One Piece Oneshots (Whumptober 2021)

Day 3 - Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones But... (Doflamingo)

It happened each night...

Doflamingo found himself standing in the void, darkness surrounding his presence. His eyes land on a shadow figure in the distance. The figure draws close, echoes of the footsteps bounce around and grow louder as the shadow came near. Stepping into a dim light, Doflamingo eyes widened when he sees his brother, standing there. Blood dripping from his forehead, dripping from his clothes, holding his chest with his hand that's stained with crimson liquid, a pained expression on his face, and barely able to stand.

"ROSINANTE!" Doflamingo cried, rushing over to help his brother. His emotions spinning with worry, concern, and anger. "Who did this to you?!"

Doflamingo wanted to make whoever did this pay. He'd ripped them from everything they hold dear, burn it, trash it, then make them suffer for even hurting a hair on his brother. He'd make them an example of what happens when someone dares to try and harm his brother. His brother is the only thing he had cares for in this cruel world, the only person he loves. No one was going to take Rosinante away, he was going to make sure of it.

"Tell me, Rosinante, who did this-" Doflamingo stopped when Rosinante put his hand on Doflamingo's shoulder.

The younger brother opened his eyes, held with such hatred, sending such a cold glare anyone he gazed at would become frozen, and that's what happened to Doflamingo. The elder brother felt his heart begin to race as younger's eyes stared into his, he felt uneasy but what came next never failed to make him go pale.

"You. Did. This. To. Me."

Doflamingo jolted upwards, freezing yet covered in sweat, and breathing heavily. He grasped his chest with blankets in hand, trying to resister he came back to reality but the image of his brother saying those words flashed in his mind.

'You did this to me.'

Doflamingo threw the covers to the side, turning his legs to the edge of the bed. He put his arms on his knees as he pressed his head into his hands, wanting the nightmare to begone from his mind. Tears pricked his eyes as he heard the words again and again.

'You did this to me.'

'You did this to me.'

How could he? How could he hurt the only person he cares for in this world? How could he kill his own brother?

Doflamingo got up and staring pacing around to collect his thoughts together, trying to remind himself it was because his brother betrayed him, lied to him, but why? Why would he betray him? Why would he lie to him? What could he have done to make his brother hate him so much? What- wait...

Doflamingo paused, as he thought back to when he left Rosinante to take his father's head to the Celestial Dragons. Did Rosinante think he abandoned him? No, he said he come back, he did that so they wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Did he think he wouldn't come back to get him? That would explain why he wasn't there when he came back. That... that must've been it, he left his brother there alone... who knows what could've happened while he was gone. Did Rosinante blame him? Is that why he hated him so much? Is that the reason?

"Is that why brother?!"

But Doflamingo was only met by dead silence.

Sticks and stones may break his bones but being haunted by his brother and taunted by unanswered questions were worse than any pain, slowly driving him to become more and more insane