Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Vergo was one of the last to disembark from the ship, observing the port of Whole Cake Island. The people were calm; evidently, the call made a few hours before their arrival had been enough to prevent chaos from breaking out upon their landing. The plan was rushed, but Doflamingo seemed to have a clear plan in mind.

He never doubted his boss and never would, but that didn't stop him from being alert. He could see the woman's children gathering not far from their ship, probably as a welcome or something similar. They didn't seem hostile, at least for the moment.

He shifted his gaze to the rest of the harbor, dozens of people working or sitting at tables in the bar on the coast, nothing unusual at least, until he met a familiar gaze, surreal enough to make his skin crawl, perhaps surprise... Or fear... He couldn't tell exactly, so he moved quickly ahead of the column of people to reach Doflamingo and casually placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What is it?"

said the blond man through clenched teeth without turning to face the man, keeping his attention on Big Mom's children who were waiting for them, two women, one tall with a large hat and one shorter with a red dress and a purple feather cape.

Vergo glanced back in the previous direction a second time to make sure he wasn't talking nonsense. He had seen a person who was now... was no longer there, but there was no empty space. He gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"Something doesn't add up, I can't tell you what yet, but let's keep our eyes open. Something is not as it should be."

⫸☯☯☯⫷

"Why was I summoned so urgently that you had to come and get me through the mirror?"

"I don't know, Mom rushed me."

"No, no, no, I don't talk to your mother without having a coffee first."

"You can't drink coffee, you know that."

"Damn, you're right... It's just that I'm exhausted and I haven't slept much."

"What were you doing all night?"

"Did I follow your brother's mission from a distance?"

"I'll take you to the usual bar at the port and bring Mango to Mom. Have whatever you want."

Rosinante sat down wearily in her chair, rubbing her forehead, while Brulé returned to the mirror world to accompany the little girl to LinLin. She ordered milk and honey and a slice of apricot tart. She added plenty of sugar to her hot drink and also had some cream puffs brought for Brulé, who soon returned from her little expedition. She began to drink in silence while the woman updated her on the latest news.

"Hey, wait, is that your brother?"

Rosinante jumped up and turned toward the harbor. The Donquixote pirate flag made her heart skip a beat as her gaze wandered over the fleet slowly descending from the ship. Her gaze ran over those people in an attempt to recognize as many familiar faces as possible, using the observation haki she had worked so hard on over the past decade (although it actually worked better with her hearing), until she met Vergo's gaze. A few seconds of eye contact. Shit.

"Brulè, he saw me."

"Who?"

"Vergo, I'm sure of it. Can you use your fruit to disguise me?"

"Of course."

The conversation was calm, carefully chosen words, little body language, she had to be as inconspicuous as possible. The illusion took shape and they remained in position. Rationally, they had to stay still and be discreet, without acting strangely. Just natural. She drank her milk and honey slowly while Brulé behaved in exactly the same way. In 10 years, she had learned how the other woman acted.

They waited for the crew to be completely in the port to take the DeDen mushi and call Cracker.

"Crack, are you already at the port?"

"No, should I be at the port?"

"Don't you know anything? Are you one of the three Sweet Commanders?"

"No updates. What's going on?"

"Doflamingo is here."

"I'm going to the port, stay away for now."

"I have to go to your mother... I can't promise anything."

The call ended, the women got up, walked calmly, and reached the castle using the power of Brulè's mirror mirror fruit.

⫸☯☯☯⫷

 

Law was carried by Poca as the line of grotesque individuals reached the other line of equally grotesque individuals, enough to turn his stomach, but he said nothing. They were greeted by a woman named Amande, tall and with an icy stare.

They were escorted by a procession of clowns who were Big Mom's children. It was an agonizingly slow journey. He saw people whispering around them, the Yonkō's children nervously conferring among themselves, perhaps because of their sudden arrival or perhaps because of fear of their cannibalistic mother. He saw a big cookie-like guy pointing at him while whispering to a woman in a red dress. How annoying.

They arrived in the castle courtyard and found a group of children playing in front of them. One of the girls, a little taller than the rest of the group, approached them wielding a stick, quickly dismissing those she wasn't interested in. Through her thick fringe of short red hair, she sized up the new arrivals, silent, direct, and silent. At that point, she stopped in front of Trebol, following his every move to prevent him from passing. The man quickly became irritated and prepared to kick the little girl, who, however, avoided him at the last moment, moving her stick and striking the man's knee with force, causing him to stagger back and curse. But the girl remained unperturbed.

Doflamingo laughed, making the little girl turn around.

"Someone's lively in the game,"

he said, bending down to her height.

"Can't you play fighting with your little brothers?"

The girl in the orange tank top slowly moved toward one of the smaller children and poked him with her stick in annoyance.

"These aren't my brothers. They're my uncles,"

she muttered irritably.

"I come here to play, and they make me babysit because of you."

She said with a pout and an eagerly childish tone, but in her eyes there was a much more solid and concrete contempt.

"Mango, come here."

"Yes, Uncle Cracker,"

she said calmly, first taking four steps back without turning around and then running to the cookie man who picked her up.

"Mango, could you please stop bothering the adults?"

"Why?"

"Don't pretend you don't know."

The little girl stuck her tongue out at him.

"Please, Mango, go bully the little ones, but get away from here."

"Can I really bully your brothers?"

"Just this once."

The little girl enthusiastically climbed down from her uncle's arms, raised her stick, and set off. The stick was knocked out of her hand with impressive speed.

"Without this, though."

"Without a stick? Then explain to me how to make a firecracker?"

"Absolutely not. You're already a bundle of resentment and malice, I'm not going to give you the knowledge to be a pyromaniac too."

The little girl walked away annoyed, muttering, "As if I didn't already have the skills."

"If she weren't the spitting image of her parents, with that character, I would have suspected they had swapped her in the cradle,"

commented the woman with the wide hat.

Law looked back at the girl and found himself being observed in the same way. Her gaze was serious, but it seemed to quiver with something that the young pirate could bet was anticipation. He soon overtook the group and walked away.

The pirates finally entered the palace. Soon they would meet Big Mom, and Law, bound and immobilized by Kairoseki, felt extremely helpless and, even though he struggled to accept it, powerless.

Chapter Text

"AN AGREEMENT WITH MY BROTHER? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

Big Mom let out a loud grunt at that irritating scream from her daughter-in-law, who was pacing nervously around the room, playing with the two fuchsia Cyberdreds near the base of her head, which fell onto her large black sweatshirt.

"After all, you've always wanted to see Law again and settle things with your brother."

she said in a contemptuous and sharp tone.

"BUT NOT LIKE THIS, DAMN IT!"

Lin Lin is currently just irritated by those manners, but in previous years she tried to wipe out her life by exploiting her own devil fruit, but it never worked on her. But the Tenryūbito woman had always been proud and defiant, and she had already managed to win over some of her older children. At the time, they reached an agreement where she only obtained scant, manipulated information, but it was still convenient at the time, until she joined them completely. Although the woman was often a thorn in their side, she was useful, and it was convenient to keep her around. After all, she had bonded with all the other members of the family, so a sensational betrayal was unlikely.

"Rosinante, I just seized a great opportunity. You are the best person to handle your brother. You already know how he will act."

The younger Donquixote put a cigarette between her lips, trying to remain calm.

"I need time."

"All the time you want. You organize it. I want the giants and, at this point, Law too. You handle the rest."

"All on me?"

She bit the filter of her cigarette.

"Well. If you mess up, our family will pay the consequences, because you're part of the family now, remember?"

The Yonko's tone was slimy and confident. He couldn't make her fear him as he would have liked, but he knew what cards to play to get her to cooperate.

"Okay, okay... Let me put on something other than my pajamas."

She said, touching her black sweatshirt and gray sweatpants again.

"Perfect. Choose who you prefer and go welcome them."

𖤍ꗜ𖤍

Doflamingo was in the front row as he waited for Big Mom's delegate to handle the situation, already anticipating the results of that agreement and searching his mind for all the relevant children of the Yonko in order to guess who would stand before them. Unfortunately for Doflamingo, that was one of the few times his calculations proved wrong, because opening that door, accompanied by Charlotte Brulé, was someone who should have been buried under meters of snow: his sister, who looked at him judgmentally through her sunglasses.

What was he feeling at that moment? Face to face with his sister after all this time? Anger, contempt, resentment, fury, and betrayal were the first emotions that flashed through his mind, but among them there was also a creeping pride. A smirk appeared on his face. After all, he was facing a member of the Donquixote clan, traitor or not, and if she died so easily, it would only tarnish the family's good name, even if her presence was definitely a problem now.

But Doflamingo didn't have time to speak. Vergo covered his entire body with Haki and attacked without waiting for orders. It was a direct punch at her, but it was promptly parried with his right forearm, also covered with Haki armor. Corazon did not flinch, did not even back down, not a word, just a look full of scorn at the man in front of her. Vergo tried again, attempting to kick her left side, but she was ready, and with her free hand, reactivating the Haki of the Armament once more, she managed to block Vergo's blow by grabbing his ankle. This time, the sound of her sister's heels scraping against the floor could be heard. She was not in the least bit afraid of him.

In the end, however, one of the three Sweet Generals, Cracker, and the woman who welcomed them at the port, Amande, intervened. Doflamingo had studied these people well, physically removing Vergo and bringing him back to the group, warning everyone that if they attacked again, any agreement with a member of their family would be broken before it was even made. Their anger and protectiveness were sincere, and the Sweet General seemed to be struggling to contain his desire to attack. Doflamingo gave the order to keep the negotiations civil and to respect those who were welcoming them, regardless of who was in front of them. Corazon would definitely have to pay for this, but as long as she was surrounded by allies of this caliber, it wasn't feasible.

He turned his attention back to his sister.  A woman with fuchsia hair (approximately) had approached her. He wasn't sure if it was Galette or Poire, but the two seemed close.

"You shouldn't have taken it like that."

"I have the strength to fight off that asshole now, and you know it."

"And you know it's not your strength that I and the others are worried about."

Rosinante ran her hands through her hair and took a long breath, clenching the cigarette filter between her teeth, then took another long breath and returned to lead the group.

"Well, since this whole situation is unexpected, we'll start by assigning rooms. Lunch will be brought to your rooms, and we'll all have dinner together to celebrate, as Lin Lin prefers."

This indicates that there is at least a minimum of trust between her and the Yonko. Then she looked up at Law.

"Kindly, we don't want any tied-up guests. Law. Don't make any strange moves... It wouldn't be good for anyone here, not even you.

𖤍ꗜ𖤍

Law felt betrayed. Not only had Cora-san faked her death for 12 years, leaving him alone, but now she was also among his tormentors. The woman who had become his second mother had completely betrayed him and left him to fend for himself.

He walked through the corridors of that overly large castle in deathly silence. Door after door, the group thinned out until he was left alone. Big Mom's children left without a word or a gesture, leaving them alone. The woman embraced him impulsively, but the youngest did not reciprocate, nor did he push her away; he remained frozen. Their eyes met, and that was enough for Cora-san to read him completely.

"I never abandoned you."

"You left me alone."

His tone was cold, his voice dry.

"That's not the same thing."

"Yes, it is."

"Just because you couldn't see me doesn't mean I wasn't there for you during these 12 years..."

What did she mean? What did she mean? What had he not noticed during these years? He took a step back and looked the woman up and down. Her hair was longer, cut in a millette style with long bangs. The crown-shaped tattoo under her eye was still there, but she had taken off her sunglasses and was not wearing that shockingly excessive lipstick, the unlit cigarette between her lips. She was wearing a light pink bodysuit and loose-fitting white low-rise pants. She was wearing the black feather jacket instead of carrying it on her shoulders as Doflamingo usually does. To top it off, she was wearing a pair of pink heels to match her bodysuit, weapons of self-destruction for someone like her. Then he noticed it: there was a wedding ring on her finger. He took her hand and touched it absentmindedly.

"Did they force you?"

"To marry? No."

"Did you want to? With one of them? Why?"

"For the oldest reason there is, love."

"How did you fall in love with one of them?"

"It's a very long story."

He was about to ask her to tell him, that she was the one managing all this, that she could talk to him now that they were alone, but a denden mushi rang from her jacket pocket. She took it anxiously and watched the little creature ring, a slight smile appearing on Cora-san's lips.

"Law... I have to go, but please stay calm and trust me. You have more allies than you can access."

And then she walked away quickly and urgently.

𖤍ꗜ𖤍

Mango had found another stick, much sturdier than the one her uncle had confiscated. Now she was about to return to the attack. She already hated half of the newcomers and was ready for war. Thanks to her mamà, she was well prepared for everyone.

But it was her mamà who prevented her from going to war. She knew it would pass, she knew she would grab her by the shirt and take her away, but even though she knew, she couldn't avoid it.

"Forget it, Fierce Pixie, there's no need to unleash the apocalypse."

"But... Mamà!"

"No buts, Mango, and besides, Dad's on the line."

"Baba?"

"Yes, do you want to talk to Baba?"

"YES YES YES"

Chapter Text

"Hey Taku."

"Baba."

"Rosie, Mango, my darlings. It's always nice to hear from you. Listen, I have unexpected guests. But they haven't told me who they are."

"Taku is complicated... It's..."

"UNCLE DOFLAMINGO AND LAW IS THERE TOO."

Silence fell after the little girl's small scream, a scream that was all too calculated. She hated it when they got lost in useless words. They irritated her.

"I'll be home in a couple of days. "

"Your mission?"

"The others can finish it, my part is completely done."

"YES! BABA COME BACK SOONER!"

"Rosie, I also have that information for you."

"Thanks, Taku."

☃°•✮•°☃

 

Doflamingo sat silently at the table, the seats had been carefully arranged in a checkerboard pattern. Daifuku sat to his right, Oven to his left, and Compote sat across from him. The seating arrangement was logical: no member of the same family sat next to another member of the same family. The person closest to Big Mom in the Donquixote family was Cesar, opposite Cesar sat his sister, and next to her sat Law. Finally, both Sweet Generals sat next to Sugar. They clearly knew exactly how dangerous her Devil Fruit was.

However, the evening went well. The crew drank and there were some interesting conversations. Doflamingo kept an eye on Law and Corazon for a long time. They tried to talk, but Big Mom awkwardly got in the way and involved the blonde in the conversation, constantly interrupting the interaction that her sister so desired, which also frustrated Law. For now, Doflamingo was involved very little in the conversation, but given the situation, he imagined that the negotiations would last a long time. Big Mom was gathering information, and Corazon was no different. So Doflamingo resumed trying to make conversation with the blond man next to him while his gaze wandered among the children. There she was again, the red-haired pest who had welcomed them so "affectionately" with a ladle in her hand, ready to attack again. He saw her walk with calculated indifference to the back of Sugar's chair, and then a loud "BONK" made the whole room turn around and made Doflamingo snicker.

Smoothie quickly grabbed the little red devil, holding her up and making sure she was totally out of Sugar's reach... Or that Sugar was out of her reach, it was a legitimate question.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, MANGO? IS THAT ANY WAY TO HIT A GUEST?"

"Why can't I do it? Even if she looks like a child, she's an adult. She'll be as big as that old man made of snot, in my opinion."

Well, that comment infuriated Sugar and made her entire crew and part of the Charlotte family snicker.

"Rosi, could you take your little Fierce Pixie before she burns the world down?"

She saw her sister get up, rubbing the bridge of her nose, and walk quickly towards the woman to pick up the child.

"Okay, sweetie, now stay with me."

"But... Mamá... I want to play."

"You play at hurting people, and that's not a good game, my love."

Mamá? Ah, so she's Corazon's daughter. That information could prove useful, although it would be better to identify the father before taking action.

"Mamá... A simple question."

"Mh?"

"How do you make a firecracker?"

She insists. What can I say? Good blood doesn't lie.

"I'm not going to let you destroy the island."

The girl looked at her resolutely.

"Fine, I don't need to, I already know how to make a Molotov cocktail."

"Mango. Repeat that."

"I. Know. How. To. Make. A. Molotov. Cocktail. Mother."

"And who would have explained it to you?"

"Uncle."

"Which uncle?"

"I don't give up my informant."

Corazon gently pulled the ladle from her daughter's hand. Doflamingo laughed and looked around for him. It was easy, the entire male lineage of the Charlotte family was frozen, all except the man sitting to his left who kept his eyes on his plate and ate slowly. He had lost at least two shades of color from his face. The ladle landed on the man's head the moment he realized what was happening. He looked at his sister's still outstretched hand. Well, she had discovered the culprit as quickly as he had. Once again, good blood doesn't lie.

☃°•✮•°☃

After the little scene, Cora-san took a few steps to return to her seat, but she saw her ankle bend and her body fall sideways. She was seriously about to use her "room" to intervene, but the guy named Cracker was quicker, grabbing her by the jacket and preventing her from crashing into the ground. The little girl didn't flinch in the slightest. In the end, both managed to return to their seats. The giant Yonkō brought Cora-san back into the conversation as soon as she sat down. This time, the tone was more serious as they talked about controlling the experiments and verifying the accuracy of the information, and in turn, the younger Donquixote began planning the checks. She was so serious, so involved, and it seemed that there was some kind of trust.

But his attention was diverted by a hand reaching out to him.

"Mango."

Law automatically squeezed it.

"Law."

"I know that well."

"How?"

"Mamá talks about you, she asks about you every now and then, she disappears and then she talks about you."

Law looked up at the woman next to him, still heavily involved in the conversation.

"Mamá talks about you as if you were her son... Can I consider you my brother?"

"I guess so... I think."

"I knew you would say that."

Law shook his head.

"You're a little presumptuous."

"No, I'm not. I literally knew it. Did I hear you say it before you said it?"

"How did you do that? Let's hear it."

The girl looked around carefully, stared intently at Cesar and Doflamingo's pirates, then leaned close to his ear and whispered softly.

"Dad has special observation Haki, and I inherited it 100%."

"And who would your father be?"

"Katakuri."

Law took the jug of wine and poured his glass to the brim. Charlotte Katakuri. Of all people, his Cora-san had written the damn 'Dogtooth'. He turned to her.

"Would you like some wine, Cora-san?"

"Mh... No, no, Law, don't worry... In this situation, only gin would do."

She said, running her hands through her hair.

"You can't drink gin, Mom."

"I know, Fierce Pixie, I know."

Dinner went on for a good hour, although towards the end Cora-san left to go to the bathroom with the little girl. When people began to disperse, the young pirate headed for the gardens, but the footsteps behind him were not at all discreet. Either the person following him was an idiot or didn't care about being discovered. When he turned around, he met the gaze of Sweet General Cracker and his sister Galette.

"What do you want?"

"Just to finally meet Law,"

said the purple-haired man, who had taken off his biscuit armor to eat during dinner.

"Corazon has been talking about you since the very beginning,"

added the woman.

"Since the very beginning? Since she got married?"

"No, not since the wedding, since she met you,"

he said calmly.

"How long have you known Cora-san?"

"We've known your 'Cora-San' for 25 years. I was 6 when I first spoke to her."

"Let me tell you a story."

☃°•✮•°☃

°°Flashback °°

The sea was stormy, his family's ship had been attacked, his older brothers were fighting the navy, and a 20-year-old Cracker was trying to gather the youngest children and get them to hide inside. The drama unfolded when he realized that one of his younger sisters had fallen into the sea while trying to escape their attackers. He looked at her helplessly. There was nothing he could do. Even though the shore was close, Cracker had eaten a Devil Fruit and would drown with her. His hands trembled and he gritted his teeth. He was fucking helpless.

Then he saw someone from the enemy ship jump into the water and approach his sister. Cracker screamed and cursed, but the individual just pointed towards the beach and then picked up the girl and swam away.

Cracker reached that beach alone, not wanting anyone to find out that he had lost his sister. He didn't want anyone to know that he had relied on a Marine. When he arrived, it was late at night and only the light of a fire showed him the way. He created a biscuit soldier and went.

What he found was different from what he expected. A girl who was definitely under 15 was sitting in front of the fire, holding little Galette asleep in her arms. She motioned for him to sit down, and the young man did so.

"How old are you?"

It came out blandly from Cracker's mouth. It wasn't the smartest question to ask, nor was it the most polite or convenient question to ask... But he asked it anyway.

"12."

"Are you fucking kidding me?! A 12-year-old marine?"

"I'm not a marine... not yet, anyway... For now, I'm the ship's boy."

Cracker nodded slowly, settling himself calmly in his seat and watching the fire crackle.

"Why did you intervene?"

"She's a child... she's not to blame for what she didn't choose."

And Cracker let out a frustrated groan.

"Then that should also apply to us older ones. It wasn't our choice to be pirates... And we have no freedom to change our fate."

"I know what it means to pay the consequences for the choices of others."

His tone was disconsolate as he looked down at the child. There was a heavy silence before they began to tell each other their stories... Just two kids stuck in lives decided by others, no factions.

When the marines' voices could be heard, the girl jumped up, woke the little girl, motioned for both of them to stay back, and ran away.

☃°•✮•°☃

The story was interrupted when Compote called Cracker and Galette back to the group because Big Mom was looking for them.

25 years...

Cora-san came into contact with Charlotte's family 25 years ago.

Although... Actually... From where they left off, it didn't seem like much could happen.

She wanted the whole story.

☃°•✮•°☃

Baby 5 had gone off to smoke when she saw the little red devil approaching at a brisk pace. She turned her hand into a rifle, if only to look more threatening, but the little girl stopped in front of her and handed her some freshly picked yellow flowers.

"For me?"

She nodded vigorously and the young woman returned her arm to normal.

"Why me and not the others?"

"I know who you are... I like you."

Baby 5 smiled a little.

"Mom asked me to look for Aunt Brulè... But I can't find her... Can you help me?

"I don't know if that's a good idea, little one."

"But you would really, really help me."

She said in a sweet tone with a sly look, and, well, the woman couldn't refuse. She really wanted to be helpful, and maybe if she was helpful now, Doffy's business would be easier, so she accepted.

"But where's your mom? Why doesn't she help you?"

"Mom's in the bathroom."

"And what's she doing?"

"She said she's not feeling very well."

"What exactly is wrong with her?"

"She said it's a woman thing."

Chapter Text

Trebol was sure he had identified Corazon's room and, of course, he had told Doffy, and now they were both heading there. There was no one guarding it, and they soon realized that the door wasn't even actually locked. They went in, well aware that they would find it empty, but it wasn't necessarily necessary for the bitch to be there.

"Doffy, Doffy, since she's not here, we can find something to use against her, hehehe."

"I know, Trebol. I know."

"Also because that bitch will definitely be trying to sabotage us, but killing her would only cause us problems."

"Trebol, shut up."

The glue man let out a small snort and began to observe the room. That room was a perfect example of duality. Half messy, half meticulously perfect. Two wardrobes. One very tidy and one, clearly containing the woman's clothes, totally messy. Well, that made it easier to rummage through without having to put things back as they were.

There were several photos attached to the wardrobe doors. A first photo with Sengoku, some posters of Law and Doflamingo's bounty, photos with her daughter... 3 ultrasounds (?)... Various photos with different members of the Charlotte clan... In all of them, Corazon was of different ages, the wedding photo... Photos with Smoker and a female marine she didn't know and... A photo of her and Doflamingo together, probably from when she was spying on their crew.

She took it off the wardrobe and looked at it. It was crumpled and damaged. Looking closely, she noticed that both subjects in the photo looked genuinely happy. Why keep it after everything that had happened? The older man had a strange feeling and tore the photo out, then slipped it into his pocket. He didn't want Doffy to find anything that would remind him of his brotherly bond with the traitor. He turned to the blond man and saw him put something in his pocket. They didn't have time to speak before they saw strange movements in the mirrors. They looked at each other and left silently, aware that one of Big Mom's daughters had a Paramecia tied to them.

In fact, it was only as he was leaving that he noticed that there were three human-shaped mirrors in the room.

ᚓ𓂀︎ᚓ

"So, are you coming with us?"

The captain with the straw hat asked in his usual irritating cheerful tone.

"ABSOLUTELY YES,"

said Tashigi in a voice that was too loud for Smoker's liking. But he nodded in turn. This was not a simple collaboration with pirates. It was a rescue mission for children, and if they went with the navy ships, they would be too easily identifiable. This alliance was vital.

ᚓ𓂀︎ᚓ

Mango always loved waking up early. So none of her uncles and aunts were surprised to see her wandering around the corridors.

The little girl calmly descended the stairs, holding onto the handrail so she wouldn't slip, walking in the middle of the corridor to avoid tripping, and then walking very close to the wall to avoid bumping into Pica, who was on her way to breakfast. It was easy to hide the carelessness she had inherited from her mamá by using her baba's Haki. When she reached Law's door and knocked, she saw that her brother would bump into her by opening the door and walking into her because he was sleepy and wouldn't see her. So she moved to the left. But this time she miscalculated because she got the door in her face. Why did she have to inherit this hateful trait from her mother, whom she loved so much? Genetics was a bitch.

"AH! FUCK, SHIT, MY NOSE!"

She meant it to be an angry scream, but shortly after, she realized it sounded more like a childish cry. No, this wasn't supposed to happen. She had to act like a grown-up. She didn't like it when people treated her like a little girl, and she didn't want her big brother to see her like this either. She was strong. She made her mom and dad train her when they were at home.

"Mango. What kind of language is that?"

Her brother's tone was sleepy, and she noticed that he was still wearing the pajamas his family had given him. She immediately became defensive.

"Mamà and Baba mustn't know."

Law laughed and then bent down to her height and cleaned her lip with his thumb.

"Sorry, I hurt you. I didn't see you. Your lip is bleeding. Come on in."

Mango went into the room and sat down on the bed while her brother went into the bathroom and came out with some gauze and disinfectant. He calmly cleaned the small wound, which made the little girl shudder. She knew he was a doctor and was happy to see his skills in action, even if it was for something as small and silly as that. She had always loved following Law's adventures with her mother. She was proud to have a brother like him, and if anyone ever tried to make comments about genetics, she would set them on fire. She wasn't stupid; she knew what a family really was. They had taught her well.

"Listen, Mango... Is your mother awake?"

"I don't think she slept."

"Huh?"

"She's not good at sleeping when she's stressed."

Law shook his head.

"She never has been."

Mango looked at the ground.

"Now Grandma has already put her to work, but she's doing it on purpose. She thinks that by doing so, Mamà will close up shop early so she can spend more time with you."

He looked at Law's expression, which seemed to harden and soften at the same time.

"And she will."

Mango looked at him confused.

"Are you stupid? Do you remember who you're talking about?"

He said it quietly, touching his lip... His mother had always been the best and had almost died for Law... How could he have that option?

"Of course I know, but then she disappeared only to reappear at the worst possible moment among my enemies. She never reached me even though she could have."

"Mamá says that everything has a price... Do you think she didn't pay for it that day in order to survive?"

Was she really lecturing a grown man? Really? Fuck, Mango is 8 years old, she should be the one asking stupid questions and getting intelligent answers. Not the other way around.

"Listen, kid. I want some clarification, to understand what's going on... But it's impossible to talk to Cora-san, and yesterday, when someone was telling me something, they took them away."

"Yesterday you talked to Uncle Cracker and Aunt Galette... They were planning to talk to you over lunch... They're busy too... But maybe I have someone else who can tell you more."

ᚓ𓂀︎ᚓ

"Who?"

Law was having a nervous breakdown, he was arguing with a little girl about serious matters and his dramas, and the first thing that came to mind was that talking to her was easier than talking to the damn straw hat. In any case, he saw the little girl get up and run to knock on the mirror in the room. He wanted to ask her what the hell she was doing, but a woman came out of it with a confident air.

"Frutto mira mira no mi, I have the task of checking the rooms of the castle in cases like this. Yes, I spy on you, but it's useful."

The woman explained as if she had said it a thousand times.

"Useful how?"

"Useful in the sense that last night Doflamingo and Trebol entered Ross's room."

"In Cora-san's room? Did they do anything to her?"

"No, Ross imagined they would do something, so she and Mango are returning to Komugi for the night through my mirrors."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I'm used to taking Ross and Cracker around with me. This has been going on for 25 years."

"Auntie, that's why I brought you here... Law wants to know more about Mamà."

"Okay, okay, Fierce Pixie, calm down. Law, have they told you anything yet?"

"Only about the encounter with Cracker and Galette."

"Oh, perfect, I can start from there because it was when they returned home that the apocalypse began."

The woman took a chair and sat down, ready to tell her story. Law found himself sitting next to Mango, but in two seconds, like a spider, she climbed onto his legs and sat there. Law didn't push her away for two reasons: 1) he thought she was cute at that moment, and 2) you never know how poisonous a spider is.

"So, I'll try to be quick because the story is long but actually full of bullshit. Basically, after that accident, Galette begged me to find the person who had saved her, and Cracker agreed with the little girl, so yes, I had to do a colossal job at the time, just for the sake of finding this mysterious nameless girl, because Cracker didn't ask her name, who was perhaps on a Marine ship. I found her about two months later. She had a mirror in the bathroom of her small cabin and had used a smaller mirror and some branches to build a structure outside the porthole so she could watch the adults training on deck and copy them in her room.

"Cora-san did that?"

"Yes, she wanted to impress her adoptive father, she told us later. In any case, at the time we literally burst into her bathroom and then into her room. She was so absorbed in training that it took her a few seconds to notice us, and it was difficult not to make her scream. But what can I say? We were literally two young adults and a little girl bursting into the room of a pre-teen. We had to pull her into the mirror world, kidnapping-style, and then explain. Okay, it took a while, but then she became curious about the power of my devil fruit, and we spent the day like that and exchanged Dende mushi contacts. With that and my power, we saw each other often, and a beautiful friendship was born. We would pick her up, take these trips through the mirrors, and spy on my family and the higher-ranking marines. As she grew up, she became a cadet, but our relationship didn't fall apart... She often gave us directions to avoid the worst ships in the navy and keep us safe... This came to my mother's attention, but since it was useful, she only put us under surveillance at the time. Anyway, back to the story, well, over the years, only one person found out, a cadet just like Ros, but she didn't report us. In fact, she helped us a lot over the years and..."

"Were you talking about Bellemere?"

Everyone turned toward the door as Smoothie entered and moved quietly toward the bed, sitting down next to Law.

"I loved that woman."

"Why?"

The question came out of Law's mouth immediately, instead of asking why she was there.

"Because she was literally the only person who helped me cover up the damage caused by Cracker and Rosi."

"They weren't that disastrous."

"Brulè. You only say that because you're an accomplice. But I'll tell you how I met Bellemere and also how Rosi got that tattoo on her face."

"WAIT A MINUTE. I thought she got the tattoo for the undercover mission."

"Hahaha, I think the whole navy believes that. I don't even know if Sengoku ever knew it was true. Anyway, when Rosie was around 15 and Cracker was 23, they discovered cannabis and loved it. From what I know, the navy seized a large shipment of it, and Rosi took some of it, then joined Cracker on Bisciut Island. Now, I don't know how the whole thing went down, I just know that I urgently needed to talk to Cracker and I found him in this tattoo parlor with Rosie, whom I already knew, wasted, having just finished getting a tattoo and laughing at Rosie, who was complaining because, rightly so, it was a painful place. Now, imagine that my big idiot brother has the same tattoo as Rosi, same size and same color on his ass, and at the same time he had encouraged a minor and a marine to get their faces tattooed. Neither of them was sober, so I gave the tattoo artist a rough time... Anyway, while I was yelling at the tattoo artist, Bellemere, accompanied by Brulè, who already knew her, entered the tattoo artist's studio and went crazy in the same way, but against Rosi. That was enough to make me like her. After that, we had to take them out to eat, help them recover, buy Rosi some makeup and teach her how to use it, and then send her back to the barracks.

"And Sengoku never found out anything?"

"Not officially. Anyway, I'm here because Law didn't show up for breakfast and we suspect he's run away. So let's go."

Mango set off first while Brulè returned to the mirror. Law met Law's gaze and then started walking.

"You're not alone, Law. Except for Big Mom, you can count on us. Rosi is part of our family, and you're part of Rosi's family, so you're family to us too."

Law smiled as a strong warmth spread throughout his chest.

...family...

ᚓ𓂀︎ᚓ

"Hey, honey, what are you doing?"

"I just finished evaluating Cesar's experiments for your mother."

"Was Cesar alone with you?"

"No, Perospero was there too."

"Yes... and the children."

"The children? Are you talking about my brothers?"

Katakuri heard a sob of frustration coming from the other end of the Deden Mushi.

"Maybe Taku... By children, I mean Cesar's guinea pigs... The experiments seem valid... But what is he doing to them, with drugs and various substances... It hurts to see them like that. From the very first second, I imagined that Mango could be in each of their places... Or Law... Or Anana... Dolce... Dragèe...
Normande... De-chat... Wiro-"

"I understand, Rosie. I understand... It won't be like that... None of them will be involved."

"I wouldn't forgive myself."

"Just give me time to get there."

"Couldn't you come back with Brulè's help?"

"I don't want him to leave you and Mango."

Katakuri heard his wife sigh wearily.

"Just a little longer... Try to sleep... I know you're not."

"I'll try. I have to go now. I love you, Taku."

"I love you too, darling."

 

 

Chapter Text

"Hi Mom, if you're reading this, one of two things has happened: either I simply forgot this piece of paper here, or Sugar didn't like playing with me and now I'm a toy and you don't know who I am... But... Mom... I trust you, you explained all the abilities of the Donquixote clan to me... I know you'll take away that woman's power... Even if you don't remember me~ So you knew exactly what game I was playing."

Doflamingo said, waving the little letter in front of his granddaughter. He had managed to stop her in the hallway after lunch and had decided to finally talk to her, dying of curiosity to get to know her better.

"Do you think a Donquixote acts without a plan? Or that a Charlotte would act without a plan?"

Doflamingo laughed loudly and crouched down in front of her.

"I suppose not."

Mango looked at him with a serious expression and an icy gaze. Her dark brown eyes, like Corazon's, seemed to try to dig into Doflamingo's soul, failing but not giving up.

"You're very confident. Not only do you have your back covered, but you also have your dad's."

Mango gave a sly grin.

"As much as Dad might make sashimi out of you, you don't have to worry about him because he's not back yet. Worry about the old hag. As much as I hate her, it seems I'm one of her favorite grandchildren, being the first."

"How much do you hate your grandmother?"

"I want to kill my grandmother, slowly and brutally. She's ruining this family, rotting away everyone I love. Once she's dead, I'll find and eat her own Devil Fruit and... And... And I'll rewrite my family's history."

The little girl said it all in one breath, her head held high and her eyes full of pride and determination. Oh, Doflamingo couldn't deny that he liked the girl. He ruffled her hair.

"Well, if you ever need it, my crew is always open to determined members like you."

┐( ˘ ､ ˘ )┌

Tashigi had been on that ship for one day and was already having a nervous breakdown. No one in that crew seemed to have a single functioning brain cell, and it took infinite patience not to attack them one by one. The cook and the swordsman were particularly intolerable.

How long would this journey last?

Would the sacrifice be in vain? She hoped not.

┐( ˘ ､ ˘ )┌

Between lunch and dinner, Law was taking his sister with him (perhaps because, after being called "brother" so often, he was starting to see her as a sister, or perhaps he was just looking for a family connection) among the various members of the Charlotte family to gather information about Cora-san. The number of people who remembered her from when they were little kids was impressive, and the number of adults who had met her for the first time because of damage she and Cracker had done together was also impressive.

They had definitely set fire to the Mont-d'or library, and in fact they didn't like each other very much, but there was mutual respect. They had crashed a Compote party and managed to blow out the power on the entire island where the celebration was taking place. All similar events.

But from what she knows, the blonde had also protected Amande, who was injured during a clash with the navy, risking expulsion. Or she had diverted a ship's course because Daifuku was bringing urgent supplies to his mother, and if he hadn't succeeded, she would have risked killing half the family.

In short, from what he knew from his investigations, she had passed a lot of information from the navy to the Charlotte family, effectively sabotaging the army, but not for gain, only out of affection. The only gain she had was being able to interact with those people freely.

Law was shocked at first, a marine spy acting that way, when she seemed so strong, determined, and diligent when he was little, but then, as he listened to the stories, he thought about it carefully. In fact, perhaps a perfect Marine at the time would not have helped Law in that way, but would probably have taken him to the navy and asked for help... But at that point, would they really have looked for the Devil Fruit to save his life? Would they really have helped him? ... Maybe not... but Cora-san always had her own way of thinking, her own sense of justice, and after thinking about it longer, Law realized that her behavior was perfectly consistent.

He turned toward the window on the right side of the corridor he was walking through with Mango on his shoulders. He saw the blonde woman and Cracker walking in the garden. He could see them from behind and didn't know what they were saying, but at one point Cracker gave her a shove, the kind that pushes you to the side, annoying you without hurting you. Cora-san stared at him for a few seconds and then went back to talking. The purple-haired man did it again, and the woman shoved him back. The third time she shoved him, she kicked him behind the knee, at which point the purple-haired man picked her up by her legs and lifted her, getting hit in the head repeatedly by the notes the woman was holding in her hand.

Mango laughed at the scene... and so did Law.

┐( ˘ ､ ˘ )┌

"I don't think I have any way to cancel the wedding. I don't have time to do anything. Your mother is putting too much pressure on me to hurry things up, and my brother's pirates are constantly watching me."

In response, Cracker pushed her.

"Are you stupid?"

The blonde glared at him. Then she went back to leafing through her notes, receiving only a second shove, to which she responded this time.

"Listen, I'm serious, I'm worried, I have a plan... But, it's obviously not what he would want... I don't want him to hate me even more than he already does."

Cracker shook his head and shoved her again.

"He doesn't hate you, he's just understanding your choices and the reality of the situation. It's you who is being overly emotional in your current state."

The blonde tried to knock him down by kicking him, but he laughed and grabbed her legs, lifting her up a little.

"Calm down, if it's the plan you told me about this morning, it will work and Law will understand your intentions. You need to talk to the others. We're here for you."

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome. Anything for my sister."

She sighed and then went back to work.

That evening, she returned home from work. They had already had dinner, so she tidied up the last few things, turned off the gas on the stove, and checked that everything was in order when Brulè knocked on the mirror. The blonde rubbed her dark circles.

3...
2...
1...

"Someone is in your room again. This time it's Doflamingo alone."

There you go.

"Okay, I want to see what he's doing. Will you take me to the mirror world?"

"Yes, of course."

She told Mango (begged Mango) to take a bath and entered the mirror world, reaching the mirrors in her room. What he saw was his brother looking at the photos he had taken from a drawer he had broken, examining them one by one.

"DO YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL OF THEM?!"

he shouted through the mirror without crossing it. He didn't want to start the conversation like that.

┐( ˘ ､ ˘ )┌

Doflamingo entered the room alone; Trebol's presence the previous time had been just a distraction. On the desk where he had found the girl's letter, there were two closed drawers that he hadn't had time to check. He knew he didn't have much time, he knew that mirrors could see, but breaking them would have been suspicious. For now, he would only look at those. He broke the first one open by force. Normal objects, a comb, a brush, a recipe for doughnuts (?), a normal compass. It didn't take him long to notice the double bottom. He lifted it using the wires without looking for the mechanism. Underneath, he found letters and documents, many of which were drafts of letters to Laarina, mixed true and false information, documents on investigations, pirate locations, planned battles. He wasn't sure if Big Mom knew about all this, so he took them and hid them in his jacket. Then he opened the other one, same modus operandi. Normal objects and a double bottom. He lifted it again and this time found photos, years of photos. He took a stack and began to flip through them quickly, very quickly, and instinctively took it with him. Those photos bothered him in a very personal way, and he couldn't stop looking at them.

"DO YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL OF THEM?!"

He looked up at the mirror and saw not himself but his sister in the reflection. Doflamingo took two steps closer and held up one of the photos.

"HOW OLD WERE YOU IN THIS PHOTO?! 17?!"

"19. WHAT DO YOU CARE?"

Doflamingo looked at other photos.

"How many fucking photos are there?"

His sister's face was completely red, but he wasn't satisfied. He was angry about what he was holding in his hand.

"I had needs."

"Needs? There are hundreds of erotic photos of you and what I imagine to be your husband."

"It was a complicated relationship. We didn't see each other much even though we were married. He was a great... outlet."

"How old were you when you got married? 18?"

"20."

"20... And you've been exchanging photos with a man 10 years older than you since you were how old? 16?"

He said, leafing through the photos again before throwing them back into the drawer angrily and covering them up again.

"Never did it as a minor. My relationship with Katakuri started seriously when I was 18. The photos are from when I was 19 until the mission with your crew... And we got married when I was 20. End of story. Simple."

Doflamingo ran his hands through his hair, pissed off. In all those years she spent in the navy? He had no idea, but she found the time before getting married to exchange erotic photos with him, already betraying the navy, and then, only after that, did she seek him out to betray him. He punched the mirror and shattered it. He saw the figure move in the glass shards.

"O Doffy, what the hell is wrong with you now? What's bothering you so much?"

"You started playing between the Marines and Charlotte Pirates and forgot about me."

"No, I never did that. I can do several things at once. I looked for you. But did you ever really do that besides seeking your revenge?"

"Trebol said he would take care of it."

The younger figure slides onto another mirror on another wall.

"And did you ever make sure he really did?"

Doflamingo fell silent and tried to remember...
but all he remembered was the man's great surprise when he brought her to the base... In fact... If Trebol had really been looking for her, why didn't he know that his sister was a Marine?

"Listen, I..."

"I, I, I. Can you say anything else? You have no idea what I lost because of you."

"What did you lose? Because of your behavior, I lost a sister."

"It was your choice. Because of you, I lost you, a sister, and a son."

"A sister? It's just the two of us. "

Corazon put a cigarette in her mouth and clenched the filter between her teeth.

"You may only have me, but besides you, I also have a sister and another brother. Even if they're not blood relatives... Or rather... I had a sister, because while I was following your plans without being able to move from there, she was killed... Bellemere... I barely managed to go to her funeral... I probably could have done something... But I was too preoccupied with you to do so. I was so afraid of losing you that I lost someone who was really close to me in my life."

He saw his little sister's eyes fill with tears but not spill over as she hugged herself. He tried to change the subject.

"Well, you've solved the situation with your son. Law will move one of your husband's brothers, and there you have your son again."

He said it growling, but he didn't really want to verbally attack her like that. Rosinante's gaze darkened and shifted again, reflecting back in the shards of mirror on the floor.

"I wasn't talking about Law."

"Then who were you talking about?"

He tried to sound as apathetic as possible. But inside, for some reason, he feared the answer. He saw Rosinante point to the closet.

"Open the top right one."

Doflamingo did so and looked at the photos inside, quickly noticing the tape marks indicating that one of them was missing, but Corazon's voice drew his attention elsewhere.

"The ultrasound at the top."

Doflamingo looked at it.

"I had it done two weeks before going undercover in your crew."

"You didn't tell me anything because you didn't trust me, I guess."

"No... I wanted to tell you. I... I was reworking the whole plan I had prepared... I was looking for the right way to explain the context, who I really was... What I wanted to do... But you sent me on a mission and I didn't refuse... Because I wanted you to trust me."

Doflamingo looked at that ultrasound, he already knew what she was going to say.

"I fought during the battle, I was four months pregnant and I took a lot of bad hits... And I lost the baby... I told Katakuri and Cracker... They asked me to suspend everything and come back... But I had lost my child... but I didn't want to lose you... And I stayed."

He heard her voice choke up as she spoke.

"Listen, Corazon."

"NOT CORAZON, OK? I never wanted to be Corazon. I was for you, but now I'm not and I never will be again. I wanted so many things in my life. Probably too many, and I lost much more than I expected to lose. I wanted the Navy, not because we shared the same ideals. You have no idea how many times I changed relationships to protect the Charlottes, or you. But I wanted them because they were the first family I had when Mom and Dad died and you disappeared. For years, they were my safe haven, and there are people who have been fundamentally important to me. I wanted the Charlottes, who, in their own way, gradually welcomed me despite LinLin. Where I found love, where I found a second family, warmer and more welcoming... And I wanted you, I wanted you who were my flesh and blood, whom I missed from the first second you disappeared and whom I searched for from the first moment I officially joined the navy. And I wanted Law, who became so important to me in such a short time... Who reminded me of you and who soon became like a son to me. I wanted everything, everything, everything without ever giving up anything... And in the end, when I thought I had everything, when I thought I had the perfect plan, I lost everything. And it really hurt... I really fought for you... but you still almost killed me... And yet, how could I ever hate you?"

Doflamingo picked up a piece of broken glass from the ground to bring his sister's face closer to him. Tears streamed down her face and she clenched the filter of her unlit cigarette between her teeth, stained red with lipstick.

"What was your plan?"

"I made a deal with Lin Lin. In exchange for small favors, I would pass on information, which was fine with me, but if I ever needed major help, they would do it on the condition that I disappear from circulation and work permanently for the Charlotte family. I would have gone along with the Navy, but once they had captured you, I would have asked for help and made you disappear so I could reorganize everything. But then everything changed and I left with Law... But I thought I could make things work anyway. But I was afraid and I had never really dealt with the loss of my son and my grief for Bellemere... I was confused... I mistimed things... And the ship with Katakuri arrived too late."

"You would never have sold me out..."

"You're my brother... I could never have... Sure, I don't like you right now, but I trust you completely... I yelled at LinLin for being crazy enough to want to make a deal with you... But I certainly don't want you dead."

"You yelled at Big Mom?"

"Yes... Well... we have our dysfunctional mother-in-law/daughter-in-law balance, and in its own way, it works."

Doflamingo sighed.

"Cora-Rosinante... Let's end this here... Go get some rest... I'm leaving now, and those photos don't exist."

Rosinante moved back to one of the intact mirrors...

"All right, I want to trust you..."

And then he fucked off, leaving room for Doflamingo's reflection again.

The man touched the ultrasound of the grandchild who never had the chance to exist... If only he had been more careful or investigated in person... What would have changed?

He looked at the other two ultrasounds and touched the last one with his fingertips, thinking about every detail of those few days with Rosinante, the baby, and everything else.

He wouldn't make the same mistakes twice. He closed the cabinet and hid the papers he had stolen in the double bottom where he had taken them from. For once, he could take only what he needed and no more...

He left the room.

┐( ˘ ､ ˘ )┌

Mango heard her mamà come back in and then the sound of the bed springs bending. She ran to her parents' room, jumped on the bed, and sat down next to her.

"Do you want to sleep with me again tonight?"

She nodded and lay down next to her, slipping into her arms.

"I spoke to Baba earlier, he said he'll be here early tomorrow morning."

"That's great, Fierce Pixie. Tomorrow we'll be at the port to welcome him."

Then he heard his mamà sniffing his hair.

"Wow, I can't believe it. You really took a bath without me having to force you. You're really good."

"No... Well, actually, I broke the washing machine."

She saw the blonde sit up.

"Is it leaking water?"

The little girl shook her head.

"No, no... But it made a lot of foam... The bathroom is full."

The woman got up, sighing and rubbing her tired eyes. She wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, but it was still a drama.

"I'll go clean it up, okay?"

The little girl jumped out of bed and ran to the closet to get some rags to clean up, feeling guilty for not letting her mom get a good night's sleep.

"I want to help you."

"Perfect, then you can take a bath afterwards."

"Okay... But only because I made a mess."

"Good girl, Fierce Pixie."

she said, ruffling her red hair, then placed the cigarette she had been holding between her lips, still unlit, on the table and went to clean the bathroom, which was full of foam, with her daughter.

Chapter Text

Katakuri was the first to disembark from the ship. Even two weeks on a mission was too long since becoming a father. It had been easy with his wife; since she had moved to Komugi with him, they had shared most of their missions. Since the birth of their little demon, their organization had become more complex, and he had begun to appreciate the office work he did at home much more.

"BABA"

That little cry brought him joy. He looked down as he saw the little creature he loved so much running towards him and immediately starting to climb up his cloak like a hurried spider. Katakuri picked her up gently and hugged her. He felt her little arms against him, unable to even begin to wrap around his chest, as he held her with one hand and pulled her close. No matter how experienced he was at hugging small children (given his brothers and sisters), he was always afraid of crushing her.

"I'll wait my turn then,"

his wife said in a cheerful, joking tone, drawing Katakuri and their little girl's attention to her. She bent down and caressed Rosie's face with her hand, then gently ran her thumb over her tattoo. At that point, she handed her the baby and, without warning, picked her up, making them both laugh. Rosie kissed her cheek sweetly. She wanted to kiss her, but they were in public and she didn't have the strength to take off her scarf, but his wife endured it patiently.

They began to move towards the city center, taking them with them. Damn, how he had missed them. He noticed how the little girl kept adjusting something in her pocket, trying to be discreet, but by now he knew the evil schemes of his Fierce Pixie.

"Throw away the stones in your pocket."

Mango raised her head abruptly and looked him in the eyes, her pupils dilating with surprise at being discovered, but she didn't move.

"I said throw away those stones in your pocket."

He repeated, and the little girl put her hands in her pocket and pouted her soft face.

"I don't know who you want to stone, but throw the stones in your pocket away."

Little Fierce Pixie threw the large handful of stones she had in her hand into the sea with a look of great offense. Rosinante rested his head against her shoulder with a heavy sigh, and Katakuri began to walk towards the castle.

"Sorry, Taku, I really didn't notice."

Katakuri rested his forehead against Rosie's.

"Don't worry, there are two of us for this. Besides, you have so much work to do and you look so tired, don't blame yourself because Mango is just being Mango."

>°))))彡

Law saw him from afar, sitting alone in the Katakuri garden. He was as tall as his twins, but at the same time, only he seemed colossal. He was terrifying, but Law approached him anyway. He had spoken to almost all of the Charlottes, but this confrontation was inevitable, and honestly, Law was afraid, not so much of him, but more of the conversation he was about to have. He was discovering hundreds of little facets of the woman who had become a third parent figure to him. All facets that he was appreciating, that made her more complex in his eyes, but that, despite the anger he felt for her 12 years of absence, he couldn't help but care about her anyway. In fact, the more he discovered who she really was, the more he cared about her. Facing someone who should technically love her more than anyone else there upset him.

He approached her with a question on his lips that he didn't have time to ask.

"What bothers you about me being here?"

Law was taken aback. Katakuri's Haki was famous, but he didn't feel comfortable having it used on him.

"From what I've heard about you, I expected you to be with your family when you returned."

Although he couldn't see her mouth because of the scarf, he could definitely tell she was smiling from the movement of her facial muscles. At that point, he moved his long, thick cloak aside, revealing Corazon asleep against his chest and wrapped in a black feather jacket, while Mango slept in her mother's arms. Katakuri quickly covered them up.

"Well, objectively, I am with them, but officially, my mother shouldn't find out because Rosie is supposed to be at work... But she was really too tired, and I let her rest in secret. She usually has trouble sleeping, and lately it's been worse."

"And the little girl?"

"She broke the washing machine because 'the noise reminded her of maracas and she decided to play it' by pressing buttons at random, and she helped her mother clean up."

Law looked at Katakuri with perplexity.

"Yesterday she gave me a very adult speech... I didn't expect this kind of behavior."

He admits.

"Every now and then she remembers she's 8 years old."

His voice was a little exasperated.

"As soon as this uncomfortable situation is over and we return home, Rosie will just have to sleep. For the next few weeks, I'll do everything."

He didn't say it to Law, it was just a thought spoken aloud, but it was enough to make him smile.

"Listen... I don't mean to pry, but I'd like to know more about how things went between you and Cora-san."

It was the first time he had asked explicitly. Usually, just mentioning Cora-san was enough to be inundated with anecdotes about a teenage Cora-san mostly doing silly things with her squadron consisting of Cracker Galette and Brulè... sometimes accompanied by Smoothie and Bellemere.

"Oh well... When I met Rosie, nothing special clicked, she was even a little annoying, too confident in her comfort zone at only 16 years old. My mom had decided that I should check if this mysterious source of information my brothers had was reliable. That's what I did, I met her, investigated her for a few months, and came to the conclusion that she was an annoying but reliable girl. I was probably superficial in my initial assessment. But she was at least 40 centimeters shorter than Cracker, with shoulder-length hair and overly long bangs that almost reached the tip of her nose. I don't know how she could see, and physically she was still childish. Then there was this stupid argument about the difference between Rosi and Rosie, which to me had no real difference in pronunciation, but apparently to her it did, and it was such a pointless and boring argument. At the time, all I needed to know was that it was safe for my brothers to be around her. Other than that, I didn't know her. She just seemed like a superficial, hyperactive girl who didn't take me seriously when I talked to her, or at least that's how I perceived it.

Law looked at him, puzzled.

"And how did you even end up getting married?"

"It happened two years later."

>°))))彡

~Flashback~

Katakuri was on the beach, ready for battle, with Oven, Cracker, Daifuku, and Smoothie, as well as the rest of the crew. They had been briefed and knew exactly who they would be facing. Rosinante had informed them, and he had gathered all the information to ensure that their objective could be achieved by a team sent to the city while they were there.

Cracker had explicitly told him not to go too hard on Rosinante in case of a confrontation. He had said exactly, "Don't be brutal, just credible." Of course he would be, he wouldn't lose an informant for such a trifling matter. He wasn't an idiot, but he knew there was a strong bond between the two, so he pretended not to be bothered by the comment.

The confrontation began, everything was going smoothly, they had the upper hand, no problem. He saw that kick coming clearly, but he didn't know who it was coming from, so he turned, his arm ready to rise to block it. But he was distracted when he met her gaze. Two brown eyes shining with determination and perfectly focused, perfectly familiar, he had never seen them like that before. Her hair was even longer, the fringe was gone, it was parted in the middle and the longer part was gathered into a tight braid. She was taller now, almost as tall as Cracker. And his eyes studied her deeply, perhaps too deeply, but she was so different from the little girl he had seen years ago. Her body was toned and muscular. Her waist was narrow, and well, Katakuri was ashamed that he had looked there too, but he also looked at the upper part of her chest and found beautiful breasts perfectly squeezed into her uniform. He probably looked too long because Rosinante managed to hit him with that kick anyway, a decisive kick to the face, strong enough to make him stagger back. He also sensed an unstable use of Armament Haki, poorly controlled and not very present, but used well enough to prevent him from using his Paramecia to cushion the blow. She was fast and she was strong. It was an interesting clash, even though both were probably holding back. On that battlefield, the frivolity she had seen in peaceful environments no longer existed. She studied everything: her opponent's moves, the battlefield, herself, and those around them. She was strong, but not as strong as most of her colleagues, yet she kept up with him by exploiting her agility and strategy. Her steps and movements were silent and well-placed. It was an exciting battle nonetheless.

And in the days that followed, he continued to think about her. No, not her. The battle. Yes. Definitely the battle. It was only by chance that he agreed for the first time to go to a festival with his brothers two months later when they decided to attend a festival on a small island forgotten by the gods to spend some time "relaxing."

When he went, he almost regretted it. People were eating, dancing, and shouting. Rosinante was already there with her friend Marine. Smoothie had told him about her sometimes, but that didn't make him let his guard down.

What he got was no longer seeing that fire and seriousness in the woman he was interested in, but once again superficiality and frivolity. She was more beautiful now, but he wasn't just there for her looks. He sighed and walked away from the group, disappointed. It was then that the red-haired woman approached him.

"Is Cracker like this even when you're in normal circumstances?"

She asked, lighting a cigarette. Katakuri shifted her gaze to her brother and tried to really observe him. He was dragging twelve-year-old Galette to the center of the square, making her stand with her feet on his and dancing with her, laughing loudly. At the same time, in cahoots with the purple-haired man, Rosinante was pouring mulled wine next to them and encouraging her to let loose.

"No, actually, he's usually more serious and composed."

"Even Ross is more relaxed when she's with you Charlotte family. She always says, 'With Cracker and the others, I feel understood, I feel at home.'"

This piqued Katakuri's curiosity and prompted her to explain. Bellemere took a long drag on her cigarette and exhaled slowly through her nose. Then she looked him up and down, studying what she could see of his face, searching for ulterior motives. But Katakuri had none, and in fact, she found none.

"Ross was adopted by Sengoku when she was 6 years old. From what I know, she was found alone in a landfill, but she never told me much else. In any case, she has always lived in the navy. She was put to work very early on, first as a ship's boy."

She points to Cracker and the rest of the group.

"That's how they met, as far as I know. Ross saved your sister from drowning when she was a preteen, and from there a bond formed with the whole group. When they told me the story, I asked why she hadn't reported them. I mean, being so young, she would have had a lot of leverage... But she said, 'A child was involved, and she wasn't to blame.' As if she wasn't at the time."

She laughed softly and shook her head.

"I met Rosinante two years later, when we were cadets, sharing the same cabin. At first, I found Rosinante disturbing, diligent to an extreme degree. She trained constantly, participated in everything, took on any task, even those beyond her reach. In fact, she still does. She constantly has Sengoku's pressing expectations pushing her further and further. I found out after one of Rosinante's failed missions, when she was hospitalized with a wound to her side that had damaged a lung, and she was constantly alone in the infirmary. Sometimes I would go to see her... Or so I thought, because I found the Apocalypse team in her room at night.... They were... so worried... so sincere... so genuine that I didn't have the heart to tell my superiors. But I went in to ask for an explanation. Big mistake. Now I'm involved with this mess of people. But I don't regret it."

"Does Rosinante still do that? In the navy, I mean."

"No, now it's worse. She works like crazy to climb the ranks, constantly investigating for you, to protect these people she calls family. But she trains and endures so as not to lose the only place she calls home. Now she's being trained to become a spy and work undercover. Secret training, forced to eat the Nagi Nagi no Mi devil fruit, they would have removed her from her position. And with all that, she doesn't give up evenings like this or her friends here in general. I swear I heard her call Cracker 'brother'."

Katakuri nodded and looked back at the girl... no... woman... who was dancing happily with his sister in the square. Now he understood what had led his brothers to accept her: understanding, identification, they felt similar. This was enough to get him more involved in the following times.

He got involved in three more parties in two months. How many fucking parties did Rosinante and Cracker know about? How did they find them? This is something he never managed to understand over the years, they just seemed like moths attracted to the flame. It was at one of these parties that, tired, he decided to get something to eat and go to the beach to eat it. Then he stayed there to get some air. Why was he fixated on this if he never spoke to her?

But fate seemed to wink at him that time, because he saw her go to the beach alone. She was quite far away from him, and he only saw her kneel on the sand, put a serious expression on her face, rest her hands on her knees, and close her eyes, then remain motionless.

1 minute...

3 minutes...

5 minutes...

He got up and approached her.

"Are you okay?"

She raised her hand.

"Give me 5 more minutes."

And Katakuri did so, sitting down next to him and waiting. He looked at her, hoping he didn't seem creepy. Her serious expression, her loose hair framing her face, a simple blue summer dress, and a pair of low heels in the same color. Once again, he had to admit to himself that she was beautiful, and he felt his face grow warm.

"My mother died years ago today... I saw that today had just begun and I simply thought I'd say hello to her for a few minutes... I can't explain it."

"Thank you."

Katakuri said nothing else; that explanation was enough for him.

"I'm sorry about your mother... illness?"

"Yes."

Then he saw Rosinante make herself more comfortable on the sand.

"You've been here several times, but you always stay in your corner. What are you here for?"

Katakuri felt cornered. Saying he was there for her seemed crazy, but he had a feeling that lying would simply lead to him being found out, so he opted for a "white lie."

"I don't know how to let go, to be honest. At all the parties I've been to, I had to be 'at work'. I don't think I know how to relax."

"Are you talking about your mother's parties? Crack told me about them."

"Crack?"

"Yes... I mean Cracker... Crack is the onomatopoeia of a cracker breaking... Never mind... It's just childish nonsense. From what I understand, you don't like them, so I won't bore you with them."

"That made sense."

He said it just to keep the conversation going, then added:

"In any case, yes, I was talking about those."

"So you've never done things like dancing?"

"No."

"If you want, I can teach you."

"Okay."

No. No. No. No. He meant no. He had no intention of saying yes. He had no intention of learning to dance. But when she got up, he got up too, following her. He listened to her brief explanation, and when she took his hands, he didn't care in the least about following her movements. But somehow he was very interested in the feeling of her hands clasping his warm, smaller ones. He was interested in how their bodies quickly found harmony, and he was interested in those brown eyes that mirrored a soul more intricate than Daedalus' labyrinth.

The next morning, he found himself at home with a burning face and the contact of his Dende mushi. He felt that, in a way, he liked her in a way he didn't understand. So he mentally prepared himself to ask her out. He called her, but hung up after the first ring because an overwhelming awareness gripped his soul. Anxiety 2.

1) They were 10 years apart, and that was a lot.

2) She was literally just of age. It was literally a situation at the limit of his morality.

So he decided to leave it alone.

But it didn't work because he kept thinking about it.

So for the first time, he asked his brothers for advice:

Oven said he should follow his instincts.

Daifuku said he should pursue his own morality.

Compote said Rosinante was an excellent person.

Brulè said he should just make the choice that made him happy.

Amandè said there was no point in throwing himself into something he wasn't sure about.

Smoothie told him that if he really wanted it, he should just go for it.

Finally, he went to Cracker, the person among his brothers who knew Rosinante best. And his answer was:

"Try it if you like her. If she thinks you're too old, she won't accept you. The decision is hers too, after all. These things are done by two people."

And so he contacted her.

>°))))彡

>°))))彡

Katakuri finished his story and looked at the younger pirate sitting in front of him.

"Well, for the rest, it was an almost normal relationship. We got to know each other and things went well. I fell in love exponentially day by day. It never mattered if we were found in enemy territory or if she tripped and destroyed a nearby shop window."

Law looked around and then asked,

"And how did the wedding go?"

Doflamingo, from his elevated position, grinned smugly. Law had asked the very question he wanted to hear.

>°))))彡

~flashback~

Katakuri proposed informally. They were simply enjoying a quiet date like any other, and he took advantage of a simple, peaceful moment to propose. It was a simple walk in the woods on one of the islands where the woman was working. Katakuri's hands were shaking, and he voluntarily deactivated his Haki for fear of being rejected twice. He knelt in front of her and asked her. The ring was white gold with a pink sapphire cut into a rhombus shape. He had stolen the stone during one of the attacks, but he had it cut perfectly and had the ring custom-made. She said yes. In reality, their relationship had been going on for just over two years, but Katakuri knew she was perfect and didn't want to waste any more time. The organization was quick, and they decided to celebrate the wedding at Whole Cake in the Seducing Woods. It was as simple a ceremony as possible. The difficult part was handling the invitations from the Charlotte brothers.

But those people really cared about Katakuri, and some of them voluntarily sacrificed themselves to stay at the castle.

They found someone willing to celebrate them in secret, arranged the seating, and everyone was excited. Katakuri, on the other hand, was nervous, mainly because he had seen Cracker and Rosinante arguing from a distance, and they both looked extremely serious.

Katakuri's heart sank in fear that she would back out, but he did not eavesdrop out of respect for his future wife.

When the ceremony began, the redhead finally understood what they were talking about when he saw his Rosie being escorted to the altar by Cracker himself. Then the ceremony began. Katakuri's witness was Brulè, Rosie's witness was Bellamete, and Galette brought the rings. It was perfect.

Someone took photos and was not stopped. During the kiss, the blonde made sure to adjust the man's scarf so that no one could see his face except her. Although the woman was against the scarf, she was also the first to respect his need to keep it on.

At dinner, there were various speeches, various encouragements, anecdotes told by semi-drunk people, and many stupid things came out. Among them was the story of the Rosie-Cracker tattoo. Chaos ensued, Katakuri stood up shouting at Cracker while the others laughed and Cracker explained that he wasn't lucid. Then his brothers surrounded the youngest to force him to see the tattoo. Katakuri sat down next to the newlywed.

"Did you really do this stupid thing?"

He asked, running his hands through his hair and feeling as if it had suddenly turned white.

"Yes, personally I don't regret it, I like it."

"But you always hide it."

"At work, yes. If Sengoku finds out, he'll kill me."

"Just like I'm going to kill Cracker tomorrow."

Rosie nudged him.

"Come on, leave him alone. I think the public imitation he's going through now is enough. I mean, they'll be asking to see his ass for weeks."

Katakuri laughed at that and agreed to let him live, for now.

After a few minutes, a song he had planned from the beginning started playing. It was the melody they heard on the first night they actually interacted. Katakuri took his wife's hand and led her to the center of the room and danced with her, this time leading the dance. He saw her face light up, and for him, that was pure perfection.

It was at the end of the dance that the blonde's heel broke, causing her to fall to the ground rather inelegantly. He offered her his hand and helped her up. By now, he loved everything about her. Even this side of her.

>°))))彡

>°))))彡

Doflamingo continued to listen from above, feeling envy towards the guy named Cracker, who had played a role that should have been his.

If only he hadn't left the task of finding his sister in Trebol's hands, many things would have changed.

"Have there ever been any crises between you in 18 years of marriage?"

Law asked, interrupting the story. Katakuri nodded without hesitation.

"Yes. Two in particular were truly tragic. And in the first one, I am immensely to blame. If she had left, I would have accepted it and deserved it."

>°))))彡

~Flashback~

Big Mom had found out everything after about a year, and for the first time, she demanded to meet Rosie, so they took her there.

Big Mom was furious and raged at her violently. It was a long and bloody battle, driven only by the desire to push Rosie to her physical and mental limits. Katakuri trembled before the scene without acting. His brothers and sisters did the same.

After over an hour of gratuitous slaughter, Big Mom finally decided to deliver the coup de grâce, taking 200 years of her life. He felt everyone's breath catch in unison, the younger ones covering their eyes, but nothing happened. His wife struggled to her feet, her gaze high and proud. Her eyes were full of anger and determination.

The first to reach Cracker's wife made Katakuri feel like the lowest of bastards because he felt frozen, but in the end he moved and went to her.

Rosinante did not remain silent, despite what happened next in Katakuri's mind being totally confused.

But he remembers his Rosie talking about how much she loved that family and how nothing and no one would separate her from it. There were interventions and negotiations, and somehow an agreement was reached. Then they offered her shelter for her convalescence and recovery. That day, Katakuri loved her more and hated himself more.

In the months that followed, however, there was a long period of tension between the two spouses. There was no physical distance, only a mental one... But in the end, they managed to find a balance.

>°))))彡

Law was furious about how things had turned out, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"And the second event?"

The giant man shook his head.

"I think Rosie would be more fun to talk to... it's a complicated situation."

>°))))彡

Doflamingo stood at a distance, watching his sister at work. He saw Diamante approaching distractedly.

Something made him alert.

"So your daughter is 8 years old?"

"Are you here to state the obvious?"

"So you had her at 30."

He saw Rosinante shift position nervously.

"To be a mother of a decent age, you should have done it at 20."

His sister froze in place, and an instinctive part of Doflamingo made him stand up.

"You should have thought about having children at the right age instead of ruining our work."

The punch to the taller man's stomach was lightning fast. Then a kick and another blow. It didn't take long for the flag man to find himself on the ground. Every blow imbued with Armament Haki was well placed.

Doflamingo had to stop his sister with his threads, and it wasn't even that easy.

He approached her, helped her up, and placed a hand on the back of her neck, making sure it looked threatening to those present, but in reality, he didn't squeeze at all, just rubbed her skin lightly with his thumb. The two exchanged a glance before she left.

Diamante laughed, but Doflamingo glared at him.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"But Doffy..."

"Shut up."

He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to openly defend Rosinante. But damn it, he really wanted to.

"A real man shouldn't talk like that to a woman, even if she's an enemy."

Senor Pink commented as he approached, facing Diamante. Doflamingo nodded in agreement.

Trebol made an annoyed expression. The celestial dragon saw it perfectly.

Chapter Text

It had been three or four days since Katakuri had returned home. Rosinante had had several private meetings with LinLin. Now it was up to her to formalize everything, because now that she had the chance to torment her a little, the enormous woman wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip by. Rosinante didn’t feel in the least bit up to dealing with all of that, but she had no intention of giving in.

She headed, along with her husband, to the garden, where the Donquixote pirates were having breakfast, watched over by Compote, Amandie, and Perospero (and Mango, who was circling the table pretending to play with the Yonkō woman’s youngest children, but who just looked like a suspicious little shark). She joined her brother at the head of the table, with Taku a few steps behind her. The blond looked at her, then at the documents in her hands, and nodded as he stood up.

“The time for final negotiations has finally come,”

he said as he stood face to face with her, his usual smile on his face. Rosinante nodded and began to walk away. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Trebol starting to stand up, but the gesture was interrupted by Doflamingo’s more serious tone.

“I want to speak with Rosinante alone.”

An order directed at Trebol, a request directed at his sister. She thought about it for a moment, then gave her husband a nod.

“Are you sure, Rosie?”

“Yes.”

She was determined about that; somehow, I thought it was a good sign. Or maybe she simply wanted it to be. They headed to a more private room to discuss matters without interruption. It was a risk; she knew that.

(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

They both sat down at a small table, facing each other. Brother and sister looked into each other’s eyes, then the younger one handed some papers to the older one.

“These are the terms. See if they suit you and sign.”

Doflamingo skimmed through them; it was all very straightforward. First, he read the names of the bride and groom. He wasn’t sure why they’d chosen that specific bride to accompany Law, but judging by Rosinante’s confident gaze, there was a plan behind it. In those few days, he’d learned that his sister constantly tried to think three moves ahead of everyone else, just as she did in chess—even if not everything worked out. It included free passage through Big Mom’s pirate routes and the obligation to act as intermediaries between Big Mom and Kaido if necessary; in exchange, they would receive protection if needed and unrestricted access to the archipelago. Finally, there was the obligation to involve Big Mom’s pirates in Cesar’s experiments on the giants so they could study the results and monitor them. He decided to just sign it. He could have negotiated and tried to get more, but the words that came out when he opened his mouth were quite different.

“I want to know exactly what happened when you lost the baby. I want to know why you confronted me alone when you had all these people on your side.”

He saw Roronoa’s eyes studying every micro-expression on his face; doubt was written all over his face. Then he shook his head.

“You’re asking that as if you really care.”

Doflamingo smoothed his hair. He really did care. He had always really cared. Back when they were children… When he found her again… He cared about her when she ran away with Law.... He cared about her when he shot her, even though he knew it made no sense. Yet in that moment, his mind was focused on how to move past what had happened, while his mouth and hands did something else—committing, for the second time, an act of aggression against a person he had loved. The words that came out were not processed by his mind, his facial expression disconnected from his deepest emotions, driven only by the anger and disappointment that would vanish once the point of no return was reached, but at that point stopping seemed utterly pointless to him—though apparently he was wrong. For over a decade, he had convinced himself that those actions were right. For years he had repeated to himself that it was the right thing, that it had to be that way; he lied to himself so much that he believed it, became convinced of it, burying the regret and disgust so deeply that he thought he had erased them, and the people who raised him supported and fueled that entire mental process, praising him and guiding him toward those convictions. But the pride he felt from the very first moment he saw her alive (along with the anger) apparently created a rift in his facade deep enough to bring all of that back to the surface. In that moment, he truly wanted to say it; he truly wanted to say that he cared and that he was sorry.

"I just want to know exactly what you’ve been hiding from me, that’s all."

But he didn’t say that; his tone wasn’t concerned, but irritated and rude. His sister stared at him for a moment too long; he could imagine the wheels in her mind turning at full speed as she made a decision. The sigh that followed was loud and filled with an emotion he couldn’t quite place.

Their eyes met, then the younger one began to speak.

"Okay, fine."

Rosinante’s gaze was fixed on hers, intense but not threatening.

“But, brother, try to learn to speak—the words to read between the lines are extremely small.”

Doflamingo felt his face relax—not smile, just relax. The tension in his facial muscles vanished instantly when he realized that his sister hadn’t just heard him… She had listened to him… No… Not even that—she had truly seen him.

The man rested both elbows on the table, seeking a comfortable position, papers and pens scattered across the hard wooden surface.

“Okay, please, tell me.”

“I went on a serious mission for you. Let’s make that clear. To eliminate the informant who was double-crossing us and passing everything on to the Navy. I never warned anyone in the Navy about that mission; I really would have.”

Doflamingo knew this clarification wasn’t necessary for the sake of the story, but it was simply a way to emphasize that, deep down, her relationship with the Donquixote family had mattered to her back then.

“I found him, but when I caught up to him, we got into a fight. It was going pretty well—after all, I did take him out in the end—but I was struck in the stomach. It was something of a color I can’t describe, both physically and mentally.”

The younger woman began to rock gently in her chair, more absorbed in the memory than in the conversation itself.

“Back then, my Armament Haki wasn’t at its best yet; I couldn’t sustain it for very long, and I made the mistake of focusing only on my legs and arms for the offense... So when that kick came, it was a nightmare. I had to force myself to fight because I wasn’t in a state to walk away; in my head, there was just this giant red alarm pulsing. It wasn’t a perfect job, and when the adrenaline wore off, I could feel all that pain; my body couldn’t hold up anymore, and I collapsed to the ground. I tried to drag myself away, but I couldn’t manage it."

She felt her voice gradually grow shrill and hoarse as the story unfolded. Doflamingo could truly picture her; he could actually see her right before his eyes. She longed so deeply to have that man in her grasp, even though he was dead.

Rosinante stopped rocking in her chair and gripped the table tightly, her knuckles turning white. By now she seemed to be talking to herself, as if that memory simply needed to come out one more time to lighten the enormous weight on her heart.

“It was on the ground that I realized the blood soaking my pants… How much there was… and what it meant.”

He watched her curl up in the chair as her nails tried to dig into the solid wood, leaving marks. He just stood there watching. He was unable to do or say anything. Unable. He hated being that way, but in that session he’d been that way too many times already, he reflected as he clenched his teeth so hard it hurt.

“So I found myself having to crawl, damn it, because I couldn’t get up. And I saw people passing by and ignoring me… Like… Like when… Like…”

He heard the anger fill the now-slightly-too-loud voice of the woman in front of him.

“Like when we were kids.”

He dared to finish the sentence in a bitter whisper, filled with that same rage.

“I don’t know how long it took me to find a doctor, partly crawling and partly desperately trying to walk by holding onto the walls. It was an absurd pain, probably fueled by panic and terror. When I finally got there, at least I managed to get a quick examination… I was told that if I’d arrived right away, they could have saved him.”

He saw her eyes well up with tears that never fell; her nails dug so deeply into the hard material that one broke and bled slightly. Definitely an open wound… Probably one that would never heal. That pain could have been another weapon, but he had no desire to wield it. He felt his hand reaching out toward hers… But her pride quickly held her back.

“I don’t remember all the procedures they performed… I was… Dazed by reality, lost. It’s all a blur; I only remember something about how if I’d arrived sooner, they might have been able to do something. If I hadn’t been alone… or if even just a passerby had helped me… Instead, I was… Too late to save my son.”

Once again, tears did not stream down Rosinante’s cheeks—probably the last spark of pride telling her not to humiliate herself in front of him—but she had to lift her head slightly to fight them back. Her nails were still dug into the wood. She felt the urge to take her hand again; this time she forced herself to act on it, grasping her hand with her broken fingernail. She felt her pull back slightly, but never completely. She looked at him, confused, but said nothing. Doflamingo gently stroked the back of her hand, avoiding her gaze because his pride was twisting painfully in his soul.

"Go on."

His voice clashed with his gesture; it sounded cold and still a little intimidating. He saw his sister roll her eyes but continue.

“After that, it was like I’d been emptied out… I didn’t know how to tell Katakuri and the rest of the family.”

Doflamingo wrinkled his nose, knowing that by “family” she didn’t mean the Donquixote pirates.

“I can’t say exactly what came over me; I just felt a suffocating emptiness. I couldn’t bring myself to tell Katakuri right away. When I got back, I had this constant buzzing in my head that drowned out voices and emotions. Honestly, for a while I just went along with the Navy’s plan—not because I really wanted to… but because it was ‘easy to do’ and it kept my mind off things. I mean, easy in a way—maybe more mechanical than easy. I wrote a lot of letters to Katakuri… I burned most of them. I mean, I didn’t know how to tell my husband that the child we’d tried so hard to have… Well, he was gone. When I sent the final one, I hoped it would never arrive… I just wanted to remain frozen in time and keep following those orders I didn’t care about at all.”

"How did you end up leaving the Navy, if you did so before Law, I mean?"

Rosinante instinctively clenched her fist as another memory came flooding back.

"After Bellemere’s death... Someone very close to me... They told me during one of our usual communications, as if nothing had happened. That woman was strong, and the idea that no one had helped her, leaving her behind like that, broke me even more. I just decided I wanted to give it all up... I was planning my return to Tottoland; I wanted it to be permanent even though I’d been avoiding everyone’s calls for months… really, everyone’s, because I just couldn’t handle it… And then Law showed up with all his problems, and I grew attached to him, prolonging my stay until I ran off to help him.”

She rocked back and forth a little in her chair, but Doflamingo didn’t let go of her hand. He knew himself; he wouldn’t have found the courage to do more if his feelings were sincere, so he squeezed that hand, trying to put into it everything his mind prevented him from doing and his pride prevented him from saying and showing.

"It was just before I arrived at Minion Island. It was one of the most distant conversations I’ve ever had with Katakuri. I… he bombarded me with questions about the letter I’d sent and his reply, to which I’d never responded… I admit I didn’t read it at the time… I kept it sealed away. Anyway… I didn’t say much; I mentioned Law and what I was about to do, asking for help from my husband… From my family… well, actually, they arrived just in time to save me… I had definitely miscalculated the timing.”

She lowered her gaze; the tears seemed to have dissipated without falling, but the tension hadn’t gone away.

"Well... Getting back on track was hard... On the ship, I shared a cabin with Katakuri, but at home we didn’t talk, and for a while I slept on the couch."

"He made you sleep on the couch? Seriously? What a jerk."

"No, Doffy... He didn’t do that; he didn’t even want me to do it... It was my choice because I couldn’t break out of my shell; getting back to communicating was a gradual process... We both had to open up about that loss and how much the distance had hurt us... We actually had to go to therapy together, and I also went on my own. I had to rebuild some of the bonds with all of them because by shutting myself off like that and isolating myself, I had hurt them... And yet I found them all there waiting for me and listening to me, even though in some ways I was totally in the wrong."

Rosinante finally met her brother’s gaze.

“Satisfied?”

“One more question.”

“Okay.”

“How did you handle things with Mango?”

Rosinante ran her free hand through her hair so absentmindedly that it fell into strange positions.

“Right after I got home, I actually started taking the birth control pill. Even though I’d never taken it before, I was terrified at the idea of having another child for fear of losing it again… About a year and a half later, I stopped after several discussions with Katakuri… More like reassurances than debates, and after another six months or so, we started actively trying to have a child again... It took two years before we succeeded... I became hyper-vigilant and protective, actually... I was terrified... And in the end, that little piece of hell that I love so much arrived."

Rosinante grabbed the now-signed papers and stared at him.

“Are you sure this is your final decision?”

Doflamingo nodded without regret, and she stood up, slowly releasing his hand without any sudden jerks, and headed toward the door, placing the same unlit cigarette between her lips as always.

“Well, I’ve got a lot to organize. Try to keep your demons on a leash, okay?”

“Okay, okay, little sister.”

He remained seated, watching her open the doors.

“I’ll send someone over with copies of the documents.”

The man adjusted his glasses, eyeing her.

“And are you scared this time?”

She paused for a moment, her back to him, then walked away calmly, glancing back over her shoulder.

“Yes, but rationally.”

And she walked away, ready to get back to work.