Crocodile's work as a Shichibukai started after that first meeting. Sometimes, it was being sent to gauge the strength of a pirate crew making waves in Paradise. Occasionally, it was being sent to deal with previously marked crews that had become trouble. More often than not, Crocodile was asked to provide some of her carefully gathered information about a person or group of interest.

Of course, she didn't always answer the call. Sengoku was the first one to tell her that she would have been surprised if Crocodile accepted everything thrown her way: "I can understand a reluctance in accepting any job that may put you into conflict with your father, and while Whitebeard rarely actually makes trouble for us, I'll try to never ask you to go against him when a conflict should arrive."

This is how she learned that the Schichibukai were not the only powerhouses employed (officially or unofficially) by the World Government and Navy.

"We have other options if the Shichibukai might not be the best response. Allied Kingdom operatives and some former marines," Sakazuki had told her one evening over Den Den Mushi.

"Former Marines?" Crocodile could admit this surprised her. Former marines usually meant defectors and traitors.

Sakazuki snorted, "Retired," He finally added, "may be a better way of describing them. The ones who still have the power to back us up when needed and who aren't so old and decrepit that they have nurses looking after them. The ones who are classified as Retired; Extremely Dangerous in their personnel files."

"Oh yeah? Like who?"

"Retired Admiral Kuroryu, for one…although he only takes requests from Sengoku, Salina and myself."

"That's a name I recognize but wouldn't be able to put a face to."

Sakazuki fell silent for a second, and Crocodile got the distinct impression he was smothering a chuckle, "If there are pictures of him, they'd likely be of his Zoan Hybrid form, and you might not even recognize him if you were face to face with him in human form. He was always about as covert as it was possible for an Admiral to be when he was active."

Her tongue clicking, Crocodile's eyes narrowed, "And why does he only take requests from you three?"

"Sengoku because he mentored her when she first became an officer and because he likes her. Salina and I because, well…" He trails off, sounding a little bashful, "Because he's our dad, and while he might bitch about it, he'll always help us when we ask."

Crocodile blinked, surprised, admitting, "For some reason, I never considered the fact that you had a parent still alive."

"I guess I've never had cause to mention his still-alive status."

She knew that Sakazuki was an orphan, "Your adopted father?"

"Yeah," the sound of rustling paper could be heard over the line, "he raised Salina and me from the time I was seven or so and Salina was ten. Apparently, my punching him in the balls when we first met him impressed him enough that he took us in."

Crocodile, who'd gone for a sip of her wine at the wrong time, choked slightly, "You punched him in the dick when you first met him? Why?"

"Because we'd just run away from the orphanage, and by that point, if people were showin' an interest in us, it was because they were either gonna be a creep ta Salina or ta me," Crocodile wanted to laugh at the fact that his accent had gotten so thick with his embarrassment. "Dad wasn't a creep, obviously, but I was on edge…" He snickered, " And, well, I can still say I'm one of the few people to have ever brought Elias Harmon to his knees in pain."

Her fingers stroked the stem of her wine glass, "And am I going to meet him?"

"Eventually, yeah. Probably once, Salina mentions how serious I am about you and that you have kids. He seems to think Drake's the only grandkid he's going to get, so he'll be thrilled."

"He's not going to hear it from you?"

"No point. Salina's probably already told the nosey old bugger everything by now. Just a matter of when he decides to pop out of the woodwork."

"My being a pirate won't be an issue?"

"Nah." Sakazuki didn't elaborate, so Crocodile didn't push for more.

So, instead, she dropped it and got to the main point of why she'd called him, "When was the last time you took a vacation?"

His responding silence was all the confirmation Crocodile's suspicions needed.

–

There was a resort on a secluded, unnamed island in paradise that catered to a clientele that enjoyed the discretion offered by the staff of the property. They were promised privacy, zero journalists, and, for the wealthy pirates amongst them, no bounty hunters. There were even marine officers amongst the client list, who, in order to be able to vacation at the resort, signed contracts that made it so they wouldn't make any arrests or start any fights, etcetera.

The resort was owned, of course, by Lady Crocodile, one of the World Government's Shichibukai and Captain of the Sandstorm Pirates. Sakazuki, with forty-six pounds of Luffy hanging off his neck, was smirking as he read over the contract that Crocodile had handed him with a mocking seriousness on her face before disappearing to deal with an issue at the front desk. Luffy giggled, "Mama made Gramps and Grams sign 'em, too."

"Grams' was the standard boilerplate one, Luff." Sabo pointed out to his sister, whispering in an aside to Sakazuki, "Mom added a clause to Gramps' so that she could fine him if he annoyed her too much. I don't think he actually read it."

"I'm always half convinced Garp can't actually read," Sakazuki muttered to the blond boy, flipping to the next page of the contract, "but then I remember he just likes to avoid anything resembling paperwork."

Sabo grinned, "Sounds like him."

Crocodile returned, having been called away ten minutes earlier to go and deal with a "bitchy" customer. Her day manager, Lacey, had been in frustrated tears and Crocodile had been happy to reem the bastard a new one. Some little, big-nosed pirate upstart who tried to challenge her to a Davy Back competition and had been trying, in the most obnoxious way he could, to avoid signing the contract, which would have forbidden said competition on resort grounds.

"So, Admiral, are you prepared to sign away your soul?" She asked, irritation evaporating at the sight of two out of three of her kids being comfortable with Sakazuki. She wasn't sure where Ace was currently skulking, but she was positive he was at least still on the premises of the resort.

Glancing up from it, he raised an eyebrow at her, "No extra clauses?" Luffy slid down his back, bare feet slapping softly against the marble tiles before she clambered onto Sakazuki's lap.

Crocodile snorted, grabbing her long cardigan from the back of her desk chair and pulling it over her neat blouse and dark grey wool dress pants. She smirked at Sakazuki, leaning her hip against the edge of her desk. "Well, since you aren't likely to annoy me even a fraction as much as Garp, I doubt that'll be necessary."

"Is anyone as annoying as Garp?"

She tapped a finger against her lips, thinking, finally asking, "You ever met Big Mom?"

"Fair." Sakazuki huffed a quiet chuckle, signing the last page of the contracts. He handed it to her across the desk, "I have to admit, I don't really know what I'm supposed to do for the next two weeks."

"You're on vacation, cowboy," Crocodile began, "You're supposed to relax and, y'know, not do any work." She glances between Sabo and Luffy, "You two'll have to keep an eye on Sakazuki and make sure he doesn't sneak in any paperwork, hm?"

The kids both gave her quick salutes, smiles flashing sweetly.

Now, she just had to wait for Ace to make his move.

–

Ace was waiting patiently for his opportunity to talk with the Admiral.

Three days passed before his chance came. Sakazuki had had Luffy and Sabo with him nearly constantly. But after careful observation, Ace realized that the Admiral seemed to enjoy his quiet mornings. He would wake up before any normal human hours and go down to get breakfast, eating his food and then reading through the newspaper in a secluded nook of the restaurant.

Ace was annoyed by the way Sakazuki didn't seem surprised when Ace appeared that third morning with a serious look on his freckled face. Just nudged the second chair away from the table and slid a plate of pastries across to Ace.

"You tryin' ta bribe me, old man."

Sakazuki huffed, amused by Ace's deliberately rude tone. He was reminded of his own hostile attitude to Elias back in the day, "Consider it a peace offering, kid."

Ace's mouth twisted, but he did take a pastry after assessing Sakazuki's carefully neutral expression. "You knew I was watchin' you, huh?"

"Only after using Observation Haki," Sakazuki told him, a little white lie to break the ice, and Ace felt a burst of pride, "And that was only because your mother mentioned you may want to talk to me."

Ace adopted a grave expression, and Sakazuki folded up his copy of the World Economy News and gave the boy his full attention. Ace had to admit he appreciated that Sakazuki was giving him the courtesy of taking him seriously.

"My mom is the strongest person I know, and I know she doesn't need me bein' worried and shit, but she's still my mom." He started, meeting Sakazuki's steady gaze. "And I need to make sure you understand; If you ever break her heart, I'll kick your ass." He knew Sakazuki was a decent guy. Luffy would never have been as comfortable with him as she was if he weren't. Nor would Sabo be as warm to him. But this was Ace's own way of testing him. Testing his, well, his worthiness. And it wasn't something he could do over a Den-Den Mushi.

Because he needed to see Sakazuki's face. To see his response.

There was a moment of silence, and Ace braced himself for laughter.

But to his surprise, it never came.

Sakazuki looked severe, leaning forward just a little, folding his hands on the table. "Ace, if I ever break her heart, accidentally or intentionally, I would deserve it."

Searching Sakazuki's eyes, Ace relaxed, slumping back against the chair. The seriousness with which Sakazuki treated the warning just proved his brother and sister's judgment of the Admiral's character was correct, and knowing that finally allowed Ace to be at ease with him. "We both know she'd probably kick your ass first, but I'll be second in line."

"I'd be shocked if she didn't." The smile was short-lived, and Ace realized that while Sakazuki wasn't expressive, he was sincere.

–

Sabo, of all of Crocodile's kids, was the deep thinker. Growing up for the first seven years of his life, he had seen firsthand the corruption of World Nobles. He had been born to parents who had expected him to take charge of their family and bring them only fortune and more reverence from the common masses. When he'd been old enough to start thinking for himself, his parents had readily shunned him for his difference in opinion. He'd lived for months in the Grey Terminal, seeing just what the nobles' excesses caused and the class system's utter inequality.

He knew how lucky he had been to meet Ace and Luffy when he had. To have them adopt him as their brother and bring him to Foosha. To be adopted, raised and loved by a woman like Crocodile. He was luckier than most from the Goa Kingdom.

Sakazuki had been a surprise. He was a navy admiral who took orders from the World Government. According to all reports, Sakazuki believed in Absolute Justice. Sabo had done some research after they'd found out about him and had seen numerous articles about the Buster Call on Ohara and the destruction of the civilian evacuation ship.

Those articles hadn't hesitated to call Sakazuki a monster.

Yet here he was. Vacationing at a resort owned by a pirate woman that he was in a relationship with. A man who liked to spend quiet mornings reading the paper. A man who didn't mind when his girlfriend's youngest child settled on his shoulders and fell asleep, her arms folded atop his head.

Sabo, ever curious, caught Sakazuki on one of those quiet mornings when he knew both Luffy and Ace were still curled up in bed with Mama and asked Sakazuki, "You like fishing?" Sakazuki looked surprised, folded his paper up, and nodded.

After grabbing fishing poles from one of the nearby equipment sheds, they went down to the docks. Sakazuki looked infinitely more relaxed than when he'd first arrived. He had changed out of his suit, admiral jacket and marine cap for shorts and a t-shirt. He was wearing dark glasses instead of a billed cap to protect his eyes from the often-glaring sun of the island. Mama hadn't been shy about telling him that she really liked this casual look on him, giving him a long kiss that had all three kids covering their eyes and yelling, "Ah, Mom!" to the amusement of both adults.

As Sabo and Sakazuki fished together, they sat in comfortable silence at the edge of the sun-warmed docks. Sabo, for his part, didn't mind that Sakazuki wasn't very talkative. Honestly, he didn't often get calm and quiet moments between Ace and Luffy. Mama loved calling both of them chaos tornados for a reason.

He felt bad about disrupting the peace but felt the need to ask a question that he'd wanted to for a while. "Can I ask you...about Ohara?" The blond adjusted his grip on his pole, fidgeting.

Sakazuki gave him a sharp look, and Sabo opened his mouth to apologize. But before he could, the Admiral sighed a little, "It's not something I like to talk about, so I can't promise I'll answer, but don't feel like you can't ask."

The quiet words reassured him, and his nervousness retreated. He was thankful for the opportunity to question, even if he didn't end up getting all the answers. "All the articles say that the archaeologists were demons and that they were going against the World Government, but all they were doing was reading a poneglyph and trying to research the hundred-year void. Why was that wrong?"

Sakazuki stared out over the water, and Sabo could tell he was gathering his thoughts. "You don't ask easy questions, kid." He rubbed the side of his neck and didn't notice when the tip of his rod twitched, a fish taking the bait. "For as long as the World Government has existed, it's been forbidden to look into the Hundred-Year Void; anyone able to read the Poneglyphs has either worked for the Government or hidden themselves away. The Archaeologists at Ohara were part of the latter group."

"But why is it forbidden? Mama always says that if you don't keep the past in mind, you might end up making the same mistakes as someone else." Sabo's lip jutted out as he thought, and Sakazuki wondered at the kid's quiet maturity.

"' Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it,'" Sakazuki quoted softly with a heavy sigh before moving to Sabo's question, "That's the real question." He pointed out, "Within the ranks of the Marines, plenty of us have asked that same damn thing. All I know is that whatever their reasons, they're willing to do whatever necessary to keep it hidden." And the ones who question too much, who don't know when to keep their noses out of it, get demoted, forcibly retired, sent to violent warzones with the expectation of not returning; just about anything to keep them from stirring the wasp nest that was the World Government. Sakazuki frowned, looking back out at the translucent turquoise water. "Buster calls are supposed to be a last resort, and it was a CP-9 agent that activated the call to Ohara."

"You were one of the Vice-Admirals that responded."

"Buster calls are never out of the blue; we were put on alert days before CP-9 reached Ohara. There was always the possibility."

Sabo looked at him, blue eyes wide, "And the civilians?"

Sakazuki's mouth turned down into a faint frown, tired lines creasing the skin beside his eyes. "The Gorosei give orders, and we have to follow them. When I was a Vice-Admiral, there was no way to fight the orders I didn't like; if I hadn't been the one to destroy that ship, as I was ordered, another Vice-Admiral would've had to do it." The grip he kept on his fishing rod was white. "Of the five other Vice-Admirals that were responding, three would've refused the orders, would've been fucking horrified at the thought. One would've been worse. That bastard would've made those civies suffer if there was even a chance that an Archaeologist had snuck aboard."

Sabo looked appalled, his mind working busily behind his eyes. "If you hadn't, the orders would've transferred around until…"

"Until it got to someone who wouldn't hesitate." Sakazuki finishes. "Orders are sometimes shitty. And you might only have half a second to think about them before you need to act. And in the worst circumstances, you have to ask yourself, 'Can I shoulder this burden so that my friends and comrades don't have to?' It's never an easy answer, and there's the chance that the burden can drown you if you aren't prepared."

Those words reverberated through Sabo's chest. And he had to ask, "Did you drown?"

"For a while, for months afterwards, I was ready to quit." Sakazuki's dark expression lightened. "It was your mother, actually, that pulled my head above water."

Sabo fell silent and started to consider everything Sakazuki had just said.

–

There was something about seeing Sakazuki, her tall, stern Admiral Akainu, interact with her kids. Watching him calmly catch Luffy, a soft huff of laughter escaped whenever she jumped onto him from wherever she had decided to climb up. He handled her gently, not like he thought her delicate; this was a kid who regularly started fights with boys three times her size and launched herself out of trees fearlessly, after all. But instead, it was that he considered her precious.

Crocodile would find herself watching them together, constantly distracted from whatever work she was trying to get done; Luffy had become comfortable with Sakazuki almost immediately, which had earned him the privilege of becoming one of her seats/jungle gyms. A privilege he didn't seem to mind in the least. Plus, there was something about how her baby girl pulled Sakazuki by the hand, a soft fondness crossing his rugged face and stooped to accommodate the tiny tornado around the resort, talking a mile a minute.

It was nice for Crocodile to see another crack in his marine stoicism, a different crack from the side he showed only her. It was the patience and gentleness of a father.

Not just with Luffy.

With Sabo, it was sitting for hours, answering questions, nudging him to puzzle out something that wasn't making sense, never outright giving him the answer. Sabo got scattered, got stuck following one path and would get frustrated if the path didn't provide him with the answer he wanted. Sakazuki, a calm, slumbering Volcano, would prod him in another direction, suggesting another path. He didn't let Sabo get frustrated and give up.

With Ace, he was a firm voice directing him to adjust his stance; "Move your elbow up. Straighten your shoulders. Feet farther apart. Drop your hips. Lower your center of gravity, and you'll be harder to knock down." Determined freckled face and narrowed grey eyes. Listening intently, appreciating that Sakazuki's instructions were given similarly to Gramps' sharp barks. Albeit at a more sedate volume level. Gramps was always yelling. He took every tip to heart and corrected accordingly. He listened when he started to get irritated when something he was trying wasn't working, and Sakazuki told him to take a deep breath and try again.

Crocodile was already in love with him, but seeing him with her kids—seeing him encourage and love them—made her heart swell with warmth. He caught her eyes, dark eyes tracing her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. His smile was quick and soft as hell, and he dropped his attention back down to Luffy, where she was swinging from his hand, giggling, with her feet in the air.

Crocodile placed her hand low on her belly and started calculating in her head.

–

"Welcome back." Marco smiled at the pretty receptionist, delighting in the sharp elbow thrown into his side by his wife, "Lady Crocodile didn't tell us you'd be joining us for the week."

Thatch made a face at the back of Marco's stupid half-shaved head, and she knew Izo was rolling his eyes behind them. Oyaji was waiting patiently in one of the guest lounges, having been offered something to drink by one of the resort's attentive staff, Vista and Curiel waiting with him. The resort wasn't necessarily swanky, but their sister did not skimp on training her employees.

"Couldn't keep us away, love," Marco murmured, and Thatch and Izo exchanged quick looks before gagging loudly. Marco was damned lucky his copper-haired wife didn't give a damn if he got flirty with other women. Lacey, beautiful, severe, iron-fisted Day Manager Lacey heard them and came over. They almost felt bad for a moment; goo-goo-eyed Olea didn't deserve the trouble, but they'd be here all day if Marco had his way.

"Good Afternoon, gentlemen and lady." Lacey shooed Olea away from the counter, throwing an unimpressed expression in Marco's direction, which earned thankful looks from the other Whitebeards. "Checking in?"

Marco pouted, eyes on the retreating Olea, so Thatch shoved him out of the way. "Yeah. For a week. Hopefully, our sister's offer still stands."

Lacey smirked, "As far as the staff is concerned, those rooms are yours until Boss Lady tells us otherwise." She reached beneath the counter and pulled out the enormous check-in folio. "I know I saw Whitebeard; how many else?"

"Five." Thatch had to adore Lacey; she made check-in as painless as Marco did the opposite. Lacey nodded, flipping to the correct pages in the book and writing in what she had to. Afterwards, she turned and selected the correct room keys from the wall. "And Croc's still here, yeah? She said she'd be here with the kids." She accepted the keys, all with numbered keychains, except for one with a little clay, crescent-shaped mustache attached.

"Mmhmm, another week planned, but she might extend her stay if the Admiral decides on a third week." Thatch nodded, thanking Lacey brightly. Didn't realize that Izo and Marco had tensed up on either side of her. "I'll let her know you've arrived."

Thatch yelped when Marco unceremoniously grabbed her around the waist, hauling her towards the lounge Oyaji had taken over. She realized that Izo was muttering, "Admiral? What fucking Admiral?" his hands flailing with irritation.

Marco's hissing, "I don't fucking know," right back.

Oyaji was sitting in a massive, size-appropriate armchair, sipping a brightly coloured margarita with a little umbrella in it, looking nice and relaxed. Vista snapped his book closed when they got close, irritated by the negative energy they brought with them. Curiel sat up straight, interested when he saw how pissed Marco and Izo were.

Thatch finally clued into what they're pissed about. Lacey's words. "Dude, what fucking Admiral was Lacey talking about?" Her words were shrill.

Oyaji took another leisurely sip of his drink, "What are you three muttering about? Did you get us checked in?"

"Yup; Lacey handled it…Then said something weird." Thatch smacked Marco's side, indicating for her husband to put her down, straightening her polka-dotted halter top. She gave Pops the key to his room, Whitebeard snorting at the keychain like he did every time he saw it.

"What's up? Crocodile not here?" Curiel asked.

Izo huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, "No, she's here."

"The children couldn't join her?" Vista's turn now, smoothing a gloved hand over his mustache.

"Kids are here."

Whitebeard finished his drink, growing annoyed, "Then what?"

"Lacey said Crocodile would be here another week, although she might extend her stay if the Admiral decides to stay another week."

–

Lacey found her boss at a table next to her private pool. The kids are splashing in the water, little Luffy decked out in floaties and an inner tube, even though the pool wasn't filled with seawater. The Admiral was sitting on the edge of the pool, his legs in the water, half an eye on the kids, half on the book he was reading. "Hey, Boss Lady, why didn't you let us know that your old man and a few of your siblings were coming to stay?" Lacey sat across from a frazzled Crocodile.

Bright green eyes shot up from the papers she was looking through, reading glasses slipping down her nose. "Huh?"

"Your old man. Multiple brothers. Thatch. They're here." Lacey didn't expect the panic that flashed across Crocodile's face and didn't expect the Admiral to start coughing behind her. Her eyes widened, "Oh. Dear. Do they…uh, not know about," Lacey gestures between the two adults, "You two?"

"Not yet," Crocodile muttered, slumping back into her seat, glancing up at Sakazuki when he came to stand beside her. He had his marine face on, but she could see the panic in his eyes. Probably the same panic in hers.

Lacey laughed, a nervous little chuckle, "So…funny story."

"Oh, Lace, what did you say?"

"Might have…implied that your staying an extra week hinged on the Admiral's decision to take that extra week of vacation."

Sakazuki sighed, hand rubbing the side of his neck. He smirked at Crocodile, "Well, it's been fun, darlin', but I'm about to die."

"You might die," she returned, a soft snort escaping, "He could always end up being perfectly reasonable." She didn't sound like she believed her own words, and Sakazuki noticed.

–

Thanks to Lacey, Crocodile and Sakazuki were prepared when Whitebeard decided it was time to confront his daughter about the odd presence of the Marine Admiral, whom the papers still called a monster and criticized his belief in absolute justice. Crocodile had shooed the kids off to lunch with Lacey at the restaurant. Having the kids nearby might have been a better option, but she didn't want Oyaji to feel like he was being manipulated into anything.

They'd then retreated to a very secluded part of the resort, a private garden that reminded Crocodile of a desert oasis, with all of its lush greenery and tropical flowers, to help herself remain as calm as possible.

He came alone, a deep scowl on his face and his icy eyes focusing on Sakazuki immediately after he stepped into the garden. Sakazuki, to his credit, didn't even blink. Just met Whitebeard's gaze unflinchingly, staying put beside Crocodile.

Crocodile was not nearly as calm. Her heart was pounding out a nervous, anxious rhythm in her chest, and she couldn't help but grip Sakazuki's hand in a white-knuckled fist. Her prosthetic was resting in her lap, and if she still had working fingers, they'd probably be drumming a panicky beat against her thigh. Still, she met Oyaji's eyes when he finally tore them away from Sakazuki.

"Crow…" His voice was a serious rumble, and Crocodile had a sudden and undesired flashback to being a teenager and getting in trouble for something. "What the hell is going on?" He could not have sounded more disapproving.

Crocodile had to remind herself that she was an adult, more than capable of deciding what was best for her and her kids.

"Why don't you sit down, Oyaji?" Crocodile released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, easing her death grip on her Admiral's poor hand. She calmed down further when Sakazuki stroked his thumb soothingly across the back of her hand.

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes at his daughter, but she sounded anxious enough, so he relented and took the chair across from the two. He hadn't missed Akainu's comforting gesture, nor the fact that they were holding hands in the first place. "Better start explaining."

After glancing at Sakazuki, Crocodile told him rather bluntly, "Sakazuki and I have been together for, well, since the events that led to my becoming a Shichibukai."

Silence.

"To be clear," She felt the need to clarify, somewhat unnecessarily, "I do mean romantically."

More silence.

Crocodile fidgeted. "Not casually. Very serious. I wouldn't let just any guy meet Ace, Sabo and Luffy."

Still, silence reigns.

Sakazuki's thumb swiped over her skin again, but it didn't ease the now-building panic. Oyaji was just staring at them, mouth tight and not saying anything! He shifted forward, leaning his elbows onto the table between them, and Crocodile swore she heard the heavy slab of concrete groan in protest. He folded his hands in front of his mouth, his eyes moving between them.

She opened her mouth to fill the silence. Because he still hadn't said ANYTHING.

Sakazuki shifted beside her, and Crocodile stared in horror, her mouth snapping shut as he started speaking, his voice low. Calm. So damn calm.

WHY IS HE SO CALM?!

Why couldn't she be that calm? She was thirty-four, for god's sake! She had kids! She was a mother! She should be capable of calmly introducing her equally adult boyfriend to her father without feeling like she was sixteen all over again and turning into a tightly wound mess of nerves.

"I love your daughter." He didn't tack on 'sir' like Crocodile almost expected. "I've come to love her children, although meeting them in person has been an interesting series of tests on how much chaos three children can cause in a daily, sixteen-hour period. I understand you are likely apprehensive about my motivations. Given your family's history with the Navy, I don't blame you. When our relationship began, I was unaware of her connection to you. I don't want you to think I'm using her to get information or to get close to you. Frankly, the fact that she's your daughter makes no difference to how I feel about her." His words were quiet and honest, and Crocodile felt her anxiety retreating, especially once she saw that Oyaji's shoulders had lost some of their tenseness.

For his part, Sakazuki was thankful he had a fucking good poker face. He was fucking terrified; he isn't a small man by any stretch, but he was pretty sure Whitebeard could crush his head like a fucking grape with one fucking paw. But he needs to stay calm for his visibly stressed-out lady.

Whitebeard turned Akainu's words over in his head, trying to poke holes in them. If this magma bastard was lying even a little, Whitebeard would squish him like a bug. He took a deep breath, "If you ever hurt her…I will hunt you down to the ends of this earth. The Navy wouldn't be able to stop me."

Whitebeard was more than a little shocked when a small smile cracked Akainu's serious expression. "Ace already has first dibs; you'll have to wait in line."

Crocodile frowned at him, her grip relaxing further. "Is that what he wanted to talk to you about?"

"Mm. Although, we both agreed he'd technically be second in line."

"Because I'd kick your ass first?"

"Were we wrong?" His dark eyes were nearly twinkling with amusement. Forgetting momentarily that her father was watching his every move, he leaned down and rested his forehead against hers.

"Oh, without a doubt." She muttered, smirking. Her eyes slid closed, enjoying the heat emanating from his skin.

Whitebeard cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still there. They separate, both with the barest of blushes dusting their cheeks. "You're both adults; I won't get between you, even if I don't approve." He leaned back against his chair, sighing, "All I want is for you to be happy, Crow. I'm sure your mother would say the same."

Crocodile blinked at his easy acquiescence, smiling at him. "Thanks, Oyaji."

–

Izo decided quickly that their sister's children might have been small demons in disguise. The older two might have been alright if the little Monkey didn't have both boys wrapped around her devious little fingers. She might have been a pure ray of sunshine, but she knew exactly how to get her way with her brothers. And it was barely half an hour before Luffy had Marco transforming into his full phoenix form, her hands in his flame, and a fascinated look on her face.

They were lucky that Crocodile showed up when she did, both Oyaji and her boyfriend in tow. Curiel had been moments away from going to fetch his bazookas to convince the kids that Marco wasn't that cool.

Izo stared at Admiral Akainu as Crocodile introduced him, half-listening to his sister's words.

He looked so fucking familiar. And not because he was an Admiral; the Navy was pretty careful about how well-known the faces of their admirals were.

It wasn't until he watched the man interact with Crocodile that it hit him.

"You're the bastard that tried to seduce Crocodile on Reed, like, seventeen years ago!" He stormed close and pointed an accusatory finger up at Akainu's face. "I knew it! She claimed it was harmless flirting, but I knew it! YOU WERE TRYING TO SEDUCE HER!"

Sakazuki didn't sputter, but it was damn close. "I didn't try to-?" He looked helplessly down at Crocodile.

Crocodile sighed, patting her hand against Sakazuki's side, "Always so dramatic." She scowled at Izo, "It was harmless flirting. You just saw more there than what actually happened."

Izo scoffed, sneering at Crocodile, not at all intimidated by how his younger sister towered two feet above him. "I know what I saw."

"In your imagination?" Her tone was mocking, and she couldn't hold back a smirk when Izo lost his hold on his temper.