The two brothers faced off, one not trusting the other long enough to look away for even a fraction of a second. Doflamingo had never felt so conflicted, and though his exterior was as calm and cold as ever; internally his mind was screaming in agony with his beloved brother's betrayal. Whenever he looked at Rosinante, all he could see was the little boy he fought so hard to protect when they were young. Who had twisted his lovely brother's mind so much to cause him to bare his fangs like this? The answer came a few moments later.

"Marine Code 01746. Commander Rosinante of the Navy Headquarters. Donquixote Family captain Doflamingo, I have been undercover to prevent a future tragedy of your doing." Rosinante couldn't help but to smile as he finally revealed the truth he had held so close for so long. It had been such a burden to remain undercover and pretend to be a monster like his brother. Now he was finally free to be himself. His only regret was that Law could hear him, and he knew how much the young man hated the navy. He had hoped to show the child that his world view was inaccurate, but now the blond knew it was too late; he knew the pirate in front of him would now end his life.

Rosinante grit his teeth and began to bang his head against the treasure chest he was leaning on to get Law's attention. He knew that it was his last opportunity to say anything to him before his so-called brother attacked. Everything he had ever heard or seen about the man indicated that a violent response is all he could expect. "I'm sorry I lied to you. I didn't want you to hate me."

Doflamingo watched his brother, and it felt as though the wind had been knocked out of his chest. Other than when his mother died, he couldn't remember a time that his heart truly hurt so much. He didn't even realize that there was anything left in him to be hurt like this. Ever since meeting Trebol, he had placed so much importance on growing powerful and being above human emotions. Quick to act, Doflamingo is the first to admit how cruel he could be. He loved his family, but he still ruled with an iron fist. How had he allowed himself to become so weak?

His brother's apology caught him off guard, but something inside him screamed it was a lie. Perhaps it was the way Rosinante didn't meet his eyes. Gladius shouted that it was too late for apologies while attempting to attack the injured man, but Doflamingo stopped him. It was his brother, and he would deal with this himself. His face darkened and he practically snarled as he fought to keep the rising bile from coming up his throat. As his world shattered, maintaining control was crucial. "Stop telling those insipid jokes…" he managed to spit at the man before him.

He then asked about Law and the Ope Ope no Mi, causing Rosinante to become almost smug in his answer "The boy has eaten the fruit and is now in the custody of the Marines."

The very same bastards that had stolen his brother, now have the boy Doflamingo practically considers his own son! He could hear the blood begin to pound in his ears and his chest tightened to an unbearable degree. He ground his teeth back and forth, and instinctively readied his strings for an attack. At that moment, his other children called out to him to confirm a boy was taken into custody.

Doflamingo took a breath and went into action. He gathered more information from his children, and then called out orders to the other family members. Law is his main focus right now and he will get him back no matter what.

From the moment the young one sought him out, Doflamingo saw himself in the boy. They had not lived quite the same lives, but the same pain dwelled within them. He saw so much of himself in the thirteen year old, and had spent the last three years considering the boy as his own son. To lose him now would be unthinkable. 'Perhaps Rosinante knew this and intended this to be the twist of the knife in my back?' he thought to himself. He closed his eyes against the hot needles that pricked against his eyes. He hadn't cried since his mother died, and be damned if he'd give this traitor the satisfaction of seeing him break now!

Instead, Doflamingo reacted in the way Trebol had taught him. He clenched his teeth as the scowled deepened on his face and reached inside of his coat for the gun he'd carried for the last 15 years; the gun Trebol gave him to take back his power from those who betray him.

Rosinante watched as his brother appeared conflicted for a few moments, but in all honesty, it was hard to read him with his eyes covered behind those ridiculous glasses. 'Perhaps the pirate is just considering how to kill me?' he wondered to himself. However, once the older blond pulled his gun, the marine knew it was time for the final confrontation. He took one last drag of a dying cigarette before tossing it to the side, and then stood slowly to his feet. He kept his own pistol aimed at his brother's head, his finger firmly on the trigger, but inside he knew he was not a killer. He was not a criminal like Doflamingo.

The snow continued to fall around them, each brother lost in his own thoughts. Doflamingo was first to break the silence. "I know you can't shoot me. You're too much like your father."

He then ordered his crew to begin gathering up the treasure and head back to the ship. It was time to go find Law. Doflamingo turned away from the traitor when he heard the hammer click as the other blond prepared to fire.

"He won't obey you, Doffy. He's not the same Law that came to you that day, who lost track of himself and came to visit a crazy pirate!" the marine hissed. Rosinante knew he had to do whatever he could to stop Doflamingo from tracking Law down. He had to allow the boy a chance to be free from this nightmare. Perhaps he could just end it now? If he could just gather the strength to pull the trigger, though he knew his brother's crew would kill him in an instant, at least Doflamingo would be dead and Law would be free.

It wasn't the sound of the gun preparing to fire that stopped Doflamingo from leaving. It was the acidic words that poured from his brother's lips. At last the truth was evident. This was beyond betrayal. 'A crazy pirate? That's all I am?' Somehow those words seemed to lodge themselves deeper into his mind more than the thought that the navy had used his biological family against him. 'Perhaps family is just the ones you find in this life,' he concludes with an inward sigh.

Now, more than ever, Doflamingo was determined to find Law. The boy was his son in all but blood, and Rosinante had proven that blood was worthless. He had thought that somehow life had given him a second opportunity to build a life with a member of his precious biological family when his brother had returned to him after years of being separated. Doflamingo wondered when it was that he had lost his brother's love. 'Was it when I killed that man, or did he ever love me?' he thought to himself while he turned to look at the marine.

"Why do I have to kill another member of my biological family?" Doflamingo lamented aloud while he prepared to fire his own weapon. He had planned to walk away from the confrontation, but it seemed as if the Commander was not simply going to allow him to go. His mind began to race, as if to match the racing of his heart in his chest. Despite the freezing temperature, Doflamingo was burning hot and felt as though he couldn't breathe. It took everything within him to keep a cool facade as he aimed the weapon at his brother's chest.

He knew he was at a crossroads in his life. It was a defining moment of life or death, heaven or hell, balance or insanity. Whatever he chose would rule his existence from this point onward. As flashes of his life crossed through his mind, that hated burning behind his eyes threatened to overwhelm the pirate again. However, he would not yield and would not cry, no matter what the cost.

As he watched Rosinante's face, Doflamingo remembered the times from their shared past. The first time he saw his baby brother in his mother's arms while sitting on his father's shoulders. The time they walked down the streets of Mariejois, eating candy and laughing at funny birds hopping along the windowsills of the buildings they passed. Covering his brother's body with his own as the villagers beat them for stealing some bread, and trying to protect him from the majority of their blows because Rosi was so small and he was the big brother so that's just what you do…

It was then that Machvise grabbed the chest from behind Rosinante and caught both of their attention from each other. Rosinante seemed to panic slightly, causing Doflamingo to tilt his head in a considering manner as he looked at the chest. 'What is so special about this one?'

Rosinante swallowed back the impulse to snatch the chest with Law inside. As much as he wanted to take the boy and run, he knew he could never get away from these animals. Law had a much higher chance of survival on his own. 'All I have to do is keep Doflamingo distracted, and give Law that opportunity to escape,' he thought while attempting to keep his expression blank.

Yet it was the blank expression where hatred had been before that Doflamingo found the most intriguing. Something about this wasn't right and he was going to find out. This traitor was plotting something else, and he refused to allow it to come to fruition! "Machvise! Stop for a moment. I want to see what you have there. It may be a trap." He gave his brother a cold glare as he called his subordinate over.

Rosinante broke into a cold sweat and it felt as though icy fingers clutched his chest, making it difficult to breathe. He watched with apprehension as the rotund figure approached the madman of a pirate, and Law came closer to being discovered. Previously, it had seemed as though everything was going to work out in the end, almost as though some deity was going to ensure Law's safety, but now Rosinante knew he must move quickly to rescue the boy before it's too late! He closed his eyes and began to fire.

Doflamingo narrowed his eyes and leapt to the side while using his strings to deftly dodge Rosinante's attack. However, as he turned back towards the other man, he saw that he was no longer the one being targeted. The gun was aimed straight at Machvise's head.

Rosinante then pulled the trigger again. The only thought in the marine's mind was getting Law away from them before he could be discovered, no matter what the cost.

After a quick assessment of the situation, Doflamingo made two moves simultaneously. He threw his strings in a web out to grab Machvise out of the path of Rosinante's bullet, and he fired his own shots, three in rapid succession. Two of the bullets hit his brother in the back of his thigh, the third in the small of his back. Rosinante screamed and fell to the ground, where the snow began to bloom scarlet beneath him as he desperately attempted to stand. Chocolate-colored eyes widened in shock and terror as he realized one leg felt like it had been set on fire, while the other leg had no feeling at all.

Everything moved as if in slow motion from that point on. The marine watched as his brother pulled his crewmate out of the way, but the larger man dropped the treasure chest. As it fell, it became low enough in the moment the bullet passed that a hole appeared in the chest. Time seemed to stop and he was sure he might even lose his mind. He watched as the chest fell to the ground and the top fell open. Gold, jewels, and finally Law rolled out into the snow. No one moved for the briefest of moments, until Law landed a few feet from the chest. Blood poured from a wound in his right shoulder and he was unconscious.

Both brothers dropped their weapons and screamed for the boy. If they could have taken their eyes from him and looked at one another, perhaps they would have seen the mirrored expressions of fear and concern. However, the moment passed and Doflamingo ran towards the fragile, pale child to gather him in his arms. Pica, Vergo, and Gladius heard the pitch of his cries and immediately dropped what they were carrying to race back to their captain. It was not a tone Doflamingo was known for having.

When they arrived, they found him on his knees, holding Law tightly to his chest while murmuring softly in the child's ear. He had one hand held over the boy's shoulder, but blood was soaked through the cuff of his shirt and jacket, making the dark colors jet black. Gladius growled with rage at seeing the young master so distraught and went straight for the traitor, kicking him in the face. "What the fuck did you do now?!" he demanded, kicking him a second and third time in succession without really giving him time to answer.

Doflamingo looked up at the sounds and called out, "Leave him. We must get Law back to the ship immediately." He slowly began to rise while still cradling the boy gently in his arms. Was he always this light? Law had always been so full of anger and strong. It seems strange to the ito-wielder for him to be so fragile now.

"But, young master! He betrayed you! Look at Law! Look at what he's done!" Gladius screamed in anguish, giving Rosinante another kick. Doflamingo bit his lip as he watched his brother curl inward to protect himself from the blows, but as he looked down to the boy in his arms his resolve solidified. He pulled his coat from his shoulders and gently wrapped it around the pale, trembling boy to help ease his chills. He then used his strings to grab up the revolver he had previously dropped. Gladius was right. Commander Rosinante was marine scum and a traitor. He had done enough damage to their family.

The blond closed the distance between himself and the other man lying prone on the ground. Rosinante looked up at his coming death, and attempted with every ounce of his remaining strength to get up to grab Law from the pirate, but whatever was wrong with his legs wasn't allowing him to stand. Instead, he was only able to manage to roll to his back and prop himself into a sitting position so he at least would not be on his belly like a worm when death came to him.

As Doflamingo approached, with Vergo and Pica flanking either side of him, Gladius stepped back from Rosinante. He was glad that the young master had listened to reason and was going to take action against this bastard.

Doflamingo stepped up to his brother and pointed the barrel of the gun towards the other's chest. The sound of the hammer locking into place was almost deafening in the silence, but then he felt a tug on the lapels of his jacket. Doflamingo looked down into a pair of bleary, golden eyes that were filled with tears.

"Please don't do it," Law whispered in a small and broken voice. The boy appeared to be struggling to keep his eyes open and his hand was shaking as he kept hold of Doflamingo's clothing.

The older male licked his dry lips while looking into Law's eyes. For the first time since he had met the boy, there was emotion reflected within their depths that was not rage, nor was it hatred. In fact, the pirate had a difficult time comprehending the softness of the gaze until the younger broke eye contact to turn his head in an attempt to see where Rosinante was. Once he spotted the man sitting on the ground, the faintest of smiles edged the corners of his lips for a fraction of a second before he closed his eyes and turned back towards Doflamingo again.

Tears began to roll down the sides of his face into his black hair, leaving streaks in the dirt and blood on his face. When Law opened his eyes again, he looked directly at Doflamingo and pleaded, "Please let him live. He means a lot to me."

The ache in Doflamingo's heart grew at the boy's words and he dropped his weapon for the second time. Bringing his fingers up to Law's face to brush back his hair, he ran his thumb along a swollen bruise over his right eye. The frown deepened on Doflamingo's face as he made note to have a private conversation with Vergo once they were all safely back on the Numancia later about his treatment of this child. After a few more moments passed, he looked over to where his brother was panting on the ground, still clutching his injuries.

"Let's go. Gather the treasure and get back to the ship. The marines will be here soon." he ordered his men as he turned away from the traitor for the last time. It hurt too much to look at him any longer, and he wasn't sure he would be able to keep from killing him if he didn't walk away. As much as he hated what had been done to himself, he knew he could do this favor for his son.

"But, young master!" Gladius began to protest while looking at Rosinante with disgust.

"I said, let's go! I should not need to repeat myself!" he shouted in return while grabbing the man by his coat and tossing him unceremoniously towards the bay. Gladius stumbled a few steps before catching his balance and then he shoved his hands in his pockets while stomping through the snow. He would obey his captain, but he didn't have to like it.

Doflamingo pulled his coat a little tighter around Law's body to help keep him warm, but the child struggled weakly against him. The feathers blocked his view of Cora and he needed to tell him something. Once the teen was sure he had the other's attention, he gathered what was left of his strength and called out in a loud voice, "Thank you, Cora-san! I won't forget you!" Law then collapsed against Doflamingo's chest, gasping slightly as he fought to stay conscious.

Rosinante felt his heart skip a beat at the boy's words, and in the back of his mind he wondered if perhaps Doflamingo hadn't killed him after all and now he was in hell. When he had started this journey, it had been to keep a child from becoming another monster like his brother. Along the way, he had come to know the child and had learned how truly lost and broken that boy was, and how much he really just needed someone to love him.

As the realization set in that he had failed that child, Rosinante couldn't stop the burning ache that filled his chest. The dark hopelessness consumed his very soul and he felt like he was drowning in the despair of it all. "I'm so sorry, Law! Please forgive me!" he cried out as he fell forward into the bloodied snow. There, Rosinante continued to wail as his heart broke, and he grieved for the child he knew he had just lost to a pirate that was more demon than man.

It took everything in Doflamingo not to turn back as he heard the cries behind him. He ground his teeth and clenched his fists while holding tightly onto Law. All he could think of was how much his brother sounded as he did after the death of their father. It was the final proof that he was nothing to his brother and family consists of the ones who choose to be there, not those that happen to share the same blood.

As he stepped onto the deck of his ship, Doflamingo swore vengeance on those responsible for this. He would be sure to recompense double for what the Marines have done to his family, and the Heavenly Demon always pays his debts.

In the distance behind him, his revolver lays forgotten in the snow.