Bab 85: Chapter 85: The Strength of a Swordsman, Luffy Takes Action.
However:
"Weaklings are always weaklings,"
As Crocodile's impatient voice sounded, the yellow sand he had secretly scattered during the battle gathered above his head, temporarily blocking the rain, allowing him to free his hand and grab the air.
"Sandstorm - Circle!"
Circles of rapidly spinning sand protected Crocodile, like billions of meteors surrounding him. They deflected all the surrounding swords, guns, staffs, bullets, and cannons, and then, as Crocodile spread his fingers:
"Sandstorm - Rain!"
Pew pew pew pew,
Supersonic 'sand bullets' shot out, instantly sending the Bird Claw Four and the rebel leaders flying!
Hmm? No—
In Crocodile's Observation Haki perception, although his move had cleared the field and severely injured them, none of these ants had died?
Under the dense firepower comparable to heavy machine gun fire, the bodies of these guys were still mostly intact. The dense 'sand bullets' had only left a bunch of deep wounds on their bodies, but hadn't killed them.
That's not scien...
Wait,
Sweeping his gaze over the warriors who had been sent flying, Crocodile noticed the layers of 'peeling' on their charred wounds. Without a doubt, this familiar defensive ability was:
That kid!
Facing Crocodile's murderous gaze, Roman 'friendly' waved at him.
Look down on us weaklings? Not a single one dead after one move, just ask yourself, are you angry, are you angry?
Crocodile was furious!
Fine, if the bugs I couldn't squash in one go, I'll waste a bit more time—
Clang!
A loud, long, piercing metallic clash sounded as the golden scimitar clashed with two swords, even drowning out the sound of the pouring rain.
The sound was not only loud but also carried an extremely sharp, intense friction, like three high-speed rotating chainsaws constantly changing angles and grinding against each other.
"Pell the Falcon, Chaka the Jackal,"
Facing the two who were holding him off with a sword and a saber, Crocodile raised his bare eyebrows.
"Do you also wish to sacrifice yourselves for others?"
Though also Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, Pell, Chaka, and Chopper of the Alabasta Kingdom's highest combat force are different. Chopper focuses on developing his body, while Pell and Chaka focus on human swordsmanship, with the animal fruit providing more of a supportive effect:
**Clang, clang, clang!**
In the midst of flashing swords and shadows, the two vice-captains fought hard against Crocodile.
Pell's swordsmanship was fierce and grand, combined with the 'Bird-Bird Fruit: Falcon Model,' allowing him to leap and soar; Chaka's swordsmanship was swift and ruthless, combined with the 'Dog-Dog Fruit: Jackal Model,' moving like the wind. Together, they once again withstood Crocodile's attack.
"We are the protectors of this country, and we will not allow you to run rampant!" Facing the two 'experts' in half-beast form, Crocodile felt a deep sense of:
"Weaklings—"
The golden scimitar in his hand turned, like the unpredictable wind in the desert, or the sand that buries everything. With a twist and a pull, a powerful quicksand appeared out of nowhere, swallowing everything! At the same time, the blade's light flowed, distorting and tilting the surrounding air, creating a mirage-like scene.
"Let me show you what real swordsmanship is!"
Oh no—
Pell and Chaka were not weak, but Alabasta, deliberately isolated by the World Government, was still stuck in a feudal society, with even martial arts being scarce. Their swordsmanship, honestly, was just the result of relentless practice.
With Crocodile's swordsmanship reaching the level of a master swordsman, they were caught off guard. Their sword and blade strikes felt like they were hitting empty space, their momentum twisted and diverted, leaving them powerless, their attacks and movements thrown off balance, exposing their weaknesses.
In Crocodile's other hand, the giant golden hook mercilessly slashed towards Chaka's waist! Pell, in shock, lunged forward, blocking with his arm.
"Iron Feather!"
**Slash—** The wing that instantly transformed from his arm blocked the golden hook, but with a **puff**, it was pierced. Fortunately, the jackal-transformed Chaka reacted, turning his long sword towards Crocodile's face, forcing him to retreat!
However, before the two vice-captains could catch their breath, they stumbled forward uncontrollably!—Under their feet, the ground had turned into quicksand at some point.
"Sand Battlefield!"
In the moment their stances were broken, Crocodile, stepping on the yellow sand, slid forward like he was gliding! One side was bound, the other accelerating! In a flash, the black fur coat passed between the two vice-captains.
At the same time, the golden scimitar in Crocodile's hand drew a clever arc, like an unpredictable whirlwind! Avoiding their swords, it slashed towards their throats.
"Sand Throat Slash!"
**Puff, puff**
With a light sound, the two vice-captains clutched their throats and knelt on the ground! If not for the Zoan Devil Fruit's strong vitality, they would have been finished in one move.
"Weakness..."
The invincible Crocodile turned around, looking down on everyone! The blood dripping from the golden scimitar in his hand seemed to fall heavily on everyone's hearts.
"...is a crime!"
."How could this happen..."
They had gathered the kingdom's 'elite' combat force, and with the rain weakening him, they should have had a fighting chance, right? Why was it still...
Watching the elite soldiers and rebel leaders, as well as the two vice-captains, all defeated, Vivi's mind went blank, not even knowing what was keeping her standing. Such a hopeless gap—
Thud,
A straw hat was placed on her head, and the blurry-eyed blue-haired princess saw a figure in a red vest standing before her.
"Alright, it's my turn!"
Smack,
Luffy, wearing straw sandals, took a step forward and looked seriously at Crocodile. The fighting spirit rising like smoke caught Crocodile's attention, giving Roman a chance to use 'paper streamers' to drag the severely injured away.
"Defeated opponent,"
"If I can kill you once, I can kill you twice!"
Crocodile, dispersing his golden hook and flicking the ash from his cigar, looked contemptuous, but his slightly forward-leaning posture showed he wasn't as relaxed as he appeared.
"Vivi, everyone, I'm sorry."
"I lost to this guy once."
Luffy looked up seriously at the soaking wet Crocodile, assuming a hand-to-hand combat stance.
"But now—"
"You've created such a favorable situation for me..."
The Baroque Works officers were defeated by Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper; Nami used artificial rain to counter Crocodile's invincible elementalization and wide-range skills. Although Luffy didn't fully understand why Roman went to such lengths to arrange all this, his intuition told him that now was the 'weakest' moment for Crocodile.
"It's time to end everything!"
Facing Luffy's declaration, veins bulged on Crocodile's forehead.
"If you can—"
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
Whoosh,
A long fist suddenly shot towards Crocodile, but how could such a straightforward attack hurt him? As he quickly dodged, his prepared deadly right hand grabbed Luffy's arm with a 'snap.'
"In the blink of an eye, I can drain you—?!"
Useless!?
In the moment Crocodile was stunned, Luffy kicked off with both feet, leaping into the air in front of him, with his other hand forming a high-raised fist.
Damn—
Boom!
??!!
The cigar flew out of Crocodile's mouth, and before he could react, years of complacency (bullying weaklings) had made him forget how deadly it was to be distracted in battle! Luffy's hands grabbed his shoulders, and his whole body spun, twisting his arms into tight coils.
Damn, next he's going to—
"Buzz Saw!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh,
Luffy's high-speed spinning kick came, and although Crocodile 'predicted' the attack, what could he do? With his hands tightly held, how could he counterattack?
With his head?
Bang!
Barely avoiding a critical hit to his chin, Crocodile was still kicked away. Luffy didn't give him a chance to recover, pouncing on him with the rubber's ability to throw dozens of punches per second! The sky filled with fist shadows like dense cannonballs surged towards the flying Crocodile.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatling Gun!"
Boom boom boom boom boom—
Crocodile was instantly engulfed in the fist shadows, causing the onlookers to gasp.
This kid is terrifying!
But:
It's not enough, not enough yet.
Only Roman knew that this was just the beginning:
Although it seemed like Luffy's combo had stunned Crocodile, in the end, Crocodile... no, it should be said that the further one goes on the Grand Line, the more resilient the people become! To deliver a one-hit kill, you need to be a swordsman like Zoro (able to consistently cut through iron and possess your own 'aura'). But with fists and feet...
Sigh, after all the planning, it still comes down to who can last longer. So: touching the wound on his abdomen, Roman wisely gave up the idea of joining the battle.
Let's bet everything on Luffy.
It's up to you, Captain!
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone