Gryphon: *climbing onto the couch to look at the old bounty poster Crocodile is holding* That's really her?
Crocodile: Mhm...
Mihawk: Gharial. Well at least your family naming scheme is consistent.
Buggy: Holy crap, she was a knockout! 😲
Crocodile: She pretty much had to be. Everybody on that ship had an iron will and hers was the strongest of all those bastards even if she didn't have an ounce of their power.
Buggy: No, I meant she was ho-
Crocodile: I know what you meant, clown, and if you finish that thought I'm having a window installed just so I can toss your ass out of it. 😑
Buggy: Shutting up now.🤐
Nemo: Ahn! Ahhhn! *reaching for the poster, only to be distracted by a sand animal prancing on by which he happily toddles after *
Crocodile: Sorry, najmi. This one's not up for grabs. *notices Gabriel sitting in his lap staring at the poster silently* Hayati?
Gabriel: Grandma... *gently tracing some fingers on the picture* She looks just like us.
Crocodile: She really does. Never been more thankful than that then now.
Gabriel: I see her bumpies! They are like jewels! They're what you saw, right?
Crocodile: *recalling the foggiest memories of his younger self being held in scaly arms as tears drip onto his little head* Yes.
Gabriel: What was grandma like when she was my age?
Crocodile: You know I have no way of knowing that.
Gabriel: Guess! Please? I wanna guess.
Crocodile: *taking a deep breath* I think... she had a special connection with the wanis of Alabasta. I think they were her first friends. Maybe her only friends.
Mihawk: *glancing at Crocodile for a moment before looking back at the poster* If I had to guess, I'd say she thought herself smarter than all the adults in her life. And she was right. Her wit had no equal.
Crocodile: *looking at Mihawk*
Buggy: I think she bit people. Like, a lot. That kid in the neighborhood who was always biting people tried biting her once and she nearly took that little shit's fingers off. It was a long-time coming.
Crocodile: *trying to hide a snicker*
Gryphon: I think she played by the river a lot. Scaling the rocks and trying to grab catfish. Sometimes with her bare hands. Sometimes with a spear. All the fish knew who she was and every time she came to the river bank, the smaller ones would swim away but the bigger ones let them swim right next to them and ride on their backs.
Gabriel: I think she wanted to play under the sun forever. She loved Alabasta because it was where the sun was always shining. And crocs and wanis loooove the sun! It's so warm and cozy and good for naps. And then when you wake up you feel so good you can play more and... *rests against his baba's chest* I wanna play with her.
Crocodile: *presses a kiss to Gabe's temple and closes his eyes, thinking about earlier when the boys where playing by the river* Maybe you already do.
Much thanks to @mjrtaurus and @cryingpariah for the name and concept for the beloved Gharial
