This chapter ended up being 9117 words long without author's notes. Sorry for taking so long I took an extra college class for spring semester and so homework and finals kicked my ass. I did alright though, managed to get a 3.14 for the semester. Not as good as my usual grades, but not bad.
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys!
Start Chapter 11
Just as Trebol had promised, it didn't take long for people to start piling back into the Donquixote suite. Doflamingo hardly even noticed, though. Too focused on trying to calm…. Himse-Luffy down. Making cooing and crooning sounds as he encouraged his pup to eat. Poor thing, his Lu-Lu was so rattled! He had never even given his bottle a second thought, not once since he had learned how to eat!
"There you are, sweet boy! My good little Glutton, Daddy, knew you were so hungry poor Treasure!~" The man cooed, trying his best to smile and encourage his Sweetness. Doflamingo wanted to just go back to the ship and curl up around his Croco and pup, like before. The more he tried calming down, the more unsafe he felt in this place. A place he had previously never had anything but good memories and had felt nearly as safe at as Spider's Mill. His baby needed to be protected! His Lu-Lu was too small, too fragile and young still to be outside of their safe place, their home. What was he thinking? Luffy wasn't even a year old yet! Where was his Pretty? He needed his Croco! What if someone tried taking his Croco away too? His Pretty was in the bedroom, but why? Croco should be right there with him and their pup and staying safe and in his sight at all times! Lu wasn't in view for less than 2 minutes, and look what nearly happened to him!
"Neh, Doffy, you're getting all panicky again! You have to calm your breathing, 'kay, Doffy?" Trebol reminded his captain, even as he, himself, was getting nervous. "You want Crocy, right? I'll get your Crocy and Pink will stay here, right Pink?"
The man nodded, "Of course!" Pink agreed, sitting down a tray with a silver tea set. "But he's probably just finished up a call with some contacts. Like the respectable man that he is shaping up to be, Sir Crocodile said he was going to try and find out where the bastards that were a threat to our little master are hiding out."
"Wait? What! Who threatened our Lu-Lu?! What kind of threat? What did they try to do to our nephew?" Trebol growled, tone indigent.
"I don't know. Crocodile smelled close to becoming feral, so I decided it was probably safer to leave him be so he could calm down for a few minutes." Pink explained, pouring a cup of tea for Doffy, making sure it had a spoonful of sugar and had plenty of cream just like he knew the man liked. "Here you go, young master! I replenished the stocks while you were out today…. I wanted it to be a surprise.. for your birthday…. It's your favorite…." The man explained, clearly a little upset that the day had turned out to be a lousy occasion for the younger alpha.
At first, Doffy seemed to be staring into space. But he eventually carefully laid Luffy's bottle against his shoulder and then used his free hand to pick up the cup full of steaming delicious tea. Hints of citrus filling his nose, too tempting to ignore. He hoped that maybe having something to fidget with would calm him down a bit. Where were minions to play with when a guy needed them?
"Thanks, Pink." Doflamingo murmured, entirely too subdued for the other two. It just wasn't right! Doffy just wasn't…. this.
Trebol and Pink exchanged uncomfortable looks before the towering hunchback sniffled up a long string of snot and shuffled his way to Doflamingo's newly shared suite.
Luffy whimpered, pushing his only half-finished bottle away and turned to nuzzle his tear-tracked face into his daddy's suit. Mewling anxiously.
"It's alright, Little master," Pink said, frowning at the way Doffy tensed up and began to breath harder and at how the blond's bottom lip began to tremble.
"Shhhh, It's alright. Daddy's here. I'll never let anyone or thing take you from me. No, not ever Sweetness.~" Luffy wouldn't ever leave him. He loved him so so much. Nothing was more important to Doflamingo than his Little Treasure. His son, someone tried stealing him away! His-HIS EVERYTHING! He was in love with Croco, his pretty, but his love for Luffy. Luffy was his, his baby.
"That's right Lu-Lu, daddy's just a little stressed still. I'm sorry if I'm making you anxious too. Now let's try to eat a little more, hmm?" Doflamingo had, had the pup since likely only hours after he was born. He nursed him back to health and he cared for him and loved him and saw all of his milestones…. Their bond was incredibly special to the man and it was just Luffy was born to be his baby… Even when his Treasure was in some unloving bitch's belly, he was Doffy's. No love the man could ever feel for someone else could ever outshine the utter devotion and fatherly love he held for his son and right now, it was kicking the man in the guts for daring to sit down his sweet helpless son for even a second. "Come on now Sweetness, I know you can eat more than that." The man cooed, sitting his nearly finished tea down and pressing Luffy's bottle's teet to the pup's lips letting the liquid dribble over the infant's gums temptingly.
"Doffy! What happened? Why did you call us back here? Did something happen?" Diamante demanded rapid-fire as he all but ran into the room. The man went wide-eyed at Luffy's red face and clenched gums. Luffy never rejected food! "Is Lu sick?! Pink doesn't know how to deal with baby illnesses! I'll go-"
"What are you going on about?" Crocodile grumbled, eying the panicked-looking man. His frown deepened as he realized, like the others, that his pup was being fussy about eating. Something that just felt totally wrong. Luffy was a hearty eater. Hell, the pup could probably keep up with kids 3-4 times his age and probably still feel a bit hungry. Luffy not wanting food was like Trebol without a snotty nose; it just didn't happen.
"-And I told him that I would kick his ass and burn down his shop if I ever heard another suggestion on what kind of haircut I should get again. A bowl cut is easy to maintain and practical. Besides, I think it frames my eyes nicely and helps show off my sideburns."
"Don't you dare kill that old man! That's where I get my favorite custom haircare products from! If I had known you would cause such a scene, I would have left you here! I just wanted a nice relaxing day where I could get my hair cared for by my favorite stylist and get myself a pedicure! Because of you, I didn't even get past the haircut! I knew I should have waited for Zala and Gladius! Even Bentham would have been a better option, at least he cares about his appearance and he's actually fun!" Pica snarled, squeaky voice practically rattling everyone's brains in his irritation.
"Can you both not start a fight the moment you get back here? There is clearly a situation going on. Why don't we focus on what may have happened that had us being called back on such short notice?" Daz growled at the pair coming in. Giving the pair an irritated glare, joining Pink and a sneering Trebol. The room positively stunk of anxiety and fear and protective rage. It was nearly choking. How in the hell were those two able to argue about dumb crap like that when something big and bad was or had clearly been going on?
Thankfully as soon as the scent and aura of the room settled on the pair, they were just as on alert and became just as serious and ready to kill someone as the rest of the group. Taking their seats with quiet apologies to their captain and eyeing a fussing Luffy with great concern.
It wasn't long after that when Marchvice and Gladius came back. Gladius stomping into the room, looking positively livid and muttering about blowing everything up that may have scared his nephew. He immediately went to grab Tora-Tora as Crocodile was doing his best to settle both Doffy and Luffy down along with Vergo(Who was more fussing over Luffy refusing to eat) and Trebol and the man had clearly forgotten Luffy's plush. After handing the plush over, he went to his room for a bit to calm down. He felt like it was the best option as Luffy seemed to be getting more and more upset the more worked up everyone was around him, being the sweet, empathetic little thing that he was. The silver-haired man wasn't know for having the best control of his temper.
It wasn't long before everyone was back and both Jora and Bentham were fussing. Bentham more over, everyone and was upset that they all were clearly on edge. Jora over Luffy and Doffy in particular. Zala, herself, had started serving out tea and pieces of one of the cakes that she and the other's had picked up, only minutes after being called. At the same time, Pink quickly got up to assist her, clearly wanting to help settle everyone down so his nephew would feel calm enough to eat some more and Doffy and Crocodile would feel safe enough to stop hovering over the pup and actually tell them what happened. Especially poor young master who seemed to have been having one of his…. Bad moments again. Reacting in such a way that Pink didn't think he had seen the other man have an episode that bad since he was maybe 13? Maybe 14 years old?
As his friend and found family, it was Pink's duty as a man and as an uncle to protect and avenge his family. Just like it was to help provide safety and comfort. He was just as angry as the rest, but they need to control themselves. They had a set of traumatized parents in the room and their clearly very affected nephew. Luffy was too young to understand the difference between them being angry at each other or angry with someone outside of the family. It was clearly incredibly stressful for the infant with how sensitive he was. The young master wasn't up to dealing with that sort of aggressive and hostile scents either after such a bad episode. Zala and Bentham seemed to get that. Bentham especially as he began scolding everyone and guilting at least a few of them into sitting down quietly.
The man had gotten incredibly irritable with their behavior when Pica had become particularly snippy and had clearly been about to get pissy with Buffalo, who was bouncing around with a mixture of anxious and excitable energy. Crocodile had become just as much scolding the other man for getting irritated with the pup when he wasn't doing any kind of misbehaving. The boy clearly understanding that something was very wrong, but also still being a child, he was ready to burst with all the things he wanted to tell everyone about his clearly, by the gift bags and windmill hat, fun day he had with Bentham and some of the man's crew.
"Buffalo, let's show Doffy boy and sweet Lu-Lu the presents we got them! I think that should help cheer things up, don't you? Right, Croco-sir?" Bentham encouraged, smiling when Doflamingo actually turned his head from staring at Luffy and Buffalo perked up, immediately getting up from his assigned seat and nervously held up a bag to the blond. "I-I thought even though Luffy sleeps with you guys that he'd like to play with it…. And he'd like the colors." The boy said, fidgeting.
Without saying a word, The blond alpha carefully pulled the thing from it's bag. The other's in the room had gone silent at that point. Almost desperate to see their captain and their nephew back to being their playful, cheeky, and confident selves. Them being upset in any way was just so wrong!
Doflamingo's frown slowly faded into a soft, thoughtful smile as the item in the bag came into view. It was a beautifully crafted mobile with about a dozen different little carved birds on it, all colorful and of different species and sizes looking to be in mid-flight.
The moment Luffy's eyes caught the colorful thing, he let out a curious squeak.
"Oh, you like the pretty bird's Lu-Lu?" The blond exclaimed excited that his pup wasn't making fearful sounds at the sight. He immediately went to dangle the mobile over his pup and was back to grinning in real pleasure when Luffy's eyes seemed to almost be fixated. The pup letting out a cautious but excited little sound, then a wanting little merp that was slightly more confident-sounding as he reached for the pretty things before the infant let out a string of quiet babbling. "Yeah, see the birdies Luffy? You like 'em don't you Sweetness? Such a good pup! My smart boy talking so much!" Doflamingo crooned, lighting up and eagerly encouraging his pup's positive reactions to his new toy. Happy that the infant wasn't so stressed out or stinking nearly as badly of terror or stress as the minutes ticked by. The scent and sounds of his pup so distressed had been paralyzingly traumatizing for the man.
"You both feeling a little better now Doffy?" Crocodile asked, leaning in to run his fingers over Luffy's head and smiling subconsciously as the infant almost desperately leaned into his hand, making his 'Love on me I love you love me' squeaks and merps for attention. Although Crocodile wasn't liking how anxious and insecure the pup was still sounding, it was a significant improvement on his mood and comfort level from even 10 minutes beforehand when he was having a meltdown level loop that he had been sharing with his father and the rest of the family over the stress that was being felt.
The moment the pair had started to significantly calm down, Trebol, Jora, and Pica looked ready to burst again, being more outspoken when it came to their outrage. They were incredibly anxious to know what had caused such a mood change with their found family members.
Crocodile sat himself down, still petting at Luffy's nuzzling head and lightly chewing at an unlit cigar Daz had so thoughtfully placed in his teeth before taking his own seat. The familiar calming presence and the taste of fine tobacco were a familiar grounding comfort for him.
"Alright, let's get this meeting started! Around 6, Doffy and I were finishing up with the Zoo. I…. went to grab an ice cream at his insistence while he browsed the gold medalian's gift shop, over there. I figured he probably wanted me to wait outside for him, so I was taking my time. Since he was taking a bit longer than I had expected, I decided to check to see what was going on. Something just felt… off, ya' know? I barely got up and I could hear Doffy growling real protective like and I-I thought… I heard a pup's fear bark…. I was sure that I had to be hearing things, but…. well, I got to the door and there was someone…. An alpha male, I think, in a dark green robe with his hood up and he was trying to grab my Luffy!" Crocodile explained, gnashing a bit harder at his cigar as he tried to force himself to stay as calm as he could. It was difficult though, the emotional wounds were fresh and incredibly painful. He at least felt vilified as the others stiffened at his words, smelling protective and ready to rip out some throats.
.
"It's okay Pretty, Lu-Lu's safe! His good vicious momma, Pretty, and protective daddy made sure of that!~" Doflamingo crooned, the slightest purr to his tone of voice. He then leaned down and peppered a few kisses over the man's cute scar. Feeling endeared as the brunet let out a string of embarrassed denials. He was just too cute, even slipping and calling Luffy his pup, his sweet sweet Pretty! Such a loving mommy Crocodile!~
The brunet continued after giving himself time to breathe and calm down for a few moments. "Doffy was freaking out, lip almost curled even and nearly feral! The bastard lunged at Lu again and he was so damn scared! So fucking terrified! I've never seen a pup that young that scared in my whole life. He was convinced the bastard was going to kill him, I'm sure of it! Acted like he was going to beat him within an inch of his life! I- Luffy barked, BARKED! Full-on fear barked and I was just on the bastard…" Crocodile snarled.
"I didn't even have to think. The moment I heard my brat like that…. and then some other ass, the one we got, covered his arms in Haki so he could grab me off of the monster! Came up from behind." Crocodile explained, forcing his voice from crackling like the hard, painful lump in his throat threatened to do to him. His Luffy, his Baby had been scared enough to bark, bark and he hadn't been right there like a good parent should have been! Luffy was just a helpless, trusting infant, he relied entirely on him and Doffy to love him and comfort him and keep him happy and safe. He was a bad parent, a horrible horrible mother! Eating ice cream and getting grouchy when his boy needed him! The brunet's instincts, head, and even his ice-cold heart had berated him this way since the moment the incident happened
Several of the executives made sounds of horror or disbelief, while others sucked in distressed breaths, looking nauseated at the thought of their sweet, cheerful little nephew being scared enough to actually bark. No wonder he and his parents had been such wrecks and why Doffy had such a bad episode. It probably reminded him of the day he and his brother and father had gotten strung up. It had been the only time besides when he had killed his father that the man had ever heard his beloved missing brother bark after all. His crew knew that he still completely blamed his father with all of his heart for both of Rosi's barks of pure terror and especially the first feelings of pain both brothers had ever experienced.
"Lu-Lu was super grumpy and tired… I put my wallet in the wrong pocket and anytime I tried getting it, I kept accidentally waking him up. Poor Sweetness was all tuckered out after getting to see all the animals. It was so cute how much they made him light up…. And… I didn't even think about using my strings…. Instead, I sat Luffy down on a chair. I just had to give the kid at the Register that ID card. You know, the one the casino gave us because of the fake papers issue. It-It wasn't even a full 2 minutes." Doflamingo said, swallowing hard.
"Suddenly, I felt someone trying to hide from my observation Haki… Before I could do anything…. Lu was scared and barking and beggin' me to get that bastard away from him!" The blond's face twisted back down to a deep understanding frown, one that even had his own found family unnerved. "He recognized him." The young alpha said, eying his exhausted half-asleep pup. "He recognized him!" Doflamingo said with a seething certainty. Apparently, seeing the puzzle pieces before anyone else.
"Doffy?" Vergo prompted.
"Him, he knew my Luffy from the moment he saw my Treasure… He froze and stared like he'd seen a ghost. Went… all ridged after I said Lu's name. That bastard in green…. I think-no-I'm certain he's Luffy's sperm donor. He's the one that hurt him! I got a whiff of the fucker! He hurt my boy and then all these months later tried to steal him away to finish what he already thought had been ended! I want him. I want him. When we get him, I'm going to make him wish he'd died when he thought he'd offed my Treasure." Doflamingo hissed, decidedly demonic feeling in that moment, beautiful and terrifying as bits of his conquerors haki escaped from him. His sweet boy burbled with utter contentment nuzzling him sleepily, positively melting into him. The pup clearly feeling as safe as he possibly could. The other's around the table, although outraged and with clear murder in their eyes were sweating and trembling, on the other hand.
Doffy melted at his sweetness' reaction. His special sweet, perfect little Treasure! His good good pup! He knew just who he belonged to~ that he would never ever hurt his boy! "Oh Lu, isn't he a cutie Croco?~" The blond positively purred, getting minutely sidetracked by his Luffy peeping and cuddling his father's hand to himself, nuzzling his head against the man's still stroking fingers. It didn't take long for his protective thoughts to come back full force. How could a bastard ever be so cruel as to even think about harming a single hair on the head of such a precious little angel?! Doflamingo's little angel? His destined son!
"I want that guy brought in. He tried to hurt our sweet boy and wants to finish the job." Doflamingo said, dead serious as he eyed his family.
"Of course, Doffy! Hey-hey, do you think we'd let anything happen to our Lu-Lu?!" Trebol exclaimed, tone insulted.
"I don't know how to express how angry I am right now! Making our bubbly little master…. B-bark, he must have been so scared! It's despicable! I'll turn that beast into a piece of art worthy of putting up in Spider's Mill and I won't be so merciful when he suffocates like I usually would! I'll make sure it's slow and agonizing!" Jora exclaimed, fists clenched and lip trembling like the woman was fighting angry tears.
Bentham, on the other hand, was allowing himself to openly cry at the thought of Luffy being so terrified and from his and Doffy's display of extreme anxiety earlier. His poor captain and his mate and baby had been in such a horrible scary situation! And poor Luffy being so terrified by that monster! Jora and Pink had spoken a bit about Luffy not being in good shape when Doffy found him, but they hadn't elaborated that a newborn pup had actually been hurt! What had that demon done to the pup? What kind of monster father-no sperm donor or not could do anything to a newborn infant? The thoughts made him feel sick! He couldn't imagine, nor did he want to imagine ever hurting a child! That was a type of evil that needed the deepest darkest pit one could find and to be left to suffer a long agonizing death.
"Is Luffy going to be okay?" Buffalo asked quietly, nervous and alarmed sounding as he tried to look the pup over the best that he could from his seat.
"He's fine Buffalo. Just a little freaked out." Pink assured the older pup.
"My crew specializes in espionage and assassinations. Bentham and his division make for excellent spies. Zala's my best stealth assassin though she's pretty talented in espionage as well. Daz is one of the best assassins and bounty hunters I've ever met in all of the blues."
"Ah, good idea sir! I was thinking the same thing and I was itching to check out the underbelly of this place anyway. You know how much I love playing bartender.~ Bentham, Cricket, Philipe, and Daz and I'll need to discuss how we plan to do this. It would be…. Irritating if that group managed to slip away before we found them because we accidentally brought suspicion on ourselves." Zala said, a razor edge smile twisting her lips.
The smile that lit up Crocodile's face at his fourth in command's words was even more barbed and chilling, positively sadistic and delighted than her own. He hoped she played with the bastard cold dead heart and speared it right through. "Sounds perfect, Kukukuku!"
"Hey, hey! What about us Crocy?" Trebol exclaimed, sniffling as his nose began to run in his excitement. "Huh, huh?! That's not fair! Lu-Lu's our nephew to and don't forget they upset Doffy! We can't just stand by after an insult like that! Right, Doffy?!"
"Of course, there are plenty of those rats to stomp, don't any of you worry!" Doflamingo purred, snickering at the thought of trapping the whole lot of those hooded figures he had seen before.
"Yeah, there's plenty to go around, by the looks of 'em. Don't worry, we won't start the fun without any of you. Just forgive an angry…. Mother if a fist slips a couple of times once we wring the guy up by his ears." Crocodile said, giving the group a coy little grin.
Trebol looking equal parts unnerved and darkly amused. "Of course, Croccy!"
"Accidents happen after all." Vergo agreed as the other's made amused noises and confirmation of agreement.
"Rude bastards that are a threat to the family walk right into people's fists all of the time! We'd think nothing of the beast having a clumsy little stumble." Diamante said, eyes positively gleaming at the thought. He was so happy that Crocodile was finally starting to come around. He and the other's would be none too pleased if that had to step in and force the issue. He hoped that the trauma of the incident stuck to the man and helped glue him to Doffy's side and to continue on mothering and loving on his adorable little nephew the way he deserved. He preferred not to have to do anything that would burn out that spark though they would, all of them if he dare ever hurt their captain or precious nephew.
After a few more minutes of discussion, everyone, although aching to beat the group of hooded figures skulls in, were far more relaxed and in far better moods. The edge would never truly melt away until they had taken revenge, but between Luffy, Crocodile, and Doffy calming down significantly and the promises of getting to mangle those that had not only threatened but had insulted the pride of the Donquixote family, everyone was in a significantly better mood. Doffy and Luffy seemed affected considerably by the calmer atmosphere. Both still were irritatingly not quite as bright and confident as they usually would be. Luffy still was a bit anxious and fearful, but they were doing far better than before. Near the end of the conversation, he had dozed in and out of sleep, smelling more like himself. It wasn't long after that when an annoying buzzing followed by knocking pulled the group away from their discussion.
Gladius, who had joined everyone once they deemed everyone calm enough to keep themselves in check. Him to, if needed, with his explosive temper to go with his explosive Devil fruit abilities. Dealing with his anger over the situation hadn't been fun. He thankfully was mindful enough of the residual scent of his captain's earlier stress-induced Panic attack and of Luffy to keep himself mostly under control. It didn't mean he wasn't going to blow something up later, though. He was practically blowing blood vessels at the knocking, still on edge. "What the hell's going to happen next?" He growled, stomping out of the room. Pica grimaced and immediately got up to follow him, flexing his hands as he went looking over his captain and nephew as if to reassure himself before meeting eyes with Trebol, who was stiff and suddenly stinking of protectiveness as he got to his feet and all but guarded the door.
Doffy was his and Lu-Lu was his and Doffy had hurt because someone dared to try to hurt what belonged to him! He was suspicious of anything that got anywhere near them or by anyone that wasn't a part of their combined crews at that point.
"Sir Crocodile! We got the food you asked for! We were really looking forward to that Rosamona's restaurant, but we didn't feel like with there being a threat to our little Angel prince and Doflamingo that it would be the safest option. Carlos and Cricket convinced Avery and Katri to help them whip up a meal I'm sure that can make up for it a bit!" Philipe called. The man's voice was quickly followed by him pushing a cart filled to the brim with delicious smelling food into the room and followed by a few other men also pushing carts into the room.
"How did you get those two to even walk in a kitchen without flippin' out?" Crocodile sputtered, the other man's words easily getting his attention. He never thought they would cook again after the crap they went through.
"Our captain's date was ruined, of course, they're going to want to make things better!" Was the man's annoyingly vague and off-topic reply.
Doffy made a sad little sound and pouted at hearing Philipe's words. He had really been looking forward to finishing off their day on a good note. It would have been so perfect….
"That still doesn't answer my question. Those two would rather scrub a toilet with their tongues than step foot in a kitchen again after going through that!" Crocodile grumbled, even as he perked up at the sight and smell of the high-class food that had started to be sat on the table. He was a glutton for fine food and alcohol. Carlos, another man, named Bartoll McStattle, and Cricket were his main cooks and were all trained professional chefs, good ones, but Avery and Katri were in their own league, once upon a time.
"Going through what? Doflamingo questioned.
"Yeah, Crocy! What happened?" Trebol asked, more than a little curious himself now that he felt significantly calmer seeing familiar faces and smelling familiar scents. He wasn't one to hang around lesser crewmates, they weren't family after all, but he recognized them as belonging to Crocodile at least. Bentham had a tendency to hang out with his crew quite a bit, too so even as little as he cared for them, he recognized the men coming in.
"Oh, you don't know?" Crocodile asked, giving the men a cheeky smirk.
"Croco, no teasing!" Doffy whined. "Tell us!~" He insisted.
"You've heard of Big Momma, right?" Crocodile purred, nearly laughing at the instant grimaces and looks of dread on Doffy and the other executive's faces. He was sure they were thinking up all sorts of horrible things.
"Big Momma….?" Diamante hissed like a curse.
"Umhum…. They were forced into Toto land by Compote, Big Momma's first daughter after she was apparently dating their captain. She loved their food so much that she forced them to go with her when the guy broke it off with her. Apparently, the experience was so traumatic that the second they managed to escape, they faked their own deaths and swore off cooking again. Katri told me once that Big Momma ate a boyfriend of his, a Horse Mink, right in front of 'em just because she was curious about how one would taste. That and apparently he was spending too much time with him instead of on baking." Crocodile explained. "And that was mild compared to some of the shit that happened."
Getting grimaces and eews from around the table.
"What's a Horse mink?" Buffalo asked, a little confused by the extreme reactions from the adults around the table. A mink was like a weasel, right?
Pink groaned into his hand. Not sure if a kid that young should really understand the extreme nature of what the woman had done. Ugh, that was like-like eating a human! Practically cannibalism, at least to him it was! She really was a monster.
"They're like devil fruit users that are permanently in they're hybrid form if they have a Zoan fruit." Vergo blurted, not seeming to read the mood.
Buffalo, of course, went pasty when he heard Vergo's words. The North Blue had a lot more devil fruit users than the East Blue. Devil fruits weren't super common but being around devil fruit users and having a little bit of experience around a couple of Zoan types from before becoming part of the Donquixote family had the boy understanding far more than he would have liked to have. "B-but that means that they're people then! She-she eats people? Like G.O.D. from the place my d… from where He's from?" Buffalo sputtered, looking more than a little green at the thought.
"God?" Daz snorted, eyebrow raised.
"I think that's what sky people call their leaders?…. It might be specific to the Grand White-White sea though, I'm not too clear about the details." Pink explained.
"Nah, it's an all sky ocean thing. It's weird as hell. Most treat them more like godly figures to it's a whole weird cultural thing. Got some weird as hell crap going on up there. Whole island up there of just cannibal Omegas that keep alphas in cages like pets, had the whole Amazonian thing going on. I wouldn't even compare it to Amazon Lily, though, way too fucked up, and Amazon Lily's just females. The alphas and betas aren't being ridden around on like some fet-freaky uh, shit.
These omegas were built like fring' she giants crossed with 'roided out bears or something because of some freaky fungus that they ate. They were scary as hell! When they decided they wanted a kid, the poor sucker that had to deal with that…." Crocodile glanced over at Buffalo, realizing that the pup was well, very much a child still…
"Well, let's just say the poor sucker's pelvis was lucky if it wasn't totally pulverized. They tried catching part of my crew, thankfully they absolutely terrified them and no one wanted to stay long. There was a whole string of islands dedicated to cannibalism and live sacrifices and stuff in that area, not an area you want to need to ask for directions in. Olympus was pretty cool, though. Had to be careful not to piss the wrong person off since poison was a pretty big thing there…. That and everyone wanting to jump everyone's bones.. so they were big-time into…. Uh…. You know and revenge for stupid shit, but they had indoor plumbing and the city was gorgeous… Food and shopping were great too! I still use a bunch of the dials I got from there." The brunet went on.
"Wait, you've been to that sky place I keep hearing bits and pieces about?" Daz exclaimed, actually looking surprised for once.
"You're focusing on that when we were just told Olympus is sort of a thing and he's actually been there?! Jora pointed out using an incredibly incredulous tone of voice as she eyed the man, thinking about all of the history and art and culture that Crocodile must have had the luck to have seen and experience with his own two eyes.
"Oh, thank you, this looks, scrumptious darling!" Jora exclaimed, getting easily distracted by the beautifully decorated dessert layered with cake and different colorful fruits and homemade fruit sauce, creams and crumbles and topped with ladyfingers cut into flower, star and heart shapes.
"Carlos and Ti-Ti made it! She's getting so good! He picked such a good apprentice! She came up with your desert and made a great chocolate raspberry mousse for the filling in those ladyfingers!" Philipe exclaimed proudly, grinning ear to ear as he specifically sat one of the beautiful desserts in front of the woman that had a few extra ladyfingers and some shaved chocolate on it. "I'll admit we may have eaten more than a couple while getting everything ready." The man said with a cheeky grin as the woman fawned.
"It's a work of art! Already knowing me so well and remembered I like to be able to look at my beautiful treat while I eat my dinner!~ Tell her if everything she makes keeps tasting as good as they look, I may have to steal her!" The woman exclaimed, utterly delighted.
"-We were lost up there for nearly 6 months once. It's weird as hell up there. Lots of cults. Soils real rare too. I sold my crew mate's herb garden for 10 great quality dials and about the equivalent of 2 million 450 thousand Berris in cash!" Crocodile said, a wistful smirk crossing his lips, "The cooks were pissed…. I think I was 11 maybe 12?"
"You never told me any of this!" Bentham pouted, crossing his arms.
"I told you I've been up there a few times."
"But not like that!"
"It was a long time ago, in a totally different lifetime! You know how I feel about talking mushy about my shitty childhood!" Crocodile grumbled, starting to edge away from his improved mood, thinking about the pure excitement and adventure that had once filled his heart and soul to the brim. What an idiot he was, thinking that one-day things would change, that they would get better for him. Running off had been the smartest thing he had ever done. The best thing he had ever done for himself. Without realizing it he had visibly curled into himself, retreating his petting hand from Luffy's fluffy hair and clearly cutting himself off from everyone around him.
"I'm sorry," Bentham said, subdued. He visibly wilted as the air suddenly felt heavy and awkward and less open than it had been before. His captain was retreating again, quickly going from his cheeky, charismatic, more open self he had started to become as of late back to his cold and distant unreachable self.
"Croco?" Doffy questioned, tone calm, careful.
"Leave it." Crocodile hissed, not even looking at the blond beside him before addressing Bentham's ship's second in command. "Where's the food, Phil? I'm getting pretty tired. I just want to eat and turn in, alright? I don't really care about any rolls or dessert or anything tonight."
"Sorry, boss! The casino insisted on inspecting everything before it got up here." The man explained, sounding a little puzzled himself.
"It's fine. I'm just going to head to my quarters then." Crocodile said, getting to his feet and starting to the door. The wrong one. "Remember to talk it all out between each other." He said pointedly at his crew before standing aside to let a few more of his crewmates, pushing food through.
"Wait, Croco! You can't get to our bedroom from there! What are you doing Pretty?~" Doflamingo said, tone teasing even as anxiety spiked through him and his face was quickly twisting into something dangerous.
"I'm…. going back to my ship for the night, I want to be alone for a bit." Crocodile explained, forcing himself from taking a step back when Doflamingo was suddenly just there, towering menacingly over him a cold prickly frown on his face. Even for a man like Crocodile, it was unnerving. The fact that Doflamingo was gently petting over Luffy's head so carefully made the alarm bells that had been going off in Crocodile's head blare even worse as somehow it made the situation feel even more oppressive and dangerous.
"Luffy could have died and you're leaving?" Doflamingo growled, the 'How could you! I thought you loved us!' implied as plainly as a line in the dirt.
Crocodile gritted his teeth together, "You don't think I know that?! I'm telling you I am not going ta' be good company! I can't be around anyone, not just you!" The man sniped. Trying his best not to completely blow up or break down. He needed to be alone. He wanted to be surrounded by the stuff he had collected himself and to build his walls back up for the night and to pretend that all of those painful feels that had rushed back to him were never even a thing. It hurt too much. He was a pathetic weak freak of a thing and he'd never change and nothing would ever change and what if being around Luffy somehow cursed the pup to the same sort of misery and broken hopes and dreams? What if it was his rotten luck that nearly got him…..-
Doflamingo straightened his back, "my suite has a couple of guest bedrooms that I've never used. You can be….. alone in one of those." He said, unwilling to let his Pretty out of his sight. What if he left? What if that group of hooded figures went after his Croco and he wasn't there? Why would his Croco want to-
Before the situation escalated because it clearly was going to terribly and fast, Pink, sweating slightly, mustered up his courage and forced himself to intervene.
"Young Master, you need to let him chose what he's most comfortable doing. It's your duty as a alpha and a man to respect his mate's needs and wishes. It's been a stressful evening. He probably needs some time to himself to calm down. Besides, think of this as practice for when Sir Crocodile has to take a business trip or even if you would need to. He said he would be back in the morning. Besides, his executives will be staying here tonight." Pink calmly pointed out, knowing his captain would be able to read between the lines.
Crocodile was a very independent prideful man who clearly had some deep-rooted issues and insecurities that he had been keeping under lock and key from others' eyes for a long time. Doflamingo may have been starting to win him over and it was clear that Crocodile may have even been starting to have feelings for the other man, but they had only been together for a few months now, actually traveling with the crew for not even a full 2 months he wouldn't be willing to open up overnight about his insecurities and anxieties. He and Pink were the same in some ways. Both were still in a highly emotional state. He, as the only one that seemed to know anything about relationships out of the Donquixote family, needed to help guide them before either made a terrible unrepairable mistake that would devastate his captain, nephew and also the crew. Crocodile's second, third, and 4th in command quickly on their way to becoming beloved family members, even some of Bentham's crewmates, becoming fast fixtures.
Doflamingo needed to keep in mind that Crocodile was a runner he wouldn't allow anyone to control him. If the young master came on too strong and got too demanding and pushy, he would lose him. Even if the others put the backup plan into motion, he would never want anything to do with his blond captain. Pink was sure if that were to happen, it would destroy his young master for the rest of his days. He needed to make his captain understand that giving the brunet his space at that moment was the best move he could possibly make and would actually likely bring the pair closer, endearing his captain to Crocodile.
Doffy was very afraid of being alone and being abandoned, those that he deemed family getting hurt or killed. If he felt like he was being abandoned or that Crocodile was intentionally putting himself at risk, it was very likely he would lash out. Especially if Crocodile showed any sign of not only rejecting Doflamingo, but any sign of not being positively enamored with Luffy could end up being dangerous for the brunet. Pink didn't want anything bad to go down on either end. He liked Crocodile and Doflamingo and his little nephew was so happy with him. Crocodile fit in so well and was so good with both of them. His crew was great too and everyone was so happy in this new arrangement.
Pink didn't want anything to do with the backup plan. Of course, he cared deeply for his captain and wanted him to be happy, but the other's didn't seem to understand that you couldn't just force someone to love you as much as you loved them and even then, it took time to form a real, strong, intimate relationship with someone. Especially someone as reserved as the one-handed brunet. He knew that they all had issues and so some of his crewmates far more than others and they may not have really understood the repercussions or how warped their thoughts and catering really was. The others desire to make Doffy happy using any means necessary and strongly encouraged his less than appropriate behaviors. Which could end up destroying the young alpha's possibly best chance to have a real relationship, likely his only chance ever and possibly actually take him as a mate.
Not too many others would have stuck around as long as Crocodile already had, nor would they have been genuinely willing to or even cared to try and understand the blond or to comfort and care for the man and his concern and affection for Luffy were clearly just as genuine, likely even more so. It was practically impossible to pretend maternal scents. One would have to be a next-level well-practiced Sociopath to be able to do something like that. Even with all of the seedy wackos that Pink and the crew had met, he was almost positive that they had never come close to encountering someone that was that messed up and that was coming from a man that came from a crew of nothing but questionable sanity and plenty of instability.
"But Pink!" Doffy whined, pouting at the shorter man as he used both of his arms to cuddle Luffy closer to himself to self soothe. When the man continued staring him down the blond huffed, already planning to give in, reluctantly, though. "Fine, fine, we'll see you first thing tomorrow morning, pretty." The man announced, still pouting at Crocodile. He then drug him into a needy hug, nuzzling against covered scent glands before chinning the other man and planting a rather desperate kiss on his lips. "We'll miss you every second!" The alpha insisted while reluctantly letting the other man go.
"It's just for the night, Flamingo bastard!" Crocodile grumbled, cheeks red.
Doflamingo knew that he was being manipulative at that point but didn't care. Croco was his. He wanted their separation for even a second to hurt his pretty as much as it upset him. He understood what Pink was getting at and fully agreed and approved, but he hated to be parted from his beauty. He was sure his sweet little Treasure would be just as upset. His perfect little Lu-Lu was just as possessive as his daddy, after all.~
The young alpha was also a wreck over his Croco being away from him after his sweet boy had been attacked. What if someone went after his pretty too? But Pink was right, to make them closer, he needed to make sure his pretty regretted being away from him. The distance would help him solidify his Crocodile's attachment and understanding that they were clearly soulmates. Doflamingo was confident that once his scent faded some and with Luffy not being right there with him, his Pretty would be right back in his arms where he belonged. "If you say so…. Crocodile." Doflamingo said, tone calm and suddenly far less affectionate, almost uncaring even as he turned from him and went to sit back down.
The man became even more withdrawn after Crocodile still left. He was sure that the other man would at least pause if he didn't get all pushy and needy with him. Doflamingo refused to openly pout about it. Not with Croco's crew there to report how he was really feeling. No, if Crocodile decided that he was going to play hard to get with everything going on, then he could play that game too and he loved playing mind games. He may not enjoy the one they were playing quite as much as most, but he had far more experience with them than most twice his age and had never met someone that he couldn't twist up; however, he pleased when he was actually trying before. His pretty had no idea who's heart he was trying to poke and prod at. Doffy still couldn't believe that Pink had suggested that his Croco pretty would ever leave him for an extended amount of time, going on trips without them! Like that would ever need to happen!
The moment the blond cut into his butter-soft, melt in your mouth fillet mignon a still nearly dead to the world Luffy let out a half slurred wanting peep even as he still slept. Both amusing and melting crew members and helped to distract Doffy from his frantic thoughts and hurt planning.
"Did he really just beg you for food while he was sleeping?" Diamante snorted with a smile and raised eyebrows. Honestly, it didn't surprise him in the least.
"I believe he did," Bon said, unable to hold back his amused smile or the quick snicker that bubbled up his throat at the absurdity that was his nephew's already clear love affair with meat at the age of 6 months.
"Lu-Lu's definitely feeling a bit better, neh Doffy? Beggin' for food all cute like that!~ Bwahehe, he's big enough to start eating real food soon! I bet we'll have to fight him over eating nothing but meat with the way he whines anytime he smells some!" Trebol exclaimed, amused by his cute little nephew. That and needling Doffy a bit. He needed to start at least trying Luffy on actual food. He was 6 months old and clearly interested. With the metabolic issues, the pup had they needed to get him started on real food for the extra calories sooner rather than later. Also, he was still a bit bitter over the fact that the other man had prevented Luffy from crawling at every opportunity and, in turn, prevented him from getting to brag about getting to be part of such a milestone. Vergo and Pink still boasted about getting to be there when Luffy started sitting up all on his own! Crawling would be a thousand times more brag-worthy. They would all be so incredibly jealous if he were the only one that got the chance to see such a major milestone!
Sometimes Trebol's little Doffy drove him so crazy with his overprotectiveness when it came to his son! Not that Trebol, himself, wasn't also extremely protective of him and their adorable little Luffy, but still, he at least let Doffy walk around on his own and didn't hinder him left and right from growing up. Luffy probably wouldn't walk until he was at least 20 if Doffy had his way, which if Trebol and the rest of the family had their way, wouldn't be happening. If there was one thing that Trebol knew, it was how to get his own way when it came to Doffy, even when he was being especially stubborn. He practically raised him after all and Doffy knew who he belonged to and that Trebol had nothing, but his and Sweet little Luffy's best interest in mind. Especially his precious little Omegan nephew's. The benefit of being able to brag for the rest of his days about seeing Luffy hit major milestones before anyone else was, of course, just an added benefit. It would prove that he was the best uncle too!
Doflamingo pouted, not at all liking the idea of his precious boy growing up and maybe not needing him as much at all. What if he choked or had allergies? It was already bad enough that he had caught him five times, now, trying to crawl! What if his Sweetness got hurt? What if he fell? Just thinking of the possibilities gave the man anxiety. Those were things that were practically impossible to protect his Lu-Lu from if he didn't stop them before they had a chance from even happening! He was just doing what was best for his Treasure! Luffy's whining for food, even in his sleep, was super cute, though, so he focused on that.
"Fufufu, yeah, I think Buffalo's gift really cheered up my Luffy quite a bit!" Doflamingo agreed, grin more real than it had been since they had still been at the Zoo.
The previously nervous-looking pup lit up, grinning ear to ear and his ears turning a little red with delighted bashfulness when he realized the man not only was praising him but smiled at him.
After finishing up eating and after Bentham insisted on Buffalo needing to go to bed, then tucking the pup in himself, and discussing the plans to deal with the group that had tried to harm Luffy a bit Doflamingo was pushed into going to bed. The other's insisting that they would finish up the meeting and tell him what had been decided in the morning since he was clearly exhausted from the day's events. He had protested a little but gave in after Trebol and Diamante said they would be watching Luffy the next day if he was tired. No one would be holding or caring for his pup in any way but him for the foreseeable future! Luffy was his everything, his baby! He would never be out of his sight again if he could help it. Let alone taken care of by anyone but him!
After undressing a groggy Luffy, who he almost had to fight to get him out of the boring little sweater Crocodile had dressed him in because of the pup's shear tired grouchiness, Doffy stripped himself bare and laid in his spot. His stubborn tired boy was being so cute.~
The young alpha whined under his breath. There was no Pretty to cuddle! His Croco would get cold and lonely without them! The blond felt much better when he moved to sprawl out in his Pretty's side of the nest. The pillows smelled so nice and Luffy settled right down to. Making chirpy purrs as his two favorite scents filled his lungs "Oh, is that what you needed, Treasure? Mommy's scent to settle my good boy in?~ That's Daddy's Sweetness. I won't let them get you, no, I won't! I'll never let anyone hurt my precious boy!" Doflamingo cooed, lovingly petting at Luffy's hair as he rubbed the nearly sleeping pup's back, then planted a kiss on Luffy's fluffy head. "Daddy loves you, Sweetness."
End Chapter 11
Alright, so this chapter didn't end up how I really wanted it to, but the next one will likely be the last one before we have a little time jump to luffy, being probably a little over a year old and Rosi will. Finally, get to be introduced! 😊 I can't wait for our precious Clumsy boy to get to meet Luffy!
Just so everyone knows I wasn't given the days that I was promised with work, not surprising, so I only have Tuesdays and Thursdays off, which are also summer class days, so I was going to try and get a chapter out every week or so, but it may have to be every 3 or so weeks. I will do my best to get one out sooner but I am going to be very busy.
IMPORTANT_ Also, I am in the middle of drawing my original One piece inspired comic. I should have the first few pages out by the end of June, maybe July. I plan to get at least a full 3 chapters completely done or 30-50ish pages completely done, whatever comes first before I post anything. I have about 7 pages done of the first chapter 16 thumbnailed out, and another 3 have their linework finished up and are ready to be illustrated. I have about 9 pages of chapter 2 done, but I think I am going to redo a few of them.
Please review! It really helps to motivate me and I come up with a lot of my best ideas for stories and chapters through your ideas and suggestions! 😊
