As much as she had despised hearing Dragon's stupid, faux gravelly voice again, his information did help them decide on what their next move would be. If the refinery was going to lead them to Agresta, and she and Sakazuki agreed that would likely end up being the case, checking on it was lower on their list of priorities.

"Agresta mainly operates out of his flagship casino in Shooting Star City on Orion Island. We can send someone else to try and find proof at the refinery," Crocodile tapped her finger on the small island just inside the calm belt where the refinery was located, represented on the large map of the Grand Line that was stretched across the surface of the large table at the heart of the map room.

"Orion is at the heart of a five-island archipelago that's a favourite of the World Nobles, so it has a Naval base, the G13. An admiral showing up won't be outside the norm. Even so, my movements will be restricted. I'm too recognizable. You're going to be on your own for making contact with your informant," Next to her, Sakazuki gestures to the archipelago, bigger than Sabaody and further into Paradise from the Red Line.

Crocodile nods, tucking her hair behind her ear, "That's not a problem. As long as I'm not left hanging if things go sideways." She smirks, glancing at Sakazuki out of the corner of her eye.

He cocks an eyebrow at her, sounding grumpy when he asks, "Are things likely to go sideways if I send you in by yourself?"

She blinks innocently, batting her eyelashes at him, "Not in the least."

"Crocodile."

Her teeth flash in a grin, and she bumps her shoulder against his, "Relax, cowboy. This isn't my first time doing some light spy work. Hell, it isn't even my first time snooping on Agresta. If we're lucky, he won't even be there."

Sakazuki snorts but drops it, looking across the table where Rin's watching them interact, fascinated. Sakazuki ignores that, "Who's in charge at the G13?"

"Stainless. She's been the temp commander since Ortega retired."

Sakazuki makes a thoughtful noise. Vice Admiral Stainless Olivia. A bold, eccentric woman with a brash fighting style. Not to be confused, of course, with her mustachioed husband, Vice Admiral Stainless Chuck. "Give her a call. Let her know we'll be stopping in."

"Do I need to request any standby backup?"

"No. We'll bring Commodore Martinez and his unit ashore."

Rin salutes, "I'll let him know to get them ready while I'm at it."

Crocodile watches his back as he leaves the map room, propping her hip on the edge of the table and turning her body to face Sakazuki, "I'll have my crew meet us in Shooting Star. Better if the Navy doesn't have to get involved, I think. We wouldn't want to tip our hand too early."

Sakazuki doesn't disagree, nodding, "If everything goes well, we won't need my commandos." Caging her in, his hands on the table on either side of her, he dips his head and kisses her, lips quirking briefly, "Just a precaution in case things go sideways."

She breathes a quiet chuckle into his kiss, tugging on his jacket lapel, "If you insist."

The kiss deepens, and for a moment, she thinks he'll scoop her up and deposit her onto the map table. But he leashes his desires and pulls away from her. Not a moment too soon when a knock sounded on the door. "Yeah?"

A tall redhead with pretty blue eyes and an 'x' shaped scar on her chin pushes the door open, offering Sakazuki a quick salute. She was maybe twenty, thinner than what might have been considered healthy, and an almost weary look in her eyes when she glanced cautiously at Crocodile. "Admiral. Commodore Martinez would like to know what we're prepping for. Captain Rin didn't say."

"Drake, I didn't know you had rotated back aboard," Crocodile blinked, startled by the hint of fondness she picked up in Sakazuki's words. "Last I had heard you were still waiting for your last set of stitches to come out."

Lieutenant Diez Drake grew flustered, pale skin not disguising her embarrassment, "The docs cleared me for duty about twelve hours before the ship lifted anchor."

"And Martinez was ready to throw down with Vice-Admiral Tsuru for her," Rin announces cheerfully as he returns. "We got her in the end, though."

His entrance startled her, and Drake jumped, her eyes flashing yellow for a split second, "I'm still technically on light duty, sir."

"For now," Rin grins at her, "The way you and Smoker were going at it at sparring last night, I'm surprised you haven't already been put back on regular duties."

Sakazuki's eyebrows lift, walking around the table and stopping before Drake, "Why haven't you been?"

Drake lifts the hem of her shirt slightly, revealing a very fresh, very red scar just below the waist of her pants, "A little infection. Should be cleared up in a couple of days."

"Good," His eyebrows drop back down, and he claps a hand on her shoulder. He then proceeds to explain to her what he needs from her unit.

Behind him, Crocodile feels an irrational burble of jealousy. Which was stupid because she knew Sakazuki would be in her bed tonight. Knew that he only had eyes for her. But this was the first time she'd seen him so familiar with one of the female marines on the ship. Not even Smoker, who she knew had been mentored by Sakazuki for several years, got so much attention. So who the fuck was she?

–

Crocodile is still stewing about it three days later, carefully masking it from Sakazuki. Of course, he could probably tell she was pissed about something, given that she'd been sleeping in her own bed the last couple of nights.

She's sitting at a table on the patio of an out-of-the-way Café in the heart of Shooting Star City, feeling very exposed in a flowy red sundress, strappy sandals and floppy sun hat. Everything about her outfit had been selected to help her blend in with the tourist crowd and, in no small amount of pettiness, to make Sakazuki jealous. Bentham's makeup work had expertly covered her scar, and her less conspicuous prosthetic was in place of her hook, a chunky bangle bracelet hiding the seam where the prosthetic went up over her wrist.

Tucked behind her ear, hidden by the brim of her hat and hair, was a baby Den Den Mushi, on loan from the G13 marine base.

"You look pretty in red." Sakazuki had the other half of the pair; this particular variety of DDM had a closed communication connection with their partner. She isn't sure where he is, but she knows he can see her. She purses her lips and doesn't respond…mostly because she'd look crazy talking to herself. He snorts, "You going to tell me why you've been so pissy?"

She lifts her cup to her lips and says, as loudly as she dares, "Nope."

"I can start guessing," He pauses, giving her a chance to tell him. He continues when she doesn't say anything, sounding more amused than Crocodile would like, "You're jealous I'm close with Drake."

Crocodile almost chokes, "How the fuck–"

"Language, darlin'," He chuckles, "Wasn't hard to figure out when you started getting snappy after Drake left the map room."

She rolls her eyes, "And what? Now you're going to tell you there isn't anything between you two?"

"That would be a lie. I will, however, tell you there is absolutely nothing romantic between us."

Crocodile places her cup down, leaning her elbow next to it and propping her chin in her hand, "And what is your relationship?"

"I found Drake – how long has it been now? – nine years ago, during a mission in the North Blue. She was this scrawny, malnourished kid just trying to get away from her bastard father, a loser ex-marine who had no problem beating her. Brought her back to Marineford, fostered her, and eventually adopted her, " He was obviously leaving out a lot. But Crocodile decided that was okay.

"I guess it would be a little hypocritical to give you shit for not telling me about your kid."

"Just a little."

Crocodile snorts softly, "Sorry."

"Pfft, don't worry about it. You're pretty sexy when you're jealous…" He trails off before clearing his throat, "How long until your girl shows up?"

Crocodile twists her wrist, looking at her watch, "About five minutes."

"She'll be on time?"

She shrugs delicately, "She usually is." She trails her finger around the rim of her cup, noticing the interested look of a young man two tables away from her. She smiles at him, wanting to giggle when Sakazuki growls in her ear.

"Crocodile!"

The man goes to stand up, but Crocodile lets her smile slide past him. The man deflates as Mikita throws herself into Crocodile's arms. "Hiya, long time no see!"

"Miki, how've you been?" Mikita is one of her younger contacts, barely eighteen, with short, fluffy blonde hair and dark chocolate eyes. Crocodile had hesitated to keep her where she was, didn't like the girl working in the champagne room of one of Agresta's casinos, but had taken Mikita at her word that she could handle it.

"Just swell." All was normal then, and no one was following her. Perfect. "Glad you had time to meet up with little old me while you're in town."

Mikita released her hold on Crocodile and dropped into the chair opposite her.

Examining her face, Crocodile asks, "How's work?"

"Been kind of rough." Crocodile stills, worry settling in. "I caught the boss's eye, and he had me transferred to another of his places. Working a little closer with customers, and if I do well, I'll start working directly with the customers, entertaining." Mikita's happy grin slips, and Crocodile wants to go and beat the crap out of Agresta right then and there. Going to work in one of the brothels was, if the rumours about working the champagne rooms were true, the "promotion" that the girls were given when Agresta paid enough attention to notice them.

Crocodile frowns, "You ready to quit?"

"Yeah, I think so." Crocodile nods. Whatever occurred when Crocodile went snooping, Mikita would be safe and sound on the Eclipse.

"Speaking of your boss, does he have any new projects he's been working on?"

"Just one really big one that he's in the final stages of. The one you mentioned being interested in." All the confirmation they needed to go after Agresta officially.

Mikita tells Crocodile what she knows, which, unfortunately, isn't much.

Mercurio Agresta is cocky but always careful about what he says around his employees. "He's looking for something, and he thinks Alabasta is going to be where he finds it." She tilts her head, finger on her lips, and from his position in the building above the cafe, Sakazuki can't help but notice how…practiced the move seems. Deliberately coy, although he doesn't think the girl knows she's doing it.

"Any idea what he's looking for?" Crocodile asks her, smoothing a hand down her thigh to smooth the fabric of the skirt of her dress.

"Nu-uh, sorry, Croc. All I know is that he didn't find it anywhere on the other islands that he, ah…ruined." Miki shrugs with a frown.

Sakazuki clears his throat, "Is he on the island right now?" Crocodile repeats the question.

Miki shakes her head, "No. There was a problem at his casino on Varity Island. He left two nights ago."

"Varity is nearly a week's journey by ship," Sakazuki says idly, mind working.

"The perfect time to go look through his shit." Crocodile smiles toothily, but it's not a nice smile.

Mikita giggles, "The Grand is where his main office is," She bobs her head, "Up on the fifth floor of the casino. It's usually closed after nine, except for the floor manager's office. And with Agresta gone, security tends to be a lax."

Crocodile snorts, "Boss is away, so they don't give a fuck? Thank whatever god there is that my employees actually do their damn jobs without me having to scare them into it." She tosses back the rest of her drink and stands up, "I'm going to need a more…casino-appropriate dress, won't I?"

Mikita nods, "You'll look really out of place if you don't. If you're going to the Grand, you dress to the damn nines." Mikita offers her the name and location of a shop that has a seamstress on site for alterations before frowning. "You aren't going in there all alone, are you?"

Crocodile straightens her hat and squints at the girl, "I hadn't planned on it."

"Oh, good," she looks relieved, "Just be careful. There's a girl who works in the offices that Agresta seems to trust. I don't know if she went with him to Varity or if she stayed here, but she's trouble."

Crocodile pats Mikita's head, "Don't worry, I can handle trouble." No one's more trouble than Luffy, and I can handle that kid in my sleep. "You scurry on down to the docks and find Daz. Get him to call me and let me know you got there in one piece." Mikita nods, giving Crocodile a quick squeeze around the waist before leaving.

As she leaves the cafe, Sakazuki asks her, "Who are you going to bring?"

"Bon and Walter. My usual helpers in this sort of thing."

As much as he wants to say something, he bites his tongue. Crocodile had a deep trust in her crew. And if she said they would be helping her, they would be helping her. And he could at least give credit to Bentham. He was an adept infiltrator.

The ease with which he'd slid into the offices of the mine where they'd found the silver production records, wearing another person's face thanks to his devil fruit, had been impressive. But the sniper was an unknown.

Sakazuki was curious to see what he could do.

He moved position as she walked through the streets to where the dress shop was. He used the pathways between the upper levels of buildings to get to another vantage spot that would let him keep an eye on her.

While she probably didn't need him keeping an eye out for this, he was a little curious as to what sort of dress she'd end up wearing, even if he didn't get to enjoy the sight in person.

The shop is surprisingly quiet for mid-afternoon, and the clerks greet them as she enters the door. Crocodile explains to them that, wouldn't you know it, she'd forgotten to pack something appropriate for a night at the biggest casino in the city. She heard Sakazuki snort and smiled at the clerk, "I think my man would prefer seeing me in something red."

Her man. Simple words that had an embarrassingly warm feeling blooming in his chest.

Quietly, he requests, "A dark red."

"A dark red," Crocodile clarifies, her lips tilting up in a smirk.

The clerk nods and leads her to the back of the shop, where Sakazuki doesn't have a line of sight.

–

Olivia nudged open the door of the surveillance room, "Shooting Star and the rest of Orion are in Navy control, despite Agresta's assumptions to the contrary. We have eyes all over the place, including The Grand." Sakazuki's eyes sweep across the wall-to-wall grid of monitors, each showing a different video feed. Olivia pops her fists onto her hips, blonde curls quivering as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "When you arrest him, we'll be happy to hand over all the footage we've hung onto showcasing his dirty dealings."

Sakazuki huffs a brief laugh, "Tell me how you really feel, Liv."

The grin she flashes him is lopsided, "He's a giant cockwobble. I'll be thrilled to get him the hell out of my city."

"I'll do my best," Sakazuki steps forward, gesturing to the feeds. "The Grand?"

"Front and center," Olivia points, "That five-by-five grid is every camera we have in there. The first two rows are various points in the casino. The last row is the offices. Including the manager's office and Agresta's."

Sakazuki's brow furrows, "He doesn't know there's a camera in his office."

Olivia shrugs, "No clue. If he doesn't, he's either stupid or cocky. If he does, he hasn't given us an indication." She pauses, barking a laugh, "Or he's stupid and cocky."

"Oh, both, without a doubt," Sakazuki lowers himself into the second chair. The mini Den Den Mushi attached to his lapel suddenly comes awake with a yawn.

"On our way to The Grand," Crocodile murmurs, "Hopefully, we're in and out quick, but please tell me you've got eyes in there."

"More eyes than I expected."

"Ortega insisted," Olivia pursed her lips, "And I didn't disagree."

"Did the Navy confirm that Agresta was not, in fact, on the island?"

Sakazuki looks at Olivia, and she nods, responding in his place, "We have. But watch out for the manager. He's Agresta's right-hand man and a complete twat."

Crocodile laughs, "And what about the girl my contact mentioned?"

"Hard to say. There are a lot of girls working at the casino."

"Eyes open, Crocodile. If your contact felt the need to warn you about her…" He trails off and reaches into the inside pocket of his blazer to pull out a cigar, raising his eyebrows at Olivia in silent question. She shrugs at him, waving her hand dismissively. Sakazuki lights up, leaning back in his chair, impressed when the damn thing doesn't creak alarmingly under his weight. "Well, better to see the hit coming."

"I don't know, I think I'd rather not know that I was about to get my head bashed in," She chuckles, "Surprise me with it. That way, it'll be all kinds of impressive when I win the fight."

Olivia's eyebrows jump up, "You're an odd duck, aren't you, Crocodile."

Voice deadpan, Crocodile says, "Insanity does run in my family."

With the Admiral and Vice Admiral listening over Den Den Mushi and watching security feeds, Crocodile and her boys arrive at the Grand. She hoped Sakazuki could see her and that he was lamenting the fact that he couldn't be next to her while she was wearing this dress. Because she looked damn good, and she knew it. Every inch of curve cupped by the clingy material of the dress she'd gone with; dark red, as requested, with a plunging v-neckline open to her belly button, breasts on display and leaving very little to the imagination, and a skirt longer than her usual preference. Bon had done her in full glam makeup, teasing her hair into loose, wavy curls.

She wanted to see his reaction but would be content to get it from him later. With Vice Admiral Stainless next to him, Sakazuki would be frustratingly professional. Actually, Crocodile could admit to being a little turned on by that. The thought of him watching her, knowing how much he desired her, but being unable to show it on his face had her stifling a giggle as they ascended the steps to the entrance, breezing past the big security guards posted at the doors without so much as a glance.

There were more than a few glances in her direction, and Crocodile arranged her expression into bland disinterest. Dressed as they were, they fit in well, and it wasn't hard to melt into the crowd.

Walter scoffs under his breath, looking around with disapproval. "Mikita wasn't lying when she said security was lax when Agresta ain't around. Ash'd be pitching a fit if he saw the state of this place." They watch a fight break out between two men at a roulette table, not a single security guard in sight, and the poor floor manager rushing over to try and break it up. "Damn, I wanna pitch a fit."

"Maybe I'll put in an offer for this place when Agresta's arrested," Crocodile hums, gesturing discretely to the first flight of stairs. "It's got potential, even with all the training the staff would have to receive."

"Just assign security training to our mighty King of Serpents, and that will solve at least half of the problems," Bon offers Crocodile his arm as they climb the stairs.

"I was thinking the exact same thing," The gaudy gold carpet on the stairs made Crocodile twitch, and she frowned down at it, "Redecorating would solve the rest."

"Focus, you three. The crowds are thinner on the higher floors, and the guards may actually be paying attention," Sakazuki scolds blandly in her ear.

"Yes, mother. Any more wisdom you'd like to share."

"Yes. The manager just left. For the night, it seems."

"...seriously? It's ten o'clock. It would make more sense for him to be just coming in, not leaving." Crocodile sneers, "God save me from incompetent owners and managers."

Sakazuki snorts, "There is no God here."

"Obviously. If there were, this would be a great fucking challenge."

As it was, getting to the fifth floor was child's play. The floor was dark. A few offices, their doors closed, had lights coming from beneath them. But whether anyone was working was a mystery. Hardwood floors and carved wood panelling on the walls made Crocodile remove her shoes at the top of the stairs on the off chance that someone in one of the lit offices gave a damn and heard her walking by.

"If you were a supervillain, where would you keep your office?" Bon asks, eyes scanning doors as they pass for any indication of who owned them.

Without hesitation, Crocodile says, "Under a lake."

Walter snorts, and Bon sighs, clarifying, "If you weren't a supervillain but pretending to think like a supervillain, where would you keep your office?"

Vice Admiral Stainless answers, "Somewhere I could lord over the lowly peasants, looking down on them from above so I could watch them while laughing evilly and rubbing my hands together." She pauses and clears her throat, "That is to say, his office is at the front of the fifth floor."

They follow Olivia's directions and reach Agresta's office, and Crocodile squints when Walter pushes the door open. Like the rest of the Grand, it was tacky and covered in unnecessary amounts of gold. "It's pretty bad when you rival Gild Tesoro for how much gold you use in your decorating," She rolled her eyes, "Honestly, he may as well have just named this place, 'Come and see how much money I have,' it might have been cheaper." She sidles behind the ostentatious desk, riffling through his drawers.

"Anything to show off," Bon points out, tapping a nail against the base of the lamp on the corner of the desk, "Tesoro's devil fruit gives the obnoxious amounts of gold in his place a purpose, and he is at least as wealthy as you. This though? Purely frivolous spending."

Walter crosses his arms and leans back against the wall by the door, "Given how poorly operated this place seems, it really gives the impression the Agresta's got no clue as to what he's doing."

Crocodile pulls a stack of papers out of the desk's top drawer, "Based on some of these receipts, I'd say he's hemorrhaging money faster than he can bring it in."

"Oh, he's been operating the Grand in the red for the last year or so. We thought he was just losing interest." Olivia explains.

Crocodile shakes her head, "Why am I not surprised?" She flips the page and starts laughing, "…Well, well, well; invoices from both the mine and the refinery." She separates them from the pile and hands them to Bon for safekeeping. "You know I did say that they were probably going to be stupid; I didn't realize how right I was going to be."

"I almost feel bad for them."

"Mercurio Agresta is by far the most arrogant I've ever met, but any intelligence he's displayed in the past has disappeared as he's gotten closer to finding the Poneglyph on Alabasta," Walter jumps when a dagger is pressed to his throat by a young woman. Crocodile's eyes dart up, examining her. Black hair cut to her shoulders and bright blue eyes, she stood next to Walter with a placid smile. She was almost two feet away from the sniper, and it was a disembodied hand that held the dagger, "I doubt he'd ever considered that you'd follow the Dance Powder. An avoidable mistake… if he hadn't left a paper trail."

Crocodile narrows her eyes and wonders where she'd seen her before, a name on the edge of her mind, just out of reach.

Sakazuki beats her to it, "Nico Robin."

Crocodile hides a flinch, recognizing the pain underneath the words, "Ah, Ohara."

Blue eyes turned icy, and the edge of the blade nicked Walter's skin, a drop of blood rolling down to the collar of his shirt, "Yes. Admiral Akainu's memory is good. Especially since I was only a child at the time. I had wondered if he would remember the sole survivor of the Buster Call on Ohara."

Sakazuki doesn't respond, but Crocodile doesn't expect him to. Ohara had been a dark time for him and haunted him even now.

Crocodile clears her throat, catching Robin's attention, "Did you say that Agresta was after a Poneglyph?" The change of subject is deliberate. She has the distinct impression that Nico Robin being here is no coincidence and may have been willing to air out Agresta's dirty laundry.

Robin tilts her head, assessing Crocodile, eyes flicking where Crocodile's DDM was hidden in her hair, "I did. He seems to think that the Poneglyph that is in the possession of the Nefertari family contains the plans for the ancient weapon Pluton."

Sakazuki, forcing his lingering guilt back into the box in his mind where it lived, voice quiet when he says, "And you're working with him because you can read Poneglyphs."

How Robin hears him, Crocodile isn't sure, but she decides it has something to do with the hand still sprouting from Walter's collarbone.

Robin exhales, "I'm likely the last person in the world who can. The world government ensured that," Her expression is blank as she says it, but her hands tighten into fists, betraying her anger.

Sakazuki sighed, exhausted, "Yes, it did."

Crocodile grimaces, her heart hurting for Sakazuki, and she wants to end this. "Enough. Why are you involved in this? Besides being able to read Poneglyphs."

Robin doesn't expect the question, frowning at Crocodile and trying to puzzle out the reason why she sounds so put out on behalf of a man like Akainu…and why Akainu sounds so remorseful, even with his voice poorly imitated by the baby snail tucked behind Crocodile's hair.

"I wanted a chance to find another poneglyph. To read it…To see if it's the one that I'm looking for." She hesitates to say the words aloud. Doesn't want to say that she's searching for the Rio Poneglyph. She wants to finish what her parents and the other archaeologists of Ohara had set out to do. To find the truth of the hundred-year void.

Crocodile stares at her, red lips pulled into a soft frown. "And you're willing to see yet another peaceful kingdom destroyed to accomplish that?"

Robin opens her mouth to deny it, to condemn the destruction and murders…but her words catch in her throat. Knows she'd be lying if she spoke them.

Crocodile shakes her head, that disapproving twist still pulling her lips down, "Do you want to always be considered the Demon Child of Ohara?"

Robin falls silent, the knife dropping from her grasp and the arm disappearing.

"Maybe it's none of my business, but you could always just ask Nefertari Cobra to see the poneglyph. He's a reasonable sort. A much better option than indenturing yourself to someone like Mercurio Agresta." She stands up, Bon offering her a hand so she can slip her shoes back on. Together, the pirate captain and her two crewmates start to leave. Robin moves aside to let them pass, her mind a whirlwind. She doesn't want innocent people to die. She just wants to be able to live her life and follow her dream. Working for Agresta had seemed like the only option.

But…she never wanted to be the monster the World Government painted her as. Fighting back tears, she opens her mouth, "Wait."

Crocodile grins when she asks, sounding young as hell, if she can go with them. "Any reservations, Sakazuki?"

"Absolutely zero."

Robin's glad when Crocodile doesn't mention the tears.

Robin still had questions, and maybe she'd even have the courage to ask Akainu to his face, but for now, she'd help them bring Agresta down.

–

Robin told them everything she knew about Agresta's plans, including the location of the ship that was burning the Dance Powder downwind of Alabasta, before Crocodile asks Bon and Walter to escort her to the Eclipse. She had a debrief with a suspiciously silent Admiral to get to.

Crocodile returns to the G13 and is shown to the VIP suite that they'd given Sakazuki for his stay. She finds Sakazuki on the balcony, a cigar in one hand and a drink in the other, sitting on a shockingly sturdy chair. She was still in her dress and was itching to get it off. But she had to ensure he was okay before she could be comfortable.

There was a darkness in his eyes, the same darkness she'd seen there eleven years ago.

She stops next to him, hand landing on his shoulder, catching his attention, "You still feel guilty about what happened, don't you?"

"Shouldn't I?" He mutters, downing his drink in one swallow, grimacing at the burn of the alcohol down his throat. He sighs harshly, glaring into the empty glass, "If I hadn't followed my orders and destroyed that ship, somebody else would have. I know that. The Gorosei expect their orders to be followed. If I'd said no, they would have passed the order along to one of the other Vice-Admirals until they found one that wouldn't hesitate and maybe that Vice-Admiral would have dragged it out."

He places his glass on the ground beneath him, shooting her an anguished look, and Crocodile's heart clenches.

"I did what I fuckin' had to, and I was as merciful as I could have been. They were all dead in seconds." Crocodile's grip tightens; she wants to do something more to soothe him, but she doesn't think he'd welcome it right now.

"The World Government turned me into a monster. And I let 'em," He growls, rubbing a hand roughly over his scalp. "And all for what? To protect their pride?"

"You used your devil fruit powers? Didn't order your men to fire on the ship?" Her voice is faint, taking the chance and stepping closer. She closes her eyes when he drops his head against her stomach. She runs her hand over the short strands of his hair.

"I wasn't about to let them live with that." He whispers, breathing deeply, letting himself take comfort from her. "They were my orders. I was the only one responsible. They still thought I did it of my own choice." The wound of it clearly still cuts him deep. "They still thought I was a monster. Hell, Kuzan still doesn't believe I was acting on orders."

Crocodile's eyes pop open with her surprise. "He's an Admiral, too. Shouldn't he know how the World Government acts?"

Sakazuki scoffs, "Kuzan likes to pretend I'm nothin' but an asshole with a stick up my ass who's incapable of feeling anything other than rage. He likes to pretend he's the only one who argued against the bounty they decided to put on Nico Robin's head when she was just eight years old. That Salina and I just let it happen." He scowls, "He likes to play the saint, but he forgets he's as far from being one as the rest of us."

He closes his eyes, pushing aside his distaste for Kuzan. Instead, he says quietly, "When we last saw each other, I was in a dark place. Ohara was haunting me. And just when I thought I was finally going to fall too far, I found a light."

"Oh?" Crocodile's hand stilled on his head.

"You were that light, Crocodile. You pulled me back far enough that I could climb the rest of the way out myself." He turns his head and presses a painfully soft kiss to her sternum, hands sliding around her hips. She remembers that night in the snow in Magnolia. He'd thanked her, and she hadn't entirely understood why.

But now she does.