Everything was normal for the rest of the journey. You would sleep at random places like the railing or the top of the crow's nest, give Tashigi some pointers to improve her swordsmanship, or stay inside Smoker's office to interact with him like you used to do.
After a few weeks when Marineford was in sight, you went inside to change into your new outfit and face mask for the meeting.
You were about to put on your jacket when you heard the door opening. You turned your head to see Tashigi coming in. When she saw you changing, her cheeks turned tint red and as she was about to scold you for not locking the door, she saw your back.
It had a scar from your left shoulder to the bottom right of your back. It looked like a deep cut and a very old scar.
You raised a brow. You followed her gaze and realized that she was looking at your back and noticed the scar.
"T-Tashigi!! Whatever you saw is not what it looks like!!" you quickly put on your jacket and turned to her.
"(First Name), you are aware that having scars on your back is a swordsman's shame, right??"
You sighed and rubbed the back of your neck. "Yeah, I'm aware. That's the main reason why I cover my back with a jacket. I got this scar way before I became a swordswoman. I don't remember where, when, and how I got it" you replied. "Please keep this a secret for me, Tashigi. There's no way I can live with that shame if the other swordsman saw my back like this" You smiled sadly.
You grabbed your spear and put it behind your back. You grabbed your bag and put on your hat as you left the office.
"W-wait!!"
You turned back. "(First Name), why are you wearing that face mask??"
"Eh?? Now you're asking me that?? Sometimes I don't know if you're just like Zoro"
"Don't compare me to someone like him!!" she shouted.
"Calm down, Tashi. And about the mask, you should ask Smoker. He knows the reason" you replied as you turned and walked away.
Once the ship had reached the docks, you left the ship and made your way to the meeting room where all the Shichibukai were gonna be there.
"Uhm, Smoker-san. Why is (First Name) wearing a face mask and heading to the Shichibukai meeting room?" Tashigi asked as Smoker was walking down the stairs.
"Tch, you still didn't notice? And don't go yelling around her real name as that" Smoker sneered. Tashigi is still confused as she still didn't get it, waiting for his answer.
"That woman, no, that pirate, is the Phantom Thief, Arsene. Another one of the Shichibukai. That's why I can't arrest her"
"Eh??"
"EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"
_______________________________________________________________
When you walked into the meeting room, one person came first.
"Huh, seems I'm still early" you muttered as you walked over to your seat.
"Arsene. I haven't seen you in a while"
You turned to the huge form and gave him a small smile. "Yes, it has been a while, Kuma"
Then Mihawk came in. "Arsene"
"Mihawk. How's that scar I gave you? It's been healing well, right?" you grinned.
"Hm. It's been healing well nicely" he nodded as he went to his seat which is right next to you.
You hummed. "Glad the healing substance did the trick. For a moment there, I thought there was a flaw in it"
Then you sensed something coming your way from the door and jumped to dodge all of it. You grumbled when you knew full well who was behind this. You turned your head and said, "Doflamingo"
"Fufufufu~ As expected, you managed to dodge all of it again" he walked in with his usual Cheshire grin.
"Aren't you tired of doing this?? Until when are you gonna stop launching your strings at me?"
"Until you reveal what's underneath that mask of yours" he replied.
"No" you retorted plainly as you sat back.
He went over to his seat, the opposite of you, and still had that huge grin of his. When you first met him, the both of you didn't have a good start and he would always try to take off your face mask to show your real face or try to get close to you. Mostly for his curiosity and amusement so you did the unexpected.
You kicked him in the balls. Oh, forgot to mention that you subconsciously used your haki on him. Yep, you have Arnament haki, not just observation haki.
"Don't even think about getting near me or do you want me to kick you in the balls again?" you narrowed your eyes. His grin faltered a bit, still remembered that you kicked him with haki on it.
Mihawk coughed a little, holding back his laugh while Kuma just watched with a neutral look on his face. Then the marines came along with Sengoku, and thus the meeting started. It was nothing interesting until the topic of Crocodile and the replacement for the vacant position was brought up.
Just then, you sensed someone right next to the window, leaning against the wall. You quickly went against the wall to hide from the short silhouette. Kuma noticed it and just kept quiet.
A guy named Laffitte who was one of the criminals and exiled from the West Blue stated that he wished to put forward his captain's name for the nomination of the Shichibukai. The name of Teach is put forward by him. That's when you realize that he's one of the Blackbeard Pirates. Their captain is the one whom Ace is chasing after. You gritted your teeth, clenching your fists until your knuckles turned white.
So that's your plan, huh, Teach? For almost killing Thatch to get the Devil fruit. You were planning to get the vacant position once you capture someone worth 100,000,000 berries and get rid of the Whitebeard pirates in one fell swoop. Was that it?? It is only a speculation but just thinking about this possibility makes my blood boil.
You shook your head. No, you can't act anything rash now. Not when you threw away everything you had planned for 6 years. Not now. Now's not the right time. However, that doesn't mean you can't give him a little message.
You moved in front of Laffitte and grabbed his head to slam him against the wall, causing a huge dent in it.
The other Shichibukai and marines were surprised at the scene. They didn't even notice that you moved nor hid when Laffitte came.
"So you're one of the Blackbeard Pirates, right??" you drawled. Without waiting for his reply, you stated, "Tell your captain that I'll be waiting for him there. I can't wait to kick his ass while I'm at it"
You pulled him out of the hole and threw him out of the window. You turned back to your seat. "Sorry about the damaged property, Sengoku-san. Hope you could overlook it" you apologized.
"N-no. It's okay"
The other three Shichibukai looked at you, amused while the marines all looked at you in shock. Usually, you were very quiet and well-behaved most of the time during the meetings so this is the first time you started to make a move but then again, you were very unpredictable to them, and it was very hard for them to figure you out.
When the meeting was finally over, you were about to leave when Doflamingo swooped in beside you with his arm around your shoulders. You looked up with an annoyed look on your face and clicked your tongue.
"Does my warning mean nothing to you??" you glared.
He placed his free hand onto his chest in fake hurt. "I'm hurt that you would look at me like that. Now we may have had a bad start when we first met but that doesn't mean we can't get along"
"That would be the case if you hadn't used your strings to get my mask off. How about this?? If you let me ride your ship to Water 7, I will show you my real face and you can stop bothering me. Is that okay with you??"
His grin grew wider. "Fufufufu~ you got yourself a deal, little thief"
"Yeah, but you can go on ahead. I have business here to catch up so it might take a while to get to your ship" You let down your ferocity and gave him a small smile.
After waving him goodbye, now it's just you and Sengoku alone in the meeting room.
"You seem to want to say something to me. What is it??" Sengoku questioned.
"About Blackbeard joining the Shichibukai . . .there's something fishy about it. And about my outburst earlier, it was nothing for you to worry about. It's something personal between us" You gave him a reassuring smile.
"What's fishy about it?"
"This is only a possibility and speculation. I think that the Blackbeard pirates are planning something big. Bigger than the Shichibukai position" you answered.
Sengoku knew better than to doubt your observation and intelligence. Even though you said it was a possibility, it might happen as you said.
"I see. Thank you for the heads up"
You nodded and turned to leave the meeting room. You stopped in your tracks and turned back to Sengoku. "Also Sengoku-san. May I ask for permission to go to Impel Down??" you asked.
He raised a brow. "Why??"
You smiled. "To visit someone"
_____________________________________________________________
After the procedures of entering Impel Down, you were escorted by Magellan through the elevator through level 6 and walked through the long hallways. You were annoyed by the lewd comments the prisoners were giving as you passed by but you ignored them.
You continued walking before stopping in front of the dark cell.
A tall figure was seen standing up and walking in front of you.
"Are you okay, Crocodile? I couldn't meet you at Alabasta when you were defeated because I passed out"
"Or you fell asleep again" he smirked.
"No!! I didn't fall asleep. I passed out this time. I have been out for 2 days" you retorted.
Crocodile chuckled. "Were you that worried about me??"
"Of course I am worried. I wouldn't have bothered to visit you if I were not" You placed your hands on your hips. "So how long are you gonna be stuck here for?"
"To answer your question, I am unsure but the world government will most likely leave me here to rot in this cell"
"Yeah, I could probably hear them cursing you for putting them in a tight spot" you snickered.
He growled. He wanted to reach out of the bars of his cell and grab your throat but his heart nearly stopped when he realized what he was doing.
"Okay, I'm sorry about that. I came down here to visit you and . . ." you rummaged through your bag and took out a round crystal kept in a teardrop/egg design of a necklace. "Give you this. I couldn't get a chance to give it to you that time because you always try to run away from me after what happened"
Crocodile groaned. Now he felt bad for doing that.
"The crystal is from my island and I made the design myself. Turn around. Let me help you put it on"
While you put on the necklace around Crocodile's neck, there was silence for a while until you spoke up. "I don't think you'll stay in this cell for that long"
"How so??"
"I have a gut feeling that it will happen. Just not now"
When you were done, you reached through the bars of the cell and hugged Crocodile from behind. He was confused by the sudden action.
"I'm sorry . . .if I had made you uncomfortable. I didn't mean to hurt your pride like that" you apologized.
Why are you apologizing?? When the one at fault is him?? He sighed and turned around.
"No, the one at fault is me. I should be the one to apologize"
Your eyes widened a little. He . . .apologize?? There's no way he would do that. This is Crocodile you're talking about and he never apologizes to anyone because of his damn ego and pride. You wondered if the Crocodile in front of you is an imposter instead of the real deal then you would be relieved.
As if he could read your mind, he was irked by it. "I don't apologize to anyone. You're just a different case"
You? A different case? You blinked once. Then twice. It took you a moment to sink in what Crocodile just said as your cheeks started to turn warm.
"Geez. You don't have to say that. I was taken aback by what you said" You rubbed the back of your neck while blushing curtly.
Crocodile raised a brow and then smirked. Who would have thought that he would get to see you embarrassed like that? Now that was a sight to see. It's a shame that both of you are in different positions and places or else it would have been different.
"Is the little thief embarrassed? This is the first time I have seen you like this" his smirk grew wider when you glared at him.
"I think you are seeing things, Crocodile. Now if you excuse me, I must go. The time is almost up"
You grabbed your bag and left the cell, leaving Crocodile chuckling at your embarrassed form even though you hid it.