Location: Rainbase, Rain Dinners Casino
As Crocodile stared at the desecrated roof of his casino, the white dragon head roared to life.
The massive clay sculpture detached itself from the pyramid, wings unfolding with a sound like grinding stone. It launched itself into the air, diving straight at the Warlord.
"Is it real?"
Crocodile frowned, tossing his bag of loot aside. His right hand dissolved into swirling sand.
"Or just a cheap trick by a Devil Fruit user?"
Before he could draw his blade, the dragon opened its maw.
[Ability: C2 Dragon - Sonic Roar]!
ROAR—!
A thunderous shockwave erupted from the dragon's throat. It wasn't fire; it was pure sound, compressed and weaponized. The blast hit the ground like a meteor, shattering the stone plaza.
"What?!"
Crocodile's pupils contracted. He had no time to dodge.
BOOM!
The Warlord was blasted apart. His body exploded into a cloud of golden sand, scattering across the square. When the dust settled, only a pair of severed sand-legs remained standing.
But the wind howled, and the sand swirled back together.
Grain by grain, the golden dust reformed into a human shape. Crocodile stood unharmed, his coat fluttering in the wind.
Logia Intangibility. The ultimate defense.
"You bastard!"
Crocodile's eyes burned with rage. He swung his right arm.
"Desert Spada (Sword of the Desert)!"
His arm transformed into a massive, extending blade of compressed sand. It slashed upward, cleaving the air and the ground with terrifying force.
CLANG!
The blade struck the white dragon. But instead of slicing through flesh, it sounded like metal hitting ceramic.
The dragon didn't dodge. Its white scales shimmered in the sun. The sand blade shattered against its hide, unable to penetrate the hardened clay.
"What is this thing made of?"
Crocodile's expression darkened. The dragon shook off the impact and charged again.
Crocodile stood his ground. He raised his hand, fingers spread wide.
"Sables (Sandstorm)!"
"Barján (Crescent-Moon Dune)!"
He swept his arm in a crescent arc. This attack wasn't meant to cut; it was meant to drain.
SWOOSH!
The sand blade passed through the dragon's body.
Instant dehydration.
The moisture was sucked out of the clay. The pristine white scales turned gray and cracked like a dried riverbed. Spiderweb fissures spread across the dragon's torso.
Crack... crumble.
Large chunks of dried clay flaked off, falling to the ground like dust.
"Strange..."
Crocodile frowned. "Is this thing even alive?"
The dragon shuddered. It shed the dried outer layer like a snake shedding skin, revealing a slightly smaller but fully intact body underneath.
"Just die already!"
Crocodile prepared another attack.
"You rely too much on your fruit, Sand Crocodile."
A voice whispered directly behind his ear.
One second, the voice was distant. The next, it was breathing down his neck.
Crocodile spun around, eyes wide.
But all he saw was darkness.
A hand, coated in jet-black Armament Haki, filled his vision.
GRAB!
Storm's hand clamped onto Crocodile's face like a vice. The intangible sand turned solid under the Haki's touch.
"Got you."
WHAM!
Storm slammed Crocodile's head into the pavement with the force of a pile driver.
BOOM!
The ground exploded. A crater formed instantly, debris flying everywhere. Crocodile lay in the center, blood gushing from his nose and mouth, his sunglasses shattered.
"Cough..."
Crocodile struggled to sit up, his head spinning. He looked up at the figure standing over him, backlit by the sun.
"Navy...?"
"Are you blind?"
Storm scoffed. He was wearing a white coat, yes, but it wasn't a Marine uniform.
He snapped his fingers. The white dragon shrank, curling around his shoulders like a pet.
"Who do you think I am?!"
Crocodile roared, his pride wounded more than his body. He dissolved into the ground.
"Desert Grande Espada (Great Sword of the Desert)!"
The sand beneath Storm's feet erupted. Crocodile surged up like a shark, forming a massive blade of sand aimed to bisect Storm.
But Storm didn't move. His eyes flashed red.
Observation Haki.
He saw the attack before it even started.
Storm raised his right fist. Black Haki coated his skin, hardening it into steel.
SMASH!
He punched down.
His fist met the sand blade in mid-air.
CRACK!
The sand sword shattered. Storm's fist didn't stop. It continued downward, crashing directly into the top of Crocodile's head.
THUD!
Crocodile's eyes rolled back into his head. The Desert King collapsed instantly, knocked unconscious by a single, brutal Haki-infused blow.
[System Alert: Target Defeated]
[Diamond Trophy: Sir Crocodile]
[Star Rating: ★★★★★★ (6-Stars)]
Storm stood over the fallen Warlord, dusting off his hands.
"Six stars? Not bad for a man who forgot how to use Haki."
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