Chapter Text
Slow days would be the death of him. It wasn't that Crocodile would call himself a workaholic, oh no, he just preferred to get things done without wasting time. Tonight was no different, the man hunched over his desk, typing away on his computer as he finished up his paperwork. Only looking away when a soft knock rang throughout his office.
“Sir? Still working I see.” Standing in the doorway was his driver, Daz. The man had been working for him for years now, always looking out for him, and being an incredibly loyal employee.
“Ja, i’ll be working late again.” He could only send the man a sideways glance before he returned to his typing, working diligently in hopes to finish before sunrise. He doubted he could with how much work he had, but he could try. He was so absorbed that he barely noticed when Daz had come up behind him.
“Is this for the expansion?” Crocodile just nodded. He had been trying to expand his company for a while now, the process being a challenge, but hopefully worth it. He had already grown the once small family owned business to an empire, now they just needed the next step, and with everything going to plan he was optimistic.
“If things go well then we will have more stores available across Europe, and maybe go international if sales continue to skyrocket.” His team was already working on new designs, and though he hadn't looked at them yet he knew they were going to be great. It had just been one hit after another. Daz just nodded, seeming at least a little intrigued, but had turned to leave before he could say anything.
“Well, I wish you luck sir. Just dont stay up too late, it's not healthy.” Crocodile just hummed in acknowledgment, eyes glued to his screen as he continued to format the email he was trying to finish. Barely paying any mind as the man had left for the day. He knew he would be there in the morning, so he didn't see the man out.
He continued working for a while, going through emails, and looking over future plans without any sign of stopping. This tended to be normal, working until he finally tore himself away at the first signs of being tired, but today happened to be different. For once it wasn't a yawn that made him look away, but the flashing of his phone.
“What now?” Normally he would just ignore the thing, but throughout his entire time working the thing just kept going off! He made a sound in annoyance before grasping for the smartphone, turning it over before being shocked at what he saw. "Mein Gott…" 30 missed calls, and all from the same number. Who the hell was trying to contact him?
He stopped what he was doing, flipping through his phone until he reached the mystery number. Strange, this looked to be an international number. What would they need with him? He hesitated for a few seconds, before deciding it would be best to call them back; if it was a business call then it would be best to not ignore it.
“Hallo? You have reached Crocodile.” There was silence over the other hand, muttering, and the sound of heavy breathing reaching his ear as he awaited an answer. “Hallo?” He was growing more annoyed after his second hello, groaning to himself when there was still silence. He was about to hang up, when a deep voice all of the sudden came through.
“W-Wait! I’m sorry, I think I have the wrong number. I’m trying to find an Emilia Newgate?” His voice had seemed unsure, and Crocodile did not blame him for one second. There were many who had no clue about his gender transition, and even after five years there were still those in the dark.
“May I ask who this is?” The unknown number, asking for him with his dead name, and the obvious American accent was all odd enough for him to question who he was talking to. He suspected spam, and was prepared to hang up the moment he was pitched some type of “investment opportunity”, but the man instead shocked him.
“Um, I’m Monkey D. Garp, Ms. Newgate I guessed knew my son is all.” Monkey? It did indeed sound familiar, but he couldn't quite place it, wracking his brain as the answer was just on the tip of his tongue. Little did he know he would get dropped with a bomb when Garp spoke again. “His name was Monkey D. Dragon, and I think Emilia was dating him a while back.” The way Crocodile almost threw his phone, and gagged in his seat would have made Daz burst into laughter. Oh yes, he knew that name, and a part of him wished he didn't have to hear that name while he was still alive.
“Yes, I know your son alright. What? Is he annoyed at my lawyers, or maybe he refuses to confront me so he sticks you on me!” Without warning he had snapped, losing the little bit of calm he had as he yelled into the speaker. Like a ghost that man was still haunting him, impeding into his life just when he had found some peace, or shaking him up just to get under his skin. He felt helpless like he did five years ago.
The man on the other end seemed speechless, sputtering as he tried to find his footing after the verbal onslaught that had just occurred. Crocodile had hoped he would just hang up, and tell that vile man to leave him alone! Instead, he spoke again.
“I, um, he’s dead.” Time froze all around him, allowing Crocodile to process what had happened, and with a deep sigh he leaned back into his chair.
“Good riddance, but I do apologize for your loss.” It was hard for him to find any sympathy, but even then he didn't wish to upset the man’s family; he refused to stoop to such a level.
“Thank you, but can I ask to speak to Emilia? This is her number, right?” Crocodile did not want to deal with this, but he knew he had no choice. If the man was calling to tell him this then there had to have been a good reason, and he hated to think of what that could be.
“You are speaking to Emilia.” He almost laughed when he heard the man gasp in shock, obvious confusion laced in his tone. “I am a trans man, and have not been referred to as a woman for quite some time now so I ask you to respect that.” There were many who would hear those words and instantly grow angry, seeing him as some sort of freak instead of a living human being; therefore he had expected the worst.
“I see, I must admit I was not expecting that.” The man grumbled to himself, seeming to process through what had just been said. “You go by Crocodile now, right? Well i’m calling about more than just my son's death, but i’m sure you already knew that.” Yes, he had known since the man first brought Dragon into the conversation. One thing he learned from his short whirlwind romance with someone from the Monkey family was that all they brought with them was trouble.
“I’ll cut to the chase, it's about Luffy.” Luffy….the name alone had gotten his attention. Of course he had recognized it right away, as he had chosen the name himself five years ago.
“Is he ok!? I swear to god if he had gotten him killed in some way…” He had to stop himself, it truly was not good to speak ill of the dead, and especially in front of the dead man’s father.
“He’s ok! Dragon died of cancer, not what you may think.” That was enough to send a quick wave of relief across his form, sighing happily before he began to massage his temples in order to rid himself of the terrible migraine throbbing in his head.
Years ago, when he was still young, Crocodile had decided to study abroad in America. His father was against this of course, and nowadays he wished he had listened to the man’s concerns; as during his internship he had the displeasure of meeting Monkey D. Dragon.
He was charming, at first, sweeping Crocodile off his feet the first time they had met at the company he was interning at. He wasn't fully transitioned then, and therefore he lacked the self confidence he had now; he wondered if Dragon knew that with just one look at him, and that's why he had picked him out from all of the college interns there. He was young, dumb, and infatuated with his forbidden romance with the older man; at least until the pregnancy was revealed.
He was 19, almost 20, and absolutely terrified to become the parent to a helpless little baby. Crocodile wanted an abortion at first, but Dragon convinced him otherwise, he had convinced him of a lot during the nine months he spent carrying his child. Told him they would get married, raise this baby together, and that he was still a man to him whether he was pregnant or not. It was all so validating, and those months were spent watching through rose colored glasses; all he wanted was to believe someone loved him for him. None of that was that case, as the moment he had given birth he was tricked into signing away his parental rights. Sure, he didn't want kids back then, and at first he was content with the arrangement, but after a few years the terrible feeling he had since that day got worse. It was like a bug crawling around his stomach, making him feel like shit for what he had done. He realized then that he had made a mistake, but when he tried to contact Dragon the man was practically MIA. There was nothing he could do too, not when an ocean separated him from his baby.
"So Luffy, he's ok? That's good." This was all too much, he didn't even know what the boy looked like, yet just knowing he was ok made him the happiest man in the world.
"Yeah, he's the reason I'm calling." Now that had piqued his interest, his heart stopped as he imagined the possibilities. "Dragon wrote a will before he died, stating who got what and all that, and he labeled you as the next in line to take Luffy." Honestly, he was shocked. Dragon listed him? The man had spent years though avoiding him so why did he want him to take Luffy all of the sudden. "He wanted me to pass a letter onto you too, is there an email or?" Crocodile barely processed what he had been asked before he had jumped right into action, giving the man his email with jumbled words as he leaned forward in anticipation.
He watched with bated breath as his email popped up with a notification, the subject line giving nothing away as it just read “letter”, and he knew right then and there this would not be easy. He took a deep breath in, preparing himself before he opened it up, and quickly digging into the mass of words that were tossed right in his face.
To Crocodile (I believe that is what you go by now)
If you are reading this then my illness has taken me, and I am no longer in this world. I understand if you do not wish to read this, and after what I have done you have that right, but I plead that you take the time to hear what I have to say.
Crocodile wasn't sure if he wanted to, but at this point he was hooked, and he couldn't stop reading now.
I fell in love with you the moment I had laid my eyes on your form, I wanted us to be together, and had many dreams of what our future may be; little did I know that future would involve a child who had never known his other father.
And whose fault was that!? He should have known he would have been annoyed with this, but it's what he read next that shocked him.
I apologize for such a terrible act on my part, but when I was still young, stupid, and I had hoped it would be for the best. I remembered how you would cry each night in bed, wishing to go back to your country, and in both mental and physical pain as you carried our child. You never wanted a child so young, and when you rejected my marriage proposal I had assumed it would be best if we just left your life for good; I was wrong. Your pain is all my fault, and I hope one day you find it in your heart to forgive me. All I ask is that you take Luffy when I am no longer here, he is the light of my life, and I hope he gives you the same joy he gave me. He loves Pokemon, Disney songs, and does a little dance when you feed him something he likes. Stubborn kid too, reminds me of you, and I know you probably annoyed to hear that. He's a good boy, listens well, and I promise he will behave for you so i’m leaving him to you Crocodile Newgate. There is more I wish to say, but my hand is growing heavy, and therefore I must leave it here.
Sincerely
Dragon
Crocodile had read that familiar signature over and over again as though on loop, wishing that he would find the clarity he needed, and clear up the chaos that was now swimming in his brain. Dragon was sorry? He regretted everything he did? It was enough to give him a migraine, everything he thought for years was a lie, or maybe it was just bitterness built up?
“Hello?” He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Garp’s voice, and soon he remembered what he was doing to begin with.
“Ja! I’m here, i’m here!” Garp had been so quiet that he barely realized the man was there to begin with, or why he had the letter in the first place. It was hard for him to get it out of his head, but he knew he needed to if he wanted to spend the rest of his night in solace.
“Ok, good! Look, I just need you to sign this paper that says you give me custody of Luffy! You won't have to worry about him, I will take good care of him, and you can go back to your day to day life. Honestly, why did he not expect this? Crocodile had signed away rights once, and everyone seemed to have expected him to do it again. He couldn't though, a part of him had wanted to forget this had all happened, but one glance at his son’s name changed that. A little boy he never got to know, and here he was given a golden opportunity to change that.
“Nein, I won't do it, I'm taking him home.” The silence was thick, and one could hear a pin drop if they so desired. Was Garp angry, or maybe just shocked? Either way he got his answer soon enough.
“Why? You didn't care before, so why care now? Luffy needs his real family, bot some deadbeat who never bothered to send a birthday card.” His words stung, and each syllable hurt worse than the one before.
“I know, and your son was in the wrong for that as well, but I want to put that in the past. I want to do right by my son, is that so hard to ask?” He knew that all he had to do was refuse a signature, he didn't need to talk to Garp, but he wanted to set things right. The man didn't say anything in return, most likely seething in anger, but before he hung up he did speak one last time.
“I’ll see you in America then.” The man hung up then, leaving him to listen to the depressing sound of beeping from the other end. The man was obviously ticked, and there was nothing Crocodile could do to fix that. He was the bad guy in this situation, even if it was for the best.
He placed his phone back down on the counter, planting his head into the palms of his hands as he tried to process what to do next. Though it was obvious after only a few seconds, he was going to have to travel to America. With a sigh he pulled up flights that were leaving the next day, wasting no time as his thoughts were now consumed by the boy he never got to know.
He wanted to know everything. Were they alike, did Luffy know anything about him, and what did he look like? These were things he had wondered for years, but soon he would have the answer to them all. A part of him didn't know if he was ready for this, but it wasn't like he had a choice.