Chapter Text
When Harry awakened in his new body and life, he started experimenting to see if he still had his magic. It took a lot of effort, considering he was three years younger than when he started learning in his past life. But after a combination of trial, error, and meditation, he managed to reach his magical core.
However, alongside his core, he noticed another pool of strange energy that was both similar to and different from his magic. Curious, the young boy tried to prod and explore it, trying to find out more. The first thing he managed to find out, was that the energy was flexible in use. It could harden his skin against any attack, which came in handy when he got caught stealing. The way it turned the skin black in the process was interesting, but outside of that it caused no harm, so he didn´t pay it any further attention yet. It also allowed him to see and predict some of the attacks before they happened, so that was also a nice bonus. His escapes became much smoother and easier, although he couldn´t use that state for too long, without getting a headache. And the boy was positive that there was more to the power, a whole area of untapped potential that was just waiting for him to call it. Yet whenever he tried to reach it, there seemed to be a barrier, preventing him from using it. The barrier was thin but at the same time firm and strong.
After a while, Harry/Doffy just decided to ignore it and focus on something else. He figured he probably wasn´t ready yet, for whatever it was, and instead focused on honing the other skills.
But at this moment?
When his brother was injured and in need of protection?
When the older boy would rather die and take all the thugs with him than allow any more harm to come to Rosi?
The barrier was cracking, under his rage and protective instincts. It cracked and weakened, until the moment when it broke…
…and the power filled the air around him.
He was about to deal with those idiotic thugs when it happened. He had a mere split second to register the tell-tale tremble in the air before a massive amount of Conqueror´s Haki nearly brought him down to his knees. Hell, the raven-haired man swore he saw the ground itself crack under the force. It felt like the condensed power of a sea storm was dropped on him – the waves that overthrow the weaker ships, the wind that tears through the sails and sweeps one from his feet, and finally the lightning that strikes unexpectedly and destroys everything it touches. Wild and untamed, awakening the natural fear one would feel in front of a force of nature, only this time with a human origin. With the undercut of rage that would destroy everything in the way, just to destroy its chosen target. It was insane and almost unbearable.
He and his men were only able to withstand it because the man himself was a user of that specific type of Haki, so they were somehow used to it. But even then, it had been a close call. The other people weren´t so lucky. The black-haired man didn´t have to look around himself to know that the thugs were all passed out on the ground with foam coming from their mouths…some maybe even dead, considering the intensity of the Haki in the air. But he paid them no attention, choosing to focus instead on the source of the power.
It was a small blonde boy. Probably around the age of Shanks and Buggy, but considering how skinny he was, it was hard to tell. His eyes were covered by a pair of dark sunglasses, but even without seeing them, the pissed-off expression on his face was clear as day. The captain didn´t have to think twice about the possible reason for this anger. The boy was holding another blonde boy in his arms. Probably the first child´s younger brother, since they looked similar enough to pass as siblings. The younger one was openly terrified, small hands clutching his bleeding side.
The raven-haired man had to admit that he was impressed by both of the boys. The older one impressed him by the fact that he was able to awaken the Conqueror´s Haki at such a young age. And the younger one did it by managing to stay awake, through the force that nearly forced down the captain. But, considering they were siblings, it shouldn’t surprise him.
Then, as the overwhelming force came, so did it disappear, making it easier for the captain and his men to breathe. But they didn´t have time to relax, as the glasses-waring boy swayed. The power took a lot out of him, it seemed.
Not surprising for first-time users.
“Doffy!” screamed the injured boy, as his brother lost consciousness and started falling.
The captain quickly moved and caught both boys, before barking orders for his men to get the ship doctor ready. But as they hurried to the ship, the captain had to think about making a slight change in their plans. The reason for that was the realization that the blonde boy didn´t just knock out the thugs. No, the kid managed to knock out a good portion of town itself too.
That was a feat in itself…and made the captain wonder how strong the boy would become once he grew up. One thing was for certain – he was not leaving the children alone, after this stunt. That was just a catastrophe waiting to happen, either because the kid killed someone by accident or because some bad people would try to get their hands on the children.
Things are about to get interesting, he thought on his way, and he idly wondered how would Shanks and Buggy react to two new kids on the ship. Hopefully, they will get along…
Dear God, he started sounding like Whitebeard! And he just knew that the giant bastard would be laughing at him, once he heard what happened.
Doffy woke up…and immediately knew that he was at some unknown place, even without opening his eyes. For one, there was no sound of the busy city to reach him through the old windows of the abandoned building in which he and his brother lived. Instead, the sounds of what could only be the sea and the waves came to him. Another matter was that he wasn´t lying down on the old mattress he found and brought in, nor was he covered by the ratty blankets he and Rosi found and fixed together. The mattress under him was soft and comfortable and the blanked smelled clean and fresh. But the biggest clue for him was the fact that his brother was not curled up by his side. That never happened. He knew, because, after their parents died, Rosi was always clingy towards him. As if afraid that he would lose Doffy, too. To soothe his worries, they always slept together and whenever one woke up before the other, they would either wait or wake the other up.
So, the absence of his brother was a big red flag in the blonde´s mind. However, as he reached out with his magic, to feel around for his brother, he got a small ping very close to him. Which meant that Rosinante was nearby, but not in his immediate presence. He tried to think about what could have caused this. At first, he was drawing short, but then the happenings caught up with him. The journey to the ship… the thugs… and Rosi´s injury…
But before he could panic about what to do about this situation, he froze as a deep voice spoke up.
“I know you´re awake, kid. There is no need for you to pretend to sleep anymore, so how about we have a little chat?”
The captain watched the tense form of the boy, using his ability to feel and hear the emotions going through the child. To be honest, he was surprised by what his ability was telling him. The boy was confused and to some degree worried… for another person. But there was no fear for his own persona. Thinking about it, the raven had to admit it was not as unexpected, considering the boy was an older sibling.
He was pulled out of his musing when the boy opened his eyes and slowly turned his eyes to look at him.
The boy´s eyes were as bright as freshly polished emeralds and just as sharp. His face was impassive in expression, but his eyes held the intensity of someone beyond his age. Someone, who saw the worst of the world, carried the weight of it on his shoulders and just refused to break, spitting into the face of his enemies instead. Someone who would continue to fight against all odds for those he cared about and do it at any price.
The captain could relate to that, although he was privately curious as to why the boy held such a strong gaze for someone so young.
Then again, considering the scene he witnessed in the town…
“Where is my brother?” Doffy asked with a hoarse voice.
“If you mean the younger boy that was with you, he rests over there,” the captain gestured across himself and the blonde´s attention immediately moved around.
The young wizard briefly noticed that he was at some sort of infirmary before he focused on the bed placed right next to his. Even from his lying position, he could see the form of his brother, his small chest rising and falling as he slept peacefully. The sight made the older blonde relax slightly.
“If you´re worried about his injury, then don´t be. Our doctor looked at it and said the bullet just grazed his side, although pretty deep. It completely missed his organs, so outside of a scar, there would be no permanent damage left behind. But Crocus had to inject him with some sedatives because the boy was close to panicking with worry for you and over what happened. He should be out for a few more hours at most,” the captain explained as he watched the boy relax.
“I see,” the older brother was relieved, and a bit guilty for worrying his brother. He hated the fact the younger boy got hurt because of him. That was not his intention, at all. Shaking his head, he turned back to the captain. “Thank you, for your help,” Doffy said and slowly sat up, his body feeling oddly sore. Despite that, he tried to move from the bed to check over his little sibling, but a hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him.
“Take it easy, kid. After what happened, I doubt you´ll be up on your feet just yet. You need to rest,” said the raven firmly.
“Understood. But still, I owe you a thank you, Captain Roger,” said the boy.
“Oh? So, you know who am I?”
“You´re Gol D. Roger, alias Gold Roger, captain of the Roger Pirates.”
Of course, Doflamingo knew who the older man was. After all, the man was the pirate captain he planned to approach to get out of this island. He might have had a bad reputation, thanks to the World Government, but the boy had enough experience with the fickle public opinion and how the government can influence it. His life as Harry Potter, and the hell he lived through because of the Ministry of Magic, was a great example of that, after all. So, he was willing to give this man the benefit of the doubt.
“Well, then you have an advantage. You know my name, but I don´t know who you and your brother are.”
The boy paused hearing this, before deciding to keep things relatively simple for now. “I´m Doflamingo and my brother is Rosinante.”
Roger nodded at this, but his power told him the boy hiding something right away. Considering the lack of a surname, that was probably related to it. Maybe he and his brother were runaways from a noble or an influential family. Or related to a dangerous person? That would be a good explanation, but just to be sure, he should ask. If only so he knew what to look out for with the two little boys, on top of the World Government that was after his own ass.
“Nice to meet you, Doflamingo-kun. And there is no need to thank me. I only did what any decent person should do in a situation like that,” the captain grinned at him before his expression turned serious. “Now, mind telling me what was the incident in the town, between you guys and those thugs, about? Before I stepped in, I heard them mention some bounty.”
“…in short? I stole from the wrong people,” Doflamingo told him, honestly. “They were new to the area and had some useful things, so I decided to take them. Unfortunately, those guys know how to hold a grudge and they posted the bounty.”
A black eyebrow went up, upon hearing this. “What things did you steal?”
“A devil fruit and a pistol,” admitted the blonde. “I thought they might help me protect and take care of my brother better. Instead, they got us in trouble and now…” he trailed off, looking back at Rosi.
“Hey, lighten up, kid,” said Roger, reaching out to pat the boy´s shoulder. Mentally, he filled away the fact that the boy was a Devil Fruit User, just like Buggy, so watching out for him on the sea was a must. “I can tell that you care for him deeply and that you had no intention of endangering him. So, don´t beat yourself up for what happened, alright? Instead, focus on the fact that your brother was alive and that you´re the one that saved him. After all, you were the one who knocked out the entire band on your own.” The moustached male neglected to mention that the boy likely killed a few of them as well. No need to worry a child with such a thing, when it was an accident. After all, he was going to stop any further similar issues, once he started training the boy in the use of Haki.
“Yeah…but I still have no idea what happened…” admitted Doffy with a small frown. He knew it had something to do with that unknown energy, that he discovered, but he still didn´t know what exactly it did. Only that it reacted to his anger or desire to protect Rosi. But he tried that approach before, so what made the incident different…?
“I believe I can explain it,” Roger spoke up, drawing the young wizard´s attention to himself. “What happened was you awakening a dormant power that resides in all living beings in this world. It is called Haki, and to put it simply, it is the manifestation of a person´s willpower. Together there are three ways or types of this power,” the captain held up a hand with three fingers raised. “First, there is Armament Haki. This type is predominantly used both defensively and offensively since it creates black armour over its user´s body. It makes the attacks more effective against Devil Fruit Users, as well as protects against their power. Second, there is Observation Haki. As the name hints, this one gives the ability to see and recognize the strengths and presence of others. In some cases, when the user devotes himself to fully developing it, it can grant him the ability to sense the emotions of others, as well as gain the ability to see the future, to an extent.” The older male paused, noticing the mixed look of surprise and recognition on the boy´s face.
“So, that was what it was…”
“It rings a bell?” guessed Roger, based on his reaction. But the words that followed his inquiry had him choking on air.
“Yeah…I´m pretty sure I used those two types before.”
“What?! How?”
The older Donquixote ignored the incredulous expression on the pirate´s face, as he looked at the ceiling, deep in thought. “I tried to train myself to protect Rosi better, and during that, I noticed this odd…power… that I had a hard time describing or understanding. It was useful. I could feel it there, just waiting to be used. When I did so, I noticed it had various uses, depending on what I needed in that situation. If I needed to protect myself from a beating, because I wasn´t fast enough, it would cover me where I was his. If I wanted to avoid attacks or escape, it made my surroundings much easier to read. And then at the town…” the boy trailed off, thinking about all the previous incidents. It suddenly made more sense.
Meanwhile, Roger was floored by the fact that a small child, like Doflamingo, learned these things on his own. He knew that the boy was not lying, since he sensed no deception from him. Still…that was not how one learned to use these things. Not unless the user had an aptitude as he did towards observation Haki. But even then, the users usually didn´t notice it themselves and had to have others point it out for them. So, for the boy to learn it on his own and know about the power of being there…that was amazing! And worrying, considering it said a lot about the lives of the two boys if the older brother had to experiment with a strange unknown power to protect the younger one.
He had to push back his thoughts on the matter for now, until he had more time to think about it when the boy´s attention returned to him and he spoke: “I could also tell that there was a side that I had no access to. I knew it was there, but I wasn´t able to use it before now. You mentioned there were three types of Haki and you introduced two. What is the last one?”
Roger thought about it, contemplating how to explain this without scaring the kid. “The third is called Conqueror´s Haki, which is also the one type that you awakened when dealing with those idiots in the town. It has many ways to be used, but the main one allows one to enforce his will on others…”
“What?! So, it can be used to control others?!” Doflamingo yelped, clearly horrified by the image alone.
“Wha-NO! Nothing like that!” the captain was quick to reassure the kid. “It just means you´ll be able to intimidate and make them back off in a conflict! Or even knock them out, if they are too weak to handle it, like you did when you awakened it! And if you combine it with the other two types, it has the effect of amplifying them and making fighting with them much more effective,” he quickly explained, successfully calming down the kid. Although, the captain privately made a note about the “control others” comment. That was not a conclusion someone would usually draw in this situation, so it was another red flag about the boy´s past.
“But…when I tried to use it before, it didn´t respond. Why was this time different?” a confused Doflamingo asked.
“What do you remember before you used it? What did you feel?” countered Roger.
The young wizard thought about it. “I was afraid. But I also wanted Rosi to be safe. I tried to get us past those bastards…but just as I managed that, one of them injured Rosi. Instead of fear, I was angry. Angry and determined. I wanted them to pay for hurting Rosi and I also wanted him to be safe… I didn´t care if I died there, as long as he was alright…”
“DOFFY!”
The distressed call cut off the blonde boy and drew their attention towards the other young boy in the room. They didn´t notice it before, but the boy was awake now, though for how long it was only a guess. But judging from his teary expression and trembling frame, it must have been long enough.
“H-how can you s-say that?!”
“R-Rosi?”
“I-it´s not alright if you die!” the seven-year-old declared firmly. “I-I need you! I can´t lose you too! Please take better care of yourself!”
“But… it is my fault that you got hurt in the first…” started the older brother, but the younger didn´t let him finish.
“NO! You always try your best to look after me! You work so hard, so don´t beat yourself! Accidents happen! You didn´t hurt me! You protected me, even if you neglected yourself at the same time!” the child with red eyes, wiping away his tears. Then a determined expression appeared on his face. “And if you can´t understand that you matter too, then I will look out for you!”
Doflamingo was taken aback by his brother´s declaration. Roger, on the other hand, was watching the scene between the siblings with an interested look on his face.
“What-?”
“I´ll train hard! I´ll get strong! And then I´ll look after you, big brother!” Rosinante said with a determined look on his face.
“I can look after myself!” argued his older brother.
“Maybe, but even you need someone to watch your back!” countered Rosi easily. “And I´ll do it! That´s final!”
“Rosi…” the green-eyed child was both touched and worried by his brother´s words.
The pirate captain chuckled, drawing the attention to himself. “Sounds like he got you there, kid!” He grinned at the two of them and said: “Now, on a similar note – how would you two like to join my crew?”
“Huh?” the two boys blinked at him in confusion, before Rosinante spoke up. “But you don´t know us…”
“I know enough from your interaction and the talk with your brother,” replied Roger with a shrug. “I know you´re both good kids and have a good head on your shoulders. You´re both loyal and hard-working, which is only a good thing in the long run. I doubt I´ll make a mistake with trusting the two of you on my ship and with my crew. Besides, I already have two boys, around the same age as Doffy-kun. Two more boys to tag along will be alright.”
The comment about the two boys, around his big brother´s age, caught Rosinante´s attention and he turned to his sibling. That brother looked at him and nodded, confirming the other´s suspicion. He also made a simple gesture to show that he was leaving the decision to Rosi.
After a moment of thinking, the younger Donquixote nodded. “We´ll join your crew, captain. But only, if you teach us this Haki thing!” the boy decided.
“That I can do.” Not like Roger was planning to do otherwise. Thought it made him wonder what life would be like, with these two on board. One thing was for certain – life would not be boring with them.
He couldn´t wait.
"Welcome to the Roger Pirates, kids!"