He hated to admit it… Blame the fall or seeing Whitebeard again after all this time. Or even his stay in Impel Down or meeting Ivankov, the bastard. He'd lost his head for a minute there, charging in like that.
Once he regained his cool however he had to concede that Straw Hat had a point. He could challenge Whitebeard later. Even assuming he somehow defeated him without interruption, he would then have to face just about everyone else on the battlefield, marines and pirates alike.
No, now was not the time. He could settle this later.
Plus, that damned Flamingo pissed him off.
He'd dreamed of a rematch. A dusty old dream occasionally entertained, but retained nevertheless.
Only now did the reality of how long ago that had been really sink in.
How much time had passed. How much Whitebeard had aged.
Weakened.
He would never have been stabbed like that before.
He could never fully measure himself against Whitebeard again.
How frustrating.
When he'd saved Fire Fist's head it was purely out of self-interest.
Going up against Whitebeard who'd just lost one of his crew was suicide, weakened as he was.
He still wanted the credit, even if there was no satisfaction in it.
Conqueror's Haki.
He was even acknowledged by Whitebeard.
Was it no good if you weren't one of the chosen?
What's more, as the situation was, his best bet was to put all the eggs in the same damn basket.
Whitebeard was weakening by the minute now, and every second they spent here was another second someone else could kill him.
The fastest way to end this was to help Straw Hat and trust he'd come through.
Trust.
He was all kinds of pissed.
Whitebeard suffered the ultimate defeat. Fire Fist lay dead and from the sounds of it another had already fallen to Blackbeard's treachery, he failed to avenge either of them and had lost his own life.
So why was he so compelled to bear witness…?
Inept idiots, the lot of them. The marines won the battle, but lost the war, Blackbeard was causing a bigger ruckus than Whitebeard was and Akainu was going back and forth with the Whitebeard pirates, each and every one of them trying and failing.
He was sick of this mess, dragging on and on. He just wanted it over and done with.
The fools should have dealt decisive blows instead of having regrets now.
If you're going to do something do it properly! Straw Hat wouldn't half-ass it like you're all currently doing!
Not even a month, yet he was already up and swinging.
Somehow, this made it official. Not the mutual agreement of the legends of the last era at the time it actually happened, but the actions of a rookie three weeks after the fact.
A new age.
Without the shadows of the legends hanging over them, the horizons seemed so much wider, the possibilities brighter.
After all, why not?
He had no ship, no money, no flag, but…
He had experience. He had power, and he had…
"Will you come with me?"
"Of course."
He felt more alive than ever.
Not friend or foe, nor ally or rival.
He didn't know what they were but there was no doubt in his mind.
They would meet again, and it was going to be interesting.
I'll see you in the New World, Straw Hat.
A/N: So, apropos of nothing I went and read through the separation, Impel Down and Marineford again and my muse decided to latch onto Crocodile. I swear my muse has ADHD or something.
Regarding the title, I went with it for the symbolism. Of sand grains, movement, time and change.