"Crocodile, co out!" The boy wearing a straw hat shouted angrily. The crew of the Dawn began drawing their weapons. Though there were only about a dozen of them, they had encircled the three strongest mbers of the Straw Hat crew, ready to attack.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji stood back-to-back, prepared for battle. Although it was obviously a reckless and foolish decision, they were used to it by now—any decision made when Luffy was involved tended to be impulsive and brainless.
Not far away, on the Going rry.
"A-are they gonna be okay…?" Usopp trembled as he hid behind Nami, though his sharp vision gave him a clear view of the situation on the distant ship.
"What do we do? What do we do…?" Chopper frantically ran around the deck, his little hooves clattering.
"I'm going to help them," Vivi declared with determination.
Nami, despite being afraid herself, knew she had to take charge of the situation. However, given their circumstances, there was very little they could do. Aside from using their one cannon, they seed to be out of options.
"Usopp, stop hiding behind …" Nami muttered in exasperation. Though she wanted to hide just as much, traveling with Luffy had taught her that so things simply couldn't be avoided. Life with him as captain was… exhausting, to say the least.
At the port, everything had spiraled out of control far too quickly. They had been scouting the area with a telescope, trying to decide on the safest place to dock their pirate ship, as one does. Who could have expected Vivi to spot Crocodile himself?
Luffy wasted no ti, stretching his arm and launching himself onto the enemy ship. By the ti Zoro and Sanji tried to stop him, they had already been dragged along for the ride.
---
On Crocodile's ship, Nico Robin's expression flickered for a mont. It was them. The crew she had taken a liking to. Truth be told, she didn't want to see these individuals wiped out by Crocodile. But so things were beyond her control.
"Can't we just talk this out? I an, I could be a good guy. Don't you believe ?" Rosen, the imposter Crocodile, asked, maintaining a calm exterior despite his inner turmoil. His words were tentative, testing the waters. If they believed him, avoiding a fight would be ideal.
But who would believe that? Nobody was blind, after all. A villain calling himself a "good guy"? The nerve.
"Huh? Are you a good guy?" Luffy blinked, genuinely surprised, almost convinced by the absence of malice or an evil aura coming from Rosen.
This wasn't Crocodile—it was an imposter.
"No, I've seen his bounty poster before. That's Shichibukai Crocodile—the very one who threw Vivi's country into chaos!" Zoro's sharp gaze locked onto Rosen. His swords were already drawn, ready for combat. As a forr bounty hunter, there was no mistaking the face of this infamous pirate.
"Leave these nobodies to ," said Daz Bones (Mr. 1) with an impassive expression. He didn't consider the Straw Hats worthy opponents.
"No, I'll handle this personally…" Rosen interjected. Whether it was fate or misfortune, Rosen knew there was no avoiding this confrontation. Besides, Mr. 1's defeat could end up being a power-up for Zoro.
Seeing Crocodile step forward alone, Luffy and the others adjusted their stances. They couldn't afford to underestimate a Shichibukai. The aura of danger emanating from him was too intense to ignore.
Well, except for Luffy, who simply roared, "Gum-Gum Rocket!" and launched a fist toward Rosen.
Thud! The strike passed right through Rosen's body, scattering sand everywhere. Robin shook her head. It seed they didn't stand a chance.
Without Robin's insights, a Logia user like Crocodile was practically invincible to them. Perhaps, after so trial and error, they might discover his weakness, but would this Crocodile even give them the chance? Certainly not.
Rosen decided to end things decisively. Holding back was not an option. Against main characters, caution was paramount.
"What's going on?! That punch—it didn't work. His body—what is this?!" Luffy exclaid, staring wide-eyed at the hole in Rosen's torso where sand swirled instead of flesh.
"A Devil Fruit user?!" Zoro's forehead was slick with sweat. This was his first encounter with such a peculiar type of Devil Fruit ability.
Rosen concentrated, holding his breath as sandstorm winds began howling around him. The swirling vortex of sand forced even his own crew to step back.
Boom! Rosen's body exploded into a cloud of sand, leaving only his head visible. Within a ten-ter radius, the air was filled with a roaring sandstorm.
"Wha—what's going on?!" Luffy stamred, utterly confused as the man in front of him seed to disintegrate.
But Rosen wasn't attacking yet. He was gathering power for a single decisive strike. He couldn't allow any chance for a coback.
Though his power vastly outmatched Luffy's, Rosen couldn't ignore the protagonist's uncanny ability to turn the tide of battle. That kind of luck… he had to crush it entirely.
"Now!" Zoro shouted, sensing the danger. He surged forward with his swords, Luffy threw a Gum-Gum Pistol, and Sanji lunged with a kick.
"Sandstorm Burial." Rosen's Sand-Sand Fruit ability roared to life. The sandstorm intensified, pushing the trio back with its sheer force. Every step toward him beca more and more difficult.
The technique involved absorbing sand from the air, expanding his control over the battlefield, and then releasing it all at once in a massive, crushing sand fist from above.
The sandstorm punch descended with devastating speed, leaving the Straw Hats with no room to dodge. Onboard the ship, space was limited, and none of them had the ans to fight effectively in the air.
"This is bad," Zoro muttered. The overwhelming pressure of the attack left him feeling powerless. Against Mr. 1, he might struggle and overco. But Crocodile? It was too soon.
Boom! The massive sand fist struck with the force of a ten-ton hamr, sending sand flying everywhere. The Dawn rocked violently, its deck splintering under the impact.
Rosen deliberately held back just enough to avoid sinking the ship entirely. He wasn't about to waste a new vessel.
"Desert Blades." Within the swirling sands, countless blades ford and launched themselves at the trio, slashing with relentless precision. Each was like a small sandstorm bomb, cutting and battering everything in its path.
Thud! Thud! Thud! The sound of explosions and crashing debris filled the air. Rosen wasn't aiming to kill—just to ensure they were incapacitated. Against main characters, he was extra cautious.
On the sidelines, Mr. 5 muttered in awe, "Boss is serious this ti…"
"Isn't this a bit much? They're just small fry," Daz Bones comnted, slightly puzzled by Rosen's overly cautious approach.
Robin's keen insight saw through it all. "He's being careful. The Straw Hats… they're not ordinary. Crocodile doesn't want to take any risks."
Rosen himself was painfully aware of their hidden potential. He couldn't afford to underestimate them. Not now, not ever.
As the sandstorm settled and the trio lay battered and struggling, Rosen stood tall, his voice calm but firm:
"Looks like I can handle this alone."
(End of Chapter)
User Comments
0 comments from readers