Crocodile didn't give Jack a chance to open his mouth.
The moment the cries of labor echoed again from behind the chamber doors, she grabbed him by the collar—hard—and dragged him out into the corridor because she didn't want to create another ruckus than the one they were already in.
Jack stumbled once, boots scraping against polished stone.
"Easy," he protested, half-laughing, half-winded. "At least let me ask the obvious questions. The public must know! It's rude to hide family drama. Look at the Kardashians!"
Crocodile slammed him against the wall, one forearm pressed against his chest, her hook resting just close enough to remind him how quickly she could end the discussion.
"You will ask nothing," she said coldly. "Not here. Not now. Also, who are the Kardashians?"
Jack blinked, then raised both hands in surrender, palms up. "Right. Of course. Very reasonable. You're absolutely correct. This is clearly not the time. And I don't know who Kardashians are. The name just came to my mouth."
Her eyes narrowed, searching his face for sarcasm. Finding only poorly hidden curiosity, she released him with a sharp shove.
"I will explain later," she continued. "First, we deal with Carragher."
Jack straightened his coat, rolling his shoulders as if he hadn't just been manhandled by literal sand.
"…Who?"
Crocodile closed her eyes.
Just for a second.
She took a slow breath through her nose, the kind of breath people took when they were one stupid question away from committing murder.
"Jamie Carragher," she said, measured and clipped. "One of the new generation pirates. The kind born from Roger's execution. The same era as you and me."
Jack tilted his head. "Ah. A contemporary. Rival? Former drinking buddy? Man who stole your treasure and your favorite coat? Or...." He had a dirty grin on his face, "The man who warmed your bed one night and left the next day?"
She shot him a look sharp enough to flay skin.
"I was defeated by Whitebeard," she snapped.
Jack opened his mouth, thought better of it, and closed it again.
"…Right. Sorry."
She continued anyway, words spilling out with restrained bitterness. "After that loss, I came back here. To recuperate. To lay low. To see my family—quietly. Without dragging the World Government down on them."
Her jaw tightened. "That plan is now ruined. Courtesy of you."
Jack placed a hand over his heart. "I do have a talent for that."
Crocodile ignored him.
"Carragher believed numbers mattered more than strength. He built a massive fleet and marched straight into the New World, thinking quantity would overwhelm anything."
Jack nodded thoughtfully. "Let me guess. It didn't."
"No," she said flatly. "On his first day, he ran into Kaido."
Jack stopped walking.
"…The Kaido?"
"The strongest creature of the sea," Crocodile confirmed. "Fresh from another failed execution. Bored. Angry. Looking for something to break."
She let out a humorless breath. "Carragher's fleet didn't stand a chance. Kaido wiped out most of it and chased the rest back to the Grand Line. Carragher barely escaped, gravely injured."
Jack stared ahead, processing.
"So," he said slowly, "he lost, ran away, licked his wounds, and decided conquering an entire kingdom was… recovery?"
"Yes," Crocodile replied. "He wants resources. Manpower. A base. Arabasta gives him all three."
Jack rubbed his temples. "That's… a lot."
He stopped walking entirely, then asked the only question his brain could latch onto.
"So what exactly does that have to do with me?"
Before Crocodile could answer, a familiar voice cut through the corridor.
"Lily."
The name landed like a dropped plate.
Crocodile froze.
Jack turned.
King Cobra stood at the far end of the hall, Igaram beside him. Cobra's face was pale, eyes wide—not with anger, but disbelief. Like a man staring at a ghost he'd buried years ago. But Cobra did bury Lily, or so he had thought.
"My sister," Cobra whispered. "I believed you were dead."
Crocodile turned her face away, shoulders stiff. "I might as well have been."
Jack's eyes darted between them, excitement flickering despite the chaos outside. "Oh this is excellent. Family drama confirmed."
Igaram cleared his throat sharply. "Your Majesty, we don't have time—"
"We never do," Cobra said softly, then looked back at Crocodile. "You're a pirate now."
She didn't deny it.
"And you're working with him?" Cobra's gaze slid to Jack, suspicion flaring.
Jack raised a hand. "In my defense, I didn't know any of this when I trespassed."
Igaram stepped forward. "We need to stop Jamie Carragher. That is the priority."
Cobra exhaled heavily, shoulders sagging. "We can't. Our army is collapsing. The capital has been breached."
He closed his eyes, as if the words themselves weighed too much. "I will surrender the throne to Carragher. If it spares the people… if it spares Titi."
"Absolutely not."
The words cut sharp.
Everyone turned.
Crocodile stood straight now, eyes blazing. "You will not surrender."
Cobra looked at her with tired sadness. "Lily, listen to me. I won't lose my people to pride."
"I'm not talking about pride," she snapped. "I'm talking about survival. Surrendering won't stop Carragher. It will only feed him."
"Our army is broken," Cobra insisted. "Better surrender than let innocents suffer."
"I'll fight him," Crocodile said.
Jack blinked. "You will?"
"And you will too," she added, turning on him.
Jack pointed at himself, incredulous. "Me? How did I get dragged into this?"
She glared. "The moment you stepped foot into Arabasta."
Jack opened his mouth to argue—
Then a scream echoed from the chamber behind them. Titi's labor cry, sharp and raw.
Cobra turned immediately, panic overriding everything else.
Crocodile's expression softened, just for a moment. "Go to her," she told him quietly. "She needs you."
He hesitated, torn, then nodded and rushed inside.
Crocodile looked back at Jack, face hard again.
"I know you're stronger than you look," she said. "Help me defeat Carragher, and I'll join your crew."
Igaram stiffened. "Lady Lily—"
Jack's grin spread slow and delighted. "Now that is an offer."
He leaned back slightly, hands behind his head. "A grumbling sand queen with a secret soft side. Very tempting."
Another explosion rocked the palace.
Jack turned toward the window.
Outside, a massive figure tore through guards like paper. A giant of a man—taller than Jack had ever seen, muscles piled on muscle, fists smashing soldiers aside with brutal ease.
Jack's lip twitched. "On second thought…"
He turned back to Crocodile. "I'm going to have to decline."
Before she could react, sand surged around his legs.
"Too late," she said.
The world twisted.
Jack yelped as the floor vanished and sand swallowed him whole.
---
Outside the city walls, Van Augur was running out of time.
Gerrard pressed forward relentlessly, katana flashing, each strike precise enough to cut through space itself. Augur dodged, rolled, fired—barely keeping ahead of death.
His breath burned. His vision tunneled.
Another swing came too fast.
Augur's instincts screamed.
Something snapped into place.
The world slowed.
He saw the angle of the blade before it moved. The shift in Gerrard's shoulders. The intent.
Augur stepped aside calmly.
The katana missed by inches.
Gerrard's eyes widened, just a fraction.
Augur smiled—tired, sharp, alive.
"So this is it," he murmured. "Observation."
No more human shields. No more blind guessing.
He raised his rifle again, steady despite the blood on his hands, and met Gerrard's gaze.
The fight wasn't over.