SMILE (One Piece, Dressrosa main flashback AT fic)

They had been travelling for nearly six months, and up to that morning the search of the Ope Ope no Mi had been unsuccessful. Rocinante had never given up, though, and his perseverance was finally rewarded when he learnt that a bunch of pirates had gained possession of the fruit. Stealing it from them had been a piece of cake for someone with his powers, and despite a daring escape and a couple of bullets still in his body everything had gone according to plans... Until Vergo found out the truth about him, at least.
Now, they were running away from Doflamingo's right-hand man, but Rocinante was too happy for Law to worry about himself. That longed-for Devil's Fruit would give the boy the powers to heal his otherwise incurable Amber Lead poisoning, and that was what really mattered.

Law had grown a little within the last few months, yet Rocinante—or Corazon, as he was called by the Donquixote Pirates—was still a giant compared to him. And a klutz, Law was reminded when the lanky man tripped and almost sent both of them face down into the snow.
Rocinante was holding him under his feather coat as usual, and the warm garment shielded them both from the cold wind of the northern sea. Expectedly, Law had grown used to the comforting rhythm of Corazon's heartbeat at that point, so he immediately noticed that it sounded uncharacteristically frantic and way too faint for someone around three meters tall. If the man's unsteady heartbeat was of any indication, Corazon was in a critical condition and could lose consciousness at any time—Law could tell that that much even with his still basic medical knowledge.

Afraid to know what he would see, Law looked over the man's shoulders. As he had expected, there were bright red spots standing out on the snow behind them.
Guilt finally overcoming him, the boy started to cry... If only he hadn't met Vergo to ask for help, out of all the marines scouting the island! But how could he have known?

Rocinante heard Law's muffled sobs and held him even more tightly in his arms, but remained silent. He had promised to himself to save the boy, at least, and was saving his energy for that. Staggering and trembling from the exertion, he tripped another couple of times before finally finding himself before the boss of the Donquixote Pirates.
Moments later, Vergo caught up with them, but Rocinante didn't care. Catching his breath, he faced Doflamingo, knowing that his subordinate wouldn't attack them again without an explicit order from him.

His elder brother stared back at him from behind his shades, inscrutable as usual. He looked like a bird of prey disguised as a businessman.

Rocinante's head felt dizzy from the injuries and fatigue, and he tried to hide that he was quivering.
He didn't like to admit it, but he was scared of his own brother... Understandable, considering that that monster had killed his own father—their father—at just ten years old.

Doflamingo casually brushed away a few snowflakes from the pink tie that matched his own feather coat, both contrasting with the black suit he was wearing, and smirked. "I assume you realised that running is useless," he said.
The rest of the "family," as his elder brother called his clan, had formed a half circle behind him.

Straining himself in order to talk with a steady voice, Rocinante stated calmly, "I'm here to propose you a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Doflamingo retorted dryly, seemingly unimpressed to hear his adult voice for the first time ever.

Rocinante had disappeared for fourteen years, and upon his return he had feigned to be unable to speak. He had long given up on trying reasoning with his brother, after all. Now, though, he needed to negotiate with him.
After taking a deep breath, Rocinante replied, "My life in exchange of Law's."

As expected, upon hearing that the boy tried to protest, but Rocinante swiftly brushed Law's head with his hand and imposed silence on him thanks to the power of his own Devil's fruit, the Nagi Nagi no Mi. He felt guilty for doing that, but was on the verge of losing consciousness and couldn't take risks before reaching an agreement with his brother.
Realising that nobody could hear his voice, Law tried to free himself from his firm hold, but Rocinante was still much stronger than him even if severely injured. In the end, all Law could do was weeping silently, his tiny hands grabbing the feathers around his neck so tightly that he ripped out a few of them. Rocinante felt a pang of compassion for the boy and smiled at him reassuringly, but that only made him bury his face deeper into the black coat as his small frame was shaken by quiet sobs.

"Why should I spare his life?" Doflamingo growled, annoyed.

"Because he ate the Ope Ope no Mi," revealed Rocinante, protectively embracing the boy.

A menacing scowl replaced his brother's infamous smirk as he blurted out, "I intended to give it to you, Roci!"

"I don't have any medical knowledge, so I had Law eat it instead. You too wanted to save him, didn't you?"
Rocinante did not deem it necessary to reveal that he'd already eaten a Devil's Fruit in the past, and thus couldn't eat a second one.

"You are a traitor, so I'm going to kill you anyway."

"I can fight if I need to," bluffed Rocinante, "and my fellow marines will be here soon. However, if you promise me to let Law go I'll willingly accept any punishment."

Doflamingo pondered his words, and then his lips slowly curled into a sneer. "Fufufu... I could agree with that. However, who assures me that Law won't reveal that Vergo is my spy in the Navy?"

"He won't if I tell him not to," Rocinante answered as a matter of fact.
Then, he removed the invisible barrier around Law so that he could hear them again and vice versa. With the warmest smile he could muster, he murmured to the boy, "Don't cry, Law, and listen to me carefully."

Law nodded and looked at him with such hopeful eyes that Rocinante's heart sank. "I... I can't come with you," he forced himself to speak, "but Doflamingo promised me that he would let you go as long as you won't reveal Vergo's identity."
After a moment of silence, Rocinante put his hand on the side of Law's head and lifted it up to better look at the boy's eyes as he added, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Without uttering a word, Law nodded again. He was trying to act strong, but the trembling of his bottom lip and his still watery eyes didn't pass unnoticed to Rocinante, who wished with all his heart that Doflamingo, his clan—the Navy even!—could just disappear. If they did, he and Law would be free to go whenever they wanted, sailing the sea or settling on a nice island to live together as a family... But that was an impossible dream, and Rocinante knew it. Smiling sadly, he held Law close a last time, trying to use the last drop of energy he had left to warm the trembling boy.
"I know you'll be able to heal your illness, Law," Rocinante whispered to his ear. "Please be happy... and remember that I love you." Forcing himself to grin, which resulted in a somewhat creepy expression since he felt pain everywhere, he put Law on the ground and said aloud, "Go to the Navy ship near the coast; a vice-admiral, Tsuru, is there with her fleet. Stay with her and you'll be safe."

At first Law stood still, his eyes shadowed by the brim of his spotted hat as his shaking hands clenched into tight fists while still holding the feathers from Rocinante's coat. Then he murmured, "Thanks, Cora-san," and ran away without turning back.

You'll grow up bravely, Law.
Rocinante felt proud of him, knowing that the boy had fought back his tears for their last goodbye. He will be alright, one way or another... Suddenly, though, the awareness that he would not see Law again washed over him like a blast of chill wind. He wouldn't be there to help him learning to use his Devil's Fruit powers, or to cover him with a blanket at night; he wouldn’t be there to see him grow up into a fine adult... He wouldn't see Law never, ever again.

The inevitability of such feelings was unbearable even for someone like Rocinante, who had witnessed tragedy and experienced loss since childhood, and tears formed at the corners of his eyes.
Before he could reach out and call Law back, though, the boy's silhouette disappeared in the distance, merging with the falling snow.

Once Law was no more visible in the growing snowstorm, Doflamingo ordered his right-hand man to rejoin his fleet before they grew suspicious.

"What about the brat, Doffy?" objected Vergo. "Do you really want to let him go?"

"A promise is a promise... That said, Law could still be useful to me one day, fufufu!"

Rocinante dried his tears with the back of his hand, carelessly smearing the blue makeup under his right eye, and looked fixedly at his brother's cruel smirk while wondering if Doflamingo intended to keep his word.
Anyway, for the time being Law was safe...

"Then, let me kill the traitor at least," Vergo insisted. "I don't like to leave a job half done."

"I'm going to take care of this matter personally," Doflamingo cut him short. "I'll be back soon."
Then, he turned towards Rocinante. "Follow me," he addressed him sharply as he walked away.

Rocinante obeyed quietly even if he was so weak he could barely stand, let alone keep up with his elder brother's long strides. Somehow, though, he managed to keep up with him.

It was painful, but Rocinante tried to recollect all the happy memories he had shared with Law throughout their journey... When had he started to care for that boy so much, though? And for what reason? Maybe, Law reminded him of his brother, but Rocinante would never admit that, even to himself.
Whatever the reasons behind his feelings, though, Law was his most precious person, and now that the boy had been saved he could die without regrets... Well, there was still the matter about Dressrosa, but Rocinante hoped that one day Law would prevent his brother wrecking ram—

"What are you thinking about?"

Doflamingo's aloof voice pulled Rocinante back from his thoughts. His brother had stopped and was staring at him expectedly.
"Law," he whispered, his tired yet hostile expression reflected on Doflamingo's shades. They were quite far from the rest of the clan now, and it seemed like nobody else was around.

The thick snow had already covered everything, and the whole landscape looked empty, lonely, and way too white.

So, this is where I'll meet my end, realised Rocinante, mildly disappointed. A second later, the blood loss got to him and he fell to the icy ground, wheezing, as the frigid air made his lungs burn. Soon after that, something heavy dropped on his stomach and Rocinante hissed for the pain, half-opening his eyes only to see Doflamingo perched on him like a giant bird, heedless of his still open wounds.
His breathing becoming raspier, Rocinante barely noticed that he couldn't move his legs and arms anymore, immobilized by invisible strings. Even when he started losing sensitivity in his limbs, though, he didn't panic; instead, he felt unnaturally calm. He was ready for what was coming... He had been from the moment he had decided to interfere with his brother's plans.

The snowflakes seemed to stop in midair as Doflamingo took his pistol from under the pink feather coat, slowly raised his hand, and finally pointed the flintlock to Rocinante's forehead.

His mind focused on Law, Rocinante closed his eyes while smiling faintly. A tear slid down his cheek, leaving a bluish streak in the dried blood mixed with the red lipstick at the corner of his mouth.
I'm just a clumsy weirdo, Law, but I hope you'll remember me smi—

BANG!

The gunshot echoed through the snow-covered valley, erasing all other sounds.

---

Law sat up briskly, drenched in sweat. "C-Cora-san," he whispered, covering his face with a  trembling hand.
The sound of the firearms that came from the plateau under the Dressrosa Palace had woken him up from his recurring nightmare.

He made to stand up but immediately fell back, still too weak to move properly.
Looking around, he saw Luffy clashing with their common enemy just a few meters away. Law couldn't tell for how long his ally—and friend—had been fighting, but Doflamingo was moving slower than usual. However, he didn't have any noticeable wounds other than the mark left by Luffy's Red Hawk, which the boy was charging again at that very moment.

How many times have you hit Doflamingo with that already? Law wondered as Luffy's flaming hand smashed against the taller man's abdomen with incredible force.
After that, they both fell to the ground, panting heavily.

The fight was finally over.

Too tired to use his powers to simply teleport himself, Law still managed to grab his sword and to wobble towards Doflamingo.
His enemy's signature shades were apparently made of strings, too, and they were slowly unravelling under Law's gaze.

The older man looked up at him with a mix of anger and disbelief.
Doflamingo's face was so different from his younger brother's, yet so alike that it was unnerving... Law had to look away, and his eyes searched for the "birdcage" instead.

The trap of sharp threads that had cut the whole Dressrosa out from the rest of the world was dematerialising, too, meaning that Doflamingo was too weakened to sustain it.
Savouring that moment less than what he had anticipated, Law looked down at the man again, trying not to focus too much on his eyes. He knew that Doflamingo hated to be helpless; Law would have hated that, too... and they were similar in many ways.

"You've lost," Law stated after a while, but the other remained silent. "Not smirking anymore?" he jeered him again. However, Doflamingo kept ignoring his taunts.
His arms shaking in frustration, Law closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Then, he glared at the man lying at his feet and stated in an emotionless voice, "If you don't have anything to say, all that's left for you is death."

"W-wait, Torao! We've already won!"

Ignoring Luffy's protests, Law slowly raised his nodachi, and then slashed it down in a swift movement, aiming for Doflamingo's neck. Before the blade could cut his head off, though, everything seemed to slow down.
After an indefinite time, Law's perception of the surroundings returned to normal, just moments before a blurred figure collided with him. Law lose his already precarious balance and the longsword slipped off from his hands as both he and the stranger tumbled to the ground with a loud thud.

"What the hell...?" Law hissed, adjusting his black and white hat, but when he glanced at the man next to him his voice died in his throat.

"It seems I've arrived just in time..." The intruder smiled at him with affection, eyes half-closed under messy blond bangs, as he rubbed the back of his head.

"C-Cora-san?" Law chocked out, tears forming in his eyes.

Rocinante just nodded, staggering a little while standing up. At that point, he had expected Law to scream or something, but the other remained quiet.
A moment later, though, Law clenched his chest and doubled over himself.

Alarmed, Rocinante kneeled down next to him. "Are you alright?!" he asked, panicking, as he wrapped his long arms around Law. Then, he noticed that the other was quivering.
I see, you don't want people to hear you cry... Rocinante hugged Law even more tightly while activating a barrier around them with a snap of his fingers. "They can't hear us now," he murmured softly.

Law knew what that meant and didn't restrain himself when his bottled up anguish, mixed with relief, finally exploded. His shouts pierced Rocinante's heart like daggers, and his hands clung to the taller man's shoulders so desperately that they hurt him, but Rocinante didn't complain.
"I'm sorry, Law..." he whispered, trying to calm him down. "I'm so sorry..." He couldn't find appropriate words to apologise, so he simply held Law gently while stroking his trembling back.

Only then Rocinante noticed the word stitched on Law's coat, Corazon, just above a stylized smiling face. The meaning of that gave him a lump in his throat, and his warm brown eyes watered up.
Still cuddling Law, Rocinante wept quietly as a joy he had forgotten finally brought peace to his heart.

"W-Why didn't you ever search for me?!" Law cried with a hoarse voice as soon as he could talk again.

"I couldn't," murmured Rocinante, wiping his own tears away. "Doflamingo promised not to hurt you as long as I disappeared..."

"He's really a monster as you said!" Law then spat out. "Why did you stop me?"

"I was wrong," replied Rocinante, and his mind went back to that fateful day, thirteen years ago...

---

BANG!

The gunshot had echoed through the snow-covered valley, erasing all other sounds.

Soon, though, the uproar of the people fighting each other in the distance could have been heard again; they had been controlled by Doflamingo, who after eating the Ito Ito no Mi had obtained puppeteer-like powers.
"I don't want to see your face anymore," he had sibilated once the echo of the shot had subsided. "You died today."

His ears whistling, Rocinante had slowly opened his eyes and had looked to his side, confused.
In the frozen ground there had been a steaming hole, just inches from his head.

"If you don't obey me, or if you contact Law in any way, he's going to die too. For real."

Shaking from the shock, Rocinante had tried to speak, but darkness had engulfed him before he could have been able to fully understand the meaning of his brother's actions.

---

"I was wrong," Rocinante repeated as if talking to himself.

Confused, Law pulled himself back to look at his face.

"He didn't kill me in the end," explained Rocinante. "And even if he'd done that, you should not have been driven by revenge, Law."

Frowning, Law turned to glare at Doflamingo.
The man's eyes were closed. Was he trying to conceal his emotions, now that he couldn't disguise them anymore behind his shades?

Seeing that Law had calmed down, Rocinante removed the sound-proof barrier and told his brother, "It's time to end all of this."

"I'm done anyway," Doflamingo replied tiredly while covering his face with a shaking hand. "If Law doesn't kill me, Kaido surely will... He won't be happy to discover that I can't comply with our agreement anymore."

"You will be safe if you'll collaborate with me," insisted Rocinante.

"You're weak, Roci," Doflamingo retorted, a snicker escaping his bloodied lips. "How in hell do you think you can protect me?"

"I can, as the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Intelligence."

Law's eyes grew wide, and he turned to look at Corazon in disbelief.

"Kaido is one of the four 'Emperors' who reign over these seas," continued Rocinante, "but even he doesn't know the location of our headquarters."

"Cool, so you're a revolutionary too?" Luffy commented as if that was the most natural thing in the world.

Rocinante turned to look at the youth and nodded, smiling kindly. That boy had helped Law a lot, and he felt he owed him.
Then, he stared back at Doflamingo and said, "I won't go easy on you, but if you came with me you could finally do something good for once... Furthermore, all the secrets you know about the World Nobles would be of great help to our cause."

"...I'll think about it," Doflamingo conceded at last, his eyelids fluttering open as he gazed between his fingers at the clear sky above them.
The sun had started to set, and a faint breeze flew from the ocean all the way up to the palace, bringing with it the smells of the destruction he had caused.

Did his brother regret what he'd done? Rocinante couldn't really tell, but that was something for later.
Facing Law, he grinned at him and exclaimed, "I told you I wasn't a marine!" That was not the full truth, of course, but he could explain the details at a second time.

Law chuckled but then immediately stopped, surprised at his own reaction.
Chuckling was something he had last done as a child while travelling with Cora-san... Now that he thought about it, he wondered if he could still refer to him that way.

"Why don't you join us, too?" asked Rocinante. "Together with the rest of your Heart Pirates, of course."

Law's face flared up, suddenly realising that Corazon had surely put two and two together upon learning the name of his crew.

"I think that's a good idea, Roci-san," a deep yet gentle voice commented before Law could say anything.

"Sabo!" Luffy beamed, trying to sit up.

"Don't strain yourself, little brother," the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff addressed him with affection. "You've outdone yourself again," he added while crouching down next to him.

"But I've so many things to tell you!" Luffy whined.
He had met Sabo again in Dressrosa after believing him dead for many years, and couldn't wait to spend some time with his brother.

Rocinante observed them and smiled sadly, wondering if he would be able to make up for the lost time, too... Well, to start he lifted Law as if he was still a little boy and put him over his shoulders like a potato sack.

"Hey, put me down!" Law protested, his face turning an even deeper shade of red. "I can walk!"

"I don't think so," Rocinante replied flatly, turning his head to grin at him while lighting up a cigarette.

"You're burning me, Cora-san!!!" Law yelled, panicking and flailing his arms.

"Shishishi!" Luffy chuckled and then told Rocinante, "You're funny!"

Law shivered.
Having those two dorks befriending each other would surely be the end of him... But out of everyone's sight, a smile found its way to his face.