Kai's punch carried terrifying force.
Even though it was only a casual blow, once wrapped in Armament Haki, it became lethal to most people.
Especially to someone like Crocodile, whose greatest reliance was his Logia fruit.
In the desert, the Suna Suna no Mi made him a ruler.
He believed that as long as he stood in sand, he would not lose to anyone.
But that confidence became fragile when he faced a true Haki user.
And Kai's Haki was far beyond ordinary.
"Armament Haki…"
Crocodile's expression changed.
"Just the pressure from it is already this strong?"
He did not dare take the hit directly.
Sand surged up from the ground, forming a shield in front of him.
Kai's fist slammed into it.
Boom!
The impact rang out like thunder.
The sand shield caved in.
Cracks spread across it like a spiderweb.
A moment later, it shattered.
The remaining force broke through and struck Crocodile's chest.
Bang!
Crocodile was sent flying dozens of meters back.
His intangibility was useless. The Haki had struck his real body.
He controlled the sand around him to slow himself down and finally landed on his feet.
A thin line of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
His chest throbbed with pain, and his breathing became uneven.
"Fist Demon…"
"What a monster."
If he had not formed that shield in time, the damage would have been far worse.
Even after the shield absorbed most of the force, the leftover impact had still injured him.
Kai looked at him calmly.
"I told you not to rely on intangibility in front of me."
"It's meaningless."
"Did living comfortably in Alabasta make your brain slow down?"
"You've been to the New World, haven't you? Don't tell me you forgot what Armament Haki is."
Crocodile's face sank.
He had no answer.
Of course he knew Haki.
But he had never seen Armament Haki this strong coming from a five-year-old child.
"You lost your edge after chasing outside power."
Kai's tone was casual, but every word cut deep.
"The current you is just a defeated man hiding behind a Logia fruit."
"You stayed too long in the easy waters of the first half of the Grand Line. You got used to weak opponents and started thinking your Devil Fruit made you invincible."
His smile sharpened.
"So today, I'll wake you up."
"Logia users are nothing special."
Crocodile's eyes filled with anger.
"Arrogant brat!"
But he did not rush in blindly.
Kai was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"Do you know something?"
Kai raised his fist slightly.
"That punch just now was casual."
Crocodile's expression changed.
"Casual?"
That punch nearly injured him badly, and Kai said it was casual?
Impossible.
He refused to believe it.
"Bluffing."
Crocodile snorted coldly.
Kai's smile faded.
"You don't believe me?"
"Then I'll show you."
"Your Logia body is not as impressive as you think."
"This time…"
"I'll be serious."
A dense black sheen spread over Kai's arms.
It looked like liquid ink at first, then hardened into armor.
Armament Haki fully covered his fists and forearms.
The air around him grew heavier.
"Armament Haki…"
Crocodile's eyes narrowed sharply.
For the first time, he felt the scent of death from Kai's fists.
"This brat's Haki…"
"It's terrifying."
His heart sank.
This pressure reminded him of years ago, when he had challenged Whitebeard and been utterly defeated.
Kai was not yet as overwhelming as Whitebeard had been back then.
But the feeling was similar.
A monster.
A real monster.
Crocodile knew he could not hold back anymore.
Chapter 300 — Clashing with a Natural Disaster by Human Strength? Monster! Madman!
With Armament Haki fully activated, Kai felt power surge through both arms.
It gave him the sense that if he punched with all his strength, he could sink the land beneath him.
Just like in Devil Town, where one of his full-force strikes had shattered the Donquixote Family's casino and collapsed the surrounding area.
That was the destructive force of Kai's true Armament Haki.
Even Doflamingo had not dared to take such a punch head-on.
Crocodile stared at Kai's blackened fists, his wariness rising.
He knew he could not let Kai control the pace.
So he struck first.
His palm pressed against the desert.
"Ground Death!"
The power of the Suna Suna no Mi spread through the earth.
Everything around him began to dry out.
Stone, soil, broken ruins, dead plants—anything touched by his power had its moisture drained away and crumbled into sand.
The ground cracked.
The air grew dry.
Within hundreds of meters, the land withered.
Then the sand rose.
A wave of yellow dust surged into the air and swept toward Kai like a sand sea.
The sun itself seemed to dim behind the storm.
Kai's vision was blocked, but his Observation Haki saw everything clearly.
"Finally using something decent?"
Kai smiled.
"This move isn't bad."
He stepped forward, preparing to break through the wave.
But Crocodile changed his attack.
A small cyclone formed in his hand.
Sand gathered around it, spinning faster and faster.
"Sandstorm!"
He hurled the cyclone forward.
The storm expanded immediately, absorbing the surrounding sand and dust. In moments, it became a towering sandstorm.
It was no longer just a Devil Fruit technique.
It looked like a natural disaster.
The sandstorm rose more than a hundred meters high and spanned dozens of meters wide. Rocks were pulled in and crushed to powder. The desert trembled beneath it.
The storm moved toward Kai under Crocodile's control.
Anything caught in it would be torn apart.
"A natural disaster?"
Kai's eyes lit up.
"As expected of a Logia. This is much more interesting."
Then he made a choice that stunned Crocodile.
Kai did not dodge.
He charged forward.
Straight toward the sandstorm.
Crocodile's eyes widened.
"What is this brat doing?"
Everyone feared a desert sandstorm.
But Kai was rushing into it head-on.
Was he trying to die?
Then a terrifying thought flashed through Crocodile's mind.
"Don't tell me…"
"Fist Demon Kai…"
"Is trying to fight a natural disaster with raw human strength?"
His expression twisted with disbelief.
"Madman!"
"That damned monster is insane!"
Visit my patreon for more chapters
Advance 60+ Chapters Available
patreon.com/ZeusOp