Chapter 2
It's rare that Crocodile came back just in time for dinner, and he even brought you a gift. Looking at the necklace in your hand, which could easily get you beaten to a pulp anywhere, you silently put it down.
Little did he know that Crocodile saw this as a signal of rejection.
"dislike?"
Compared to his gradually lowering voice, Crocodile's eyebrows rose to a level of displeasure. You certainly don't like it, but your relationship hasn't reached the point where you can honestly say whether you like it or not.
"No... I just think it's too expensive."
"Besides, I'm here all day long, so even if I wear it, its beauty and value... won't be appreciated by other people."
You expressed your feelings tactfully, but Crocodile heard it in a completely different way.
Are you blaming me for not letting you go out?
No, how are these connected?!
No! That's not what I meant!
With just one sentence, he dispelled your fear of the necklace. To be honest, the man in front of you, who seemed pleased by your flustered reaction, has a really awful personality.
Look, now he's pulling you into his arms as if nothing happened, using his arm with the golden hook to block your path after you struggle. It's a forceful action that leaves no room for evasion, yet his tone is unusually gentle.
"It's okay if you do. You're my wife, and I'll do whatever you ask for as long as it's within my ability."
It sounds like there's no problem, but in reality, he holds all the power. From beginning to end, he never intended to hand over the reins to you.
Crocodile, who seems to be in a good mood, might not be as happy as he appears. You have a feeling that his current state could make your situation more dangerous. Thinking of this, you try to make your voice sound much gentler.
"I think I'm fine as I am now, I don't need anything else."
To make your words more persuasive, you pause for a moment and lean against Crocodile's chest. Feeling his chest vibrate with laughter, you know you've done the right thing.
The palm stroking your hair was large, yet the pressure was exceptionally gentle. You thought it was probably the experience of leaving bruises on your waist for days after you'd been too rough with him earlier. Even so, you still felt an instinctive fear of Crocodile.
Fortunately, you no longer tremble at his approach as you used to.
As he pauses stroking your hair, Crocodile offers to take you out.
"It's time to take you out for a walk. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
Like walking a pet. With a sigh, you looked up and flashed Crocodile the smiling mask you'd worn in the last world.
"I'm fine anywhere with you."
If only I could leave this place temporarily.
-
The realization that you can escape a country covered in yellow sand, but not having to look out the window through a narrow window, improves your mood.
Perhaps Crocodile was in a good mood, because he rarely talks to you about this country. Alabasta, a country located in the first half of the Grand Line, has a large population and doesn't rain much.
Even without him saying it, you could tell this was a country with extremely scarce water resources. As a proper listener, you nodded to show you were listening. Seeing this, Crocodile chuckled and continued.
"There used to be a lot of pirates and sand pirates, but the situation has improved a lot in recent years."
You may not know what a Sand Pirate is, but comparing it to the pirates Robin introduced to you before, and Crocodile's identity, you think the difference between Sand Pirates and pirates shouldn't be that big.
But there's one thing you need to get an answer from Crocodile.
"Pirate... was that your identity before you joined the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Faced with your question, Crocodile, with no cigar in his mouth, raises a villainous arc, lifts your chin with his hand that still retains human body temperature and touch, and laughs with a scare tone.
"I never said I wasn't a pirate."
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea are essentially pirates, and my poor, lovely wife."
You wholeheartedly believe what Crocodile says, after all, his demeanor is far from that of a law-abiding citizen. As for the pitiful and endearing part of his statement... was he teasing you about your naivety, or was it just casual flirting?
Before you could decipher the meaning behind his words, a terrified scream came from not far away, mixed with a fierce threat.
Crocodile released the hand that was restricting your head from turning, and looked at the messy corner not far away with a contemptuous smile on his face.
"No sooner had I finished speaking than some small fry came to demonstrate."
Clearly, he was about to make a big move. Knowing you were useless, you instinctively tried to hide, but Crocodile reacted even faster, picking you up with one hand.
"Don't move around, or I can't guarantee your safety during the move."
Seeing the residents fleeing in terror and the pirates charging at you, your first thought is to escape. But the hand gripping your waist renders you immobile.
"actually,"
Because of the sudden acceleration and the billowing sand, you only managed to utter two words before swallowing the rest. It was tension, the fear of never having faced a battlefield before.
With Crocodile's abilities, he could have easily wiped out the intruding pirates without shedding blood. But he didn't; he only listened to the survivors' pleas for mercy before delivering the final blow with his golden hook.
The pirates who came with a ship full of people ended up with only one corpse.
This offensive garnered public support, with people calling the man who held you a "hero" and praising his strength and decisiveness. Those who loathed pirates even stepped forward and kicked the lifeless pirate twice.
Similarly, when they saw you in Crocodile's arms, they offered you their sincerest blessings, praising how well-matched you were and how lucky you were.
This is the first time you've stepped out of the cage Crocodile created, but the starkly different reactions from the public have made you regret it—regret stepping out of that small, safe cage.
The environment and values of this world are completely different from what you learned in your original world. They despise and fear pirates who harm their lives and property, yet they admire and praise Crocodile, who is also a pirate, simply because he can protect them.
And what about you? Will you become like that, being protected in Crocodile's arms?
Realizing this, you trembled in Crocodile's arms, burying your face in his broad and reassuring chest. The people who praised Crocodile teased you about your contrasting personality, while others said you were adorable.
"Cute, isn't it?" The word seemed to hit Crocodile's bullseye, and he chuckled, asking the crowd to hold their tongues.
“My wife is rather shy. Now that there’s no danger, I’ve taken her to visit other places.”
Those who understood the implied meaning in Crocodile's words hurriedly dispersed, and some even invited him to their homes, but all of them politely declined.
Once you could no longer hear anyone else around you, you looked up from Crocodile's chest and gazed at him pleadingly, your heart filled with a mixture of fear and amusement.
"I want to go back home, I don't want to wander around outside anymore..."
Upon hearing this, Crocodile chuckled, his unreadable smile reflected in your eyes. The cleaned-up golden hook, placed behind your head, blocked your retreat should you change your mind. In contrast to his forceful actions, Crocodile's tone was surprisingly gentle.
"I just can't do anything with you."
He was so gentle, as if he hadn't been the one who had just been so ruthless.
-
Dishes that were once delicious have become unpalatable after a day's events. Reddish foods are unbearable to look at, and undercooked foods will make you nauseous.
Perhaps unable to bear it any longer, Crocodile removed the same dinner he had prepared for you and replaced it with a meal consisting only of vegetables. You know, this was one of the few times he showed patience and kindness, even though he was the one who started the problem of you not being able to eat properly.
Gratitude exists, disgust... you dare not feel it, but more than anything, there is fear. For Crocodile, killing a tall, strong man takes only 0.1 seconds, and crushing you, who is like a toy to him, is even easier.
If you want to survive, you can't help but submit to Crocodile's will and live a life of being fed and housed in the cage he has built. All you need to pay is to hide your true feelings, please him, and obey him.
Compared to the life in the original world where one could barely make ends meet despite working oneself to the bone, this couldn't be simpler, right?
You can't explain whether you're facing reality or deceiving yourself. There's only one thing you're certain of: you've trapped yourself in the cage Crocodile has built.
Just like now, on this night when Crocodile doesn't actively ask you for anything, you, still with the scene from the daytime encounter in your mind, willingly straddle a position where pain outweighs pleasure, your chest supported by your palms still damp from your shower.
If Crocodile didn't want to, he could easily have pinned you down, the one who seemed to be in control. But he didn't. Instead, he lay on the bed, looking you up at him with a playful gaze.
"Not afraid anymore?"
His subjectless words contain glimpses of daytime events, as well as veiled sarcasm about your pleas and anxieties during each act. He always does this; a single sentence can evoke the unease and loss of control you felt when being taken advantage of.
But right now you need Crocodile, both mentally and physically. Only this pirate beneath you, whose past you know nothing about, is your only support.
"To be honest, I'm scared... but with you here, I don't seem so scared."
Crocodile chuckled softly at the trembling voice, seemingly unconcerned about his temporary disadvantage and generously relinquishing control.
"Then I'll leave it to you today. I hope you won't bore me like you did last time."
The hand on your waist was suggestively pinching the soft flesh there; it didn't hurt, but it was very itchy.
-
Exhilarating exercise couldn't lull you to sleep. Perhaps it was your initiative and flattery that satisfied Crocodile's mind and body. When you asked him about how you met, he said "troublesome," but still used a voice unsuitable for storytelling to talk about the past.
He said you got lost and came to him, and even though you were scared, you still asked him for help. He wasn't the type to meddle, and Crocodile laughed when he mentioned asking what reward he would give you for helping you.
"You said you would invite me to your place for afternoon tea and make me some snacks that wouldn't fill my stomach."
You're pretty sure this sentence has been embellished with Crocodile's own unique style, but as you listen to him talk about his unknown past, you can't help but urge him to continue.
"So, did you agree?"
When you pressed him for an answer, the person holding you pressed you against his chest and only answered your question after a long while.
"I agreed, and I even ate all the burnt pastries you made."
You always felt he wasn't the type to do that; it should be someone else, someone whose image was vaguely etched in your mind. Unfortunately, exhausted both physically and mentally, you couldn't continue asking, and a wave of weariness carried you into sleep.
Crocodile, waiting for a response, only noticed you sleeping peacefully on his chest when he realized you had been silent for too long.
He should wake you up and make you pay him for telling the story. Since your feedback exceeded his expectations, he decided to let you off the hook for now.
After all, those stories that come out of thin air won't arouse your suspicion.
As for your past with him? How could he possibly let you know?
A rose taken from another's hand, even if it withers, can only wither in that person's hands.
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