Summary:
On a frozen island in the North Blue, an abandoned girl named Vespera is haunted by visions of the pirate Donquixote Doflamingo, whom she calls "Daddy." After years of waiting, she finally sees him sail by but is devastated when he pretends not to notice her. As rumors of the Hie Hie no Mi draw the Marines to investigate the island, Doflamingo returns, intrigued by the mysterious power he senses in Vespera.
Taken in by Doflamingo, Vespera must confront the painful question of why he never came for her and her mother. As she joins his crew, she begins to unravel the secrets of her past and her connection to the infamous pirate, all while navigating her new life in a dangerous world.
A/N After a long hiatus, I'm excited to finally update this story! I've decided to rewrite it from the ground up, so expect some major changes. Thank you so much for all the amazing reviews and support over the years—it means the world to me. I've got two notebooks full of ideas for where this story is headed (especially later on), so fingers crossed that I can keep up the momentum! I'm really committed to finishing this, and I hope you all enjoy the journey with me.
Vision Happening—
The air was heavy, cold as death. Vespera blinked against the swirling darkness, her body numb, though her mind stirred with familiar confusion. This place again—the palace, the one with the cold, stony walls and Doflamingo's laughter echoing through it like distant thunder.
She wasn't scared of him. That much she knew. It wasn't fear that gnawed at her in these visions, but something colder—an emptiness that she had carried for as long as she could remember. Why hadn't he come for them?
Doflamingo grinned, standing before her, surrounded by frozen bodies—people she'd seen before in her dreams. Violet, the one with the sad eyes, stood frozen in place, her expression trapped in terror. The ice wrapped around her like a death shroud, creeping up her arms. She wanted to scream, but no sound came.
Vespera watched it all unfold, her fists tightening. She couldn't cry. Not anymore. She had stopped crying long ago—ever since her mother told her they had been abandoned. Crying wouldn't bring her back. Crying wouldn't change the fact that he—the man in the pink coat—had never come to save them.
"Fufufu… everything is under control," Doflamingo's voice echoed in the icy room. His glasses glinted, hiding his eyes, just like the day he sailed past their island, never stopping, never looking back.
Her heart clenched. She didn't fear him. But she couldn't shake the question that haunted her every thought: Why didn't he come?
In the vision, she watched as Violet shattered, her frozen body breaking into crimson shards, scattering across the stone floor. Doflamingo laughed again, the sound growing louder, and Vespera's chest tightened. The vision twisted, reality slipping further away, leaving her with that same hollow ache. Why hadn't he come for them?
Vision Ends—
A small, blond-haired girl, no more than eight years old, woke up with a start, panting heavily. Sweat clung to her skin despite the freezing air around her. "Another vision…" she whispered to herself, her voice barely a breath in the stillness of the frozen forest. She wrapped the thin rags tighter around her body, though they did little to fend off the cold. Her bright green eyes stared out into the emptiness, a silence so unnatural it made her chest ache.
"Why does the man with the pink feathered coat keep appearing in my visions?" she murmured.
Her stomach growled, a harsh reminder of how long it had been since she'd eaten. The island had been her prison for as long as she could remember—isolated, frozen solid in the middle of summer. Not even pirates ventured here anymore. Not in over a month. No one knew how an island in the North Blue could remain frozen when the surrounding sea melted, but she had no answers. She never knew why it happened—one moment, it had been a warm summer day, and the next, the island was locked in ice. Even the sea had frozen at one point, encasing her in this endless cold.
She pulled herself to her feet, shaking the rags off as she made her way to the cliffside overlooking the ocean. From this height, she could see far out across the sea—a place that stretched infinitely, a freedom that felt so close yet out of reach. The rock beneath her feet never froze, no matter how cold it got. It was her sanctuary. Her place to dream of an escape that never came.
But she knew she wouldn't survive much longer. No food, no hope. The last time she had eaten was over a week ago, when a boat had washed ashore. She had scavenged what little food was left—just enough to keep her going—and a body riddled with bullet holes. She didn't care to think about that part.
As she stared out at the horizon, something unusual caught her eye. A ship was approaching, but not just any ship. It was blindingly pink, from the mast to the framework, even the oars were the same blinding hue. The only thing that wasn't pink was the Jolly Roger, a smiley face painted in black and white.
She squinted, shielding her eyes from the sunlight. Don Quixote, the name was stamped on the larger sail. The ship itself resembled a flamingo—its bow shaped into the bird's head, wings jutting out from the sides like it was flying across the sea.
Her heart skipped a beat. No… it couldn't be.
Her eyes locked on one man in particular. He stood out among the crew—taller than everyone else, with short blond hair sticking out in wild directions, as if he hadn't bothered to fix it. He leaned casually against the railing, his posture commanding without trying. Sunglasses reflected the sun, the same kind that adorned the flamingo figurehead.
He must be the captain.
For a long moment, their eyes met—her bright green eyes wide in shock, his hidden behind those purple-tinted glasses. It felt like an eternity, though it could only have been a few seconds. Vespera's breath caught in her throat.
It's him.
The man from her vision. The one she called Daddy. Her body froze, not from the cold but from the sudden rush of realization. All this time, all these visions… and there he was, in the flesh, sailing past her prison.
But as their eyes locked, she noticed something odd. His expression didn't change—no recognition, no acknowledgment. It was as if he hadn't seen her at all. Doflamingo turned his head slightly, speaking to someone on the deck. He never once looked back at her, as though she was invisible to him.
But in that brief moment, Vespera felt something shift.
He had seen her.
She was sure of it. The way his body had tensed ever so slightly before he turned away—the way his smile had widened, just for a second. She knew he had noticed her standing on the cliff, but he was pretending he hadn't. Why? To test her? To see what she would do?
The ship continued sailing, slowly disappearing into the horizon. Vespera remained frozen in place, her mind racing. Why hadn't he stopped? Why did he pretend not to see her?
She made her way back to the frozen forest, legs trembling beneath her. The man from her visions—the one her mother had waited for—had appeared, just as she had always known he would. But he hadn't stopped for them before. And now, he had sailed past once again, without a second glance.
She was a witch, after all. Maybe she was meant to die here, on this island… alone.
—-
In the port town of Spider Miles, Doflamingo sat comfortably in a large armchair, his fingers drumming lightly against the armrest. He had been away for a while, sending Trebol and Diamante out on a mission to collect debts owed by the pirates and black market dealers. The business of piracy demanded attention, but today, his mind was elsewhere.
He thought about the frozen island he had seen just earlier—an island locked in ice in the middle of summer. He had heard the rumors for months, and something about the place had gnawed at him, leading him to adjust his route back to Spider Miles. He hadn't expected much. But then he had seen her.
The Den Den Mushi rang, breaking his thoughts. He reached for the receiver.
"Yes?"
"Doffy," came Vergo's voice. "I looked into the frozen island you mentioned. It's called Frozen Hell now, but it was once known as Spring Haven."
"Go on," Doflamingo replied, leaning forward slightly, his interest piqued.
"There's no official word on what caused the island to freeze, but the Marines believe it may be connected to the Hie Hie no Mi. They've been searching for any signs of the fruit ever since Aokiji disappeared."
Doflamingo's grin widened. The Hie Hie no Mi—it would explain the unnatural freeze. But there was something else that had caught his attention, something more than just the fruit. "And the girl?" he asked, his voice steady, but curiosity slipping through.
"Nothing on her yet," Vergo responded. "No records, no birth certificate. It's as if she doesn't exist."
Doflamingo's smile grew darker. A ghost. But he had seen her with his own eyes. "Keep looking into it," he said, his voice a low growl before he hung up the receiver.
He stood up, draping his pink feathered coat over his shoulders, his expression thoughtful. "I'll handle it personally."
—-
Doflamingo ascended into the sky, his strings extending from his hands, attaching themselves to the clouds above. Using his Ito Ito no Mi, the strings anchored him, and he soared swiftly through the air, pulling himself effortlessly from one cloud to another. Below him, the frozen island—Frozen Hell—came into view, its icy terrain glistening in the sunlight as he descended.
The cold didn't bother him. If anything, it amused him. "Fufufu… this place is something else," he muttered, his eyes scanning the landscape.
The village ahead was locked in time—people frozen mid-movement, their expressions twisted in fear and panic. They looked as though they had been chasing someone, their hands outstretched, frozen in place.
Doflamingo stepped further into the village, his eyes catching on a statue at the center. The statue of a young woman holding an iron cage caught his eye. The cage wasn't frozen like everything else, and its door was slightly ajar, creaking in the cold wind. There was something off about it.
He noticed a man in the distance, standing frozen with an iron rope in his hand. Doflamingo stepped closer, narrowing his eyes. The rope was made of Kairoseki.
"Kairoseki…?" he growled under his breath. Sea-Prism Stone was rare, valuable, and heavily controlled. How had a poor village like this gotten their hands on something so precious?
His fists clenched, and his lips curled into a sneer. Someone had helped them. Someone had to be behind this.
With a flick of his wrist, he bent his fingers, sending a sharp wave of strings toward the frozen figures. The statues shattered into countless shards of ice, scattering across the ground like fragile glass.
A faint gasp echoed behind him, barely audible, but unmistakable.
Doflamingo's grin returned, sharp and cold. He turned toward the sound, his long strides deliberate but unhurried. He enjoyed the chase. He followed the soft patter of running feet as they fled into the frozen forest.
"Fufufu… running won't help you, little witch," he muttered, his voice low with amusement.
The trees ahead were bent and twisted under the weight of the ice, the branches sticking out like jagged knives, making the forest dense and difficult to navigate. Vespera stumbled through the undergrowth, trying to flee. She hadn't expected him to come back so soon—her heart pounded with each step as she tried to keep herself from falling.
But she knew it was pointless. He had seen her.
Her breath came in ragged bursts as she made it to the clearing—her home—a small cave hidden deep in the woods. She quickly gathered the two books and the letters she kept on the tree stump outside, clutching them to her chest as she hurried inside the cave. The space was small, but it had hidden her from the villagers for years.
She heard a loud crash outside, and when she peeked out, her heart dropped. The trees were gone, sliced cleanly, leaving an empty space. And standing in the middle of it was Doflamingo, his grin wide as ever.
Her breath hitched, and she ducked back into the cave, pressing herself into the farthest corner. What does he want?
Doflamingo's boots crunched against the icy ground as he entered the clearing. His gaze swept the area before landing on the small cave. He stopped in the center of the clearing and sat down on a large tree stump, crossing his legs as he grinned. "Fufufu… you're not very good at hiding, are you?" he called out, his voice taunting.
Inside the cave, Vespera froze. How did he know?
"I can see you," he said, his voice soft but menacing.
Vespera swallowed hard before slowly emerging from the cave. She was trembling, but it wasn't just the cold. She stood before him, clutching the books and letters to her chest, unable to meet his eyes.
"I wasn't hiding," she muttered, her voice barely a whisper. "I just wanted to see the man who's been in my dreams."
Doflamingo raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Fufufu… smart girl," he said as he stood up, towering over her. He looked her over carefully. She was small, malnourished, and filthy. But there was something about her—something that piqued his curiosity.
"What's your name, little witch?" he asked.
Vespera hesitated, her voice shaky. "Before asking someone's name, it's polite to give yours first."
Doflamingo's smile widened. "Fufufu… you're a sharp one. Very well. My name is Doflamingo."
Her eyes widened, and she took a small step back. "What?" she whispered, disbelief in her voice.
"I said, my name is Doflamingo."
Those words were enough to send her reeling. Her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
Doflamingo stared down at her in confusion for a moment before crouching beside her. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his fingers grazing her cold skin. Interesting. She looked even younger up close—frail and small, yet there was something in her that intrigued him.
He stood and glanced into the cave. It was small, barely large enough for a child to live in. Inside, he found a cot, covered in dust, and a small table with two old books and letters. They seemed precious to her.
After gathering the items, Doflamingo returned to where Vespera lay. He picked her up easily, adjusting his coat around her to shield her from the cold.
Taking to the skies again, Doflamingo's strings shot upward, attaching themselves to the clouds as he began to soar, pulling them tight as he flew swiftly through the air.
From above, he looked down at the frozen island. In the distance, he noticed a Marine warship approaching. His eyes narrowed slightly, but his grin remained.
The Marines had likely come to investigate the rumors of the island's unnatural freezing and the possibility of the Hie Hie no Mi. But they wouldn't find what they were looking for. Not now. Vespera was his.
