Chapter Text
"Where's the Captain?" The boy who had introduced himself as "Law" asked.
"Doffy's a very busy man and doesn't have time for a brat like you," Diamante almost snickered.
"So instead we have to deal with pains in the ass like you," Belrose huffed.
"You're kinda just dead weight to us since you're gonna die soon, anyway," Trebol laughed as he ate a sausage, "When, though? How long, huh? When ya gonna croak, kiddo?"
"In three years and two months from now," Law answered calmly.
Guess the kid's known this for some time, then, Belrose lemented to herself, though her expression remained annoy.
"And just how the hell do you figure that, kid?" Belrose questioned with a sneer.
"I read it on my medical charts. My dead father was a doctor."
"What a smart little punk!" Diamante laughed.
"I wanna use my last three years killing as many people as I can and destroying everything!" Law declared.
"Oh, wow!" Diamante snickered, "Get a load of Mr. Big Talk here!"
Trebol laughed, "I got sniffles!"
"Like a scrawny brat like you can do anything like that," Belrose scoffed, "You should just get the hell outta here."
"Now, you know we recruit kids, Bella. Though, true, we've had probably a hundred come through here only to run off crying in a day or two."
Belrose was well aware of the fact that many children had cycled through the Donquixote Pirates; she and Rosinante, or rather Corazon, were the ones to blame. They had been given the mission to bring Doflamingo down, and keeping any kids from his grasp was part of that, even if that meant having to be cruel to the kids while they were there.
"Do you think you got what it takes, little guy?" Trebol asked Law with another laugh.
"Hey! Guess what, Diamante!" Buffalo, one of the two kids who had stuck around despite Belrose and Rosinante's efforts, bellowed as he looked into the meeting space through an open window.
"Yeah, guess what, Trebol!" Baby 5, the other child in question, added with an excited voice as she stood in front of Buffalo.
"See them?" Diamante asked, pointing to Buffalo and Baby 5, "That's Buffalo and Baby 5, the only ones remaining. Well, whaddya want?"
Baby 5 climbed in through the open window before saying, "Cora's on his way here now!"
Continuing with her persona, Belrose let out a high-pitched, lovestruck squeal, "Cora! Oh, it feels like he's been gone for ages."
"It was only a week, Bella. Get ahold of yourself," Diamante groaned.
"You shut your trap, Diamante!"
Rosinante opened the door to the meeting space, his presence seeming dark and menacing, only for him to trip as he passed the threshold.
"He tripped! Yay!" Baby 5 cheered.
"I knew it!" Buffalo laughed, "That is so Cora!"
Buffalo and Baby 5 then both began to chant, "Fell on your butt! Fell on your butt!"
Belrose quickly got up from her seat to knock both kids on the head, "You show him some respect, you damn brats!"
Rosinante then gave the pair a hit of his own before getting up and going to his seat.
It had been heavily implied when Belrose came with Rosinante to the Donquixote Pirates, that she was a sort of "lovestruck pet" that Rosinante had gotten himself. So Belrose often had to act overly clingy and submissive with Rosinante when they were around Doflamingo and his Executives.
When in truth, they were partners in both senses of the word, being Commander and Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, and having become romantically involved with each other.
So, maintaining the character of Bella Donna, Belrose had quickly gone and draped herself over the back of Rosinante's chair, as well as one of his shoulders.
While perhaps it would've made more sense for her to try and sit in his lap, Rosinante was likely going to light up a cigarette and she did not want to be caught on fire due to his clumsiness.
"I'm so glad you're back, Cora," Belrose cooed before pouting, "These two were discussing taking in another brat, who you know I'm gonna be stuck watching."
Ignoring Belrose's comment, Trebol continued on with his conversation with Law, "You can still climb the ladder even if you're a kid. As long as you play your cards right, Doffy'll promote you. Just don't waste his precious time. Best of luck!"
Buffalo and Baby 5 had both run out of the room, but soon returned with Baby 5 carrying a large cup of tea.
"Heya, Cora," Baby 5 greeted, "I brought you a cup of tea! It's real hot."
Rosinante silently accepted the cup and took a sip before spitting out the tea, falling backwards, and almost taking Belrose with him.
And he likely would've with anyone else, if it wasn't for Belrose's cat-like reflexes from her Devil Fruit.
"You damn brats!" Belrose growled as Baby 5 and Buffalo laughed, "You're cleaning up this mess right now!"
Once the spat out and spilled tea had been cleaned up, and the broke cup gathered to be thrown away, the meeting resumed.
"Corazon, did you finish the job?" Diamante asked.
Rosinante simply nodded.
"Then hand over my cut. We gotta make sure there's transparency when it comes to dealing with money.
"Law, was it? This guy who just came back is an Executive, just like us; and Bella Donna's Master."
"Do you really need to say it like that?" Belrose asked with a snide look and crossed arms as Rosinante stood up.
"His name is Corazon," Diamante continued, throwing a smirk at Belrose, "He may come across as a thick-headed klutz but truth is, he comes from a powerful bloodline. That is to say, he's Doffy's little brother. As a sidenote, he doesn't talk anymore, 'cause of some old trauma.
"Oh, right," Diamante added, the realization dawning on him, "He hates kids, so watch out."
Rosinante silently approached Law before grabbing the boy by the top of his head and throwing him out the window, down onto the scrap pile that lined Spider Miles.
"He's dead," Baby 5 said in an almost deadpan voice.
"He threw that kid out right with the trash!" Buffalo remarked.
Rosinante stepped out onto the balcony, pulling out a cigarette before lighting it up. Belrose followed and looked down at the boy Rosinante had just thrown, seeing him get up.
"Oh look, he lived," Belrose baulked in an unimpressed tone.
Rosinante simply took a drag from his cigarette.
Belrose gave a small snicker before plucking the cigarette from Rosinante's hand, in part to keep him from lighting himself on fire, and took a brief drag from it herself.
"So, did you get me a nice present while you were gone?" Belrose asked.
"Ew!" Buffalo and Baby 5 both whined, "Go get a room, Ms. Bella!"
"Mind your own damn business, you brats!" Belrose snapped.
Belrose had then snuck off from the almost shack that the meeting had been happening in, bringing Rosinante with her. She threatened Baby 5 and Buffalo not to interrupt their "grown-up time". She lead Rosinante to their shared room, making sure the door was closed behind them.
"Silence," Rosinante said in a soft voice, making a bubble of quiet in the room.
"You're damn lucky that boy survived that throw, Rosinante," Belrose scolded, crossing her arms as she looked at Rosinante with a glare.
"You know as well as I do that we need to deter kids from staying here, Bel," Rosinante calmly answered, taking a seat on the footboard bench.
"I know, but did you have to throw him down four stories onto a pile of scrap metal?"
Rosinante let out a small sigh, "Perhaps not, but I didn't have many options in there."
Belrose let out a soft sigh as she shook her head and went to stand by the window, looking out to the piles of scrap and junk, "I just wonder what the hell happened to that boy to make him so nihilistic; he can't be more than 10."
For once, Rosinante was genuinely silent. He knew how much Belrose hated being cruel to the kids, and how kind of a heart she truly had.
"I know we need to push him away from staying here, Commander," Belrose said, breaking the silence within the room, "Just, try not to kill the boy in the process."
The day was rather calm for a while before Buffalo's voice could be heard calling out,
"Everyone! It's time to eat!"
As Rosinante and Belrose approached the dining room, Law's voice could be heard yelling angrily,
"That blonde bastard's crazy!"
"Hey, we were looking for you," Senor Pink's calm voice broke through the sound of Law's anger, "If you'll follow me, Doffy would like to have a word with you."
"I got some words for him, too!"
Just what the hell happened to that boy to make him so nihilistic? He can't be more than 10, Belrose wondered once more.
Rosinante, seeing the boy, grabbed him by the top of his head and threw him off the platformed building once more.
"What in the hell?" Law asked before screaming as he was thrown.
"Man, you really hate kids," Senor Pink remarked to Rosinante, "Show a little compassion."
He remained silent while Belrose covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers and let out a snicker,
"Poor boy should know better than to stand in front of Cora like that."
Rosinante then simply walked inside, Belrose following with the soft click of her heels.
The meal itself started calmly, business being discussed by Doflamingo and his Executives.
"I was thinking Rakesh should be our next target," Doflamingo proposed, "They think I'm blind to the fact that they're allying with us one minute then shaking hands with another crew when I turn my back," He then stabbed his steak, "Breaks my heart but I might need to make an example of them."
The door to the dining room opened, revealing Law to the gathered group.
"Yes, boy? We're enjoying dinner," Giolla asked with an annoyed tone.
When Law didn't immediately answer, she waved him off,
"Show that trash the door."
"Have a seat," Doflamingo spoke up, surprising most everyone at the able, "I called for him."
"You did what now?"
"Hey, hey, Law. It's been about a week, bud. Bet you're here to call it quits, huh?" Trebol asked before placing a hand on Rosinante's head, "I can't really blame you. You've been Corazon's personal punching bag since ya got here."
Rosinante stayed silent, continuing to eat his meal.
"I'm shocked a runt like you stuck it out for so long!" Diamante remarked, "When things get tough, we usually see the weaklings bail. You gotta have some big stones if you wanna run with us."
"Well I'm not going anywhere!" Law yelled.
"That's what they all say," Pica said simply.
Buffalo tried hard to hide his laughter at Pica's high-pitched voice.
"Remember Squirt. We have a 'blood law' around here," Lao G spoke up before grabbing a slice of pizza, "If Executives aren't shown proper respect, the Family falls apart."
"This one time, I cracked up at Mr. Pica's voice and they nearly tortured me to death," Buffalo recalled almost gleefully.
Baby 5 even laughed at the anecdote.
"If you're trying to scare me off, it won't work," Law said plainly, but in a rather calm volume compared to his usual yelling, "I've already experienced true hell."
"You play a good hand, kid," Doflamingo chuckled, "but I see through your bluff. Regardless, Corazon is my dear brother by blood. Should I find out anyone lays a scratch on him, let's just say, it's curtains for them."
"Saving certain scratches on the back," Belrose snickered softly.
The remark was repaid by a dinner roll being thrown at her by Doflamingo,
"Keep your trap shut at the table, tramp," Doflamingo scolded.
To Doflamingo, Belrose was often considered a glorified pet so, throwing food at her for speaking up like that at the table tracked.
Law went to rub at his face while throwing Doflamingo a dark look. The motion shifted his shirt, revealing a white patch on his chest.
"Look at his skin!" Machvise yelled.
"Keep away from us, boy!" Giollia almost yelled in disgust, "That's White Lead Disease!"
Buffalo practically flew out of his seat, his back meeting the wall behind him as he tried to make as much distance between himself and Law as he could.
"I heard that really hurts!" Buffalo yelled, "Is it contagious? Leave before you infect us all!"
Law started to give a sneer before Doflamingo slammed his hand down on the table, startling Giolla and Dellinger.
"Stop, Giolla. You should know better than to spout nonsense as facts. Shame on you. Look at that," Doflamingo said sternly before pointing a thumb over his shoulder, "You wound Buffalo up.
"It's caused by a toxin. It can't be spread person to person."
"Just stay away!" Buffalo sneered, "I don't care how you get it! I'm not catchin' your gross ass cooties!"
"Tell me. Are you the last one left?" Doflamingo calmly asked Law, "Or are there any other survivors of White Town?"
"Hell if I know. I was busy escaping," Law snapped.
"And how did you manage to get away?"
"I hid in a mound of dead bodies and snuck over the border."
Gladius covered his mouth, making a retching sound, "C'mon, we're eating!"
There was a brief but tense silence before Doflamingo continued.
"I bet you've got an axe to grind," Doflamingo almost snickered.
"These days, I don't believe in anything," Law stated plainly, "And, I'm not even afraid to die. So, don't go pressing your luck with me, Corazon! I have nothing to lose. And before my time comes, I plan on taking you down."
Belrose's heart broke even further at hearing Law's grim outlook on life and the world.
"Are you that dumb? Weren't you listening?" Baby 5 scolded, "We're not above torturing kids here. So don't try it! You should never mess with pirates."
Baby 5 then smacked the back of Law's head, "And crying won't save you. 'Cause we're living in a grown-up's world, okay?"
Law gave Baby 5 a heavy glare, prompting her to tuck up against Buffalo and cry.
In the evening, while Doflamingo and some of the Execs were making plans to strike the Rakesh pirates, Rosinante and Belrose were back in their room in a bubble of silence.
Belrose was watching out the window, seeing the small form of Law watching the water.
"That boy truly has seen hell. As far as we know, he's the only survivor from Flevance. He saw his friends die and home be destroyed because of the ignorance of others," Belrose muttered in a solemn tone.
"You can't help him, Bel; not here, anyway," Rosinante said, his tone almost as solemn as he watched her from his seat on the bed.
"But, you saw how Buffalo, Machvise, and Giolla reacted. He'll be treated like that anywhere he goes," Belrose lamented, "And he clearly isn't going to be leaving any time soon. You haven't scared him; if anything he seems to be using the goal of hurting you as the reason to stick around."
"You can't show him favor, Bel."
"I know. It just, breaks my heart to see a kid like that. Must feel like he has the world on his shoulders."
Rosinante stood up from the bed before placing a gentle hand on Belrose's head. She'd told him about how her mother had been struggling to feed her and her siblings when Belrose was growing up. So much so that Belrose had runaway so that there would be more food on the table. She might not've made it much longer if the Marines hadn't been willing to give her a job that came with food and a bed.
And there was no doubt that Belrose was wanting to be that saving hand for Law.
