Hello! Welcome to this fanfic, my name is Cheesu and I thank you for reading this story.
This is a fanfic I wrote back when I was 10, and I decided to rewrite the story and translate it from Spanish to English! If you happen to understand the language it's best if you read it in Spanish as it's my native language and perhaps is clearer than this one cause of translation mishaps.
Enjoy!
— One. Two. Three. Four.
Doflamingo counted each slash on her skin as she laid in front of him. Maybe they would leave permanent scars, or maybe they would disappear after a couple of days. Whichever the outcome, Doflamingo continued to ignore the consequences.
— I don't know why you seem to not understand that when you pledged allegiance and honesty to me, it was all for safety. Are you going to tell me now who this boy is?
The blond man heard his prey stir for an instant. His subordinate's red hair slid down his shoulders as Doflamingo turned to the boy next to her. Impatiently, the Warlord raised a hand and pulled the strings. He could hear the ragged breathing echoing through the room and smirked as he started at the prisoner's body, lifted in the air.
His eyes scanned the young man for an instant, and his hand returned to the threads. The impact against his skin echoed through the room. His partner instinctively closed her eyes and clenched her fists tightly. The marks on her back stung, but she was sure that the guilt was much more painful.
— Five. Six. Seven. Eight. This is a lost cause.
The Warlord retrieved the strings and they both fell on the ground. He strode over to the redhead and forced her to face him. The tug made her cough, staining the floor with her blood and sweat, but she still managed to keep eye contact. Her hands reached for Doflamingo's arm, who smiled in awe at her resilience.
— I won't ask you for his name again, I hope that brat never shows up again. I just want to make sure you've learned your lesson.
The girl nodded intensely as she bit her lip to hold her tears. Doflamingo's hand slid down her cheek and finally pulled her into a hug.
— I'm so… Sorry. I shouldn't have hidden anything from you…
The blond man smirked, satisfied, and let the redhead go on the ground. He turned around to shake off the blood from his hands and returned to his two preys.
— This is all for your own good, June— the girl closed her eyes as he caressed her hair one last time—. My little child… Don't play around with me, only I can keep you safe.
— I was hoping this island would be more interesting...— the young girl's tone tried to showcase her disconformity as strongly as possible—. What the hell do you like so much from places like this?
The restless girl, with reddish hair and intense golden eyes, looked at the Bellamy Pirates. She crossed her legs as she pushed her unruly locks back. She could sense the host's gaze on her gangly pants and her construction boots, both still covered in mud and blood from previous battles.
However, rather than displeasure, she could sense that the man seemed enthusiastic about it.
— I see it's not easy to impress Bad Beat— Bellamy started laughing—. You've only been here for a couple of hours, you wouldn't understand the appeal. The calmer the place, the more scared and easy to control, right?
Perhaps that was the answer she was searching for. The girl leaned over to approach Bellamy, resting her elbow on the bar. For an instant, the blond man hesitated, but her mannerisms convinced him of her innocuous attitude. She wasn't subtle about her defenses, it didn't take much to realise that there wasn't much she could hide under a tight high neck sweater, especially when she had chosen a sleeveless one for that encounter.
Nevertheless, the cautiousness was fully justified in front of one of Doflamingo's infamous officials. Knowing Bad Beat's history, it was safe to assume she had never let her guard down since she entered the room.
— What a wicked man...— Bad Beat rolled her eyes—. Does Doffy allow you to behave like this? I can't even leave without my babysitter, Blind.
Bellamy raised his gaze at the man beside her. Blind was a young man with sharp features that matched wavelength as his golden eyes. The facial traits of that red head were the exact ones that the Hyena needed to reveal the kinship of those two brothers. And the way that man so blatantly displayed his dao swords to the world revealed he was not afraid of a good fight.
It was clear Doflamingo assigned the right person to prevent the girl from disobeying his orders, something Bellamy was willing to play around with.
— Perhaps you're not as trustworthy as you believe— Bad Beat flinched at his words—. Everyone is aware of your tiny mishap in the East Blue of all places, you know? When word of the flawless Bad Beat failing her first mission, we all thought you were done for. It's not everyday you see Doflamingo taking pity on roaches like you.
The Bellamy Pirates bursted in laughter. The redhead frowned and looked over at Blind, who returned a judging gaze at her and grabbed her hand tightly. The captain quickly noticed the tension between them and smirked.
— Don't be stupid— Blind forced her to turn around—. We're only passing through, not to find trouble.
— I'm not going to bother dealing with a stenching rat— the girl pulled her hand away from her brother—. I've left my weapons at the hotel room, so I can't fight back even if I wished to.
— Don't lie to me. I know you're fully capable to do well without them.
Blind raised her sight at the blond man, who had set his attention on someone else. He turned back to his sister, who turned around to avoid his eyes.
— Why do we even have to stay here?— Bad Beat whispered—. I can't stand this place, let's just go somewhere else.
— You know we have nowhere else to go after last year's incident. Whether you like it or not, we have to deal with the boss' orders until his anger tones down. Or at least until someone else pisses him even more.
The poster in Sarquiss' hands made her wince slightly. The face of an East Blue rookie, along with his bounty, covered much of the paper. The new pirates on the Grand Line came and went like flies, that one was just another name in the list of unlucky people in the most dangerous sea of the world. Still, Bad Beat noticed the strong throbbing in her chest.
She raised a hand to her neck, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed to the pirate captain. Bellamy sniggered, turned around and approached the siblings.
— Let's check out that young fella— the man laughed—. I'm curious to see what the East Blue brats have that can defeat Bad Beat.
— Do as you please, I won't follow your games.
Bellamy snickered and left the bar, followed by his entourage. Briefly, Bad Beat turned around to his companion and stood up. She left the building and, right after her, Blind followed her steps.
— You don't seem too keen on the wanted boy— said finally Blind—. Do you know him?
— It's irrelevant— her golden orbs observed the man out of the corner of the eye—. Let it be.
Despite the ambiguous answer, Blind chose not to continue prying answers out of her. His steps, right behind hers, were the only sounds that accompanied them for a while, until the noise in one of the establishments started surrounding them.
There was no mistake, Bellamy had found the place where his new toy was hiding.
His suspicions focused on the idea of those men being mistaken about the rookie, but if they looked to cause chaos in such a place, it was a chance to get rid of Bellamy from Doflamingo's care. Her brother wasn't going to let that opportunity escape: he needed to confirm the doubts about the boy's identity.
The door's creaking announced the arrival of the pirates to the bar. The siblings entered behind Sarquiss and his girls, making room for themselves near the back windows. Despite their attention being elsewhere, Blind and Bad Beat kept an ear on the conversation between those three unlucky ones and Bellamy. Clearly, the man was looking for fun and it took him long enough to pick a fight with that pirate.
Bad Beat watched silently from the sidelines, as the young woman with the two men walked to the bar and yelled something that caught the pirates off guard. The whole crew bursted into laughter, ruining the ominous silence, and the strong blush on Nami's face didn't go unnoticed.
Without much else to say, the siblings paid close attention to Bellamy's movements. As he stood up, he approached the captain and the Hyena slammed Luffy on the ground. Punches, kicks... They all echoed within the bar, harmonised by the laughter. Bad Beat tried to keep her gaze on the events, but she felt her heartbeat intensifying.
— Do we really need to be here for this?— she asked Blind as she turned around—. Doffy doesn't give a shit about a bar brawl.
— Well, he might not, but I'm really curious now. You wouldn't behave like this unless you had something to hide.
Luffy raised his head and his eyes locked on Bad Beat's golden iris. The girl widened her eyes, but her body was frozen in panic, making it impossible to look away.
— June… You're June, right?
Perhaps her real name had been too much of a shock for the young girl. Bad Beat shivered when Strawhat stood up and approached her. The boy grabbed her arm and the redhead continued shaking under his tight grip. She looked around and finally noticed Blind's shocked face.
— Do you not remember me?— Luffy inquired—. We met last year, it hasn't been that long.
After a long silence, he took a step closer, standing only a few centimeters away from her. Despite the closeness, before he could act, Bellamy slammed him down once again. Laughter quickly flooded the room, distracting Bad Beat from her loud heartbeat.
— Just what do you think you're doing? Did I hit you so hard you became even dumber?— Bellamy's mirth joined his crewmates'—. You're touching Doflamingo's pet, you better behave.
The hits became louder and, in the middle of the noise, the sounds of the door opening echoed through the room. Nami frowned as she pulled her friends out of the place, but they weren't the only ones leaving the place. Blind dragged his sister out of the bar, feeling the girl shaking under his grip.
— What the fuck was that?— he mumbled as he massaged his forehead—. I knew you were hiding something… How come you guys know each other?
Bad Beat looked down, finding shelter from his gaze on the ground. She could feel the man's look drilling her head, but continued to dodge his eyes. Finally, Blind decided to close his eyes and let stress take over him.
— I'm your brother, not your fucking nanny. I promised Kidd I would take care of you, but not that I would deal with your shit. Are you going to talk to me or…?
— It's him. The boy from East Blue.
Blind flinched and brushed away the hairs from his face with his fingers. He remained shocked for a few seconds, but Bad Beat decided to continue speaking.
— I thought h-he would die, or I would never have to run into him ever again. I used my real name cause I didn't want to risk being discovered by another identity. Please, don't tell Doflamingo, he will get really pissed…
— Isn't it much worse if he think you've lied to him? What exactly happened between you two?
The questions stayed in Blind's mind, but Bad Beat didn't let them out of her mouth. He chased the girl around town until they reached their hotel room. Without hesitation, she sat in front of the Den Den Mushi and dialed a number, silently awaiting an answer.
— Ah, it's you two— Doflamingo's voice played on the other side of the line—. Junie, Shanti… How is your little break going?
— We've run into Bellamy on a low tier island. Not much mo-...
Blind, that same man Doflamingo had called Shanti, picked up the device and pushed her away. For a moment, the boss could hear the screams from the called, but ultimately he made her shut up.
— The boy from the news, Strawhat Luffy. He was here and he seems to know my sister's name. The real one.
—… Oh?
The girl's hands trembled for a moment and finally she approached him.
— There's no need to worry about my link to him— she grabbed her brother's arm tightly—. Please ignore Shanti's words.
June heard a long sigh from the other side of the call and her body froze once again. A shiver ran down her spine and it took her not long to realise he had managed to put the pieces together.
— Of course… It had to be him, not some normal dude— the defeated tone in his voice awoke the panic in the siblings—. I won't ask how come you've met once again, nor will I care for that. Just keep an eye on him for me, will you?
Despite June's complaints, Doflamingo bursted into laughter and hung up the call. Anger overwhelmed her for a moment, but she took a deep breath and turned to her brother.
— Shanti, I can't do this. It took me so long to get some of his trust back, this is going to be my ruin.
The redhead man sighed and caressed her cheek lightly. No matter the enemy, Shanti had fought bravely to keep fear away from his sister. Any danger that came their way, the Eustass siblings had been capable of defeating it and leaving unscathed.
However, June knew there was more than one reason to not follow that order. Her only flaw in her otherwise perfect history, her rebellious outburst against her boss. Doflamingo's trust had been wrecked by a simple decision, and she knew the man would not forgive twice.
— Think about this as nothing more than a mission— Shanti smiled—. Even if Doflamingo won't, I trust you and your skills. Don't let that boy bring the worst out of you, you can't afford to do it in the Grand Line.
June pursed her lips and finally sighed.
— It's not like I have another choice...— she mumbled as she ran her fingers through her hair—. However, if this goes wrong we will both be punished. I have the feeling that if it's about him, Doflamingo will make sure to do so.
— That's okay, I've grown used to that pain so you don't need to worry about me. Just remember to take your sword with you. Tenshi no Ude is waiting for her master to use her once again.
— Luffy, I forgot to ask— Nami stood behind Chopper as he finished patching up the captain—. Who was that girl you talked to earlier? She didn't seem too happy to see you there.
— Ah, she is...— the captain pouted and scratched his head nervously—. I didn't know we would see each other again, she's a traveler I met in my homeland last year. We were really close but she ended up leaving out of sudden.
Nami tilted her head, confused. That gesture didn't go unnoticed to the blackhaired, but dodged the questions as swiftly as he could. He turned back to the town and, suddenly, he jumped from his seat.
— There she is!— he shouted, pointing towards the streets—. It's her, it's June!
The pirates leaned over larboard, making Robin flinch at the sight of the girl. She cautiously stepped away from the ship's side and lowered her gaze.
— Is something wrong, Robin?— the navigator asked—. Do you know anything about her?
— That's odd… I'm sure that girl is definitely Bad Beat— she explained as she crossed her arms—. She's one of Donquixote Doflamingo's underlings, she serves one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It's awfully odd to run into her in broad daylight, are you sure her name is June?
— Yeah, she told me that and that he was a traveler.
— Well, she's far more than a traveler, she's a hitman. Doflamingo used to keep her really close to him, so many have been calling her Doflamingo's bloodhound. However, something happened last year that made him ostracise her. No one knows exactly what it means but there's been a lot of talk about a great failure in the East Blue and it has damaged her reputation severely.
Luffy squinted his eyes and quickly stood up. A big smirk appeared on his face as he turned around to his friends.
— That sounds like a good chance to make a new crewmate— he snickered—. I'll ask her to join us, she's surely going to be a great warrior!