#whoever interacts with doffy in any capacity just comes out worse by the end of it

[cebwrites]

[check tags!]

Just thinking about the chokehold Doflamingo probably had on Crocodile in the thick of their relationship, when they actually were 'in love' Like the longer he stays with him the more Crocodile notices just how fucking incompatible they are Doffy's never had to want for anything after Trebol took him in, he just takes whatever he wants when he wants to, so Crocodile wouldn't be able to shower him in gifts as a substitute for actual affection, worse still is Doffy's reactions to his attempts at that He'd acknowledge Croc's gifts and think they're nice but only in a patronizing "oh, that's cute that you think I'd need this" way and toss them on the mountains of other material things he has in his castle and think nothing else of it without addressing Crocodile's underlying emotions that he struggles to express because Doffy just doesn't care to

There's a lot of emotional undermining going on and if Crocodile ever seems upset about anything Doffy thinks just the 'luxury' of being in his presence and a hollow apology should be enough All he wants is to for Crocodile to shut up and play his part as his partner without any fuss and any time Crocodile desperately tries to stand his ground with clear boundaries Doffy's strings just tighten around him with further manipulation Doesn't take long until Crocodile takes off the rose tinted glasses and fleeting whirlwind affections that got them married under a month quickly turns to resentment as he painstakingly has to navigate his way out of the maze he's found himself in after starting the strikingly slow process of removing Doflamingo from his life And not in the 'oh but I still love him, he could change' way, Crocodile is fully aware and full of hatred the entire way through but Doffy just refuses to let him go because he sees Croc as one of 'his', someone that belongs to him, and therefore something he's entitled to

That absolutely bleeds into his work and the way he carries himself long after throwing Doffy's wedding ring into his face Crocodile's always kept to himself but being around Doffy in such close proximity even for a short while made him a smidge paranoid, and it's not like Doflamingo hasn't been hellbent on exerting his influence further on him either When he starts fooling around with Baroque agents because he's an allosexual man with needs to and they're the people that get the closest thing Crocodile can manage to trust, he's cagey around them too and keeps everyone at arm's length Plus, sleeping with someone just to axe them after is tactless even for him Crocodile does a lot to show off his power and what could happen if they so much as think of betrayal though, still, but to the ones that gain his favor, they're rewarded handsomely All the treasures and gold that Kirin had to leave behind when he fled Baroque because it'd weigh him down more than help, and presumedly Robin did too

He's deliberately emotionally unavailable and whatever harm comes to his partners he expects them to be strong enough to handle it on their own as Baroque Works agents, he doesn't derive pleasure from their pain though, and he's had more than enough experience to know when to stop Crocodile isn't good with any of that mushy shit but he makes sure they're compensated Years later Crocodile's still pulling cobwebs off himself from being under Doffy's thumb, there's reminders of him everywhere, Doffy hasn't given up the prospect of ownership either, shown by him asking Croc to join him after his 'little stint' in Arabasta, basically Crocodile's life's work, "didn't work out", more undermining his accomplishments

I'm not sure if they ever clashed in cannon but in Kirin's verse Doflamingo goes directly for Daz after taking Kirin's leg off and leaving him there to writhe, only a little disappointed when Kirin didn't give him the wail he wanted because it'd draw attention to him He's got Daz by the throat with severe organ damage from his fruit, monologuing about how pathetic Croc's 'number 1' really is if this is all the fight he can put up, before Crocodile flies at him in a barely concealed rage Kirin manages to roll over and ask if Daz check still breathing before making the call to Law on Sabaody that he needs a ride out of there He doesn't have the full picture because Kirin only started working for him five years ago but through context clues and piecing things together over the years the picture he's painted of the exes is a pretty grim one No matter how hard he tries to get away Doffy's just always one step behind him Watching Crocodile fight Doflamingo madder than he's ever seen him is definitely something for Kirin, it's of course no excuse to how he treated them all in Baroque but at that point he just feels sorry for him, Daz says something along the lines of worry for his 'boss' and Kirin's feelings are solidified