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.
Law gasped heavily for air as the Ash-Ash Fruit user tossed him around like a ragdoll. He was still recovering from his previous wounds against Vergo. Eric laughed as he heated the ash around Law's neck, causing Law to scream. "GAH!"
"Continue screaming, Trafalgar Law," Eric laughed. "I want Crocodile to hear your screams so that he'll fight me and I can kill him once and for all!"
"Room!" Law managed to say. "Countershock!" He placed his two thumbs on Eric's chest, shocking him with electricity.
Eric dropped Law and stumbled back a bit. "You're gonna regret that!"
XXX
Aura stopped. "What's wrong?" Sanji asked.
"Vergo's fighting someone…" Aura whispered. "It's Smoker and he's losing!"
Crocodile sucked in his breath and sighed. "We'll go and save Smoker but then Smoker has to go help Law against Eric,"
Aura nodded. "Let's go!"
XXX
"Vergo!" Aura shouted. "Let Smoker go!"
"Aura?" Vergo tossed Smoker aside.
"You don't have to fight us!" Aura said. "Please just stop, Vergo!"
Vergo shook his head. "My loyalty is to the family, not to the Marines,"
"Diable Jambe!" Sanji's foot caught fire and he charged towards Vergo. "Joue Shoot!" He kicked at Vergo's cheek.
Vergo was faster and dodged, kneeing Sanji with an armament-covered knee. He then grabbed the collar of Sanji's shirt, punching him in the face before tossing him against the wall like he did with Smoker. Aura charged towards him with an Armament Haki-imbued sword. Vergo covered his arm with Haki and blocked it.
"Sandstorm Burden!" Crocodile attempted to throw a mass of dense sand at Vergo.
Vergo used his bamboo stick and spun it to block. "Do you honestly think that you can win against me?"
Aura helped Smoker up. "Smoker, these two will be fine. We need to help Law; he's fighting Eric by himself!"
"As much as I hate helping a pirate, I do owe him," Smoker mumbled.
XXX
"Eric!" Aura shouted with her armament sword ready to swing. "Let Law go!"
Eric turned to her. "Eh? Where's Croc?" He then frowned. "Don't tell me he's fighting Vergo! He's supposed to be my opponent damn it!" He sighed. "Guess I'll have to kill you three first," His arm turned into a blade of ashes.
"Law!" Aura held up the said man's heart.
"Room!" Law recited.
"I don't think so!" Eric threw ashes at both Aura and Law. Some ashes landed on Law's heart and Eric smirked, heating the ash up.
"GAH!" Law screamed in pain. "Room!" Aura quickly dusted the ash off. "Shambles!" He got his heart back and put it back into his chest.
XXX
Vergo had been defeated, finally knocked unconscious due to the combined efforts of Sanji and Crocodile. Vergo had been so pissed off that he imbued his whole body with Haki. It was tough, but the two managed to defeat him. Sanji and Crocodile joined the others. Law, Smoker, and Aura were the last ones to join, dragging a tram with them.
"Mugiwara-ya," Law called.
"Torao! Smokey!" Luffy greeted. "There you are!"
"It's Trafalgar Law!" G-5 exclaimed. They then noticed Smoker and Aura. "Hey, it's Smokey and Aura-chan! Thank goodness you're okay!"
Crocodile noticed the hole. "Mugiwara, who did you send flying?"
"I sent Caesar flying down that way, along with the door," Luffy answered with a smile.
"You promised that you'd kidnap him!" Law growled.
"But I don't want to catch that guy anymore," Luffy frowned.
"Even if you don't want to, that was the plan," Law pointed out.
"I already warned you that you shouldn't bother with creating a plan," Crocodile reminded.
All of the Marines were rushing into the tram. "Hey, what are you doing, Mugiwara-ya's crew!?" Law exclaimed when he noticed they weren't getting on. "Get on, all of you!"
"Crocodile what are you doing!?" Aura exclaimed.
"The rest of the crew isn't here yet," Crocodile pointed out.
"And all of our subordinates aren't accounted for either," Tashigi added.
They all stared at the approaching gas and the metal doors closing. "LUFFY!" Chopper shouted.
"There they are!" Luffy grinned.
The group all made it through, the door closing completely right after Brook got passed it. "We made it!" Chopper cheered.
"Alright, everyone's here!" Luffy said. "Anyway, this place is gonna blow! Everyone get on!"
XXX
"Croc put a shirt on!" Aura said, throwing her cloak at him. "It's snowing out there!"
"Not my fault I was kidnapped when we were on the blazing hot side of the island," Crocodile defended. "It was so hot I might've turned into glass!"
"You're acting very different from the last time we saw you, Crocodile," Tashigi commented.
"Blame Mugiwara!" Crocodile accusingly pointed to his captain. "He's a terrible influence!"
"At least you're not wanting to take over Alabasta anymore," Aura said. "That's an improvement,"
Without her cloak on, Aura's cleavage was more visible from the top of her shirt. G-5 soldiers were drooling at the sight. "Aura-chan's so pretty,"
Crocodile glared at the soldiers. "If you keep on staring her like that I will gouge your eyes out with my hook!"
"Crocodile, you have two hands now," Aura reminded.
"The hook is on the ship," Crocodile informed. "It's pure gold except for the poisonous part and costed me a lot of beri,"
"Pure gold you say?" Nami had overheard their conversation.
XXX
The tram soared in the air for a few seconds before falling. The gas had been blown away by Nami so they weren't petrified. "There you guys are!" Franky said from within his General Franky suit. "I've gotten tired of waiting!"
"Look at that!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper exclaimed. "It's the General!"
"It's a robot!" The boy and G-5 soldiers all stared in amazement. "It's the ultimate! How cool! It's a man's dream!"
"I prefer dead bodies and skeletons as decor," Crocodile said.
"I'm not décor!" Brook growled.
"Never meant you, Brook," Crocodile told him. "I meant the skeletons of the people I killed,"
Law recognized the two extra figures. "Buffalo? And you're Baby 5!"
"Law!?" Baby 5 exclaimed. "Are you really going against Joker?"
"You traitor!" Buffalo accused. "Joker was saving the Seat of Hearts for you!"
"Who're they?" Luffy asked. "Are they your friends?"
"No, they're the enemy," Law answered.
Baby 5 and Buffalo snatched Caesar before starting to fly away. "The entire Straw Hat Crew and the Navy's G-5 unit! We can't defeat them all,"
"What's going on, Baby 5?" Caesar managed to say.
"In any case, we need to take Caesar to the young master," Baby 5 told Buffalo.
"They just took Caesar and ran away!" Usopp said. "Alright, leave it to me! Flying enemies are the sniper's job,"
"Damn those guys," Law was about to create a Room when Luffy stopped him.
"Oi, Usopp said to leave it to him," Luffy assured.
"Don't underestimate our sniper just because his nose is long," Zoro said.
"There's no need to mention my long nose!" Usopp snapped.
"Don't be an idiot!" Law refused. "If they somehow got away, the plan would—"
"You made an alliance with us, right?" Nami asked. "Weren't you watching just now? I wish you'd put a bit more faith in us,"
"What alliance?" Zoro asked.
"Apparently we're now in an alliance with Trafalgar Law," Daz said.
"All I've been doing is running," Nami said. "I want to start attacking. I'm not afraid of an enemy that's far away and has lost the will to fight,"
"Furthermore, if the enemy's injured and has their back turned, I can handle him!" Usopp added.
"Just hurry up and get it done," Zoro hurried them.
"Can't you just fly up and snatch Caesar back?" Aura asked Crocodile.
"I could but Luffy wants them to do it," Crocodile shrugged. "It'd be much quicker if I got him back but he's the captain,"
Nami threw a weather egg at the three, the egg hatching above the enemies. Lightning struck them, causing them to start falling. Usopp fired a Chomping Grass towards them, hitting Buffalo. The rubble just flew through Caesar but the seastone handcuffs tied around him.
XXX
Chopper suddenly came running from the SAD tanker, crying. "Luffy, stop him!"
"Huh? Stop who?" Luffy asked.
"H-H-He's a murderer!" Chopper shouted.
"What? Murderer?" Brook accidentally knocked Kin'emon's petrified body down, much to his horror. "AH! I'm a murderer too!"
"Who's a murderer?" Luffy questioned.
"It's Law!" Chopper yelled.
"Chopper, I doubt that Law would murder the children," Crocodile said.
"I saw him!" Chopper argued before walking towards the room they were in. "Law! Get out here, Law! Just what were you doing to the children!? If anything has happened to them then I…"
"That's why I told you not to look," Law responded. "I was just slicing up their bodies. They've been fed narcotics. Their recovery will be long and hard, there's no way around that,"
"AH!" Chopper screamed, rushing into the room.
"You put them back together though, right?" Crocodile asked.
"Of course," Law replied.
A couple minutes later, Sanji had finished cooking. "Newkama Kenpo Secret Technique, 99th Vital Recipe! Let's revive your cold and tired bodies! Hormone Soup with Sea Pig!" After a conversation between Sanji, Momonosuke, and Kin'emon, everyone gathered around the pot for some food, including the G-5 soldiers. "What happened to the line between good and evil, you jerks!?"
"It's a truce, bro," The soldiers said.
Aura chuckled at their behavior. "The food smells too good for them to resist,"
"Okay then, why don't you guys go get some booze from the tanker?" Zoro suggested, pointing at the wrong direction.
"With pleasure," G-5 agreed.
"And juice!" The kids added.
"Guys!" Luffy got everyone's attention towards him. "New enemies are on their way. So hurry up…and party!"
Law stared in shock at Luffy, jaw dropped. Crocodile patted Law's back. "Daz and I were like you two years ago. Don't worry, you'll get used to it,"
Everyone enjoyed the food Sanji cooked and the music Brook played. Fang was curled up in Aura's lap. "She likes you," Crocodile smirked, sitting beside her with two bowls of soup, handing one to his friend.
"Vice-Admiral Smokey!" The Navy soldiers approached Smoker, who sat not too far from Aura and Crocodile. "We're gonna go back inside,"
"What's wrong?" Smoker asked.
"We made Caesar spill the weakness of the poison gas," They explained. "Our nakama are still alive and we can still save them!"
"Why are you still alive, Smoker?" Caesar, who had two clamps on his cheeks, asked.
"Let's go you guys!" The soldiers then left.
"They respect you yet they call you Smokey instead of Smoker," Crocodile said.
"Hmph, as if you'd know anything about subordinates respecting you," Smoker commented. "They all feared you I bet,"
"Daz still follows me," Crocodile claimed.
"One follower out of how many?" Smoker rebutted.
"Shut up,"
Smoker then turned to Law who was sitting on a crate on the pirate side of the line. "Law, there's no way that you believed that I'd keep a promise to a pirate like you. If you really wanted to silence me, then you had plenty of chances to kill me. What are you planning on using Mugiwara to do?"
Law smirked. "Use? Who's the one that's being used?" He finished up his soup. "There's no real reason why I let you live, White Hunter," He stood up. "By the way, I plan on heading to Green Bit. I wonder if the Straw Hat Crew is too much for me to handle,"
"It is," Crocodile interrupted. "Trust me, if you spend too much time with them Mugiwara Syndrome starts to infect you,"
"Mugiwara Syndrome?" Aura questioned.
"When you start to act out of character and integrate with the crew," Crocodile informed.
Law said nothing and just walked over to where Buffalo, Baby 5, and Caesar were.
"Hey Soul King," Aura called.
"What is it Aura-san?" Brook walked over to them.
"Let Crocodile sing a song," Aura smirked.
Crocodile choked on his soup. "Aura I don't sing!"
"Yes you do," Aura said. "You're able to change the pitch of your voice pretty well too. You used to get Rocinante to create a sound barrier so no one but you, him, and Al could hear inside the room, but you never noticed when I snuck in. Seriously, your Observation Haki sucked at that time,"
"You have no proof," Crocodile defended.
"I printed several copies of the lyrics for a song you sang that I liked most," Aura handed a bunch of papers out to the Straw Hats and the Marines. "But I don't suggest letting Garp-san hear it since it's about finding the One Piece. Sometimes I wonder where you find these songs,"
"Come on Croco-bro, sing!" Franky urged.
Crocodile refused. "If you were fully human, I would absorb all the moisture in your body and turn you into a mummy,"
"Then let's all sing along!" Luffy suggested. "Come aboard and bring along all your hopes and dreams!"
"Together, we will find everything that we're looking for…" The rest of the Straw Hats joined in. "One Piece!"
"Come on Crocodile!" Chopper urged.
"Yeah Croc!" Fang agreed.
Crocodile sighed and reluctantly joined in. "Compass left behind. It'll only slow us down. Your heart will be your guide. Raise the sails and take the helm,"
"Sand-niichan is a great singer!" The kids said to each other.
"Everyone!" Luffy shouted. "Sing along!"
Looking to each other, the G-5 Marines didn't know what to do. Aura nodded towards them and they too began to sing. Even Smoker and Law started to hum to the tune but they refused to sing.
XXX
The tanker was finally fixed. "I thought you guys were going to use it," Smoker said to Luffy.
"Nah," Luffy said with a grin. "Nami, Chopper, and Crocodile said that they refuse to set sail until they've made sure the kids are off safely,"
"Crocodile?" Smoker questioned.
"Croc's a real great guy now," Luffy assured. "He's not a jerk like he was back in Alabasta. I can't be bothered to wait for another Navy ship to come here anyway, so use that to take the kids,"
"Get on the ship, kids!" G-5 called. "We're taking you home!"
The kids happily ran to the SAD tanker. "Now, there's no need to rush," Tashigi said. "One at a time,"
"Take care!" Brook waved.
"Hey, hey, Straw Hats!" A soldier painted a new line. "Don't even think of crossing it! This is the line between good and evil,"
"Understand?" Another soldier piped up. "Don't come any closer!"
"I'm still on this side of the line," Crocodile reminded.
"Then get on the evil side!" One soldier went up to Crocodile.
Crocodile glared down at him. "Who are you to order me around?"
"N-Nevermind…" The soldier backed away.
"Again?" Luffy questioned. "Weren't we just partying together?"
"Don't be an idiot!" The G-5 soldier said. "In regards to that, we are really grateful for the food. But you guys are pirates, a shame on all humanity!"
The sound of a loud horn was heard. "It looks like they're about to set off," Sanji noted.
G-5 all held up a bunch of white sheets with the Navy symbol painted on it. "What's this all about?" Aura asked, confused.
"Big sis Nami?" The kids called. "Chopper-chan? Where's the robot? Huh? Where'd all the pirate guys go?"
"Get out of the way, you guys," Sanji said to the soldiers. "You're being annoying,"
"Aura, what the hell is wrong with your men?" Crocodile asked.
"I'm not sure," Aura frowned.
"It's a barrier!" The soldiers explained. "Don't look at the pirates!"
"You guys are pretty much pirates yourselves, G-5," Franky said.
"But it looks like they're all safely on board," Nami sighed in relief.
"Hey!" The kids continued shouting. "Big Bro! Sand-niichan! Lady!"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" The soldiers yelled at the kids.
"Oi," Crocodile warned the soldiers.
"We are justice!" The soldiers declared. "We kill all pirates who endanger civilians! Pirates are the scum of the world! We are justice! Don't let the kids lay eyes on them!"
"Lady!" The kids moved to try to see the Straw Hats. "Robo! Sand-niichan!"
But the soldiers continued to block the view of the pirates. "No! No! You're not allowed to look! Don't let them see!"
"Get out of the way!" The kids demanded. "We can't see!"
"Don't look at them, you brats!" The soldiers ordered.
"From their yelling it sounds like they're doing well," Chopper deduced.
"They said that Vegapunk is gonna help them with the candy problems," Nami informed.
"Don't look at the trashy pirates!" The soldiers commanded. "Your eyes will rot! We won't let that happen! We are justice! We are justice!"
"Swirly guy!" The kids called. "You're in the way, Navy! Please move!"
A soldier fired a shot above the kids. "Any of you who want to say goodbye to a pirate is a bad kid! Anyone who says thanks will be thrown off the boat and left on the island!"
"Now that's too far!" Crocodile snapped, grabbing the Marine and throwing him to the ground. "What kind of justice are you bastards supposed to be if you are threatening kids!?"
"You guys are pirates!" They shouted. "We are justice!"
"Justice?" Crocodile scoffed. "Justice protects people and yet here you are, threatening children!"
"The Navy is good and pirates are bad!" They continued.
Crocodile turned his hand to sand. "I'll slaughter every single one of you,"
"Crocodile wait," Aura said. "Soldiers, I demand an explanation!"
"Aura-chan, if we don't keep insulting them…" Tears were in the soldiers' eyes. They dropped the barrier and fell to their knees. "We'll end up…actually liking these outlaws! E-Even though they're pirates!"
Smoker face palmed at his subordinates' behavior. Crocodile returned his hands to normal. "I don't care whether you guys hate on me or not,"
"What weird Marines!" Luffy laughed.
XXX
The SAD tanker started to sail away. "Hey everyone!" The kids waved. "Thanks for saving us! When we grow up we're definitely…gonna become pirates!"
"No you won't!" The soldiers screamed.
"Don't become pirates!" Crocodile shouted. Everyone stared at him, shocked that he would say that. "Be someone who would protect their friends and fight for their freedom!"
The kids nodded in understanding. "We will, Sand-niichan!"
"Well then, let's get going," Luffy said, heading to the Thousand Sunny.
"Guess this is goodbye, Aura," Crocodile placed a hand on Aura's head. "Still taller than you,"
Aura responded by kicking Crocodile in the stomach with Haki. Crocodile fell to the ground. "I'll miss you too, Croc,"
"I wish that we didn't have to say goodbye, Aura-swan!" Sanji swooned, dragging Crocodile with him to the Thousand Sunny.
"Hey," Zoro asked as they all were boarding the Sunny. "Is that guy coming with us?" He pointed to Law.
"Oh yeah, we haven't told you about the alliance," Usopp recalled. "Luffy is making trouble again,"
I attempted to write fighting scenes but it was too confusing with all the attack names. It was very messy so I decided the story would be better if I removed wha tI wrote about it.
Croc's bounty poster picture still hasn't been updated so people usually won't recognize him unless they see his Devil Fruit.
Kudos to people who know the song they sang.
