Chapter 24
-Damn, disgusting - Im-sama said.
For the first time in Mina's life, tears welled up in her eyes until she couldn't see clearly.
Mina grabbed Mjosgard's severed head as tears streamed down her face.
Her chest burned. It hurt. She had never felt pain like that, pain of that magnitude. It was as if his heart had been ripped out.
Her cry was heard throughout the burning land of Marijoa.
"Nothing will ever hurt you more than losing someone you love"
When she was 15 years old, she couldn't understand Dragon's words when she joined the Revolutionary Army.
But now he understood clearly. That was the real pain.
It was so sharp. So agonizing.
Im-sama had murdered him without warning, without giving him a chance to even say goodbye properly.
He had just beheaded him.
The corpse began to soak her in blood, but she didn't care.
How could this hurt so much? She couldn't even think clearly.
She didn't even feel when an agent hit her on the neck, knocking her completely unconscious.
-At the same time-
Mina had been away too long, so Sabo decided to go find her.
However, he only heard a scream that made his blood run cold.
He recognized at once that that was Mina's voice.
"Shit, no!" he thought as he hurried to find her.
But when he arrived, only a decapitated body and a huge bloodstain were found.
There was no one else.
Sabo looked at that corpse. It was Mjosgard's.
He remembered him because that man had saved Princess Shirahoshi from a Tenrybito. And because he was his nakama's relative.
Sabo looked desperately around him, but there was no one else, and didn't see his friend's body either.
-No... - he panicked - It can't be ...!
They had taken her.
And he couldn't do anything about it.
Her friend would be tortured and executed, and he couldn't even do anything about it.
Sabo fell to his knees in that pool of blood, and pressed his hands to his face.
-Fuck!
Mina woke up as soon as she felt the icy water all over her body.
The man in front of her had thrown it at her.
-Well, finally you wake up.
Mina was still stunned.
Still, her first memory was of Mjosgard's decapitated body.
She threw up.
-Agggg, fuck! - the man complained - It's disgusting!
Mina did not answer any of the questions that the man named Hannyabal kept asking her.
The pain of that death was too much for her to process yet.
-Ah shit, I'm not going to get anything - Hannyabal sighed - I guess I'll take you to the cell and let another asshole take care of you.
Mina made no resistance.
-Girl, do you know where you are?
She didn't answer.
-Well, it doesn't matter if you don't speak for now - Hannyabal forced her to walk - This is Level 6 of Impel Down, so it won't be long before you blow everything you know.
Hannyabal looked at the woman.
-Ahhh, such a waste to have to torture such beauty - sighed - But orders are orders. And even more so if they come from CP0.
He thought that hearing the word "torture" would made that girl would react, but instead, Hannyabal saw only in her gaze an infinite indifference to her own life.
-Man, what a waste.
Awesome.
They had just come out of Wano's war and only they had been unlucky enough to end up being captured AGAIN.
Kid slammed his head against the bars once more in fury.
-Kid, as much as you get hysterical we can't leave this place.
-Shut up Killer! Fuck, I can't believe it!
After defeating Kaido, the three captains decided to go their separate ways.
So why the hell had THEIR route been intercepted by THREE Marine Admirals?
-I have no intention of staying here any longer. As soon as Heat and the rest give us the signal from the outside, we get the fuck out of here.
-Whatever you say, Captain - Killer replied rolling his eyes.
Suddenly, the other prisoners in level 6 started making strange sounds. They whistled and threw obscene compliments, which was quite odd considering there was no woman on that level of the prison.
They heard the elevator go down and someone in shackles and chains began to walk.
Kid and Killer peeked through the bars out of curiosity. They saw that it was a young woman.
-Hey Kid, her face sounds familiar to me - said Killer in confusion.
Whitish pink hair, tied to a low ponytail. A long lock falling in the middle of his face and purple eyes that stood out a lot.
-Fucking shit - Kid said surprised - Isn't she Trafalgar's lover?
He remembered her from that time in Wano. He saw her from afar when he, unfortunately, discovered her and that bastard of Law exchanging fluids like two horny teenagers, which was quite unpleasant to see.
She passed in front of the cell in which the two pirates were. Kid had to recognize that Law was a lucky bastard. She was a really beautiful, dazzling girl.
They accidentally exchanged glances.
To Kid's surprise, she smirked.
-Huh?
Following that mocking grimace, despite having her hands chained, she managed to make a comb with both hands while looking at his face.
Kid growled. He remembered his first encounter with Law at the Auction House in Saobondy, and the comb that the surgeon dedicated to him, in addition to that creepy mockery that always accompanied him.
-Just as rude as that bastard - he saw her go - Althougt, she's pretty hot...
-Don't settle too much. You will be here awhile until we decide where you stay. All cells are full, so this is temporary.
She didn't answer.
He opened the cell, which creaked loudly.
-I hope you don't die before I come back - the guard smiled as he threw her to the floor and closed the door.
The cell was completely dark, except for a slight ray of light coming from a hole. It was cold and the atmosphere was humid. There were two rats walking near her, and the stone on the ground hurt too much to even sit on.
Sigh.
-Huh? It must be a joke - she heard a voice say that was TOO familiar - Fate can be twisted sometimes fufufu~
The pink-haired woman turned slowly. That voice, that feeling ... She knew them all.
-It seems that we see each other again - she saw how purple eyes like hers, stared at her with a smile from the other side of the cell - It's been a while, Mina.
-Doffy...
Five years.
Five years had passed since the last time they had seen each other. And the last memory Mina had was him aiming a pistol at her head.
Doflamingo waited with excitement for her to punch him, filled with fury and hatred.
But none of that happened.
Mina stared at him, in complete silence. She seemed genuinely surprised to see him.
Doflamingo didn't knew how to react either. He only expected hatred, even some malicious or sarcastic comment. But nothing happened.
After a minute in complete silence, she finally opened her mouth.
-Mjosgard is dead.
-Mjosgard? - He remembered his cousin. That short, chubby idiot he hadn't seen since he was 10 years old. But he didn't care about him - Is that the first thing you're going to tell me after 5 years?
Mina leaned against the wall and looked at the ceiling.
-It has been ... complicated years ...
Doflamingo was completely misplaced for the first time. What the hell did this meaningless conversation mean? He wanted to see her furious, full of hatred ...
-The last time we met I tried to kill you.
She looked at him, without any visible emotion on her face.
-But you didn't.
Again she had left him speechless. What the hell was wrong with her?
-Come on Mina, you can do it better - Doflamingo laughed, but it sounded empty - Don't you hate me? Don't you feel like cutting off my head and exposing it at the entrance and yelling at the world that Doflamingo is finally dead? Don't you want to be the same as Law?
-Why the hell would I do something like that? I think I've seen enough heads for today... - she tried to joke.
-Fuck Mina! Why the hell are you like this!? - only she and the brat with black hair and golden eyes could anger him that way - Why don't you do anything!?
-Doffy - she replied with a tired expression - What do you want from me?
The blonde was stunned. Why did he really feel that there was no hatred in that dead fish eyes of hers? Why didn't she react like that rude kid with the golden eyes?
-I killed your father.
-I know.
-I kidnapped you and sent you to war for my own benefit.
-I know.
-I let Trebol and the others abuse you.
-Doffy - she settled back, indifferent to that conversation - I don't care if we continue with this conversation for as long as you want, but can we come up with the conclusion?
-I don't think I'm the one acting strangely, don't you think?
She gave a little laugh, which left Doffy checkered. He had never heard her laugh.
-What the hell have you been doing all these years?
-Same job, different boss. Although I must admit that the difference in objectives was quite remarkable.
She spoke in the same monotonous voice as five years ago, but there was a certain humanity in her that did not exist before. Or maybe, rather, tiredness.
Doflamingo looked at his niece. Her hair was considerably longer and she had tied it up in a low ponytail. She was wearing a bit of black eye makeup that had come off completely, but for some reason she didn't look bad either.
She had grown up quite a lot, probably reaching 6'2 ft. And she wore a tight white shirt with a brown corset and pants with knee-high boots. She definitely looked like an adult.
-So... Mjosgard is dead... Was he still the same repellent idiot as always?
-No, he had changed. I guess he learned from Grandpa Homing.
The man sighed.
-Another idiot who falls into the same stupidity and dies. Why can't none of you learn?
She didn't answer. Doflamingo laughed.
-We're a family of lost causes. Pathetic - took off his glasses to scratch his face more comfortably, revealing his eyes completely - Only you and me are left.
-It was always just you and me.
Doflamingo looked at her with a smirk.
-That's right. Deep down, it has always been just you and me.
Doflamingo was scum. Mina thought that, after 5 years without seeing him, she would finally feel that was free. But no, she still felt weak when she saw him.
Doflamingo kept looking at her.
"Is he thinking of killing me here once and for all?"
-Why?
-Hm?
-You could have had it all. I would have given you everything you asked for. You just had to stay by my side.
Mina looked at him in surprise. She didn't expect him to say something like that.
-You hated me... What the hell are you saying?
-Hate you? - Doflamingo started laughing - Kid, you had my heart in your hands. I told you before, you were the only woman I would be tied to.
"Wow, finally I can see it crystal clear"
Mina always thought that her love for him was one-sided. She thought he never really saw her as family.
Why couldn't she saw it before?
Mina remembered every night that she slept comfortably in his company, and how he kicked out any woman who was with him whenever she entered.
The times he agreed to play with her while nobody was watching, or that every time she returned from the battlefield or a training session, he would send her dozens of sweets, her favorites.
Donquixote Doflamingo had thousands of defects and was a terrible and incorrigible man, but he always took care of her in his own way.
-I got tired of living inside a cage - she sighed and closed her eyes - And I have spent the last 5 years of my life trying to find a reason to hold on to life and not feel guilty about it. That's why I did it.
Doflamingo looked at her and tried to say something, but suddenly, very loud screams resounded all over the place.
-ARE YOU STUPID!? - strange voices were heard outside the cell - OF ALL THE FUCKING CELLS YOU HAD TO PUT HER IN THAT!? PUT HER IN ANOTHER ONE! NOW!
A frightened man entered and grabbed Mina's chains tightly, violently dragging her out.
-Don't you dare touch her with those hands, scum - Doflamingo threatened him with fury.
The man quickly bristled and loosened the chains, allowing Mina to get up and start walking without resistance. Before leaving the door, Mina turned to see the man for the last time.
The first man she had loved in her life.
-If we see each other in another life, I hope that this time we both do better.
When Doflamingo looked that little girl in the eyes, he could see that she was clearly his brother's daughter.
The same face, the same messy hair and the same pitiful expression.
He couldn't stand it. He wouldn't allow that girl to become the same human waste as his foolish brother.
If someone asked Doflamingo why he decided not to kill her, that would be the answer he would give.
He was never able to sleep well at night unless he got drunk, so a bottle of red wine would always rest on his nightstand
But the nights the girl insisted on sleeping with him, turned out to be the calmest. For a couple of hours, he could keep his mind completely blank, without torment or bad memories.
That, which started as a punctual whim, ended up becoming routine. Seeing that girl's face definitely made him feel better.
Without realizing it, he ended up spending whole days with her. During meals, he ordered her to sit permanently next to him and during nights, they both stayed together. He hadn't realized it, but his actions caused the rest of the Donquixote Family to develop obsessive jealousy.
Surprisingly, the girl turned out to be more useful than his little brother. The intelligence that his younger brother lacked, his daughter had plenty. And if she inherited something good from him, it was that monstrous physical strength inconsistent with the body of a girl of her age.
Mina was never expressive, but he found her charming in her own way. And over time, he realized that the few smiles she showed were only for him.
That made him greedy and want to monopolize it.
-You don't need friends, you have me - he used to repeat when saw her interact with other children.
Doflamingo thought that the girl was like a dog, always wagging its tail when seeing its master. And that made him feel satisfied.
But it was inevitable. She began to grow up.
-She will meet someone and leave. Doffy, she will leave you - Trebol and Diamante used to repeat - If you want her to stay, you must make sure that no one else loves her!
And so he did. He ended up being convinced to send her to war. And he thought everything would be great again.
But that day 8 years ago, when he took her to Marijoa, he never imagined that something like that could happen. When he saw her, turned into a ball of burned flesh and coagulated blood, he panicked. Doflamingo felt something very confused inside him. He threatened the doctors with their lives if they failed to keep her alive.
He spent days at her side, fearing that she would never wake up. But she finally did it.
And after that day, she changed. Her head was filled with nonsense. The same nonsense that his father and brother said. The same nonsense they died of by his own hands.
He wasn't going to let her die like those stupids. She couldn't leave him too, she was all he really had.
Doflamingo knew that Trebol was only trying to get the most out of him, and that the rest of the Donquixote Family were nothing more than faithful dogs obeying blind orders.
That girl was different. The smiles he gave her were sincere. Was this appreciation for her for sharing the same blood? He couldn't help but spoil her from the start. He stopped his actions by sending her to war, because he was afraid of becoming too attached to her.
But she betrayed him for the same fucking ideas as those two.
-Why can't they just obey me!?
If those three had followed him unconditionally he would have protected them until the end of his days. He would have given everything for them without hesitation.
He pointed his gun at his head. The same story as with his father and brother. He put his finger on the trigger.
But Doflamingo was unable to shoot.
That damn kid had poisoned him, made him crazy. If not, why did he hesitate so much?
He knocked her unconscious and dumped her on Green Ball, genuinely wishing he would never see her again. Maybe this anxiety and restlessness would disappear from inside him.
And for many years it was like that. He thought he had completely forgotten her.
But there she was again.
He thought that seeing her again would make him want to kill her. But he couldn't do it, again.
And now she would be killed by hands that were not his.
And that infuriated him.
Only he could kill her.
But he knew that she would not be killed so easily.
So Doflamingo had it clear.
He'll get that shit out of place and go find her.
And when he sees her again, he will decide what to do.
-Sorry Roci~