Chapter Text
The gardens surrounding the palace were largely untouched by the chaos that had leveled much of Dressrosa, the hedges and vibrant flowers a striking foil against the backdrop of smoke rising from the city. It was here that Doflamingo dragged himself on unsteady legs, right arm hanging uselessly at his side as his left hand clutched a particularly nasty gouge just above the hip. Squinting against the bright rays of light filtering down through the trees--devoid of his sunglasses after his battle with Mugiwara and Law--he limped along toward a sizable pond tucked away in one corner of the lawn. But as he found a well-tread path, he paused with widening eyes, feeling a gripping coldness clutching at his chest.
Blood.
The path was smeared with blood, still shining in the afternoon sun. Fighting against the vast ache that was his entire body, the man half sprinted along the path toward the lake.
"Rosabella?" he called ahead of himself, heart racing in his chest. "Are you there, Bella-babe?"
A soft, pain-filled growl reached him and it cut like a knife.
With what little energy he could muster, he rushed around the corner and skidded to a halt at the end of the path. There, laying listlessly in the shallows with dimming pink eyes was his white-scaled bananawani, Rosabella. Fury boiled just beneath a suffocating feeling of guilt as he looked at her, approaching the injured predator slowly.
"Hey there, my Rosabella baby, shh," he said softly, holding his left hand out toward her so she could catch his scent. "It's me. It's okay now, it's just me."
The wani roused herself slightly, if just to lift her head and sniff the bloody hand offered toward her. Some light returned to her gaze and she made a noise of recognition before her jaw flopped back down into the muddy bank. Breathing in weezily, the rise and fall of her side jarred several spears that had been cruely stabbed into her by the residents of the kingdom. Mingo was vaguely impressed that she had managed to return to her lake from the battlefield in her condition, but it was a passing thought as he knelt before his precious pet.
Only a few years old and she had grown to the size of a horse under his care ever since she had been delivered to him from Alabasta. The timing had been almost perfect, having something to keep him focused after the week of heavy drinking and restlessness that had followed the news of Crocodile's fall from grace and subsequent incarceration. She was albino, and surely would have not survived in the wild, but never once had she been anything but a fearsome, tooth-filled little devil that had won the man's affection the second he laid eyes on her. She wasn't even an adult yet and already had proven herself a fierce warrior in battle if her injuries were any indication.
It broke his heart to see her in such a state, a mere child more or less struck down and left to bleed to death alone. His hand gently slipped under her chin and lifted it to rest in his lap, soothing his fingers over her snout.
"Oh, Bella, no...not you, too," he muttered to himself before forcing a comforting grin. "Hey, girl, you look lovely today. I'm sorry I didn't stop by to say hello this morning like I usually do. There were some people making a mess of things, but they're all gone...they're all gone now..."
Not just the people. Not just the Marines. No, his family was gone now, too. Everything was gone. And in his hopes of escaping with just this one thing, just this one piece of his life intact...she was dying in his lap and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
Except make the passing as easy for her as possible. He owed her that much for bravely joining the others in defending her master. Her father.
Cooing softly, he stroked her snout until she closed her eyes with a happy growl, nuzzling into his touch weakly. The scent of blood was thick in the air, joining the suddenly overwhelming, cloying perfume of the exotic flowers the garden practically overflowed with. Cringing, he delicately summoned up a connection to her, gently taking control of her body as to not startle the resting reptile. Leaning down, he kissed her between the eyes and muttered quietly.
"Sleep well, my sweet wani-girl. You've earned a nice, long rest."
Fingers crooking, he commanded her heart to stop and then the brain. Rosabella heaved one last breath and then fell still, passing peacefully in the man's lap.
Silence lay over him as he sat there for a long time, still humming faintly and running his fingers over slowly cooling scales. Blinking with a perplexed expression, he wondered why his vision was so damn blurry when he felt something wet roll down his cheek.
The sensation continued, grew, and he swore to himself as he realized he was crying. Tight-lipped and teeth clenched, he could not stop the tears spilling from blank eyes, leaving hot tracks on their way to drip from his chin.
Well fuck.
He had lost everything now, hadn't he?