Crocodile Tears

Title: Crocodile Tears
Rating: T
Fandom: One Piece
Summary: [Alternative Ending to The Tale of Crocodile and Alligator] Alligator died at the War of Marineford, protecting Luffy. His last request was for Crocodile and Daz Bones to join the Straw Hat Pirates. He wanted Crocodile to learn how to care about others again.

Lightning flashed across the dark clouded sky. The waves crashed into each other. Thunder boomed throughout the area. "Go!" Luffy shouted.

Chopper held onto the railing, dizzy from the rough waves. Crocodile grabbed Chopper and rushed inside the cabin.

"Hey, hey!" Usopp called.

"Wait a second!" Brook panicked. "What's going to happen to us!?"

"This is no problem for the Sunny!" Franky assured.

"Yahoo!" Luffy cheered as the ship flew into the air.

"I don't remember the sea ever being this rough!" Crocodile shouted.

"What's that?" Zoro asked, looking straight ahead.

"What!? Impossible!" Nami said.

"A red sea?" Robin questioned.

"Boss and I have never encountered a red sea before," Daz told them. "Nor have we heard of that island," He pointed to the volcano erupting.

"It's a mystery island then!" Luffy said happily. "Let's drop anchor at that island!"

"WHAT!?"

"Wait, Luffy!" Nami protested. "I knew it…None of the Log Pose's needles point to that island!"

"Why are you hiding in there!?" Sanji demanded from the ex-Shichibukai.

"Water is bad for me!" Crocodile reminded.

"Coward!"

"Those are volcanoes!" Luffy argued with Nami. "Volcanoes! Doesn't it look fun? Why wouldn't we go?" The volcano erupted once more. "Another eruption!" He rushed to the railing. "We can see it right there! Who cares about the needles? We're dropping anchor no matter what you say!"

"No way!" Nami refused. "We can't get any closer than this! I mean, it's a sea of fire!" But Luffy only grinned wider. "I don't get you!"

"Great, now I'll be turned into glass," Crocodile slumped into a seat. "Chopper, are you alright?"

"I'm just a bit dizzy and seasick," Chopper told him.

"Isn't that the giant shellfish we got from Panz Fry?" Usopp asked when Sanji put a leg on top of the said food.

"I was just thinking, since the sea is on fire, it'd be a waste not to take the chance to cook this," Sanji claimed.

"Sanji! How can you be so relaxed!?" Chopper exclaimed from inside.

"This fire…" Usopp realized.

"This ship is wooden…" Crocodile also realized it too. "The Thousand Sunny will catch fire!"

"No!" Franky denied. "The Sunny is super-fireproof!"

"Even if it shouldn't burn, there's something wrong with this sea!" Nami said. "Look at the fish! They're nothing but bones!"

"What? Did you call me?" Brook asked and Nami only sighed.

Crying was heard and sounded throughout the ship. "W-What is that sound?" Everyone rushed inside to the Den-Den Mushi. "Hey, what's this? The Snail Phone is crying—Croc did you make it cry!?"

"I told you I'm an animal lover!" Crocodile shouted. "Snails are animals too!"

"Hey, what's wrong!?" Luffy asked the snail. "Does your stomach hurt?"

"Mugiwara," Crocodile sighed, pushing him aside. "It's an emergency signal. Then again, less than half of the emergency signals are real…"

"But what if someone is really in trouble!" Luffy argued.

"Since I already learned that you're stubborn," Crocodile answered the call. "This is Mr. 0. What do you want?"

"Please, help me!"

"What's wrong!? You're making this poor snail cry!" Crocodile growled.

"It's freezing…Is that you, boss?"

"Last I checked, Baroque Works was gone," Crocodile recalled. "So no, I'm not your boss,"

"My companions keep getting cut down. The samurai's gonna kill us all!"

"Samurai?" Zoro questioned.

Luffy snatched the transceiver from Crocodile. "Hey, what's your name!? Where are you!?"

"It doesn't matter who I am, just save me! I'm on…Punk Hazard!"

The snail then coughed up blood. "He was killed!" Chopper and Usopp screamed.

"Punk Hazard?" Daz questioned. "Is that the name of the island we're near?"

"Probably," Crocodile nodded.

"He could've been acting," Robin said. "This could all be a trap,"

"She keeps her composure!" Brook sang. "Come on, Robin-san!"

"He said samurai, Brook," Zoro said.

"Yes…it must be one of those samurai," Brook strummed. "The name of the swordsmen from the Wano Kingdom,"

"Wano Kingdom?" Daz questioned.

"The Wano Kingdom is an isolated nation which never lets outsiders enter," Brook explained. "It doesn't even have any ties to the World Government. Apparently the swordsmen called samurai are so strong even the Navy won't approach them,"

"But he said he was in Punk Hazard, not the Wano Kingdom," Franky said.

"That island is the only one within range of a baby snail," Robin told them as they all went back outside.

"Alright, let's go save that guy!" Luffy declared.

"No!"

"Luffy, think about it! Chances are, we're already too late!"

"Samurai are scary!"

"I'm scared too!"

"Cowards," Crocodile sneered.

"Says the one afraid of getting wet from the waves," Sanji said. Crocodile jumped over the deck's railing. "I didn't mean for you to jump into the sea! Did you forget you're a Devil Fruit user!? Idiot!"

But Crocodile came back onto the deck a few seconds later. Only his arms and sleeves were wet. He was holding a baby Bananawani that had a gash across its snout. "Chopper, please help her!"

"Bring her to my office quickly!" Chopper hurried.

XXX

"So who's going to the island?" Sanji asked. "As long as we have doubts that what we heard on the Den-Den Mushi is real, we shouldn't all leave the ship,"

"I'll stay here with the Bananawani," Crocodile offered.

"Oi, just because you helped to save Fishman Island doesn't mean we can trust you on the ship alone," Zoro said.

Crocodile glared at him. "I am not staying to just protect the Sunny. I am staying to protect Fang,"

"Franky, send out the Mini Merry!" Luffy ordered.

"Wait a second! Are you planning on going alone?" Nami asked her captain.

"You got a problem with that?" Luffy queried.

"Of course I do! Who knows where you'll run off to if we leave you alone!?" Nami answered.

"At least he won't get lost like Roronoa," Daz said.

"What's that!?" Zoro growled.

"Okay then!" Sanji said. "We'll need someone other than Little Lost Swordsies here to accompany him,"

"And what's that supposed to mean!?" Zoro shouted. "I'm gonna slice you up, Ero Cook!"

While the Swirly Brow and the Marimo were arguing, Franky agreed to accompany Luffy. "It sounds fun," Robin agreed.

"I-Is it okay if we sit this one out?" Usopp stuttered.

"I guess there's no helping it," Nami said. "Let's draw straws! Nobody has any complaints about that, right?"

"I'm staying no matter what you say so I won't draw," Crocodile said.

The ones that were going were Luffy, Daz, Zoro, and Robin. "Milky Road!" Nami swung her Clima Tact and produced a trail of clouds.

"Awesome! She made a pathway of clouds!" Luffy exclaimed. "You've learned to make that stuff that they used back on Sky Island?"

"It's just clouds, so you'd better cross it while it's still stable," Nami told him.

"Got it!" Luffy nodded.

XXX

"Oh, we've climbed above the flames! This is fun!" Luffy said. "Now we can get past the sea of flames!"

"Good thing Boss didn't come along," Daz folded his arms and looked down to the sea of flames. "He'd most likely be turned to glass. At least these flames are not as hot as the ones in Impel Down,"

"Yeah, it's much cooler than Impel Down!" Luffy agreed.

"Will these clouds last until we head back?" Usopp asked worriedly.

"Good thing the rain stopped too," Luffy looked up to the sky.

"Perfect weather for scouting," Robin smiled.

"But it's so hot," Usopp whined.

"Would you rather it be the flames of Impel Down's Burning Hell?" Daz Bones asked.

"N-No!" Usopp shook his head frantically. "I'm fine with these flames!"

XXX

"Nami-san, does that cloud reach all the way to the island?" Brook asked.

"I don't know," Nami shrugged. "But I'm sure Luffy will manage somehow,"

"Nami-san, that's so harsh!" Brook said.

"I'm so glad I didn't have to accompany Luffy," Chopper groaned.

"CHOPPER!" Crocodile ran out with a bucket of ice water and dumped it onto the reindeer.

"Ah, that feels better," Chopper said. "Thanks Croc. How's Fang?"

"She says that her snout still hurts," Crocodile answered.

"You can understand it?" Brook asked.

"Her," Crocodile corrected. "And yes, I understand Bananawani. I've been surrounded by them for years after all,"

XXX

"Oh, I can see the erupting island!" Luffy said. "See? That's definitely the entrance!"

"Now listen, people might have lived here before," Usopp told the gang. "But there's no way they could live here now! The Den-Den Mushi must have picked up a transmission from some distant island!"

"Impossible," Daz said. "Baby Den-Den Mushi have a smaller range,"

"Robin, at least you've got to agree with me!" Usopp looked to his friends.

However, Robin and Zoro were calmly eating the lunch boxes Sanji had prepared. "It doesn't look pretty but it's surprisingly tasty,"

"You too!? Why are you eating it now!?" Usopp exclaimed.

"You're not gonna eat?" Zoro questioned.

"I couldn't swallow anything right now!" Usopp snapped.

"Looks like Mugiwara is gonna eat yours for you," Daz pointed to Luffy who was salivating while staring at Usopp's untouched boxed lunch.

"Ah, I'm having an unexpected relapse of my disease from two years ago!" Usopp said dramatically. "Hey you guys, I've got the 'I can't enter that island' disease!"

"What exactly is your role in the crew?" Daz asked. "You're just a coward,"

"He's our sniper," Robin informed her colleague.

Usopp began listing several symptoms such as headaches and chest pains, but everyone just ignored him. Within a few more minutes, they landed on Punk Hazard. "It's so hot…" Usopp commented.

Robin found a partially melted sign. "No doubt about it. This is the right place,"

"Let's get the Merry on the island," Luffy pulled on the ship while Zoro pushed. "Hey Daz, help us out here!" Daz Bones calmly walked over to them and helped to push the ship, making it much easier.

"So the emergency signal came from this place after all?" Zoro asked.

"Looks like it's forbidden to enter this island," Robin said.

"Luffy look at that!" Usopp pointed to a danger sign.

"Danger…Keep out?" Luffy read.

"See? The logos of the World Government and Navy are here!" Usopp pointed at the triangles. "Meaning, even if someone is inside, it'll be someone on the Government's side!"

"So what?" Daz Bones shifted his arms to blades. "I'll just cut them down,"

Zoro walked over to the gate and sliced it down. "Alright, it's open!" Luffy said. A few footsteps after passing the gate, Luffy was whining. "It's so hot!"

"Hey you guys! Breaking and entering is a crime!" Usopp called.

Daz turned to him. "We are pirates. We have already broken the law and we all have bounties. Breaking and entering is nothing compared to what we have already done. Didn't you guys break into Enies Lobby? Didn't you guys declare war against the World Government? And didn't your captain punch a Celestial Dragon?"

"Ah…you do have a point…" Usopp gave in.

"This place doesn't look like it was always a burning island," Robin observed. "Was it some kind of disaster? Or an accident?" They paused, staring at the burning buildings. "They weren't probably people houses. This must have been a government facility,"

"So was this place sealed off after it caught fire and became too dangerous?" Zoro asked. "Or was it a dangerous facility to begin with?"

"The fact that the Log Pose doesn't point to this island bothers me," Robin said.

"Hey!" Luffy shouted. "Guy from earlier, are you here? We've come to save you!"

"He's dead, Mugiwara," Daz said. "The snail coughed up blood,"

But Luffy being himself didn't listen. "Hey! Come out! Samurai!"

"Don't call the murderer!" Usopp told Luffy, eating his lunch.

"Did your appetite return?" Zoro questioned.

"Shut it!" Usopp snapped. "I'm drowning my sorrows!" He stuffed more food into his mouth. "Oh yeah, and this has been bothering me for a while…Didn't the guy on the Den-Den Mushi say he was freezing?"

"You've got a point," Luffy agreed. "It's so hot here, yet he said it was cold. Maybe he was an idiot?"

"What kind of reasoning is that!?"

"Could there be any cold places on this burning island?" Robin wondered.

"The other side of the island," Daz suggested. "This could be some sort of facility explosion so only this side is hot,"

XXX

"This is delicious, Sanji!" Chopper said, eating his ice cream. "I thought I was gonna melt in this heat!" He took another bite. "This helps me cool down!"

"I feel a sharp pain in my teeth!" Brook was eating the dessert too. "Perhaps I have hypersensitivity?"

"Remember that those are just Nami-san's leftovers!" Sanji shouted. "You'd better be grateful!" He then turned to Nami. "Nami-san, you get as many refills as you want!"

"Nami, is something wrong?" Franky asked.

"Well, the sky above the island is really weird now that I take a closer look at it," Nami commented. "It almost looks arctic on the far side,"

"That's impossible," Franky said.

"Crocodile," Sanji asked. "Do you want some? There's still some leftover ice cream,"

Crocodile shook his head. "I'm fine," He petted Fang, the Bananawani walking around the deck a bit. A small smile rested on his lips.

"Wow, you must really like animals," Chopper commented.

"All the Bananawani I kept in the lake of Rain Dinners were ones I rescued from poachers," Crocodile revealed.

Fang looked to Crocodile and said something. "You're the one that Mama and Papa talk about," Chopper translated. "They're from Alabasta! You rescued them when they were hatchlings!"

"That's super heartwarming!" Franky wiped away some tears.

"To think that you have a heart!" Nami added, also crying a bit.

"You bastard! You made Nami-san cry!" Sanji kicked Crocodile.

Crocodile simply turned to sand.

Sorry for the long wait! So this takes place after Fishman Island. I didn't really enjoy that arc much. There won't be much differences from the original until the fight scenes. If you're curious how Jinbei meeting Crocodile again went:

Jinbei: Crocodile!?
Crocodile: Hi Jinbei!
Jinbei: Are you smiling!?
Crocodile: I like animals. Hey, since Fishman are like half-animals, wanna join the crew? Luffy, let's get Jinbei to join the crew!
Luffy: Yosh! Great idea!
Jinbei: What the hell happened to Crocodile in the past two years!?