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“Momma! Wake up!” The sound of her little Clownette forced the Ringmaster of ‘ Buggy’s Grand Traveling Circus! ’ to open her eyes. Her long blue hair was over the edge of the bed and over her sleep blank eyes.
“Moooom!” A small palm smacked the woman's face causing her to let out a not so quiet yelp, sitting up so fast Buggy gave herself whiplash.
“Ace! What the hell!” The blue haired woman put a hand over her sore face with her eyes narrowed at her precious daughter who just smiled innocently at her, her clown outfit and makeup already on.
“Uncle Baji said we have to start getting ready for the show tonight!”
…
…..
“Oh shit! I overslept!” Throwing her blanket off of her, Buggy jumped off her bed and rushed to the bathroom in her and Ace’s room, “Why didn’t you wake me up!” The clown's voice was muffled behind the bathroom door.
Ace just crossed her arms with a pout, “I just did!”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it!”
The child clown stuck her tongue out at the closed door before walking to the floor length glass mirror her mother had in their room. A smile on her face as she saw how cute she was!
Her shoulder length black hair was tied up into two pigtails, a cone hat that was connected to a black headband pushed her bangs out of her face with a white pom-pom on the tip. A frilly pink and black skirt with a puffy sleeved black top with colorful paint splatters, a pair of shiny red shoes with white pom-poms on the top of the toes with light pink tights.
On her cheeks were pink circles, diamond slits on her eyes, red paint on the tip of her nose, and a wide painted smile. She was the cutest clown in the circus! Giggling to herself the child turned her hips to make the skirt twirl around her.
“What are you doing my little clownette?” Ace stopped twirling and looked at her mom with a wide smile, her arms raising up for Buggy to pick her up; which she did. When Buggy turned to the mirror with her daughter in her arms she smiled.
Buggy’s outfit was a sleeveless red and blue unitard with a matching long and puffy half skirt that stops just at the front part of her hips, a pair of white opera gloves. Her long blue hair was tied into the same two pigtails, her cone hat was larger compared to her daughters and rested lopsidedly on her head. Blue thigh high tights with clips that connected to a hidden belt under her skirt and a pair of knee high black heels with white pom-poms on the tops. She had red circles on her cheeks, red diamond slits over her eyes, a large red smile, and her regular red ball shaped nose.
“We’re the cutest clowns ever!” Ace laughed again and buried her face into Buggy’s shoulder, Buggy smiled softly at her precious Ace.
“Yes, yes we are.”
⸻
“A circus, why does it have to be a damn circus.” Sir Crocodile(Pirate, Warlord, Leader of Baroque Works, doting father of two) sighed in annoyance, he hates circuses. But let it never be said he doesn't love his sons. Walking through a port town in Alabasta with Luffy and Sabo walking ahead of him talking about everything they're going to do at the circus.
Crocodile could immediately tell when they crossed the line of the Circus, people in elaborate costumes riding on unicycles, swallowing swords, walking around with giant animals showing them off to the kids. People in stalls reading fortunes of the visitors.
“...Why can’t we go back to Rain Dinners and I can have Bon Clay read your fortunes?” Crocodile looked at his sons who just looked at him with blank looks.
“Daaad you said we could stay for the show!”
“You lied to us?!” Sabo and Luffy looked at him with big watery eyes, they sure do know how to make someone feel bad.
“...Fine.”
“Yay! We love you!” Both boys hugged his legs before booking it away from him. Crocodile followed quickly after them, last time he left them unattended they accidentally burnt down two of Baroque Works ships.
“Excuse me, pardon me.” Crocodile pushed past the crowd, his eyes never leaving the backs of his sons. Until someone walked right in front of him. The person was in his way for a split second, but it was enough for him to lose Luffy and Sabo.
“Luffy! Sabo!” The stoic man looked around frantically trying to find them, it was just a second. How did they run off so fast!
⸻
“Twist this around that, turn this one, pull this through and voila!...a balloon knot.” Ace stared at what was supposed to be a balloon dog but was instead a giant knot, “...This is way too hard.” Taking an orange topped pin from her hat and popped the balloons before sliding the pin back into its place in her hat before grabbing another handful of balloons and trying again.
Lost in thought of practicing her balloon animals she didn't notice the tent flap opening and the two young voices coming from behind her.
“I think we're lost, ‘bo.”
“We're not lost…we're just….investigating. Hey look, there's a kid! Maybe she knows an adult who can help us find papa!”
“Yeah!” The two boys all but ran to the smaller girl who didn't notice them at all, until one put a hand on her shoulder.
The hand on Ace's shoulder scared her out of her trance, a loud piercing scream came from her. Everyone knows not to disrupt the Ringmaster's daughter when she's training! So it couldn't be anyone from the circus!
Turning around with her little fists raised up for a fight she saw two boys, one around her age and one younger, who looked at her with wide scared eyes.
⸻
“Welcome to Buggy's Grand Traveling Circus , watch your step and enjoy the show!” Buggy took tickets from the visitors alongside Cabaji, a forced smile on her face. A lot of the visitors this time were creepy older men who just wouldn't stop staring at her.
“AHHHHH!” A loud scream made Buggy and Cabaji freeze, the Ringmasters blood freezing in her veins. That was her daughter's scream. Dropping the tickets she collected she turned on her heels and bolted to the workers' cool down tent that was a few tents away from the main one, her heart thundering in her ears. One hand sliding under her skirt to pull loose one of the knife's she keeps hidden for safety.
Getting to the tent she grabbed the tent's door and threw it open, her eyes narrowed with anger as she looked around trying to see just who had the audacity to attack her daughter.
Only for her eyes to land on two terrified boys who were staring at her with tears, lowering her hand with the knife the Ringmaster put the knife back in its pouch under her skirt, raising her hands up in a placating manor as if she was showing she was harmless she smiled at the two boys.
“Hello there little ones, are you lost? Only performers and workers are allowed in this tent.”
The blonde boy stepped forward, his little legs shaking with fear at being cornered. “W-We are, we lost our Papa.”
“I see. Well then, how about I help you two find him?” Walking closer the blue haired woman knelt down in front of the child, a soft motherly smile on her face. “That's my daughter over there, if she got lost I wouldn't know what to do. What do you say?”
The blonde looked to his younger brother, they appeared to have an unspoken conversation before the oldest looked back to her, “We will take you up on that offer, Ma’am. My name is Sabo, and this is my younger brother Luffy.”
Buggy couldn't help but laugh slightly at the adorable child, “My name is Buggy, and this here,” Buggy raised a hand and detached it to pull Ace lightly over to her(She found the looks on the two boys faces funny), “Is my daughter Ace.”
The tiny clown waved a hand excitedly at them, “Hi, sorry for screaming earlier. You guys scared me!”
The woman stood up still smiling at the children, “Let's go find your dad.”
The four walked out of the cool down tent, “So what does your dad look like?”
“He's really tall, with a giant hook for a hand! A-And a scar on his face!” Luffy excitedly gushed about how his father looked, Buggy couldn't help but find it kind of funny.
“A tall man with a hook for a hand, got it.”
“Your dad sounds so cool!” Ace looked at Sabo with stars in her eyes, the blonde boy flushed a little in embarrassment.
“He is, we live in a casino that Dad owns. It's really big so we have many hiding places.”
“Whoa!”
Ace and Sabo seemed to be hitting it off, which made Buggy feel a little bad. They're leaving Alabasta in two days and probably won't be back for a long time, if ever. She wished she could give Ace a steady home so she could make friends and just be a normal kid, but she can't take the chance of anyone finding out that she-no, no one is going to find out anything.
“ SABO! LUFFY! ”
“PAPA!”
“BABA!” The two boys rushed away from the two clowns chasing after their fathers voice.
“Wait!” Buggy ran after them leaving behind a hand with Ace just in case.
⸻
“BABA!!” The sound of his son's voices made Crocodile's heart skip, turning around he saw his sons jumping at his legs. Two pairs of small arms wrapped around his legs squeezing them tight.
“We're so sorry! We'll never leave your sight again!!!” Both the boys' voices were mingling with one another as they cried, the pirates' shoulders slumped with exhaustion.
“...I'm so glad you're okay, boys. Just…don't worry me like that again.” Crocodile placed a hand on Sabo's head and gently used the crook of his hook to hold Luffy.
“We won't! We promise!”
“You're their dad, I assume.” A soft voice came from the direction his sons came from, glaring up at whoever dared to intrude during this heartfelt moment, only for his heart to skip a beat.
Standing before him was the prettiest clown he's ever seen. Her blue hair caught the light just right for it to shine like a halo, her outfit hugged her body just right.
“...I am. Who are you?” The clown gave him the most blinding smile he's ever seen.
“My name is Buggy, I'm the Ringmaster of this Circus!” Giving an extravagant bow Crocodile had to look away because of the low cut unitard top, he was not going to blush he had an image to keep up.
When she straightened up Crocodile noticed that she was missing her left hand, how curious. “What happened to your hand?”
The clown, Buggy, looked at him in surprise before looking at her wrist. “Oh I forgot about that-”
Must have been a recent injury then, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-”
“I left it with my daughter so she wouldn't get lost.”
What.
As if on cue the sound of rapid footsteps came from behind the pretty clown, a smaller clown ran up behind her. A severed hand cradled in her smaller hands.
“Momma! Your hand!” The little clown stopped beside Buggy holding the severed hand out.
“Thank you, starlight.” Buggy raised her left arm, Crocodile watched as the hand shot out of the little girl's arms and connected to the clown's empty wrist, she twisted her hand a few times as if trying to get feeling back into it.
“A…devil fruit…”
Buggy looked at him with a strange look(If Crocodile didn't know any better he would have thought he saw a blush in her makeuped face), “Yes. I have a devil fruit. Now then, I best be going. I'm glad to have found your dad, boys. Enjoy the circus!” The clown smiled once more before picking up the little girl and running away from them, her heels clicking on the ground as she did.
“...” He had to focus on calming his sons down, but when he gets back to Rain Dinners he's going to have Daz look into her.
⸻
The show went off without a hitch, as always, but Buggy couldn't get the tall man with the hook out of her mind. He was just so handsome. Even now hours after the show with her in the ‘Captain's Quarters’ on their ship she couldn't stop thinking about him.
“Momma, can you braid my hair?” Ace sat on their bed looking at her with wide eyes as she sat across Buggy, breaking her out of her thoughts.
The blue haired woman smiled at the younger, “Of course. Come here darling.”
“Yay!” The ten year old held out her hairbrush to her mother who grabbed it without a thought. Ace jumped in front of her mom's lap and vibrated with excitement. Her silver eyes closed when she felt the hairbrush go over her hair and her shoulders slumped with relaxation when she felt her mom's fingers thread through her hair to separate some segments for the braid.
The mother and daughter duo fell into a comfortable silence as the older did Ace's hair. Buggy loved performing for people and the loud cheers for her, but she loves the peaceful silence at night with Ace.
“Voila! Braid is done!” Ace laughed in excitement as she jumped off the bed to run to the mirror.
“I love it!” Ace's hair had four small braids on top of her hair that met together in the middle of the back of her head with some of her hair not in the braids and instead flowing under them. “Thanks Momma!”
“No problem, Starlight. Now, let's get to bed shall we? We have a big day tomorrow!”
⸻
Loud cheers and music filled Buggy's ears, Cabaji just finished his tightrope act and now the lights were on her in the center of the stage. For the second day of the circus Buggy wore a similar outfit to the first day, except it was red and black instead of red and blue. Her hair was in a high ponytail that was done in a way to go through the sides of her trifold hat, white face paint with a red ‘X’ over her eyes and nose.
Raising her arms up in a grand gesture, Buggy looked at the adoring crowd, “Another round of applause for Cabaji!” Spinning on her heels with another coat of applause the Ringmaster took everything in once more before giving a grand bow.
“Thank you all for your glorious patronage! We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow for our Grand Last Day in Alabasta!” Straightening up the clown reached behind her and pulled out her knives before throwing them up in a giant circle so she could juggle them.
“I promise you all that tomorrow we will have a grand send off! A show you don't want to miss!” Throwing all the knives up she did another spin before catching all the knives in between her fingers, throwing her arms off to the side smiling when the cheers got louder. The spotlights on her snapped off, cheers and laughter of children made the woman's heart flutter.
With the lights off of her Buggy sped walked out of the performance tent, once out of the tent the Ringmaster walked towards the cool off tent her gloved hand twirling a strand of hair as she did. Behind her she could hear the patrons clearing out of the performance tent gushing about the show.
Taking a deep calming breath Buggy felt pride once again. She was in the spotlight. She had a family who loved her so much without her begging for their attention.
She loved Roger, he was a good man who took her from the streets when he saw the small little thing she was trying to rob him and his First Mate. She loved all of the Roger pirates; but they didn’t love her. Not like they loved Shanks.
But she was the person that Rouge entrusted to take care of her new born baby. H er, not Shanks, HER!
But Rogers first choice was Garp, which did sting in a way but it was fiiiine, at least when Garp saw Buggy holding the newborn Ace in her arms he declared her his daughter.
Walking and being lost in thought was not a good mix, the twenty-seven year old ran face first into a solid chest that almost sent her falling backwards if not for a hand wrapping around her waist to hold her up.
“Whoa there Ms. Ringmaster.”
Buggy’s eyes went wide as she looked at the man holding her. Slicked back hair, a scar that ran across his face, a golden hook on the arm that wasn’t holding her. It was the man from the other day.
“H…Hi there…would you mind letting me go?” Buggy smiled She was NOT blushing dammit at the man, who in turn slowly pulled her up. Once she was steady on her feet the older man stepped backwards. Buggy bunched up her skirt to dust off the bottom, “So, what brings you over this way sir?”
“...I wanted to thank you for the other day.”
“No need! I have a daughter and I know I would be freaking out if she got lost. So it was nothing at all!” She smiled brightly at the man before her.
The more Crocodile looked at her the more his heart kept stuttering in his chest. He didn’t understand what exactly it was about this Cclown girl, but something was drawing him to her. Stepping a little closer to her, the Warlord reached out with his flesh hand to grab the woman's gloved one. Raising the smaller hand up the pirate bent down to press a kiss to the back of her hand.
“May I offer you dinner tomorrow night at the casino Rain Dinners? You may bring your daughter if you wish. My sons have been questioning me since last night about when they can see her again.” Crocodile looked up at the fully blushing face of the clown.
“I-I u-uh…sure.”