The New World - One month before the fall of Dressrosa.

It was about a month or so before the family was to take Dressrosa, but plans were already well underway. The family had been training the children even harder, making their own preparations, and studying maps of the island. Monet had been playing her part perfectly, supplying the family with steady intelligence.

It was a perfectly normal morning, Jora and Dellinger doing the dishes together before morning training was to commence.

"Jora, can Applesauce come with me to Dressrosa?"

"Hmmm? Oh yes, of course dear. I'll pack her in your backpack with a snack."

"Are we going to see Fighting Fish?" gushed Dellinger.

"Ohohohoho! All the Fighting Fish you could ever dream of-zamasu!"

Dellinger raised his head. Something smelled . . . interesting. He turned as he heard footsteps coming down the galley stairs. Baby 5 all but tiptoed in, head bowed and rubbing her arms.

"Um….Jora?" she whispered.

"Hmm? What, child? Speak up-zamasu!" said Jora, turning away from the sink and drying her hands.

"Jora, I need to talk to you," said Baby 5, her voice barely a whisper.

"What, dear?"

"Alone."

Baby 5 glanced furtively at Dellinger, who was perturbed as to what could upset his sister so much, and likewise wondering what smelled so good.

Jora knew something was amiss. "That's quite fine, dear. We'll go to my room. Run along, Dell."

"Aww, but Jora!" whined Dellinger.

"Oh hush," said Jora, as she led Baby 5 out of the galley. "Go show up early for Gladius, he'll be pleased-zamasu."

Dellinger pouted and went to go find Gladius.

He and Gladius had been practicing with a large dummy that Dellinger was supposed to use to practice charging and impaling. The problem was that the dummy was the size of a grown person, and Dellinger was barely three feet tall.

"You're early," said Gladius dryly, as he finished stitching a new patch over one of Dellinger's previous horn marks. "Alright, where do you aim?"

"The chest," said Dellinger, looking over his shoulder to see if Baby 5 was anywhere in sight.

"And where do you bite?" said Gladius.

"The throat," said Dellinger, bored. "But I can't jump that high."

"And that's why we practice," said Gladius, positioning the dummy. "And wear tall shoes."

To compensate for Dellinger's lack of height, Jora had bought him a pair of purple shoes with wedges. Dellinger adored them and insisted on wearing them all the time.

"Isn't it better to just go for the stomach?" asked Dell, twirling on the spot. "I mean, I can reach the stomach. If I hit the other spots they'll just fall over right away. It's over really fast. It's boring."

"That's what we're going for here," said Gladius, rolling his eyes. "Over really fast. We get in. We get Dressrosa. No messing around."

"When I remodel the Coliseum there will be plenty of time for fun and games, Dell," chortled Diamante, swaggering over to observe. "But for now we want to be efficient."

"What's 'ficient'?"

"Fast."

"Oh, I'm really fast," said Dell, smirking and pleased to show off for Diamante. He brought his feet together and launched himself at the dummy, aiming for the chest. He came short and ended up goring the dummy's thigh.

"Pathetic," said Gladius, as Dellinger dislodged his horns. "Again."

Dell continued to practice for the next half hour, but was perturbed when neither Jora nor Baby 5 had reappeared on deck to join the rest of the crew.

"Gladius!" he whined. "I have to pee!"

Gladius groaned and waved him off dismissively, muttering about having to train children.

Dellinger trotted down the stairs to Jora's room, just in time to see Jora opening the door for Baby 5, who looked flushed, but slightly less distressed.

"It's a pity Monet is in Dressrosa, I'm sure she would have been more than happy to chat with you," Jora was saying, smiling and holding Baby 5's hands. "And, tonight at dinner there will be a glass of wine at your place at the table."

Baby 5's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Ohohoho yes indeed! You are a woman now-zamasu! Now run along, and if Pica gives you a hard time for being late, tell him he has to talk me-zamasu."

"Thank you Jora!" said Baby 5, hugging her. She turned and walked past Dellinger…and it wasn't until then that Dellinger noticed…

"Wow, Baby 5! You smell amazing!" he said. "Like, you smell…wow! You—"

"Dellinger," said Jora, warningly, her eyes flashing behind their spectacles. "Leave it."

Baby 5 made a repulsed little noise. "You're so gross and nosy, Dell!" she snapped, and hurried back up the stairs.

Dellinger stared after Baby 5. "What…," he began, confused.

"Oh, it's not your fault, child," Jora chortled, scooping Dellinger up. "Women, fishmen, we all have things that are natural to us that we can't control. I would just give Baby 5 a bit of space for the next few days."

"But I just wanted to tell her she smells good," said Dellinger.

Jora was trying not to laugh.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing Dellybean, nothing."

"Can I have wine with dinner?"

"Art-solutely not!"


The New World – The night of the fall of Dressrosa.

"Hello Dressrosa! I am a Fighting Fish!"

Dellinger was dancing and twirling across the ship railing.

"Dellinger, get down. You need to take a nap."

"Kyahaha! Swimming through the Green Bit! I – wahhh!"

Dellinger twirled dramatically and toppled off the ship railing and landed with the splash in the water below.

"Oh sweet Pollock, child," Jora muttered, as Dellinger hoisted himself back up onto the ship by the rope ladder and shook himself off.

"Kyahaha! Hello Dressrosa! I am –"

"Alright, enough-zamasu," said Jora, scooping up Dellinger. "It's nap time."

"But Jora!"

"We have a very busy night tonight! Young Master is counting on all of us to help him reclaim Dressrosa! You must rest and stop tiring yourself out. You won't be very helpful if you are asleep!"

"I won't be asleep," said Dellinger, folding his arms and pouting.

"You will be staying up well past your bedtime. Therefore you should get some sleep now so you're not tired when it's time for us to go meet Monet."

"I won't be tired."

"Jora, stop arguing with him," said Diamante. "Dell, do you remember what we did with you back on Minion Island?"

Dellinger shook his head.

"Machvise gave you gin, and then you fell asleep. And we left you in Jora's room with furniture piled against the door. Is that what you want?"

Sugar walked by and snorted loudly. Dell stuck his tongue out at her.

"I certainly won't have you two quarreling tonight either!" said Jora, pinching Dellinger's ear.

"That's right, I have a special job from Young Master himself!" said Sugar smirking at Dellinger.

"I do too!" snapped Dellinger.

"Right, looking stupid," sneered Sugar.

"Alright, it's nap time for both of you," said Jora, grabbing Sugar by the back of her coat.

"I don't need a nap!" shrieked Sugar, as Dellinger giggled. "I'm twelve! I hate you! You're fat! I hate your ugly art! Go die!"


"Wake up, Dell!" Jora whispered. "It's time!"

Dellinger blinked his huge eyes up at Jora and sat bolt upright.

"It's time? We're gonna go?!"

Jora smiled. "Monet just signaled us-zamasu," she said, holding up the den den mushi. "Young Master, Diamante, Trebol and Pica have already headed out. We'll follow them momentarily and head for the palace where Monet will be waiting for us."

"I'm so excited, Jora!" Dellinger gushed. "You said I could bring Applesauce, right?" He held out his stuffed shark.

"Of course," said Jora. "Stick her right in your backpack, and we'll be on our way!"


Dellinger could almost smell the blood in Dressrosa's streets even all the way out in Karta, just barely a town over. The huge flames licked the sky, casting long shadows as the family made their way to the King's Plateau. It made him feel light, tingly, and thirsty. The anticipation made him quiver as he jogged to keep up with the huge strides of his family members.

The ship was docked at Karta, while Doflamingo and Trebol, Pica and Diamante were taking care of business with the King in Sebio.

"What a terrible king, to do such a thing to his citizens," said Lao G, chuckling and shaking his head. "G! There's the G!"

Machvise smirked. "What a terrible king who would let his people live this way in such poverty-innn," he said. "Dressrosa will prosper now that Young Master has reclaimed it."

"Such people had no business taking the country from Young Master's family in the first place," said Jora, who was smoking. "Dressrosa has and always will be rightfully his."

Dellinger kept quiet. He was listening.

He felt special, it to be so young and yet able to do something so important for the people he cared about. He was only six, and he could make a difference for Young Master, and everyone in his family. The magnitude of the situation was not lost on his youthful mind. He beamed. Dressrosa meant a lot to the Young Master, and it was going to be special place for the whole family.

He hadn't seen a fighting fish yet and that was disappointing, but he wasn't about to open his mouth and say so.

A rush of cold pricked his arms with goosebumps.

The guards at the lift leading up to the great King's Plateau were collapsed and buried in piles of snow, their lips tinged purple with frostbite.

Dellinger watched Buffalo fly up to the top of the plateau with Baby 5 while the rest of them clambered into the lift. Sugar looked as though she might have wanted to say something nasty about being squished, but didn't. Dellinger held fast to Jora's leg.

As the lift rattled up and the doors opened, Buffalo touched down to the ground and Baby 5 slid smoothly off. The palace grounds were vast, dark and chilled with snow.

"Places everyone-zamasu!" cried Jora, her cigarette glowing in the dark night.

Dellinger was almost too excited to speak as he skipped along just steps ahead of Jora.

The vast palace grounds stretched up to the great wooden door of the palace, where a fresh blanket of snow covered the steps and entryway, the guards similarly frozen.

There stood Monet, who had bared the grand palace doors open to them, snow whipping about her dress. She clutched a young woman with black hair fast by the arms. Sugar actually smiled, and Monet beamed to see her sister leading the procession.

Baby 5 transformed her arm into a massive bazooka and fired into the entryway, the tower exploding in flames behind them as the family advanced.

"Pirates have invaded the East Tower!"

Baby 5 covered their rear with gunfire, to protect them from any guards who might try to overtake them from behind.

"I like the look of this place," said Senor Pink nonchalantly. "Not bad."

"A palace fitting for the Young Master," agreed Machvise, flexing broadly.

"Stop right there!"

"You're Doflamingo's people aren't you?"

The palace guards had swarmed, blocking their path further, their spears and swords raised.

"Unhand Lady Viola!"

"Looks like this place needs some cleaning," said Lao G, cracking his knuckles.

"We're in a bit of a hurry," chortled Jora, her fingertips gleaming with color.

Dellinger pressed his hands to his mouth, trembling with excitement.

Machvise launched himself into the air, crushing several soldiers under his bronze weight. Several swollen globes rise against the stony palace floor and burst, sending soldiers flying.

"What is this? A child?" demanded a soldier, his hand faltering on his sword. "You can't be one of Doflamingo's men."

Dell giggled.

He opened his mouth.

He didn't miss.


"See for yourself! The Age of Dressrosa under the house of Riku is over!" Doflamingo laughed, raising his sword to the fallen king's head. Dellinger looked on among the assembled family.

There was a horrible squelching noise, and Dellinger turned to see Kyros, the gladiator who had been shackled to the floor, slice his leg free of the shackles.

Even Doflamingo for once looked shocked.

"This man, he sliced off his own leg?"

But Sugar was swift, far swifter than the gladiator's sword. Only he was not a gladiator anymore, only a one-legged tin solider that toppled to the ground.

Dellinger looked at the severed leg.

"That toy just ran off with King Riku!"

It was just…laying there in a puddle of blood. All alone.

"I didn't establish a contract with it!"

"There's no need to worry, Diamante will take care of things."

He didn't remember who it belonged to. But nobody seemed to be looking for it.

It smelled really good.

Dell took a few tentative steps closer to the leg.

"DELL," said Jora sharply, her spectacles flashing. "DON'T TOUCH."


"Jora, where are you off to?" said Doflamingo, raising a bottle of wine. "Dressrosa is ours, it is time to celebrate!"

"Yes of course," said Jora. "But first," she smiled. "I think it's past someone's bedtime."

Dellinger was cradled in her arms, his bloody feet dangling limply, and his mouth of newly grown teeth agape as he snored on her shoulder. Applesauce the shark clutched tightly in his hand.


A/N: In the middle of the chapter Dell is actually singing "Hello Seattle" by Owl City. My own little author appeal there...