After Buggy’s announcement about going for One Piece and Vegapunk’s speech, Crocodile feels extremely exhausted. In an unstable world, there is always something happening, but two major things at ones? Especially after everything started to feel stable?
Instead of going to the room made for them at the Empty Bluffs, he takes a walk along the shore. A seemingly ordinary ship is at the second dock of the island, it has been anchored for some time now, slowly rocking on waves, unoccupied.
Crocodile lifts himself on the deck, then goes to the room that they were living in for the majority of their two year journey. Cabinets and desks are empty, no clothes in the closet, Buggy’s people moved everything to the “circus on the sea”. The bed is still there though, exactly the same as they left it, the bedding and pillows are there too. There is no reason for it being here, but Crocodile is happy it is.
He lies down on the cold fabric, thoughts circling in his head as if they are a carnival carousel (and when his mind started displaying such comparisons?). Maybe they should have stayed at the ship? Cruising the New World till they find out how to achieve their Utopia themselves? Maybe they should have settled without it somewhere? Memories of the past creeped into the never-ending questions, last time Crocodile went for One Piece it all was…
“I felt like you would be here”
A calm voice accompanied by the sound of the sea echoed in the room. Sound of soft footsteps was coming closer, stopping as Daz’s layed beside him.
“Weren’t you the one imposing the “no outside clothes on the bed” rule. And you haven’t taken off your shoes too”
Crocodile opened his eyes, looking at Daz, in the dim light of sunset he looked dream-like.
“I am not in the mood for rules”
“Then I am going to ignore them too and ask you directly. Why are you so upset?”
“You are asking as if you were not there”
“I was, but I didn’t find anything particularly upsetting. Unless you are talking about the overwhelming chatter of clown’s fools”
Crocodile smiled faintly, turning his gaze away. He changed his pose a little, now propping himself on the side with his left arm. The hook still it place. Daz came closer, gently putting his hand on Crocodiles right arm, petting it slowly.
“You know, I was thinking the other day, I don’t have any regrets, especially about things I couldn’t control, but there is something I wish I was there for. With Buggy announcing that we are going for One Piece, I thought that, maybe, it was my selfish wish coming to life”
Daz’s paused, averting his gaze, his expressions were always hard to read, but Crocodile felt like he was looking for right words.
“I wish, I could have been there, when you were first searching for the One Piece, I wish, I could have accompanied you on the journey, I wish, I could have been there for you for anything. And after what happened today, I felt like it is fate’s way of repaying us for what it deprived us off”
His eyes returned to face Crocodile’s, the silence was filled with something fragile and familiar.
“What if we will never find it? What if we fail? What if you will die trying?”
“I don’t know, but we will be there for each other, in any outcome. We are not alone anymore. In any case, I doubt that with the clown we will fall any way, but upwards”
Crocodile chuckled and removed his hook. Pulling Daz closer, fully entering his embrace.
“Let’s go together for the One Piece”
The chilly room felt warmer, what was born in here will follow the two man, when they will exit it for good.
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