Doflamingo knew his brother was navy. He knew he could speak if he wanted to, and why he was so violent with the children the Donquixote gang took in. When he had first appeared before Doffy, decades after he murdered their father, Corazon had a fear in his eyes that he tried to hide behind shaded glasses. A fear and determination that sent a shiver through what was let of Doflamingo's heart. But he accepted his brother, unwilling to think that Corazon would ever betray him. When he saw his kindhearted younger brother full body a small child, Doffy could not believe this was his brother for a moment. The crybaby that he knew had become as heartless as himself. A small part of Doffy was proud, but he was mostly appalled by the idea. Not crybaby Cora-never him.

It was two years later he overheard Corazon muttering in an alleyway to a transponder snail, leaking info about their next job. The rage that filled Doffy as usual subsided almost immediately upon drawing his gun, the same gun that he had used on their father. No, this was not for Cora. He would bide his time until the betrayal was too much and too obvious. Wait until another family member told him. Corazon was his stupid little brother, and it was a miracle that he had only slipped up now. Doffy drank deeply that night, and when Cora returned, singed and reeking of trash, he did not press his brother for details. Doffy had grown to be a patient man, even more so for his family's sake.

Law changed things. When the brat first came to them Doffy was skeptical about this malnourished sack of bones and rage. It did not take long for him to recognize the boy's rage in himself, which almost made him cute. Cora however responded extra violently, as if desperate to drive away this child. This seemingly had the opposite effect on Law, driving the boy to retaliate. When Doffy heard the other brats talking about how Law had attacked Corazon and bribed them into silence, Doffy nearly decided to kill Law with his own hands. How dare some nobody hurt Corazon, his brother and a celestial dragon! But when he laid eyes on Cora, sleeping in a ball on the bed, the anger inexplicably fled him again. Instead of seeking out Law, Doffy sat on the edge of the bed and stared at Corazon. His breath was even and low, still in deep sleep. The sound reminded Doffy of better times, before leaving the Holy Land, and before everything had come crashing down for their little family. While the pain of those memories still struck Doffy deeply, the anger turned to mist in Cora's presence. It was then Doffy realized he could no longer hear Cora's breath. Scared, he reached out and placed a hand over Cora's face, and he could feel his brother breathing softly, but now silently. He had woken up and was pretending to still sleep. Doffy sighed heavily and left, thinking about the fear that still lingered in his brother gaze-the fear of a monster.

Doflamingo wasn't sure why he did it, but when the family began to grow suspicious of Corazon, he covered for him. Their heists were being intercepted more regularly, Cora's clumsiness caused more trouble than it should, and they were being perused with more accuracy than ever before. Doffy insisted that it was not Cora, and perhaps someone else was getting sloppy. His idiot little brother had the perfect excuse that only Doffy could corroborate; his brother had always been this stupid. Corazon never deafened himself from any accusation, but always backed up Doffy's assertion with an apology. But this could not last forever, and now there was another problem. Law was dying, and Doffy was not interested in burring some worthless brat. Even Cora laid off the kid, striking out at the other two instead, or tripping in a way that was not always accidental. Shortly before Cora absconded with Law, Doffy finally decided to confront him. Just before he was set to leave for a bit of business, Doffy cornered Cora in his cabin. Everyone else had left the ship for the evening, so there was no risk of anyone overhearing them.

"Corazon"

His brother looked at him with that same mixture of fear and determination, but his eyes grew anxious as Doffy locked the door behind him. They stared at each other for several minutes as Doffy tried to decide what to say.

What is it? Cora said, writing the words neatly on the sheet of a note pad he carried constantly.

"Don't do that." Doffy snapped. Cora furrowed his brow at this.

Do what?

"Don't write at me. I know you can speak."

Corazon's eyes widened in fear and shock behind his shades, but he tried to hide it and scribbled shakily.

I don't know what you mean.

"Don't treat me like an idiot, Corazon. You can talk, now talk to me. Or should the whole family be here for this?"

Doffy didn't want them here anymore than Cora did, but the threat worked.

"What do you want Doffy?" Cora's voice was deep and soft, and reminded Doffy of their mother. But the edge of fear in it was unmistakable.

"I want to know what you want-Marine." The anger began to bubble up, and the little voice he loved to listen to whispered to pull out the gun in his pocket. But one look at Cora quelled those feelings. Corazon leapt up and back, eyeing the window, the door, and Doffy. His glassed fell with the mask he had worn now for years, and his face set into a grimace. But the fear lingered, growing more intense as Corazon realized the bitter truth. There was no way for him to escape before Doffy would kill or capture him.

"Why?" That was only question on Doffy's mind.

"Why would you betray me like this, Corazon? Tell me!" The rage was beginning to bubble over again, a familiar feeling.

"I haven't betrayed you, Doffy." Cora's voice was level and measured as he chose his words with care.

"I'm only here to keep those children safe."

'Safe from you/me.'

Both brothers thought the same end to that sentence, Doffy realizing why his kind Cora would be so violent towards children. Why he had stayed, and the only missions that had been intercepted where the one's he let the brats join.

"So that's it then. You're not here for me, you're not here for family, you're only here for your mission."

Cora kept silent, unmoving and tense. Doffy ran a hand down his face and let out a growling sigh.

"Am I nothing to you?"

"No, you are important to me." Cora spoke clearly, catching Doffy by surprise.

"You're my only family Doffy. I have others I care about now, same as you, but the people you chose over me... I cannot care for them."

Doffy slowly raised his gaze to meet Corazon's. His brother was staring him straight in the eyes, unwavering and upset. It was a new look, and one Doffy though suit him well.

"The Donquixote is you and me, not them."

There was a tense spell of silence that filled the room like the sea. Doffy's emotions ran wild inside him, enraged one second and disgusted the next. He could not break gaze with his brother, but he could not reach for the gun either. He felt tethered in place, as if his own devil fruit had turned on him.

'What happed to him? Who made my brother this confident person? Corazon is my stupid little crybaby brother, and nothing should change that! But what if it was me? Could I have been the one to do this to him? We both have been abused and disowned by the world we were born to rule, so why would it be only me?'

"You still think of me as family?" He finally asked, a prick of fear in his heart as to what the answer might be.

Corazon seamed taken aback by this, but answered easily.

"You're a monster Doffy, but you are my brother. I don't have anyone else."

That cut unexpectantly deep with Doffy, who turned and left without another word. It wasn't until he returned to the ship a week later that he next saw Corazon, pale and anxious on the dock. He looked up at Doffy with that familiar mix of fear and determination, but now Doffy understood why it shook his heart. Cora was still his little brother, lost and afraid without him. No matter how much of a monster Doffy became, Cora could not leave him. They were family, and that's all that they needed. When Cora then turned around and left a simple note, taking Law with him, Doffy did not feel betrayed or concerned. Law took after Doffy, and Cora had years of experience with that.

Part One End