Chapter 12 – Mutiny
The sea was very calm that day.
It was the day after a nightmare and it brought the icy breeze of North Blue all the way back to Doflamingo's ship.
The submarines arrived back at the ship in the early morning, loaded with the heavenly tribute. Doflamingo made a call to set the rest of the plan in motion. He was smiling all the way and when the Celestrial Dragons' ambassador's voice through the Den Den Mushi started to tremble and the panic became evident in his words, the smile only grew wider.
All the while, the small, fragile form of Law's body was lying on a bench inside of one of the submarines. He didn't hear his captain's speech and how he made the offer to be turned into a Shichibukai in exchange for the treasure.
Law didn't feel his weight being lifted of the bench and carried onto the old familiar ship.
He did feel, however, how a hand covered with Armament Haki slapped across his face.
"UGH!", Law shouted in pain.
His eyes snapped open to find the intimidating figure of Vergo standing right in front of him.
The dark sunglasses looked down on him while Doflamingo's first mate stretched his neck muscles.
The bones in his hand cracked as he formed them into a tight fist.
"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!", Law screamed.
Vergo's fist began to shine with a dark glow. He moved closer to Law who was sitting on the floor and trying to crawl backwards to escape.
As he was too slow to make any distance, Vergo punched him in the face without hesitation.
Law thought his head was going to explode with the impact as he went flying across the deck.
He spat blood all over the wooden boards beneath him and felt the punch's echo ringing inside his ears.
Although his mind was in a haze, he heard heavy steps walk slowly into his direction.
Grey, frightful eyes turned around to watch Vergo who was now holding a bamboo stick in his hands.
The stick turned dark with Armament Haki as well.
Law tried to activate his Room but found that he was unable to speak.
With even greater shock, he realised that the punch must have broken his jaw.
Law's trembling hand covered his mouth where blood was dripping through his teeth.
"Useless brat...", he heard Vergo's growl, "...because of you, the Marines almost got wind of our actions. You put the entire mission at risk."
Law's eyes widened even more as he dragged himself across the floor.
Vergo was there within the next second and hit the boy's side with his bamboo.
The cracking sound of breaking ribs filled the air and Law's face contorted in pain as his mouth opened in a silent scream. He was pretty sure his left shoulder was dislocated as well.
Dark sunglasses watched the small, coughing body lying on the floor as their owner raised his arm again for another blow.
The shock and adrenaline were keeping Law from passing out so that he looked up at the first mate with a wish for mercy in his eyes.
"I will punish you...", Vergo muttered with no sign of pity on his face.
The broken body to his feet was breathing frantically and shaking with fear.
Law looked around in panic and suddenly noticed his captain leaning against the railing not to far away from them.
He gasped and tried desperately to get his attention.
Doflamingo's head slowly moved into their direction.
Grey eyes stared at him, seeking help.
The boy's reflection showed in the purple shades that hid Doflamingo's gaze.
His captain didn't move an inch.
The coldest of chills ran down Law's spine when a small smile appeared on the tall man's lips.
He felt the sting of tears at the corner of his eyes as they focused back on Vergo.
His broad shadow was covering Law's body and he swung his bamboo stick for the next blow that would surely break some more bones.
In that moment, Trafalgar Law was filled with fear but despite that, a deep-rooted hatred build inside his heart.
He was unable to look away when the bamboo came rushing down.
Suddenly, a loud, clanging sound ripped through the air.
Law was still covered in shadows but this time, he felt no impact on his body.
A familiar scent reached his nose, a sweet perfume mixed with the feel of warmth on his skin.
He recognised it instantly.
Red strands of hair were moving with the wind and a slender yet tall body was cowering above Law.
"Cora Zon?", Vergo growled.
Cora's eyes were covered in shadows. When she looked up at her longtime crew member, a deadly fire emanated from every cell of her body.
She had blocked Vergo's attack with her sword and was now shielding Law with her entire body.
Vergo wrinkled his brow as their weapons were pushing against each other and shaking with the force of colliding Armament Haki.
The next second, Cora's eyes widened in anger and she overpowered Vergo's strength.
She pushed his bamboo away and the first mate took a few steps back.
He was about to attack again when he felt his captain's hand on his shoulder.
"I'll take over now.", Doflamingo whispered.
Vergo looked at him for a moment but obeyed his order.
The rest of the Donquixote family had witnessed the scene with different emotions. Shock, horror and excitement were showing on their faces but when Vergo told them to leave, they did.
Only Pica, Diamante and Trebol watched as Doflamingo stepped in front of Cora.
"He was only teaching him a lesson.", Doflamingo said.
Cora heard the familiar voice of the man she had known for years but felt like she was listening to a stranger.
The words were covered in an icy layer of apathy.
Her fingers tightened around her sword's hilt as she stared up into Doflamingo's shaded eyes.
Law's breathing was still going fast and she smelled his blood on the floor.
Cora raised herself up slowly to stand in front of the small, strongly wounded body.
For a moment, the anger was so great that she couldn't speak.
"Law messed up and almost got the marines involved. Vergo was on him before I could do anything.
Fufufu, the boy really got on his bad si-"
Cora punched her captain right across his smiling face.
The other executives gasped in shock and tensed immediately.
Law watched in horror with his eyes switching back and forth between Cora and Doflamingo.
Doflamingo spit a few drops of blood to the side and turned back to face Cora with the smile still on his lips.
Pica, Diamante and Trebol began to move but their captain quickly raised a hand and stopped them.
"Stay out of this.", he murmured.
"But Doffy... are you sure?", Diamante asked with anger in his voice.
"I'm sure. Now leave."
The executives exchanged some discontent looks but quickly moved away as well.
Magenta eyes narrowed in a deadly glare at the man in front of them.
Doflamingo sensed Cora's hostility that surrounded her like a fiery aura.
After all, she found the will to speak.
"If you hurt him again, I'll kill you."
It was more of a hiss that escaped those red colored lips but the intent behind it made Doflamingo drop his smile at once.
Law felt another rush of panic.
All he wanted was to tell Cora to stop.
At this rate, she was going to get into a fight with Doflamingo and Law was pretty sure that she would end up like all those sorry men that were sliced into pieces back at the cargo ship.
He weakly attempted to speak but all his broken mouth produced was a muffled sound.
"C-Chr... co...aa..ngh..."
He grabbed Cora's ankle.
"Don't worry Law... we will get out of this place. I will save you from this madness.", Cora whispered.
Doflamingo gritted his teeth and a small vein showed on his tense forehead.
"You... is this mutiny?", he growled.
The sword was raised between the two of them.
"No... I'm leaving you. WE are leaving you...", Cora took one step closer to Law.
Doflamingo stared at the woman he once cherished too an extent that had scared him.
The woman who had been loyal to him for years.
He felt an unwelcome sensation creeping up his chest.
"You're leaving? Because of something like this?! Because of a little violence between family members?"
Cora's grip on the sword tightened.
"He would have beaten Law to death and you wouldn't have stopped him... up until now... I failed to see how sick this family really is... and it all radiates from you..."
Doflamingo's jaw dropped slightly.
"Maybe it was always there and I was just blinded by your charisma and looks...", Cora uttered cynically, "...all those years... Doffy... my savior... hmpf... I'm a stupid woman after all..."
A tight feeling wrapped itself around that something inside of Doflamingo's chest that made him feel so weak whenever he saw Cora's face.
It wasn't anger or betrayal. It was something much more terrifying.
It felt like pain but heavier. Right there, inside of him.
The same feeling he had when he had watched her "death" on screen.
Doflamingo knew that he couldn't let something like this slide. He couldn't leave her disrespect unpunished. A part of him felt angry but that other sensation was too strong and overlapped everything else, every other thought that was currently running through his mind.
It seemed that she was serious. She was really planning to leave.
Doflamingo cursed those damn magenta eyes which were now full of hatred.
Don't look at me like this.
Doflamingo moved closer towards Cora.
"STAY BACK!", she exclaimed and raised her sword even higher, taking a fighting position.
"You said you would stay...", Doflamingo whispered.
Through the fiery haze of anger, Cora felt a sudden sting of pain inside her chest.
The pain increased when she saw the hurt expression that washed over Doflamingo's face.
But she still didn't waver.
"You said we were like family... you said Law was part of the family..."
The rage returned to her voice.
"AND YET YOU JUST STOOD THERE AND WATCHED!"
Doflamingo moved very fast. He gripped the arm that was holding the sword and pushed it out of the way.
He was now standing right in front of Cora with only inches to separate them.
Cora's eyes widened as he lowered his head so that his lips hovered above hers.
He spoke very quietly and with a gentle voice that she immediately recognised.
"You know... who I am... who I've always been..."
Cora saw the reflection of her own eyes in his all too familiar purple shades.
"...I never pretended to be anything else... nothing has changed... only that you found someone... who means more to you than I ever will..."
Doflamingo's eyes switched to Law who was staring up at them.
Cora felt herself trembling slightly at Doflamingo's overwhelming presence.
A dark, intimidating presence and yet something more. The feeling of safety and trust that stimulated her memory.
Her body recognised his energy like it was part of her own.
All those years spent together flashed through her mind and condensed into this one, strange feeling.
Only moments ago, she had been ready to fight him to the death.
The anger inside her claimed that he was just manipulating her and maybe he was.
But Cora's heart was beating like a sledgehammer and it wasn't just due to the adrenaline.
She had felt this way before.
And she knew she had to make a choice.
Doflamingo who was used to controlling other people's bodies now felt like his own body was moving without his control.
And so his free hand came up to gently grip Cora's face and pull it towards his own.
This way he closed the distance between his and Cora's lips.
In that very instant, for a little while, everything went quiet.
Law's eyes widened. A wave of pain washed over his body that wasn't due to his injuries.
He wanted to look away but all he could do was continue to stare at them.
Cora's natural reactions would include confusion, embarrassment, anger and she would have immediately moved away but her body was frozen in place.
This should have been a blow to her pride. She should feel disrespected and degraded if it wasn't...
If it was anyone else...
Her lips opened slightly.
Doflamingo leaned into her and let go of her arm.
None of this was happening with his full consent and yet he couldn't bring himself to stop.
At this point, he could have easily used his strings to overpower her and end this fight.
But the thought didn't even cross his mind.
Nothing mattered anymore. No captain or Shichibukai status, no heavenly tribute, no plan to shake the world.
He was suddenly empty, losing himself, his ambition, his will to resist.
Cora felt like they had been standing there for hours when only seconds had passed by.
And even though the anger and hatred were still present inside her, a sudden traitorous thought crossed her mind.
It would be nice to stay in this moment.
But there was still a choice to make.
Her thoughts wandered back to Law who was still lying on the floor behind her.
Almost beaten to death and bleeding.
Cora gripped Doflamingo's shirt as their lips parted.
For a moment, they just stared at each other.
When Cora found her voice, it was a mere whisper.
"I'm sorry."
Confusion showed on Doflamingo's face which seconds later turned into shock when Cora's sword pierced right through his chest.
Drops of his blood landed on Cora's cheek.
Doflamingo's jaw dropped as he looked down his chest and at the blade that stuck right there.
Cora's words trembled on their way out.
"This isn't for us..."
She raised her leg and pushed Doflamingo backwards and off of her sword. He tumbled over and fell down on his back.
Cora turned around and secured Law in her arms like she did all those years ago. He was still conscious but very weak.
"I'll get us out of here."
Law looked up at her with wide eyes and nodded.
Everything he had just witnessed was messing with his head in different ways but over all he felt relieved. Even though the pain was killing him.
Cora was running across the deck when Doflamingo's right hand started to twitch.
She looked out for her scooter and smiled widely when she found it near the the boarding area.
Law sat down on the scooter while Cora hurried to move it towards the water.
Grey eyes watched her carefully.
There was so much Law wanted to say to her in that moment.
If his jaw hadn't been broken he would have told her how sorry he was for the things he had said to her. That she was right about Doflamingo all along.
That he never should have left.
That he never should have stayed away.
That he owned her everything.
That he wanted to be with her forever.
But all he could do was search her eyes.
When she looked at him, her face was kind. Cora gave him the sweetest smile.
"I know.", she whispered and brushed over his hair.
The feel of warmth rushed over Law and he felt tears biting at the corners of his eyes.
"You are not like them, Law. Your heart is kind and beautiful. I knew that from the moment I saw you. I guess... you kinda freed me in the end. You showed me who he really was... whatever happens, we can't let him get any more power... he won't stop here and once he gets what he wants, the whole world will be at risk. I know that he's not finished yet, he's strong. But it will never be enough destruction for him, I bet you've seen it too. This... side of his..."
Cora averted her eyes. A sudden noise had caught her attention.
It was the sound of something cutting through the air.
Out of instinct, she let go of the scooter and raised her sword just in time to block a nearly invisible string that was aimed to cut her head off.
Her eyes widened and she looked around. One wrong step could be the end of her.
"Stay down.", she told Law who was experiencing another panic attack.
Out of a dark corner, not too far away, she heard an all too familiar voice.
"Cora Zon."
Doflamingo appeared among the shadows. The stab wound on his chest was bleeding but he didn't seem to notice it at all.
His voice was very deep and threatening.
"You should never leave an enemy unfinished..."
Cora stepped away from the scooter and raised her sword.
"Let's finish this then."
Doflamingo elevated himself into the air and started to throw strings embedded with Armament Haki from the tips of his fingers into Cora's direction.
Cora dodged them by scrolling across the floor. One of the strings cut off a strand of her hair.
Doflamingo rushed down towards her and tried to slice her again.
This time Cora blocked the strings with her blade and held her own against the impact of the attack.
Luckily, her sword was sturdy enough to take on the strings.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Law was watching them fight in horror.
Cora spun around to move the fight farther away from the boy.
The strings had an incredible range and cut through everything they reached.
But despite their deadliness, Doflamingo's rhythm seemed to be off. Cora found his attacks mostly easy to evade as if his head wasn't fully in the game.
But when she hesitated herself to strike an attack against him, he slipped away and suddenly appeared right behind her.
Cora turned to look over her shoulder and felt a rush of fear at the vicious grin that spread on Doflamingo's face.
"You know me, right?"
Venom was dropping from every syllable of his words.
He raised his hand above his head and sent down a rain of strings that pierced right through Cora's back.
Law released a silent scream as he watched the sharp strings cut through Cora's body.
Her face was a mask of pain and she dropped down on her elbows coughing up blood.
Doflamingo watched her fall and stepped closer to her body.
Cora groaned in pain as Doflamingo used his foot the turn her on her back.
Her chest was rising in frantic breaths while the blood was seeping from her wounds.
Using his last bit of his strength, Law tried desperately to climb out of the scooter and do something to help Cora but the pain in his body slowed him down immensely. He grumbled in frustration and tensed every working muscle as he tried to drag himself off the scooter.
Cora stared up at Doflamingo who was looking down at her with a stone-cold expression.
"What a shame... to think that you would betray me after all."
One of Doflamingo's hands reached into his coat.
Cora's pupils shrinked when she recognised what he was now holding in his hand.
From a distance, Law could only see Doflamingo's back as he slowly crawled across the floor.
He didn't see how Doflamingo raised a golden pistol above Cora's chest.
In a moment of clarity, the missing pieces were falling into place in Cora's mind.
"So that's how it is...", she uttered.
Doflamingo cocked the gun.
Faced with death, a sudden smile appeared on Cora's lips.
"Seems I don't know you after all..."
Her eyes found Doflamingo's hidden ones.
Law's head snapped up as a loud BANG ripped through the air.
The same moment, his heart skipped a beat.
A frightful silence followed the sound.
Doflamingo slowy stepped away from Cora's body.
For a moment, he seemed to struggle to maintain his balance.
He unintentionally made way for Law to see what had happened.
The first thing that reached Law's senses was the overwhelming feel of coldness.
Followed by raw panic.
He ignored every part of his body that was screaming in pain as he stumbled across the floor and towards Cora.
With wide eyes and sheer horror on his face, he looked down at the fresh bullet wound right through her chest and through her heart.
Law dropped to his knees.
He didn't even notice when the tears started pouring down his eyes.
His shaken fingers tried to find a pulse on Cora's throat but there was nothing to be found.
His fingertips traveled upwards to rest above her mouth in hope of feeling a warm breath of air.
But no warmth grazed his skin.
Cora's eyes were closed, like she was sleeping peacefully.
Law's tears mixed with the blood around him on the floor.
When he took his shaking hand away, he felt like he was going to break.
Break, until there was nothing left of him.
Beside him, he didn't notice Doflamingo who was still holding the pistol in front of himself.
The hand that held the smoking gun was trembling.
It slowly raised the pistol upwards and turned it around.
The gun now rested beneath Doflamingo's head.
Doflamingo's breathing was calm as he felt the cold metal against his skin.
Moments passed in which he was just standing there, looking down on Cora's body with the crying Law crouching next to it.
But eventually, the pistol returned to its hiding place inside Doflamingo's coat.
