Almost flawlessly, Anberlyn could do Doflamingo's jobs for him, whether he required her to become the Joker for a day or so, or for her to run Dressrosa while he was away visiting Monet and checking on Ceaser and the SAD production on Punk Hazzard among other things. She could step into his shoes and momentarily take his place, making sure that the laws of Dressrosa were followed and the coliseum ran smoothly with its warriors and the men who were so desperately trying to win their freedom.
Unfortunately, such skill and flawless execution did not come naturally, at least not in full. Practice was required, she had to learn the ropes and unfortunately, Doflamingo's methods of teaching her such things, was to throw her into the ocean and it was up to her whether she wanted to sink or swim.
The main lesson came not long after she had met Trafalgar Law and it had come as somewhat as a surprise, and surprisingly enough, did not end in complete and utter disaster.
They fell into place next to each other on the bed with heaving chests and ragged breaths as they came down from the high.
Anberlyn grabbed the sheets, pulled them up over her naked body and rolled away from Doflamingo, closing her eyes and settling into the bed for the rest of the night. She wanted nothing more than to fall into a blissful sleep even though she couldn't have been anymore awake than she was at that moment. And to make sure he got the message that she wanted nothing to do with him for the remainder of the night, she murmured, "Good night." Her tone striking a note of finality that she hoped would actually be final.
And for a while, there was nothing but the ever present song of the ocean, darkness and less than an arms-length of space between their perspiring bodies. But, then, just as Anberlyn was about to drift away from the edge of consciousness and into the land of dreams, a voice reached into the darkness, wrapped its fingers around her and yanked her back from the edge.
"I won't be here when you awake." The voice sunk its claws into her mind, bringing her back to a state of full consciousness.
Burrowing into the pillow she had claimed as hers for the rest of the night, Anberlyn grumbled, "You never are."
She was a late sleeper and he was always up with the birds, eager to swim with the sharks and orchestrate business with people as corrupt as him. Anberlyn was used to waking up with the bed beside her cold and void of Doflamingo, so the news was rather unnecessary and she suspected him of purposely trying to keep her up.
"Well I'll need someone I can trust in charge." He explained. He would not be on the ship for the next week, and even though he didn't need anyone in charge, he was killing two birds with one stone, doing business and conducting an experiment.
Hopefully, all would go well.
"That's not me." She instantly mumbled. "Baby 5 or Pica would be good people for the job."
While both of them were quite trustworthy, and had been with him far longer than Anberlyn had, he practically sang, "I had someone else in mind."
"Not me." She grumbled, already knowing where this was going and where it was going to end. But, that didn't mean that she wouldn't fight back.
"I'm sorry Sweetheart-"
"You're not sorry." Spat Anberlyn with a frown on her face. He was never sincerely sorry for anything he had said or done.
"You're right. But, you don't have an option." Anberlyn had been well behaved for the past nine to twelve months and during that time she had not tried to kill him, and even though she did gripe and groan about doing things, she had become quite reliable, getting jobs done, even taking care of a few transactions he had been too busy to take care of himself, and getting rid of his enemies before they became one of his problems.
"Thanks." Anberlyn grumbled and rolled over so that she was facing Doflamingo's shadowy figure. "Because I really want to run your ship for you."
"I know you do Sweetheart." He crooned, hand reaching out, long fingers stroking her damp face.
She glared into the darkness and tried one more time to get out of it, even though it sounded as though Doflamingo had already set his mind to making her reign over the ship while he was away.
"Can't you ask the new guy Trafalgar? You've seemed to take quite a liking to him."
Doflamingo found it so amusing that Anberlyn believed that Law was a new addition to the crew, so he never bothered to correct her. It was only recently that the two had met and since then, he had seen a rather positive improvement in Anberlyn, which made Doflamingo more than happy because it meant that she was finally taking root in his family.
"Are you jealous?" Doflamingo hummed.
Anberlyn's eyes narrowed at the man's shadow and she fiercely snapped, "Do you think I'm so insecure as to feel threatened by a mere boy?"
Ok, so Trafalgar Law wasn't a boy, but, he was hardly a man at the same time.
Doflamingo chuckled, only to be cut off by another snappy response, "If anything, you should be the threatened one."
Reaching out and pulling Anberlyn close, Doflamingo stiffled a laugh and asked, "Oh? And why is that Sweetheart?"
"Do you realize just how much time I spend in the infirmary, behind closed doors with that fine specimen of a man?" Anberlyn grinned as she said the last five words.
While it was true that Trafalgar was quite attractive, blessed not only with a sharp, witty tongue, a sarcastic, I don't care attitude and high intelligence, stormy, pensive eyes, gorgeous tanned skin and lithe body, Anberlyn wasn't the least bit interested in him. There might be a little bit of physical attraction, sure, and she wouldn't say no to sleeping with him, especially if it were to piss Doflamingo off. It didn't help that he seemed like the type to delight in the risk it took to sleep with someone that their captain had so obviously claimed for himself but, that was food for thought for another time.
"If you're hoping to upset me, then you've got to try a bit harder than that, Sweetheart. Do you really think I'd be so insecure as to be threatened by a mere boy?" He sneered, using Anberlyn's own words against her. Then, after a dark chuckle filled her eardrums, Doflamingo said, "Do you really think that a boy could be better than me? There's nothing he can offer that I cannot top."
"You cocky bastard." Anberlyn grumbled, opting not to list the several things that Trafalgar had to offer that Doflamingo didn't.
A grinning mouth pressed a kiss against her forehead and with that, they lapsed into silence and eventually sleep.
When Anberlyn awoke, she just lay in the otherwise empty bed, somewhat disappointed that there was no one next to her, yet, somewhat rejoicing that she had a few minutes to herself, a few minutes that were not going to be monopolized by anyone.
She remembered Doflamingo telling her that he wouldn't be there but, the rest of the conversation was kind of far-fetched. There was no reason in hell that he would leave her in charge, not while there were people better suited for the job, people who were far more trustworthy than her.
So, deciding that the part of the conversation where Doflamingo left his empire and his beloved crew to her was nothing but a dream, Anberlyn got up, showered and then meandered out of the cool, dark room and into the blinding light of day. She expected to find him lounging on the couch like a king in his throne, but, the piece of furniture was as void as the bed was of the blonde.
Thinking nothing of it however, Anberlyn went to the office space filled with books for god knows what and the desk for when the deck wasn't a suitable place to conduct business. But, that too was empty.
With a frown, Anberlyn closed the door behind her, only to bump into Trafalgar, who uncannily asked,
"Looking for someone?" with a knowing kind of smirk. His smirked just about as much as Doflamingo smiled, it was annoying because just like there were a million meanings behind the simple bearing of teeth and upturn of lips, there were a million meanings behind the simple curling up of one side of the mouth.
"How did you reach that conclusion?" She grumbled at him, not liking that he knew something that she did not.
"Well I admit," Law confessed, "you look a bit lost."
"Where is the tyrant of this damn ship?" Anberlyn asked, deciding not to play coy with Trafalgar at the moment, she wasn't up to it at this time.
"Currently, he's away. But, I am looking at his step in tyrant." He informed the girl, his smirk turning into a slight grin. The news was sure to displease the woman greatly.
For a moment, Anberlyn looked confused but then, she asked, "So I'm in charge?"
"That's what I meant. Were you not told?"
Doflamingo had been very sure that everyone was up at the crack of dawn, literally, to inform everybody that Anberlyn would be taking his place for the next seven days. He was also very careful to explain to them just how much power Anberlyn actually had over the crew and the ship, which for a woman convinced that she would take his life, was a lot.
"Yeah." She scoffed, none too happy that her dream wasn't actually a dream but actually reality, "While I was trying to sleep." Anger flared up in her eyes and working its way into her voice as her sentence came to a close. She was about to ask if everyone but her knew about it but, before she could open her mouth, Trafalgar asked, in a rather snide manner,
"So, what's your first order of business Captain-ya?"
"Don't call me what." She grumbled, starting for the kitchen.
"Would you like to hear the terms and conditions of your seven day reign over this ship and its unfortunate occupants?" Law asked, falling into step next to her even though he hadn't been invited wherever it was she was heading.
One could say that they were close, which was an accomplishment because even though Anberlyn made small talk with the other crew members, she had no real connection with them.
Now that he thought about it, Anberlyn was one large chemical reaction no matter where she went or who she mingled with.
With the crew she was the oil that refused to mix with the water. With anyone who opposed or threatened her or Doflamingo, she was acid that burned its way through them and their opposition. And of course, Doflamingo and Anberlyn were like baking soda and vinegar, constantly at each other's throat and butting heads, until eventually the reaction ended and they fizzled out and act civil towards each other, if only for a moment. And Anberlyn and him, well they were like methane and fire. Once their tongues ignited the gas, the fire raged but, only for a few, fleeting moments.
Over breakfast, Anberlyn had the privilege of being told of all of the things Doflamingo had left out of their little conversation last night. Trafalgar told her of all of the terms and conditions and to be honest, she could not belief that he had given her so much power.
If Anberlyn so decided, she could off the entire crew, she could destroy his position as the Underworld's broker and decimate his name as Joker. She hadn't asked for this position, for the power, and quite frankly, Anberlyn didn't want it. But, what choice did she have now that he was gone?
"So," Law sat forwards, a certain gleam in his eyes, "tell me, what is your first course of action?"
Anberlyn thought for a moment. Going back to bed was quite a tempting option, but, then again, so was the idea of a lot of very destructive things that would result in her death if Doflamingo ever found her. Finally though, she placed her arms on the table between her and Trafalgar and leaned forwards, asking, "What do you think I should do O-smart one?"
"Wouldn't escape be the first response of a true captive?" He asked, hinting at the fact that she was no longer a captive, but, there of her own volition.
Anberlyn reached across the table and thumped Trafalgar on the forehead. "Only, if I want to be dragged back by my hair and tortured into submission. And besides, this is probably some bazaar test of his."
"Oh, it is." Law confirmed with a smile.
What he hadn't told Anberlyn was that the crew's job was to keep track of not only her activities and decisions but, in case of an escape attempt, attempt at crew wise massacre or even suicide that they were supposed to stop her from succeeding, even if it meant that she took someone down with her.
"And you just passed the first one."
Dark eyes narrowed and glared beams of fire into the eyes of the storm. Suspicion filled her glare before the loaded question, "Whose side are you on?" was spat into the space between them.
"That is something only I need to know." He mysteriously answered, not swearing loyalty to either party. Even if Doflamingo didn't know that he swore allegiance to her, she would use it in the future and he did not want have to pick between his captain and his too powerful for her own good, partner.
"I would kill you right now." Anberlyn whispered her threat as she leaned even closer to Law.
But, he only smirked and silkily said, "Do it. I dare you." He was perfectly calm, his voice an even tone that revealed nothing, meeting her sharp glare evenly, unblinkingly. His stormy eyes stared right back into her smoldering ones and for a solid three minutes, neither was willing to look away first. The stare down was ended only when Anberlyn got to her feet and said,
"I've got a call to make, don't let anyone bother me Trafalgar." And with that, she swept from the dining area and into the office.
Anberlyn was seconds from picking the receiver from the snails back and giving Doflamingo a piece of her mind but, before she could do so, a call came in. In hopes of it being Doflamingo calling to check in, she snatched it up and barked,
"Hello?"
Only the voice that greeted her ears wasn't that of Doflamingo, in fact, it was much deeper and considerably deeper. "I'm calling the deal off if you-"
Perfectly unaware of who it was she was talking to Anberlyn growled, "Are you threatening me?" Whoever it was on the other end, she did not appreciate their tone and would not tolerate it while they were talking to her.
"Who is this?" They barked.
"Joker's substitute," Anberlyn lied; she sure as hell wasn't taking over his broker job. "but, if you wish to speak directly to him, then I suggest you leave a name and state your business and I'll have him deal with you when he returns. Because, let's face it, the only one who gets hurt by you calling off the deal is you." There was only silence on the other end. "I thought so. Now, give me what I want so that I can help you." As she spoke, she began searching frantically for a pen and paper because there was no way she was going to remember this guy's name and what he wanted with Doflamingo.
When the call was done, Anberlyn called Doflamingo, who answered with a pleasant greeting and, without a doubt, a big stupid smile upon his face.
"I'm not doing your Underworld broking for you!" Anberlyn shouted angrily at him. She wanted nothing to do with it.
"Sure you are. You did such a good job that one time." He laughed at her, somehow not surprised that she was angry of all things to be at the person who just have her the keys to not only his empire, but to the entire world. This week away could either make or break him, but, in case of her deciding to break him, he had several back up plans in place.
"Why do you think leaving me in charge of your crew, your illegal business and your riches is evenly a remotely good idea?" Anberlyn couldn't help but ask in an exasperated manner. Doing so would take a lot of faith, balls, and dare she say it-
"If you don't fuck up then I know that I can trust you Sweetheart."
There it was.
Why hadn't she thought about it sooner? This was her chance to earn Doflamingo's trust and trust was such an important part of her plan to rid the world of this vile man. If he trusted her with so much and managed to benefit from her being in charge, then he would drop his guard and one day, killing him would be as easy as pie. Though, she had tried to make pie once, and it wasn't as easy as they say.
But, regardless of how beneficial not screwing everything and Doflamingo up and giving into temptation would be, she couldn't help but ask, "And if I do?"
Doflamingo only laughed and told Anberlyn that the consequences weren't something that she wanted to face. "Don't disappoint me Sweetheart."
"Would it kill you to use my name?!" She shouted at him, only to have silence greet her. "Great! He hung up." Anberlyn grumbled and put the snail's receiver down, only for it to ring seconds later.
With a heavy sigh, she picked it up, deciding that she would be helping herself out if she cooperated with Doflamingo and made him proud of how well she handled all of this power. She decided that instead of just taking names and reasons for calling, she'd try conducting, after all, she had done it once before, and how hard could just seven days be?
Anberlyn had eavesdropped on plenty of his business calls, so she decided that she'd try to be profitable because Doflamingo was all about profits.
Three days later, Baby 5 called, not late at night, around the time of the usual daily updates she had taken upon herself to give, but, instead, around noon.
She didn't have to say a single word because before she could utter a sound, because in the background he heard the unmistakable sound of a body falling to the deck and the furious words, "Your crew is made up of a bunch of fucking useless bastards Doflamingo!"
"Do you see the problem?" Baby 5 muttered into the receiver of the snail as if afraid Anberlyn might catch her.
Smiling broadly, he asked, "Who has she killed, if anyone?" He had to take inventory to make sure that she killed no one important, or who could be important in the future. But, every name that filed through the transponder snail failed to get placed into the category that would have vengeance taken against Anberlyn for their deaths.
"Should I stop her?" To be honest, she didn't even know what had set Anberlyn off. But, regardless of the reason, Doflamingo didn't seem too terribly upset. In fact, he seemed thrilled that Anberlyn was reducing his crew's numbers.
"No, no. Don't do that. Just tell Anberlyn that I expect her to replace everyone she kills." Doflamingo was quite interested in seeing who she would come up with, who she would present as replacements for the men who he had lost interest in but hadn't gotten around to getting rid of.
"Understood." Baby 5 said with a nod and then hung up.
Anberlyn was an attractive woman, even with the disappearing scars that covered her body. But, there was a certain allure that made it hard to take one's eyes off of her when the weapons from her belt were gripped tightly in hand, blood dripping from the blades and splattering across her face, flesh and clothes, a positively maniacal expression on her face.
Of course, observing Anberlyn from afar was only one of the reasons that Law was staying out of her way. If asked, he wouldn't be able to tell anyone what had set her off, not for sure at least. He had a few hunches. But, whatever it was had put her on a path of destruction that was until Baby 5 approached her and whispered something into her ear.
Later he would find out what the woman had said to put a stop to Anberlyn's wrathful behavior.
But, until then, he watched her point to some unfortunate few and demand that they clean up the mess before turning and storming towards him.
When she was close enough, almost past him, he took the risk of saying, "You've been tense lately."
Anberlyn stopped next to him and turned to glare so fiercely that he was afraid that she would lash out. Law wasn't afraid that she would kill him, but, he wasn't near as confident that she was above causing him great bodily harm. But, instead of lashing out physically, she did so verbally, growling,
"My bad."
There were so many things she could have said, so many other things she wanted to say besides 'my bad' but, there was no reason to let on just how difficult she was finding it to manage a crew of this magnitude and an Underworld business that crisscrossed across around the world. Anberlyn wasn't complaining, she couldn't complain because even though she was furthering Doflamingo's empire and name, she was paving the way to take down the king himself. And to execute that plan she would have to first build him and their trust to impossible heights.
"You know it's not good for your health to be so tense." Trafalgar had the nerve to tell her. But, then again, he had the nerve to say and do a lot of things.
He had a feeling that Anberlyn was near her breaking point but, even though she had just exploded, she seemed to have a lid on her emotions now. For the past three days they had been rather busy, sailing to islands on which Anberlyn would disappear for hours upon hours and when she returned, it was on to the next island only to repeat the process. Anberlyn was like the One Piece for those few days, talked of by many but seen by very few.
She shot him a deadly glare, silently daring him to say anything before snapping, "Like you care."
Anberlyn would consider her and Trafalgar friends to say the very least. She was closer to him than she was to anyone else on the ship, but, that wasn't much of an accomplishment. She still held him at arms distance, always ready for him to leave or for Doflamingo to get fed up with him and just toss the devil fruit user into the sea or kill him or something. She was always afraid of that and that's why she held everyone so far. The only one she wasn't afraid of losing was Doflamingo but it wasn't as though she were about to let him in any time soon.
Law let out a low chuckle. "Despite common belief, I do have a heart and I do care about your health."
"You care about your head." She growled as fiercely as she glared.
Trafalgar placed a newly tattooed hand over his heart and in a sneering tone said, "You wound me Sweetheart."
She went to slap or punch him, seeing red when that damned pet name came from his mouth. So many people thought it was ok to refer to her as Sweetheart while trying to conduct business and it was wearing on her nerves. But, instead of letting her fist collide, he caught her wrist.
"Let me go." Anberlyn hissed trying to pull her wrist out of his iron grasp.
"You need to relax or else you might have a heart attack or commit ship wide massacre."
Suddenly remembering Baby 5's words, she tried even harder to get free. She had ten bastards to replace in four days and illegal business to keep up with to boot. But, Trafalgar held fast, even when she snapped,
"Do you have something in mind Doc?" He disliked the name as much as she disliked being called Doflamingo's slut or Sweetheart, which is why she used the name.
Law ignored the nickname she had branded him with and said, with his almost trademark smirk curling onto his face, "As a matter of fact, I do."
Not liking the sound of that, but wanting to get the show on the road, Anberlyn went along with Trafalgar, allowing him to pull her along. The sooner she cooperated with the young man, the sooner she could start doing the things she needed to do before the days end.
The door to the dark office slowly cracked open, creaking and groaning as if it belonged to a century old house whose hinges hadn't once been oiled. The amount of light flooding into the darkness grew larger and larger until it fell across a smooth face, slightly parted lips and eyelids that were drawn shut over dark irises, like curtains across a window, blocking all access to the soul within.
"Good morning Sweetheart." A voice whispered as a large figure blocked out most of the dark penetrating light, their shadow falling across the woman's face. One arm was folded beneath her head, the other stretched out across the top of the, larger than necessary, desk. "Did you have a good week?" They asked the sleeping woman, as they reached out, their long, calloused fingertips brushing against hers as they curled around the pink communication device gripped lightly in her hand.
But, as the device was slowly lifted from the woman's palm, her fingers curled tightly around it, stopping them from taking it and leaving without a trace.
"Your job is over now Sweetheart." He gently informed the woman, reaching out with his free hand and gently brushing strands of maroon hair away from her forehead. Her hair was getting longer, hanging between her chin and shoulders in a style that resembled a lion's mane when it wasn't brushed or contained with a headband or something of the sort.
So rare were the times when Anberlyn wasn't grumbling like a storm, when anger or annoyance or even complete and utter disgust weren't the central emotions on her face. So rare were the instances in which Anberlyn's eyes were not glowering at him, her brow smooth, with her guard down and her body completely relaxed while in his presence.
Doflamingo decided to cherish this moment, the moment when he walked in to see that Anberlyn had fallen asleep doing his job for him. And there were so few things and even fewer people in the world that Doflamingo truly cared for.
The smile Anberlyn so despised made an appearance on the blonde man's face before he retracted his hand from her hair and plucked the transponder snail from her grasp and quietly said, "Sweet dreams," as he passed through the threshold of the door and closed it quietly behind him.
Anberlyn opened her eyes only to find that instead of being in a bed, whether it be her small bed, or Doflamingo's gigantic one, that she was sitting in a chair, doubled over a desk in a rarely used office. And, instead of being alone, standing before her was Trafalgar, who was holding a plate of steaming food in hand.
He had been so…sweet for the past week, even after she accused him of taking care of her only because Doflamingo wanted him to, and because he wanted to keep his life. Only a fool would play with the fire some called Doflamingo. He had been so nice, that she almost felt bad for that day but, didn't intend on apologizing. Trafalgar had brought her the meals that so often seemed to have slipped her mind and stopped her from literally ripping her hair out just as often.
Anberlyn had no reason to be suspicious of him, but she was because even though he claimed to care about her health, Anberlyn was suspicious that he had an ulterior motive. After all, Trafalgar wasn't a naturally nice person; he didn't tend to put others before him or actively seek to help anyone. So, because she used to be so trusting, so caring and god forbid nice, Anberlyn decided to throw the blame on Doflamingo, he was after all the root of all of her problems. He had ruined her, so much so that she was suspicious of her own friend without a remotely good reason.
Peeling her face off of the top of the desk, Anberlyn sat back in the chair and as she popped several joints in the process of stretching, asked, "What time is it?"
"Mid-day." He responded, setting the plate down and pushing it towards her with his fingertips, not exerting any energy to get it closer than he could reach without stretching.
Pulling the plate close, Anberlyn looked at Trafalgar and said, "You're a lifesaver Trafalgar." She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until the first bite of food landed on her tongue. After that, the food was history.
"I expect you to return the favor." He nonchalantly explained his expectations to the woman.
"Now?" She asked through a mouthful of food.
To be honest, Law had no favors that she needed to do, nothing that was worth wasting this golden opportunity on, not currently at least. So, vaguely he said, "I'll let you know when the time comes."
All too hastily Anberlyn agreed and brushed his words away, thinking nothing of the fact that she now owed Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon of Death a favor that could be cashed in whenever it struck his fancy.
And it wasn't until at least ten years later that he would request that she repay him for his week of kindness.
Once done eating, Anberlyn got up, went around the desk, gave him a thankful clap on the shoulder and left the office that was beginning to feel more and more like a cage.
When Anberlyn reached the deck she saw, over the back of the couch a burst of pink and the familiar back of a certain blonde man's head. So badly she wanted to turn and run, she wasn't quite ready for him to be back, so she considered going to her room and pretending to be asleep but, now that she had seen him, it was kind of pointless because ready or not, he was back and she knew it now.
So, despite what she wanted, Anberlyn lifted her chin up and with confidence as fake as the justice the Marines supposedly uphold, sauntered up to the couch, intending on plopping down next to Doflamingo but, when did things ever go as planned with him around?
Instead of succeeding in plopping anywhere, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap with that stupid laugh that was even worse than that damned smile that was always lighting up his face.
"How was your week Sweetheart?"
"It was great up until this point." Anberlyn snapped irately, only she was lying through the skin of her teeth. Her words were a lie because dare she admit it…
No!
There was no way in hell that she had missed such a vile, monstrous man, his pink feather jacket, his annoying face, smile and laugh or forceful mannerisms.
Yet, some twisted and demented part of her missed the blonde terribly.
And even though Anberlyn could deny it with all of her heart, mind and soul, the feeling was still there regardless of if she accepted it or not.
A playful downturn of his smile accompanied the words, "Now, now Anberlyn, don't be like that."
"You're the one who told me not to change." She snapped, not even bothering to attempt to escape his lap, or to unwrap his arm from around her waist. There was truly no point in trying anymore. Anberlyn had long since learned that resistance was futile.
"Yes, but there's no need to be so mean to your savior Sweetheart."
She scoffed and sharply retorted, "You mean my destroyer. If I recall correctly O-Great Savior of mine, you're the one who was pushing for a brutal, cold blooded killer with no heart."
At that Doflamingo couldn't help but laugh. "Sweetheart, you still have heart." He may have changed her heart, but having heart and having a heart were two very different things. He may have darkened her heart, but, in everything she did, whether it was trying to keep up the façade that she hated him and everything he did, crawling between the sheets with him or killing with that stunning, heartless smile and chilly attitude, Anberlyn had heart. She certainly hadn't lost that over the few years they have been together.
She gave him a strange look. "You make it sound like a good thing." He really must derive some pleasure from confusing her because first he wants her to have a blood pumping stone in her chest, and now…well now it sounds like he wants her to have a beating heart.
"You don't need to have a heart to have heart Sweetheart." Doflamingo explained, laughing even more at her apparent confusion.
Anberlyn shook her head. There were too many hearts for her to make sense of what he had just said. So, she none too subtly changed the subject. "So, did I pass your test? The ship is in one piece, I've replaced those useless bastards you had the nerve to take under your almighty wing, your business is still up and running smoothly and, yes I know you had a handful of people reporting in or keeping tabs on me."
That was where she was wrong. It wasn't just a few people, but the entire crew, minus the deceased of course.
Not answering her question, Doflamingo gave Anberlyn's shoulders a squeeze and, with a chuckle, denied nor confirmed a single thing. "You need to relax some Sweetheart, you're so tense."
Anberlyn resisted the urge to snap a biting response about how Trafalgar had taken care of that, and instead decided to feed his ego. "I don't know how you do it all with a smile." Actually, she didn't know how he did every little thing with a smile a mile wide.
"Practice Sweetheart. But, I've got just the thing to work out those kinks." He grinned rising to his feet and holding her close so that gravity didn't kick in and force her to the deck with a hard thud.
"Of course you do." She grumbled despising fact that she was being carried across the deck and towards his room.
A/n: Sorry the previous chapter was a bit more Law centric… and that this one didn't have as much Doflamingo in it either :/, but I've got good news and bad news alike for ya. Good news, Doflamingo's gonna be front and center next chapter and for the rest of the fic. Bad news, I want to wait to see how the Dressrosa arc wraps up before I write/type too much, so updates might stop once I reach that point…Sorry to disappoint.
Review please. I would be delighted to hear your thoughts and opinions. Please, if you think that I have gotten anyone OOC, tells me. Thank you much for reading and I hope to see you next chapter.