"Pirate King…" Crocodile muttered.

"What was that, Boss?" Daz asked.

"Nothing," Crocodile shook his head. He had recruited Daz 3 months ago, after much persuasion and offers. The man had finally succumbed after much persistence on Crocodile's end. Daz was stubborn, which was a trait that had proved much more useful once he'd joined forces under Crocodile. They were now traveling the desert, looking for another bounty hunter. A woman, named Paula. According to several reports, she possesed an insanely powerful Devil Fruit, and Crocodile was determined to add her to his arsenal. But the journey was long, and Crocodile had exhausted nearly every conversation topic he had.

"Daz," Crocodile began, hesitating.

"What?" Daz turned his steely glare onto Crocodile.

"When you were little," Crocodile broke off into a chuckle. This was ridiculous. "Did you ever have a dream?"

"Yes," Daz replied stoicly, "I once dreamt that all my teeth fell out. But they were okay when I woke up."

"That's… Not what I meant."

Daz raised an eyebrow.

"Ok," he mumbled thoughtfully. He snapped his fingers in realization and his eyes widened. "What about this," he said, "I once dreamt that I chopped off my own arm by accident, and had to go the rest of my life being called 'the One-Armed Bandit'!"

Crocodile found Daz's uncharacteristic enthusiasm rather humorous.

"No, no, no," Crocodile laughed, "Like…When I grow up, I want to be a Marine. When I grow up, I want to travel the world. That sort of thing."

"Hm," Daz grunted, "I suppose I did want to learn how to play guitar when I was little, but that dream died off pretty quickly." Daz smirked and his fingers morphed into shiny knives. "Why do you ask?"

Crocodile hummed in melancholy.

"Do you know the name Gol D. Roger?" he asked Daz.

"Who doesn't?" Daz replied, "Pirate King, conqueror of the Grand Line, and former possessor of the legendary One Piece? He's not exactly an easy person to forget, even if it has been 21 years since his execution."

"So you know about the One Piece?"

"Yes, most people in our profession do." Daz raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted it," Crocodile confessed, "at 22 years old, I saw Roger declare that his succesor would be the one who found that legendary treasure. And then I saw him being stabbed to death. I wanted that treasure, I wanted to be Pirate King."

Daz looked at Crocodile, his eyelids half-open. He raised his face to the sky, and shut his eyes completely.

"You gave up?" Daz sighed.

"I made it to the New World, but the Yonko… They were strong. Nothing was stable. Everything was always spinning. The scales were always tipping. Sometimes the marines won the battles, other times the pirates. But nothing ever stayed the same. Not even the weather for more than 5 minutes," he added with a chuckle. "I hated it. I couldn't stand being out of control like that. A sand-man isn't a good fit for the ocean. I gave up. I came to Alabasta."

Daz snorted, and began laughing for good measure.

"You should've kept going," he said once he'd recovered.

"No, I'm happy where I am now," Crocodile smiled, "maybe one day though."

"Bring me with you when you do," Daz smirked, "I'd like to be known one day as first-mate to the second Pirate King."

Power was an obsession of Marigold's. Unlike her eldest sister Hancock, who was born with seductive charms, and her older sister Sandersonia, who was soft and emotional, Marigold craved the feeling of power. The feeling of strength, which marked the absence of weakness. She was the only one of her sisters who had embraced her Devil Fruit when it was force fed to her. Not to say that the act wasn't horribly disgusting, but it put a smile on her face to know that if she ever got the chance, she could annihilate those despicable World Nobles with just a squeeze of her newly bestowed tail. She'd sacrificed her slim figure for the build of a sumo wrestler without a second thought. Her mindset was strictly 'The bigger the better'. Haki was a magnificent discovery as well. The invincibility she felt as her skin blackened was indescribable. It wasn't even funny how jealous she was when she discovered Hancock could use Haoshoku Haki, which was just a tier above her own Busoshoku.

Power made Marigold feel untouchable. It made her feel as if the weakness that had plagued her as a 12-year old never exsisted. As if the brand that burnt her back meant nothing. As if nothing could hurt her anymore.

A.N.: Whoah! 7 minutes to midnight! It's my last weekend before I head off to school. Cut me some slack? Crocodile, I imagine, has a good relationship with Daz. After all, he went through the trouble to release him from Impel Down. I pictured them having this conversation at one point, and had to put it on paper. Marigold… Was difficult. Even for my favourite writing style (reflectional) I'd used up all my possible scenarios and topics on Hancock's one-shot. I hope it turned out alright? Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, Reader Birthdays, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! I'll see you tomorrow for Moria!