Author's Notes: So, I haven't written a fanfic thing in a real long time. So I might really be shit at it. I don't pretend to know what I'm doing posting this. But, I wanted to read Crobin. I ran out of Crobin to read. So I started making some Crobin myself. Kind of drabbles, kind of not? I don't know what to tell you, I just write until the voices stop talking to me.
Siege
" What brand new bullshit is this?"
Ever since Crocodile granted her amnesty, someone (probably several someones) at the World Government has been pretty pissed about it.
They can't punish her because of his protection. They can't punish him because of the government's protection.
What they can do, however, is flood his office with box after box of bureaucracy. Enough red tape to choke a bananawani.
He could ignore it all, burn the papers and send back the ashes. That might trigger an audit though, which would put both of them and their activities under a magnifying glass. Whoever they sent would never find anything of course, but why put himself in such a position to begin with?
The other option is just as bad. Filling out everything and returning it would make him look suspicious. No self-respecting pirate fills things out in triplicate. They'd think he was hiding something for sure and then he'd get audited anyway.
This isn't even about him or his pirate activities. It's about getting to Robin.
This new administrative enemy is trying to lay siege to his patience. If they could make her too much trouble to keep, he'd revoke her amnesty and then the government could take her.
They don't even need all the shit they're sending him. It's just a distraction. The only thing he really needs to keep up with is the one form that confirms yes, Nico Robin is still working for him. No, you can't arrest her.
It's been three months since she joined him and in those three months Crocodile's been bombarded no less than four times. Each time more paperwork than the last.
Can't be helped, they say. They lost the copy he sent so they need new ones.
They're hoping he loses the amnesty form, or better yet, never sees it to begin with.
He's found it. After two hours of digging and searching and swearing and smoking, he's found it. But he's not going to do anything with it.
In fact, he's not going to do anything at all.
It doesn't take long for the news of recurring pirate attacks on Nanohara to reach his 'handlers'.
Can't be helped, he says. They lost the copies he sent so they need new ones. He only has one hand.
They don't see another government form for six months.