Parenthood
Title: Parenthood
Rating: T
Fandom: One Piece
Summary: Corazon was supposed to keep kids away from the Donquixote Pirates, not take them in. But when he finds an abandoned baby that's less than a year old, he couldn't just leave him there. Thus began his role as a parent.
Chapter 1: Adopted
It had been a whole year since he had first infiltrated his older brother's crew, receiving the codename Corazon after his predecessor, Vergo, was sent on a secret mission. Despite being the captain's younger brother, Doflamingo refused to tell Corazon about the mission he sent Vergo on.
Now here he was, wandering the streets of a small town on an island the Donquixote Pirates had stopped by. The ship needed to restock on supplies and the log pose needed to reset to the next island, which would take a few days. As he decided to stop by an alley to lean against the wall to smoke, he heard a soft cry. Corazon paused, the flame of his lighter not even having touched his cigarette yet.
'I must be hearing things,' Corazon thought but he heard the sound once more, this time a bit louder. 'Where is that sound coming from and what's making it?'
He heard the cry once more and pinpointed the source as a dumpster. Curious, Corazon looked inside. Of course he saw a large amount of trash consisting of old newspapers, foods that were half-eaten or rotten, plastic bags, an abandoned baby…'Wait,' Corazon turned back to what he had just seen. 'An abandoned baby!?'
The infant was wrapped poorly in old worn out cloths. He was covered in dirt and trash, squirming around in uncomfortableness. Corazon carefully removed most of the trash and picked the boy up. 'I…I can't bring him back to the ship. I'm supposed to keep kids away from the crew so they don't join. But…I can't just leave him here or he'll die!'
"Wah…" The weakness of the baby's cry tore Corazon's heart in two.
XXX
Corazon was the first to return to the ship. Jora had stayed back to take care of Dellinger and was surprised to see Corazon. "You're back early," Corazon walked over to her and motioned to the child in his arms. Once Jora caught sight of how bad the condition was, she gasped in shocked. "What happened to this poor boy!?"
Corazon held up a note he had prepared before coming back. "Abandoned in a dumpster,"
"I'll clean him up and get him clean clothes right away!" Jora said, taking the boy from him. "You keep watch of Dellinger—and no you cannot hit him!"
XXX
The rest of the crew returned to the ship and heard a cry. Jora was frantically preparing a bottle of milk. Dellinger was seated in his high chair but he wasn't the one crying. "Jora, do we have another baby?" Doflamingo asked.
"Corazon brought back a kid," Jora answered, mixing the formula with the water and shaking it up. That's when the crying stopped. "Corazon's the only one with him! He better not have dropped the child!"
Jora picked up Dellinger and the bottle, heading to the living room. Corazon was gently cradling the infant, slowly rocking him back and forth. But that wasn't the most shocking part; the Donquixote Pirates noticed that Corazon was singing.
Hush little baby don't say a word,
Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
Although he sung the lullaby softly, they all heard him clearly.
And if that diamond ring is brass,
Daddy's gonna buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Daddy's gonna buy you a billy goat.
The baby in his arms was slowly closing his eyes, being lulled to sleep.
And if that billy goat won't pull,
Daddy's gonna buy you a cart and bull.
And if that cart and bull turn over,
Daddy's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.
The baby was now fully asleep, but Corazon finished the lullaby.
And if that dog named Rover won't bark,
Daddy's gonna buy you a horse and cart.
And if that horse and cart falls down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.
Corazon then noticed the stares from the other. He stood up, carefully walking over to Jora and held the baby out to her. Jora handed Dellinger to Gladius before taking the other boy. The baby immediately woke up and began to thrash around, crying loudly despite his malnutrition. Jora tried to get the baby to drink from the bottle, but the baby refused. "Come on," Jora urged. "You need to drink or you'll still be hungry!"
"Why not let Corazon feed him?" Doflamingo suggested.
Corazon raised a brow at his brother. "What?"
"Corazon, we know you can talk," Doflamingo told him. "Also, that baby stopped crying when you sang to him,"
Corazon took the baby back and the baby's cries died down. He then held the bottle of milk to his mouth and the baby drank hungrily. Corazon cleared his throat before speaking. "Uh…what do I do now?"
"I'll tuck him into one of the spare cribs we have," Once Jora took hold of the boy, he began to cry again.
"Wah!"
"Why won't he stop crying?" Jora tried to rock the boy but he continued to thrash to get out of her hold. "Come on, I won't hurt you,"
"I'm gonna go to my room," Corazon started to leave.
As Corazon got farther, the baby cried louder. "UWAH!"
"Corazon, come over here," Doflamingo ordered.
Corazon walked over to his brother. "What?"
Doflamingo took the baby and handed him to Corazon. The baby sniffled and clung tightly onto Corazon's shirt, glaring at the others. "Congratulations little brother!" Doflamingo grinned. "You're a dad now!"
'…What?'
Give me some prompts that you want Papa Cora and Baby Law to experience! Some examples are:
-Baby Law gets sick.
-Corazon loses Law on a trip to town, causing him to panic.
Why am I starting new stories even though I haven't finished many?
It gives me another story to focus on when I need a break from others. If I keep focusing on one story too long, I will lose motivation quicker.
Baby Law and Dellinger will most likely have a brotherly relationship in this story.