Alabasta
“What are we doing here again,” Atlantis panted as she wiped the sweat from her brow once more. She turned her glare on Smoker who seemed unfazed as he stared at her with a singular eyebrow raised. “I hate this kingdom.”
Smoker snorted as he calmly made his way through the street despite the heat, “Alabasta has had problems with a rebellion going on under the seams. We’ve been asked to come in to assist in training guards to protect King Cobra, as well as to fully combat the rebellion. We are supposed to be meeting one of the higher-ups… here.”
Atlantis glanced around before doubling taking as she caught sight of Pell’s white face walking toward them. “Like them?” She asked Smoker as she nodded her head in their direction.
Smoker grumbled as he turned his glare at her, “How are you able to pick people out so easily?”
Atlantis shrugged with a sheepish expression on her face as they turned to face the man in question.
Pell held himself in high regard as he glanced down at her before turning his attention towards Smoker, she allowed the formal talk to drone out as she turned her gaze to the stalls littering the streets of Alabasta. It didn’t seem like they were as bad off as they would soon come to be, She tilted her head subconsciously as she pondered about Crocodile's original timeline before the disaster that is Luffy.
Smoker turned to attention to instruct the other marines, and with his back finally turned Altantis slowly inched away from him pausing as she caught the gaze of Pell who stared at her with a conflicted expression.
As she smiled at the man he softened his already sad expression before intentionally turning his head away from her. Her smile brightened as she quickly dashed away before Smoker could notice her absence, making a mental note to thank Pell later.
She giggled as she stopped to ask for directions towards the casino, before springing towards the golden building. The cool building. She stripped off her marine jacket and hid the logo as she entered the casino excitedly.
She stared out at the casino with excitement before jolting to a stop as someone gripped her arm, turning a glare on the sleazy man in question with her next words gritted. “Can I help you with something?”
“How much?” The man questioned as he leered down at her.
“For what?” Atlantis forced out with a confused tilt of her head.
“A night with you.”
…You know when people talk about seeing red, it is a real thing and it can be devastating. Because for all Atlantis remembers being tossed from the casino entrance, for all she remembers the snarls escaping her face, she doesn't quite remember how her fist got so bloody. What she does know is that she barely spent thirty seconds in paradise before getting banned for life for putting her hands on an esteemed guest.
With one last look at the place she stood up, brushing the dirt from her knees before shrugging her shoulders, “I’ll cheer as Luffy tears you down.”
She trudged her feet away from the building and back into the hot sauna that Alabasta is, groaning as she caught sight of Pell and Smoker rounding another corner.
“I thought you’d be in the casino,” Smoker muttered as he swept his gaze down her.
“I was,” She muttered dejectedly as she frowned at him, “I got banned for life.”
Pell allowed an astounded expression to cross his face as he stared at her in wonder, “What- How?”
“I hit a guy. Hard. Multiple times.” She muttered as she scuffed her foot looking at the ground before her attention was called towards something yellow and moving in the alleyway. “Holy- That's a gator!”
With a smile, she jolted towards the banana gator, avoiding Smoker’s swiping hand as she crouched in front of the baby. “Ah you poor thing, where’s your mommy at?”
The little thing turned watery eyes up at her and Atlantis softened. “ That’s okay I don’t have a mom either, but I do have gramps and some troublesome boys. I bet you got someone so let’s go find you, yeah?”
The little gator waddled towards her, allowing her to sweep it up into her arms with a grunt as she realized the little thing was heavier than it appeared. Meanwhile, Pell stood back as he made a call to a subordinate to locate a place for the baby.
“Well, you’re in luck,” Pell commented as he got a place. “We can take the baby to the casino to be taken care of by Warlord Crocodile.”
“Ha,” Atlantis smirked as she fell in line behind Smoker, “Casino - take two.”
Pell shook his head lightly as he led the way and Atlantis watched as the guards jolted at her appearance, sticking her tongue out as she was allowed entrance. She calmly followed behind the two men as a guide led them to a VIP room to wait.
Atlantis immediately fell to the floor with the baby in hand as she began to coo at it to distract it. “I’m going to call you Banana! Come here Bana, come here, good girl.”
As she continued to toss a pillow back and forth for the little banana gator as if it was a lap dog, she didn't notice the entrance of Warlord Crocodile, nor did she ever see his taken aback expression as he watched her play with the baby or the immediately softening of his cruel smile.
Atlantis only had eyes for the baby gator as it was led away from her and towards the water tank with a sad frown, sighing as she went to stand up taking the hand offered to her without a second thought. It was only as she gripped the hand covered in jewels did she follow its arm to the owner’s face, stopping as she came face to face with Crocodile.
Smoker called her attention as he stood and made his way towards the door, “We will take our leave now.”
“You could stay,” Crocodile invites without a second thought as he smiles at her. “I feel as if we would get along splendidly.”
Atlantis smiled at him with a shrug, “I’m actually banned for life as of like thirty minutes ago, so let me make my way out with grace.”
She winked as she pulled her hand from his before turning to skip after Smoker with a giggle rising in the back of her throat. As she slowed to a walk beside Smoker she couldn't help but share her thoughts, “Did you see the way his face went through the five stages of bewilderment?”
Smoker side-eyed her before nodding his head, “You’re going back to Loguetown.”
“What? Why?” Atlantis turned to him with her jaw falling open before jolting as she waved her hands in front of her excitedly, “Not that I’m complaining.”
“I’m afraid,” Smoker stressed his words as he turned to stare at her face. “That you may decide to start a punch list of the warlords you’ve won over.”
Atlantis paused in thought before nodding her head, “That's… fair.”