In the North Blue, on a desolate island not far from the Red Line, the biting sea wind carried a salty, fishy scent as it whistled through the cracks of broken windows.
Inside a dilapidated wooden hut, the once lofty Donquixote family huddled in a corner. Damp mold crept across the mottled walls, while rainwater leaking through the roof formed murky puddles on the earthen floor, filling the air with the stench of decay.
Ten-year-old Doflamingo wiped sweat from his forehead with a dirty sleeve as he and nine-year-old Rosinante held half a moldy piece of bread. The bread's surface was covered in bluish-gray mold, emitting a nauseating odor of rot.
"Mother, you should eat something," Doflamingo said hoarsely, standing on tiptoe to offer the bread to his mother, Topman Yuliya, who lay on a wooden plank bed.
Yuliya struggled to prop herself up, a strained smile appearing on her pale face. Her chapped lips trembled slightly as she reached out with bony hands to accept the bread.
"Cough... Thank you, my children," she said, carefully tearing off a small piece and chewing it slowly as if savoring some delicacy. The moldy taste spread through her mouth, but she forced herself not to show any reaction.
"Mother, you should eat all of it," Rosinante said softly, though his eyes involuntarily remained fixed on the bread in her hands.
Just then, his stomach emitted a loud rumble that echoed sharply in the silent room.
Doflamingo immediately shot his younger brother a glare, but Rosinante stubbornly pressed his lips together, refusing to acknowledge his hunger.
Yuliya's eyes welled with tears. She knew this moldy bread was something her children had risked their lives to scavenge from the village garbage dump. Just yesterday, they had been chased by angry villagers throwing stones, and Rosinante still bore the scrapes on his knees. Seeing her sons' gaunt faces tore at her heart.
"Children, Mother is really full," Yuliya said, breaking the bread in half. "You should..."
"No need, Mother," Doflamingo interrupted, his youthful face showing a determination beyond his years. "Rosinante and I will go to the shore later to see if we can find some shellfish." As he spoke, his gaze swept over the pile of empty shells in the corner—their dinner from two days prior.
At the other end of the room, Donquixote Homing knelt on the ground, trembling hands clutching a worn-out Den Den Mushi. His disheveled appearance bore no trace of the former nobility of a Celestial Dragon, his once magnificent clothes now reduced to tattered rags hanging from his body.
"Please, let us return, even if it's just my wife and children going back to Mary Geoise," Homing pleaded, his voice choked with desperate sobs. He had repeated these same words countless times, yet the responses remained cold refusals.
"Yulia is sick. Even if you won't let us return, please send a doctor to save her. I beg you." Homing pleaded into the Den Den Mushi again, his voice nearly begging.
However, the Den Den Mushi merely closed its eyes coldly and directly cut off the communication.
"Homing, forget it. We can't go back anymore." Yulia's weak voice came from the bed. She looked at her husband's hunched back, her eyes filled with heartache.
"But Yulia, your illness..." Homing turned around, staggering to his wife's side. His fingers gently brushed over her burning forehead, his eyes filled with self-blame and pain.
"I'm fine. We've been here long enough and need to move somewhere else. Otherwise, those people will find us here." Yulia forced herself to speak, her voice so faint it was almost inaudible. She knew the people who had once been oppressed by the Celestial Dragons were searching everywhere for their family.
"I'm sorry, Yulia, I'm sorry..." Homing buried his head in the bed, his shoulders shaking violently.
Scalding tears soaked the thin bedsheet as he wept like a child. Once high and mighty Celestial Dragons, they now couldn't even guarantee their most basic needs.
"It's alright, Homing. We're family." Yulia struggled to raise her hand, gently stroking her husband's hair. Her gaze drifted over his shoulder to their two sons. Doflamingo was holding Rosinante tightly, both children silently watching the scene.
Outside, the sea wind howled, whipping up waves of sand that battered against the crumbling wooden walls. In the distance, the sound of waves crashing against reefs seemed to narrate this family's tragic fate.
Once noble Celestial Dragons, they had now fallen to the point where even basic sustenance was a struggle, barely surviving on this desolate island.
Suddenly, a rough laugh shattered the silence.
"Wororororo, look what I've found? Isn't this the Celestial Dragon family?" A bold laugh came from outside.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Ten-year-old Doflamingo abruptly grabbed a wooden stick, positioning himself in front of his family. Though his voice was childish, it carried unwavering determination.
Nine-year-old Rosinante trembled with fear but imitated his brother, tightly gripping a stick as he shielded his parents. Under the moonlight, his small hands shook uncontrollably, yet he never retreated.
"Bam!"
The rotten door collapsed with just a light push, along with the entire wall. A tall figure slowly entered the room, the moonlight casting a huge shadow behind him. The visitor had a burly build, horns on his head, and a Spiked Club hanging from his waist.
"Please... spare us... we've suffered enough..." Homing trembled as he begged. Even without seeing the visitor's face clearly, his imposing figure alone was enough to evoke despair.
"Relax, I'm just curious about how Celestial Dragons who abandoned their status would live." Kaidou grinned, "You're not worth me taking action myself. But..." He glanced at the dying Yulia in the corner, "Even if I do nothing, that frail woman won't last through today."
"Are you... are you a doctor?" Doflamingo mustered his courage to ask, a trace of hope in his voice.
"Kid, do I look like a damn doctor to you?" Kaidou sneered.
Doflamingo lowered his head in disappointment, but quickly raised it again, a stubborn light flashing in his eyes: "Please, give us some food. I promise, I'll repay you someday."
This was the first person they'd encountered since leaving Mary Geoise who hadn't shown them hostility. Doflamingo didn't want to give up this last chance.
"Repay me?" Kaidou examined the stubborn boy before him with interest. "In your current situation, whether you can even survive is questionable."
"I... I will survive." Doflamingo clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. "No matter what, I will survive."
Under the moonlight, the boy's gaze was terrifyingly determined.
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