Title: If It Was a Boy

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece nor do I make any money from this.

Pairings: CrociexOC

Beta Read By: Feral Inari

Summary: The war in Impel Down brought on many interesting thoughts. Here is some from Crocodile.

Warnings: Procreation.

A/N's:

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This is dedicated to

Clarobell

The 2nd place winner of The Choices of Love Contest!

On my forum

The Yaoi Supernova Authors Guild

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It's funny sometimes the thoughts one can have during a war. Memories that can come bubbling to the surface, that you swore would never see the light of day ever again. That's the annoying thing about memories though, they always seem to come back to you when you least expect it.

Such a memory had come back to Sir Crocodile as he stood there watching Straw Hat Luffy closing in on trying to save his brother Ace from execution.

The kid was seriously like a cockroach. No matter how many times you thought you got rid of Luffy there he was, getting back up yet again, Crocodile mused. Yet this was not the thought that was hounding him. No the thought that kept poking at him was the secret that bastard Ivankov had used to hang over his head yet again.

We are not born with closed and harden hearts; everyone at one time was an innocent. This being said it stood true for even Crocodile. Maybe he was not so much the innocent in his rookie pirate days but he had … well no, not loved either, but liked … yes he could say he very much liked a certain girl and she liked him as well. So it was only natural that things happened between them but like any pirate Crocodile could not stay in one place for long. He would go off to sail about the world, making his plans to one day rule it all! Still he would always come back to that one island where she was.

One day however on Crocodile's return he was met with audience of the girl's father, claiming his daughter did not want to see him anymore. Crocodile did not believe this for moment and tossed the man to the side like the worthless trash he saw the man as. However meeting again with his lover turned to be an experience he had never thought could happen to him.

When he had walked into her room it was as clear as day she was with child. Crocodile went into a jealous rage and went to attack his lover for certainly cheating on him, and being knocked up with some other man's child. Thankfully however someone else had been in that room, a certain miracle worker that owed a favor to the girl's father, who was helping the girl due to complications with the pregnancy.

With Ivankov there he was able to stop Crocodile before the young rookie killed the girl and the unborn child. Quickly it was explained the child was in fact Crocodile's and the reason she wanted nothing more to do with him? For the simple fact he was who he was.

"Do the only good thing you can for this child. Don't let him or anyone else know you're his father," the girl had requested of him. So many times she had talked about love and sailing away with him one day. Of course he knew it was all lies then at the time but maybe some part of him had been hoping it was not. How quickly a person could change their tune. It was not like he could blame anyone though. That was just how humans were … greedy, callous things that only think of themselves. She was not at all thinking of the baby but more how she wanted the child raised.

Crocodile had left as requested and agreed to never let the world known of the child he had made. Not because he had been told of course, but because it had suited him. People were greedy, callous things, only doing things for the better of themselves and he was no different. Besides as Ivankov had pointed out, later that night in the town bar, if people were to know he had a child they could always try to steal it and use it against him, or kill it to punish him. The sentiment behind it all though didn't matter much to Crocodile, or so he had told himself, but the child was his after all. The thought of others destroying what was his displeased him. So the secret was then started. Since his crew knew of this island and the child to be born of his blood, he had killed them all and set sail alone the next morning to go off and gather a new crew.

Crocodile watched as Luffy got back up again after getting knocked down by a marine. Yes so much like a cockroach. The boy had ridiculous dreams and determination like none he had ever seen before. Luffy never stopped trying and while the whole world acted selfish and greedy … well Luffy was no different. Still there was something about the boy.

Noticing Mr. 1 and Luffy cornered by Mihawk he quickly, without hesitation, switched fights and blocked Mihawk's attack to them with his hook.

The surprise in those golden eyes was clear to see. Next to follow was an uncertainty as if wondering if Crocodile really meant to go up against him. "Crocodile." The name did not come out in the form of a question but the question was there never the less, hanging in the air between them. Did Crocodile really mean to go up against him?

"Look … I'm in a pretty damn bad mood right now, Hawkeye. So watch yourself!"

Such worthless thoughts … yet still, if it was a boy she had had, all those years ago … Crocodile hoped he had a little cockroach of his own.

AN's: So I asked to Clarobell-chwan what she wanted after winning 2nd place in the contest. I was ready to do a drabble for her of any pairing, of any setting, of any kind, so long as it was One Piece. So she replied …

"Well, I have this slightly new obsession of Crocodile playing some sort of father figure or guardian role and having a slight, secret desire to protect him (perhaps during Impel down?), so I would like to see this theme, but with an added twist. I would like it from Crocs POV, and I would like to see him comparing Luffy to a very cute animal, say... a kitten? In his mind.

Do you think you can manage that in a drabble Lolly... DO YOU?"

Cockroaches are very cute Clarobell-chwan I assure you … in some cultures anyways. ^.^;

Sorry … Lolly tried. I hope this is kinda something … somehow … what you wanted?

Inari-chwan's Corner: A Luffy Cockroach would be cute! All bouncy and fun … makes me think of the cockroach from Wall-E (*points to a screen* Go watch it if you haven't already and shame on you! Lol … though… read more of Lolly's writing first…tis nummy!). Congratulations to Clarobell for second place! WELL DONE!