The
Darkest
Side
Of
The
Moon
BOOK 2
DOFLAMINGO
CHAPTER 1
THE DARKNESS COMES
Mama lay tiredly on the bed holding a small blond baby in her hands. He was the tiniest creature I had ever seen. She told me it was my brother.
''Doffy, meet Rocy'', she smiled at me.
''Rocy?'', I repeated after her amazed.
''Donquioxte Rocinante, he is your little brother Doffy'', she smiled.
My little brother. I stared at the small bundle within her hands. He seemed to be sleeping but he shifted suddenly, opened his mouth and began to cry.
''Why is he making that noise-eh?'', I asked mother surprised but she just laughed lightly.
''Little Rocy is crying now Doffy because he's upset'', she smiled at me.
''Then we should cheer him up-eh'', I said immediately.
''You're perfectly right'', Father said coming behind me ruffling my hair.
My Father, our father, Donquioxte Homing. He smiled at mother and the new baby.
''Listen now Doffy'', he told me. ''You're Rocinante's big brother so you have to protect him''.
I have to protect him.
''Because Rocinante is a precious member of your family and family is a man's most treasured jewel'', Father smiled.
Rocinante shifted once again in his sleep and opened his small eyes to stare at me. I stared right back and his mouth opened in a wide smile. I cocked my head at how wonderful that smile looked to me. I have to protect Rocinante. I grinned at my father finally getting what he meant.
''Yes sir'', I beamed.
I was born in Mariejois as a celestial dragon. A descendant of one of the royal familes that formed the World Government. As such my family lived in a big house, had lots of slaves and dressed all in white. The celestial dragons were a cruel race who treated anyone who wasn't a celestial dragon lower than the fungi that grew on the walls. The hatred for other races was so great that whenever one of us left the holy country we were required to wear a mask so as not to breathe the same air as filth. People were killed or dismembered on a whim and none could challenge us, not even the government, for we were a race born akin to the gods. My father, however, was very unlike the other celestial dragons. We had few slaves and never disciplined them excessively, nor did he ever resort to unnecessary violence. I had no qualms with my father's odd behaviour neither did I challenge it for he was my family. Father, mother and Rocy were important members of my precious family.
However, when I was eight years old, Father chose to cease being a World Noble and live a normal, but still somewhat well-off life as a normal human. The other celestials were shocked and insulted our family but father had made up his mind.
We moved to an unknown northern country to a new home. It wasn't as big as our old place but it was what normal humans considered mansions. We came along with all our money and some of our belongings but father quickly switched our usual clothes for commoner rags. I was horrified by the new apparel and complained if I had to wear this I would smell. I couldn't understand how or why we'd left such a wonderful place to live in a hovel! Where were all the slaves and the servants? Father tried to reassure me that this was the right decision.
''We'll lead a life far richer than the life in Mariejois. What I mean by rich is not having so many things. It's about heart'', he said.
I didn't understand what father was trying to say, and I never got a chance to.
The next day father took me to the market to purchase items we would need for living. I was rather annoyed that they would not bow as we approached. Father was more than happy to meet and befriend the villagers. But my father, unfortunately, was naïve. The villagers did not recognise him and he explained we'd just moved in recently from Mariejois. They immediately suspected us of being celestial dragons which my father confirmed. He also explained we had renounced the title but I fear they had stopped listening at that point. All they knew was that we were a part of the race that always abused their human rights. They hated us, resented us. All they knew is that we were scape goats who had to pay.
They burned down our mansion forcing us to flee deep into the forest while it rained heavily I was the eight year old child of a race descended from the gods, I could not understand why we were being hunted down like wild dogs. We hid in a shack tired, hungry and cold. Why was this happening to us? Why was Rocinante crying? Where in my life had things gone wrong?
They found us the next day and chased us once again till both parties were drained. I ended up digging through trash with my brother to find food for our frail mother. I urged Rocy to eat quickly before they came after us again. In desperation I stooped as low as to steal bread but the villagers caught us and beat us mercilessly with logs. For the first time in my life I was bleeding. Father found a transponder snail and managed to contact the celestial dragons, begging them to save us.
''Please'', he begged. ''I'll do anything. Just my wife and children are fine. Would you let them go back to Mariejois?''.
''That was your choice-eh. You can't take back something you gave up don't ever call me again you are no more than a human'', was the reply before the call was cut off.
Not long after our mother got sick. We had no way of contacting any doctor that would assist us. Rocy and I tried our best to cheer her up, especially Rocy. He was just six and he loved our mother, we both loved her so much. The strain of being on the run finally caught up to her. In my presence at eight years old, my mother……..died. Rocinante's crying was the only sound in the shack that day.
Eventually, the angry citizens tracked down our shack and attacked. We were lynched and severely beaten. A bonfire was lit under a tall building which they strung us to using ropes, then they each took turns cursing us, pelting us with stones, shooting arrows at us and throwing anything that would fly that far while they told us their disgusting pitiful life stories. Pain. In just a few days my life that was akin to paradise was head deep in pain. Our tears won us more stones and no mercy at all. They spared not even Rocy. A normal child would have broken under such torture. A normal child, like little innocent Rocy, would beg for forgiveness for a crime he never got the chance to commit. I was no normal child. I was a celestial dragon and my blood boiled with rage. I gritted my teeth that day and swore to kill them. I swore that I would come back and kill them all!
We somehow managed to survive the lynching as I unlocked the ability use Haki (Using raw will power as a weapon) at such a young age. At some point I met Vergo, Trebol, Pica and Diamante. Impressed by my Haki, Trebol believed I was chosen by heaven to rule a great empire and he gave to me the Ito Ito no mi (String String devil fruit) and a pistol. He told me to exact revenge on whoever it was I wanted to kill. Who would I take revenge on? I hated the people who had hurt us, I hated the people who dared look down on us but more than them all I hated my father, Donquioxte Homing! Because of him Mama had died. Because of him we lost everything. I thought a man was supposed to protect his precious family, the only thing he managed to do was ruin our lives. I took the pistol to my father and, at ten years of age, pointed a gun to his head. Rocinante cried and begged me not to do it but I had it with my pitiful excuse of a father.
''We can't undo what you've done now! I'm going back to the holy land by taking your head!'', I screamed.
Our father was silent and he held Rocy in his arms, then he smiled.
''Doflamingo. Rocinante.'', he said. ''I'm sorry that you had to have….a father like me''.
Father.
My lip quivered in sorrow then my rage overflowed. Father, I'm sorry too. But I forgive you now.
Thinking those words, I shot him and watched his body fall. For the first time, I was the cause of Rocy's ceaseless tears.
