As the next few days passed, she found that it was far easier to find people willing to join her cause than it was to weed them out. Some were too over zealous, others she simply did not like the look of, in the end she was able to select a group of a dozen or so sailors to stand by her side and help her sail that massive ship. By the time she had everything settled and was ready to set sail, word had arrived that retired Marine Vice Admiral Tsuru and retired Admiral Sengoku had arrived, that and that the Strawhats were finally on the run.
She did not like the idea of having two more high level Marines to deal with, but at least once they were out on the open seas it should be easier for her to manage. Besides, her real goal here was to free her family, if she had Sugar by her side, three Admirals should not be a problem. It was a shame though, that she had to let the Strawhats go, that for the meantime she would not be able to have the satisfaction of avenging her father, but she was not foolish enough to believe that she actually stood a chance against all of of them together.
When she finally pushed off into sea later that night, the sight Happo Navy fleet in the distance caught her attention, and she found herself calling for a halt. Transforming into the Kirin she gracefully leapt into the air, closing the distance between the two ships via the clouds and perched herself onto the mast of the main ship. From her perch she was able to locate the person she was looking for.
Standing off to the side by herself, Baby-5 was leaning against the railing of the ship, looking positively ill, while the rest of the ship was incapacitated, most likely due the the massive banquet they just had. Dropping down from the sky, Dulcinea landed softly next to the woman, startling her slightly.
"Baby-5." She said flatly, when all she got in response was wide eyes and a confused stare.
The young woman continued to blinked at her, her mouth agape, trying to figure out where she knew that voice from. "Dulcinea?"
Dulcinea let out a small laugh and nodded. She had forgotten then the only ones aware of her fruit powers were her father and her four, no, three uncles.
"Oh God, what have I done." Tears suddenly spilled from Baby-5's eyes as she collapsed onto Dulcinea, clinging onto her mane.
Dulcinea had no words for the young woman, at least not any kind ones, so she just silently stood there and allowed the young woman to weep.
"Please, tell the Young Master I'm sorry…"
"Tell him yourself." She retorted, shaking her off. "Come on, get on my back, we're leaving."
"But… Sai."
An indignant rage flashed across her eyes, and she stamped her front hooves hard on the ground. "I will gorge him myself and set this place on fire if you ever dare mention his name again."
Wiping at her tears, Baby-5 let out a heavy sigh. "But... he needs me…"
Dulcinea wanted to scream. How incredibly dense was this woman. "I need you. Papa needs you. The family needs you. That man doesn't need you anymore than he needs another drink." She let out a snort, white smoke bellowing out. "Are you seriously throwing all of us away? Everyone who loved and needed you for the past sixteen years?"
Baby-5 did not have any words for Dulcinea, deep down she knew the girl was right, that Law had been right. That she would be betraying her family if she went off with that man. Shaking her head Baby-5 felt the tears stream down her face as climbed onto Dulcinea's back. "I'm sorry." She sobbed. "I never meant for this to happen…"
"Honestly," Dulcinea said with a hint of vexation in her voice as she leapt back into the sky, racing back toward the ship with Baby-5 clinging onto her. "As much as I hate to admit it, it's probably better this way. Don't get me wrong, if I were papa I'd still kill that man and everyone loyal to him, just for the fun of it… but at least for the moment, I have someone to help me out as opposed to no one."
Doflamingo stared blankly up at the small porthole above him, grateful that he was a least able to catch a glimpse of the sea. It was unfortunate that Jack had been unsuccessful in his attempt to free him, and as the aftermath of that failed attempt settled around him, he could not help but wonder who else he lost that day. He did not like it, that feeling twisting inside of him. He did not like losing his family members, it pained him to know that in a week he had lost more loved ones than he had in a lifetime. A part of him still refused to believe that Vergo was really gone.
Vergo!
Who would have thought that in such a short amount of time, that brat would have been strong enough to cut down an armamented Vergo. He had truly underestimated them, even while trying not to.
All his hopes now rested on Dulcinea. Dulcinea, the simplest, and purest love of his life. Dulcinea, the fruit of his labor. Dulcinea, the one thing in this world he found worth living for. Dulcinea, his ultimate trump card.
For the first time in his life he had regretted not letting her out more often, so that she could have had a chance to flex those skills he knew she had. Even so, he had every confidence she would pull through for him, simply because she was his. He was a part of her, and his blood flowed through her veins. He knew that of all the people in the world, she would be the one to not fail him.
It sort of saddened him to know that she was no longer that little girl who had been dropped at his feet ten years ago. From time to time he would find himself missing that little girl, so full of innocence. He refused to believe that he had corrupted her, yet he could not deny the fact that there were definitely moments when that monster inside of her would rear its ugly head. Still, there was a purity left in her, a purity he hoped he could somehow preserve.
He let out a sigh. There was nothing he could do about it now. She was who she was, and she was a woman now. Oh what a woman she had become. The spitting image of her mother, with a fire within her even he was not sure he could contain for much longer. Some days it would pain him too much to look at her, to see that woman reflected back in her face.
Such a shame what happened to that woman. If only she had given into him all those years ago, perhaps then she would still be here with them now, but Old Tsuru was right, enough with the 'what-if's.' What good would it do him now? It would not change anything, it would not bring her back to him.
Suddenly a wicked laugh escaped him, startling the old woman sitting outside his cell. He was certain that he had caught a flash of pink, of that figurehead he knew all too well. He had never expected to see that ship again, but its presence out at sea could mean one, and only one thing, Dulcinea. That girl certainly had a good head on her shoulders and he honestly should not have been surprised that she had found that ship. For she was probably the one person in this world who loved that ship more than he did.
Perturbed, Tsuru sat up in her chair and clicked her tongue. He must have lost his damn mind, but it was of no concern to her. What could he possibly do, seastone chained to the ship. A lot. The small voice in her mind said.
The sound of sudden gunfire and of boots running back and forth on the deck above caught her attention, and she almost leapt out of her chair to run up there to check on them. His laugh unnerved her though, and she stopped herself from reacting. She knew better than to leave now. He knew something that she did not, and she was not about to leave him unattended.
"Tell me, Doflamingo, if Jack had been unsuccessful, who else do would that man, Kaido send?"
"Fuffuffuffuffu," he continued to laugh. "What makes you think this has anything to do with Kaido, Otsuru-san?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. Who else could it be if not Kaido? "Speak."
He grinned at her, amusement plastered on his face. "You'll see soon enough."
Up on deck Dulcinea let out a laugh and shot Baby-5 a quick smile, before continuing her rampage, setting Marines aflame, tossing others aside. Biding her time until Sugar returned to her, so she could make her way below deck and take down Vice Admiral Tsuru.
She had been lucky. It would seem that the universe was working in her favor when she came upon the wreckage of those two battleships, for Dellinger had been onboard one of them. The destruction of the ship afforded the little fish a chance to break free of his chains, and he had managed to somehow save the drowning family members around him by tossing them onto nearby driftwood. He then went to town on the Marines struggling to hang on, delightfully gorging them with his horns and tearing them apart with his teeth, having an all out ball.
She had to thank Jack for doing her a favor and sinking those two ships, as she was able to effortlessly rescue half her family. Especially since Sugar had been amongst them, and her ability was the one she needed the most if she were to succeed. Of course finding a key to their cuffs proved to be an issue, but with a little patience and a whole lot of broken lock picks, she was able to set them all free.
Tsuru stood frozen in awe and terror as the figure of a Kirin made its way down the hall, it's mighty antlers tossing aside the petrified Marines it passed. Tsuru knew she should move, that this was what Doflamingo had been hinting at. The Kirin paused in front of her, bowing its head slightly as a laugh escaped it. Tsuru suddenly felt very small and a strong desire to protect Doflamingo and his crew surged through her.
"What is happening!?" The old woman tried to scream, but nothing came out. Suddenly it dawned upon her what had happened. It was not about the Kirin, but rather the little girl perched on its back. She had let down her guard. Somehow the Donquixote 'family' had survived the attack on their battleships, somehow that girl, the one with the Hobi Hobi powers had escaped.
Releasing her transformation Dulcinea approached the door to her father's cell. A brilliant smile plastered on her face as she picked up the fallen keys from the floor and turned the lock.
Doflamingo beamed with pride as she undid the chains tethering him to the ship. "I knew you'd figure it out." He said with a smile, shaking off the chains and sitting up.
"I had a little help." She replied as she shrugged off his jacket and draped it across his shoulders. "We will have to thank Jack the next time we see him."
"Fuffuffuffuffu, yes. What a splendid help he was. Although I have to admit, I was a bit concerned for the family, considering."
"Oh but our little Dellinger was brilliant." She exclaimed, throwing herself onto him and wrapping her arms around him as she settled down on his lap.
He pulled her close against him, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Words could not express how he felt to have her back in his arms, where she belonged. He had truly been terrified in that moment when Strawhat landed that deciding blow on him. The one and only thing which crossed his mind in that moment was how he had failed her. "I'm sorry I put you through all that."
She shook her head and buried her face into his chest. "No papa, don't be sorry. You did everything you could… it's those brats…"
Smiling he gently stroked her hair. "Yes, those brats… we'll have to deal with them sooner or later, won't we."
The papers were going to have a field day with this in the morning. He was sure of it. Oh what he would give to see the look on that shitty brat's face when he read the papers in the morning.
Sugar scoffed as she watched them from her spot outside the cell. "Holy hell guys, it's only been four days for crying out loud."
a/n: The End.
Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. :) Just one note because it needs to be said. The thing with Baby-5, her state of mind, the 'conversation' she had with Law... it is all explained in a chapter of a fic found on dA. ff hates links but I'm gonna do it anyway, because it is a brilliant chapter and expresses what I believe should have been what Baby-5 went through. The link is: simply-scarlet deviantart com/art/Ch-21-Thicker-Than-Blood-An-Interlude-613871973 (put in dots where the spaces are, but you already knew that. ;D)