A/N: I know it's been months since I updated and I am so sorry. I got swept up in the holidays and I also took a second job, so I've hardly had time to do anything fun. I promise I never forgot about this story and I have no intention of abandoning it, I just can't promise updates as regularly as before. Thanks for all your support! 3

Dust billowed about him in gentle swirls as Doflamingo walked slowly on the sprawling floor of the Donquixote family estate in Mariejois. He glided through the main hall of the luxurious home, his childhood home, stepping lightly, as though he didn't really want his feet to come into contact with the marble floor. It was evident that no one had been in the house since his family had abandoned it so many years ago; all the original furniture was still there. The only significant change was that the large windows throughout the house all had their heavy curtains drawn tightly. So dark, he thought, like a glamourous Impel Down. In his boyhood, the windows had often been wide open, allowing the clean air of the holy lands to waft in and tousle his hair. He imagined they'd been shut off to keep people away, but who here would bother peeping? With all the shame surrounding his family name, no Celestial Dragon would have any reason to approach the place. This was what had made it an ideal entry point for Doffy and his crew to infiltrate for the invasion.

After meeting up with an old contact from his arms-dealing days, the crew had acquired around a hundred horned den den mushi. The breed was well known for it's ability to jam radio transmissions; thusly, the whole lot had been released around the base of the island, just a few feet below the water. With so many together, the amphibious snails had created a sort of communication firewall around the island. No messages in, no messages out. Nuvo imagined the citizens were already hard at work trying to determine the cause of the problem, but who would think to look so far down?

With all contact with the outside world muted, the crew had made their move. A familiar trick of Nuvo's had created a passageway within the island's core, connecting the Jailbird to the deserted Donquixote estate, and one by one they had begun to emerge in Doffy's former palace, silent as a graveyard snowfall. Doffy himself had come through first and was thankful that he had a moment to spare for sentimentality before the rest of his family appeared. He looked on the gloomy scene and smiled bittersweetly, remembering the pleasant time he had here before his foolish father had made the wrongful choice that left him scavenging for scraps with his brother in the streets as a small boy. Despite his best effort to keep them at bay, revisiting the house was pulling the ghosts of his biological family right out of his head and into the room with him. He envisioned his younger self and his brother playing chase around the formerly lush armchairs, his parents across the room, arm in arm, smiling at their antics.

Rosinante would've liked Nuvovniya.

His mother and father might've, too.

He shoved the pang of hurt he had given himself into a box in the back of his head and turned to face his new family, his true family, as the last of them emerged from the passageway. His time for nostalgia spent, he gave a wordless signal, and then everyone was running. Pangaea castle wasn't far.

…

Commander-in-Chief Kong had been having a very strange dream. He was in his bed, but something was wrong. There were serpents; tiny, skinny ones, slithering all over his body. They were binding him tightly to himself. It was very unpleasant to be having such a dream, especially considering that he had gone to bed so exhausted after spending the day trying to solve the connection problem with Marine Headquarters. When he woke fully, he tried to shake his head, to rid it of any reminder of the foul dream, when he realized that he really was bound, not by snakes, but by something that felt a lot like thread.

"Good evening, Kong."

The voice carried a chill, and Kong realized with a start that Donquixote Doflamingo was standing in a corner of his room, leaning confidently against the wall. The commander tried to thrash about to no avail. He considered shouting, but he had a nasty feeling that it would do no good. It was to be assumed that anyone within hearing range of his room had surely fallen victim to the pirate's attack already, if the damnable man had made it this far. So, Kong went with his best and only option. He spoke.

"What do you want?"

The pirate grinned maliciously.

"I appreciate your bluntness, chief. That's a valuable business ethic rarely found in places so political as the Navy. But a Commander-in -Chief is quite the rare title, isn't it?"

Kong didn't respond.

"I'm here on a matter of business, Kong. I simply need you to draw up some paperwork for me. I find myself no longer imprisoned, but still a wanted man, and this poses certain… problems for my family and I. All I need from you to help resolve those problems is an official pardon. Signed and notarized by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. What do you say?"

Kong scoffed.

"You're insane to think I would do such a thing for a man like you."

"Sir, I am completely sane. I realize that under normal circumstances you would never give me the pardon. But you misunderstand the position that you're in. Your circumstances aren't normal tonight."

Doffy flicked his fingers and the strings holding Kong tightened, making it difficult for the poor man to breathe. This must be what it feels like to be in a boa constrictor's grip, Kong thought humorlessly, recalling his dream, which felt less dreamlike every passing minute.

"Let me be absolutely clear," Doffy continued. "You WILL grant me the pardon, or I will slice your head off along with every head of every person in this city, and send them raining down all over the world."

Kong felt a prickling sensation as his right arm and hand were released from the strings, allowing the blood to flow freely back into his fingers. Doffy stepped away, then returned with quill and ink.

"Let's not make this any more difficult, hmm?"

…

"This is preposterous. You know very well that no one here is willing to reinstate Donquixotie Doflamingo's title as a Celestial Dragon." The long-bearded Elder was very calm for a man yanked from his bed and bound to a chair by pirates. The other Elders were in a similar state, looking a bit disheveled in their bedclothes, but still giving off a regal air. Nuvo nodded her head, and tried again.

"I understand your concern, but his title was rejected by his father in childhood, not by Doflamingo himself. He never wanted to leave your community. Why shouldn't he be allowed to rejoin? You must agree that holding a child responsible for the choices of his parents isn't fair."

The long-bearded Elder gave her a hard look.

"I do hold him responsible for sending his father's decapitated head to Mariejois after murdering him, an action he performed as a child."

Nuvo felt her chest constrict. She knew Doffy had killed his father, but she didn't know that. The Elder met her eyes and continued.

"He's done even more depraved things since then, as I'm sure you know. You may be a strong enough person to forgive him for them, which is courageous, but bravery and foolishness go hand in hand. He is a monster, and I am no fool. We will not allow him to return to this place as a Celestial Dragon."

"You act like the decision is in yours in the first place!" Sugar snarled. "If you haven't noticed, we have the upper hand here! So be cooperative and sign the documents! We might even let you live."

Long-Beard chuckled.

"Child, I've just informed your friend that I am no fool. I'm quite sure that you'll kill me whether I sign or not, no why aid you?"

"I'm over twenty…" said Sugar through clenched teeth.

Nuvo sighed. She had hoped that the Elders, in their feeble old age, would be easy enough to convince. That had been naïve of her; after all, they weren't THE Elders for nothing. She hoped Doffy was having better luck. Trebol and Gladius had gone with him to assist with palace guards and stand outside the door while negotiation with Kong went on. Pica, Giolla and Machvise were guarding the entrances to the meeting room where the Elders had been dragged. That left Diamante with Dellinger and Senor Pink, and the trio was making their way from mansion to mansion, rallying troops for the army it would take to make this mission a success.

…

Richard was twelve years old when the Celestial Dragons had murdered his family and assigned him to another, as a slave instead of a son. That was three years ago, and he's spent most of his time since then dreaming of a better life and missing his mother. For such a long time he'd hoped someone would come and help him escape this reality, his own knight in shining armor, so to speak. And now, this very night, he got three of them. Three unbelievably strong men had barged into the mansion where he'd been asked to do deplorable things for the family he served. They forced the hysterical nobles into the parlor and tied them up, then turned to Richard and the six other slaves of the household. For a moment Richard was afraid; these people looked stark raving mad, and one would have to be a little crazy to attack a Celestial Dragon family like this. But then the thinnest man, the one with high heels on his feet and horns on either side of his head approached Richard and extended his pale hand.

"Would you like to help us right the wrongs of this place?"

Richard nodded, and took the young man's hand.

…

"It was you who prevented communication with headquarters, wasn't it?"

Doffy smirked at the Chief, who was just finishing his signature on the pardon.

"Indeed. Couldn't have the admirals bombing my new headquarters."

Kong tried to nod, but the threads around his throat made it very difficult. He indicated that he was finished and Doffy snatched the paper from him, reading it over quickly. Once he was sure that it was complete and correct, he turned his attention back to the bed.

"You know what happens now, of course."

Kong closed his eyes.

"You're going to kill me. I knew that the moment I saw you in this room. But I hope you realize that even if tonight proves a total success for you, it wont last. Someone will defeat you eventually. It might not be soon, and though it pains me to admit it, it might not even be the Navy, but eventually someone will bring you down. After all, it happened once already."

Doffy sneered and tightened his strings around the man's thick neck. Kong sputtered and his face began to purple as the oxygen in his head depleted. In a few moments he was dead, and Doffy left the room without looking back.

…

"JUST SIGN THE FUCKING PAPERS YOU USELESS OLD MAN!" Sugar had been screaming at Long-Beard for quite some time, but the old man wouldn't budge. The other Elders didn't even bother to speak to the girls, much less sign. All the yelling was giving Nuvo a headache, and she wished that Sugar would try to find a quieter method of intimidation or persuasion. After all, this one clearly wasn't working.

She jumped when the left entrance burst open, but was relieved to see Doffy, Gladius, and Trebol waltzing in with Pica. She could tell from Doffy's wide grin that he'd been triumphant with the Commander-in-Chief. The Elders all focused their attention on the tall blonde leader, a few curious eyes flickering to the document in his hand and back to his face again.

"Hey, hey, what's the matter ladies? Can't get these old men to sign your paper?" Trebol mocked, and Nuvo was sure that Sugar was going to start screaming even louder than before, but Doffy gave his officer a strong look.

"I have an official pardon from Kong. It forgives all my outstanding crimes. Signed in his genuine hand."

Doffy attached a string to the document and threw it before the Elders, allowing it to float at the faces of each Elder in turn. Long-Beard was incredulous upon seeing the unforged pardon.

"I wish to speak with Kong about this myself."

"Well, he's dead, so that won't be possible."

For the first time, Long-Beard's face paled. But he regained himself quickly.

"You can kill every person on this island, but you still won't win. You can't. Evil such as yours is never the victor forever."

Doflamingo had really had enough of that sort of talk this evening, so he simply shot parasite threads into each Elder, forcing five signatures onto his reinstatement documents. He recollected the papers and put them together with the official pardon. Then he flicked his wrist, and the five Elders were no more.

…

Diamante and his group finished rounding up the Celestial Dragon families after a few hours. It seemed so quick, but after all, there are only so many people who carry the title and the released slaves knew the terrain better than anyone else. With them forming separate teams of their own to liberate their neighbors, Doffy's new army had spread through Mariejois like a ripple in a still body of water, and by three in the morning every noble in the holy lands was contained in the grand hall of Richard's old home. It wasn't difficult to fit them either; these mansions are enormous.

With all the necessary paperwork in hand, the Donquixote Pirates reunited amongst all their new prisoners and allies. The Dragons had been piled up in the middle of the largest room in the house, all bound and gagged in the fetal position and looking like sacks of potatoes. The former slaves mingled about on the outskirts of the room, mingling proudly around the sad group in the middle while wearing their previous masters' clothes, drinking their wine, and in general making quite merry, despite the late hour. They all paid attention when Doflamingo and his crew came together, and a loud round of applause rose all the way to the vaulted ceiling.

"How can we ever repay you?" One woman sobbed. Others in the room expressed similar sentiment, and Doffy raised his hand gently to shush the crowd.

"The Celestial Dragons have been a plague for generations, bringing nothing but sorrow to every corner of this world! But my friends, after tonight, they will all disappear! Their tyranny will be no more!"

The room erupted in cheers and stomps.

"My friends, after tonight, I will rule over the Holy Lands of Mariejois as the only remaining Celestial Dragon in the world, and I vow to you that my rule will create a new meaning for the title! With my takeover, the world need no longer fear the words Celestial Dragon. As proof of my sincerity, the only repayment I ask of you all is to go back to the homes you were torn from! Go, and tell everyone who will listen that Donquixote Doflamingo and his family saved you from the clutches of real evil!"

The celebratory shout that the crowd provided after Doffy finished was loud enough to shake the building. The crew was whooping too, but Nuvovniya found herself unable to join the festivities with her whole heart. She couldn't shake the feeling that this had all been a bit too easy, too quick, and Long-Beards' final words kept looming in the back of her mind. It felt like a warning.

But then Doffy was smiling at her, and it was the most real smile she'd ever seen grace his face. There was no malice in it, no cynicism or mockery. He'd reclaimed his homeland, brought his family to the place he felt they most deserved to be. It was his true face, and gazing upon it she felt that even if the Navy bombed the whole island in an hour and the lot of them went up in a pile of gore and ashes, it'd still be worth it for the few seconds in which that expression had blossomed.

…

The sunshine of the next morning still managed to greet everyone through the thick fog of either drunkenness or despair that had lulled them all to troubled sleep. After consuming a plentiful breakfast whose sudden appearance couldn't be explained by any of the former slaves, the crew had assisted them in thieving the remainder of useful resources from Mariejois and escorting them to the bondolas. By late afternoon, only the Donquixote pirates and the Celestial Dragons remained in the holy lands.

With a calculated flick, Doffy cut loose every child looking to be under the age of twelve amongst the prisoners. They got up shakily, legs cramped from being tied up all night and rubbing raw wrists.

"Children, please follow Miss Sugar," Doffy announced. "She'll be taking you for a hot bath and a good meal in a neighboring house."

Nuvo tried to bury her urge to cringe. The children would be getting a bath and meal, but they wouldn't ever be seeing their parents again. Some of the Dragons had the good sense to realize what this separation meant, and she watched them stare down their children, trying to communicate goodbye with eyes alone, but most of the children paid no attention. These were entitled youngsters; they had been shocked by the way they'd been treated in the past hours, but they couldn't fully grasp the danger before them. Their parents would be slaughtered, and they would be turned into toys. Then they would be put to work. This was the part of the plan that she had disagreed most with, although she understood the necessity of help to run the new base of operations and it really was a better alternative to murdering a bunch of kids.

Better, but barely.

With all the children whisked away, Doffy turned his attention back to the Dragons.

"Do not fear, your offspring will be spared. I cannot afford you all the same luxury."

The crowd trembled. The rest of the crew had made their way to one side of the room, where a few armchairs and a sofa had been set up all against the wall. Nuvo sat on the sofa between Dellinger and Diamante and watched with baited breath. She knew she was about to watch Doflamingo destroy all of these people, but she wasn't sure how. Would he use his strings to slice off all their heads all at once? Suffocate them? Shoot bullet strings through every temple? She didn't know, and she didn't exactly want to watch the carnage unfold, but Doffy had insisted everyone but Sugar be present.

Why?

"But all hope is not lost! I have decided that I am in the mood for a game."

A game? Doffy continued.

"I have graciously decided to bestow all of you the most miraculous of all treasures! That treasure, is a chance! Yes, that's right, someone in this room is going to be allowed to live today!"

What?! Nuvo glanced at the rest of the crew, and they seemed just as confused as herself. This had not been a part of the plan they'd discussed. It hurt her more than she'd ever admit that he hadn't trusted her with this information. He began to smoothly walk backward to the wall where the rest of the crew waited. He gestured at Dellinger, who glanced apologetically at Nuvo and then moved to sit elsewhere. Doffy elegantly seated himself beside her, casually draping one arm over her shoulder. With the other arm, he pointed to the ceiling of the room.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

Several white strings shot forward from Doffy's extended fingers, balling together in the center of the ceiling, them streaming outward and down towards the floor like a firework turned inside out. The strings enveloped the Dragons and hardened into steel-like bars, sealing them together under a sort of dome. No, more of a cage than a dome, Nuvo thought, more of a…

Nuvovniya stopped breathing.

…a birdcage...

"The rules are simple. The last person left alive in this cage will be enslaved to my crew."

He twisted his fingers and suddenly everyone in the cage was released. They looked at each other uncertainly. They won't play, she thought with relief. Some of them must be friends, surely, they'll refuse to play…

"BEGIN!"

But these are Celestial Dragons we're talking about. They have no compassion or sympathy for other people. Of course, they played. It was pandemonium. Bigger players choked smaller ones. Some people gouged out eyes with fingernails, then beat the blind to death. One man was trampled by three others, who turned on each other as soon as the man on the floor was dead. It was awful, but Nuvo didn't dare show any sign of repulsion. Doffy wasn't watching the players. He was watching her. Diamante was, too. She understood with horror that she was being tested. She was being exposed to the real darkness behind Doflamingo for the first time, the side of him that had been a murdering criminal since childhood, profane enough to land him in the worst part of the worst place in the world.

The place she'd ended up, too.

Nuvovniya had a darkness of her own, that she knew. But it had been born of different circumstances than his, and it wasn't anywhere near this intense. For the first time, she wasn't sure that she could handle this. Him. She was frightened.

But she was raised in a palace and knew how to show resigned grace. She did not gasp when blood sprayed the tiles at her feet. She did not shake when a woman in the cage tore out a chunk of another's throat with her teeth. She held firm and finally it was over. A small brunette stood amongst the exposed bones and ripped flesh, wide-eyed and panting. She looked to be close to thirty.

Doffy clapped his hands twice. "What is your name?" he asked.

"Juliette." The woman whispered. Doffy grinned.

"Congratulations, Juliette. Welcome to your enslavement."