Royal Tomb
Cough!
Sir Crocodile struggled up from the rubble, coughing violently as blood sprayed from his mouth.
Yet by now, he had completely lost control.
"Why?! Why do you keep getting back up after I've killed you so many tis?!"
"Tell , Straw Hat!!"
Crocodile simply couldn't understand.
A pirate… risking his life like this for a country that had nothing to do with him.
Robin stared at the blood-soaked figure standing before her, her expression complicated.
"…Straw Hat…"
"How many tis do I have to kill you before you give up?!" Crocodile roared.
"Because…" Luffy said calmly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"You still haven't returned what you stole."
"What I stole…?"
Crocodile slowly stood up.
"Money? Reputation? Trust? Lives? Rain?"
Veins bulged across his forehead as he laughed wildly.
"Hahahaha! Which of the countless things I've taken do you want back?!"
"Your country."
Luffy's expression was frighteningly calm.
"…Vivi's country."
"Country?!"
Crocodile's anger exploded.
"What nonsense are you talking about?! I haven't even taken it yet! You're the one trying to stop !"
He felt as if his intelligence was being mocked.
"When we arrived on this island…"
Luffy stared at him with deep, unwavering eyes.
"…this place was already no longer Vivi's country."
"If this were truly her country…"
CRACK.
Luffy bent his knees slightly.
The ground beneath him shattered into countless cracks.
BOOM!!
His body shot forward like a tiger breaking free from its cage, tearing through the sand-filled air in an instant.
Crocodile's pupils shrank violently.
Faster.
Even faster than before!
This speed had already surpassed what Luffy showed half an hour ago.
What kind of joke is this?!
Does a monster like this really exist on the seas?!
"—Then she'd be even happier!!"
Luffy's furious roar exploded beside him.
Crocodile's eyes widened.
Luffy's blood-covered figure had already appeared in front of him.
A fist coated in Armant Haki shot forward.
Like a teor.
BAM!!
The punch smashed into Crocodile's face.
The dull impact sent him flying straight into the ruins.
Luffy stood there, breathing heavily.
Seeing Crocodile—who had been so arrogant monts ago—blasted away with a single punch,
Both Robin and Cobra were stunned.
At the sa ti, an indescribable sense of relief rose in their hearts.
BOOM!!
A blood-covered hand erged from the rubble.
Crocodile vomited another mouthful of blood, his eyes trembling violently.
"Damn brat!!"
Using his bloody hand to support himself, endless sand surged from his body.
A massive sand vortex spread outward.
"Die!!"
"Ground Death!"
As the moisture rapidly drained from his body, Luffy remained calm.
His arms suddenly stretched out.
He wrapped one arm around Robin's slender waist and grabbed Cobra by the collar.
Then he kicked off the ground—
His body shot upward like a rocket.
Midair, Luffy delivered a powerful kick upward.
The ceiling exploded apart.
The three of them landed outside the tomb.
Monts later—
RUMBLE!!!
The entire underground sanctuary collapsed into an ocean of sand.
Luffy set the stunned Robin down from his shoulder.
Then he removed the Straw Hat from his head and handed it to her.
"Hold this for ."
"It's my most precious treasure."
Robin accepted the hat with both hands.
A faint light flickered in her eyes.
Luffy looked up at Crocodile, who was charging toward them as a storm of sand.
He suddenly grinned.
His eyes shone with dazzling determination.
Black Armant Haki flowed over his fist like liquid.
Without hesitation, he rushed forward.
A black iron fist vs. a poisoned golden hook.
CLANG!!
Alubarna Palace Square
The war had reached its most brutal stage.
The sounds of slaughter and screams filled the air.
Blood and corpses were everywhere.
In one corner of the square, a pile of pirate corpses had ford a small mountain.
Roronoa Zoro and Sanji stood there, exhausted.
They had finally defeated the pirates who had co seeking Vivi.
As for the Royal Army and Rebel Army, anyone who witnessed the monstrous strength of the two fighters and still dared approach them would have to be insane.
But the war still raged.
"This war isn't stopping…"
Nami looked anxiously at the battlefield.
Although no one dared attack the Straw Hat Crew, the fighting in the distance showed no signs of slowing.
"At this point… the war can't be stopped anymore."
Zoro's voice carried deep exhaustion.
He—and everyone else—had already reached their limits.
They were only standing through sheer willpower.
They had done everything they possibly could.
"Poor Princess Vivi…"
Sanji looked toward the Clock Tower with aching eyes.
On top of it, Vivi was shouting desperately.
"A princess carrying the burden of an entire nation… it's just too cruel."
It perfectly matched the cruel irony:
The one who wanted to save the country had instead pushed it toward destruction.
Clock Tower
"Please stop fighting!"
"Stop it—just look at !!"
Vivi cried out desperately.
Tears stread down her face, scattered by the cold wind.
But the war continued.
Gunfire.
Explosions.
Clashing blades.
Her helpless voice was completely drowned out.
Royal Tomb Ruins
"Heh… looks like my poison works perfectly."
Crocodile laughed darkly.
The tip of his golden hook was coated with a purple liquid—a deadly toxin.
At that mont—
A massive sandstorm swept through the ruins.
The collapsing temple crumbled even faster.
"Hahahahaha!"
Crocodile laughed toward the sky.
THUMP.
Suddenly, Luffy's heart pounded loudly.
His pupils shrank to needle points as blood vessels burst across his eyes.
Unimaginable pain surged through him like a tidal wave.
"GAAAAAH!!"
Luffy collapsed to his knees, roaring like a wounded beast.
Monts later, he knelt there, gasping.
His face had turned deathly pale.
Sweat and blood dripped onto the ground.
Yet—
Under Crocodile's mocking gaze,
And the shocked eyes of Robin and Cobra—
Luffy slowly stood back up.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto Crocodile.
What the hell?!
Crocodile's mind exploded with disbelief.
The poison he used had been refined through nearly ten years of research.
Even a single drop could incapacitate an elephant.
"Hahaha! Even if you endure it, what difference does it make?"
"The poison has already mixed with your blood!"
"Death is inevitable!"
Crocodile sneered.
"You're risking your life for a country that has nothing to do with you…"
"You're really an idiot."
But Luffy's expression didn't change.
Pain raged throughout his body—
Yet at the sa ti, a warm energy flowed through his limbs.
Constitution 0.5
Constitution 0.3
Constitution 0.1
Luffy slowly raised his head.
His voice was cold as iron.
"Then I just have to defeat you… before I die."
He lowered his body slightly.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
His heart beat violently.
Blood surged through his veins at incredible speed.
His skin gradually turned red.
Blood seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
White steam began rising from his body.
Gear Second.
"What…?"
Crocodile's heart erupted with shock.
"He's accelerating his blood flow… suppressing the poison while enhancing his physical strength?!"
"That lunatic!!"
A technique that burned through one's life force like this could destroy the body entirely.
One mistake—and he would explode into a mist of blood.
WHOOSH
Luffy vanished.
Crocodile's pupils shrank to their limit.
Fast!!
Too fast!!
Before he could react—
A black fist wreathed in steam smashed into his abdon.
Like a teor.
BOOM!!
Crocodile's eyes bulged with bloodshot veins.
His cigar flew from his mouth.
His body blasted backward like a cannonball.
CRASH!!
He smashed through multiple buildings.
The sheer speed left rings of white shockwaves in the air.
Robin and Cobra watched in horror as Luffy vanished again.
In an instant—
He appeared above Crocodile.
His Haki-coated leg ca crashing down like a battle axe.
BAM!!
Crocodile's spine cracked as he plumted like a teor.
Blood filled his mouth and nose.
His eyes began to lose focus.
But Luffy still didn't stop.
Appearing beneath him—
He launched another kick.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Crocodile was kicked repeatedly through the air like a ball.
Soon he was sent flying above Alubarna Square.
Under the stunned gaze of the people below—
Crocodile was kicked back and forth through the sky like a ragdoll.
Luffy's speed was nothing but a blur.
Finally—
After the relentless beating—
Luffy shot upward.
His arm stretched out.
Black Armant Haki coated it like ink.
Orange-red flas wrapped around the fist.
He unleashed one final punch.
"Jet Fire Pistol!"
BOOOOM!!!
A pillar of fla crashed down from the sky.
The ground exploded into a massive crater.
Vivi covered her mouth as she watched Crocodile fall.
Tears stread endlessly down her face.
mories flashed through her mind.
"So we just have to send Crocodile flying, right?"
"War always has casualties… so we'll bet our lives too!"
"Luffy…"
"…he really did it."
Her eyes filled with tears.
Across the battlefield, soldiers slowly stopped fighting.
They stared blankly at the figure lying in the crater.
Suddenly—
The wind roared.
Lightning flashed.
Rain began to pour from the sky.
"Please… never let this war continue again!!"
Vivi's voice echoed across Alubarna.
Her voice had finally reached them.
The raging wind swept away the smoke of war.
Thunder drowned out the sounds of battle.
And rain fell upon the desert—
Washing away the traces of war.
The Miracle Rain descended upon the desert city.
And with it—
Peace returned to Alabasta.
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