As soon as the grinning bastard entered the room Sam had to stop herself from snapping out a snarky retort about which bird he had to rob to make his pink feather coat. The scraping of wood against wood has her looking up and seeing that the man was sitting backward in the wooden chair next to her bed. His chin propped on his crossed arms. Sam grits her teeth and looks away from the condescending grin on his face.
"So, Samantha, what's this I hear about a proposal? I have to admit, you're awfully confident for being the one in handcuffs. Is that your noble blood coming out, or are you just that self assured? Regardless, I'm sure it's nothing less than spectacular coming from a girl who seemed to have eluded one of my best officers for two years." She thinks she can hear a slight bitterness in that retort, but she lets it go. She has bigger fish to fry than to mock Doflamingo and his underlings incompetence. Sam takes a breath and closes her eyes to focus and to force the disgusting words past her lips.
"I want the cuffs gone. I'll aid you in reaching your goals, despite how unwilling I am about this entire situation. I won't run or use my devil fruit abilities against your family. I will not directly defy you." Sam could feel her nails biting into her skin as every word she spoke was the equivalent to another chain that restricted her freedom.
"I'm sure this was your plan from the start. I'm sure you also know just how distasteful I find this entire proposition. But, the longer the cuffs stay on the more defiant I'll become at the lack of freedom. You have me right where you want me." Sam clenches her jaw at how close it came to groveling. Her entire being wanted her to take back every single word she spoke. But her new resolve to see her brothers again kept her from telling him to go fuck himself. His deep echoing laughter had a feeling of humiliation stirring inside herself.
"What a wonderful proposition, I knew you'd come around, Sam. The only problem is, I want to test your resolve for working with the Donquixote Pirates. You take my mark," Sam felt physically sick at the thought of being branded like cattle. She wanted to scream and tell him that he was a twisted bastard. That she wasn't a damn tree that he could piss on to mark it as his. She clenches her jaw even tighter and feels the pain in her teeth at the grinding that accompanies it. Sam gives a sharp nod. It was just like prison tats. She would live. Didn't Nami wear Arlong's mark and then alter it? She could alter it, this was only temporary. This entire thing was only temporary until she could see her brother's again.
"Perfect, I'll have Corazon bring the materials." He announces as he gets up and leaves the room. Sam feels a flash of fear shoot through her body at the thought of doing this right now and not in like, say, a week. He was really putting the screws to her and he knew how to push to get what he wanted. He knew she would never be fully compliant and loyal.
She was spiteful and would work against him in indirect ways, but it was more useful to have an able body, spiteful, devil fruit user slave than a invalid broken slave. He would watch her closely but he would eventually have to put his attention elsewhere and it would be her opportunity. She would only have one chance though, after that it was going to be a cell for her.
She feels her mind go blank at the pure fear that races through her body when the door squeaks open slowly. Sam slams her eyes shut and holds back the mad ravings that want to spill from her lips. The scrape of a chair against wood close to her bed has her breath stopping as she realizes just how deep she's getting into this entire world. Sam forces herself to breathe, because it's the only thing she can do, she opens her eyes and faces the monster that is determined to make her life a living hell. Instead, she's faced with a glowering Corazon sitting in the chair next to the bed. Corazon holds up a piece of paper to her that reads, "hold still, brat."
Doflamingo stands in the corner grinning like he's won the jackpot. Sam wants to tell him he looks ridiculous and should get his creepy smile fixed. But she stays silent and looks away as Corazon sets up the materials for herself imposed chains. Something that would last a lifetime and was indelible. She looks at the small room she's in and can't quite process that this is her life right now. That she's been brought so low as to actually take this man's mark.
But she remembers the adorable gap tooth grin her brother would send her every time he accomplished something new. The ill hidden humor at her violent tendencies and explosive antics. Him curling into her side when sleeping at night. The tight hugs he gave when he was scared. She remembers Ace, the hard-headed kid that he is, always biting at the bit for a fight. Always pushing himself that much farther. Encouraging both Sabo and herself to move faster, dodge quicker, to fight harder and longer. The reluctant fondness he held for the both of them. Curling up next to Sabo when he stayed the night. The playful tugs to her hair and small smiles he gave in those moments of peace they had together. Those were the memories she was doing this for, she wanted more of those memories. She was a greedy girl, and she wanted her brothers back.
So, she firms her jaw and looks away as the machine starts buzzing. The pain was minimal on the meat of her upper arm. Her mind is instead flooded with memories of her brothers the entire time she's under the needle. Yet, at the same time it seems like forever before the machine shuts off. Her ears ring in the deafening silence at the absence of noise once he's finished. She feels a final swipe of a cloth against her arm. Sam looks down at her right upper arm and sees that stupid grinning face tattooed there in pitch black ink. Her skin still red from residual blood and inflammation. But she knows it will stand out starkly against her pale white skin once it heals. She wants to claw her arm off and beat the bastard with it. All she can do is stare in disgust at the ink that now marks her body.
"Why'd you do it?" She's drawn from her anger to look at Corazon who was puffing away on a cigarette. The room was empty and the silence was almost unnatural. Sam raises her eyebrow at the talking man. Wasn't he supposed to be playing the role of a mute?
"Why'd I do what?" Sam asks back as she glances longingly at the cigarette he holds. Fuck, what she wouldn't give to have one of those right now or a couple shots of vodka. Even if this body doesn't have the physical cravings her last did she can remember how good she felt every time she had a cigarette or indulged by drinking herself into a stupor. Not that the morning after getting herself smashed was roses, but that one moment where she didn't have to think about anything was the best. Sam likes to think if she can get branded, she can smoke a cigarette or go on a bender.
"Why'd you give in so easily, you seemed stronger than that?" He asks as he takes another drag of his cigarette. Sam wants to tell him to shut his dirty rotten mouth, that she would never just give in. It wasn't in her nature, perhaps that was the reason why she was chosen for this whole ordeal. Her drive and passion had always kept her going, her dream of being free.
"In order to survive, you sometimes need to be willing to bend and not break. Continued defiance against him would have only ended in me being disabled and unable to escape. I find that I would like to make my way home at some point. I have things that weren't tied up, so to speak, when I was kidnapped. I had a life, you know." Sam responds looking away from the tempting nicotine. Perhaps it was also to hide herself from his analyzing gaze.
"You have a twin, don't you?" Corazon asks as he taps the ash off the cigarette. Sam nose twitches at him knowing such sensitive information. Everyone assumed she was Sabo while chasing her down, no one questioned where he was once they caught her. She didn't want them asking either in case they got any ideas of getting leverage on her. Sam lies, because when it came to her brother's safety nothing was too safe.
"No, he died in a fire." Sam responds blankly. Corazon gives a small laugh and leans over to put his elbows on his knees.
"You suck at lying. You're a bit too blunt to be a truly good liar." He takes another drag of his cigarette and blows the smoke away from her face. Sam's grateful for him not actively trying to tempt her to give herself lung cancer. Was that even a thing in this universe? Sam shrugs at the slight about her lying prowess. Her arm was aching and it makes her want to punch that pink idiot.
"I will always protect my twin. I'm the older one of the two of us. I'm supposed to be there making sure he doesn't get up to too much mischief. I'm supposed to be pulling him out of those ridiculous situations he finds himself in when he tries to hunt something 5 times his size. I'm supposed to be making sure that he's eating more than just meat, even if it means sitting on him and not getting off until he does. I'm supposed to be there for my little brother, yet here I am catering to Do-fucking-flamingo. I've never wanted to shoot someone more than him. Now, get these damn cuffs off me, I think I sufficiently filled the position of branded slave." Sam snarks as she shifts uncomfortably in the bed. The jingling of keys echoes through the room. Sam drops her gaze to the gaudy cuffs that decorate her wrists.
She watches as Corazon removes the cuffs and surprisingly she feels no relief. She guesses she shouldn't be so surprised, she was still branded like cattle. Sam suppresses the tears that form at the corner of her eyes. Bringing a finger to her lips she summons one of her clones. She knows the moment she sees its face it was a bad idea.
"You disgust me, where is your pride! You let him mark us!" The clone shouts at her and Sam looks down at the clone's arm and sees the exact copy of the tattoo that marks her body. Something close to self-hatred fills her chest but she refuses to regret the choice of wanting to see her brothers again.
"I did it for them. I'm a selfish bitch and I want to make sure they're all right. I think I want to live, I need to follow my own advice and live even when every inch of me wants to die. I can't just leave them behind like I did. When I put myself in their shoes and if I was watching Sabo die I know something inside me would break. I can't brake Sabo. That's not an option. If we want to survive this we can't be at war with ourselves. We come to the agreement that we have to listen to the shitty pink bastard to a point. But that's no reason to be subservient." Sam's not sure why she's trying to talk her clone down when it's essentially her that she's talking down. Maybe it was like a twisted imitation of self-help?
She looks over at Corazon who was now leaning back in his seat watching the entire spectacle, puffing away on what she assumes is his second cigarette. She doesn't blame him, Doflamingo would drive most people to drink. Sam's sure it's only because he's his brother that he only smokes. But what's to say that he doesn't drink in his off time?
"You're one strange, strange little girl Samantha," He squints his eyes a little as he gets both of their attention. The clone puts her arms on her hips and pouts. Sam just lays there tiredly wondering if she could sleep and have her clone watch her back for a bit. Can her power work that way? She should probably experiment more. Also, she needed to get physically stronger. But she knows that won't be happening today.
"Are you not a little strange yourself? That clown make-up practically screams that 'I'm a murderer in my free time, please let me kill you slowly and painfully while I laugh maniacally.' Or, am I confusing you with your boss?" The clone sneers and she can see Corazon flinch at her harsh words. She always did think that her clones were too mouthy for their own good. Sam rolls her eyes and releases the clone before it can do any physical damage. She's sure it's caused enough psychological damage for the both of them. Then there's that awkward moment when you realize that clone is you and it's basically you saying that. Can you mentally scar yourself?
"Don't mock my clones, they're homicidal on good days. The last thing I want is one rampaging through the boat." Corazon scratches the top of his nose and narrows his eyes skeptically. Sam decides that the ins and outs of her power are sometimes better left undiscovered. She doesn't want to put to the test if it was really possible to inflict mental damage to yourself.
"But aren't you essentially cloning yourself? Can't you tell it what to do?" Sam sighs and shakes her head at his simple yet complicated question. The fact was, Sam was still learning it herself. She didn't know much about it besides that she could clone and or multiply stuff. Like with her hormone levels where she doubled her testosterone in her body. She could clone herself and others. She could also clone anything she could touch excluding water. She hadn't really had the time to go in depth, because trying to find food every day, steal from nobles, monitor her brothers, and bandage everyone up when they were hurt took time.
She supposes that she would now have time that she could get a proper meal without having to hunt, skin, and cook her meat. She wouldn't have to constantly disinfect, stitch, and bandage her brothers. She had no Sabo or Ace to distract her with their antics. Nor did she have to come up with plans to scam nobles. She was looking at a lot of time on her hands. Sam realizes she hasn't answered Corazon's question when she hears the clearing of a throat.
"In what reality do you think telling me to do anything I didn't want to do would end positively? Yes, they're clones, but they have my personality, memories, and my behavioral patterns. Though, I do think it has limits with impulse control. But, the point is that I hate being bossed around. The situation I'm in right now is probably the worst you could ever put me in, it is in my nature to be rebellious." Sam explains as she grabs the gauze on the bedside table and wraps the disgusting mark.
"But, you made the clone. How can't you tell it what to do? Isn't it part of you?" Sam winces as the pain of the tattoo aches and it irritates her enough that she just wraps the mark even tighter to take out her anger without having to ask for a gun to blow a hole in the birdbrained menace.
"Yes, its part of me. But, when I clone something it's the exact copy of whatever I'm cloning. I have no control beyond that. It's a separate entity once I am not touching it. I have no influence after that. My power is almost all touch based, I can get away with altering my body because I am in essence a multiplier. There is my field of manipulation which is the distance at which I can hold a multiplication before it dispels. Even with that, once the copy leaves my person it is unchanging until I dispel it, drop the original item, or it leaves my range." Sam states and wonders why the hell she's explaining her power to the enemy.
Perhaps, it's in hopes that he explains it to his brother. That way she doesn't have the unfortunate fate of talking to the pink pig himself. Corazon leans forward and looks completely fascinated and it makes her mildly uncomfortable because she's never really had to explain it in depth before, she knew it would go right over her brothers' head. They both knew she could make more of stuff and that's it. That was all they really needed to know to figure out how to work it into their plots.
"What about other people? What can you do to the people around you?" He crosses his legs and leans back, probably taking note at how uncomfortable his interest was making her. Sam sighs and scratches her head as she thinks of an adequate way to explain this.
"Yes, I can clone other people by touching them. I can only manipulate fluids I can actually touch on other people, though. Take blood for instance, that I can multiply the amount of white blood cells a person has if I'm touching the blood near an open wound. But, I have to be in constant contact with the person to control a cellular structure. Which is, admittedly, really gross but really helpful if you have an infection. I've mainly focused on multiplying precise things out of survival sake." Sam admits a bit restlessly; all the talking is making her a bit irritable. She's still not sure about her entire power. She was constantly coming up with new facets of her ability. It changed as she grew and experimented with it.
"What about the homicidal behavior you described before? Have you come up with an explanation for that?" Corazon asks as he lights up a third cigarette and she has to wonder where the hell the second one disappeared to.
"The behavior of my clones? Well, they're an exact copy of me with my similar opinions and temperament. But, they can think independently of me and act independently if they wanted because I'm not touching them. They don't like that I have the ability to dispel them if they don't listen. I couldn't say, clone somebody, and tell them what to do. There has to be an inclination to listen to me or it will just do whatever it wants. It's a weakness in my power. The only surefire way to use clones is to clone myself. The reason being, they are me and I know what I'm planning. They are willing to follow directions when I have them. Otherwise, it's madness, and just plain masochism, if I'm not facing imminent death or destruction they will give me hell." Corazon taps the ash from his cigarette to the floor and Sam had to scrunch her nose up to that because she knew with her luck she'd be stepping in it as soon as she got out of bed.
"You're quite smart, aren't you, Samantha? Extraordinarily smart for a six-year-old. Doflamingo is right to be watching you. You could grow to be extremely dangerous with a mind and power like yours. But something tells me that you could care less about that power and you use it as a tool to protect your brothers." Sam frowns at how he assumes there is more than one brother but lets it go because he doesn't know a name. Besides, there wasn't much she could do about it at the moment. She's also a bit worried about how much she's giving away. It never really occurred to her not to be intelligent with pirates.
"It's not like it was my idea to eat the nasty fruit, but I can't deny it wasn't a bonus. My shitty father was the one to slip me it like a roofie with my steamed vegetables. The rest is just my charming personality." Sam gave him a deadpan look. Corazon smiled around his cigarette at her poor attempt at humor.
"I think you're smart enough, Samantha, to know when to keep your mouth shut about things that shouldn't be talked about. Unpleasant things happen when you blab carelessly. I think that your observant enough to understand what I am saying." Sam narrows her eyes and purses her lips in thought. She understands clearly what he is saying. That it would be best for her to keep silent about him being able to talk. That the only reason he was talking to her now was because she knew when to shut her mouth and read a room. Doflamingo was to know nothing about this conversation. Yeah, she read him loud and clear. But, she was a girl with some needs.
"Can I extort you into getting me clothes that I actually like? I feel like a maid wearing this get up. I want my jean overall shorts and a black tank. Pretty simple, but it would make me feel a bit more human. A flask of booze wouldn't be amiss either, that man drives even the strongest of people to drink, I'm sure." Sam asks hopefully as she eyes him expectantly. Corazon's mouth hangs open and the cigarette in his mouth falls to the floor. His eyes are popping out of his head and he just stares. Sam is shameless and stares back expectantly. His jaw opens and shuts a few times before he can form words.
But what comes out isn't words, more like barking laughter that makes Sam smile for some unknown reason. Perhaps it is just the joy of hearing someone laugh genuinely. Not the mocking laughter of Doflamingo.
"Yeah, he has a tendency to do that. But it's a firm no on the booze, wait until you're a bit older. It'd cause more problems for you at this point. Just try to survive this for the next couple years and I'll buy you a beer at the nearest bar. I'll see what I can do about your clothes at the next island, though. I agree, the maid look isn't working for you. You're too much of a smart ass for that." He ruffles her hair and shoves her head to the side. Sam slaps his hand away and scowls. He chuckles before he snaps his fingers and his face goes back to the brooding grumpy look he always wears.
"You look better when you smile, clown face." Sam murmurs as she lays back into her pillow. A soft snort is her answer as the door shuts with a soft thud.
Sam's unsure as to what just happened and if she just bonded with Donquixote Rosinante. But she feels like she made the right decision to let him in a bit, even if he was related to the feathery pink bastard. She knew it wasn't his fault that he had to share DNA with the ass. Shaking her head to rid herself of those bizarre thoughts, Sam drifts into a restless slumber.
She knows that the path she has chosen isn't the easy or possibly even right road. But if you're going to do it, do it resolutely. That was something that echoed with her from the One Piece series. If you're going to choose to do something stand by that choice, no matter the consequences.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows they mean a lot to me. I like knowing you like what I write.
Side Note: Sorry about the wait. I attend university, and my free time will be eaten up for the next couple months. I'll update when I can but there will be periods where I just can't make time to write this. I don't want to rush this story either. I'm actually really happy about what I have planned, I just need to find the time to write it all out.
Next Chapter (tentative): Sabo, What the hell is going on?