The Marionette

Chapter 6: Worry and Anxiety

It had been a few days since your conversation with Viola on the beach, and with each passing day it left you in purgatory, impatiently awaiting for any word from Doflamingo. Your training resumed as normal, mainly with Diamante as he proved to be a hard opponent. Although it had been a few years, your win to loss ratio wasn't positive, however, you did manage a win here and there. It wasn't satisfactory, but you'd take what you could get.

Viola taught you the importance of watching, mainly for intel gathering and how to properly profile people. This especially aided in your missions when you had to scope out certain citizen that were causing issues in the city.

Between perfecting your swordsmanship and spying abilities, you certainly became a formidable force. It gave you false confidence that one day you'd be able to seize Dressrosa back (even though you had your doubts). In your mind, if you could successfully assassinate Trafalgar Law, it meant that you were one step closer to your shared dream with Viola. If you took down Doflamingo, it meant your father would be freed from his grasps. Your beloved kingdom wouldn't be under threat anymore.

You often wondered about your father and his health. There were times when you'd ask to speak to him, but was immediately shot down. It seemed that even though you've done everything he's asked for, Doflamingo couldn't trust you. You could tell by how he always has you partnered with another person whenever you'd go on missions or by how you've never even left Dressrosa before. Getting your own transponder snail took months, and even then, you were only granted one on your missions.

Whoever this Trafalgar and Corazon person was, they left a scar so deep it didn't allow Doflamingo to fully trust outsiders anymore. You were perplexed by how you were even going to be able to achieve your goal of assassinating Trafalgar when usually you'd do it solo. Less people meant you could be more stealthy, but with your current track record, it wasn't looking too positive.

You let out an irritable sigh, the clock above your bed ticking away as you tossed and turned in your bed. You couldn't stop thinking about eventually meeting with Doflamingo and discussing your mission. You knew it was going to happen, there's no way Viola didn't mishear. Out of everyone you know, her eavesdropping skills are impeccable. She wouldn't tell you if she didn't completely know for certain it was going to happen. She knows how nervous you've been ever since this mission was first placed on top of your head. Everything is riding on this assassination, if you fail, you die or if you manage to escape, you'll be faced with disappointment. Either way you looked at it, you'd be a failure.

You bit your bottom lip while covering your face with both of your hands, your chest tightening as you rolled onto your other side. "Alright," you huffed, "I give up," you threw your blankets off of yourself and sat up. Your bed was positioned right beside a large window allowing a view of the city below you, it being your favorite spot to sit and people watch. You pushed the white curtains to the side and opened the glass, allowing the natural air to come flooding in. You looked up to the full moon, its rays of light dancing on your skin as your eyes reflected the sea of stars.

You sat yourself onto the large windowsill and rested your head back against the wall, breathing in deep as you felt your body slowly melting away your stress. In the calm silence, it was moments like these where your thoughts would drift to your mother. You nearly forgotten what she looked like, but you could remember her always smelling like freshly cut roses. You closed your eyes as you recalled the way she would hold you and tell you how much she loved you, her embrace always felt so safe. After her death, you pushed yourself to further disconnect from everyone, cut all bonds and sacrifice your human emotions.

Even though you took a liking to Viola, you often struggled to understand her feelings and why she felt so responsible for everyone. The way she grasped so tightly to humanity confused you, but you enjoyed how she pushed your limits and tested your boundaries. You hadn't even realized it yet, but the feeling of the gentle breeze was swaying you into darkness, your mind drifting into unconsciousness as you finally fell into slumber.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

The rising sun warmed your face as the light peeked behind your eyelids, stirring you awake as you began to blink them open. You stretched your arms out in front of you, your neck feeling stiff from the position you fell asleep in. You yawned as you turned around so your legs were dangling over the window ledge, your mind feeling groggy from another sleepless night. You placed your feet on the cold floor and stood up, straighten your back as you did so to get your blood flowing. You rubbed your eyes while walking to the bathroom conjoined in your room, grateful that you had that luxury. You stared at your reflection in the mirror, the color in your face drained and eyes red. You turned the faucet water on and promptly washed your face before changing into your day clothes, remembering you didn't have anything scheduled for today. You suppose you could just lounge around and take some time off from your usual activities, as you did need some unwinding time.

The sound of knocking on your bedroom door ripped you away from your morning routine causing your brows to furrow as you walked over and opened the door. Standing in front of you was Trebol, an unsightly grin on his face with an annoyed Sugar beside him. "Hey, hey good morning," he greeted with a laugh, "didn't wake ya did I?"

"No," you answered while crossing your arms over your chest, "is there something you need?" You raised both of your eyebrows, trying your best to appear stoic even though your heart was racing in your chest. You knew what this was about, you just weren't prepared yet to journey to your destiny.

Trebol's face darkened as he motioned for you to step outside of your room, "come, the Young Master would like to speak with you," he said while stepping aside.

You gulped hard, this reminiscing you of when you first arrived on Dressrosa. Back then you were just as frightened as now, only you knew what you had to do. You knew that Doflamingo had your story already planned out for you. Now it was time to reenact what he has planned, and just like a marionette you marched straight into the hands of your controller.