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Loguetown 18 years ago
Crocodile downed his third glass of rum. He saw his aunt shooting him worried looks from behind the bar. She was going by another name again, Maze, Mori, something like that. Maybe coming here to drown his memories wasn’t the best idea. But at least she and Bear would make sure he didn’t end up dead in an alley later.
20 years, two decades since he had left his family buried in unmarked graves and set off on his own. 20 years of fighting and clawing to make a name for himself in this world. He could almost see his parents sitting across from him. His father’s broad shoulders and kind face, his mother’s wiry muscled frame and wild blond hair. In his mind’s eye they were happy and smiling. He wondered if they would be celebrating his successes or ringing his neck for his life choices. But what was the point in dwelling on the opinions of people who had been dead for more of his life than they have been breathing for.
Crocodile snarled at the man that pulled out a chair and sat next to him as if joining a dear friend. Dragon just shot him an unimpressed look.
“The fuck are you doing here?”
“Had something to settle with the old man before heading back to the Grand Line.”
“I really don’t care, I meant what are you doing here at this table?”
“What is it so wrong with a man sitting with an old friend to have a drink?” Crocodile really wasn’t in the mood for this fanatic tonight.
“We aren’t friends.” He tried to lace as much bite as possible into the words. Dragon just took a long sip of whatever he was drinking.
“Maybe not, but you are the only one here who isn’t going to bitch at me about my life choices.” As if on que Crocodile saw Rouge shooting the man next to him a glare before being distracted by another patron.
When Crocodile woke up in bed with Dragon the next morning, he chalked it up to yet another in a long line of questionable life choices.
When he found out he was pregnant two months later he decided the universe just hated him.
“I need help.” His aunt almost dropped the glass she had been cleaning and stared up in shock.
“Well, that’s unexpected. The great Sir Crocodile asking little old me for help.”
“I need somewhere to lie low for a while. I figured you would know somewhere.” Rouge frowned setting the glass aside to look him dead in the eye.
“You in some kind of trouble?” Crocodile ran a hand through his hair.
“I’m pregnant. Dragon is the father.” Rouge blinked at him.
“Does he know?”
“Yeah, I figured if our situations were reversed, I would want to know. I told him I was gonna let him know where I was going to lie low so he could meet his kid if he wanted before I move on.” Rouge nodded.
“I have a friend on Drum. There is a ship leaving in a couple days, they can take you there without alerting anyone.” She reached out and took his hand squeezing it. “I will keep in touch and my friend is reliable and tight lipped.” Crocodile felt like a small child again clinging to his aunt for comfort. But instead of pulling away like he normally would he allowed the contact to give him strength.
Kureha was clearing the crying child as Crocodile watched from the small bed. The woman was gruff and blunt, but he had taken an instant liking to her. And she was a damn good doctor. She wrapped the now clean child in a clean blanket before walking back to hand them over.
“Congratulations you have a healthy son.” Crocodile felt the child in his arms calm and stare at him with large brown eyes. He held his son feeling more alive than he had in years. He hadn’t heard from Dragon in the last 7 months and he was grateful of that. This child was HIS and his alone and he would keep him safe.
Dragon stared at the vice admiral sitting across from him in the open-air café. The man was known for being ruthless and cold but not stupid.
“Wanted criminal Monkey D. Dragon. I am surprised to see you here, I had heard you were smarter than this.” Dragon snorted he knew that they were both aware that they couldn’t afford a fight here. It was too densely populated and well connected of a city. Hence why Dragon had approached the man here.
“Vice admiral Sakazuki, I hear you have a colleague of mine.”
“If you are talking about wanted terrorist Emperio Ivankov then yes. My men apprehended him three days ago. If you are here to try and threaten me, you are wasting your time.”
“I am not here for threats. I am here to barter, my man for some information.” Sakazuki laughed.
“What information could you possibly have that we would want.”
“I have the location of wanted pirate Crocodile. He should have given birth to a child over the last few days that bears the Will of the D.”
Crocodile woke with a start. The night was silent and still, far to still. Even in this land of eternal winter the nights were filled with the sounds of the wind through the trees and the scavenging of nocturnal creatures. But it was absolutely silent. Crocodile silently slid from the bed and up against the wall. He crept to the window and glanced out, there moving through the trees were four figures in familiar uniforms. Crocodile swore in his mind as he slid back along the wall taking the sleeping child from the crib and gently placing him under the bed.
Once his son was secure, he reached for the knife he had left by the head of the bed and made his way to the door pressing himself flush with the wall. The was a soft jiggling sound followed by a click as the lock was picked then the door swung in slowly. The first man walked in rifle raised, two of his companions fast on his heels. As the third man entered Crocodile sprung. The jolt as the blade struck bone as he plunged it into the back of the nearest man’s neck almost made him lose his grip. He managed to spin the body shoving the bleeding man against the door. It flew shut as he slumped against it, the remaining marine trying to get the door open around the corpse of his comrade.
The two still in the small house spun. One of them dropped his rifle and unsheathed his sword springing at Crocodile with a yell. Crocodile could use a knife and in a pinch a sword, but he was no swordsman. Luckily neither was his assailant. He was able to block several clumsy swings before the man swung too hard and lost his balance. As he fell Crocodile drove the knife up letting the man’s momentum bury the blade to the hilt in his skull.
The sound of crying made him look up. The third marine had managed to flip the small bed and expose the wailing baby. The man raised his arm, metal glinting in the moonlight. Crocodile released his blade and lounged. White hot searing pain sliced across his face and arm. Then the world went red.
When he came back to himself, he was outside in the snow straddling the last marine. His right hand was wrapped around the now dead man’s skull. His thumb shoved deep into one of the man’s eye sockets. Something heavy, warm, and metallic was on his tongue and he could feel blood covering his face. He raised his arm to wipe the blood and gore from his eyes, only to discover that his left hand was gone, sliced clean through part of the way down his forearm. He hurriedly tore a chunk of cloth from the uniform of the man beneath him and tied it around the oozing stump as best he could.
He made his way back into the house in a daze¸ his heart in his throat. He was filled with relief when he heard the wail. His son was still nestled in the blankets next to the overturned bed. The marine that had meant to slaughter him was laying on the ground in a pool of blood. The metallic taste suddenly made sense when he saw that the dead man’s throat had been torn out. Crocodile fell to his knees next to the still crying baby. There was red streaked across his small face but he seemed unhurt. Crocodile gingerly lifted him with his good arm and made his way into the night.
Kureha turned ghostly pale when she answered the door but quickly ushered them in.
Crocodile crept through the dense forest two days later to take stock of the house and the men that would probably still be lying dead there. He froze, still in the line of trees. A tall hulking figure in a vice admiral’s uniform was standing examining the scene with a grim expression. Crocodile recognized Garp, he had only met the man a couple of times, but he wasn’t the sort of person you easily forget. As he watched the alpha let out a furious roar and kicked one of the corpses. Crocodile made a decision while looking at the scene and turned back.
“Are you out of your fucking mind.” Kureha was watching him hands on hips as he gathered what little equipment he had. “You are down a hand, at least a liter of blood, and have a baby that is barely three days old. Where are you going to go?”
“There were only two people besides you who knew where I was. And I know my aunt would die before giving my location away. So that leaves my son's father and I don't plan to wait here and see if the marines send more people to finish the job. Don’t worry the child will be safe and I am going to go far, far away.” The woman sighed heavily before turning to shove several things into a small bag.
“Fine at least take this. Some bandages and antiseptic to dress the wound, antibiotics to stop it from festering, and some medicine for the pain.” Crocodile let the beta place the bag’s strap around his neck before he picked up his son.
“Thank you, for everything.” Kureha looked tired as she looked the man over.
“For your aunt’s sake if nothing else, take care of yourself.” Crocodile nodded before turning and leaving the house.
Finding where Garp was staying hadn’t been hard. The town was abuzz with talk of the massive marine who had blown into town the day before with murder in his eyes. Crocodile stood outside the inn holding his son. He wasn’t meant to be a parent, he could still taste the marine’s blood on his tongue when he shut his eyes and feel the rush manic joy killing them had given him. He was violent and twisted and this child deserved so much more than he could ever give him. He bent his face to his son’s head inhaling his child’s scent one last time before striding forward.
Garp had answered the door to his room on the second knock. The man looked like he had been through hell. His eyes bruised and bloodshot. He seemed to sag when he saw Crocodile.
“You’re alive. I hoped you survived when I didn’t find a body, but I tried not to be too optimistic.”
“I am down a hand and my face has seen better days but yes, I am alive. No thanks to your son.” Garp’s flinch reaffirmed Crocodile’s suspicions. “Tell me, what did my location buy him?” Garp’s voice was full of emotion when he answered.
“Emperio Ivankov’s safe return.” Crocodile felt a hysterical laugh burst from his mouth.
“He would find that a fair trade, wouldn’t he? Anything for the cause, right?”
“I came as soon as I heard. I thought I had arrived too late, but you and the child are alive. I can bring you both somewhere safe, somewhere no one can find you.” Crocodile forced his heart to harden before he responded.
“I don’t need anything from you, old man, least of all your protection. I came to leave your son’s bastard with you and then I will be on my way.” The omega held out the bundle in his good arm. Garp hesitated.
“You had multiple opportunities to get rid of him if you didn’t want him. You could have terminated the pregnancy. I know you have no reason to believe me, but I know people that can keep you both safe.” Crocodile forced as much venom as he could into his voice as he responded.
“You don’t know me. This child is nothing but a hinderance to me. If you don’t want him, I will leave on someone’s doorstep. Maybe they will hear his cries before he freezes to death.” Garp growled snatching the baby from Crocodile’s arms. As Crocodile turned away Garp spoke again.
“Why me? Why leave him with me?”
“My aunt says you are a good man and Dragon hates you.”
“If you ever change your mind, you can contact me at any time. Rouge knows how to get ahold of me.”
“I won’t.” Crocodile had his hand on the door when Garp spoke again.
“What’s his name.” Crocodile froze, this child would be safer with nothing Crocodile had given him.
“I don’t feel the need to name him. You can call him whatever you want.”
Rouge’s eyes were full of sadness as she looked at him. Crocodile kept his expression completely blank under her scrutiny.
“Are you sure?”
“I owe you a goodbye, that’s the only reason I am here. That and to pick up my inheritance.” Rouge bit her lip before turning and disappearing into the storeroom. She came back several minutes later a bundle of papers under her arm.
“These are all the documents you should need. They left everything in Rainbase for you.” Crocodile took the pile of papers and a large metal key from her. “You are making a mistake. It’s not too late, Garp has found a place not too far from Loguetown for the boy.”
“Enough.” Crocodile felt his heart clench. Maybe she was right, and it wasn’t too late. Then the image of blood covering his infant son and the taste of copper burned through him. “I am one of the most feared pirates in the Grand Line. I am well on my way to becoming powerful and untouchable. I plan to use what was left to me to reach my goals. I don’t need some snot nosed brat slowing me down.”
“If you set out on this path it is going to end with you rotting in Impel Down or with your head on a pike at Marineford.” Crocodile turned away.
“Maybe, or maybe not. Only time will tell.”
Two years, it felt like yesterday that he had started his plans in Alabasta and yet here he was walking through the halls of Navy HQ following a nervous sweating little peon. When they reached the conference room several heads turned to face him. A young man, barely older than a boy, with a goatee and huge sword gave him a quick once over before going back to reading something. Crocodile didn’t recognize him. A massive fishman nodded a respectful acknowledgment before going back to talking to the monstrous man next to him. Those two must by Jinbe and Bartholomew Kuma. A ridiculously tall alpha was lounging across the table much to the annoyance of Sengoku who was glaring at him. The blonde man looked Crocodile up and down before his face split in a predatory grin. He slid off the table and walked right up the Crocodile.
“So, you are the new blood, huh? Not bad. If you need anyone to show you around or help you with anything, anything at all I would be more than happy to be of service.” Crocodile scoffed shoving the larger man out of the way with his hook.
“If I needed an overconfident alpha drooling on me, I would find one with less atrocious fashion sense.” As Crocodile took a seat, he caught the man with the sword looking up from his book, he shot Crocodile an amused smile. The tall pink clad man stood still for several seconds before throwing his head back and laughing. He sauntered over and took the seat right next to Crocodile, scooting over until their chairs were touching.
“Pretty and sharp tongued. I think you and I are going to get along famously.” Crocodile ignored him and tried to focus as Sengoku began talking.
When he let the alpha corner him after the meeting and lead him into an empty room, he told himself it was because he was bored. When he let the man buy him dinner later and shove him down on a bed on his ship, he told himself it was because he was lonely. After two years of letting the alpha cling to him he told himself it was just easier to let Doflamingo have what he wanted. Besides having the man at his beck and call had its advantages and he was good in bed.