1 - Crocodile and Yvonne

Crocodile smiled to himself when he saw that Yvonne had risked a glance down, but he said nothing more at that moment. He supposed that the risk of falling down and dying was terrible enough without him taunting her.

That and, let's be honest, flying over a body of sea water was much more tiring than it looked like. He had tried to fly high enough not to feel any droplets of sea water brought up by the wind, but he did feel some of them at times.

When he eventually reached the next shore long minutes later, he almost lost balance, but he eventually managed to land on his two feet, and gently put Yvonne back down. He was, however, clearly exhausted.
"I'll have a smoke before we go on," he warned Yvonne right away, while running a hand through his hair. It was his way of begging for a break, without sounding like this had been quite difficult.

Yvonne was quite glad when her feet finally touched the ground again - and honestly, for how much it costed to admit that, she felt kind of grateful for the gentleness she had been treated with. She was familiar enough with the way Crocodile usually acted, after all.

Then again - for how much tempted she was to think it had been kindness towards her, the rational side of her brain (along with the bitter, betrayed side) reminded her that she was holding their supplies, and he probably wouldn't want to manhandle those too much.

She looked carefully at him when he talked, and she saw the signs of fatigue on his face even though he was clearly trying to act as if this hadn't been an ordeal at all to him. "Alright", she simply said, not commenting any further. She took a bottle of water from the bag to drink as she inspected their surroundings, leaving him some time to rest.
And- alright, she discreetly tried to pluck any residual sand grains away from her hair and clothes while she was at it.

Crocodile took his time to rest a bit, finding one stone to sit on in the meantime. Once he was done with his cigar, he got back up, and walked towards wherever Yvonne was at the moment. "So. Should we follow the shore all the way to the other side, or cross through land?"

Crocodile would find Yvonne close to where the shore and the sand started to give space to a sort of jungle. "I think land would be our best option", she replied, turning towards Crocodile to show him her discoveries. She had lifted away some plants and found what looked like a more or less clean path among the vegetation. "This path looks recent, and judging from the direction it takes, it cuts straight through the island and to the closest inhabited town. Even though I doubt we will manage to arrive there in a brief time, taking the shore would subject us to a lot of useless turns and curves."

Crocodile nodded, and looked around them. The forest seemed quite wet, and he didn't like that a whole lot. "Let's get started, then. Give me some bags." He reached for some of them, and charged them on his shoulder. "Let's just hope now that we'll make it to this town before nightfall. I have a feeling that camping in this jungle would be a nightmare."

Yvonne - after sharing some of the bags with Crocodile -  scoffed, throwing a glance towards the deep end of the jungle, where the path disappeared among tall trees and large leaves. "I have to agree. The humidity alone would be enough to make anyone sick", she observed, starting to walk along the road. She would wait for a little while, before she felt like trying to conversate. "Any particular reason why you're in the New World? Bored of the Grand Line after all those years there?", she asked casually, pushing aside some branches.

Crocodile scoffed. "I don't know how you missed the headlines about my escape from Impel Down, but staying on the Grand Line would have been rather complicated for me since my downfall. And my whereabouts are none of the Marine's business, Commodore" he added a little moodily.

Yvonne almost stopped on her tracks at that. Instead, she abruptly slowed down for a second and then picked up her pace again, simply throwing a venomous glare at him, pressing her lips into a thin line. She looked back in front of her, almost angry about having thought she could try to conversate without making her bile resurface. 

He was right. None that regarded him was her business.

"I apologize, Sir Crocodile, if you've failed to notice that your whereabouts aren't exactly a grand secret right now - at least to this Commodore", she answered pointedly. "If I asked it's exactly because the New World isn't exactly the first place I'd go to, after escaping from Impel Down of all places." It was more heavily guarded, there were more outposts, two of those so-called Emperors had their territories there - not to mention all the chaos those Strawhat kids had been leaving in their wake. "As if I would ever miss headlines about the most disastrous security breach in the prison's history", she added almost casually, shoving a branch aside with a little too much strength.
It broke in her hand, and she tossed it away.

Crocodile remained moodily silent for a bit, but he eventually relaxed a little. At least Yvonne hadn't been there when he got captured, alright. He remembered in that moment when, surrounded by Marines, he acted proud and cocky, all while hoping that he wouldn't see her disappointed expression on the way to his cell.

"I suppose you didn't stay for long in Alabasta after my capture either, if you're in the New World as well."

Yvonne raised her chin, still looking in front of her. There were a lot of large roots on the path, she didn't want to trip - and truth be told, she didn't feel like she'd bear looking at him right now. She was really tempted to answer with the same aloofness, and remind him that her displacement was none of his business either.

"I didn't", she answered in the end. "I was already on my way to Marineford when the... civil war broke out." Civil war. Right. She accurately skipped the part where then-Captain Smoker had informed her, through his service Snailphone, exactly what kind of catastrophe was unraveling in the capital. Of who was implied. Her answer at the time, after a long silence, had been a very laconic "Do what must be done, Captain".

She had passed the whole trip pondering whether or not she should've resigned, while fully taking the time to realize just how gullible she'd been.

"I needed a change of scenery. The New World sounded far away enough, and I left as soon as my new orders were filled and signed", she concluded, finally throwing him a brief glance.

Crocodile hummed, and said nothing for a little while, focusing on their path as well.
Of course he wondered how she took the news. Of course he had been asking himself for a while if she would even recover from it - if she had told anyone about their relationship, and if it had had any impact on her life or her career.

"Glad to know that orchestrating your return to Marineford was enough to cover any evidence about our relationship back then," he eventually said out loud.

Of course he had pulled a few strings back then. He was still trying to convince himself it had been a move to protect himself.

Yvonne stiffened, and threw another brief, startled glance at Crocodile. She was quick to hide her stupor, however, and quickly looked back in front of her.

He had been behind the sudden call from the headquarters that caused her to leave before the whole mess of Alabasta would fall on her? Why would he do that? Scratch that - why say that now?
How was that supposed to make her feel?

It had been out of self-preservation, for sure. Maybe he'd hoped that without her leading the local forces of the Marine during the revolution, it would've been easier to take control of the state. There couldn't be another reason behind it, she needed to convince herself about this. 
And now he had the galls to word it as if he'd done her a favor?

"Are you saying this right now because you expect me to thank you, or is there some other mysterious reason I'm not privy to?", she asked, raising a brow at him. "Since I'm apparently in the dark about many things still, anyway." Was she referring to their previous banter about his whereabouts, or to something else?

Yes.

Crocodile arched a brow, and turned to look at Yvonne. Now, where did all of that contempt come from? He had just stated that he was glad that their past relationship hadn't gotten them into any additional trouble.

And now, this.
He frowned at Yvonne first, and then rolled his eyes. "If it's an apology you're looking for, you're not getting any one from me. Just because I pretended to wear the leash of the government didn't make me any less of a pirate."

"You're mistaken", Yvonne scoffed lightly. "Believe me or not, I actually appreciate it that you're not apologizing to me. I wouldn't believe a single word of it", she answered, very matter-of-factly. 

Well, it was true. The fact that he'd kept his real intentions hidden from her had probably been the only way for him to go on with his plans undisturbed. Cold and calculating, sure, maybe cruel, but she couldn't have denied the logic behind it even if she had tried.

She let out a little chuckle. "Actually, this might be the most honest you've ever been with me", she added, sounding almost playful.

Crocodile let out a short, sharp laugh, and kept on walking for a bit. "Now, that wouldn't be fair to you. I remember I've complimented you quite a few times. But suit yourself, if that's what you wish to believe." Was he honest? Was he taunting her? Who knew.

Yvonne threw him a glance, and a tight smile. "You speak as if it's me who's putting your words in doubt, and not the facts", she commented amiably. "But yes, then. I guess that's what I'm choosing to believe." She wasn't the kind of woman who needed validation about her qualities, be it her beauty or anything else - but she wasn't nearly so self-absorbed as to believe anything of hers that Crocodile had complimented had been out of honest admiration.

At least, not anymore.

Crocodile scoffed and said nothing for a while anymore.

"I'm actually surprised you're still part of the Marine. Not because of what we used to be - I thought you'd have left of your own volition by now. If not for that event, for the scandal that almost broke out while I was in Impel Down regarding your late husbands' murder-"

Yvonne had a bitter answer ready on the tip of her tongue - because actually she had readied her letter of resignation before she had put her foot back on Marineford, out of shame and sense of duty, a letter that had been refused by her superiors - but those last words made her blood freeze in her veins. She stopped dead on her tracks and turned to fully face Crocodile, hand on her sword.

Eyes burning.

"First of all, I'd ask of you to not assume to know what I would do and why", she started coldly. "Second. What on earth are you talking about." Clearly enough, another thing she wasn't privy to.

Crocodile looked warily at Yvonne, his eyes drifting down to her hand that was now on the handle of her sword.

His brain worked fast.
"I think it'd be better if we set camp first," he told her in a calm, yet firm voice. He had no idea that he knew more than her on the matter, and he had a feeling that, given her reaction, she'd need time to digest the news.

Yvonne's jaw was set tight as she kept on looking straight at Crocodile. She stood still in her position for a couple of tense seconds, during which she took note of the fact that he did look taken aback by her reaction - and that he wasn't apparently looking to confront her, or taunt her.

Now, she didn't want to trust Crocodile of all people, but she was quite sure even he wouldn't have stooped so low as to mention her late husband's death with the intent of baiting her or hurting her.
That left the only reasonable conclusion that he really did know something she didn't.

She took a deep breath, and her frown slowly dissipated into a schooled, neutral expression. "Very well." She abandoned her hostile stance. "I spotted a clearing, further along the path. We'll settle there." She turned away from him, walking in silence towards an opening in the woods.

Crocodile didn't really show it, but he was definitely relieved that Yvonne was reasonable enough to wait for the both of them to have settled down. They had already done quite a bit, after all, and would need to eat and drink.

Hopefully she'd still be willing to go on for the rest of the day, or they'd have to set camp for the night.
And no, the idea of abandoning her or keeping the truth hidden from her for any longer didn't even cross his mind.

He quietly sat down on a rock, and took out something to drink, before he got a little fire started.
"Don't take my word for it. It's a rumor that circulated in Impel Down, and reached my ears."

Yvonne picked her spot to sit on a tree stump near the fire, after taking some of their rations out for them to warm up and eat. She didn't know if she was ready to learn whatever rumor had been going around in Impel Down about the murder of her husband, but after taking some time to focus on the setting of their temporary camp, she felt a little less on edge.
She breathed in, sighing. "Alright. I'm listening", she said in the end.

The fire came to life, and Crocodile settled some of their canned goods on top of it to warm them up.

"A couple of Marine officers apparently got trapped a few levels above mine. Since it's not a common occurrence, word travelled fast. According to their own words, they were put there to be silenced, since they had been the hands of an orchestrated assassination many years ago. Since the victim used to be a captain and late husband of a now commodore, I came to the conclusion it must have been your husband. They said his name was-" He squinted, trying to remember the name that he had heard two years ago in that jail cell.

Yvonne listened in silence, even though each of Crocodile's words made her heart feel heavier and heavier. Her hands, both resting on her thighs, closed into fists so tight she could almost swear she felt her nails hurt her palms even through the material of her gloves.
She had constructed lots of different hypothesis through the years, alright. The possibility of an inner conspiracy had come to mind at some point, when all the other leads she had seemed to amount to nothing, but...

She had hoped it wouldn't be the case. That she had picked the righteous way, that by doing so she could have found the truth - while honoring the memory of a good man. She had hoped so much.

"Isaia Scaligeri", she completed, her tone surprisingly even. Still, even though that hadn't been a question, she waited for Crocodile's confirmation.

Crocodile held Yvonne's gaze, and said nothing.
That was exactly the man's name, just like he had heard it two years ago. Anyone else in his stead might have worded out their sympathy to her, knowing that it was some difficult news to take, even after all these years.

He looked down at their meal, and stirred it a bit. "Shortly after you arrived on Alabasta, I told you you were the most diligent officer that had been appointed on the island so far." He paused. "The higher their rank, the more blood and dirty you find on their hands. Ironically enough, some of them aren't better than any pirate such as myself."