AN- I can't believe I'm almost done with part one. Thank for being patient everyone!

Part 1

-Countdown to Doomsday-

-Now-

"I know we're not ready for Kaido," Doflamingo muttered into his cupped hands. His shaded spectacles were aimed over at Diamante's pacing. The two men stood waiting in front of an old diner, a meet up spot for the newest arrivals. Neither or them were thinking too much about it though, not with such new burdens brought on by their cook.

"You ought to fire him," Diamante finally said. "I'm sorry Doffy, but you really ought to fire him."

"We can't afford such a luxury." Doflamingo knew a specialist like Caesar was rare. And if he were able to catch the eyes of Kaido… he'd be a fool to let him go now.

"We got a goddamn pirate asking for your stuff," Diamante reminded.

"I know."

"He'll be pissed if we don't deliver."

"I know, Diamante, I know. You don't need to keep reminding me."

He ought to kill Caesar. The clown was not listening and Doflamingo wasn't about to be made a fool of. He was making new treats behind his back and handing them out like candy…and now he had a madman asking for more. Doflamingo had no means of transporting such quantity, had no way of producing the amount needed, not without him risking the money saved up for his other trade. He hated being backed into a corner with such limited options. He did not want to give up his money.

"I ought to kill him."

"You should…"

"Won't change the fact that he promised Kaido some of our product."

"What the fuck…"

"He sounded so happy," Doflamingo bought his fingers together, playing a private harmony with them as he looked up at the sunset, still pondering over his situation. "He must have though he was doing us all a favor."

"What are you gonna do?"

"We don't have enough to ship that much drugs across the Asian border…" Doflamingo sighed, letting his shades fall down the bridge of his nose. "Honestly, I don't even know if we have enough time to produce that much product."

"Caesar must want us to help him."

"He's certainly expecting it," Doflamingo responded. "I suspect Monet knows how to cook herself now, seeing how much time she spends with him. Vergo should be able to make quality product as well."

"Everyone else?"

"I don't want you guys to waste your time," he replied. "I'll help make it, but anything after that...I'll just kill Caesar if it doesn't look good."

Diamante shivered. "Such risky business."

"Do you regret being brought into this?"

"Of course not," Diamante said with a nervous smile. "This is the most fun I've had in a while!"

Doflamingo smiled back at his old friend. "That's good to here." He looked into the diner and stared at the nervous form of Baby 5, staring blankly at the waiter who wondered when in the hell she would order the food instead of just sitting there like a little fool, holding the booth for him and Diamante. "C'mon, it's getting late. We better head inside."


-Then-

Doflamingo began visiting Crocodile every other week, averaging a total of four visits a month; forty-eight visits a year. It started as a way of getting back at Crocodile for taking away his pack of cigarettes, but ended up becoming a way of easing the pain of a lovesick heart.

He'd show up feeling jealous but relieved when he came upon the two older boys hanging out. Each time Crocodile appeared surprised. Doflamingo wished it were because Crocodile missed him, but he knew the boy was surprised he had bothered to show at all. The three-year a gap between them was becoming more apparent. At thirteen and sixteen Doflamingo was an embarrassment for Crocodile to have around. He was thin. Short. His arms and legs were misshaped weeds that grew in unorganized patterns. His voice cracked. He had nothing new to say that Crocodile hadn't already said or experienced.

And he began to visit less and less. And he began to make new friends. In the beginning of his 9th year he met a boy sitting in front of the principle's office. He had been called in for his haircut; a long, gender non-conforming cut that was not allowed at the conservative private school he attended. The boy was Diamante. The long-haired Diamante was a tall stick bug of a boy that somehow managed to defy his bodily physics and gracefully pass through the halls while trashing up lockers and stealing the real food from the cafeteria. He also had a knack for flag football. Doflamingo never would admit to it, but the he really did like the haircut, enough to give it a try and allow his own hair to grow out.

About a month later the two boys snuck through the back of the school campus to try to jump fence. It was there that they spotted the older, 10th year student Trebol. Instead of ratting the two out Trebol instead showed them where the gate was oldest and where the bottom part of the fence capable of being lifted with some help. Despite his clingy behavior and lactose intolerance, Doflamingo looked up to his senior, learning where all the weak points of the school were, which instructors to take if he never wanted to get noticed, and so on.

Two more months went by, his weekends now filled with new adventures consisting of the chaos he had longed for. They stole right in front of the eyes of store owners. They drew magnificent works of art on the walls with cans of spray-paint. Smiles, smiles; all around they wrecked up the little world around them, doing whatever they could to draw smiles on each others faces.

Three months later and a moving truck drove by Doflamingo's house, alerting his family that a new couple could afford to live in their neighborhood. It was quite the scene. Everyone gathered to see who had moved, only to discover that not only was it an interracial couple, but Mormon as well. There he met Pica. Pica was a nice guy. So they became friends. He also had a really fine, goddess of an older sister…

With their newest member Doflamingo discovered the joy he had almost forgotten when he had left the little desert. The four of them ran about the town, raising all sorts of new hell and Doflamingo damn near forgot that there had ever been a Crocodile to begin with. That is, until that one particular day…

Doflamingo remembered it all. He was sitting, a small bag of chips in his hands, thinking the usual thoughts of a fourteen year old boy.

Doflamingo hated to think about it, but he could not deny that he was craving a certain sensation that could only be brought by the consent of another human being. But he was a fourteen-year-old boy, and not too many girls he thought were cute or attractive wanted anything to do with him. And there was no point in wondering about the rougher, sculpted form of boys. Though Doflamingo would do for either one he could not have any. And it bothered the hell out of him.

"Hey. Hey Doffy."

The blond looked up, eyes squint through his old worn out shades as he peered at the shadowy figure above him.

"What Trebol?" he asked.

"You're not gonna believe what I got for you."

Doflamingo went back to his bag of chips. He was in a perpetual state of hunger. Hunger for oils. Hunger for fats. Hunger for flesh. He wondered if this was all temporary, a problem of the mind and body that would be fixed with time, or would he die feeling this way?

The boy pulled out a small bag. Doflamingo lowered his shades just to make sure he was seeing what he thought he had seen. A small pout. "No thanks," he muttered.

Poor Trebol frowned. "What?"

"I don't like pot," Doflamingo remarked. He ate the last of his chips before dropping the bag beside him. He stood up and looked around the back of the fenced school property. He wondered if there was time to sneak out and treasure his self with a cream soda.

"You've done weed already?

"Yeah. I hate the stuff," Doflamingo said rather calmly. He knew better though. He didn't hate the pot. It wasn't the poor drug's fault that he had negatively associated it with lethargy and ignorance, inability to adapt and take control.

"When the fuck did you try it?"

Detecting the animosity the blond deduced that he had committed an offense by failing to properly communicate to his friend. Once again, the drug was not the problem. The rarity of supply and demand was. What sort of friend takes drugs without sharing? Doflamingo had failed to mention to Trebol the sexual frustration brought on by Crocodile. He forgot to mention the pot Crocodile took. He had forgotten Crocodile. "I took it a long time ago. With a guy I knew."

"A guy?" Doflamingo understood that Trebol was expecting a better answer than this. Nonetheless he was still fighting back the red cheeks as he rediscovered a pain he thought he had gotten over. He tapped at his sunglasses. The specs were worn out from use and had scratches from where finger grabbed at the lenses.

"An old friend," Doflamingo reiterated. "I had this major crush on him. But he became a dick and I couldn't stand liking him, so now we don't really talk."

"Wait…what?" Trebol lowered the baggie and stared at Doflamingo with an almost amusing expression. Doflamingo would have laughed were it not for the fact that he had just made a major confession and was secretly hoping for a sunshine and lollipops and rainbow and kitty-cats response from Trebol.

"So…you don't like girls?"

"I like girls."

"But you said you liked this guy…"

"I like guys."

"So you're a bisexual?"

Doflamingo brought a finger to his lip, biting down on it as he thought about that particular word. Could Trebol really define his being with such a simple word? Things could never be that easy.

Trebol quickly added, "not that there's anything wrong with it. I mean…I guess it makes sense. B-but I'm not stereotyping or anything!"

Certainly not sunshine and daisies, but Doflamingo was willing to accept it if it meant Trebol would understand him better as a person. He did not like the word though. He was not a bi, whatever that was supposed to really mean.

Doflamingo felt huge arms wrap around his thin frame. Frowning, he looked at Trebol and asked, "what are you doing?"

"I'm here if you need to talk," the older boy cooed.

"I don't need a talk. I need space."

"Oh."

Doflamingo was promptly freed from the older boy's grasp. He looked down at the empty bag of chips with his old sunglasses. He focused hard on the scratches and stains now permanent to the shades. He removed them from his face and stared in dismay at how little he had cared for them. These were supposed to last an eternity!

"How are you feeling?"

Realistically he should have felt relief. Trebol did not reject him for his sexuality. He still retained the friendship, which meant Trebol was a true friend. Odds were Diamante would do the same. Pica was questionable, but considering the acts of delinquency he had recently committed Doflamingo would not be too surprised he didn't mind. He should feel happy.

This was something to cry over. He should have felt something, other than the sadness of having lost something precious. Doflamingo, still staring at the old shades, replied, "I guess I'm happy."

"So, not weed then?" Ah, Trebol knew.

"No…no weed, please."


-Now-

"Whitebeard Territory?"

The thought would have never occurred to Doflamingo. He had no aspirations to travel down to the dangerous south because Whitebeard, like Kaido, was not a man he wanted to upsetting. He glared through his shades at the one of the men sitting across from him. He was a portly, older fellow with messy hair and a calm demeanor. Next to him was younger man dressed dark in leather and worn out, metal material, with such a ridiculous haircut Doflmaingo began second-guessing his friend's ability to pick out…well, other friends.

"The Mexican border expects drug coming out, not coming in," the older man called Pink said. "If you know how to mark it, no one will suspect a thing."

"I don't think we can afford a nice package," Diamante said with a weak smile, giving the occasional glace to a silent Doflamingo. "I mean, I get what you're saying, but shipping costs down south…then across the ocean?"

The man with the tragic haircut, called Gladius, finally spoke." What if this Whitebeard guy spots it?"

Pink smirked. "The right kind of package won't attract the attention of a rival pirate."

Doflamingo glared. "You keep talking about packages." He leaned on the table, edging himself closer to Pink. "Tell me your plan or leave. Don't waste my time."

"You said you plan on selling men and women," Pink calmly, confidently replied. A small smile appeared on Doflamingo's face. "Just send mules. Touristy, young, attractive mules."

Diamante nearly jumped out of his seat. "Oh! That's good!"

"Won't the pirates try to take them?" Gladius asked, peering through goggles that made Doflamingo think back to younger days, and making him cringe in response. But both him and Diamante were interested in the question that was posed and both turned to see what the older man would say.

Pink nod his head. "I grew up in South America. I know there are a lot of scummy people who would like to get their hands on young, dumb looking tourists and hold them ransom…but not for drugs. If you take the plane to a "safe" part of the south, stay a few days in a hotel, and then another plane to the East, you should be fine."

"Why a few days?" Gladius asked.

"Easy," Doflamingo said, "even though there are more drugs leaving the south than coming in, the last thing we want is to raise any suspicion. Give the local authorities the impression these girls are out to have fun."

"If that's the case then why not have the girls sent straight across the ocean?" Diamante asked.

"It's a long trip," Pink said. "You can't expect the girls to hold in all those drugs during such a flight. Have them swallow the drugs, go down south, rest at the hotel and swallow them again...but with a new seal."

Doflamingo raised his brow, letting a fork pick at the remains of his meal.

"One of you will go ahead of the girls," Pink said. "There's a guy I know down there that sells quality rubber, made just for mules. They'll be constipated, but considering the many hours they'll be stuck on the plane..."

"More spending," Diamanté grumbled.

"Still cheaper than shipping in a giant, conspicuous box," Doflamingo said. He grinned at Pink. "And I suspect you'll want to do all of this?"

Pink shrugged. "Me? You? Doesn't matter. I'm trying to earn trust here. If you think I'm being suspicious then send Mr. Steam Punk here in my stead."

"What the fuck did you call me!?" The oddly dressed man stood up, fists balled as he glared furiously at Pink.

"Gladius, sit down!" Diamante hissed. "We don't want to cause a scene."

Doflamingo watched the younger, messy haired man grumble and spit out a few more obscene words before sitting himself down and looking back at both Diamante and Doflamingo. "Sorry," he said in a rougher voice. "I just…I have a bit of an anger problem."

"That's alright," Doflamingo said. "Just get the job done, and I'll forget it ever happened."

Gladius raised his head up, tearing off his goggles and staring at Doflamingo with some astonishment. "Really?" he asked. "You're sending me?"

"Yeah." Doflamingo said with a smirk. "And you can Baby 5 here with you." He pointed over to the young girl sitting at the booth, staring back at the four of them with her adorable smile.

Gladius stared, wide eyed, his cheeks turning a light pink as he uttered the word, "Five?"

"And while you two are down there…" Diamante started.

"…You can pick up a friend of ours," Doflamingo finished.

"Uh-huh," Gladius said, not entirely paying attention as he eyed Baby 5's long legs. "Who…who is it?"

"Pica. Don't worry, you won't miss him," Doflamingo responded. "Baby 5 will take the girls the rest of the way…."

"Actually," Diamante interrupted. "We should send Gladius to the East."

Doflamingo turned. "Why? A guy with several girls is a lot more suspicious than a bunch of young girls, especially a man dressed…" He stopped as he saw Gladius sharply turn his head over at him. "…A men dressed in such exotic attire."

"That's just it," Diamante answered. "They're going to Japan. Gladius will fit in just fine. And he'll be able to watch over the girls better than Baby 5."

Pink chuckled. "He's got a point."

Doflamingo smirked, "I guess that settles it." He grinned at Pink. "You're a smart man, Mr. Pink."

The older man shrugged again. "I do my best... but, if you could, I would prefer to be called Señor Pink. If you don't mind."

"Not at all," the tall blond replied.

"We just need some girls…"

A new silence entered the booth. They would need women.

"How much did Kaido want again?" Diamante asked.

"A lot," Doflamingo muttered.

"How many girls will we need?"

"Too many," Doflamingo answered. "We'll never be able to pull it off."

Gladius frowned. "So we're screwed? Already!?"

"Gladius, calm down," Diamante helplessly cooed.

"No, no," Doflamingo responded. "Kaido is expecting a certain amount of product at a very particular purity level." He thought about it for a while and let go of his fork. "If I work really hard…I'm sure, no I know I can get the purity percentage higher. At least five percent. Cleaner. Kaido won't like that we're giving him less, but he'll have no choice but to accept it if the quality is higher than what he expects."

"That's wishful thinking," he heard Señor Pink say.

"Doffy's full of it," Diamante said. "You'd be surprised what he's accomplished so far."

"Still," Gladius said with some hesitance. "We need women. Where are we going to get some girls willing to risk their lives?

Doflamingo turned and stared back at Baby 5. He played with his food some more as he debated over what he was about to ask. The human body was weak, and delivering such precious material across so many borders would be incredibly risky to such young, fleshy female forms. He suddenly remembered what was at risk.

He called. "Baby."

He could detect several sets of eyes resting on him. He knew what he was going to ask would leave quite the impression on Pink and Gladius, perhaps even Diamante as well. He wondered how terrible of a man he could get away with being without losing the respect of his peers.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Do you know any girls who used to work at the strip club?" Doflamingo asked. He could hear the sounds of bodies uncomfortably moving around in the booths. He continued, "You know…girls who could use some money?"


-Then-

An addiction; that was what Crocodile was to him. Addictions need to be avoided for the rest of the addict's life, otherwise there was a risk of falling back into old bad habits.

Doflamingo was riding his bike around in circles thinking about where he was supposed to go. He knew the multiple ways to get to Crocodile's house. He knew if he turned a corner now it would take only about half an hour. If he went straight and took the alleyway it would be about twenty minutes. There were so many ways he could cheat himself.

The boy feverishly looked down long rows of houses, paying no attention to the direction he was headed. The sun was shining bright but he let his precious shades rest in his shirt pocket. The specs had suddenly regained a special worth. He could not risk them being further worn down by the unforgiving atmosphere.

Doflamingo stopped and looked around and realized that the houses around him were becoming familiar. He rubbed his worn sneakers against the heated asphalt as he counted the gap between now and the last time he had spoke with the older teen. Two, four, seven months since they had really talked to each other. If he counted the few times he chose to call Crocodile, if only to let him know he was not going to come over a particular weekend, then that made it five months.

It was a terrible habit. Doflamingo knew he could have turned back now and saved his self the misery that was sure to come. Such long breaks were not without consequences. How life changing this would turn out to be.

"Hey Doffy."

The squeaky voice of a female caused Doflamingo to turn his head and look over to see a young girl sitting at the edge of a yard.

It was Hancock. The boy frowned. He was only a few blocks away from Mihawk's house.

"I haven't seen you in a long time," the girl said. Her voice was playful. It was sweet like overly processed candy. She placed her Gameboy down and slowly approached Doflamingo. Each of her steps was full of a vibrant, visible energy. "I thought you had moved away," she said, still smiling. "You know, it's been such a long time."

"Several months," Doflamingo responded dully. "Look, I need to–"

The girl chuckled. "We should hang out more."

"I need to find my fr…Mihawk and Crocodile." It was strange saying Mihawk's name before Crocodile's. It felt out of place to even have said them in the first place.

"They're gone," Hancock replied. "They left a while ago."

There was some relief in hearing this. Doflamingo now understood that he could not see Crocodile today. This was his second chance. He knew this was a sign to stay away.

And yet…he had to know. He needed to know where Crocodile was. The thought was so sudden, so subconscious that Doflamingo had little control over the need to ask. The words practically flew out from his lips.

"Where did they go?"

The sun was beating down on him. It was supposed to be getting cooler. The weather was so unforgiving that day.

Hancock shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't see them leave. But Mihawk said they were going camping." She rested a soft hand on Doflamingo's bike, testing his ability to tolerate her. Doflamingo never hated the girl. Looking back, Doflamingo did feel some regret for the way he would eventually mistreat her. Right now she was a necessity.

"Camping?"

"Yeah, I saw Mihawk and asked if he would trade Pokémon with me, but he said he was going camping with Crocodile."

"And you know they're gone because…"

The girl got closer. Too close. Doflamingo could feel his chest speed up when he suddenly noticed that Hancock was developing into a fine young woman. "Mihawk was in a real hurry," she said.

"So they're gone." Doflamingo sighed through his nose and got off from his bike. He let it fall on the ground as he stood, impatient, upset, but overall relaxed and feeling comforted that this was the end of today's misadventure.

"Yeah. You know, Doffy, we should really hang out together more often."

Doflamingo reassured himself that this was good news. The only reason he had even rode over here was based off some foolish, emotional presumption that he needed to see Crocodile. But there was really no reason to. Doflamingo had friends back home that understood him, had fun with him, that enjoyed the sort of chaos that he engaged in. Crocodile was with Mihawk, and they were doing whatever they felt made life enjoyable. Crocodile may have failed to adapt to the cruel beauty that Doflamingo had hoped for, but life was never in his favor. Friends inevitably drifted apart. While Doflamingo was admittedly having a hard time grasping this reality he knew it was true. The moment Crocodile rejected the desert as their private oasis was the beginning of a downward fall of many differences.

This was all right. Everything was going to be ok. Doflamingo reassured himself that this was all good, wonderful news.

He noticed the girl was still staring at him, waiting for an answer. He rolled his eyes. "No, I don't think we can."

Hancock pouted. "Why not?" she asked.

Doflamingo sighed. He pulled his sunglasses from his pocket and stared affectionately at the old memories that were springing forth from the dark reflection. "There is really no reason for me to be here anymore."

He watched Hancock pull away. Her face twisted into a sad, little frown.

"Why?" she asked. "Why can't we have fun together? Is it cause I'm a girl? Cause you don't want to be seen with me?"

Doflamingo rolled his eyes again as he began to pick up his bike. He wondered if, perhaps, he should call Trebol or Pica and sneak into to see whatever new horror film was out.

"Doflamingo, listen to me!"

The boy yelped when he felt a sharp, hard smack hit the back of his head. Doflamingo felt his knees hit the ground. He let go of his bike and held on to his aching head; feeling tears well up in his eyes as he tried to gather what had just happened. His heart raced when he heard Hancock behind him, screaming and telling him off. His hand rubbed through messy blond locks. He had never felt so hurt.

The boy lunged up, immediately turning himself around and facing Hancock with a foul, evil expression. He wiped his face and took a threatening step forward.

"You hit me."

"You weren't listening to me," the girl said as a means to excuse her violent outburst. He raised his arm and saw her eyes go wide in animal-like terror.

"Don't move," he demanded in a cold voice.

She whimpered. "No!" Hancock made an attempt to run off, but Doflamingo realized this beforehand and made a grab for her thin arm. Without so much as a second thought he pulled her and with his free arm, smacked her hard on the cheek. Just one, hard, icy hot rushed contact between flesh that didn't at all make Doflamingo think about the huge social consequences that would possibly occur once he let go of her. But he did let go. And he watched her fall, screaming and crying, holding on to her red face.

Hancock cried, looking up at Doflamingo with red, wet eyes. "Why did you do that?" She rubbed her face and hiccuped. Her face was runny with bodily fluids. Doflamingo didn't care. The back of his head still ached. "Boys are not supposed to hit girls."

And then Doflamingo remembered the rules of gender etiquette. And he remembered that he had hit Hancock right in front of her house. And he remembered how far from home he was. He panicked. He got angry. "Y-yeah…well, girls aren't supposed to act like little fucking cunts!"

Hancock brought out into another scream. He was certainly not helping himself in any way.

Doflamingo grabbed his bike and rode off, gathering as much speed as he could to free himself from the terrible scene. He could feel panic race through his veins. He hit a girl. But she hit him first. It wasn't fair. She hit him first! He wanted somewhere to hide. He needed a safe place to think.

Doflamingo followed the setting sun, speeding past pedestrians and cars as he continued to rediscover new sets of emotions that he never new possible, trailblazing through lawns, alleyways and streets until he found the original pathway from long ago; the foggy dreams from a five year old boy.


-Now-

The small beachside apartment was filled with a new liveliness that Doflamingo was not yet used to. He sat in the middle of a crowded living room, watching all the members of his developing gang talk to one another, making merry while growing all the more anxious as they waited for the plan to unfold.

Aside from Señor Pink and Gladius there were another two new members walking about the apartment, introducing themselves to the older, more confident members; the familial members. Much like Gladius and Señor Pink, they too had Doflamingo raising more questions. He was beginning to feel average compared to some of these new members.

He sat in his seat and waited, giving in to the countdown while occasionally looking around his apartment. Monet was here, and if she was here then Caesar was somewhere avoiding him. Oh, what he would do once everyone left the apartment. The cost of shipping and handling would be taken from that clown! Doflamingo refused to take anymore from his honeypot. He needed that money so bad. How could he buy his Crocodile back? How could he find and capture that man?

"You look incredibly distracted."

Doflamingo looked up and stared grimly at Vergo. "You have something on your face," he replied stoically. "Chocolate."

"Ah, do I?" The man rubbed his face, moving the food around his cheek while keeping his shades directed at Doflamingo. "This plan of yours…"

"If one thing goes wrong we're all dead."

"Hmmm," Vergo turned his head and looked out the open window. He appeared nervous. Behind the thin veil everyone was going mad. They were all wondering what he was thinking. Oh, Doflamingo wondered, what sort of sick game did everyone think he was up to?

"Absolutely nothing must go wrong," Doflamingo muttered to Vergo.

"And if it does?"

"Hide. Tell my parents I amounted to absolutely nothing," Doflamingo responded.

Both men could now detect the presence of the many eyes glued to the two of them. The two of them were whispering to each other. Doflamingo understood what he was doing appeared inappropriate. These people needed guidance. They all desired the perfect leader. They were all waiting for him to tell the wonderful news that he had everything under control. This was just a game. He always won in the long run.

It seemed Vergo was reading his mind. The man inched his way closer before quickly saying, "they're waiting for you."

Doflamingo forced a wide grin. He was a dead man if he pissed off Kaido. He was a dead man if he was caught smuggling through Whitebeard Territory.

What was he if he couldn't have everything that he wanted?

Doflamingo grabbed his coat and hoisted himself up, immediately becoming the center of attention. All eyes on him, smiles and wide open mouths and nervous twitching lips surrounding him, waiting to see what amazing, inspirational words would be uttered from his glorious being.

"Everyone," he said, his voice nearing a growl at the very tail end. His arms raised a bit as he thought of what to say. He didn't have to think too long, seeing the light growing on their faces, the lips of family and strangers twisting upward as they all consciously decided Yes, this man is a genius. He'll know what to do, and thinking it made Doflamingo feel as though they were right–perhaps this was all just a game and he was still thinking up the last few rules before making the turn that would help determine where he'd stand for the rest of the game, till the final climax where's he'd either win or lose, live or die.

"This is it! Win or lose, we're all in this together. Be prepared everyone because Smiles are back in!"


-Then-

A few houses were built up from the desert ground, with new paint and foundation, lined up with clean white pebbles or beautiful desert flowers. Doflamingo couldn't help but wonder if it was magic that brought them up, or if the desert willed the houses to appear one day and close the original pathway.

With the houses blocking the original opening to the desert Doflamingo was left with not choice but to leave his bike alone. He carefully placed it by an unattended, vacant house, hoping it would be good enough camouflage as he continued forward on foot. He snuck through the small gap between the new, modern looking messes and made his way back into the desert, now cold and purple with winds that would burn his eyes.

Doflamingo put the old shades back on his face. It was hard to see through. The desert was impossible to navigate through the growing darkness. He couldn't remember how he had managed it before, the sand sucked in every step he performed, like angry spiteful quicksand. He struggled his way through with unfocused eyes.

Without a proper jacket it didn't take long for Doflamingo to feel the cold winds beginning to punish him. He was starting to wonder if he should return home, forget everything he had done today and spend the night over with Diamante till his endorphins levels were back to normal.

He took a final step as he reconsidered what he was doing when he stared out and saw a distant light. His mouth dropped as he squint his eyes into thin slits, trying to make out what was so far away. He took another step. He could detect faraway movement, so he took several more steps, nearly tripping over cold, sharp stone.

There were three figures; two human, and something large like a car. Doflamingo didn't want to believe what he was seeing. In his heart he could feel a strange betrayal that was taking place. He would have been angry, but confusion grabbed hold of his mind, replacing logic with a need to take a hit of that old, terrible drug.

After almost tripping over another rock he slowed down. He was close enough to hear the two young men talking to one another, and they didn't seem to notice his presence in the darkness. It was better this way. Alone in the dark, he could learn why Crocodile had done this to him.

"…and you don't think they'll send you back to him?" Mihawk said shivering. He stood next to the small fire, his golden eyes shimmering over the huddled form that was next to a large pile of sand.

An icy, dark voice replied, "He won't take me." Crocodile's figure stood up and held a small box in his hands. Doflamingo remained still as his eyes lay on the box. He could feel something warm in his chest.

"You sound so sure."

"I haven't seen him since I was a kid," Crocodile said. Doflamingo caught a glimmer of light from Crocodile's eyes. A new wonder filled him as he saw the young man peer down at the small box, opening it with large hands.

Doflamingo had to voluntarily close his mouth. Crocodile had kept the money! He had kept his treasure!

Doflamingo felt his heart leap. There was a new flood of emotion. It had been so stale from before, practically dead, but now it was fresh a blooming, spreading across Doflamingo's being. New love.

He was wrong! Doflamingo was in the wrong! There was still hope! Dreams were still relevant!

"You're going to get caught."

"I have an alibi." The shadowy figure turned and glared at Mihawk's shaking form. "That is, I still hope I have an alibi." It sounded so venomous.

"I'm not gonna tell," Mihawk said, not moving from his spot despite the tremble in his voice. "I just don't think this is the right way to go about it."

"She's useless. I don't need her anymore."

"You're just upset."

He watched the taller figure lower his head. There was silence. The two men stared at each other. Doflamingo couldn't wait any longer. He began to take another step. Something was going on. Crocodile still had the box. Doflamingo just knew Mihawk was trying to ruin everything! He was going to stop him from opening the box. He was going to tie up what little spirit Crocodile still had and force the box back in the dirt!

"Maybe we should go back and rethink the plan…"

Doflamingo took in a cold gulp of air and called out. "Hey!"

Both Mihawk and Crocodile jumped. The box fell. Two sets of eyes stared wide into the darkness, desperate to make out what had called them. Doflamingo could see their legs. Crocodile's was shaking now.

Doflamingo felt a smile appear as he brought himself into the firelight.

Mihawk remained poised in the same stiff position. Crocodile immediately relaxed, but his expression still had something dark about it. Neither were smiling.

"Doflamingo…"

"Why are you here?" Mihawk asked.

"Why are you here?" Doflamingo turned the question around. The older teen sneered at him. Crocodile just stared, his breathing slowly down.

"That's none of your business," Mihawk replied. "Doflamingo…you really should not be here. You need to leave, now."

"I came here on my own free will," Doflamingo said, still smirking at Mihawk. "I came here because I had to. And I see you here…what are the odds, right? I need to be here!"

"No, you need to leave now!" Mihawk said, now pointing at the young blond. He walked over and tried to grab Doflamingo. He dodged the arm, moving closer to Crocodile, who seemed to have a small smiling growing in the dark. Mihawk groaned. "This isn't right! Crocodile! You tell him he has to leave now!"

Crocodile produced a slow, terrifying laugh. Both boys shivered.

"I have my alibi," he said.

"Great. Just fucking great."

"What's your alibi?" Doflamingo asked. He removed his shades and stared up at the dark face.

Crocodile smiled. "We're camping."

"All night long?"

"All night long. Unless you don't mind us hitting your place right after we're done."

Doflamingo was thankful for the terrible lighting produced by the fire. He doubted that anyone could see the blush growing on his face. Crocodile had grown so much since he had last seen him. Even in the darkness Doflamingo was having a hard time not staring at all the changes.

"That won't be a problem," he said.

"Because it got so cold we had to go back…"

"Uh-huh, yeah." Doflamingo peered down and stared at the box. "Your old box?" he asked.

"I had to get a new one."

Doflamingo knelt down and picked it up, "but you still have one. I'm glad. Very glad."

"So am I."

"This is a bad idea, Crocodile. You're going to get caught." Mihawk stomped over to the two with his arms wrapped tightly around his thin frame. "Doflamingo, don't pick that up!"

Doflamingo handed the box over to Crocodile, feeling rather proud of himself. Mihawk was nothing now. The older teen probably thought he had successfully replaced Doflamingo. Ha. It seemed Crocodile still appreciated his presence. Doflamingo saw it. He could never be replaced.

And then Crocodile pulled a handgun out of the box.

Suddenly the game stopped. Doflamingo stared, mesmerized by the deadly utensil held so naturally by the young man. Against the light of the fire the weapon seemed to be alive with a wild, possessive energy. He wondered what sort of look Mihawk had on his face. The look on Crocodile's was utterly fascinating.

"Where did you get that?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not going to use it on you. Or you." The last two were direct at Mihawk. Doflamingo's stomach felt like it was already full of lead.

"What's it for?" The questions just kept rolling out. Doflamingo's head was full of them. Was this what the money was for? Did that tiny little boy from long ago really wan to go out and buy a gun?

The gun was not chaotic. In the hands of someone chaotic it could be used as a tool of chaos. Not that the gun itself mattered. It was death. The end all. The game over. Why did Crocodile have such a terrible tool in his possession? Did he not understand the game was on pause because he carried it so proudly in his hand? Did he realize what would happen if he pressed play while it still lay in his possession?

"You wouldn't understand, Doflamingo," Crocodile answered. "It's best you remain in the dark. You like it that way. You just need to promise me that all we did tonight was go camping. We got so cold. And so we spent the night at your place. Go ahead and add that we did some drugs…we can't be too innocent."

"I…I don't like that," Doflamingo muttered.

"Crocodile. You're angry. You desperate because you think you can't get what you want. But if you just relax and–"

"Mihawk, just shut the fuck up," Crocodile snapped. His hand moved. Therefore the gun moved. Both Doflamingo and Mihawk jumped. "We're not talking about this anymore."

"I-I don't know," Doflamingo started. His eyes would not leave the gun. He should have known better. Crocodile was surely eyeing him like a bad target. A distraction. Something in the way that needed moving.

"What?"

"Maybe we should listen to Mihawk," Doflamingo said. "That, or maybe you could tell me what the gun is for?"

Crocodile leered at him through a thin, golden slit. The scowl on his face frightened Doflamingo.

"I want to help you, I really do," Doflamingo said, eyes still on the gun. "I just want to know why you have the gun. You know I came all the way over here because I felt like shit? I went over riding to your house."

"Bull," Crocodile said. He smiled cruelly at the boy. "You went off to play in that precious little gated wonderland of yours for several months."

Doflamingo shrugged. "Yeah, that's true. I tried my best to forget."

Crocodile's head tilted ever so slightly to the side. He continued to watch, examine the boy. There was no moon. The only light provided was from the fire. Doflamingo couldn't make out Crocodile's expressions.

"…Explain to me why I should even listen to someone like you?"

"I don't know why, Crocodile," Doflamingo admitted. He sighed. "Here we are though. We're back at the desert. Together. I know fate or destiny isn't real, but this has to count for something. Believe me. I'll help you. I just–"

A shadow passed by Doflamingo, causing him to stumble back, his body hitting the soft sandy ground. He struggled to get himself up. Meanwhile he heard Crocodile and Mihawk fighting each other, yelling, the gun pointed up to heaven.

"You're sick!"

"Fuck. Off."

Doflamingo crawled over and began to fend Mihawk away from Crocodile. He could feel the heat of the flame lick the soles of his shoe. Mihawk swiped a hand at him. Crocodile grabbed at his wrist saving Doflamingo another blow. Somewhere in the mix his sunglasses fell. He heard something. A dry, loud crack echoed in the desert air. Crocodile stared at him. Somehow the both of them knew. He let the handgun fall and went at Mihawk with both hands. Doflamingo took the opportunity to jump up and take Mihawk from the back. He summoned up the last of his energy and grabbed Mihawk, yanking him and throwing him off Crocodile.

Doflamingo gasped. His arms, his legs, his very being was exhausted. He stared down at Mihawk's crumbled, coughing form. He wanted to take the time to feel so good about himself. Somehow Crocodile had read his mind, or perhaps he had read Crocodile's. It was almost like old times.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and pushed him away. Doflamingo was forced a few steps back, shocked, his naked eyes looking up at the gun that was lowering towards Mihawk.

"Crocodile?" Doflamingo asked. He felt a smile on his face. Not the right kind of smile. He was scared.

The older teen used his free hand to pull his hair back. Doflamingo could see a small bit of blood on his lip. No big deal. Friends get into fights. They got into fights. There was no reason a gun should be involved in this.

Of course you had to do it. Think about it. What if you had just stood there and let him pull the trigger. You'd be telling him it was ok to kill when things didn't go his way. You'd give him all the control. You'd be giving him permission to control you, to kill you once you became too much to handle. And think about this; you might not have figured out the truth till much later. Mihawk's a tool, but he didn't, still doesn't, deserve to die. Not yet.

Doflamingo lunged forward, holding to and pushing in all his weight as he rammed Crocodile. He closed his eyes as he anticipated the harsh impact, the only positive he could think of was that he'd land on something soft. The two fell, but this time there was a difference in the impact.

Doflamingo groaned when he hit the ground, but it was the sound that made him alert and filled him with a new worry. It was not the sound of the gun bouncing off a large rock, though the latter certainly had something to do with it. Nor was it the sound of the gun accidentally going off, sending a loud cry throughout the desert and even causing lights to be reawakened in the distance. He lay there, stunned, thinking about his sunglasses when he felt Crocodile's legs frantically jerk and contract underneath him. He remained completely still when he reevaluated the sound he had heard.

It was a crack. It was loud. It was wet.

The boy trembled. He moved himself off of Crocodile, dreading the fact that the older boy was not stirring.

"Crocodile?"

"Doflamingo, what's…what did you do?" Of course Mihawk would somehow skip the part where he had saved his life. Not that it currently mattered.

He ignored Mihawk as he carefully crawled over to Crocodile's head. The first thing he noticed was the bladed shape of desert stone exposed, lying dangerously close to the young man's head.

"Crocodile," he called. The fire made it impossible to see. Doflamingo reached out and tried to shake him. He pulled his arms away when he noticed how unusually relaxed the body was.

"Oh…shit." He heard sand being pushed around. He remained still as he looked down at the few fingers that had made contact with the neck. The bottom of his lip began to quiver when he saw the wet shine of blood covering the fingertips.

The smell of copper; suddenly it was everywhere. His nostrils began to burn. His stomach twisted in pain.

"Goddamnit, move Doflamingo!"

He fell to his side, not reacting as he continued to stare at his hand. He heard noises. He looked up and stared at the worn looking car. He remembered he had left his bike so far away. He should have just went to Diamante's house.

He held his breath and looked over at Mihawk's hunched form. The fire flickered. For a second he saw the torn flesh, the shaking hands that did what little they could to keep a broken face together, gold desperate eyes looking down, having completely forgotten the attempted murder.

Doflamingo hiccuped when he heard the cry in Mihawk's voice. "God. C'mon there, Crocodile. Wake up."


Please feel free to ask questions, express concerns, or just send compliments in the form of a review or PM. I do my best to reply to them whenever I can. I want to thank you all again for reading this chapter, and I hope that you all continue reading after this.