Aldonza sighed as she continued to absentmindedly slice the large pile of limes before her. Every now and then her eyes would wander down to the barely visible scar on her thumb and she would sigh again, wondering where in the world that guy was now, not that it really mattered. He probably doesn't even remember who she was, there were so many people out there in the world, so many girls much more interesting than her, but him, he was one in a million. Ever since the day he left, she found that he had somehow ingrained himself into her brain, and that no matter what she did, she could not help but find herself obsessing over him.
How long had it been since Gol D. Roger's execution? A year? Possibly a little more. The world was certainly an interesting place now, the peace and order the Pirate King had provided was now shattered. More and more pirates started popping up everywhere, bringing with them pain and destruction, not to mention the reckless Marines who ruthlessly pursued them, not caring about who they hurt in the name of justice.
She remembered what it was like in those early days following the execution. When the Marines came through and tried to purge the world of everyone and everything associated with Gol D. Roger. They indiscriminately slaughtered innocent women and children, punishing them for the crime of simply knowing that man. It was then that she realized how corrupt the Marines really were, that they were not harbingers of justice, but mindless puppets used by the World Government for their own agenda and twisted version of justice.
She was grateful that her mother had left the island before they came through, and hoped that she was doing well. Her latest correspondence was promising, she had found her father, which was good, but now they were in hiding. Perhaps one day she would find her way out into the world and go see them, but for now she was happy remaining here on El Toboso and running the little tavern, hearing news of the world..
With a loud bang, the door of the tavern suddenly burst open, pulling her from her thoughts, as a young deckhand came running in.
"Aldonza-dono!" He exclaimed breathlessly. "It's here."
Dropping the knife a wave of excitement coursed through her, and in a flash she leapt over the bar and crossed the room, abandoning the limes. Pushing a small coin into the boy's hand she flashed him a bright smile before taking off out the door and down the street. As she ran, she pulled the ribbon out of her hair, letting it loose as she ran her fingers through it primping herself. Suddenly, she skidded to a stop shortly before rounding the corner toward the pier as the realization of what she was doing dawned upon her.
Raking her fingers through her hair one last time she pulled her hair behind her, twisting it before pulling it over her right shoulder. Why was she primping herself in the hopes of attracting that guy anyway? Why was she so desperate to see some guy she had known for three days, over year ago? Why did she even care? Lastly, why in the world did she just pay someone to tell her when his ship was coming to port?
Letting out an exasperated sigh she slowly she turned the corner, looking up she watched as the figures on that magnificent flamingo moved about, making their way down that impossibly long gangplank. She honestly had half a mind to turn around and go back to the tavern, but the little voice inside her head urged her keep moving.
"Arg!" She growled as she ducked into the closest store to her, biding herself some time while she attempted to sort out her thoughts. It was absolutely ridiculous. This desire to see him again, what was she even going to say? "Hi remember me? The girl who thwarted all your advances the last time we met… let's fuck." She growled again as she slumped against the wall, images of him fluttering back into her mind. He was so beautiful, so intoxicating, and oh how she wished she had just given in, back then. Shaking her head she tried to dispel his image from her mind, but knowing he was so close made her heart race, and so she instead turned around and began to bang her head against the wall, much to the dismay of the storekeeper.
"Oi, Aldonza-chan, what are you doing?" The old storekeeper asked, coming up next to her.
Ignoring him she continued hitting her head against the wall, the momentary pain relieving her slightly of her current distress.
"Fuffuffuffuffu, yes, Aldonza-chan, what are you doing?"
All the hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she heard his voice, and before she had a chance to react she could feel the warmth of his breath against her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
Violently she spun around, stumbling backwards and slamming into the wall in a feeble attempt to create some space between them. "M-m-mister Donquixote…" She gasped, staring up at that beautiful face of his. Her heart hammered in her chest and a warmth spread within her, and she could not help but feel like she was staring into the sun.
"Aldonza-chan." He said, grinning down at her. "It's been a while."
"Y-yes… it has, Mister Donquixote." She managed to get out, dropping her gazed down to her shoes, suddenly overwhelmed by the brilliance that was him.
"Why so suddenly shy, Aldonza-chan?" He asked, brushing some hair out of her face as he lifted her chin so he could see her face again.
A deep blush crossed her face as his fingers gently brushed against her face, sending a current of electricity all over her body. "I… I just wasn't expecting you…" She stammered, averting her gaze.
"Oh?" He asked, amusement lacing his voice. "Is that right? Because if I'm not mistaken you noticed us just before you came in here."
She pursed her lips and huffed at him. "You must have been mistaken, Mister Donquixote."
"Hmmm, is that so?" he mused, a knowing smile plastered on his face. "Well then... I do believe there were some hills you still needed to show me."
She let out a chuckle, his words pulling her out of her nervous stupor and she found herself falling back into her usual self. "Are we still on that pretense?" She asked, pushing him back slightly so she could removed herself from the spot he had cornered her into. "If I recall correctly, you were the one who was so enthralled with these so-called hills."
Stepping back, he flashed her a playful grin before holding open the door for her. "Technicalities my dear, technicalities."
Shaking her head she stepped out of the little shop and waited for him to follow her out. She couldn't explain it, but there was something so undeniable about him, something so inexplicably familiar and comforting, like a large pink, fluffy, lovey. Never in a million years would she have ever thought that a guy like that could make her feel so at home.
As they started to make their way from the little shop, Aldonza could not help but notice the tenseness in the air, and how the crowds along the streets were parted. She frowned as this could mean one and only one thing, a Celestial Dragon was passing through. Looking toward the ports her suspicions were confirmed, but before she could bow as he passed, she felt a strong hand come down around her upper arm, holding her in place.
"Don't bow." Doflamingo said roughly, through gritted teeth, that permanent smile on his face wavering ever so slightly.
"What?" She asked in confusion as she glanced up at him, surprised by the agitation written on his face.
"Don't bow." He repeated.
"But… he's a Celestial Dragon…" She whisper loudly to him, "If we don't bow…"
"I said, don't bow."
She stood horrified as the Celestial Dragon turned toward them, a look of indignation plastered on his face as he glared at them. Aldonza could feel the grip on her arm tighten as Doflamingo visibly tensed, but refused to back down. The smile on his face turning sinister as he locked eyes with the World Noble, and a glint of recognition passed through the Celestial Dragon's eyes. She held her breath as his glare intensified, but he made no move to further reprimand the two of them, instead he turned to walked away. As he walked off, Aldonza let out the breath she had been holding, and could have sworn she saw mouth, Donquixote Doflamingo.
They continued to stand there in stone silence, even long after the Celestial Dragon had passed. As the crowds around them slowly dispersed, she could still feel that grip he had on her arm. "M-mister Donquixote…" She stammered, trying to pull her arm free, as the pain intensified. "Please… Mister Donquixote… you're hurting me."
He didn't seem to hear her, as he continued to stared off into the distance, a tightness still set in his jaw.
"Mister Donquixote!" She exclaimed again, still attempting to squirm out of his grasp. "GODMAN IT DOFFY, RELEASE ME!"
At the exclamation of his diminutive name, he snapped out of his daze and glanced down at her, relaxing the hold he had on her arm. "I'm sorry… Aldonza-chan." He said absently as he gazed back toward the direction the Celestial Dragon had gone off in. "I just wasn't expecting... that… to think a Tenryūbito, here…"
"It's really not that uncommon." She replied rubbing her arm. "Although we are a relatively small island, we are at the crossroads of three major currents here in the North Blue. All sorts of people pass through here…" Glancing up at him again she noticed that a slight scowl was still evident in his smile. "Are you okay?"
Focusing his attention back to her, he gave her a forced smile. "I'm fine." He replied, though she could see through his lie. "Let's get out of here."
Nodding, she silently lead him back to the tavern, a frown settling on her face when she noticed the pile of half cut limes she had left abandoned on the counter. "Shit, I forgot about those…" She mumbled softly to herself as she made her way behind the bar, gesturing for him to take a seat as she pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses.
Noticing the limes, he momentarily forgot about the Celestial Dragon who just passed by, as he recalled the last time he was in that tavern. "In a hurry to go somewhere?" He asked teasingly, the fact that she had rushed out of the bar to meet his ship was not lost to him.
She shot him a glare and popped the cork off the wine and poured out the glasses. "Oh shut it, you." She retorted playfully, shoving a glass into his hands before resuming the task of cutting the limes.
He grinned into his glass before tossing it back, draining the whole glass in one long draught. Settling down, his previous agitation returned. He hated it, that feeling twisting inside of him, eating away at his soul. Oh how he hated them, those Celestial Dragons, entitled bastards who believed they were better than the rest of the world, but oh how he hated those imbeciles who feared and revered them even more. They were the cause of all his pain and torment, they were the reasons why he had to endure that horrible nightmare, they were the ones who stole from him his innocence.
Aldonza watched as he grabbed the bottle, drinking from it directly as he tried to drown his discomfort with the alcohol. She couldn't blame him, although she knew not what he was running from, she could tell his was upset, and she could only guess it had something to do with that Celestial Dragon. Finishing up with the limes, she tossed them into a couple of jars and sealed them before drinking her own glass of wine, pulling out a new bottle as he set down the now empty one.
"So, tell me, Mister Donquixote," She said, pulling the cork out of the bottle. "What have you been up to this past year? How was the East Blue?"
He smiled at her as he took the fresh glass of wine from her hands, a real, genuine smile, not one of those smiles that he always gave to the world. Her presence soothed his soul, calmed that storm raging inside of him, and it delighted him that she had purposely glossed over his obvious distress and moved onto a more pleasant topic. "The East Blue is overrated." He replied, taking a drink. "The people there are too passive, they need a little more passion. I'm glad to be back here in the North Blue."
She returned his smile as she slowly drank her wine, listening to the tales of his travels, and refilling his glass whenever it got too low. He had drawn her to him, pulling her into his orbit, and the more she drank, the more she realized that she could no longer resist him.