With his wife recently promoted to Fleet Admiral, Garp had a hell of a time getting time with her. Sengoku was busy. Travelling between Marineford and Mariejois. Dealing with the shitsticks that had a problem with a woman taking the rank of Fleet Admiral, even though out of all the people who could, she was the only one who wasn't a fossil who should have retired a long damn time ago, in the process of retiring or an incompetent World Government loyalist.

Garp was damn proud of his wife, and it pissed him knowing just how much shit she had to put up with.

Sexist assholes had always spread rumours about female officers, especially once those women were promoted passed captain. Then the rumours got downright nasty.

And damn if they didn't eat at Sengoku even if she tried to hide it.

Hurt her a lot more when they were younger, though. These days his wife was more apt to let shit like that roll off her back like water off a duck.

He was back at Marineford for nearly a week before his wife had an hour to spare. And boy, oh boy, was Garp not looking forward to this.

Sengoku was a calm, logical woman. But her steely will hid a gentleness only Garp and their children were privy to. Rosinante, their adopted teenage daughter, fondly called it her mother's gooey candy center. And Garp had to agree with that.

She was either going to beat his ass for keeping Ace from her or be hurt. And when his wife was hurt, she cried.

And Garp hated making her cry.

He had long made it a point never to be the one to make his wife cry.

He stood outside her closed office door in the brightly lit waiting room, his hand raised, ready to knock. Seated at her desk next to the closed door, Lieutenant Commander Okane Umi stared at him. His wife's long-time administrative assistant had never seen Garp so hesitant.

She didn't think she'd ever seen him knock on Sengoku's door.

Or any door, for that matter.

Garp usually just barged in, whether Sengoku was busy or not.

Everyone at Marineford was used to it.

"Don't expect a private meeting with Sengoku if Garp is on base," Not really a rule, but it acted as a heads-up given to anyone who might have had to interact with Sengoku.

"Vice-Admiral?" Umi's voice seemed to break through Garp's thoughts because he jumped in surprise. He turned to look at her, eyes wide. Umi continued, eyes blinking owlishly behind her thick glasses, urging Garp to do something, "The Fleet Admiral is free now, but she may not be soon. Better get in there."

Averting his eyes, Garp cleared his throat, "Right." He knocked, waiting for Sengoku's invitation before he entered.

Expecting it to be yet another interruption by one of her subordinates, Sengoku looked up from her paperwork with a neutral expression. Her brow furrowed when she saw it was her husband, closing the heavy door quietly behind himself. She placed her pen next to the stack of forms she had been reading through and signing and lifted her hand in confusion. "Uhh, you know, I learned to live without you knocking on doors a long time ago."

Garp looked at her and then glanced over his shoulder at the door, "Huh. Guess my mind was somewhere else."

Sengoku squinted at him, one of her eyebrows lifting, "Okay?" Staring at him when he turned back to face her, she noticed his grim expression. Her heart dropped, and a ball of anxiety formed in her stomach. "What's wrong?"

"What? Why does anything have to be wrong?"

"Garp, I have only seen you look this serious a handful of times in the thirty-six years we've been married. What's wrong?"

He moved further inside, tugging his officer's coat off his shoulder, hanging it over the back of one of the chairs in front of Sengoku's desk and took a seat.

With his eyes on the ground, he spoke, "So…hypothetically…if we had a grandson I hadn't told you about, on a scale of 1-10, how pissed would you be?"

The question was so far out of left field that Sengoku blinked, leaning back in her chair, dumbfounded.

In the silence that followed, a pin could have been heard hitting the ground. Finally, Sengoku met Garp's gaze, "On a scale of 1-10? A million." Her eyes narrowed, "Why? Do we have a grandson you didn't tell me about?"

His mouth opened, then snapped shut. His eyes darted away from her, his face twisting into his lying face. "It was hypothetical."

Sengoku growled, "Garp, don't lie to me."

"I'm not!"

"You are! You're making that ridiculous expression again!" Lips pursed, eyes completely unable to meet hers and trying desperately to appear innocent.

He jerked and attempted to force his face into a neutral expression. Sengoku was unimpressed by the effort, crossing her arms. One of her feet would have been tapping if she had been standing. Giving up, Garp slumped, answering her earlier question, trying to distract himself by thinking of the effect her crossed arms had on her generous chest. But the expectant look in her eyes chased any attempts out of his mind.

After what felt like an eternity, Garp answered, "We have a grandson I didn't tell you about."

The silence returned to a deafening degree.

Sengoku stared at him.

And stared.

And stared.

Garp fidgeted, lacing his sun-browned fingers together, watching his wife's face for any hint of her reaction.

Witnessed the war of emotions that took place in those warm brown eyes.

Anger. Confusion. Anger. Happiness. Anger.

For a moment, Garp believed, with some relief, that her anger would win.

But then the hurt flooded in.

Garp felt a vice grip on his heart as he watched her eyes well with tears.

Goddammit.

Despite the tears, her voice was steady when she spoke, "Explain. Everything."

And goddamn if he could lie to her when she looked at him like that.

But he had to lie about Ace's origin.

He refused to put Sengoku in any amount of danger for knowing who Ace's birth parents were.

So he told her what he could, heavily edited. And Garp could tell she knew that he wasn't telling her the whole truth. But by some miracle, or because Sengoku's always-on-point intuition was telling her Garp was lying for a reason, she didn't ask him any questions.

"Of course, Dragon would have to sleep with a woman like Lady Crocodile. And for her to be Edward Newgate's child… the boy never did have much self-preservation," Sengoku was still frowning, and Garp knew he was still in hot water even as she warmed up to the idea of being a Grandmother. It'd be a while before he could wiggle back into her good graces.

He'd probably be sleeping in the guest room until she forgave him.

"She's not as bad as you'd expect," Garp offered warily.

With her eyes narrowed, Sengoku harrumphed, "Well, regardless, I want to meet my grandson. And his mother, I suppose."

Garp agreed meekly, promising to ensure it was arranged.

–

It had been seven years since Crocodile had left the Moby Dick in the middle of the night with only what belongings she had been able to carry and a kiss on his father's forehead. Edward Newgate had never faulted his daughter her desire for independence, but he had missed her fiercely nevertheless.

He waited patiently for any word from her. Knew just how stubborn she was prone to being. Especially if she thought he would be angry with her.

And while waiting patiently, he had gathered every news article and bounty poster he could get his hands on that had anything to do with his daughter's journey through the Grand Line.

Imagine his surprise when instead of the sheepish letter apologizing for not sending anything sooner, she sent him a personalized Den Den Mushi via Delivery Coo. A brief note with her direct comm code attached with 'call me' written underneath.

So he had the ship swept for any of the black Den Den Mushi's that the Navy and Cipher Pol were so fond of planting on his ships and dialled the code once he was given the clear. His fingers were shaking with anticipation.

Soft static. The audible click when the call was connected.

"Hi, Oyaji," Her voice is low and smoky, with just a touch of anxiety.

"Crow. It's been a long time," He was careful to keep his tone neutral.

"It has. Sorry that I haven't contacted you before now."

Whitebeard chuckled, "Because you were worried I was angry."

Her tongue clicked, and he could hear her frown, "No, I wasn't."

"Sure, sure," Better to agree with her than argue. Crocodile could be as vindictive as her mother if she decided she wasn't in the mood for any teasing. "So, why now?"

Her hesitation was palpable, but Whitebeard was a patient man. He'd waited seven years. What was a couple more minutes?

She exhaled softly, and Whitebeard lifted his eyebrow, "I…received some news recently and thought it would be something you would want to hear."

"Shoot."

"Not on call. I'd rather tell you in person. Where are you anchored?"

"Off the coast of Elbaph at the moment, but don't worry about that. I'll be coming to you, my girl. Where's best?"

Crocodile snorted, "The Navy won't like that."

"The Navy can kiss my ass if they think they'll stop me. Sengoku's no dummy. She'll order them to keep an eye on my movements but not make any moves."

Silence as Crocodile tried to decide if their meeting up would be worth the hassle of scrutiny from the Navy. She knew they weren't watching Whitebeard nearly as closely as they did the with the likes of Kaido and Big Mom. But…there was no point in arguing with Whitebeard. He was a stubborn old bastard, and there wouldn't be any changing his mind. "Alabasta in a couple of weeks?"

"I'll be there," His voice trails off for a heartbeat before he asks, "You're alright, aren't you?"

"Peachy, Oyaji, I promise." Whitebeard couldn't tell if she was telling the truth or if she was hiding something. Her assurance did little to help the seed of worry that settled in his chest.

He had to take her at her word, though, "If you're sure. I'll see you soon."

She echoes him, a smile in her voice now, "See you soon."

–

"Whitebeard's on the move," Freshly promoted Admiral Aokiji reported after Umi escorted him into Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office, the lieutenant carrying a heavy tray with tea and coffee for the meeting. As Aokiji took his place on Akainu's other side, Umi placed the try on the corner of Sengoku's desk. Black coffee with one sugar for Admiral Akainu, earl grey tea with two creams for Admiral Kizaru, green tea for Sengoku and a cafe au lait for Admiral Aokiji.

Akainu took his coffee from the lieutenant with a quiet thanks, "On the move to where?" He took a sip and lifted an eyebrow at Kuzan. Kizaru breathed in the steam from her tea, eyes closed behind her briefly fogged-up tinted glasses.

"Looks like he's headed for Paradise. The ship that was set to monitor the Moby Dick picked up the static from a DDM call an hour before both of his ships raised anchor and departed from where they had been off the coast of Elbaph."

Sengoku reclined in her chair. She knew of at least one reason why Whitebeard was on the move, "Anything picked up from the call?"

"No, ma'am. Whitebeard set up a minor jammer."

"So we know that he made a call, but not to whom." Sakazuki tsked.

Sengoku thought it over, or rather, pretended to. She already knew she wouldn't order anything done. "Frankly, Whitebeard's movements between the New World and Paradise don't concern me."

"For all we know, he's just going to check on Fishmen Island. Don't forget he claimed it as his territory after the boom of pirate activity following Roger's execution," Borsalina said before taking a savouring sip of her tea.

The Fleet Admiral nodded, "Precisely. I'm far more interested in finding out what Kaido is doing near Wano. His monitors are observing a steady increase in his crew numbers."

"Trying to compete with Charlotte Linlin's forces?" Sakazuki mused, balancing his mug on his knee, fingers glowing with his devil fruit to keep the contents hot.

Borsalina snorted at her brother, "We don't know Big Mom's numbers."

"At least seventy thousand."

"Speculation. Impossible to get a real number without knowing just how many homies she's got hidden away."

"Obviously, it's speculation," Sakazuki grumbled. "Speculation based on observation."

Sengoku cut them off before their bickering could devolve further, "Enough. My point is, Whitebeard is the least of our concerns." Siblings, she rolled her eyes. To Kuzan, she said, "Send word to all of the bases in Paradise to keep their eyes open for Whitebeard, but they are not to engage with him in any way."

With that dealt with, their meeting moved on.

–

The journey was surprisingly uneventful. A few Marine ships dogged them for a few miles after they'd surfaced near Sabaody Archipelago before breaking away, but beyond that, they avoided any trouble.

Whitebeardcouldn't sit still as they approached Alabasta's northern shore, up on the quarterdeck. Marco noticed his anxiousness and grinned at him, unable to resist teasing him, "Settle down, Oyaji. I'm pretty sure we're all excited to see her."

Whitebeard scowled but didn't dispute the teasing. No point in denying it. He was excited. And he knew that every one of his kids could see that he was excited.

It wasn't long before the sleek, dark line of Crocodile's ship came into view, where it was anchored off a small, private dock. With his division commander's crowding up onto the Whitebeard scanned the deck as they drew closer, and finally, his eyes found her. Standing at the railing with a smile tugging her lips, her dark hair cut to just above her shoulders, and the sunlight glinting off the polished gold metal of her hook.

As the Moby Dick and her smaller twin, Cetus, drew alongside the Eclipse, Whitebeard whispered, "She looks good."

Izo nodded, "She does. Healthy."

"Despite the hook where her hand should be," Marco chirped.

"She looks like she has a healthy glow," Jozu offered. And as one Whitebeard and the other Division Commanders turned to look at him, confused by his choice of words.

Marco furrowed his brow, opening his mouth to tell Jozu that 'glowing' was generally used to describe the glow that pregnant women tended to develop. But looking back at his sister, he snapped his mouth closed. Her sun-bronzed skin was shiny and healthy, with a soft rosiness in her cheeks.

Thatch blinked rapidly beside him, trying to decide if it was just a trick of the sun.

Crocodile started to panic as Whitebeard and her siblings stared at her, giving her assessing, confused looks. There was no way in hell they could tell she was pregnant, right? Okay, maybe her cheeks were redder than usual. And her boobs had grown a little. But there was no way they'd immediately assume she was pregnant after seven damn years. Right?

When the Moby Dick dropped anchor, Crocodile smiled, this time hesitantly, "Hi Oyaji."

"Hello, my Crow," Whitebeard's voice was thick, his blue eyes shimmery. Crocodile felt her eyes well up with tears in response. She'd forgotten just how much she missed them. Marco, Jozu, Thatch, Vista, Blamenco, Rakuyo, Namur, Blenheim, Curiel, Kingdew, Haruta, Atmos, Jiru, Fossa, Izo…Oyaji.

Usually, she would have shoved her tears down, but her hormones were a tangled mess of nonsense she couldn't get a wrangle on. They bubbled to the surface, and she wept helplessly, "I missed you idiots!"

Whitebeard swept her up into a hug, and she felt like a little girl again, cradled in her Daddy's arms. He was crying, too, his shoulders shaking as he held her close.

–

Once everything had settled down, the crews of all three ships settled in to enjoy an evening on the beach. Crocodile got comfortable in Whitbeard's cabin, still trying to decide how to break the news to him as he caught her up on what they'd been up to. Some of it she knew. A lot more had been kept out of the papers, though.

Kozuki Oden's joining the crew, taking Whitey Bay's vacant position as 2nd Division Commander. His clash with Gol D Roger, where they split the sky. His last meeting with Roger.

"So he did surrender."

"He was sick. No cure for it. And he'd lasted a lot longer than most with the disease do." Whitebeard furrowed his brow, thinking of his rival, "After they reached Laugh Tale, Roger was content. He'd done what he'd set out to do."

"What did you meet for?"

Meeting curious green eyes, Whitebeard smiled, "We had a drink." Whitebeard reached out a hand, brushing it over her hair. "You didn't ask to meet just to ask me about Roger. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Crocodile bites her lips, "Well, I have to leave the Grand Line for a few months. I'm not going to be able to use my devil fruit abilities, and figured going somewhere safe would be the best option."

Whitebeard leaned forward and tilted his head, looking intently at his daughter, "Your devil fruit is a logia type, isn't it?"

She nodded.

His heart hammered, a surge of anticipation running through his body, "Crow, are you pregnant?" His voice was a raspy whisper, "Am I going to be a Grandpops?"

Crocodile nodded again, firmly, confirming, "You're going to be a Grandpops."He grasped her hands in one of his, bowing his head. Crocodile sniffled, "Oh, don't you start crying again. If you start crying, I'll start crying."

He looked up, and she saw his cheeks were wet, "Too late." He touched her cheek, pulling away to show her his wet fingers. "For both of us."

She scowled, "Oh, well, my makeup's already a mess." She wiped her cheeks, sighing.

Whitebeard composed himself, "I'm happy for you, Crow." He tensed, and Crocodile prayed that he wouldn't ask her what she thought he was.

Her pray fell through, though. With narrowed eyes, Whitebeard asked her, "Who's the father?"

"Uh," Crocodile avoided his eyes. She might have still hated Dragon, but another part of her still kind of loved him. A little. Enough that she didn't want him to die. "A guy."

And if Whitebeard found out that not only had Monkey D. Dragon knocked her up shortly before Crocodile had ended things between them for his asshole behaviour, he would most definitely die.

"A guy?" Whitebeard lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Uh-huh. And is this guy going to step up and take care of you?"

Equally unimpressed, Crocodile rolled her eyes, "Oyaji, please. I don't need him to take care of me. I'm a grown woman. All I'll tell you is that our relationship was over more than a month before I found out I was pregnant."

Whitebeard huffed in exasperation, "And why was your relationship over?"

Honesty, Crocodile decided, was warranted. "Because I deserved better than what he was giving me."

Whitebeard nodded but was unable to help himself from offering quietly, "If you tell me who he is, I won't hunt him down and kill him."

His daughter sighed, mouth flat and eyebrows raised, "I don't believe you."

"Can't blame me for trying."

–

Whitebeard announced her pregnancy to the Whitebeard Pirates with his daughter's permission. "We're celebrating tonight, brats! Your sister is having a baby!" Wild cheers greeted the news. Crocodile was amused. Plenty of these people didn't know her, but they were ready for a party regardless.

Things very quickly went from a quiet gathering to a raging kegger, a bonfire built as the sun disappeared. Crocodile was surrounded by her siblings, accepting hugs and congratulations and pointedly ignoring them anytime someone asked her who the father was.

She escaped the cacophony and made it back to her crew, where they were seated off to the side, anticipating that Crocodile would need a quiet rest. Daz offered her some juice, and she accepted the cup readily. "So, based on the party that's now in full swing around us, I'm guessing it went well with your father." He asked her when she took a seat on the log beside him.

"Oh, he's ecstatic. No questions about that." She told him, thanking Remy when he handed her a bowl of stew. Her teeth flashed in a grin before she took a bite of food. "Only asked me who the father was once."

"And you were worried," Bentham teased, dropping down on her other side. "But didn't you say you wanted him to be there when you have the baby?"

She gave him a puzzled look, "Yeah? Why wouldn't I want him there?"

Bentham raised his eyebrows at her, "You want Whitebeard to attend the same birth as Vice-Admiral Garp. And possibly Fleet Admiral Sengoku if Garp actually has the balls to tell her that she's a grandma." He lifted one of his exaggerated eyebrows, "You don't think he'll wonder why Garp is present?"

Crocodile blinked at him like she hadn't even considered that, turning to stare at the blazing fire. "Well…Fuck."

–

A few weeks later, they rendezvoused with Garp, and the Vice Admiral led the Eclipse through the calm belt alongside his battleship. From the chaos of the Grand Line to the East Blue was jarring. Even the South Blue had been more eventful.

The East Blue was sleepy. The waters were calm, and the temperatures were steady and mild. And reaching Foosha Village wasn't much better. Crocodile dreaded the thought of having to stay in the dozy little town for more than a few days.

It was its own peaceful little world, sitting on the outskirts of the Goa Kingdom and part of the larger Dawn Island.

She settled into the small house Garp helped her secure on the outskirts of the village and started to think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. It was a ten-minute walk into town so that she could maintain her privacy. And a five-minute walk to a small inlet where the Eclipse could be hidden from prying eyes.

Once Garp brought Ace down from the mountain, she was confident she would be alright.

Ace was a small boy with shaggy dark hair, big grey eyes, and a speckling of freckles across the bridge of his nose. He stared at Crocodile curiously from where he sat in Garp's arms, a little wary but didn't seem particularly shy.

"Ace, this is Crocodile. You're going to be staying with her from now on." Garp told him, and Ace's whipped around to stare at his grandfather, eyes wide at the news.

"Dadan?" The little boy asked, a faint wobble in his voice.

"Don't worry, Dadan'll still be around, so you'll still be able to see her," Garp assured, placing Ace on the ground, "But this is very important. You see, Crocodile is going to be having a baby, and she's going to need somebody around to keep her safe from harm and to help her around the house."

Crocodile is surprised by Garp's cleverness. Expertly easing Ace into the care of someone he didn't know by giving him a job to do. She hid a smile when Ace's eyes lit up with determination. "Think you can handle that for me."

"Yeah! I'll keep her safe Gramps," He declared, his hands clenched into fists, bouncing eagerly.

Crouched down in front of Ace, Garp beamed at the boy, looking proud as hell, "How 'bout you go say hello to her while I grab your things from Dadan?"

Ace nodded and ran to Crocodile, who crouched to greet him. Garp went back through the door.

"Hi! My name's Ace!" Thrusting out his hand in an offer to shake hands.

Crocodile smiled lopsidedly, holding out her hook. He took hold of it his a sparkly glint in his eyes, "It's very nice to meet you, Ace." He gave her a wide grin, and Crocodile was abruptly reminded of Roger.

"Are you a pirate?" He was practically vibrating with excitement.

Sakazuki had told her no one would ever mistake her for anything else. She let her smile turn into a grin, "You bet." She lifted her finger to her lips, leaning forward to whisper, "But we can't let your Gramps know I told you."

Ace laughed, delighted by the thought of keeping a secret from his Gramps. Garp returned, his faint worry easing when he saw Ace warming up to Crocodile. A tall, strong-looking red-haired woman trailed inside behind him.

Dadan wanted to see what kind of person Garp trusted to look after Ace. Not that she cared, thank you very much. Really it was a relief not to be the one taking care of her brat anymore. Her eyes narrowed as she assessed the woman kneeling before Ace, letting the toddler hold her hook and telling him how she lost her hand. Or what must have been a significantly edited version of events.

Garp had explained to Dadan why he wanted Crocodile to be Ace's guardian when he'd come to get Ace. 'She's pregnant with my grandchild, Dadan. If I can give Ace a normal, stable childhood, I will.' She understood; Ace had a chance of being raised by a mother and a chance of being a big brother to the baby she was carrying.

And watching the softness in this pirate woman's eyes as she interacted with Ace, Dadan could actually believe that it was for the best.

–

She handed the Eclipse over to Daz's command a week later.

They're seated on barrels on the deck as the rest of the crew readies the ship for departure. "For two years? You sure, boss?" He asked her, watching with her as Ace chased Gem around the ship's deck, the now seventeen-year-old cabin boy teasing the toddler by keeping just out of reach.

Crocodile smirked at Daz, pulling her eyes away from the scene, "Why? You gonna miss me, Daz Bones?" She bumped her shoulder against his, "I trust you, as my first mate, to take care of the ship and the crew. The East Blue has plenty of islands to explore. And I know you assholes already decided to do monthly stops here to check on me. Two years will go by before you know it." Her voice ended in a murmur, and Daz could see her eyes had become misty. He decided not to say anything. If he did, she'd just start cursing her hormones and punch him. Again.

"I know, boss, it's just…It's gonna be weird. Not having you on board, I mean." He said.

She snorted, sniffling a little, "Yeah, yeah."

Daz stood up abruptly, "Oh, I almost forgot something."

He headed for the men's quarters, and Crocodile took the opportunity to wipe her eyes. Gem brought Ace over to her, the toddler hanging down his back, little arms around his neck. "So Ace, you gonna take good care of Croco-mama for us?"

Crocodile chuckled at Gem's newest nickname for her. "Heck yeah! There ain't gonna be any trouble while I'm around." Ace sounded boastful and earnest, and Crocodile was forced to believe him. Ace let go of Gem's neck and slid down his back. He landed on the deck with a thud and moved to Crocodile's side, grabbing her hook. "Croc's gonna be safe."

Gem grinned, "Excellent." He bumped fists with the boy before he surprised Crocodile with a quick hug. "See ya, Croco-mama."

Daz returned, and Gem scurried away before Crocodile could react. Daz shook his head and held out a wrapped parcel to her, "A small gift from all of us. Kind of for you, but mostly for the baby and this guy." Daz ruffled Ace's hair. He smothered a grin when Ace whined, swatting away Daz's large hand with a pout.

Crocodile untied the twine that held it closed, softening when she saw the two Bananawani plush toys inside. Ace gaped when Crocodile offered him one. "Oh, Daz. They're adorable."

Ace took the plush, holding it gently against his chess, giving Daz a respectful thank you.

Before long, the Sandstorm Pirates are ready, and the Eclipse is sailing away. Ace held Crocodile's hook again, his bananawani tucked under his arm.

She and Ace watched the ship disappear over the horizon, and Crocodile started to cry silently. Ace stared up at her, and Crocodile knew it was because he wasn't sure what to do.

"It's okay, Ace. I'm just crying because I'm going to miss them." She whispered, lowering herself onto the grass. Ace crawled into her lap, cuddling close, "This is the first time we've been apart. And even though I know they'll be back, seeing them sail off without me hurts."

Ace peeked up at her, eyes thoughtful. "Crying's okay?"

"Yeah, baby. Crying's okay." She brushed his hair away from his forehead, smoothing it up and out of his eyes. "Sometimes we cry when we're sad. Sometimes we cry when we're happy. Some people even cry when they're mad. But there isn't anything wrong with crying."

"Huh." He shifted somehow closer to her, back against her chest. He sounded sleepy, and Crocodile started to hum a soft lullaby that she remembered her mother and grandfather singing to her. Within what felt like a few seconds, Ace fell asleep, head heavy on her breast. Still hugging his bananawani tight.