"BOOM—!"
A desert dragon over a hundred meters long erupted from the ground!
This dragon was entirely composed of Armament Haki-reinforced sand particles, yet it possessed a physical core, with each scale gleaming with a metallic sheen.
With a single sweep of its tail, it sent over a dozen Happo Navy soldiers flying like ragdolls.
As it breathed, the shockwaves of the Hasshoken were effortlessly dismantled by the sheer density of the sand.
Don Chinjao's drill head clashed directly with the dragon's claw.
CRACK!
The legendary pirate was sent staggering back seven steps, his drill head left dazed and vibrating from the impact.
His eyes widened in disbelief. "This power... how is this possible?!"
"Old man, the times have changed."
Crocodile's voice echoed from the dragon's head.
The sand dragon suddenly opened its massive maw, revealing not flames, but a swirling vortex of a grinding sandstorm!
A terrifying suction force dragged both Chinjao and Sai toward the dragon's mouth.
"Hasshoken Secret Technique: Drill Dragon Nail!"
Chinjao mustered all his strength for his ultimate move.
His cone-shaped head carried his lifelong martial prowess as it stabbed toward the dragon's throat.
However...
"Desert Spada."
Crocodile's true form had somehow appeared behind Chinjao using the distraction.
His beastified claws, coated in Haki, pierced through the old man's back.
Simultaneously, the sand dragon's jaws snapped shut, swallowing Sai and dozens of other Happo Navy soldiers whole!
The arena fell into dead silence.
As sand grains rustled down, Crocodile returned to his hybrid human form, his golden hook dripping with blood.
He scanned the deathly quiet audience and sneered.
"Who's next?"
....
In the stands, the pirates who had been eager to fight earlier collectively retreated three steps.
Several notable pirates turned pale—since when had Sand Crocodile become this powerful?
The enhancement from the Mythical Zoan had qualitatively elevated his combat prowess far beyond his Warlord days.
The Happo Navy had been completely annihilated in minutes.
Chinjao's massive unconscious body lay collapsed on the sand, the cracks on his drill head glaringly visible.
Sai and over a hundred elite soldiers were buried under sand piles, with only scattered limbs visible.
"This... this can't be real..." a Supernova with a bounty over 100 million berries stammered, his teeth chattering.
"Chinjao was someone capable of fistfighting with Garp!"
His companion nearby gripped his weapon tightly, knuckles turning white. "Is this really just a former Warlord?!"
In a corner of the audience stands, several "merchants" in cloaks exchanged meaningful glances.
Under Vice Admiral Momonga's fake mustache, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Pretending to arrange cargo boxes, he signaled to the Marines hidden among the crowd: Hold position.
"Something's wrong."
Vice Admiral Onigumo, disguised as a merchant guard with eight swords hidden beneath goods, murmured.
"Crocodile's strength is at least three times greater than intelligence indicated."
His eyes swept over the remnants of the sand dragon that hadn't dissipated. "This level of Devil Fruit control... he might have achieved Awakening."
"Unlikely," Vice Admiral Doberman whispered back. "Logia-type Awakening isn't that easy. It permanently alters the climate. This is something else... a transformation."
"Should we reassess our combat plan?"
"Wait a bit longer." Momonga lowered his voice, his gaze fixed on the Ice-Ice Fruit floating behind Crocodile.
"Let these pirates drain more of his stamina."
As if to confirm his words, several more reckless pirates jumped into the arena.
A heavily tattooed giant roared as he transformed into a rhinoceros, while another was a cyborg completely covered in steel.
They didn't even have time to announce their names.
SLASH!
Crocodile's sand dragon claws knocked out the rhino's brains, while his golden hook simultaneously pierced through the cyborg's power core.
"Boring."
Crocodile flicked the oil off his golden hook, a swirling vortex of sand forming at his feet.
"Are there no decent opponents left?"
The naval officers in the stands narrowed their eyes—this slaughter had lasted less than ten seconds!
"NOW!"
Momonga tore off his merchant cloak, the "Justice" coat billowing wildly in the fierce wind.
His blade was already drawn, wreathed in purple-black Armament Haki.
"First Squad, restrain Crocodile! The rest, find openings to attack! Remember, our sole objective is to defeat the target!"
Twelve figures surged forward simultaneously.
The crates used for camouflage shattered to reveal the gleaming standard-issue Naval weapons inside.
Onigumo's eight swords became a silver hurricane under the sunlight, each blade slashing at different vital points on Crocodile's body—throat, heart, spine, limb joints—completely dismembering killing techniques!
"Seastone Art: Heavenly Net!"
Doberman roared as he charged forward, a specially-made Seastone fiber net closing in on the Sand Crocodile from six different directions.
Every joint of the net was inlaid with thumb-sized Seastones, shimmering with dangerous blue-gray light under the sun.
Five Rear Admirals formed a pentagonal formation to seal off the airspace above, while five Commodores established an encirclement on the ground.
Everyone's weapons gleamed with Armament Haki.
CLANG—!
Crocodile's golden hook collided with Onigumo's eight swords, sparks flying everywhere.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "The Navy?"
Then his lips twisted into a cruel grin, the scar on his face contorting like a centipede.
"Interesting... Then you'll all be buried in this sandstorm together!"
"Sand Dragon: River Styx Burial!"
The entire coliseum was instantly plunged into darkness.
Tens of thousands of tons of sand surged into the sky, forming twelve sand tornadoes connecting heaven and earth.
Within each tornado, shadowy sand dragon clones of Crocodile were vaguely visible, their sharp dragon claws wreathed in Armament Haki.
Yet the Navy's formation remained completely unshaken.
Momonga's long sword traced a perfect arc. "Moon Step: Cross Slash!"
A purple-black slash wave split the sandstorm before him.
The naval officers behind him immediately followed, forming three-person teams defending back-to-back.
"Execute the Kill Protocol! For Justice!" Momonga's roar cut clearly through the sandstorm.
...
The pirates in the spectator stands completely lost control.
Some knocked over wine barrels and slipped on the ground, others jumped directly from the stands to escape the crossfire.
"Why is the Navy here?!"
"It's a Buster Call! Definitely a Buster Call!"
"Damn it, what are the Divine Kingdom people doing? How did they let anyone in!"
Shouts rose and fell one after another.
Amid this chaos, the sky suddenly clouded over.
RUMBLE...
A blue lightning bolt split through the sandstorm, revealing Enel's lazy figure floating mid-air, his golden staff resting casually on his shoulder.
Looking down at the chaotic battle below, he raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? The Marines?"
Casually pulling out a golden Den Den Mushi, Enel picked his ear with his pinky finger and dialed carelessly.
"Hey, Vice captain..."
---------
Read 50 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator