A/N: Another new chapter.

A big thanks to Beka for offering to be my Beta. It is really a big help. Thank you very much.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Enjoy Reading!!

I remember the day you said that you'll save me. The truth is you also unknowingly saved Cora-san from Doflamingo's clutch as well. I never knew what freedom tasted like until I met you.

"Traffy, thank god you're alive!" You shouted so very lively while carrying the princess of the country at your side. Seeing you caught me off guard. What should I do? I already told Doflamingo that I cut all of my ties to you, but there you were barging the throne room. To top it all the factory still stood. Damn you.

"Mugiwara-ya, What the hell are you doing here? Have you destroyed the factory yet?" I shouted despite the kairoseki shackles sapping my energy. As usual you didn't listen to me and you continued doing whatever you were doing.

"Silly Traffy. Of course I'm saving you from Mingo," you said with a grin as you release your hold to the princess. That statement just made my frustration of the whole situation grow stronger. I'm the one who was trying to save you from this mess that I had dragged you into. It was me who got captured and at any moment I would be killed. I won't be able to save you anymore. To top it all I would never get my revenge.

"Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm ending our ties right here right now. The alliance between your crew and mine is over," I told you with a tone of finality and slight defeat.

"Huh? Who are you to decide that we're ending this? You can't do that! I will be the one to decide if we're ending this not you, self-centered Traffy," you shouted stubbornly. If I wasn't currently shackled to that fucking heart seat I would've already face palmed at your stubbornness and logic.

"Who's the one being self-centered here!" I retorted, completely losing my already nonexistent cool. Dealing with you always makes me lose my composure. "With our alliance over, we're enemies once more. If you let me go, I might kill you," I said with a low voice, as I tried another tactic to make you go away.

"Don't move! I can't touch the kairoseki so it's really tricky to take this off," you shouted instead while the princess cheered at your side.

"You're not listening," I shouted. 'Goddamit, why don't you listen to me? You're always letting your stubbornness get ahead of you. Why don't you understand the situation? Why can't you take a hint?' I thought.

"Huh, what hint? Stop talking for a minute while I take this off okay," you said. I was dumbstruck. I didn't notice that I blurted out my last thought.

"I was telling you to get away from here. Destroy the factory then escape. Leave me here." I said in a whisper not intending for you to hear but I seemed to underestimate your hearing.

"Why would I leave you? I can't leave you here. We went here together of course we're leaving here together." You said with a reassuring smile. I couldn't help but let out a frustrated sob.

"You don't understand. If you don't leave now Doflamingo will kill you. I can't let that happen to you. I was the one who dragged you into this mess. If you destroy the factory now and leave here, Doflamingo will not follow you. He'll be too busy defending himself from Kaidou." I explained to you desperately, trying to convince you.

"Then what will going to happen to you if I leave now?" At your question I look down to avoid your gaze, your face marred with a frown and your lips tilted down. You probably figured out what will happen to me as soon as you left. You cupped my face with your calloused hand to make me look straight to you. I saw how serious your face was just like when you have something you decided to do no matter what happens.

"Traff-" But before you could finish your sentence the ground started to shake, making us topple in different direction. I heard screaming, a shocked scream from you and the princess, a relieved scream from Baby 5, and a confused scream from the real king, but those screams failed to register in my mind as soon as Doflamingo mentioned the 'Bird Cage'.

I was stunned. Completely petrified. All of my past experiences with the Bird Cage resurfaced yet again. Bad memories. Cora-san's sacrifice. A reminder how weak and helpless I am. It was the reason why Cora-san and I failed to escape from him. Just like its name. We would become trapped birds with their wings broken unable to have our own freedom anymore.

"It begun. It's the Bird Cage." I muttered with a stunned expression as I watched it encircle the whole kingdom. I didn't even realize that we're now outside of the palace or someone's tapping my cheeks.

"Hey, Traffy. Traffy get a hold of yourself." You said worriedly as you continue to tap my cheek. I turned my gaze away from the cage and look at you instead. You had a completely worried expression on your face as you stared at me.

"Wha-" I muttered

"God. Traffy are you alright? You made me worry." You said in a relieved voice. I frowned not understanding what you were saying.

"You were shaking violently earlier as soon as you saw the Bird Cage." The princess explain instead. I look up to see the Bird Cage again.

"We're trapped." I muttered. 'Now there's no escaping anymore. We will all die here' I thought. I turned to look at you. My expression morphed into angry frustration. All of my efforts to save you from him were all wasted now. Everything.

"Idiot." I exclaimed angrily. Angry tears swelling up on the side of my eyes. "You're an idiot, Mugiwara-ya. Why? Why didn't you listen to me for once! Now it's too late. You and your remaining nakama will gonna die here as well." I screamed angrily at you, tears completely cascading down my face as I frustratingly tried to hit you with my balled fist on your chest weakly. But you caught my hand and pulled me towards you not minding the kairoseki.

"Didn't I tell you that I won't leave you here. I'm not gonna let you die here. You saved me back then. Now it's my turn to save you. So don't worry and trust me." You said to me gently, your arms wrapped securely on my torso. "I will beat Mingo's ass for you." You told me with a confident smile on your face. I couldn't help but scoff at your confidence, but those words calmed me down for some reason. Funny how ironic it is. All this time it was me who was desperately trying to save you, but it become the opposite. I let out a small smile.

"You reckless idiot." I muttered but the only answer I got from you is your infuriating, annoying laugh that somehow I came to love.

The moment got ruined when Doflamingo appeared on the broadcast television all throughout the country

"It's killed or to be killed. You don't have time to be indecisive!! Even as you hesitate, people will fall and your homes will burn around you" Doflamingo announced. Shit. Now there's really no escape it's not only the Donquixote Family who're after us but also the whole people trapped in this country.

"You're always playing dirty, you scum." I growl disgustingly to Doflamingo's image on the broadcast monitor. No matter what happens he was planning to kill us all. I was so busy glaring and cursing at Doflamingo's image that it caught me off guard when you suddenly shouted.

"You can't cry yet. I won't let soldier-guy die! So you stay safe too. I'm sorry I couldn't give you the mera-mera no mi you wanted but instead.. I swear I'll beat Mingo's ass for you as well. So stay close to my crew, got that?" You really are reckless, stubborn idiot that doesn't have any sense of danger. Even if there's only a low chance of defeating Doflamingo you're still confidently declaring that you will beat him. I was frowning at you when I realized the other consequence of my actions that I failed to take account into.

"Do you understand what you were doing, Mugiwara-ya?" I asked. "Our plan was to leave Doflamingo alive and force him into conflict with Kaido. Now, if you defeat him here and we successfully destroy the factory. All of Kaido's fury of losing his Smile supply will be directed to us. We will be the one forced into head-on conflict with the Yonkou, Kaido." I explained.

It was the plan that I improvised for our alliance. It also was my plan B if my original plan didn't work. It works both ways. If ended up getting killed without damaging Doflamingo, I knew for sure Kaido would kill him instead. In the end the slight assurance that no matter what my plan would mark the end of Doflamingo made me not worry over my possible death. It may be a frustrating end for me, but the knowledge that he would be buried six feet under was enough for a little comfort.

"We can think about that stuff later. Take a good look on this country. You think I can stop now?!" You answered angrily. The anger was not directed at me but at the man who caused all of this. "And it's not just for this country. Didn't I tell you that I will save you? I won't let you die here. Never." The firm determination that burns in your eyes, the fierce yet gentle voice and expression you used as you patted my cheek gently made my head spin and my cheeks burn as those unknown emotions that only happened when I'm around you eat my insides again.

"Do whatever you want." I snarled instead, but it has no bite in it just pure annoyance. I wasn't annoyed at you but at myself for losing my cool again.

"Now then." You said with a grin, it always amused me how you can change your emotion that easily. "Let's get out of here and go where Mingo is." You grinned while wrapping your arm around Zoro-ya while the other one went around my neck.

"Wait, remove my restraints first!" I demanded.

"They will come off sooner or later." You shrugged instead.

"Like hell they will!" I shouted in annoyance.

"So what's our route then?" Zoro-ya asked calmly.

"Straight ahead." Wait. Don't tell me..

'Oh God please don't tell me it is what I was thinking.' I prayed in my head.

"You're not going to jump down?" The princess asked worriedly. Fucking no. Please no. Sometimes I wonder why I always pray to him if he never listens. I'm such an idiot sometimes.

"You just wait Doflamingo!!" You shouted very loudly as you jump down from the King's Plateau.

"Kyaaaaaahh!" I squeaked indignantly as we fall down fast. 'Damn you Mugiwara-ya. I swear I'm getting back for this.'

You inflated yourself to cushion our fall. There was a moment of silence as I felt two pair of eyes staring at me belonging to Zoro-ya and you.

"Don't fucking utter a fucking single word. You heard nothing." I spat out with as much venom as I could muster. I felt my cheeks warming up in embarrassment. 'I have a fucking reputation to maintain. Goddamit.'

"Woah didn't expect that from you." Zoro-ya chuckled amusedly as if that fall was nothing. He immediately regained his balance while I'm here slumped on your shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Fuck you." I sneered at your first mate but the bastard only chuckled. The nerve. "Mugiwara-ya, once I get out of these fucking kairoseki shackles I swear before you can beat Doflamingo's ass I will kill you first." I turned my anger to you still embarrassed at what happened after all it was your fault.

Staring at me with wide, surprised eyes and face slightly tinted red, you tried to open your mouth but no words came out. The two of us engaged in a staring match which made my embarrassment increase tenfold.

Have I ever mention how much I hate you for making me lose my composure all the time?