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Doflamingo was always coming up with some type of scheme to keep the Dressrosa people under the control of the Donxquixote family. Some schemes where I was included. I was just a tax collector for him. Joining him in aggressive debt paybacks that involved.. A lot of high profile dressrosa residents. The agression was really just torture until they agreed to his terms. I preferred using my abilities to make art. Mother was pleased. Even if she wanted me to end up as a nasty pirate. That life just wasn't for me. I could really end up being something. A bounty hunter! I’d do just that, Piracy was something all too small for me. I wanted to be better than a pirate. So I left when I was old enough to join the pirates. Leaving a note on my bed side table. I stole a boat, and left for something better, brighter. The right path for me.
With amazing success if I do say so myself.
20 million, 30 million, 40 million berry bounties. That devil fruit mother gave me really did come in handy I guess. Maybe not the most dignifying line of work, but it was nice. They called me things like ‘Loan Shark’ or ‘The Candle Man.’ titles I wore with pride. People feared me. I wanted to be feared. And I always get what I want.
It really wasn't surprising when I got a letter from some ‘Important Alabastan figure’ to come and work in a secret organization known as baroque works, promising a utopia. A job was included for cover. Perfect. Not a stupid pirate crew that keeps sending people after me, but a real mercenary organization.
Two years later, what happened to me?
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the picture that sat on my nightstand, drinking tea. I let people walk all over me. Now look at what happened. I'm a failure. I guess losers are always destined to fall.
I thought about Mr 2– or Bon. I couldn't help but make myself upset at the mere thought of him. I missed him. A ton. Boss probably never even had a passing thought of his sacrifice. He probably wasn’t losing sleep over it at least. I wish I had even half the amount of courage he did. One day I wish to visit him, just to talk. I don't even know about what.
The photo was us as little kids. We knew each other quite well as he was one of mothers students for quite a while. I got it in the mail from dressrossa a few weeks ago. It unnerved me to have, but they hadn’t come after me yet. We’d sneak off to some clearing in the forest and practice our devil fruit abilities. He was quite the muse, being able to change how he looked in seconds. The first figurines were quite rough, yet he always adored them. Complimenting my improvements.
I still remember what happened, why we left dressrosa together. Why did I agree to that?
I sat on a log, drawing some statue ideas, anywhere was better than Doflamingo's palace and I was off the hook for the day. I could hear faint rustling that got louder and louder. I braced myself, being ready to shield myself from whatever was running toward me. But before I could make a wax wall, I noticed it was Bon. “Galdi! I'm glad I found you…” He was huffing, his face beat red from the cold and all the running. He looked up, seeing me in a very defensive position, my sketchbook sprawled out on the snowy forest floor.
Someone was trailing behind him, she couldn't have been more than maybe 6. With dark auburn hair and small little pigtails. She could barely walk. She had on one of my sweaters from when I was a toddler. A look of confusion washed over my face as he motioned her over. “This is Marianne!” he smiled, struggling to pick her up. “I found her hiding in a nearby alleyway, hiding from some of Doflamingo's goons.” “What would some Donquixote pirates need with a 6 year old?” I looked at her. She was silent. Cheeks red, hands shaking. Being chased by pirates is no life for a child of her age. I felt.. Sympathetic? That wasn't right, I can't feel sympathy for a child like her. It's obvious if those pirates were looking for her, she was bad news. I could hear faint, quick rustling in the trees, followed by a sharp string, heading right for Bon and Marianne. “Bon!”
The string nearly pierced the thick layer of wax I hastily made. I could hear it crack. The string was snatched back, taking the wax with it. “Galdino!” I could hear Doflamingo’s voice pierce through the trees as a string wrapped around my ankle and cause me to fall on my back. “Get you and… IT. to the shore just- just get out of here!” I motioned for Bon to leave. He nodded, transforming into a different person as he ran through the trees, Marianne in his arms.
He dragged me through the forest to him, completely slicing up my back on sharp rocks and sticks. “You goddamn parisite!” He snatched the string back, resorting to picking me up by my neck. He knew I was weak. He could do what he pleased with me. I struggled to pry his hands off my neck. “Look at you, crying.” He snatched my glasses off, breaking them in his hand, letting the glass fall onto the snowy floor.
Everything around me was blurry. It was a mix of my tears, him choking me, and not having glasses. “I was seriously debating on letting you join my crew, Galdino. Yet you disappoint me again.” He throws me on the ground, his hand still around my neck. I could feel the bones in my back breaking under the pressure. I coughed up blood, spattering all over my lips and his hand. “I hate you.” I gargled out, my voice raspy. I noticed Bon behind him, “What was that? Use your words.” His annoying smile crept on his face. “I hate you!” I yelled, my words still raspy. Just before he could say anything, Bon, as Doflamingo, swept him off his feet. “Come on!” He helped me up. Switching back to himself. He grabbed my arm. “Wh- Where did she–” She's safe, just- come on!
I didn't hear Doflamingo following us. It confused me. As tears and blood streamed down my face, all I could think about was Doflamingo. This man never got ‘bored’ playing with parasites. It brought him joy more than anything. Yet I had a sneaking suspicion that our quarrel wasn't over.
The boat was oddly large. Maybe not Doflamingo levels of large, but it was nice. “Do.. You know how to drive a boat?” “It’s easy enough!” He loosened some ropes to kick us off the shore. “Ive been planning this for a while. Just have some faith!” “For a while?” I tilted my head. Marianne sat on the upper part of the ship's railing. Kicking her feet while eating a rice cracker. Bon thought of how to dodge the question as he noticed Marianne. “Where did she get that?” Bon turned to me "Don't look at me. I have no clue.” She grabbed the bag of rice crackers from her bag of seemingly purely art supplies and reached her arm down to offer me some.
“Thanks.” I grabbed a small one and limped up the stairs to sit by bon who was steering the ship off of Dressrosa's coast. “Where are we gonna go?” I tilted my head up and aside to look at him. “I don't know. Just anywhere, not here.” “Bon im worried, I just- I mean–”
“Go sleep.” he tried patting my back but I let out a yelp of pain. “Oh my! I'm so–” “I’ll fix you up.” Marrianne jumped off the railing and beside me, leading me down the stairs. “My uh, Mom, taught me how to bandage and disinfect people.”
She sounded monotone, disinterested in the world around her. She opened the door to the captain's quarters, sitting me down on the bed. She grabbed the gauze and disinfectant from her bag. The gauze was stained with paint on the sides. “ Sorry about the paint.” She lifted the back of my shirt to clean off all the dirt. “Yikes.”
“Yikes” was an understatement. Deep, large cuts littered my back. Fractures dotted along my spine. “Im sure gauze will work for a bit, but we have to take you to a doctor.” “Where would we even go?” The disinfectant didn't really hurt. I think at this point, I was just numb. She took off my shirt, wrapping gauze around my torso.
“These wraps are tight, where did you learn how to do this?” I looked at the thin wraps of gauze surrounding my body, then back at her, she seemed jumpy, unwilling to even stop to chat. “I’ll leave you to res–” “Hey, wait.” She looked back, the door half creaked open. “What.” She seemed so hardened for someone so young. She seemed to not care about anything. Including herself. “Why does Doflamingo hate you so much? You seem normal.”
“It's nothing. He just wants me dead.” She shrugged like it was nothing, just water under the bridge. “I guessed you’d understand. You were a part of that mess, right? .” She just stared at the floor, not even wanting to make eye contact
with me. It pained me. But I understood. I really did. I just lightly nodded. Averting my gaze to the wall next to her.
“I’ll tell the guy where you are.” She closed the door behind her, leaving me alone
Is this what I’m subjected to from helping someone like her? If this is what justice for others gets me, then I don’t want it. But I’m here now, I’m mildly safe. Sure I can’t see very well, but I’ll find glasses somewhere. I looked around the room. Bon was right, he really did plan ahead. I dug through the clothes that obviously were for me. I mean the box they were in said ‘GALDINO’ In his oh-so-perfect handwriting. I just put on some more comfortable pants, any shirt I tried, hurt to wear. My hair was a mess. My ponytail out of sorts, it almost spilling out of the hairband.
I grabbed the brush off of the side table, taking my hair out of the band and brushing it.
Bon walked in, the moment he saw me his face turned red, averting his gaze as he held up a tray of tea and cookies. “I thought you’d like some tea!” He smiled awkwardly. “Thanks, Bon. You can just leave it on the side table.” I smiled, watching him set the tea set down on the table. “You, er, look different!!” He smiled awkwardly, he was tense. “Yeah, I do probably look pretty different.” I looked at myself.
“Are you, er, okay?” I tilted my head, making eye contact with him. “Yeah yeah yeah! I’m sooo fine!” He nodded hastily. “Come, sit. I can’t drink this tea all by myself.” I patted the spot beside me, scooting up the bed, toward the nightstand. He didn’t hesitate to sit by my side. I poured us some tea. I don’t know how he got hot water, but I wouldn’t question it.. I could tell it was my favorite. He knew me so well. I offered him a cookie but he declined. “Just tea is all.” He said this with a familiar warmth that mother used to have.
Maybe that’s what companionship is, just sharing tea with the ones who help you. It was nice to not have to be afraid to speak. But those days are over, and I don’t know what to do now that he’s gone. I lost him. Why didn’t I check where he was before I tried saving myself? God I’m an idiot.