#gim

Crocodile knew when he was being watched, and that typically meant someone was trying to size him up--possibly steal whatever was on his person. Now, that feeling would be set off from a casual head-count from the first mate or a crew member looking up from their book while he was in the kitchen.

It didn't take long for Crocodile to realize just how shot his nerves were at times, but he knew he couldn't really complain about the eyes on him. You, for example, made it very clear that he needed to prove himself capable. Crocodile wouldn't take it for granted that the Captain let him on board--not after years of being rejected by other crews and ships.

He did not fear loneliness, but if the Captain did decide to discard him on the next god-forsaken island, it would be a gruesome battle back out to the sea.

"Oi, whatchu daydreaming about over there? It's time for your next set of trainin,'" Of course, it was your voice that broke through his thoughts. He looked up to see you wrapping your hands in bandages before stretching.

He grunted. "What is it this time?" he didn't sound too excited. Any amount of training from you related to chores, chores, and more chores. Even if he could escape to the small library, it would only be a matter of time before you'd be coming with more work--whether labor or specific reading. But seeing your fists wrapped hinted that today was going to be a bit different than normal.

"Let's go on the deck."

It seemed to be a peaceful day. There wasn't much wind, so the ship bobbed gently with the waves. Some of the crew around was either finishing their own tasks or enjoying their hobbies. Overlooking the deck sat the Captain cheerfully smiling while a cigar rested in her hand. The first mate stood tall and firm in their posture--though that was their 'relaxed' pose.

A unique excitement hummed under Crocodile's skin. You told him to grab his dagger prosthetic. He was stubborn at first about using a normal one, but he knew the Captain was getting tired on things randomly breaking or tearing because of other. He wouldn't say it out loud, but your cockiness excited him too.

He knew everyone on the crew was tough. No one could convince him otherwise, and while swords and guns were typical weapons of choice, he noted that you had neither.

"Doesn't seem like a fair fight if you don't have a weapon. I could easily hurt you." Crocodile's grin was wide despite his 'kind' warning. His expression wavered a bit when some of the crew that was around chuckled at his comment. "Tch."

You gave your arms another good stretch before letting out a breath. "Let's go lizard boy."

...

A grunt heaved itself out of Crocodile's chest as his body landed on the wooden deck for the last time. He coughed as he slowly rose to his knees before his arms trembled and gave out again. He growled to himself at the sound of the crew's light laughter and as the ground echoed the steps of your approach.

You reached out your hand to the young man but wasn't surprised when he ignored it--hoisting himself up to sit and wincing at the pain. "You did good."

"Don't mock me!" he spat back quickly.

You sighed while shaking your head. "I've had easier fights. Don't go beating yourself up because of some cuts and bruises." Crocodile glared up at you but did notice the scratches on your arms and small knicks in your clothes. You fought him simply with your first--similar to his first encounter with the Captain. He huffed but his shoulders relaxed some.

Clapping echoed to the lower deck. "Bravo! Bravo! Good try likkle lizard." the Captain beamed down and even the first-mate seemed amused by the minute change in their expression.

"You will get stronger." you stated simply before turning and walking away.

Crocodile wiped some blood that trickled from the corner of his lip. Damn right!

~~~

The roar of a Sea-King seemed to rattle the mast and shake the sails. The crew chuckled and grinned as they drew their weapons. You turned to main door of the cabin. The Captain was napping, and the first-mate was taking a well-deserved rest too. Neither of them were coming out to help which meant that the threat was a minor one. The Captain expected her crew to take care of it, so you would.

It would have been nice to have the help considering the vast number of giant tentacles on the beast, but no matter.

You kissed your teeth and cracked your knuckles.

"I'm betting I'll slash more tentacles than you. Maybe even get the final blow!" your rival, the skilled gun-man, called out your way.

You simply rolled your eyes and leaped forward--dagger in hand. The beast was not a typical octopus; there were definitely more arms than eight. It didn't matter though as small and large arms dropped either on deck or in the sea. Pirates went for punches and kicks at the beast as well. You chuckled as the chef and some of the others pulled the limbs towards the kitchen, bulking up the food stores. It should have been an easy enough task for the day, but your eyes caught onto scruffy black hair and a shiny, sharp piece of metal.

Damn it! He should be inside folding the laundry! Crocodile was trying to figure out what the racket was outside, but wasn't paying enough attention to his surroundings. "Lizard-," you began to call out, but as the young man turned towards your voice, a tentacle pushed him off his feet and into the air with the sea as his landing. You grunted as your ran over to railing and leaned. "Oi, hurry up and get to the rope!" You ignored the taunts thrown by the gun-man. You were about to turn back to finish the Sea-King, but there was no movement in the water. What the?

Before you could really process it, you were already diving into the sea. Your eyes quickly adjusted to the water, and you honed on Crocodile's body a few feet away, sinking at a steady pace. This guy! You kicked your feet quickly to catch up to him.

Crocodile seemed to be out cold. His eyes were closed, and air bubbled out his mouth from his lungs. You groaned as pulled onto his sleeve before getting a firm grasp on his arm. You pulled and fought the water--fighting to get back to the boat. You gasped loudly after you surfaced and turned your attention to Crocodile. "Hey! Wake up!" you even shook him a bit, but there was only a few shallow coughs from the man. You swam quickly. Soon you two were by the rope, crew hollering and checking on you both. You situated Crocodile on your back before reaching for the first rope rail.

"Get the doc! NOW!"

~~~

The wooden floorboards croaked a little as the door opened, but you didn't stand from your seat outside the infirmary. You glanced up at your Captain who had on a soft smile--trying not to seem too bright considering the serious situation. The first mate was nearly as unreadable as always.

"Oh no sad faces, rascal. The lizard will be fine." she smiled and placed a firm hand on your shoulder.

You grunted. "Dumbass, that's what happens when you don't pay attention." Seemed to play off that you obviously cared.

The Captain chuckled, seeing through your act. "Maybe, you could have left him to the sea. I know Johnson's going ta trouble yuh for losing the bet."

You huffed out a sigh at the thought of your rival's teasing. "I couldn't. You'd have my neck if he drowned."

Another hearty laugh. "Very, very true! Still, I heard you quickly dove in. That's care."

You didn't want to admit to that bit. "Whatever, he's an idiot. Who goes out to sea without being able to swim? Shit, or even float?"

"I don't think know-how is the problem here." the first-mate grunted out. You looked between the two, but their expressions didn't change even as they walked away.

That last statement threw you off. Why wouldn't knowing how to swim make a difference? You remained in your seat trying to wrap your head around the situation before the answer came at you suddenly. You glared at the infirmary door. That dumbass!

~~~

The plate shattered as it fell. A bullet went right through Crocodile's hand--sand falling from the hole before coming back to reform. Crocodile felt his face warm up and emotions heighten. He quickly turned around to where you and Johnson sat at the table. The lanky man laughed loudly as smoke trailed from his pistol as it spun. You, on the other hand, seemed unphased and turned the page in your book.

"Oi! What the hell?" Crocodile barked out. He then turned to you, hoping to get someone on his side. "The fucker shot me!"

You glanced up uninterested. "Okay so?" Now that Crocodile thought about it, it was odd seeing you two peacefully by each other. He had seen enough of your arguments and bets from afar to know it was unusual. Which meant...this was definitely a set up. He hissed. "Oh hush! I've been lecturing you about trust and such, and you're over here keeping damn secrets! Who the hell goes out to sea with a devil fruit and doesn't say anything?! You almost died!"

Crocodile felt the embarrassment crawl up his neck. He wasn't surprised to hear the words from you really. He had meant to bring it up, at least to the Captain, but it was too late now. Johnson snickered as he held his gun towards Crocodile again. The young man held his hands up. "Hey! Wait, wait!"

You only grunted. "Hmm, you'll be fine."

"WAIT! I can't always control it, okay? Don't fucking shoot me again!" You looked back at your rival before you both shook heads.

"Oh jeez, he's even dumber than I thought!" Johnson laughed before standing. "You got your work cut out for you, brat number one!" you hissed at the nickname and flicked him off as he left the kitchen.

You let out a deep breath as Crocodile finally started cleaning up the broken plate. "He's not wrong though. You need to learn to control your devil fruit. It won't help you if you end up in the sea again, but you can use it to fight."

Crocodile dumped the shards into the trash. "It's just sand..."

You nearly face-palmed. "Yeah, you're an idiot. Any devil fruit can be formidable if you know how to use it correctly." You stood up and stretched. "Well enjoy this easy day, Lizzard, because from here on out, it's gonna be an even bumpier ride. The real training begins now."

~~~

So...I do believe I have an idea for where this story is going. I'm thinking a series of events that add to Crocodile's development. I don't mind having OCs for the crew, but I don't want to get too caught up in that either. Definitely the Captain and first-mate will get fleshed out more especially since they were mentioned in the first fic that inspired this series. Maybe I'll do a separate post to at least organize the few OCs that will appear.

I seem to be getting back into my writing vibe this year, so cheers to that! Thanks for reading! My inbox is opened for ideas/questions/comments.