Yellow sand filled the sky, gathering from all directions to gradually take human shape before Princess Vivi.
His sleek black hair was slicked back, and a massive scar stretched across his face, looking hideous and terrifying. His cold, heartless eyes were filled with mocking amusement, while the sharp tip of the golden hook on his left hand glinted coldly in the sunlight.
It was a face she knew all too well. Even if he were turned to ash, Vivi would never forget him.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Sir Crocodile—the culprit behind all the tragedies that had befallen Alabasta over these years!
"Long time no see, Miss Wednesday." Crocodile looked down at the blue-haired girl trembling with rage, the corners of his mouth curling into a sinister arc. "You and those idiot pirates of yours finally made it here. I was worried you wouldn't arrive in time for the show..."
Saying this, the Desert Crocodile turned sideways. He gestured toward the people engaged in a desperate death match behind him and taunted, "Although my plans hit quite a few snags, the war has started nonetheless. Well? Miss Wednesday, are you satisfied with this?"
"Crocodile..." Vivi spat the name through gritted teeth, her fingers gripping her Peacock Slashers so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"What kind of deep-seated grudge do you have against my country that you have to do this?!"
There is a type of person who does evil not for money or power, but simply because they want to watch the world burn. However, the Desert Crocodile was clearly not bored enough to reach that point.
"Deep-seated grudge? No, no, no..." The Desert Crocodile shook his head with a smile. "I'm merely here to take something. This country is nothing more than a bonus prize in my plan."
"However, thanks to that Sorcerer, I no longer intend to claim this bonus..." At the mention of the Sorcerer who had all but destroyed his plans, the corner of Crocodile's mouth twitched involuntarily.
Just as Crocodile prepared to continue speaking, a nimble black shadow suddenly rushed at him from behind. A blade flashed, slicing the Desert Crocodile's body in two.
"Chaka!" Seeing the blood-soaked warrior of the royal guard standing before her, tears welled up in Princess Vivi's eyes. She quickly composed herself and asked anxiously, "Chaka, how is my father doing?"
"His Majesty is missing!" Chaka said with a hint of guilt. He then fixed his gaze dead on the pile of yellow sand slowly reassembling into a human shape before him, gasping for air, his wolf eyes filled with dread.
"But looking at the situation now, His Majesty's disappearance must be linked to this Desert Crocodile!"
Having restored himself to his original form, Crocodile looked at the master and servant before him, his expression terrifyingly gloomy.
"A mere Zoan type dares to oppose me?! You truly don't know your place!"
After speaking, the Desert Crocodile waved his hand forcefully forward. Activating his ability, a stream of yellow sand in his right palm began to move on its own, as if alive.
—Sables!
A massive sandstorm blade roared toward Chaka with terrifying momentum. Chaka hurriedly raised his sword to block, but he had clearly underestimated the destructive power of a Logia user.
"Aaaagh!!" A miserable scream rang out.
Amidst splashing blood, Chaka's burly frame spun through the air like a tattered rag before crashing heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Chaka!!"
Staring at Chaka, who lay motionless on the ground, Vivi's breath caught in her throat. Although she knew that as a Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile was incredibly powerful, Princess Vivi had never expected that Chaka—one of Alabasta's strongest warriors—wouldn't be able to withstand even a single blow.
(Against such a powerful enemy, can we really defeat him?) Vivi's beautiful, large eyes widened in shock, her back already soaked in cold sweat.
The blue-haired maiden's confidence began to waver once more.
"Heh heh heh, don't be in such a rush, Miss Wednesday. I'll send you to see your father right now." The Desert Crocodile grinned with supreme arrogance, then dissolved into a sheet of yellow sand once more, sweeping toward Princess Vivi, who stood frozen in place...
Although he had never seen what Crocodile looked like, the dim-witted captain's keen intuition told him that the guy in the distance with the slicked-back hair was the crocodile bastard he was looking for.
However, just as he was about to put his thoughts into action, he was pinned down by a tall man with a gloomy expression.
"Vivi!" Seeing the blue-haired girl vanish into thin air, Luffy was furious. He was just about to give chase when a piercing whistling sound suddenly came from behind him, startling Luffy into a hasty sideways roll.
Thwack! A bright green spike grazed past Luffy's hair, piercing a deep, small hole into the hard stone ground. If the dim-witted captain hadn't dodged just now, it certainly would have been more than just a matter of hurting or not.
Luffy lay on the ground and smacked his lips, then roared at the annoying enemy in front of him, "You eyebrow-less bastard, hurry up and get out of my way!"
Uh, it had to be said that Luffy was truly naturally savage; whenever he insulted someone, he always inadvertently struck a nerve.
"Eyebrow-less... bastard??!!" Gasparde's face darkened as he retracted his right hand, which had transformed into a spear, veins popping out on his forehead.
"I'm definitely going to kill you, Straw Hat!"
His narrowed eyes glinting with ruthlessness, the disgraced Marine's right hand transformed once more, this time into a massive green iron hammer, which he swung viciously at Luffy on the ground.
BOOM!! The entire ground shook violently.
Nimbly dodging the vicious hammer strike once again, Luffy pressed down on the straw hat atop his head with a serious expression.
"Alright, in that case, before I send that crocodile bastard flying..."
The dim-witted captain's arms stretched backward in an exaggerated fashion, then suddenly snapped back at an astonishing speed.
"...I'm going to send you eyebrow-less bastard flying first!"
"Stop mentioning my damn eyebrows!" Gasparde was so angry his face nearly turned green, and he swung the giant hammer on his right hand at Straw Hat with all his might.
—Gum-Gum Siege Cannon!
—Candy Hammer!
BOOM!!!!! An earth-shattering noise rang out.
A shockwave, almost solid in its intensity, radiated from where the two collided. The aftershocks carried by that immense force tore exaggerated cracks into the hard stone pavement, startling the Royal Army soldiers and Baroque Works agents locked in battle nearby, causing them to scatter frantically to avoid being caught in the clash between these two monsters.
When gods fight, mortals should run as far away as they can...
Meanwhile, in a small alleyway, the Cowardly Trio had reunited with Sherlock.
Sherlock was still dressed in his previous attire: an ensemble of serious yet unmonotonous black. Black trench coat, black trousers, and black leather boots. His pitch-black eyes were calm and composed, yet held a faint trace of joy at reuniting with his companions.
A bustling breeze brushed through Sherlock's slightly long black hair, causing the long hem of his trench coat to sway gently in the wind. It was extremely dashing—simply handsome beyond measure.
"You're finally back, Sherlock! Did you take the Insamona? I was so worried about you..." Chopper looked at the handsome young man before him, tears of excitement nearly spilling out. He was just about to walk forward when he was stopped by an arm from the Long-Nose Brother.
"Wait, Chopper..."
Usopp looked solemnly at the Sorcerer across from them, while his hand subtly reached for the slingshot at his waist.
"Where are your glasses, Sherlock?" Nami looked at Sherlock's bare nose bridge with confusion. Although the navigator wasn't like a certain Straw Hat idiot who viewed Sherlock's glasses as his actual body and couldn't recognize him without them, she still felt that the Sorcerer looked extremely out of place without his eyewear.
"Glasses? Ah, you mean those." Sherlock smiled somewhat unnaturally and said, "I accidentally lost them just now. But it doesn't matter, I'll just buy another pair later."
"..." The Cowardly Trio didn't reply, and their expressions turned extremely grim.
Because no proof was even needed; all three were absolutely certain that this "Sherlock" was Mr. 2 in disguise!
They all knew that Sherlock's cherished silver-rimmed glasses were of the same nature as Luffy's precious straw hat. They were his most treasured possession—how could he possibly just lose them?
Seeing the odd expressions on Nami and the others, "Sherlock" frowned, immediately realizing that he had been seen through.
"How truly strange! How did you see through me? Even my scent should be the same, oh my~~" "Sherlock's" originally calm expression instantly became incredibly exaggerated. He then tapped his face lightly with his hand, reverting to his true form.
"It can't be helped. Allow me to kill you all right here!" After saying this, Mr. 2 struck a ballet pose, twirled around, and then leapt high into the air, aiming a vicious kick at Nami.
One of the rules of a Baroque Works assassin: prioritize eliminating the weakest target first.
Mr. 2's movement was simply too sudden and too fast. The Cowardly Trio couldn't react in time, and the kick was about to make contact with Nami.
In that split second, a black silhouette rushed toward the mid-air Mr. 2 like a bolt of lightning.
—Veau Shot!
Bang! A polished, gleaming black dress shoe kicked Mr. 2 hard in the lower back. Not only did it narrowly avert the danger facing Nami, but it also sent the damn Okama flying like a kickball.
Boom! Like a cannonball, Mr. 2 smashed into a nearby building, collapsing it amidst billowing dust and flying debris.
"Sanji!" Seeing the curly-browed cook suddenly appear, the Cowardly Trio was instantly overcome with excitement.
Mr. 2 crawled out of the rubble as if nothing had happened. With a bitter expression, he asked Sanji in confusion, "Strange, how did a guy like you find this place?"
"Because I could sense that a beautiful lady here needed my help..." Sanji stood with his back to Nami and the others, lighting a cigarette with supreme suave. He took a drag, then exhaled.
For a moment, the Cowardly Trio felt that Sanji's silhouette was like a mountain—surprisingly imposing and surprisingly reliable.
But just then, the curly-browed cook suddenly turned his head. His visible right eye turned into a heart, and his entire body wiggled like a noodle:
"Nami-swaaan? Were you charmed by my heroic figure just now? Have you fallen in love with me???"
"No, not at all..." The navigator had black lines over her head, feeling utterly speechless at this lovesick cook who couldn't stay cool for more than three seconds.
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