Chapter 53
“What! What! What! What! What! Hold your fucking horses and hold a Peachtree and chill the fuck out!” Luffy suddenly shouted in the middle of her and Law fighting Doflamingo and Trebol. And she she absurdity was what she just said had everyone pause and their mines really a bit because what the fuck does ‘hold a Peachtree and chill the fuck out’ mean.
Doflamingo's smug smile wavered for a brief moment, his eyes narrowing in confusion at the sudden outburst from the young pirate before him. Trebol, on the other hand, couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the sheer randomness of Luffy's demand. "What the hell did you just say?" he snorted, breaking the tension with a rare moment of genuine amusement. Even Law had pause, looking at her like she grown a second head.
“SHHHHHH!” Luffy sushed him, her eyes intently locked on to Doflamingo. She frowned, telling her head slightly before a flurry of emotions disbelief, amusement, annoyance, grossed out, more disbelief, a hint of discussed, then more amusement, and then finally a mix of disbelief, amusement, annoyance crossed her features. “You dated Crocodile!” She says very, very extremely loudly pointing at Doflamingo.
Doflamingo’s smugness had fully disappeared from his face, his expression one of utter shock. “How...How do you know about that?” He stuttered.
Luffy just stared at him for a long second, A scandalized look on her face before she says, even louder than last time still pointing at Doflamingo. “You Date My Mom! You Look Straight Out Of Lisa Frank Book, And Crocodile Dated You!”
Everyone’s jaws dropped to the fucking floor like a bunch of fishes.
Doflamingo's eyes went wide as dinner plates, his pupils dilating like he just saw a ghost. "What...what did you just say?" He stuttered out, his pink feathered coat ruffling in the wind as he took a step back.
“My Mom, Crocodile! You Dated My Mom!” Luffy repeated, shifting her weight slightly from one foot to the other as she Just stared at him. Trying to figure out how her mom who dresses in all black royal mafia emerald greens and purples and is the most fucking gorgeous creature that ever walked the face of the planet could date someone who looked like a Peacock threw up on a flamingo and called it fashion. “I can’t even...? Huh?” she shifted her way too her other foot, scratching the side of her face, “How did that even happen?”
Doflamingo's face turned a shade of pink that was even brighter than his usual complexion. His mind was racing, trying to figure out how this girl, this pirate, could possibly be the daughter of Crocodile. He had so many questions, but the one thought that kept on hitting him like a freight train was, “Oh God! I just punched, kicked, and cut Crocy’s kid multiple times!” Doflamingo stuttered, his theatrical persona momentarily forgotten. "Y-you...you're Crocodile's… had another...child?"
“YES! And you helped her run away from the Whitebeard pirates when she was pregnant with Salamander!” Luffy exclaimed, her voice echoing through the tense air, each word piercing Doflamingo like a dull knife. “The only reason why I know is because she has a picture of you holding baby salamander! That’s why I’ve been looking at you funky this whole fight, i’ve been trying to figure out where I know you!”
Doflamingo’s expression shifted from shock to one of horror as he realized the gravity of the situation. He had never known about Luffy, had never even imagined that Crocodile had another child after Salamander. The revelation was as stunning as it was disturbing, considering Salamander’s less than savory circumstances of their conception. His mind raced, trying to piece together the timeline.
“Hold up wait a minute hold on!” Luffy suddenly said, holding up her hand, before counting on her fingers and seemingly doing mental math for a few seconds, muttering under her breath. “So mom was 21 when you two broke up, so that would’ve made you 20? And know mom is 46…!” Luffy face twisted in pure unbridle disbelief and a pinch of horror as he Head snaps back towards Doflamingo. “ARE YOU TUATARA’S AND SKINK’S DAD!”
Doflamingo’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head, his pupils shrinking to the size of a pin. “Wh-what?” He stuttered, taking another step back, his hand reaching for his heart dramatically. “N-no, no no no, I can’t be, I-”
Luffy’s expression was a mix of horror and fascination. She had never seen someone go from smugness to sheer panic so quickly. It was like watching a house of cards collapse in slow motion, except the house was made of feathers and neon colors. “Oh my dear Lord, you’re my brother‘s dad!”
Doflamingo's knees buckled slightly, his hand flying up to cover his mouth as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. His mind raced through the years, trying to make sense of the chaos. "No... no... it can't be," he murmured to himself, his eyes flicking between Luffy and Law, who was now sporting a smirk.
“That’s why my mom cries anytime you’re brought up! You left her with a fucking twins even though you knew what happened to her at the hands of Teach!” Luffy's voice was a mix of anger and astonishment.
Doflamingo’s legs gave out and he dropped to his knees, his knees flats thudding against the Stone roof of the castle. He had always known that his past with Crocodile was a sore spot, but this was beyond anything he had ever anticipated. The revelation that he was the father of two boys named Skink and Tuatara was a bombshell that he hadn’t seen coming. His mind raced with a whirlwind of emotions – shock, terror, and a hint of paternal concern.
Luffy just stared at him for a couple seconds before huffing, pulling off her straw hat with a bit more force than was necessary, and pulled out a little tiny, fit in the palm of your hand book that was stuffed in a Little pocket she had sewn into her straw. And she walks right up to Doflamingo, because she’s pretty sure he’s not going to attack, at least not right now.
Luffy open the book and flips a couple pages before shoving it in his face, and he was met with a picture of two Young men, no older than 24-years-old, with bleach blonde hair, and orangey-pink eyes with a hint of gold scattered through them, and that was all Doflamingo, but everything else about the boy was straight Crocodile. The boys were sitting on a plush velvet armchairs, their head thrown back as they laugh at whatever was said to them. They looked like they belonged on the cover of any high rankings fashion/Beauty magazine.
Doflamingo's hand trembled as he took the book from Luffy's hand, his eyes scanning the image of Tuatara and Skink, who bore a striking resemblance to himself at that age. The joy in Tuatara and Skink’s expressions was a stark contrast to the horror that was now etched on Doflamingo's face. He couldn't believe it, he had two sons and had no idea. He had missed so much.
"T-Tuatara… Skink...?" Doflamingo's voice was barely a whisper, his eyes glazed over as he studied the picture. His chest heaved as his eyes snapped over to Trebol, who looks like he's just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar by the devil himself. “Trebol?” He murmured, his voice shaky. “Did you know? You take care of all the calls that come through Dressrosa, did she call? Did you know and not tell me?”
Trebol looked at his leader with wide eyes, his usual jovial expression crumbling into one of fear and pleading for him to understand. “Y-yes, Doffy, she called every year on their birthday, every holiday, and any major or little life achievement of the two boys. I-I didn’t think it was a good idea to disturb you with such...distractions. You had more important matters to attend to! You had so much to do, to achieve. It was a blessing when you stopped seeing Crocodile, she was never good for you, since the day you met her she was a horrible no good distraction! And those children would only hold you back! So I just did what I thought was best, for you and the crew!”
Doflamingo’s eyes narrowed at Trebol, his heart pounding in his chest. He had missed so much of their lives, all because of this man’s meddling. “How could you do this to me?” he roared, the power of his Haki causing the air to ripple around him. “How could you keep them from me?”
“I’m sorry, Doffy, but you know how focused you are on your goals. You didn’t need that kind of... weakness!” Trebol’s voice cracked under the weight of Doflamingo’s fury.
But Doflamingo’s mind was elsewhere, the picture of Tuatara and Skink burned into his retina. He had missed their first steps, their first smiles, their first words. He had missed so much. Anger boiled in his chest, a pressure cooker ready to blow, and it was all because of this man, this snake, this treacherous piece of shit who had dared to manipulate his life like it was a game of chess.
"You will pay for this, Trebol," Doflamingo spat, his voice icy cold. "You will pay dearly."
The tension on the rooftop was thick, palpable. Law took a step back, watching the unfolding drama with a mix of surprise and amusement. The idea of Doflamingo having a family was so ludicrous that it was almost comical, yet the raw emotion on the man's face was anything but funny. It was a side of the notorious Warlord that he had never seen before, and it was clear that Trebol's actions had hit a nerve.
Luffy’s eyes flicked in between Doflamingo and Trebol before she finally spoke up. “You get rid of the birdcage and I’ll tell you about them.”
Doflamingo looked at Luffy, his expression a mix of anger, shock, and regret. He knew she wasn’t one to bluff and the thought of finally having a piece of Crocodile with him was too tempting to resist. “Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll release the cage.” He said, and with a flick of his wrist, the strings of cage snapped, and the people of Dressrosa below let out a collective sigh of relief, and in the same motion strings wrapped around Trebol’s waist and arms, making him unable to move.
Law took a moment to process what had just transpired. The revelation of Luffy’s lineage had thrown a wrench in their battle strategy, and now the fate of an entire island hung on the balance of personal drama. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of admiration for Luffy’s audacity to bring such a revelation into the heat of battle.
Luffy huffed, and without a care in the world pop down beside the man that was trying to kill them no more than 10 minutes ago. She snatched the book from him and started flipping through the pictures, the pictures weren’t just of the two boy, but many people, some people Doflamingo recognized from Crocodiles crew, but they were quite a few he didn’t recognize.
Doflamingo felt like he was seeing the world for the first time, or like someone had slapped him in the face with a wet fish and said surprise bitch you’re a father. Twice.
Luffy stopped on a certain photo, it was a photo of a bunch of people in the pool of Rain Dinners. Luffy pointed at each person and told Doflamingo who they were. “These are of mine, Tuatara and Skink’s siblings.” She began, pointing out Tuatara and Skink, before moving on and at a lanky brown haired young man with a charming wolfish smile. “That out oldest brother, Gideon, mom adopted him after he joined her crew.” She moved on, point at salamander and a A woman he recognizes as Nico Robin. “You already know Salamander, and that’s our sister Robin, mom also adopted her.” Luffy moved on, pointing at a boy with tattoos freckles, and an orange cowboy hat and a boy with a scar over his left eye and wavy blonde. “That’s Ace, you might recognize Ace since he’s the second division commander of the whitebeard pirates. and that’s Sabo, he’s the chief of staff of the revolutionary army, and the Second most wanted criminal in the world. They’re both also adopted.” Luffy moved on, pointing to herself in the picture, and a Young woman with Blue hair, and a young boy that looked like the spitting image of Crocodile. “That’s me, of course, and Vivi. Vivi’s a Princess, the princess of alabasta to be specific. Vivi’s not actually Mom’s kid, she more like a pseudo-daughter since mom is friends with Vivi’s dad King cobra, and that’s Shallum, he’s actually biologically my Mom’s and my dad’s. Mine and Shallum’s dad’s name is Dragon, The leader of the revolutionary army and the most wanted criminal in the world.”
Doflamingo stared at the picture in shock, his mind racing. He had been kept in the dark about so much, and now the reality of his lost family was staring back at him. The regret and anger grew stronger by the second, and he knew that Trebol had to answer for his deceit.
Doflamingo stared down at the photo, the photo that was filled with some of the most feared and revered people in the world. Gideon, the sniper of the sandstorm pirate, and the best sniper in the world, Robin the demon child, and the last know living reader of the Poneglyphs, Salamander, the son of a literal mob boss, the son of Crocodile, which crocodile is the richest pirate in the world who is also a mafia boss. What is he thinking? All of the kids in this picture are crocodiles, so that makes them children of a mob boss as well. His and Crocodile’s sons Tuatara and Skink. Ace the second division commander of the whitebeard pirate, Sabo the chief of staff of the revolutionary army, and the Second most wanted criminal in the world. Vivi, a literal fucking princess, the princess of alabasta to be exact. And Luffy and Shallum, the kids of Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the revolutionary army and the most wanted criminal in the world, and Crocodile.
He felt his heart drop into his stomach. “Trebol...” he whispered, the name coming out as a snarl. He knew he was going to rip Trebol a new one when he got the chance.
Trebol looked at his Captain, eyes wide with fear, realizing the gravity of what he had done. He knew that Doflamingo valued family above all else, and to keep such a monumental secret from him was tantamount to treason.
"I-I'm sorry, Doffy," Trebol stuttered, "I didn't think it was right for you to be burdened with such distractions. I was only trying to protect the crew and our goals!"
Doflamingo's eyes narrowed into slits as he gritted his teeth. "Protect the crew? Protect our goals? You kept my own flesh and blood from me, you fucking traitor!" He shot to his feet, lunging for Trebol, the wind from his movement blowing the pages of the photo album flutter. The intensity of his anger was palpable, and the air around him grew thick with tension.
Luffy screwed away from them, the book still clutched in her hand as she practically jumping into Law’s arms, bridal style, as Law just stared at the scene in front of him in astonishment. Law held her close, his eyes wide with shock. He had never seen Doflamingo like this, never knew the flamboyant and carefree warlord could harbor such deep-seated anger.
“Uhhh?” Luffy just blink, watching the same scene as Law. “I think… I think we’re done fighting?” She said, though it was more of a question than a statement.
Law nodded slowly, still holding onto Luffy tightly. “Yeah, it seems so.” He said, his voice low and unsure.
The rooftop was silent, save for the sound of Doflamingo’s heavy breathing. His chest was heaving as he stared at Trebol, his fists clenched. After a moment, he took a step back, his expression shifting from anger to something much more complex. Hurt, betrayal, and confusion danced across his features. “Trebol, you’ve been with me since the beginning. Why would you do this?”
Trebol trembled, “I-I didn’t! I... Crocodile, she’s dangerous, she’s a mafia boss for fucks sake, she’s not just a mob boss. She’s a pirate, The Queen of the Desser, Lady Crocodile, Mr. 0! She’s the only biological Child of fucking Whitebeard! She’s got the fucking world government in her back pocket, and she’s got more influence than anyone else in the world, including you! And when she called, she was always talking about those... those kids... I didn’t want you to get caught up in something that could ruin everything we’ve worked for! I knew you had to focus on becoming a Warlord, on making the Donquixote Family powerful. I didn’t think they’d be good for you, all of them! That entire ridiculous sandstorm pirate family is a distraction!”
Doflamingo's fists clenched even tighter. "They are not a distraction!" he roared, the power in his voice causing the very air to vibrate around them. "They are my fucking children! How dare you keep them from me!"
Trebol tried to move away, but the strings around him made it impossible. “Doflamingo, I-I didn’t mean it like that! You’re the strongest man I know, but even you can’t have everything! You’ve got the Donquixote family, your crew, the entire Dressrosa, and now the toy factory, the smile factory. You’re the king of this world, and I didn’t want some pirate-mafia kids to ruin it for you!”
But Doflamingo wasn’t listening anymore. His eyes had gone cold, his expression unreadable. He took another step towards Trebol. “You will pay for this, Trebol,” he murmured, his voice deadly calm. “You will pay for keeping my family from me. For every tear they shed, for every moment I missed, you will suffer a thousand times over. And when I’m done with you, I’ll destroy everything you’ve ever cared about in this life. The precious toys, the factories, the legacys – it will all burn to ash, just like your fucking heart should have done when you betrayed me!”
The tension on the rooftop was suffocating, a thick, heavy silence that pressed down on everyone present. Trebol’s face had gone pale, his eyes wide with fear. He knew he had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed. “Doffy, please, I was just looking out for you!”