#Since he DID want to go get Whitebeard's head and wasting his energy on Luffy or anyone else would've been. Well. A waste

[moongothic]

You know it's funny, despite Crocodile making a big deal out of him not trusting anyone, he still like, makes a lot of "deals" and actually follows through them and expects others to do the same

Like Robin expected Crocodile to betray her, but because she betrayed him first out of her own trauma-based fears (and the basic human decency of not wanting to let Croc have a weapon of mass destruction), we actually don't know if Crocodile really would have "betrayed her".

Like, if she had truthfully told Crocodile that Pluton was in Wano, there is a possibility Crocodile might've still killed her if he thought she was lying. But if Pluton had been in Alabasta and if she had told him the location to find it... Might he not have kept her around?

Because he explicitly states that he's going to kill her because she's not delivering on the deal they made, and yes, he might've been suspecting she was lying

And Crocodile tells Luffy the same thing when Luffy defends Whitebeard from him, saying "their deal" was only to aid each other to break out of Impel Down and get to Marineford, so with that goal achieved they could mind their own business again

And even with Buggy, Crocodile loaned him money because he fully expected Buggy to repay him back later and honor the deal

(Probably because Crocodile's way to enforce his authority is through threats of violence, so he expects people to do as their told out of fear if nothing else)

I just find it interesting

Because in that sense he's weirdly similar to Luffy, is he not. Like Luffy also makes deals/alliences with people and expects people to honor their promises, it's just that Luffy is overwhealmingly positive and doesn't assume he's going to get betrayed/backstabbed

[my-muses-in-op]

A choice to make

She hadn’t been allowed to be there, the captain had ordered ALL women to stay behind. Of course, she had disobeyed him and gotten to the war anyway. This didn’t came as a surprise to anyone and while the captain disapproved, he couldn’t do anything back then. It had been war, a fight to get their family member back. Her brother, though the young male was more than just a brother to her. He’d been that ever since he came onto the ship and it had nothing to do with him being her first captain’s son. She hadn’t known that fact. Not until the war and the exposing of Ace’s heritage.

It didn’t affect her feelings towards him, how Ace was a brother, a friend and the closests thing she would ever come to have a chid herself. Not that she saw him as a son, but it was close to what she felt. Maybe because she saw his suffering, saw her own suffering in him and yet he never pitied her, never tried to make her talk about it. They had a mutual understanding that they never spoke off or agreed on, yet it was there. From the moment their eyes met.

Why it was like this, she didn’t know and she didn’t care about it. Some things just wasn’t worth using time and energy on to understandor rather, didn’t need to be solved or understood.

Still, her strength and skills couldn’t cut it and she lost him. Lost one of the few people in her life that she got along with without too many complications. It broke her heart, no it broke her, but she didn’t have time to grieve or think about it. She had to keep Luffy safe, the teen that Ace gave up his life for and if she didn’t do her best to keep him safe, she would have failed Ace. That she couldn’t live with.

She hadn’t failed Ace, though she had lost her captain too and that hurt. A man who had taken her in, even if she had been an enemy. The man that had giving her a home when she had nothing. When she had been down, he’d been there. And in the end, she had disobeyed him and she couldn’t even ask him for forgiveness, because he was dead.

Losing Ace and losing Whitebeard broke her unstable mind and her heart. After the funeral, she left. Not only the graves, but everyone. She couldn’t bear it, couldn’t bear watching the faces that reminded her about what she had lost. Their words, their calls after her, drowned in the darkness that filled her mind and heart.

How she got from the small island and to this busy island, she didn’t know and she didn’t care. There was a bar with beds above it, so she was satisfied. Money wasn’t a problem for her, not when there were so many people here to steal from. Her sorrow was drown in the alcohol and few fights.

Soon she got a reputation, but she didn’t care. Her emotions were drowned, she didn’t feel at all. The only thing she cared about was staying alive, because dying wasn’t an option. No, she could repay her depths by dying. It would be a disgrace to her name and pride.

Weeks passed, even months and then he came to the island. The man that destroyed her family, took away two of her brothers and her captain. He recognized her and his laughter filled the bar, which was empty besides her, him and his crew. Her eyes looked at him, just as emotionless as usual.

He greeted her as a long friend would greet her. She didn’t say a word, just drowned down her wine. Normally she would turn her back towards whoever approached her, but never with this man. He sat next to her, eyes never leaving her, as he ordered his poison.

There was no signs of discomfort from her, as she took the next bottle of wine. After a large gulp, she spoke. “What do you want, Teach?” She wasn’t stupid. This island might be busy, but only because it had no affliction with anyone and so everyone could come here. There was nothing of value, except for money, so occasionally the town got plundered, though she had put an end to most of it, the pirates were too weak for her strenght and thirst for blood.

This place wasn’t one a man like Teach would even want to come to and yet here he was. Sitting next to her. So of course he wanted something from her. What it was, he had yet to tell, but the wway he looked at her, told her she was right that he indeed wanted somthing from her.

“You.” Was the simple reply he gave and she frowned lightly. “Oh? Why?” She took another gulp from the wine. His grin widened. “Why not? You’re strong, willingly to kill and I know for a fact you enjoy torturing people. The old man held you back, Sheila. He’s not around to do that anymore. It’s your time to shine and show the world what you are truly capable off. Don’t hide here and waste your talents.”

Alluring. Getting away and be free. Still, joining Teach wasn’t something she ever considered. “Flattering me won’t get you anywhere. You know nothing of me and you’re the reason why I lost two close friends and a man I respected.” She growled lightly. He only laughed at this. “Respected? I’m sure part of you did, but there was another part that also loathed him. Isn’t that why you left from time to time? To let go of the aggressions and to fight? He didn’t like you fighting, didn’t like the fact you could indeed hold your ground. You know the real reason why he took you in. Not becuase you were lost and lonely. No, you were once a strong enemy and you was a threat to him. That’s why he offered you a place on his ship.”

He spoke the words that whispered to her in the night. Some of it was true, a fact. Whitebeard often didn’t let her fight in the battles, always saying his sons could handle it without her. He was right, they could, but she should still have fought side by side with them. She too was a part of the crew and she could fight. She was a skilled swordswoman. Still, he never let her fight and had denied her to fight in the war.

“Why should I follow a man that without hesitation would betray me, if he could gain something bigger than me?” Not once had she taken his eyes off him and she was well aware of his crew observing and listening to them. He was still grinning. “I wouldn’t betray the people I accept as my crew.”

She mused over his words. It made sense. He had joined Whiebeard to get what he wanted, that much was clear. He hadn’t decided who to join him as family afterwards. Now he was in charge, he could decide who he wanted and who not. And he wanted her. She could understand why. A skilled swordswoman, who also could throw knives, torture people and use all types of Haki, was highly attractive for a man with Teach’s ambition.

His offered sounded tempting, though. Being free to fight, being free to use whatever means necessary to protect whoever she wanted, was just what she wanted. Still, Teach aimed for the same thing as Luffy and it was inevitably that those two would clash together in the fight to become the next Pirate King. Could she fight the man she had sworn to protect to honor Ace? Fight him and his crew?

The answer was simple though. She couldn’t. However, maybe she wouldn’t have to. Who said she would be alive or free when that time came and even if she was to stand against them, who said she would? After all, she was now only fighting for one person and that was herself. Surviving was everything. Teach was strong and cunning, but so was she.

“So, Sheila, what is your answer?” He asked slight impatiently. She drowned the bottle and stared at him. She had made up her mind. “Well, I’m curious to see how much freedom you are willingly to give me. However...” Her eyes narrowed lightly. “I will do wahtever I please, Teach. Never again will I let anyone control my freedom. If I want to fight or kill, I will. Do not hold me back.” Her tone was sharp, her demands making some of his crew growl and call her out, but she ignored them.

“Zehahahaha. Well spoken, Sheila. I’ll let you run wild. Shall we start with this pathetic excuse of town?” He rose, testing her. Almost snorting and rolling her eyes, she rose too and headed to the room she’d rented over the time being here. “You can do whatever you want. I’ve taken what I need here already. I’m graing my bag. See you at the harbor.” With that she was gone, Teach’s laughter filling the bar.

She would hopefuly have the last laugh in the end. After all, she hadn’t sworn to serve him, merely accepted to go with him as long as he gave her the freedom he claimed he would give her. It had not been an easy choice to make, but in the end, she had found something she could use until her time had come.