It took three days to reach Alubarna. The rain started falling on the second day out, crossing the Sandora. A light trickle that at first they mistook for spray from the river. But when the skies opened, there was no mistaking it anymore. Crocodile would have been annoyed at being caught in the deluge if she hadn't known just how vital this rainfall was.

As it was, she was pleased. Her makeup was running, and she felt like a drowned cat, but still, she was pleased. And she couldn't bite down on the grin threatening to spread across her face, not with the way the Alabastans around them started celebrating.

If Sakazuki noticed, he was smart enough not to tease her.

Not that he could have, had he wanted to, with so many eyes on them.

Crocodile turned her face up to the sky and enjoyed the rain.

The rain was still falling when they finally reached Alubarna. And the downpour isn't affecting the celebration taking place across the city. For the first time in months, the people of Alabasta have a reason to celebrate; not even the lightning and thunder could stop them.

"The change in atmosphere from the last time we were here is staggering," Sakazuki decided as they started the climb up to the palace.

Crocodile nodded, "Before now, it was a shadow of itself. First, the drought, then the war," She glanced over her shoulder, down to the city, "This is how Alabasta should be."

They reached the top of the stairs, and Princess Vivi met them there, looking cute in a traditional Alabastan dress. She bounced excitedly when she spotted them, blue hair dancing around her, "Auntie! The rain's back!" She jumped into Crocodile's arms when she kneeled to greet the young girl. "And Papa says the fighting is over!"

When he saw the way that she softened for the tiny princess, Sakazuki found himself wanting to see Crocodile with her own children. He wondered what her children were like beyond being the chaos magnets Crocodile described them as.

Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, but the thought of meeting her kids didn't scare him.

Not like the thought of being introduced to her father.

That terrified him.

Not that he'd ever admit that out loud.

"And he's right. Things might not be automatically back to normal, but they'll get there." Crocodile brushed the girl's hair away from her face, glancing up at Cobra, who was coming up behind his daughter.

Vivi grinned, pulling away from Crocodile to attach herself to her father's leg, "Good."

Crocodile snorted, getting back to her feet, muttering fondly, "Brat."

With one hand on his daughter's head, Cobra smiled widely at Crocodile and Sakazuki, "Thank you. Both of you. Without your hard work, things might have ended on a much different note, and we may not have ended up having anything to celebrate tonight."

Sakazuki bowed to the King, "I was happy to help. And I'm sure the Fleet Admiral would say the same if she were here." He straightened his back, and Crocodile looked at him. His admiral coat was wet from the rain, and he looked tired, but his shoulders were straight and broad, and he stood tall and proud. For a moment, she didn't see a king and a marine. She saw two kings. "When we found out who was behind it…well, I'm glad Agresta won't be able to hide behind his status as a Shichibukai. The publicity of all of this will ensure that the World Government won't be able to sweep his actions under the rug. If Sengoku gets her way, he'll be punished to the fullest extent of the law."

Cobra's eyes narrowed, "I'm glad to hear it." He cleared his throat, "Now come! Have a few drinks and enjoy the party!"

Eventually, Sakazuki managed to get Crocodile alone, relaxed with the drinks people had kept pouring him, "I'm gonna be putting your name forward as Agresta's potential replacement." He told her as they looked out over the city, blanketed in heavy rain.

Startled by his words, she shot him a skeptical look, "Me? A Shichibukai?" She scoffed, letting Sakazuki pull her close to his side, the heat of his hand a brand on her hip, "Sakazuki, are you drunk? I'm the daughter of Whitebeard. You don't think someone would have an issue with giving me a position like that?"

He snorted, cocking an eyebrow at her, "I'm a little drunk, but that's beside the point, darlin'. Whitebeard's daughter or not, you proved willing to work with the Navy, defend a country under government protection, and help in the capture of a rogue Shichibukai." He pressed a kiss to her hair, smiling when she slapped his chest indignantly. "Plus, you're getting an endorsement from an admiral; who's gonna argue with me."

She thinks about it seriously. Being a Shichibukai had never been something she'd thought about. And the thought of being associated with the World Government made her skin crawl. But she would receive immunity for her crew and her family. And it would give her a very good excuse to keep in touch with Sakazuki.

Maybe she was a little drunk, too, "I don't hate the sound of it."

He patted her ass, sounding almost smug, "Good."

–

Monkey D Luffy, Foosha Village's resident chaos tornado, had never been known for her patience. She liked doing things as quickly as she could, even if that meant she had to climb the sheer cliff of a mountain instead of going around it.

And it wasn't that she had no patience, just that she didn't care to wait.

But she was capable of doing so when there was no other option.

While waiting for her mother, travelling aboard the Eclipse, to appear on the horizon and anchor outside Foosha village, Luffy tapped into a well of surprisingly endless persistence. Autumn had settled over Dawn Island, and the leaves on the trees had transformed into a myriad of oranges, yellows and reds. The change had also brought with it a slight chill that would only get slightly colder when autumn turned to winter.

Luffy was unbothered, used to the slightly cooler temperatures up on the mountain, wearing her typical shorts and t-shirt. She sat cross-legged on the grassy cliff overlooking the village harbour eyes focused beyond to the deep waters where the King of the Coast lurked. He wouldn't attack Crocodile's ship, but Luffy had never understood why. The ships that sailed around the island daily never crossed the seaking's territory, but Mama always sailed right through it.

Not even Shanks had done that after the first time his ship had been attacked.

Luffy was excited to show her mother her newly acquired Gum Gum no Mi abilities. She was excited to show her how far she was able to stretch her arms and how she bounced when she jumped out of trees.

Getting antsy, Luffy started pulling up blades of grass to keep her hands busy.

She heard the scuff of boots on the gravel path coming up the hill, and she turned her head, grinning when she saw who it was. Sabo dropped down to sit beside her.

"How long have you been out here?"

She shrugged, eyes moving back to the horizon, "Dunno. The sun was up."

Sabo knocked the straw hat off her head, the drawstring catching it around her neck, so that he could ruffle her choppy black hair. Laughing when she squawked at him, "The Eclipse might only get in by the late evening, Luff. You going to wait all day?"

She nodded once, "Yeah."

Ace's voice broke into the conversation, "What if you get hungry?" His question was teasing, and he stopped behind Luffy, who leaned her head back to scowl at him. He flicked her forehead.

Luffy grabbed the spot with an annoyed yelp, swatting at Ace's leg, "You guys are so mean!"

"Come on down to Party's Bar. Makino made us lunch."

Luffy frowned, looking back to the ocean. Hesitating even as her stomach grumbled loudly, "But..."

"Don't worry, Luffy. Mom knows where to find us if she comes while we're eating."

–

Crocodile breathed a soft sigh at the sight of home when the island came into view just after noon, "Happy to be back?" Daz asked her, standing at her side at the bow of the ship.

"You know I am." Her words are quiet but honest. It had surprised her at first how much she had come to love the peaceful island. Part of her would always say that the decks of the Moby Dick were home, but the rest of her knew that home had become so many places now. The Moby Dick, the Eclipse, Alabasta and Dawn Island.

Hell, even Sakazuki was home to her now.

Home really was, in fact, where the heart was.

Crocodile rolled her eyes at the thought. May the gods strike me down if I ever say something that cringy where someone can hear it.

The ship passed over the stretch of ocean that belonged to the King of the Coast. Everyone held their breath when the deck of the ship rumbled when the sea king swam beneath them. But he let them be, once again proving the usefulness of the sea stone coating on the underside of the Eclipse. Soon enough, they were docking, and Crocodile grinned when she heard excited shouts from the direction of Makino's as she stepped off the gangplank.

Luffy reached her first, launching herself into her Crocodile's arms, wrapping her limbs around her like the clingy little monkey she had always been. With a little extra reach in her arms, the now rubbery appendages snaked around her waist. Luffy burrowed into her chest, cuddling close. Ace and Sabo aren't far behind, her rapidly growing boys attaching themselves to either side of her hips, their faces pressing against her.

"Hey, brats," She dropped to her knees, gathering all three of her babies close, "I'm home."

–

She told them everything that had happened with Agresta, getting to sail aboard an admiral flagship and told them about the possibility of her becoming a Shichibukai, "…it's not a sure thing, but Admiral Akainu insisted he'd be recommending me."

Sabo, eyes wide at the news, gaped at her, "That's kind of a big deal, isn't it?"

Crocodile smirked at him, reaching out to rub a smudge of dirt off his cheek, "I guess. Might happen, might not." She huffed out a breath when Luffy, sitting in her lap, slumped back against her heavily. Crocodile looked down, kissing the top of her daughter's messy head when she rubbed her eyes tiredly.

Ace slid off the back of the sofa, landing half on top of Sabo, who grunted and pushed Ace off. Ace stared at Crocodile, unbothered by Sabo's shoving. "I think you'd make a great Shichibukai. Gramps says they're a bunch of useless idiots for the most part; only in it so they can get away with shady shit." He ignored Crocodile's disapproving look at his language.

Crocodile snorted at him, shifting Luffy to a more comfortable position. "You're probably right. I did just help arrest one of them." Ace grinned, falling backwards to put more of his weight on Sabo, who shouted.

"Get off, Ace!"

Her kids might have been three of the most chaotic, trouble-making brats ever, but they were hers, and she wouldn't give them up for anything.

Luffy started snoring, now completely limp in Crocodile's hold.

–

Sakazuki's return to Marineford prompted a meeting in Sengoku's office. Nothing official, but all three admirals and several vice admirals attended.

Sakazuki was pleasantly surprised when Sengoku praised him, "I'm glad you could resolve the problem before Alabasta suffered further. Cobra had nothing but good things to say about your work," The fleet admiral told him as the meeting got underway, gesturing for Sakazuki to take a seat. "If you and Crocodile hadn't tracked Mercurio Agresta so quickly, I dread to think of how much more he would have gotten away with."

"With Crocodile's sources, it was easy," Sakazuki confessed, relaxing into his chair, lighting his cigar and meeting Sengoku's eyes. "I doubt we would have made progress nearly as quickly had she not been willing to help."

Lounging like a big cat on Sengoku's sofa, Admiral Aokiji snorted, not lifting the sleep mask off his eyes, "You saying the navy can't compete with the sources of a two-bit pirate woman."

Sakazuki was ready to go and catch Kuzan's throat in his hand but stopped himself, "That 'two-bit' pirate has one of the most thorough webs of informants I've ever come across. She managed to gather data we'd been trying to get our hands on for years in a few days." Sakazuki, instead of strangling his fellow Admiral, calmly explained. "So, yeah, I guess I am saying the Navy can't compete."

Looking amused as hell beside him as she accepted a cup of tea handed to her by Lieutenant Okane, Salina interrupted, "She was willing to work with Sakazuki to bring down Mercurio Agresta. How many pirates can we say are keen to do the same?"

The words, spoken in that deceptively sweet voice, had Kuzan shutting his mouth, his crush on Salina preventing him from ever arguing with her. Which she knew and happily used to her advantage when he was being, in her words, a nuisance.

She tilted her head, looking at Sengoku, "I'm sure Sakazuki will agree, but I feel, given her willingness to cooperate, that Crocodile would be the perfect candidate to fill Agresta's seat amongst the seven." Her dark curls quivered when she blew on her tea, wrinkling her nose when her yellow glasses fogged up from the steam rising from the delicate porcelain.

Sakazuki, shooting his sister a sharp, suspicious look, nodded, "I was going to recommend her."

Sengoku's mouth pursed, and she shoved her hands into her pockets, standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows on the back wall of her office. "We have three empty seats. Dracule Mihawk has agreed to take Sakura's vacant seat; he said it felt right to accept our offer since he had ended her reign as the World's Greatest Swordswoman." She turned on her heels to face the room. "I'm prepared to consider Lady Crocodile for the position, given her willingness to work with us and because it would give us some access to her sources. She'd be an invaluable asset to have on our side."

Salina hummed, her tone a touch more serious, fingers lifting one by one as she listed the warlords, "Of the current Shichibukai, there is Kuma the Tyrant, former revolutionary and currently volunteering for one of Dr. Vegapunk's nastier projects. Gecko Moria, Captain of the mobile island, Thriller Bark and the wielder of the Kage Kage no Mi. Jimbei, captain of the Sun Pirates and First Son of the Sea. And most recently before Hawkeyes, Donquixote Doflamingo, head of the Donquixote Family and now King of Dressrosa." Sengoku bit down on a snarl, and Sakazuki couldn't blame her after learning what Commander Rosinante had gone through at her brother's hands.

Sengoku took a deep breath, "We don't know the details of how Doflamingo obtained his seat, but we can assume he struck a deal with the Gorosei. My concerns about him holding the seat were brushed aside." She sighed, "Doflamingo is a problem. Every single person in this room knows what he did in an attempt to get his hands on the Ope Ope no Mi. He shot his sister, our own Commander Sengoku Rosinante, in an attempt to kill her and take control of the child who ate the fruit." Sengoku didn't even try to disguise her complete hatred of Doflamingo. For what the bastard had done to her daughter and grandson, Sengoku would never forgive him. "Doflamingo is unaware of Rosinante's survival, thankfully, but we will continue to monitor him until an opportunity to remove him arises."

Sakazuki crossed his arms, blowing smoke out of his nose like a furious dragon, "That'll take years. He's too careful."

Vice-Admiral Cancer, one of Salina's, cleared his throat. He didn't appear intimidated when all four of the Navy's highest-ranked officers turned to look at him, "We at least cut off one of his avenues, thanks to Rosi. Vergo's advancement through the ranks has basically come to a standstill since the Fleet Admiral shoved him into the depths of the South Blue."

Sengoku sighed, "I doubt he'll be content to stay there much longer. If what Rosinante says is true, Vergo was Doflamingo's most loyal. He'll rejoin him sooner rather than later." She realized they'd gotten off-topic, "So we have Mihawk and Crocodile if she accepts. But that still leaves one empty seat."

"Ah, that will be my poor Blackheart's seat," Salina's voice was full of teasing, but Sakazuki could hear the genuine remorse in her voice. She had been very fond of Jack Munro, and the old man had been equally fond of her.

"Tougher to fill a seat like Jack's," Momonga muttered, and Sakazuki nodded, agreeing with her.

"Moria will doubtless step up to lead the others, and frankly, he's the one I'd trust not to abuse the position." Sengoku tsked, wracking her mind for another name to put forward.

"Is there a rush to fill the seat?" Salina asked.

"I suppose not, though Gorosei may choose for us if they think we're taking too long." Sengoku shrugged, and Sakazuki could tell she didn't like the possibility of that happening. "If there are no objections, then an offer will be extended to Crocodile as soon as possible."

–

More than a month after getting home, Crocodile was awakened by the ringing of her Den-Den Mushi. She extracted herself from beneath the dogpile the kids were in. Catching the receiver in her hand on the fourth ring, she answered while muffling a yawn.

"It's me," Sengoku didn't call her often, only once a month or so, and that was generally to check in on the kids. She was suddenly very awake,

"Is this a personal call or a business one?" Crocodile had a feeling she knew why her children's grandmother was calling, but she didn't know how much information Sakazuki had shared about their conversation.

"Business. I talked to the kids earlier this week," Sengoku sighed, "I know Sakazuki told you he'd be recommending you for the Shichibukai position Agresta's arrest would open up. He's surprisingly earnest about things like that."

"He may have mentioned it. So am I getting the offer?" Crocodile teased, keeping her voice low and moving into the kitchen.

"You'll be receiving it, but I should extend it to you in person for formality's sake. I'll be by in a few days. Don't worry, I left Garp at home."

"That's fine with me. How did you know I was on Dawn?"

"As long as you were away from home, I knew you'd be there a while."

"And you called Rain Dinners."

"Before I even left Marineford. I'm not wandering all over the Blues to find you."

"Plus, you get to see the kids this way."

"It's a pretty good bonus," Sengoku doesn't even pretend to deny it. She was a doting grandmother at heart, and she rarely actually gets to see Ace, Sabo and Luffy.

"Alright, I'll see you when you get here then."

–

"I don't really get why you wanted me to come with you."

Sengoku looked up from her papers and smiled at her grandson. Law was fourteen and in the throes of teenage angst at its worst. On top of the oodles of trauma that he already had, "I suppose I didn't really explain before we left, did I?" Sengoku waved him closer and nudged the chair next to her away from the table.

"No," Law sat next to her with a tremendous sigh, as though sitting next to his grandma was an excruciating task forced on him at knifepoint.

Thankfully, they were in Sengoku's cabin and weren't at risk of being overheard, "So your mother, Rosinante, is my adopted daughter, right?"

"I know that, yeah."

"I also have a son. Who I don't often talk to anymore."

"Because he's the leader of the revolutionary army," Law squinted at her, amber eyes curious. Not that he'd ever admit to his curiosity, "And Gramps doesn't like him."

"Garp loves Dragon because he's his son, but no, he doesn't really like him all that much," Sengoku grumbled, fingers playing with the corner of one of her papers. "Anyway, so Dragon, who's kind of your uncle, was romantically involved with the pirate we're going to see, and he fathered a child with her. Crocodile is very likely going to become a Shichibukai, and I am going to make her that offer formally. And you, my little dumpling, are going to meet your, kind of, cousins."

Law stared at her, brow furrowed. Mind working through what she had just told him and looking like he was well on his way to perfecting his brooding, "I'm going to regret coming with you, aren't I?"

Thinking of the three troublemakers she adored, Sengoku blinked, "I suppose that all depends on how you feel about chaos."

"What?"

Sengoku pushed herself to her feet and placed a noisy kiss on top of Law's head, chuckling when he whined, "I just want you to meet them, but expect you may end up liking them more than you'll admit."

"Yeah, right."

–

Sengoku's ship, as she was on official business, was her massive admiral class flagship. It cast a shadow over the small village even as it docked off the coast, and the Fleet Admiral was brought to shore aboard a longboat, accompanied by a squadron of marines and a boy who could have been about sixteen but must have been younger with as gangly as he was.

Woopslap met her on the docks, confused about why she was there, sans Garp and dressed in her uniform and Admiral's jacket. Given the unknown marines, he erred on the side of caution and offered to show her to Crocodile's small home on the edge of the town.

She shooed the marines off to the bar, "Take a load off; I can handle things without you."

The captain hesitated but ended up nodding. A defenceless woman, the Fleet Admiral was not. "Yes, ma'am. Alert us when you're prepared to depart."

Law followed at his grandmother's heels, slouching, his hands shoved into the kangaroo pouch of his hoodie. His eyes darted around the small town disinterestedly.

"Who's the kid?" Woopslap glanced over his shoulder at the teen, cocking an eyebrow at Sengoku.

"My grandson, Law."

Woopslap scowled, "Not another Monkey, is he?"

"He is not."

"Oh, thank god," Law listened interestedly to the exchange.

"Luffy can't possibly be that much of a handful, can she?"

"She's a terror. And her mother does nothing about it. Seems to think the havoc Luffy causes is funny."

"She's seven, Woopslap; how much havoc could she possibly cause?"

As if to answer her question, a loud crack sounded throughout the forest around them, and a massive tree started to fall, landing across the path in front of them in a cloud of dust and thunder, the earth shuddering under their feet with the impact.

Law stared.

Sengoku stared.

Woopslap sighed explosively.

"Luffy, what did you do?!"

"I didn't mean to!"

"How did you even do that? That tree was old and super sturdy."

"It's 'cause I'm strong as heck, duh."

"Oh, shut up, Luffy, it was probably rotted in the middle or something."

Three kids come trotting out of the tree line, staring at the fallen tree with wide eyes. One blond boy with soft curls and blue eyes, one dark-haired boy with freckles and no shirt, and one dark-haired girl with messy hair and dirt smudged across her nose. They didn't seem to notice the three on the path as they quickly started to bicker.

"What are you three doing?"

Sengoku's voice startled them, and the girl was the first to react. Spinning around and radiating pure sunshine through her smile in a way Law didn't think was possible, she bounced up to Sengoku, "Gram! You're here!" She clambered up Sengoku's body into her arms and cuddled close.

"Hello, Luffy," The boys inched closer, smiling sheepishly at the grandmother, "Ace, Sabo."

Intent on distracting Sengoku, it seemed, Luffy pointed at Law and asked, "Whossat?"

Sengoku bit down on a chuckle, catching sight of the pained expression on Law's face, "That's Law. Your cousin."

Luffy gasped, eyes almost glittering with excitement, "Cousin! Really?!"

Law looked startled, "Barely. We're barely cousins."

Luffy wiggled out of Sengoku's grasp and bounded to Law, grabbing his hands. Ace and Sabo sniggered. They knew that Law was about to be adopted by Luffy, whether he wanted to be or not.

"Your mother's around?"

Sabo nodded, "At the house."

Sengoku ruffled his hair and leaned down, whispering to him quietly, "Don't let Luffy torture him too much."

Sabo gives her a joking salute, "Yes, ma'am."

Woopslap was left fretting over the fallen tree.

–

Crocodile closed her eyes and bit her lip, the light in the house fading as the sun started setting. Sengoku had just left, her would-be mother-in-law having given her the formal offer for a seat amongst the Shichibukai and outlining all the benefits, and Crocodile had accepted. She'd got to briefly meet a haggard Trafalgar Law, Luffy clinging to his back, whining about how he could just stay there and they could play and play and play all day.

Crocodile had snorted and pried Luffy off his back, and he'd hid behind his grandmother to escape, "It's nice to meet you, Law. I'm sorry you had to deal with Luffy. She's a handful, but you are unfortunately stuck with her now."

The look of horror he'd given her had made her laugh.

The kids had disappeared back into the woods like the little gremlins they were, and Crocodile was left to her own thoughts. With a sigh, she straightened from her slump and picked up the receiver of her Den Den Mushi. She dialled a now-familiar code.

He answered on the second ring and sounded distracted when he spoke, "Akainu."

"Hey, cowboy," She grinned when she heard him breathe a chuckle. "I guess I am officially a Shichibukai."

"Congratulations, darlin'. I'm glad you accepted."

Crocodile snorted, deciding to be magnanimous and ignore his smug tone, "Yes, it was rather generous of me, I admit."

He laughed outright.

Crocodile smiled at the sound, opening her mouth to embarrass herself by telling him how much she missed him, but she was interrupted by Luffy's curious voice, "Mama? Who're you talkin' to?" She padded across the room to climb into Crocodile's lap.

Crocodile narrowed her eyes when she saw that Luffy was covered, head to toe, in half-dried mud.

"Why are you covered in mud, Luffy?" She asked, exasperated.

"Ace pushed me into a puddle," Luffy told her mother blandly, brushing some of the flaking dirt off her leg.

"And why didn't you change your clothes at least?"

"I decided I was hungry."

"When aren't you?" Crocodile muttered fondly as she brushed Luffy's hair away from her eyes. "I'm talking to Admiral Akainu. You remember I told you about him."

"Uh-huh. He helped you stop that dumb guy that was doing bad stuff to Vivi's home." Luffy looked curiously at the Den-Den Mushi that was staring at her, "You also told me that you like-liked him."

Crocodile blushed, her daughter's matter-of-fact tone making her feel flustered, even though she had admitted her love to Sakazuki without any hesitation or embarrassment a few weeks ago.

"She said that, huh?" Sakazuki sounded pleased, and Luffy tilted her head back to look up at Crocodile, a big smile spreading across her face.

"She did!" She grabs the receiver and whispers, "And now she's blushing."

"Ha!"

Crocodile covered her eyes with her hand, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter as Luffy, in her strange charismatic way, pulled Sakazuki into easy conversation. She heard the front door open, hitting the wall from the force with which it was flung open. Ace and Sabo ran inside, clearly looking for their sister.

See his sister safe and sound, and still covered in mud, on Crocodile's lap, they relaxed. "What's goin' on?" Ace asked, staring at his mother in suspicion, where she was still holding back her laughter.

Luffy noticed her brothers and told them, much to Crocodile's shock and amusement, "We're taking to Mama's boyfriend."

Sakazuki choked back a laugh, but Crocodile couldn't hold back her own laughter at the astonished looks Ace and Sabo shot her.

"Boyfriend?" Sabo sounded calm but confused. He knew Crocodile had had boyfriends in the past. But none that she'd felt the need to introduce to them. For her to take a call or to call this guy where any of them might overhear meant that this guy was different than the rest.

Ace narrowed his eyes and felt a surge of protective anger for his mother, "Who the hell is he?"

Luffy pursed her lips at Ace and said, "Language," in a perfect imitation of Crocodile's more deadpan scolding.

Sakazuki was, like Crocodile, no longer bothered to hide his chuckles. Crocodile collected herself and introduced Ace and Sabo as much as she could while they were oceans apart.