*About a month has passed since the last chapter

To Serve at his Command| Preparations

Dressed in black, the three men came, umbrellas clutched down low as to shield dry scalps from the pouring rain. With numbing fingers, Luffy held the door open for them, narrowing her stare as she watched them cross the driveway. Two of them were unfamiliar, yet the one leading was had a face she could never forget.

Mayor Iceberg…

The last she had seen of the man had been at Crocodile and Robin's wedding. While such a meeting happened just a couple of months ago, it felt strangely longer to Luffy—she could only figure it had to be due to everything that had happened since then. But one thing has remained the same, she thought as the men took shelter under the porch heading, Iceberg, Crocodile, and all the others still plan on taking on Teach…

Forcing a small smile, she met the Mayor's stare as she took to the side of the door, making way for the guests to enter. "Welcome," she greeted softly, eyes quickly glancing over to the two men shuffling to get inside. One had hair black as night with a strange bird upon his shoulder, and the other a nose oddly similar to Usopp's, prompting her to wonder if there was any chance the two were related.

"Ah, there she is," Iceberg replied before handing off his umbrella to the dark haired man behind him. When his arms began to outstretch, Luffy couldn't help but tense up at the gesture, back hitting the hallway wall. As if he were oblivious to her discomfort, the mayor took her in for a tight hug, causing her to exhale lightly and ball up her fists. "The only ray of sunlight in this place," he proceeded to say, plopping her down to the side so he could close the door.

"Is it custom to greet the help as such around here, sir?" the man with the lengthy nose commented, brow cocked up high.

Shrugging, Iceberg went to take off his coat before throwing it over a nearby rack. "Can you blame me for being happy to see a friend?"

The dark haired man sent him a coy stare before heading down the hallway a bit. "You consider everybody a friend," a strange voice said, causing Luffy to cock a brow.

That voice doesn't really match a man who looks like that, she wondered as she stared him down.

"Staring is considered rude," the voice continued on, this time leading Luffy to tilt her head when she noticed that the man's lips failed to move. Is he the one talking…?

Stepping to her side, Iceberg nudged her forward, sending one dismissive wave towards the dark haired man. "Ignore him," the mayor ordered simply. "Lucci is a strange one—doesn't speak except through that pigeon of his…ventriloquism or whatever it's called…"

Widening her stare, Luffy couldn't help but smile at the sound of that. "I've heard of those before," she replied, pushing past the older man to approach Lucci. With hands clasp together before her chest, she gazed up at the bird. "You speak through the bird?"

Lucci's own face was expressionless—almost as blank as one of Daz's common looks—but the bird seemed alert to Luffy's presence, nodding twice before chirping heftily. "Yes," he answered simply, before gently moving around her to continue his way down the hall. "Is there a fire place running?" the bird asked then, ruffling his feathers as he cocked his head back to look her way.

Blinking, the maid nodded before taking the lead, showing them to the social room already in preparation for their arrival. Zoro had a fire going fifteen minutes prior to their arrival, so the room was rather toasty by that point, and Sanji had laid out a tray of cheese and crackers, with a few bottles of wine aligning the table center to the room.

"Sir Crocodile will see to you shortly," Luffy informed the three, looking directly towards Iceberg as he took a seat upon the couch. All the hours of Tsuru spent hammering in the importance of manners seemed to pay off, with the young maid repeating everything she learned in a timely matter. "In the meanwhile," she continued on, remembering to sound as graceful as possible, "is there anything I can fetch for you?"

"Ah!" Iceberg exclaimed, leaning forward in his seat as his hands clasped together between his parted knees. "Listen to how polite this one is! I never get this treatment back at the office. Kalifa is too grumpy most times, never offers to fetch me anything besides work—work, work, work…" Exhaling, he sent an amused stare over to the long nose fellow. "That's all that woman knows."

The long-nosed man shrugged before taking a seat adjacent to the back window, eyes staring through the glass, as if he were searching for something. "Maybe you should hire on a maid or two?"

"Kalifa wouldn't like that," the bird-man replied as he took to leaning against a wall opposite to the window.

Offering another dismissive way, Iceberg said, "She's my secretary, not a maid, therefore I see no harm from hiring on additional help." Pausing, he snapped his fingers once before turning his attention back to Luffy. "How about you?"

"Me?" Luffy replied, confused.

The mayor nodded, smile forming wide upon his face. "Yes, yes," he answered. "How about you come work for me, yes? Quit working for that old bore—I bet you have no fun around here, such a dreadful place…but if you came to work for me, ah, just imagine it!"

Before Luffy had the chance to object, the long nosed man spoke up. "You only want somebody fun around to distract you from all your work—Kalifa would not agree to this."

"She would not," the bird chirped in agreement, prompting the older male to flop back in his seat, hands falling to his sides.

"Why I even decide to bring you two along with me, I'll never know," Iceberg huffed out, clearly defeated in any plans he had of getting Luffy to work for him. With a weak shrug, he nodded towards the liquor bottles place upon the fireplace ledge. "You can fetch me a drink, I suppose," he requested. "Surprise me with something strong."

Nodding once, Luffy went for one of the darker liquors upon the ledge, unsure of which one would be considered the strongest. She had little experience with alcohol, only the few sips of wine here and there under her belt. Wrapping her fingers around the neck of the bottle, she took to pouring a small glass for the mayor before handing it off to him. In silence, she glanced over to the long nose man, eyes locking with his.

"None for me," he spoke before she had the chance to ask.

Half-laughing after taking a sip and wincing, Iceberg quickly blurted out, "I'd take the opportunity to have some, Kaku, this is quite expensive."

"No," Kaku reaffirmed, crossing his arms before returning his attention back out through the window.

With only one person left, Luffy turned towards Lucci before softly asking, "And for you? A drink?"

"Wine," he answered through his little companion, black little eyes glued upon the table center to the room. Quickly enough, Luffy had him a glass poured, offering it to him silently, watching as he took a sip and smirked briefly. "It does taste expensive," he commented, probing stare never leaving Luffy's, causing her to glance away.

Clearing his throat, Iceberg called out for Luffy's attention. "Little maid," he said, loudly so, as if excited. "Come," he added, patting the empty space of couch beside him. "Let us talk—it has been so long since we last did that."

Arching a brow, Luffy went to sit beside him—not too closely, distancing herself about two feet away from him. "Yes?" she questioned, unsure of what exactly he would want to talk to her about.

"Tell me," he began, offering her the warmest of smiles. "What is different with you, hmm?"

Frowning slightly, Luffy glanced down to her hand folded upon her lap before meeting his stare a few moments later. "I don't understand…?" she started, confused as by what he meant.

"Ah, I only meant that you look different—happier maybe?" Pausing, he shook his head no. "Perhaps not that, but you do look different…I just can't place my finger on it." Shrugging, he took another drink. "You look as if you're shining," he finally concluded, prompting Luffy to tense up a bit.

Swallowing, she did her best to shrug the comment off. "A good night's sleep, perhaps," she offered.

"Perhaps," Iceberg mouthed, smirking afterwards. "But besides appearances, how has life been here, hmm? Any news you wish to share?"

"News?"

Nodding, Iceberg took another sip of his drink, exhaling deeply as his eyes winced. "Any certain guests coming around here? You know, such as Doflamingo…?"

Licking her dry lips, Luffy pieced together his game. He's fishing for information, she figured then, amused that he would come to her. "No," she answered softly—and while it was true, she felt no need at that moment to add any explanation. She had little loyalty to give outside of her family and friends, and that she did have went solely to Crocodile at that point in her life.

As Iceberg went to question her further, a loud voice pierced through the room, leading all inside to turn towards the door. Peeking in through the door frame, Bon Clay exclaimed an oh twice more, eyes widening as he entered. "Guests are here!" he cried out, glancing back towards the door, as if directing his words to somebody outside. Returning his attention forward, he took to Luffy's side, one foot with toes pointed upward shooting above his head. "Un, deux, trois, I didn't mean to leave you alone for so long," he proceeded to add, addressing the maid with a frantic tone. "Are you alright?"

Exhaling lightly, Luffy frowned at how obvious he was making the situation. Crocodile had given Bon Clay the job of watching over her, acting as extra protection solely just for her. While she found the idea of it flattering in a sense, she soon grew tired at how over the top he could get. Every little thing she did seemed to prompt worry from the guard, him constantly asking her if she was alright or even apologizing for not paying enough attention in order to stop her from doing whatever he deemed potentially dangerous. And with him on the verge of throwing another panicked fit, Luffy feared he would make her condition obvious to those unknowing.

"It's okay," Luffy answered, trying her best to ease the guard into a calm state. She could fell all the guests' eyes on her, stirring a blob of anxiety to form deep within her. "I'm fine."

"Oh," Bon Clay answered, relief quickly taking over across his face. "That is good to hear—I fear for you so much now, especially considering…" With words trailing off, the emotional man stood there with lips ajar, eyes slowly glancing over to the mayor. Realization struck him then, lips clamping shut quickly enough, foot falling down as so he could stand up straight.

"Well," Iceberg commented, eyes slightly widened, "continue on! You were putting on quite the show—don't stop for us."

As his chest rose from a deep inhale, Bon Clay sent Luffy another panicked stare, as if looking to her for assistance.

Rolling her eyes briefly, Luffy made means to fake a cough into her hands, sniffing afterwards and earning Iceberg's full attention. "I've been feeling ill, that's all," she revealed before arising.

"Oh," the mayor mouthed quietly, as if not entirely buying her answer. "Well...that is a shame," he concluded, placing his glass down upon the table before slumping against the back of the couch. "You should get some rest then—you don't want that growing into anything serious."

Entering the room—and causing Luffy to mentally question how long he had been there—Crocodile dully objected, "She'll survive." Daz followed after him, eyes hard on Bon Clay as he took to the back of the room. "But I didn't invite you here to hound my maid," he added, eyes flicking to Luffy briefly—enough time to give her the cue to make her way towards the back of the room. When she did as such, Crocodile took to the couch opposite to that of Iceberg's, hand reaching into his vest pocket to pull out a watch. "You're late."

Huffing, Iceberg motioned to the window. "If you couldn't tell, it's pouring out there—what do you expect from me, hmm?"

"To be on time," Crocodile simply answered, returning his watch to his pocket. He turned his attention towards Kaku first, before glancing over to Lucci, and finally to Luffy standing closest to him. "I know you're such a busy man," he continued on before returning his attention back to the mayor, "but I'm sure you can do better to arrive when expected."

"Fine, fine," Iceberg agreed dully, "I'll make sure to do better next time." Throwing his arm across the top of the couch, he smirked. "Anyway, I'm sure you didn't invite me all the way down here to sweet talk me—let's start this, I have a lot to do today."

"It's happening within the next half year," Crocodile began, reaching out for the wine bottle to inspect it. His eyes searched the label as he continued. "Doflamingo claims he'll be ready in at least two months from now. Hancock says she's ready to start whenever we are."

Nodding, Iceberg couldn't help but smile. "This is all so exciting…and you, you're ready?"

"Pretty much," Crocodile responded before leaning forward to pour his own glass of wine. "I've only need to make a few more arrangements, but I need reassurance that you're still prepared to aid us."

Frowning slightly, Iceberg laughed weakly. "You know I've been ready to assist since you first came to me with this plan of yours—why would you think otherwise?"

The older male sent him a sly smirk. "You more than anybody in this room should understand my issues with trust."

"Fair enough," the mayor agreed, body relaxing. "But yes—do not worry; I'm still here to support you when you take Teach on. I only request that you give me at least a month warning in advance from the exact date, so that I can finalize my own preparations."

Crocodile nodded once before taking a sip of his drink. For a moment, all remained silent except for the rain pouring outside. Placing his glass down, he tilted his head before speaking. "I would like to address that I've been experiencing problems with the authority."

Stiffing, Iceberg offered him a searching stare. "Local authority?"

"I wouldn't know," Crocodile answered, eyes never leaving his. "I would hope that that wouldn't be the case, what with you claiming an alliance with me…"

"Of course," the mayor quickly cut in. "No, they—the authority you speak of—they shouldn't be men who work in this city, or else I would have been made notice. What difficulties have you been experiencing?"

"Trespassing upon my property, snooping around, assaulting my servants…" Crocodile listed off, which in turn caused Iceberg to frown. "Would you have any ideas as to why these men have found me all of a sudden? If I remember correctly, I'm to have been granted protection from you by living in this city…?"

"Listen," Iceberg began, tone growing stern. "I don't know how these guys found you, but they are not from my jurisdiction. I'm not trying to pull a fast one on you, if that's what you're implying. You do realize how much I gain to lose from doing as such, yes?"

Leaning back in his seat, Crocodile nodded once as he took a moment to think.

"But since you brought it up," Iceberg added, earning Crocodile's full attention, "I too have been experiencing odd inquires by upper governmental positions."

"Is that so?"

The mayor nodded, legs crossing. "They've been requesting old paperwork and such…looking into my past. I tried to derail them the best of my abilities, and it seemed to have work, but since you're now having troubles…" Shrugging, he exhaled and motioned to his men. "I'll have them look into the matter more, and if they find anything, I'll relay the information to you."

"So be it," Crocodile agreed, seemingly pleased enough by Iceberg's answer. "I would hate to relocate—but if I must, I will. In the meantime, I suggest we meet with Doflamingo and Hancock within the next month or so—it is best that we are all present to finalize the last stages of the plan."

"Yes," Iceberg agreed before turning his attention to Luffy. "Be a dear and refill my drink, yes?" he asked, causing her to snap out of her trance and nod. Taking to his side, she poured the dark liquor into his glass, blinking when she caught the man staring at her oddly. "Isn't it a curious thing, hmm?"

Uninterested, Crocodile dully questioned, "What is?"

"Your maid," Iceberg answered, causing Crocodile to perk up. "Such innocence…she represents the good people of this city, unknowing of the true dangers that lie within…" He smiled then, eyes leaving Crocodile to search Luffy's face. "What do you think when you hear us old men talking like this, hmm? You're different from these guards—you're not paid to deal with such cruelties, so how does it feel to be involved as much as you are?"

"I…" Luffy began, words falling silent, unsure of how to answer all his questions.

"Stop pestering her with such questions," Crocodile firmly cut in. "Perhaps you shouldn't drink anymore—you're making my servants uncomfortable."

Iceberg laughed at that, dismissively waving once as he stared up at Luffy's face. "Dear child, you truly look different—what is it?"

As Crocodile continued on with his orders of Iceberg shutting it, Luffy found herself touching her stomach on instinct, terrified if it were that obvious. While she was only a few months in at most, she feared that she had already begun to show. She, herself, had a hard time spotting it while looking in the mirror, but there was a bump—a small one barely visible, but still a curve to her abdomen nonetheless.

He must have caught her because after doing as such, Iceberg's face lite up, eyes falling to her waist. "Are you…?" he began, excitement growing in his voice.

Widening her stare, Luffy couldn't help but mouth a weak yes, while opposite of the room, Crocodile was answering with a firm no.

Blinking, the mayor glanced over to Crocodile before looking back at Luffy. "This is…" Sitting straight up, Iceberg clasped his hands together. "Wonderful! Ah, I love children—almost as much as I love my little pet mouse!" With that being said, he took to wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her in so he could rest his ear upon her lower abdomen. "This is such amazing news," he softly added with a slur.

Gasping, Bon Clay was to Luffy's side, hands on top Iceberg's skull as he tried to pry the drunk man off the maid. "Stop assaulting her!" he cried out, dramatically so.

"You're being really weird there, boss," Kaku called out from the back of the room, causing the mayor to pull his head away from Luffy's tummy.

"I'm just so happy," he commented, voice a bit shaky, as if on the verge of crying. "Whenever I hear that somebody in this city is with child, I can't help but feel that I'm a part of it."

"Let go of her," Crocodile ordered, already standing up and face sporting a hard stare. "How dare you attack my maid as such?"

Arising from his seat, Kaku took to the back of the couch, clearly ready to interact if things went too far. "You're growing increasingly weird, I must say."

"I'm the mayor of this city!" Iceberg objected loudly, words starting to slur heavily. "And I must welcome all future children with open arms—this is a good city, a safe one!"

Shaking his head, Kaku leaned over the couch to tug on the man's shoulders, ripping him fully away from Luffy. "You're making zero sense, and I'm afraid you've had enough to drink."

"Wait!" Iceberg exclaimed, causing Kaku to halt. Straightening himself up, the mayor looked to Luffy, expression firm. "You are a young lady," he started, one finger pointed at her. "And I can only assume you are lacking a parental role in your life—therefore, I will act as such, for you, my friend."

Shaking his head, Crocodile took a step forward. "You will not," he started, falling silent when Iceberg began to speak again.

"Who was it, my poor dear?" Iceberg question as he stood up, shaking off Kaku's hand. "I'll teach that boy who did this to you a lesson!"

"Lucci," Kaku called out as he took ahold of the mayor's forearm. "Can you help instead of just standing there drinking?" Huffing, he tugged Iceberg back. "You're truly going overboard now, boss—leave such tasks to her own father to deal with."

"I am her father!" Iceberg objected, causing Luffy to back up against Bon Clay, panic growing upon her face. "As long as I'm the mayor, I'm a father to all!" he added, stumbling forward and falling to his side on the couch.

Pushing his way through so that he stood between Luffy and Iceberg, Crocodile pointed one finger down towards the drunken man. "You're worse than Doflamingo," he declared, frustrated tone laced with anger. "You have no right acting like this in my home."

Wincing, Iceberg began to rub his face, huffing all the while. "You wouldn't understand…you…you're not a father like me, you have no idea what it feels like!"

Throwing his arms up, Crocodile groaned and finally declared, "You've caught whatever foul disease that bird Doflamingo has, haven't you?"

Glancing up at Luffy, Iceberg softened his features. "Who is the father? I'll make sure the wrath of hell falls upon him."

Swallowing, Luffy made means to respond, but stopped when her employer answered for her. "Daz," he blurted out, and the moment he did as such, the situation only seemed to grow worse.

To her side, Bon Clay fell, words of objection and pity and utter sadness pouring from his lips. From the corner of her eye, she could see Daz hunched over, eyes wide as he clearly was trying to control his breathing. His lips rapidly moved to mouth silent no's, over and over again, to match the whimpered cries of Mr. Two.

"They've been having this affair since the start," Crocodile explained, trying to control the situation to a point where it became calm. "Since they are both of value to me, I decided allowing them to stay under my employment, even after discovering about her pregnancy—my gift to them for their loyal service."

"I see," Iceberg answered with a single nod, sitting back down.

"I can't possibly throw them out now," he continued on, body slightly relaxing when the mayor had seemed to calm himself. "This is an issue that truly only involves them two and none of us, so you must understand the resistance of revealing such information to you."

Nodding, Iceberg turned to glance towards Daz. "I meant no harm, my son," he said, earning a weak stare from the driver. "You look so ill now…all because of me!" Covering his face with his hands, he exhaled loudly. "I just get so damn passionate!"

Kaku placed his hand back upon his shoulder, prompting him to peek out through his fingers. "No, sir," he started softly. "You're just drunk."

"Get off your ass right this moment and take her away from here," Crocodile quietly ordered Bon Clay while Iceberg's attention was on something else. "Get her away from this fool, now."

Eager to leave, Luffy wasted no time on waiting for Mr. Two to arise from his fallen state. She quickly turned, making her way around the crowd, towards Lucci's direction. As she passed the silent man, something shot out in front of her feet, causing her to gasp out and fall down to her knees.

With half of the room still occupied with calming down Iceberg, the other half was focused on Luffy, with only one making means to approach her. "What happened?" Crocodile questioned, tone deep with concern. Standing before the two, his eyes were hard on them as Lucci was knelt beside the maid.

"She fell," Lucci spoke through his bird, hand on Luffy's back as she sat up. He offered her support as she got back up, knees sore from the impact. Leaning into the man, she shook her head, trying to clear her dizzy thoughts.

Crocodile soon had her arm within his grasp, firm at first, but gentle soon after. "Are you alright?" he questioned, voice hard to hear with the commotion still going on between the other four men, oblivious to Luffy's short fall. His palm was on the front of her waist, eyes falling down to examine for any damage. "Is it…?"

"I'm okay," Luffy answered softly, pulling his hand off her when she caught Lucci staring. "I…" Glancing to her feet, she looked for whatever could have tripped her, failing to find anything out of place. "I tripped."

Expression strained at first from her action, Crocodile soon figured out her concerns with Lucci, hiding any emotion he had let slip out from the incident. "You are dismissed from your chores," he stated, firmly so as he straightened his posture. "Go rest."

"I can help her to her room," Lucci's bird commented when Luffy began to make her way away from the two. "I wouldn't want her to fall over again."

Crocodile gave one mute nod before meeting Luffy's stare and then turning towards the direction of the other four.

In silence she left the room, the sound of soft footsteps as the dark haired man followed after her. After a good ways down the hallway, she paused and turned towards. "You don't need to do this—I can handle myself."

Lucci shrugged, offering her the thinnest of smirks. "I needed to get you alone, though," he objected without the aid of his bird, leading her to tense up. His voice was hard, a polar opposite to his cute little bird. "Don't panic—I mean you no harm. I just wanted to ask you a question, or two."

Lowering her brows, she flexed her right hand into a fist to the side of her hip. "What?"

"That baby…it isn't Daz's." His tone was blunt, expression strangely harder than before. "I mean, it's obvious it isn't his."

Swallowing, she narrowed her stare, keeping quiet. What is he trying to get at…?

"When you fell over just now," Lucci continued on, "wouldn't the father of your child notice, hmm? That dull looking brute of a man didn't even bat an eye over what happened. It's rather interesting, really, to see that the only person besides me who reacted was your employer."

Luffy couldn't help but widen her stare. He…he knows…

Smiling, Lucci motioned off to the social room. "It's dangerous to get so involved with such people," he added, tone growing in excitement. "I can only imagine what foul things enemies of that man would want to do to you if they learnt of such information."

Taking a step back, Luffy found herself pressing against the wall of the hallway, body flinching when Lucci reached one hand out to stroke back a strand of her bangs from her eyes. "It's a good thing we're not enemies then," he softly added, fingers lingering too long for comfort. "But—and I don't have any fears of this happening—if anything were to happen to the mayor, or if Crocodile were to betray him in any way, I will go after you…" His hand fell to her stomach, eyes eerily shinning as he glanced down. "And we wouldn't want anything bad happening to the little one, now do we?" With his hand flat on her stomach, he finished with, "Be a good girl and keep Crocodile in check, and we won't have any problems."

To be continued…

Next Time: A meeting with Iceberg, Hancock, and Doflamingo leads Luffy to face her first interaction with Law in many weeks. He is quick to notice certain changes and a heated argument arises between the two.

As always, thank you so much for reading!

Guest: Eh, I don't know if you would consider them a major time skip, but any time skips I do write in are either four weeks or less. Don't worry, I have everything worked in to a point where it makes sense in regards to the timeline. But the only major time skip that I will do, and it isn't really that long, is between the ending of part one of this story, and the start of part two. Thanks for reading!

ManOfManyTales: Ah, well it's nice that you take the time to read and ask really important questions and make really good comments. She's going to get ten times more suspicious within the next few chapters, but I won't make any comments on what her reaction will be like. Thanks for reading!

RazzleDazzle: ahhhhhhhhh *hugs* you know all the right things to say to me :'D Thank you for reading my darling trash baby!

Sellen23: Ahh! Thank you so much!

CosmosAngel: Ahh, thanks for your insight :3 I know there is a ton of Luffy genderswapping, and honestly, I just get scared of offending people, because that is the very last thing I would ever want to do. And I will continue/finish this story—I've already started/gotten so far into it, no point in stopping it now. Thanks for reading!

Milkachocolate: Haha, Daz is just a silent observer who is like "I need a vacation from all this drama, pls & thank." As of now, I have Shanks making his reappearance at the end of part one, but he'll be heavily involved in part two. AND YES, Buggy is going to make his appearance again soon. :D Thanks for reading!

Zeyneo: Aw, thank you so much! Dragon will make an appearance, alongside Shanks at the end of part one. He has his own thing going on that sort of involves the drug lords & government…but that will all be revealed final chapter of part one. Ahhh! It's always so cool to see how many people ship Luffy & Crocodile and how many ship Luffy & Law! Thank you so much for reading!

Starlight555: Haha, I tried to make him come off as bipolar like he is in the manga, where he's all happy one moment, and then making strained comments the next. Detective Robin is about to land a huge clue soon enough :D Law's reaction is going to be…you'll find out next chapter haha. Thanks for reading!