a/n: Because I fell in love with my character, Dulcinea, I decided to do a follow up fic for her. This takes place during those ten years she spent in Dressrosa, and picks up right after she gets there (so right after chapter three of Dulcinea of El Toboso) Each chapter should suffice as a stand alone one-shot, but it would help if you've already read Dulcinea of El Toboso, that way you get a better understanding of her and her mother. :) Hope you enjoy this since you know, evidently we need more Doffy love in our lives.


Dulcinea followed close after her father, clutching the straps of the large pack on her back tightly. The battle at the colosseum was over, and her father and his executives were making their way through the underground tunnel connecting the colosseum to the palace. Every now and then he would turn toward her and flash her a reassuring smile as they continued to walk.

"El Toboso huh?" The extremely tall man, Diamante, asked her suddenly, as they passed through the threshold into the palace.

She nodded, "Yea… it's nothing compared to this place though."

"Uhahahahaha, no, it really isn't… but that wine…"

"Oh right! The wine!" She suddenly exclaimed, stopping.

"What about the wine?" Doflamingo asked as he too stopped and glanced down at her, his interest piqued.

"Mama had them put a few cases onto the ship… I have forgotten all about it... considering..." Her voice trailed and her eyes dropped to the ground.

Dropping down to a squat Doflamingo gently pat the girl on the head. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, knowing your mother, I'm sure she had them arranged to bring it over to the palace from the docks, come now, sweetheart" He said, picking her up, "It's time to meet the rest of the family."

Dulcinea smiled nervously as they entered a large drawing room, and the strangest assortment of people stared back at them. Putting her down next to him, Doflamingo took the pack from her and handed it to a servant girl, giving her a series of orders before turning his attention toward his family.

"Oh, the Young Master brought us a new child to play with!~" An older woman, with red and yellow hair who was sitting by a table in front of a window, said as she looked over at them and smiled brightly at Dulcinea.

"Fuffuffuffuffu," Doflamingo laughed, placing a hand on Dulcinea's head. "Not just any child, but a very special child."

"I'm not sharing my room." A young girl with aquamarine hair stated defiantly, popping a grape in her mouth.

"It's okay!~ She can share my room!~" A little boy with a white cap and horns exclaimed spinning in a circle, before running up to her smiling brightly in her face. "She has such pretty hair, so… purple!~ Kya, Jora-kaasan, can I dye my hair purple!?~

"Of course you can my little Delly-bean." The older woman, Jora, cooed.

Doflamingo let out a chuckle as he made his way deeper into the room. "Oh there'll be no need for that, my little Sugar, Dell." He said with a smile, rustling the little girl's hair as he walked by her, settling down on the empty couch in the middle of the room, gesturing for Dulcinea to come take a seat next to him. "I've decided that she'll be staying in the Heart Suite."

"WHAT!?" Most of the room exclaimed in unison, causing Dulcinea to jump a little and pick up her pace, garnering another laugh from him.

"What can I say," He said with a smirk, as his arm dropped down across the her shoulders. "She captured my heart."

"Oh… OH!" Jora exclaimed, clasping her hands excitedly as she got up from the table and drew closer to them. "I see it now!~"

"Eh? What are you talking about Jora?" A large man with long blonde hair and a tail, asked from the far side of the room.

Jora turned toward him, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Ah, Machvise, the little darling looks just like her mother."

"Fafafafafafa," Came a laugh from the old man in spandex, who was seated at the table Jora was previously sitting at. "That she does. It would also explain those cases of Déesse wine that was delivered earlier."

"What are you guys talking about?" A pretty teenaged girl with a red bow in her dark hair asked, looking between the three adults.

"Yea, what's going on?" The large young man next to her asked, equally confused.

"Oh, of course!~ You kids wouldn't know!~" Jora exclaimed, waving her hand at them. "She was before your time…"

"Who was before our time?" The girl asked again, interest bubbling in her eyes.

"Aldonza." Came Doflamingo's reply, and Dulcinea could feel him tense up as her mother's name passed through his lips, the smile on his face tightening. She looked from him to the others in the room, the older members of the group simply smiled knowingly, and she could only assume that they had all known her mother in the past. The others, the younger ones, still looked as confused as ever, and her mother's name clearly meant nothing to them. Except one, the dark haired woman in a polka dot dress, who was sitting off on the side by herself. She had clearly startled when she heard the name, but there was no recognition in her eyes.

"Ne, ne, Doffy, and you are sure she's yours?" The large slimy man who had been with them back at the colosseum asked, gliding his way over, stopping only when he was mere inches from her father's face.

Doflamingo's aura turned deadly and the smile on his face faded altogether. He didn't say a word, but his thoughts could be heard clearly by everyone inside that room, "Even if it's you, Trebol, I will rip you apart limb by limb if you dare insinuate that she had EVER known a man other than me again."

"Behehehehe, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" The slimy man said with a laugh, backing up a little, clearly frazzled. "Ne, Doffy, I just wanted to be sure."

"Be sure of this, Trebol," Doflamingo spat, the vein between his brows throbbing with anger. "If you ever question her parentage again, I will personally string you out the fourth floor balcony and set you on fire."

Sugar snickered at the thought, earning a jab to her side by the green haired woman next to her.

"So darling," Jora, said settling down next to her, brushing a strand of hair out of Dulcinea's face. "Tell me, where is your mother? She was always so nice and fond of my artwork."

Dulcinea looked from the eccentric woman to her father, a sadness crossing over her eyes as she dropped her head. "Mama…" she started softly, trying to contain the surge of emotions running rampant inside of her.

Letting out a sigh, Doflamingo glanced over at Jora, an unreadable smile filtering across his lips. "... is gone." He finished for Dulcinea, in a tone that indicated that the discussion was over.

Understanding his meaning, Jora offered him an apologetic smile as she got up, giving Dulcinea a pat on the head before returning to the little table she was sitting at before. The air in the room became uncomfortably stiff and an awkward silence blanketed them. No one was quite sure what to say, and the expression on Doflamingo's face unnerved everyone.

"Soooooo… what's your name? Where're you from?" The little boy with round eyes and sandy blonde hair asked, breaking the silence as he climbed up onto the couch next to her. "I'm Dellinger, and I'm a half fighting fishman!~ Wanna see?"

"I'm Dulcinea… of El Toboso." She said turning toward him, "You're a half fighting fishman!? That's so cool!"

"Yea!~" Dellinger squealed. "Look!" He said as the dorsal fin emerged from his back and his teeth grew razor sharp.

Doflamingo watched the two children interact, a small smile crossing his lips as Dulcinea wiggled out of his arm to touch Dellinger's fin, giggling in delight. Her smile disarmed him, and for the first time in nine years he felt those demons twisting inside of him subside and that darkness in his heart dissipate as his soul was set free. In that moment, he decided that he would do everything within his power to protect that smile, so he would never have to see it waver.