Video;

[croco_boy]

[The screen lights up--though only a little. An exceptionally tall man, wearing a golden pirate's hook on his left arm, sat up on a large crate in the middle of the industrial district. He kept a cigar between his teeth, seemingly uninterested in the little device that was filming him.

Crocodile turned to face it, his expression somewhat hidden by the fur lining of his coat. Still, he looked bored whether or not he actually was. Crocodile's voice came out in a slow, methodical and extremely deep drawl.]

Is this place supposed to be something worthy of protection? [He lied--] Even if I'm a Warlord, whoever said I was the right person to pick?

Now--I've looked around. Where are the blackmailers that brought us here?

Comments

[namigational]

[...seriously? She just got done telling someone she'd never seen a guy with a hook for a hand.

Warlord, huh.] Good luck if you can find 'em. I don't think they really care who or what you are at home. Sorry.

Video;

[croco_boy]

[Crocodile didn't blink once at Nami, instead finding it extremely weird that she wasn't spitting at him.

Maybe he'd simply mistaken her for that woman he remembered from Strawhat's crew.]

If not--they will.

Video;

[namigational]

[Clearly mistaken. :Db Yes, do please keep thinking that. And also,that heavy-lidded stare is kind of unnerving, so Nami pulls back from the mirror a bit.]

Well, uh... good luck with that.

[Maybe it's a better idea to leave this guy be.]

Video;

[croco_boy]

[The stare persisted, but Crocodile never was one to linger with anyone he didn't perceive as dangerous.

Though, the moment he realized Luffy sent him a message as well... Well, Nami would still have to be someone he'd considered paying a modicum of attention to.]

The same to you, girl.

video

[puppysitting]

[This guy looks like he's been through quite a few fights in his life time. Then again, he did state he was a warlord, which is something that Derek only heard in history classes when he was in high school.

The hook was new, Derek had never seen anything like that in real life. However, he should expected as much from Darstone. People here, that were taken away from their homes came in all shapes, sizes, and appendages.]

They're too afraid to show their own faces, from what I assume. The only hint to whoever did this to us was the woman in the mirror.

[From what Derek assumed anyways, and he had not heard anything from her since, nor had he seen her around town.]

video

[croco_boy]

H'oh. Those sentiments are synonymous with bitter losers, you know. Anyone who hides likely has a good reason to do it.

[Crocodile let out a soft, yet deep chuckle--drawing it out long enough to let out a hiss of smoke from his nostrils. This young man sounded nothing beyond young and impulsive as he expected all young men to sound. Crocodile's sneer was obviously the look a veteran would take.]

A failure of a hunter whines when he can't catch a scent. A real hunter keeps searching, nose to the dirt.

[puppysitting]

[Derek nods as he takes that comment into consideration.]

I intend to find out what their true motives are at some point. There's no way I'm going to sit around and do their dirty work with quests in order to get the hell out of here.

[They put him here. He shouldn't have to do their bidding in order to go back home.]

I'll find my own way out of here if I have to.

[croco_boy]

Is that so, kid?

[Crocodile's lips spread into exactly what it was--a crocodile's smile. If there was ever a time to spot a predatory look in a man, it was then.]

What's your name?

[puppysitting]

[Derek will ignore the 'kid' part for now, but he narrows his eyes at the man, pulling his shoulders back in a more confident stance.]

Depends on who's asking.

[croco_boy]

Hah Hah Hah... Well, I guess I'm too used to being recognized purely by sight, aren't I?

[Crocodile reached up with his good hand, drawing his cigar from his teeth before chuckling once more.]

Royal Warlord, Crocodile. That's what I'm called. [Ex-Warlord, now.]

[puppysitting]

[More interesting names. Derek should be used to this by now but he isn't.]

Derek.

[croco_boy]

Derek. [He repeated it. Crocodile was supposed to be good with names--he had to be in order to sound somewhat amicable even while maintaining his usual image.]

Where are you from?

[puppysitting]

Somewhere you've probably never heard of.

[He says, voice laced with a defensive air. The werewolf doesn't give information all willy-nilly.]

We're all from different worlds after all.

[croco_boy]

Hah hah hah. Do you not get the question, boy?

[Crocodile lifted his claw, absent-mindedly scratching his chin with it.]

It's a conversational piece. I ask you and you describe something for me in order for the two of us to bridge into more beneficial lines of dialogue.

[puppysitting]

[He eyes the tall man for a moment before crossing his arms.]

I doubt anything I have to say is very beneficial to you.

[croco_boy]

You don't know that at all, do you?

[Crocodile rolled his cigar between his teeth, huffing smoke from his nostrils.]

Our minds clearly don't operate at the same wavelength.

voice;

[nakenakesnake]

[ This is an interesting new development. Enough that Medusa is actually responding to a post. ]

A Warlord? Do you run a small country or something?

video;

[croco_boy]

Hah Hah... You've never heard of the 'Royal Warlords'? But even then... It's pointless to explain a title that would eventually become self-explanatory.

[He let out a slow chuckle, cigar tip blazing when he sucked in air.]

private voice;

[nakenakesnake]

Should I have? Perhaps we are just from different worlds afterall. [ Her voice is not as fully as menacing as usual, but it contains just a little amount to make it clear she's not as innocent as others may see her as. ]

Planning on some grand feat?

private; video

[croco_boy]

[His grin did nothing whatsoever to cease. He wondered, for a moment, if this woman recognized him and was simply playing around.

Did it matter?]

Perhaps you'll see. If my ambition is to leave, then what comes between now and then will be interesting.

private; voice

[nakenakesnake]

[ She's smart to keep her face off the network, especially when dealing with such...sensitive matters. ]

Well, there's nothing more interesting than causing a little...chaos, is there?

private; voice

[croco_boy]

Hah Hah Hah... 'Chaos'? You say it as if that's something that wouldn't already naturally occur.

No, miss... You don't 'cause' Chaos. You simply exploit it.

private; voice

[nakenakesnake]

That's true. Sometimes it just needs a little push in the right direction, after-all.

private; voice

[croco_boy]

Well, now.

How do you employ such a suspicious action, yourself?

private; voice

[nakenakesnake]

A girl has to keep some of her secrets, lest she becomes uninteresting.

private; voice

[croco_boy]

What a lie. Those who don't ever change their act sometimes turn out to be the most interesting ones.

private; voice

[nakenakesnake]

I guess we have differing opinions then.

[imonashark]

Blackmailers...?

[He has no freaking idea what that even is what.]

If you're trying to find mail in this place, you're gonna have a hard time. I'm not even sure they have mailboxes.

[croco_boy]

[...It's this guy. The last he recalled, Luffy was near-death and he owed him his life. Well, that sort of cancelled out for the few times he nearly killed him before, so it was hardly a debt.

Still, the real concern was whether Luffy recognized him. This, of course, became clear in a goddamn second since he wasn't screaming CROCODIIILLLLLLLLLLLE...]

Strawhat. It seems the meaning of that word has escaped you, much like many other concepts.

[swwag]

I don't know anything about blackmailers. But this place isn't so bad!

[croco_boy]

Oh, I can tell. Anyone can see just how... placid it is.

[swwag]

Oh I certainly sea something all right! But what I sea is a little fishier than that!

[croco_boy]

[Crocodile paused.

The hell. What was that weird emphasis on the word 'see/sea'?]

...Huh.

Well, what do you make of it, kid? It's not normal to you in what way?

[swwag]

[The pun isn't as fun in a non text based format. }:(]

Oh no, not normal at all! It's actually very abnormal, instead of normal. The opposite of it, I mean to say, heh.

[croco_boy]

[It's an unconchtrollable factor...]

...Oi, oi. I asked you a 'how' type question.

[swwag]

[Well, he's gotta just roll with the tides.]

Oh, well, first of all there's no ocean! That is a very different thing to have to deal with for a troll like myself. I'm a regular beached whale here! No ifs ands or tails about it! But I guess this is um- an operchtunaty to broaden my horizons? Geographically speaking, of course. Heh.[Snickering, all of the snickering.]

[croco_boy]

[Crocodile listened. He stared. Smoke rolled off of his cigar slowly, snaking around and pooling close to the underside of a street lamp simply because there was no wind in the alley he stood in.]

...Hm. What horizons would a kid like you be lookin' to broaden? 'Fraid I don't know many boys with big horns like that.

[swwag]

Oh many horizons! I like to think that I am uh, open minded to new things and have a wide variety if interests. [A wide, toothy smile.]

It's really not good to turn anything down, you never really know what sort of thing you will have a natural talent for! Just keep swimming, as they say. [A little chuckle, and a nod.]

Oh uh, as for my horns? I can a-shore you, you'll find others life me, most definitely. Trolls seem to be a rather common occurrence here, oddly enough! Or not... oddly. I really do not know for sure, this place has proven to be very strange already.

[croco_boy]

Heh. I'll take your word for it, kid. Though, rest assured--I'm definitely not going to take things at your stride.

I'm a bit of a nuisance in that regard.

[swwag]

Well everyone needs to do what they gotta do I guess, heh. But if uh, you ever need help with anything and what not, I will put my name out there! [Nod nod.]