflamingo’s stomach felt like he had been kicked when the child mistook him for that traitor. ‘Does he love him so much?’ he wondered to himself. However, he would not reveal his true emotions to Law, instead he reached over and took the child’s hand. “No, it’s Doffy. Rosinante went back to the navy. He was lying to us, remember? You are home with your family. We’ve been very worried about you.”

Law looked confused for a few moments and then his face dropped and he closed his eyes. Everything came back to him and a tear rolled down his cheek before he could get a hold of himself. Doflamingo reached over and wiped it gently away and brushed his dark hair back from his forehead.

“You are here with your family and we need you, Law. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to keep you safe, but it will not happen again. I promise to always protect you.” Doflamingo was not used to being so emotional. His mother was the last person he had ever been this open with, but somehow it felt like the right thing to do. Still it was very uncomfortable not knowing if this child would still choose his brother over him, ‘after all I am a monster… A crazy pirate that no one could love.’

When Law turned back to him with a faint smile, Doflamingo felt his breath catch for a moment. “Thank you for letting Cora-San live. I will stay, but tell Baby 5 to quit hitting me.” he then closed his eyes and drifted back into a light sleep.

Doflamingo smiled softly at the boy. “Of course,” he responded, though he knew Law could not hear him. He turned to Vergo and instructed him to go get the boy some soup and onigiri for when he woke again. He would need sustenance if he was to recover properly, after all.

He then gathered some clothes so he could take a long overdue bath and clean up. First, however, Doflamingo went to find Giolla. As he ran his fingers through his blond hair, he couldn’t help but to think a haircut would be an excellent idea. He always did think he would look amazing with very short hair.

#donquixote doflamingo #doffy #drabbles #ties that bind #trafalgar law #vergo #one piece #love that flamingo #daddy doffy rocks

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purplehairedwonder · 4 years ago

Text

Hearts With(out) Chains Chapter 13

Fandom: One Piece Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Gen (eventual Lawlu) Words: 4261 Characters: Trafalgar Law, Monkey D. Luffy, Robin, Sanji, Nami, Chopper, Usopp, Nami, Franky, Smoker, Tashigi, Sengoku, Sengoku’s goat ;) Notes: I’m taking my turn at the Corazon!Law AU because my brain won’t leave me alone until this is written down. Tags will be updated as the chapters come out.

Summary: Law is reclaimed by the Family when he's 17 and, with Doflamingo holding the lives of his crew as collateral for his good behavior, eventually becomes the third Corazon. Years later, trapped by his impossible situation, Law finds a strange connection to Monkey D. Luffy, which offers a glimpse of something he's repeatedly had ripped away from him: hope.

Previous chapters: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Read also at AO3 / FF.N

Law slowly came awake, having slept the dreamless sleep he only ever had after draining himself to the point of unconsciousness. He grimaced before slitting his eyes open; his body ached, his mouth was cottony, and his head throbbed. As the fuzzy world came into focus around him, he realized he was on the couch. He frowned. When had that happened? The last thing he remembered was sitting with Luffy on the floor…

He threw a hand over his face and groaned as he remembered that Luffy was the one who’d found him during his panic attack. Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin were the only ones he allowed to see him like that; they’d seen him at his worst when Cora-san’s death was still a gaping wound, and his body was still marred with Amber Lead. They’d been there for the screaming nightmares and suffocating panic attacks. For anyone else to see him that way…

Well, Law hadn’t been able to afford such shows of weakness around the Family.

But Luffy had simply smiled and offered that he had his own demons as well.

Law swallowed, unsure of what to do with that bit of kindness. It settled uncomfortably somewhere behind his breastbone.

Taking a breath, he pushed himself upright and glanced around. Luffy was nowhere to be seen. Vergo’s body was also gone. That meant someone—likely Marines—had come in while Law was sleeping to remove it. The idea of being defenseless while Marines were in the room made his stomach turn. Yet they’d left him alone, undoubtedly on Smoker’s orders.

Shaking his head, Law grabbed Kikoku from where she’d been placed on the table and pocketed his Den Den Mushi. He had no idea what time it was—and there were no windows in this metal monstrosity of a lab to give him any hints—but if the Marines had removed Vergo’s body, there was a good chance the back-up ship had arrived, meaning it was morning.

Rather than aimlessly wander around the lab, Law reached out with his haki to look for the Straw Hats… and was immediately struck by the overwhelming presence of Luffy. After a moment, he was able to discern the chaotic energies of the other Straw Hats as well; they were gathered a few halls over. The Marines, including Smoker and his second, were on the other side of the lab, near the entrance. He could sense more Marines than he thought had been there previously, which seemed to confirm his suspicion.

Law left the control room and followed his haki. The closer he got to the gathered group, the stronger the smell of cooking food became—which made perfect sense when he found the crew in the dining hall.

“Torao, good morning!” Luffy called, waving his hand as though Law wouldn’t be able to pick him out from the small group. They were all seated at one long table that they seemed to have pieced together from several smaller tables.

“Straw Hat-ya,” Law greeted with a sigh, head already aching from the enthusiasm. Whatever time it was, it was too early for this.

“Sanji’s cooking breakfast. I hope there’s lots of meat!” Luffy said, eyes glazing over.

“Of course, you do,” the cat burglar said, rolling her eyes. She then turned and looked Law up and down without any hint of subtlety. “There’s coffee in the kitchen,” she said, lips twitching.

Law considered flipping her off, but coffee sounded amazing, so he simply nodded and headed back to the kitchen, where Black Leg was working. He raised an eyebrow at Law’s presence.

“Coffee?” Law grunted.

Black Leg nodded and broke off from the task he was doing—scrambling eggs, from the looks of it—and poured a cup of coffee.

“Take anything with it?”

Law shook his head, accepting the undoctored mug of precious caffeine.

Black Leg snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”

Law shrugged and took a sip. The bitter liquid burned at his scratchy throat, and it was heavenly.

“Any dietary restrictions?” Black Leg asked as he went back to the meal.

“No bread.”

Black Leg hummed. “Gluten allergy or just not a fan?”

“Gluten,” Law acknowledged around sips.

Black Leg nodded. “I can work with that.” He turned to another task but looked over his shoulder at Law. “Tell those idiots it’s almost ready, will you?”

Law took that as being kicked out of the kitchen, so he jerked his head in a nod and grudgingly returned to the rowdy collection of remaining Straw Hats.

“It’s almost ready,” Law relayed as he sat down at the end of the table, as far from Luffy as he could place himself. He could still feel a crawling sensation under his skin as he thought about the night before, and sitting as far away from its source while he worked through his thoughts seemed like his best bet.

“Was there meat?” Luffy asked, mouth practically watering.

“There’s always meat, you shitty piece of rubber,” Black Leg said as he brought several platters of food out from the kitchen.

After dropping off the platters, Black Leg went back to the kitchen several more times and returned with an impressive array of breakfast foods for the crew to share. The remaining Straw Hats, particularly those seated close to Luffy, seemed to have a well-practiced system in place to eat their meals while avoiding Luffy stealing from their plates, including knocking their captain upside the head when he got too close. Luffy merely grinned and laughed before returning to his own heaping plate.

Law managed to grab some eggs and fruit amidst the melee, and, as he ate, he considered how different the dynamic was from his own crew’s. Though, Law supposed with no little regret, he hadn’t eaten with them with any regularity in the last few years. Ever since Shachi’s injury, Law’s guilt had pushed him away from his nakama, and, when he did eat, he usually ended up eating alone or with the Family—Sunday dinners, for instance, were required for every executive who was not away on a mission. Though the Family was hectic in its own way, manners were still expected—and not just because their captain was also a king. Table manners had been preached even when Law had been with the Family at Spider Miles; just because they were pirates did not mean they were savages, Doffy had said, and they were expected to act like it.

That had made a lot more sense when Law had learned that Doffy was a former Celestial Dragon—many of his quirks had come into focus with that information, in fact.

It had also been revealing about Cora-san, though Law hadn’t been entirely ready to open that Pandora’s Box, despite knowing about it for six years.

“How did you sleep last night, Torao-kun?”

Law started, pulled from his thoughts by Nico Robin’s smiling face across the table from him.

“Luffy went looking for you last night after dinner, but then he didn’t come back until this morning,” she elaborated, still smiling.

The expression set Law’s teeth on edge. He narrowed his eyes, certain that she was screwing with him. “Fine,” he said curtly then deliberately took a sip of coffee, hoping to discourage the conversation. Still. Did that mean Luffy had stayed? He was obviously the one who had moved Law to the couch, and that was humiliating enough, but the thought that the other captain had stayed with him…

Law’s eye twitched.

But Nico Robin just kept smiling. “That’s good to hear. After all, we’re heading to Dressrosa today.”

Law put his cup down slowly. “Yes,” he agreed, not sure what she was getting at.

“We’ll need everyone to be at their best to face Doflamingo,” she said, expression never changing. “I’ve heard the rumors about him.”

“Until tomorrow, little bird.”

“He’s worse than any rumor,” Law ground out before pushing himself up and away from the table. He grabbed Kikoku, knuckles going white from his grip. He needed air.

“Torao?” Luffy called after him, but he ignored the other captain, practically fleeing the room.

Recalling the blueprints of the lab, he navigated the hallways to the front entrance and practically exploded out the door, stumbling onto the front stoop as he shoved the door open with more force than needed. He put a hand against the wall and sagged, sucking in lungfuls of icy air, the cold tamping down on the heat that had risen in his face and helping him to collect himself.

After a few more deep breaths, he felt his head clear, and he looked out over the island. He’d been so caught up in his own mind that he hadn’t noticed the Marine vessel being loaded in the port a few hundred yards away. He shook his head; he needed to get his shit together if he was going to deal with Doflamingo today.

Law leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms against his chest, watching various Marines scurry about like little insects whose nest had been disturbed while others barked orders.

After a few minutes of Law watching his men, Smoker climbed the steps and took a seat on the top step, leaving distance between himself and Law.

As the two watched in silence, several soldiers marched the chained Caesar and Monet toward the ship. Caesar continued making high-pitched protests—“Do you know who I am?”, “Do you know who you’re messing with?” and the like—while Monet remained silent. As if drawn to Law, she turned and their eyes met briefly, that look of betrayal still in her gaze. Then she was pushed along toward the ship and the connection broke.

Law exhaled, only then realizing he’d been holding his breath.

Once Doflamingo learned of their arrests as well as of Vergo’s death—he had more spies in the Marines than just Vergo, though even Law didn’t know all their identities—he would undoubtedly retrieve his subordinates and Vergo’s body. He would leverage his connections, and even the Fleet Commander couldn’t refuse the Gorosei.

Law could only hope he’d receive that news once Law and his nakama had escaped Dressrosa.

“What will you do now?” Smoker asked as they watched a string of Caesar’s men, buoyed by strange balloon devices, escorted to the ship by another group of soldiers. “Doflamingo will kill you if you return to Dressrosa.”

That… was not actually true; Law might wish he were dead if Doffy got wind of his betrayal before he and his crew could flee, but he would live until he performed the Perennial Youth Operation. Only then would he be allowed to die—for the sake of Doffy’s immortality. No, it would be his nakama (and Luffy’s crew, now that the crazy captain had decided to involve himself in Law’s affairs) who would pay the ultimate price. But Smoker didn’t need to know that.

Law raised an eyebrow at Smoker’s back. “Why do you care, White Chase-ya? I’m just a no-good pirate.”

“Maybe I don’t like being in debt to pirates,” Smoker retorted. “And if you die, I can’t pay it back.”

Law snorted. “Apologies if my impending death is inconvenient for your conscience.”

Smoker grumbled in response.

They sat in silence for several more minutes, and, surprisingly, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Smoker seemed to have come to some kind of conclusion about Law, and Law simply had too much on his mind to bother with antagonizing the vice admiral. And, if Law were being honest with himself, while he hated the Marines on principle for their part in Flevance’s fall, Smoker was one of the few who had ever shown even an inkling of honor; it was a very grudging sense of respect he found budding toward the vice admiral.

They watched the ship’s continued loading until the lab’s door opened once more, and the Straw Hats spilled out onto the stoop. Law noticed two more figures had joined the group: Kin’emon the samurai and a boy dressed in similar garb. A son? They had shied off to the side of the group on the other side of the doorway from Law.

“Oh, there you are, Torao!” Luffy said, spying Law off to the side. “And Smokey!”

“Straw Hat,” Smoker grumbled, pushing himself to his feet.

“Where are the children?” the cat burglar asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“Tashigi is with them,” Smoker said.

“Well, we’re not leaving until we see them off,” Chopper added, coming up next to his crewmate at the front of the group, doing his best to sound authoritative.

Smoker lip curled in annoyance, but he was saved from having to reply by the emergence of the captain and the children from a side entrance of the lab. The swordswoman, with a bright voice and wide smile, directed the children toward the ship. The children laughed and jumped around as they boarded the ship.

“Tashigi!” Smoker called.

The swordswoman looked up from her charges and took in the group standing next to the vice admiral. After murmuring something to the remaining children waiting to board, she headed over to the lab steps.

“Smoker-san,” she greeted.

“These idiots won’t leave until they know the children are taken care of. Tell them where we’re taking them.”

Long Nose and the cyborg protested at being called idiots, but the cat burglar and Chopper ignored them. Their eyes were focused on the swordswoman.

“We’re taking them to be treated by Vegapunk himself,” the captain replied, adjusting her glasses. “He’s agreed to look at the long-term effects of the drugs and work on a treatment. Once they’ve received the care they need, we’ll take them all home. We’re also in the process of contacting their families.”

“That’s a relief,” Chopper said, smiling.

The swordswoman looked at the cat burglar. “I meant what I said earlier; I will protect the children with my life!”

The cat burglar nodded, her expression softening. “I know. Thank you.”

The two women shook hands, and the captain glanced at her superior before heading back to the ship. The children were making their way onto the deck of the ship, calling at the Straw Hats with their thanks. Law was startled to hear even a few thanks hollered in his direction. Considering he hadn’t wanted to get caught up with the children in the first place, he didn’t think he deserved any.

Smoker shook his head and glanced back at the gathered group, eyes meeting Law’s one final time, before he headed back to the ship, corralling the remaining soldiers who had yet to board. The Straw Hats waved as the ship eventually pushed off from the dock and set sail.

“All right!” Luffy called out, grabbing the attention of his crew. “Let’s go! On to Dressroba!”

“Dressrosa,” Law grumbled.

“Shishishi,” Luffy chuckled. “Whatever. Let’s go take down that Mingo!”

He headed off in the direction of the Thousand Sunny, and the rest of the group followed—including Kin’emon and the boy, Law noted. He’d have to account for their presence in his plan. Luffy continued chattering on, mostly to Zoro and Long Nose, though he’d turn back every now and then to meet Law’s eye with a grin.

As they walked, the cat burglar came up next to Law. “I can navigate using the maps we found in the lab, but if you have a better way…”

Law reached into a pocket on the inside of his coat and pulled out an Eternal Pose for Dressrosa. It was the same one Doffy had given Law nearly a decade earlier in the North Blue. He carried it on every mission away from the island. For a moment, Law’s grip tightened on the wooden frame as he considered that there was a good chance neither he nor his nakama would ever leave that island again. Swallowing, he forcibly loosened his fingers and offered it to her. Her eyes lit up.

“That will make things easier!” She looked at the pose for a moment then glanced back at Law. “You said it should take half a day?”

“Yes.”

The cat burglar—Nami—peered up at the sky and narrowed her eyes consideringly before shaking her head. “We’ll have to get further away from the conditions on this weird island before I can get a sense of the weather.”

“Dressrosa is a summer island,” Law supplied. “The weather is rarely poor around it.”

Nami hummed thoughtfully. “That’s promising.”

Law hesitated before adding, “Avoid skies with clouds as much as possible.”

“Why?” Black Leg asked from Law’s other side. He took a drag on his cigarette and raised a curious eyebrow.

Law glanced at him before turning back to Nami. “Doflamingo can use his Devil Fruit to travel in the skies. He uses clouds to do it. If he has any suspicion that I’ve betrayed him, he’ll be out looking for me.”

“Will he have any suspicion?” Black Leg asked as Nami’s eyes widened.

“I… don’t know.” Law had played the call over in his mind repeatedly and still did not know if Doffy had been bluffing. Even if he hadn’t been, there was no telling how quickly he’d hear from his Marine spies about what had happened on Punk Hazard. “Best to assume he does.”

Black Leg pursed his lips but didn’t say anything.

Once they boarded the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hats spread out to complete their respective jobs for setting sail. Law leaned back against the wall and was joined by Kin’emon and the boy as they stayed out their hosts’ way. Law and the samurai eyed one another. Law didn’t know anything about Kin’emon, other than, as a samurai, he was likely from Wano and that Doffy wanted him kept alive. If Kin’emon was from Wano, Law idly wondered if Doffy’s orders about the man came from Kaido but put the thought out of his mind; it didn’t matter to the task at hand.

Once the Thousand Sunny had pulled away from Punk Hazard and started toward Dressrosa, Law’s Eternal Pose pointing the way, the Straw Hats reconvened on the lawn in the center of the ship. They turned to Law.

“Tell us, Torao-kun,” Nico Robin said, speaking for her crew. “What awaits us in Dressrosa?”

Law took a steadying breath and started to speak.

-----

Two Days Later

Smoker found the Inspector General in his favorite spot, a perch overlooking New Marineford, absently sharing snacks with his beloved goat. He hadn’t been entirely surprised to receive a summons from Marine HQ after the prisoners he’d brought in and the damning report he’d filed about another vice admiral, but he thought this might be a bit more personal, considering the source.

“Inspector General,” Smoker greeted as he came to a stop next to the seated man.

“Smoker,” Sengoku replied, nodding at him.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Ah, yes,” Sengoku said, adjusting his glasses briefly. “I read your report about the events on Punk Hazard.”

Smoker’s original report had been heavily edited so that the official report had, much like the Alabasta report, given him far more credit than he deserved for what had transpired. It also whitewashed some of the uglier truths Smoker had learned about the base commander of G-5 and the experiments being conducted on the island. But Smoker had a feeling Sengoku was referring to the unedited version. Semi-retired or not, a man like Sengoku would have his ways of getting his hands on that document.

“Sir,” Smoker said neutrally.

Sengoku offered his goat a cracker before glancing at Smoker. “You don’t seem pleased at the accolades being thrown your way for uncovering a traitor so high in the ranks.”

Smoker snorted. “If you read my report, you know I didn’t uncover shit. Sir.”

Sengoku nodded, absently scratching behind the goat’s ears. “Corazon revealed Vergo’s true nature.”

So, he had read the unedited version. “Yes.”

“Tell me, Smoker,” Sengoku said, something careful about his tone that Smoker couldn’t quite place. “What were your impressions of Vice Admiral Vergo? Before this? You worked alongside him at G-5.”

“I thought he was a good leader and a good soldier,” Smoker admitted. “I respected him.” He’d had no reason to suspect the man; his reputation was spotless, and the men of G-5 admired him. It grated on him that he hadn’t noticed the rat. Surely there had been something amiss that Smoker had missed…

But, no. Vergo’s act had been flawless.

Sengoku nodded thoughtfully. “And Corazon killed him.”

“Yes.”

“And what did you make of that, Vice Admiral?”

Smoker frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The second in command of the Donquixote Pirates killing a particularly important spy for his own crew among Marine ranks. Surely that was surprising to you.”

Smoker, even in his unedited report, had skirted around what he’d heard about Corazon’s history. He wasn’t sure why he was keeping the man’s secrets other than the debt he owed him, but something hadn’t sat right in his chest when he’d attempted to make note of all he’d heard. He’d learned to trust his instincts over the years, and they’d told him he’d be better served holding onto that information. Even—maybe especially—the Marines were prone to politics, and Smoker knew that information could be leveraged. He found the fact distasteful, but it was true nonetheless.

But those same instincts were also telling him now that Sengoku was the right person to tell, considering his personal connection to the Donquixote Pirates. It was known amongst the longest-serving Marines that Sengoku’s adopted son had been killed by the Donquixote Pirates while on an undercover mission infiltrating them. Smoker had never met Rosinante, but he’d seen the plaque on the wall of fallen soldiers.

“There seemed to be bad blood between them,” Smoker said after coming to his decision. He didn’t have a full sense of what he’d witnessed between the two men, but he knew enough about long-standing grudges to recognize one when he saw it. “Going back a long way.”

Corazon couldn’t be older than his mid-twenties but had held the title of Corazon for half a decade. Only someone who’d been with the Family for a long time could have risen to second in command—Doflamingo only surrounded himself with the best, which was part of what made his crew so dangerous—so for Corazon to have risen so high so at such a young age likely meant he’d been with them as a child. It was common knowledge that the Family recruited children and raised them to be loyal soldiers, so that would not have been surprising.

The slightest twitch in Sengoku’s eyebrow told Smoker that he was on the right track. Considering the timeline, then, there was a good chance Corazon knew Sengoku’s son and might have answers about the circumstances surrounding his death, which had remained under high level security clearance in the years since. Most Marine lifers felt Sengoku had never truly moved past Rosinante’s death (though they’d never say it in the man’s earshot), but now perhaps he could get some answers—especially if Corazon was attempting to leave the Family and had no reason to keep their secrets any longer.

“I see,” Sengoku finally said, offering the goat another cracker. He offered the bag to Smoker wordlessly, but Smoker shook his head.

Smoker hesitated only a moment before adding, “Corazon let something slip during the fight.”

Sengoku simply nodded at him to continue, obviously recognizing Smoker had left whatever it was out of his report.

“I think he’s a survivor of the White City.”

Sengoku paled, though Smoker had a feeling it wasn’t for the reason most did when Flevance was mentioned. He’d been Fleet Admiral when commands had come from above even him to wipe out the country and everyone in it due to the highly contagious Amber Lead Disease that was killing entire generations.

It was genocide and a shame on any Marine with a sense of honor.

“There were no survivors,” Sengoku said finally, voice curiously choked off.

And even if anyone had managed to escape the slaughter, they should have died years earlier due to Amber Lead Disease. But somehow, Corazon hadn’t.

The more he thought about it, the more Smoker had a feeling it had to do with that Devil Fruit of his. The Ope-Ope no Mi was a miracle surgery fruit, after all.

“There seems to be at least one,” Smoker replied, remembering the fury in Corazon’s voice as he’d railed against what had happened to his family and his home, sheer rage taking over the normally composed man. It was clearly a slip he regretted making, considering the way his expression had soured once he’d realized what he’d said. “It sounded like his parents were doctors, but they were killed with everyone else when Flevance fell. Including a sister.”

Sengoku ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking his age. “I see,” he said after a long moment. He turned to Smoker and gave him a wan smile. “Thank you for telling me.”

The dismissal was clear, but Smoker had one more thing to add. “The traitor, Vergo, didn’t call Corazon by his title. He used a name.”

Sengoku raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“He didn’t use a surname. But he called Corazon Law.”

“Law,” Sengoku murmured, as though trying out the name.

Smoker left Sengoku with the name on his tongue, wondering what the former Fleet Admiral would do with the information but deciding it was above his paygrade.

Next chapter

#Tomorrow is my birthday #So a quick update is my gift to you #We're leaving Punk Hazard in this chapter y'all #Trafalgar Law #One Piece #One Piece fanfic #One Piece fanfiction #Caitlin's fic

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chromatic-lamina · 4 years ago

Note

Yees, character game, how about one of the donquixote brothers? Either would be great ;)

Yes, yes, yes! You’re going to get both. I’ll do Rosi in another post. This one’s for the pink feathered bastard. 🕸🕷

I was hoping emojis had a flamingo emoji, but no such luck, so spiders it is. ↑

favorite thing about them:

Oh man, he is so super over the top extra. He just reminds me of Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous, except he gets better lines. Of course, Oda layers all of his villains, so Doff’s our chorus, in a way, even while being an instigator of a lot of harm, possibly in reaction to harm.

I think he’s amoral, but with that he’ll invest enough in people and infrastructure to get what he wants and some good can come from that.

Your work has made me view him in a more nuanced way, but he’s still my go-to villain cos he’s so much fun to write and explore.

So, apart from his personality, let’s say his pink coat. I love those coats (his and Rosi’s).

least favorite thing about them:

Well, he’s a bastard, right? Caused and inflicted a lot of harm. For the purpose of story though, as said above, he’s got other aspects that mean he definitely isn’t two-dimensional.

He was so chaotically evil, or indifferent, at Marineford, he really caused a lot of trouble. With the Whitebeards, with Oars Jr. (ah, his leg), but it was wonderful too. We particularly saw how he mistreated Riku Dold and Bellamy—so, y’know, as a real person he’d be pretty low down on my list of favourites, but Oda just went to town on making him a form of likeable and evil, whereas say, Walpole os Spandam don’t have the backbone or the sexy factor (backstories help of course).

Look, if he wasn’t an arsehole I wouldn’t have any writing material. So um, just the fact we haven’t seen him more often in Wano Arc (in reflection, feedback, or in the Reverie interlude), but that’s fine too. Doff will have his chance to cast his ito ito web again. Gonna edit my favourite pic in here, cos I’ve got an ‘after the cut” in this post.

favorite line:

His three speeches are golden. The one about justice and the child of war and child of peace, and the victors writing history tells us so much about the OP world, but also the world in general.

In the brig—when he’s soliloquising to a very unimpressed Tsuru, about the ushering in of the huge era of chaos, now that he’s been taken down and the ties that have been holding all the governing bodies or powerful bodies in some form of detente (so the World Government can do its thing) are fraying like crazy. And then his Impel Down speech. I put it in a drabble but can’t remember it now. Ah, about power not lasting. Back to what do I like about Doffy? Even though he regards himself as a god, he also seems to have a pretty good handle on how quickly the winds of fortune change, and how ephemeral things are. He’s definitely a fighter, and not often at the bottom of the pack.

brOTP:

Does Doff do brOTPs? Yeah, maybe Vergo. It’d be good to learn more about their early days, and Tsuru in their own way. From your A Test of Endurance, I loved that chapter where I think you had Mihawk, Croc and Doff interacting, I think, or maybe just Croc and Mihawk, anyway, I remember having a discussion where you said they were all batshit crazy at Marineford, and it’s true. So I don’t know if these guys are supportive of each other in a brOTP way, but they’ve definitely got that frat competitive energy, albeit with a more sophisticated edge (or bigger cutting power).

I mean, I’d like to see him interact with a few others of that generation—Shanks, Marco.

OTP:

Doffadile: If we’re talking about healthy ships.

I don’t mind him with Vergo either, healthy or unhealthy ship. I’ve read fics of him with Monet and Viola, and that’s fine, but he needs to keep that edge he has. I actually like some of the crackier ships like Luffy and Doffy, which are obviously with canon pretty subverted.

Unhealthy ships, and I won’t call it an OTP, but yeah, I write Doff///Law and read it, but I don’t want Law to stay in that situation.

I’ve seen some crack ships of Doffy and Tsuru in fanart, with a love sick Doffy smitten for Tsuru, and Tsuru patronising him like crazy, and Doffy lapping it up. That appeals to my sense of the absurd and something that could possibly happen cos Doff’s all about thinking outside of the box.

nOTP:

Okay, I’ve read these ships, and sometimes I enjoy the work, and each to their absolute own. I know some folks don’t like what I write either, so I’ll just plunge in.

Not really keen on yes-con Doff///Law, though there’s some good stuff out there. The main reason being that it seems that Law never had the chance to make an independent life for himself so I kinda get a feeling of being trapped or of claustrophobia when I read it. So yeah, I know it doesn’t work for me.

If they meet as adult strangers I don’t mind so much, but the power imbalance usually means it’s not a go-to. I mean, they really didn’t have a sweet relationship in canon.

Doff///Cora is not my go-to, but there are some stories I like, and I really like some of the art. Cora’s already had a tough life (same as Law). I kinda want the both of them to have some space to themselves at some time.

Otherwise, no-one really.

random headcanon:

Doff...hmm, I write him as such a bad villain...oh, I know! He definitely wears a g-string. He’s kinda vain like that (I mean, we’re talking about blowing Doffy all out of proportion here). I wouldn’t put it beyond him to wear a mankini and to wear it proud!

(I know you love him. Me too, but he has so much potential for any situation). He’s shameless. Also, yeah, he’s also on some step or stage of the sociopathic/psychopathic spectrum.

unpopular opinion:

I’ve seen it mentioned before, and since Dressrosa was published, but I think that some fanfic glosses over the fact that Doff’s done some pretty heinous things in canon, like redeeming him beyond recognition. Crack fics and fluff fics, AUs are another thing. But it can tip the other way (guilty) of making him even more heinous than he already is.

song i associate with them:

“Da ya think I’m sexy?” Particularly the lines: “If ya want my body, and ya think I’m sexy, c’mon sugar (NOT that Sugar) tell me so”

and

“I’m too sexy for my shirt

Too sexy for my shirt

So sexy it hurts”.

fave pic:

There are so many good ones, but I’ll go for the Croc and Doff one as fashion designers from the One Piece magazine, and I’ve posted that above.

Hope the above’s okay. I love a crack Doflamingo, but also a complete bastard, and also the amazing layered characterisation you have of him too.

Thanks for the ask. Law, Tashigi, Usopp, Zoro, Luffy, Marco Kid, Chopper and Doflamingo are completed! Rosinante is lined up.

Just taking a few more (one or two) if anyone’s interested. One of the OP ladies?

↓

character asks (one piece only)

#one piece #donquixote doflamingo #character ask #rts #character asks #look at the reblog #it's got abfab patsy #sweetie darling

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gendervapor14 · 2 years ago

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gen's gen one piece fanfiction masterlist!

what's that? you don't feel like navigating my ao3 dash? i gotchu 😎 here's a masterlist of all my GEN RATED fics piled onto a tumblr post! i took the liberty of organizing them a little bit too! <3 i will do my best to keep on top of this 👍

link to my OP ship fanfiction masterlist!! <3

these stories contain no romance, or if there is romance, it isn't the focal point. ratings vary, but i tried to loosely organize them by characters featured!

updated 08-12-23

negotiations

rating: T warnings: none! status: complete! oneshot, 2,011 words genres/cw: angst, power imbalance, canon-compliant, tension characters: doflamingo, viola/violet summary: He was keeping his cards close. It didn’t matter. She could already see through them. additional notes: a first-meeting fix-it! my first and probably favorite work on ao3.

babysitting

rating: T warnings: none! status: incomplete, one chapter, 2,737 words genres/cw: humor, domestic fluff? as domestic as the donquixote family gets at least, canon-compliant, dark humor characters: gladius, dellinger, doflamingo summary: “What’s the matter, Gladius, are you afraid of little Dellinger?” “Horrified, sir.” additional notes: gladius is responsible for babysitting baby dellinger. anguish ensues

utopia (is always just out of reach)

rating: T warnings: none! status: complete! oneshot, 666 words, genres/cw: angst, alcohol abuse, nightmares, disturbing themes, canon-compliant characters: doflamingo summary: In a way, Doflamingo envied his brother's ability to find sleep. But it was more than that. There was always something more to it. Corazón didn’t just sleep. He rested. He escaped. additional notes: had a bad string of nightmares so i decided to take it out on doflamingo <3

splitting (searing) tearing (fearing)

rating: T warnings: no archive warnings apply status: complete! oneshot, 1,422 words genres/cw: canon compliant, dialogue heavy, referenced incest pertaining to the celestial dragons, alcoholism, implied drug use, shit talking rosinante characters: doflamingo, vergo summary: trading one heart for another. perhaps it's better to have none. ~ takes place in the 01746 universe, but can be read standalone ~ additional notes: i got very disturbed and so i wrote a story about doflamingo being very disturbed because he deserves it and i don't 👍

birds of different feathers

rating: T warnings: no archive warnings apply status: complete! oneshot, 3,456 words genres/cw: canon compliant, angst, tension, warlord meeting, character study, pre-dressrosa, doflamingo being an asshole characters: tsuru, sengoku, doflamingo, sengoku's goat summary: garp hunted roger. smoker hunted luffy. most seem to forget tsuru hunted doflamingo. {for marines week 2023} additional notes: my friend asked me for my opinion on tsuru and doflamingo's relationship so i shat this out

beast pirates inc.

rating: T warnings: none! status: incomplete, one chapter, 6,669 words genres/cw: office humor, satire, modern AU, transphobic character characters: doflamingo, donquixote family summary: kaido certainly made an interesting choice when he decided to hire doflamingo as the regional manager for the spider miles branch of his (illegal) operations. additional notes: replaced the staff of the US version of the office with the donquixote family. disco's there for like 3 seconds and says some very unpleasant things, so be wary of the content warnings with that one.

the last trip to the county fair

rating: gen warnings: none! status: complete! oneshot, 1,725 words genres/cw: modern AU, high school AU, county fair, rural vibes, angst/hurt/comfort, slice of life, pov rosinante characters: rosinante, doflamingo, homing and momquixote have a breif cameo summary: Jamming his fists in his pockets, Rosinante decided this is what Doffy wanted. He wanted his little brother to be miserable and lonely. Suffer like the loser he was. Well, he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. additional notes: wrote this in a depressed slump, based off of a true story. i hate having brothers.

01746

rating: M warnings: graphic depictions of violence, major character death status: complete! (undergoing edits) 55 chapters, 270,663 words genres/cw: angst, backstory, canon-compliant, mental health issues, conflict of issues, romance, alcohol & drug use/abuse, suicidal thoughts/actions, dark themes characters: rosinante, doflamingo, sengoku, tsuru, original character, donquixote family, law summary: Somewhere in that heavenly demon, there was human. Besides the flesh and blood, besides the eyes behind lifeless lenses. Somewhere there was the potential for good. But it was all tossed towards his sense of self. Doflamingo, with his wicked heart, sauntered about as if he were absolved of sin. Embodied it, really. Surrounded himself with a loyal, fallen family of his own making. Striving to achieve this goal of divine perfection. Because he felt it was owed to him. Still, Rosinante did not want his brother to die. Maybe he should've. A tale of fallen nobles, justice, freedom, and love. additional notes: this is the biggest project i have written so far! rosinante's backstory, from when he's taken in by the marines, to his death. covers his life as a marine, his experience undercover, living with the donquixote family, and his short adventures with law. there is some sappy romance in this, (rosinante x oc, and background doflamingo x crocodile) but it's not the focal point, and can be skimmed/overlooked without hindering the plot.

doflaminBROS week 2023 ficlet collection

rating: T warnings: major character death status: complete! 5 chapters, 3,402 words genres/cw: angst, hurt/comfort, canon-compliant, character study, nightmares, implied drug use, ptsd, mild sibling abuse, referenced alcoholism, depictions of a corpse characters: doflamingo, rosinante, law, donquixote pirates summary: collection of canon-compliant ficlets for the doflaminBROS week 2023 event! prompts are as follows: april 10th: brothers, april 11th: smile, april 12th: cigarettes, april 13th: childhood, april 14th: hurt/comfort, april 15th: silence, april 16th: free additional notes: ummm yes pretty much what it says on the tin, bunch of little snack-sized sad stories about these two goons

a father for a son

rating: gen warnings: major character death status: complete! 7 chapters, 589 words genres/cw: artwork, traditional art, angst, poetry, ficlet collection, canon compliant, canonical character death characters: rosinante, donquixote parents, sengoku, law, doflamingo, sengoku's goat, bell-mere summary: a collection of artwork (by @attyattlaw), and accompanying poetic ficlets (by gendervapor), for coraweek2023! prompts are as follows: day 1: smile, day 2: gun, day 3: seasons, day 4: soul, day 5: family, day 6: martyr, day 7: smoke additional notes: a collab between me and atty for coraweek! we had a blast with this and also suffered a lot :D

life of a paper shredder

rating: gen warnings: major character death status: complete! oneshot, 2,327 words genres/cw: canon compliant, angst & feels, the goat does not die!! characters: sengoku's goat, rosinante, sengoku, tsuru summary: “You be good to Admiral Sengoku and keep him company while I'm gone, and I’ll let you eat a copy of my final report. Promise?” a companion breaks no promise. additional notes: i get a lot of comments on this one about people crying so. be wary.

corazón de oro

rating: gen warnings: none! status: complete, oneshot, 2,785 words genres/cw: hurt/comfort, grief/mourning, nightmares, canon-compliant characters: rosinante, law summary: “Love, it’s…kind of like a leap of faith. You take your dive, you give them your heart. And you can only hope they’ll catch it when you land.” additional notes: sweet little snippet of cora and law's adventure. cora raises law's spirits after a bad dream and shares his take on the meaning of love. uh, also worth clarifying, not a ship. i might add more snippets of their adventure to this at some point, and use it as a cora & law fluff dump.

fight over flight

rating: T warnings: major character death status: complete! oneshot, 666 words genres/cw: angst, poetic, character study, disturbing themes, canon-compliant characters: rosinante, law, doflamingo summary: The boy, a pathetic, sputtering thing, still had a heart. Something to beat and bleed and fight for. A living, stolen treasure, stashed away into the wrong hands. But were these scarred palms any better? additional notes: i don't remember writing this. honestly not sure if it's any good. i do remember i wrote it as a foil to utopia.

sunflowers > gold

rating: T warnings: major character death status: complete! oneshot, 1,402 words genres/cw: angst, character study, goodbyes, canon-compliantcharacters: gladius, monet summary: As he gazed up at that sea of gold, hands fisted in his pockets, Gladius could only wish for the impossible. It wasn’t fair to split the Family apart. An act of trust, they’d call it, but some part of him feared it was far worse. additional notes: a little gladius character study, focused on his relationship with monet. could be viewed as platonic or romantic!

trash > treasure

rating: T warnings: none! status: complete! oneshot, 3,131 words genres/cw: hurt/comfort, dark humor, found family, character study, fluff and angst, implied drug use, chronic illness characters: doflamingo, gladius, donquixote executives summary: Maybe Gladius was a waste like the executives foretold, but he was a waste Doflamingo cared about. For whatever reason, that miserable, soft-spoken, sickly little brat got under his skin and had him reevaluating his recklessness. additional notes: i noticed gladius and doflamingo had pretty similar hairstyles when they were younger, and so this was born. some very cruel, dark humor shared between the executives worth noting.

battle your tears, bottle your fears

rating: T warnings: no archive warnings apply status: complete! oneshot, 3,917 words genres/cw: canon compliant, angst, mental health concerns, broken bones, heart attacks, betrayal, grief/mourning, hallucinations, drug use, chronic illness, crying, medical inaccuracies characters: gladius, baby 5, doflamingo, donquixote pirates summary: The least he could do was keep his shit together when Doflamingo needed him the most. Instead, he was going to lie here and die from a broken foot. ~ contains spoilers for the 01746 universe ~ additional notes: a gift for the lovely @mariaashlay for. being an incredible human. and a fellow gladius lover ♥

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videcoeur · 4 years ago

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Donquixote Doflamingo’s Bio

“ JUSTICE will prevail, YOU SAY?

but of course it will!

whoever wins becomes JUSTICE”

Intro

First of all, the wikia is a good start if you don't know anything about Doflamingo.

Everything written here is CANON. This is Doflamingo's profile skeleton taken straight from the wikia. To be noted that I will not be roleplaying him below the age of 18. First, I can't roleplay children for the life of me, second, I have no interest in it. Thanks for understanding.

Name: Donquixote Doflamingo Alias/Epithet: Joker, Heavenly Demon Age: 41 Height: 10′0 Gender, Sexuality & Romance: Male, Pansexual, Hypersexual Devil fruit: Ito Ito no mi (Strings/Threads) Haki: Observation,Armament, and Conqueror Strengths: Speed, Strength, Strategy, Endurance, Agility Bounty: 340 billions beli

Art | Interests | Headcanons | Testimonials |

VERSES UNDER THE READMORE.

THE KING’S EXECUTION ; ASCEND.(18-28)

Verse in the time period where Doflamingo becomes a true pirate, encouraged by Vergo, Trebol, Diamante and Pica, who made him a leader after returning from Mariejois. Little after that, Doflamingo witnessed the Pirate King’s execution, sent Vergo to become a marine, and reunited with Corazon.

At age 25, he meets Law, keeps building his name as THE underground broker while simultaneously searching for the Ope-ope no mi. This verse ends with Corazon’s death, when Doflamingo is about 28 years old.

THE GOL GOL FRUIT; NOT CANON.(28-31)

The three year span in which he acquired the Gol Gol Fruit, got it stolen by a cunning Tesoro before finally making him a business partner. In this verse, he is still pretty angry about Law leaving and the death of Corazon. He started drinking again, is more vicious and cruel. Fair warning; this verse is only if you want to interact with the worst version of Doflamingo.

SHICHIBUKAI.(31-41)

The takeover of Dressrossa verse. After being acknowledged as a shichibukai, Doflamingo heads to Dressrosa and plan a successful coup that makes him the king of the country overnight. He then becomes partner with Kaido to create smiles and an army of fake zoan users.

CAUGHT IN A SPIDERS WEB. (41-?)

Impel Down Verse, mostly based on headcanons.

FREE TO WREAK HAVOC ON THE WORLD AGAIN; NOT CANON.(45+)

Au verse in which Doflamingo escapes Impel Down and starts rebuilding his crew with the members he could free from the underwater prison. He’s back to business with Trebol, Pica, Diamante, Gladius and Dellinger. He either couldn’t save the other members or they defected.

#( b; doflamingo. )#( op. )#sneak post this in the middle of the afternoon while everyones at work

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aurorapillar · 5 years ago

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Title: one eye and a heartbeat Fandom: One Piece Characters: Trafalgar D. Water Law, Basil Hawkins (mentioned) Warnings: Implied eye trauma Summary: Law wasn't afraid of torture, he'd been hurt plenty before and it had never broken him, but he couldn't say the same about if his crew were to be tortured.

It wasn't that he was worried about them spilling information, he had confidence in their ability to stay quiet, no what worried him was what he might do

AO3 Link

The concept being tortured had never been something that phased Law, it wasn’t something that he wanted to have happen to him of course, but he didn’t really hold any fear towards being hurt.

It wasn’t pleasant, but he’d had plenty of experience dealing with pain throughout his life; his lungs and muscles had burned while running from bullets in Flevance, in Spider Miles he’d been bruised and knocked around during training, while traveling with Cora-san the White Lead Disease had wracked his body with pain, at Punk Hazard Vergo had put him through the wringer until he got his heart back, and in Dressrosa he'd been beaten and shot and nearly killed. None of that had managed to break him though and he was confident it never would, but he couldn't say the same about if his crew were to be tortured.

It wasn't that he was worried about them spilling information, he had confidence in their ability to stay quiet, no what worried him was what he might do. Back when he'd been a child fresh from the tragedy of Flevance he'd been filled with anger and hadn't thought he'd ever be able to let himself care about anyone again, not that it mattered to him much given the short amount of time he had left to live, but Cora-san had managed to worm his way into his heart against his will and he'd found himself once again with someone he didn’t want to lose. He had lost him though and the cracks that had barely started to smooth themselves out turned jagged again and tore into his heart.

He'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't care again after that, but he hadn't been born a person who could be happy truly being alone and so somehow two bratty teens and a polar bear mink cub had become important to him. As the years passed more nakama had come along and while they couldn’t replace those who were gone, they were still invaluably important to him and he wanted to protect them. If there came a time when he had to choose between the Alliance or protecting his crew he knew he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice the many to save the few, it was selfish and certainly someone nobler than him like Strawhat would try to save both groups, but he couldn’t risk losing anyone else.

The first loss of his family and friends had broken him and it was only Cora-san’s kindness that allowed him to put himself together as much as he had; the loss of Cora-san though had shattered him, all the pieces he’d so carefully glued back into place stabbing at his fingers when he tried to pick them up. It had taken years and the support of others to get back to even a semblance of the person he’d once been and even then there had still been pieces missing; somehow though, he knew that if he were to lose anyone else he wouldn’t be able to survive it.

That was why he’d been so quick to trade himself in for his crew, with them free they couldn’t be used against him and he’d fair far better as a captive then they would. Not to mention if things went well he hoped that he’d be able to learn some new information, of course, he knew that the enemy would also likely be seeking information as well and probably wouldn’t hesitate to use force to try and obtain it. That could work out for him though, it was amazing how much people would tell you when they thought you were at their mercy.

As it turned out he was right, both about them wanting information and being willing to use force to try and get it; he’d been roughed up even before being questioned, his head slammed into a wall until blood ran down his face, which he found rather stupid; giving a prisoner a concussion wasn't very conductive towards getting coherent answers out of them. No one had bothered to ask his opinion on how they should beat him up though.

He was pretty sure his ribs were cracked as well thanks to a particularly vicious kick that had been aimed at his midsection, but since they didn't seem in any danger of piercing a lung at the current moment he ignored it, smirking through the pain as Hawkins finally started the questioning.

'What are the Alliances plans?' 'Where is everyone hiding?' 'Who exactly is part of the Alliance?' Each question was interspersed with more beatings when he refused to answer or gave nothing but a sarcastic comment in reply, but he remained unimpressed and unfazed. For pirates and a member of the Supernovas, Hawkins and his ilk were rather underwhelming when it came to the whole being intimidating thing. Or maybe it was Law's own fault for having spent too much time around much more intimidating people like Doflamingo.

When the question 'What is Straw Hat planning?' Was asked, he found himself unable to hold back a snort, truth be told he honestly wasn’t sure Straw Hat was even capable of planning things; at least not beyond a basic go here, punch that. He certainly wasn't very good at following them, no, his talent in regards to plans seemed to be in throwing them off course.

One of Hawkins companions didn't seem to appreciate Law's amusement at the question, or maybe it was the mocking jab he'd made at the groups intelligence following his snort that he hadn't appreciated; whatever the reason, he'd drawn a knife and lunged forward, the blade slicing across Law's face and straight through his eye. Despite how well he'd been holding up until then, Law couldn't help but let out a hiss of pain at the unexpected attack, with blood clogging his sight and no access to his Devil Fruit it was impossible for him to tell how bad the damage was, but the sting of his eye didn't bode well.

Dimly he noticed Hawkins and his companions dragging the attacker out of the room, but he was too focused on keeping himself calm to do more than idly note it. An eye was not something he knew if he could fix, if it had been carefully removed he probably could put it back in place, but one that had been slashed he didn't know what he could do about. There was no point in panicking though, the damage might not even be that bad and even if it was, the loss of an eye was not some life-threatening injury.

The change in depth perception would take some getting used to, but there were plenty of pirates out there who had lost an eye and still got on just fine, Roronoa Zoro for one. There was a chance that the loss of some of his sight could have a negative effect on his ability to perform some medical procedures, but with his fruit to help him that could easily be dealt with.

Really the biggest worry Law had in regards to the possibility that his eye might be irrevocably damaged was not anything to do with how it would affect him, but rather how his crew would react. For all that he’d heard it said that his crew didn’t really fit him, which wasn’t entirely wrong, after all, they were quite a bit nicer and more openly affectionate than he was; there were still things they had in common, and one of those was their protectiveness towards those they cared about.

His crew had been angry, both at Doflamingo and also a little bit at him for sending them away, when they’d found out about his arm having been cut off; though thankfully they hadn’t learned about his other injuries and quite frankly he hoped they never would. In a situation like the current one, where he had been injured after having traded himself in for them, they wouldn’t just be angry, they'd feel guilty and that was much worse. Anger Law could deal with, his crew usually wasn't so foolhardy as to run off without any thought to get revenge, but guilt was much harder.

He might have been the captain of a crew known as the Heart Pirates, but he really wasn’t any good at heart-to-heart type of things, he didn’t know the right words to say to comfort someone over their perceived failures. Actions had always been his method of choice for helping his crew, he did things like patching up injuries and slicing up anyone who threatened his crew, and left things like physical affection and emotional reassurances to Bepo, Penguin and Shachi.

That wasn’t going to work for the current situation though, not when it was those three who would likely need their guilt assuaged, so he’d have to do things differently. Of course, given his own precarious mental state, which had improved somewhat thanks to Doflamingo’s defeat and the talk he’d had with Sengoku but was still a mess, he really wasn’t qualified to help someone else deal with their emotional turmoil. That wouldn’t stop him from trying though, he had a duty to his crew both as their captain and their friend.

Of course, there was still the possibility that his eye was fine or that the damage was superficial and something he could fix, but Law hadn’t made it as far as he had in life without learning to assume and prepare for the worst possibility. It was better to make plans now that he might never have to use, then end up in a situation that you were unprepared for.

As important as planning things out was though, it seemed he'd have to wait a little bit longer to do that. If the figure approaching his cell with a ring of keys was any indicator, it seemed things were about to get interesting.

#trafalgar law #traflagar d water law #My writing #this was suppose to be law loosing an eye but it turned into introspect

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jemichi90 · 6 years ago

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Corazon Week - Day 1 “Fury / Pity”

This is a short introduction to my story ”The Ruins of a Man” and my entry for the first day of ”Corazon Week 2018” @corazon-week with the prompts being fury and pity. I feel like BOTH of those themes fit the following scenes well - from the characters' point of view, but maybe also as something the readers would feel. The story is a lot different than the stuff I usually write so if dark themes and things like torture and graphic descriptions of injuries and medical procedures make you uncomfortable, this might not be for you. Proceed with caution, I guess. ;)

__________________________

The sound of metal tools being used, as well as people talking somewhere in the distance slowly pulled the man somewhat awake. He was having a hard time remembering where he was and his eyelids felt too heavy to open. For some reason Rosinante's mind just seemed too fuzzy to think properly but he knew there was something important he needed to remember.

Rosinante's whole body was feeling unnaturally numb, but he realised that his arms had been bound together to an awkward position behind his back, and if the feeling of being completely powerless was anything to go by, he was bound with chains made of kairouseki.

So he got caught, huh? By whom?

As the man started wondering this, still half asleep, he was suddenly splashed with cold water, effectively pulling him completely back to reality.

"At last!" Doflamingo's voice commented coldly as Rosinante opened his eyes and blinked a few times.

Then the realisation hit him and he could barely stop himself from panicking.

Was Law safe? Did he get caught too?

Rosinante had been shot, several times too, and left to die in the snow on that cold island. He thought he had died for sure. So why was he here now? And how?

His body was mostly numb and powerless, and he was unable to move his limbs except for his right arm, even though the chains prevented him from moving it much either so the man just lied on the floor as he tried to clear his mind.

"Good morning, Corazon," Doflamingo greeted him with faked happiness, drawing the man's attention to himself. He was smiling widely but Rosinante knew that the smile never reached his eyes, even if he couldn't see it.

"Uhhh..." Rosinante shifted in his bonds to get a better view of his surroundings but the movement sent a twinge of pain through his body. Doflamingo was examining him from the doorway of the cell and holding an empty bucket in one hand. The way his veins were bulging on his forehead made it obvious that he was angry even when he was smiling. Rosinante stared at his brother blankly for a moment before he resumed observing his surroundings. The stone floor was still wet from the water Doflamingo had splashed him with. He was suddenly aware of his exposed state and his countless wounds that, to his surprise, had stopped bleeding. Doflamingo noticed what he was looking at.

”Look at you and that sad state of yours. What a tragedy!” Doflamingo shook his head slowly as he observed his brother through his sunglasses.

Rosinante lifted his head weakly and tried to change into a more comfortable position again but failed miserably as the chains restrained him from moving. He could barely resist the urge to flinch and yelp in pain as the still fresh wounds made contact with the rough stone floor.

Doflamingo ignored his struggle and started walking slowly back and forth in the cell. He dropped the bucket in the corner and Rosinante could see his fingers twitching. ”I'm really disappointed, you know,” the man said as he looked at Rosinante again. ”I really wanted to trust you, Corazon, but then you just had to go and pull such a foolish stunt on me. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me?” He took a step closer to Rosinante and his forced smile shifted into an angry scowl.

With the memories from Minion island still fresh in his mind, Rosinante couldn't help but feel frightened of his brother and whatever he was planning to do. He would have wanted nothing more than to run away from there but he knew it was hopeless so he just glared back at his brother defiantly. ”Hard? Look who's talking,” he commented bitterly. ”You shot me yourself.”

Doflamingo leaned closer to his brother and grabbed his chin. ”You pointed a gun at me. What else should I have done?” His voice was low and threatening and Rosinante recoiled a little. He could see his own fearful expression reflected from the man's sunglasses.

”Only a monster would think like that!” Rosinante hissed through clenched teeth and tried to jerk his face away. ”You weren't planning to let me live either way, isn't that right?”

Doflamingo looked at him and grinned. ”Fufufu, how perceptive of you, Corazon,” he said and tightened his grip on Rosinante's chin so that he was forced to look at him again. ”But didn't I still save you? Just who do you think took care of your wounds?”

”You call this 'saving' someone. That's ridiculous!” Rosinante had to concentrate to keep his fear under control as he faced his brother. It was just like on that island, he thought, grateful that Law wasn't there this time. This wasn't a person that would just save someone out of kindness, especially not after shooting that person himself. He didn't even want to think about the reasons Doffy might have for keeping him alive.

Doflamingo leaned even closer to him and his grin faded away.

Rosinante could tell he was getting more annoyed. Finally he felt the force on his chin slacken as Doflamingo let his head fall back to the floor and resumed walking around the cell.

”You make me sad,” Doflamingo complained and crossed his arms loosely. ”I didn't want to do any of this,” he continued and rubbed his jaw pensively. ”I really thought you understood me, but in the end even you turned against me and betrayed me. It's such a shame, really.” The man's voice was cold and if he actually felt anything other than anger, he managed to hide it perfectly. He huffed irritably and stopped next to his brother again.

”How could I understand someone so cruel?! I haven't forgotten what you did to father...” Rosinante glared at Doflamingo.

”Cruel? Isn't that a bit too harsh for you to say,” Doflamingo rebutted. ”You can't blame me for your current situation. You really are just like father, aren't you..? You knew very well what would happen if you turned against me, Corazon.” The threatening tone was returning to Doflamingo's voice as he bent down next to Rosinante again. He toyed with his hair for a moment. Rosinante wanted to back away but he knew it was futile so he just remained silent.

”It's unfortunate that things had to turn out like this,” Doflamingo lamented. ”But what is done is done,” he added while gazing at the bullet wounds on his brother's body. His expression shifted into a cruel smile. ”But even if it was by fate, you made the wrong decision, Corazon. I can't just let you go after something like that.” With a flick of his wrist he made strings appear, trapping Rosinante like the web of a spider. ”That would put my whole family in danger when you know so much. You picked the wrong side.” Doflamingo's smile didn't falter as he tightened the strings around his brother enough to make him gasp for air.

Rosinante tried desperately to hold on to what remained of his composure but his voice sounded small and weak when he spoke. ”I was prepared for the consequences if I'd get caught,” he said and took a rattling breath. ”There is one thing I didn't expect though. I didn't think you'd keep me alive.”

”Fufu, I couldn't just leave my cute little brother to die, could I?” Doflamingo laughed, but to Rosinante it sounded like he was mocking him, getting some kind of sick amusement from the situation.

”I don't need that kind of nonsense, Doffy. You must have had a reason. You always do,” Rosinante managed to say. ”What do you need me for?” Even when Rosinante didn't want to think about it, he needed to know.

”Come on, don't be so harsh, Corazon,” Doflamingo said. ”You are right though. What you did on that island is a big problem for me, you see. But it's for your own good if you don't know what I'm planning.”

”If it's about Dressrosa, I already know what you are thinking,” Rosinante said bitterly, remembering how he was never able to send his report.

”Look, Vergo told me about your little letter,” Doflamingo commented as if reading his mind. ”Your situation here is nothing compared to the problems you would have caused to us with that letter. You know a little too much already.” Doflamingo paused for a moment and smirked. ”It's a lot bigger than you are imagining though. That country is only the beginning of it.” He lifted his brother so that they were face to face with each other.

”What do you mean?” Rosinante looked at his brother confused. He had been hearing about Dressrosa ever since they were children, but there was clearly something he didn't know.

”Didn't I say it's better if you don't know, Corazon,” Doflamingo said and shook his head. ”If I tell you any more about it, I'll really have to kill you.” His smile grew wider and it sent shudders down Rosinante's spine. ”Fufufu, that would be a waste, but I need to make sure you'll never try to reveal our secrets to anyone ever again.” Doflamingo paused for a moment. ”It would have been better for you if you had never heard anything about those plans to begin with.”

Rosinante frowned. ”Are you going to keep me as a prisoner indefinitely then? What if someone comes searching for me? This place will be found eventually.”

Doflamingo laughed. ”Fufufu, aren't you being surprisingly sharp today! Maybe that's exactly what I want,” he replied. ”Don't worry, I'll make sure it will never happen again. I will never let you hear our plans or tell anyone about them no matter what.”

”A trap, huh?” Rosinante was getting a bad feeling about it, but Doflamingo interrupted him before he could ask any more questions.

”Enough with the boring stuff. There is something else that I'd like to know, Corazon,” Doflamingo started as he was observing the man that was still hanging limply from his strings. ”Ever since you woke up, you haven't even tried to move. I'm pretty sure I patched up all those wounds well enough for you to be able to at least sit up and support your own weight. But you've been like this the whole time...” He paused for a moment and looked at his brother closely. ”Those handcuffs are made of kairouseki. Could it be that you are actually a devil fruit user?”

Rosinante glared at his brother. ”Why should I tell you that?!”

Doflamingo frowned. ”Don't anger me now, Corazon. Just how many secrets have you kept from us? What type of ability do you have anyway?”

”That's none of your business. If you won't tell me anything, I won't tell you that either,” Rosinante retorted. ”And why are you still calling me 'Corazon'? Haven't you found anyone to replace me yet?” He knew exactly how dangerous it was to make Doflamingo mad but he hardly cared. It was far too late to worry about that, even when he coudn't shake away the fear he felt as he faced the man. At least he wasn't going to make things too easy for him.

Doflamingo examined his brother through his sunglasses with an amused smirk. ”Fufu, I guess there is no harm in telling you that,” Doflamingo agreed to Rosinante's surprise. ”That seat has been reserved for someone for a while already.”

”And who would that be?” Rosinante asked even when he was afraid he knew the answer already.

Doflamingo looked at him closely. ”There's no use playing dumb now. You should know that very well.” He paused for a moment and his smile vanished. ”Things changed a little when you stole the Ope Ope fruit and made Law eat it, but there won't be anyone else on that seat until I find that kid. He's going to be the third 'Corazon' as soon as he returns to me, but until then no one will take that title from you. Even when you are a traitor...”

Rosinante smiled weakly. ”Law will never come back to someone like you!”

Doflamingo laughed coldly. ”What makes you so sure about it?” Rosinante barely had the time to react as Doflamingo shoved him away roughly. He slumped against the wall of the cell, but his brother kept talking. ”It seems to me like you and Law became awfully close in that half a year. Now, that he's eaten the Ope Ope fruit, it's extremely important that he returns to me. Taking some precautions so people are more willing to obey is never a bad idea, don't you think?" His voice was cold and emotionless and he wasn't looking at Rosinante anymore. ”I think I have just the thing here. He'll come running. It's only a matter of time,” Doflamingo added and smiled widely, his veins bulging dangerously.

"So, you are going to use me to blackmail Law?!” Rosinante asked seethingly as soon as he found his voice again. ”That will never work!"

"Now now, that's not fun!” Doflamingo complained. ”Look, you could have been the brightest gem in my collection! As my brother you should have had a lot of potential. But no, you just went ahead and gave it all away..! You really are just like father! If you hadn't stolen the Ope Ope fruit and given it to Law, we wouldn't be in this situation.” His fingers twitched again as he spread his arms theatrically. ”Look at the mess you caused, I'm just taking back what belongs to me."

"What kind of 'gem' is sacrificed for your personal goals?! For you everyone is just a tool..!" Rosinante was panting from exertion, some of his wounds had definitely reopened.

"Great accomplishments always come with a price. Out of everyone, you should know that, Corazon!" Doflamingo was getting visibly angry now and Rosinante tried to prepare himself for an attack as much as he could. But Doflamingo wasn't done talking. ”As a marine you should know about the incident from nine years ago. Just how many innocent people do you think were sacrificed that time? And you must have found out about Flevance from Law. Whether it's the Government or the Marines, they are no different. When those people stopped being useful to them, they were tossed away like worthless trash. You should be grateful I didn't just leave you out there to die!”

”That's not -” Rosinante started, but he wasn't sure what to say.

”See, that's how it is.” Doflamingo glared at Rosinante through his sunglasses and took a step closer to him. ”You can only blame yourself for this situation you got yourself in. But it's unfortunate that you just had to drag Law into it too. It's your fault that I can't let him get away.”

Doflamingo gave his brother a kick in the abdomen before turning around and marching out of the door angrily. He hadn't kicked Rosinante hard, but in the man's current condition the impact was enough to reopen his wounds both inside and out, leaving him wheezing in agony and coughing more blood.

"I really thought you were smarter than this, Corazon. For such a long time I really wanted to hear your voice. But you've just become boring now that you talk," Doflamingo complained with a voice that was cold and ominous, before he walked away from Rosinante's line of vision, leaving him lying alone on the hard stone floor of his cell.

*****

It had been thirteen years since Law had seen the man last time and if it wasn't for the familiar scars he probably wouldn't have even recognized him. There was barely anything left of the Cora-san he used to know, his body was so badly mangled and malnutritioned and completely covered in dirt and dried blood.

When the surgeon had discovered his skeleton-like body from the dark dungeon, he had been sure the man was dead. It wasn't far from the truth, just a moment later and there definitely wouldn't have been anything but his dead remains for Law to find. But he was still breathing, even if just barely. Law was holding Corazon's broken body gently as he examined his countless wounds and injuries with a grim look on his face. He had wrapped his long coat around the man's body. The evidence of the years of torture and neglect was easy to see. Most of the damage done to his body would be beyond repair through any normal means.

Doflamingo was watching the two of them from the other end of the corridor with an amused smirk on his face. He had been mocking Corazon just a moment earlier and Law was so furious he wanted to kill the man right there and then. He growled at the man angrily. But he couldn't waste any time fighting Doflamingo. He had much more important things to do! Besides, he thought bitterly, he hadn't fully recovered from the battle at Dressrosa yet, so he still couuldn't use his ability freely. He'd have to save his strength in order to help Cora-san.

Law felt the man tense slightly. Was he conscious?

”Cora-san, it's me. Law,” he tried, but there was no response.

As the surgeon examined Corazon further he was shocked by the severity of his injuries. Law had seen a lot of disturbing things but it pained him greatly to see the man he cherished so much in this condition. He felt like crying, but that would have to wait until later.

Doflamingo chuckled. ”Fufufu, he won't even remember you anymore. It's for the best to just leave him to rot! He won't be of any use for you!”

Full of rage, Law finally turned his attention back to the other man. ”Use?! I never wanted to use Cora-san for anything! I'm not that kind of person!” He snarled. ”No, I'm not a MONSTER like you!”

Law wrapped his arm tightly around Corazon's thin frame. No matter how much he had grown during these years, Cora-san was still much taller. But right now he was so light that Law could easily lift him from the ground.

The surgeon could feel the man tense under his touch again but the man's body was too weak for him to do anything else as Law carried him in his arms.

Law created a 'room' and gave Doflamingo one last glare before transporting Corazon out of the dungeon and started making his way back to his submarine with his new patient.

__________________________

You can read the full chapters of ”The Ruins of a Man” here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12899341/1/The-Ruins-of-a-Man

This is dedicated to my dear friend, editor, and collaboration partner @majoraop

If it wasn’t for her support, I would have probably given up with this story.

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