After consuming the Sand-Sand Fruit, Lancelot had meticulously explained Crocodile's various techniques to him.
At the same time, he elaborated on several other moves... Regardless of the technique, their power was extraordinary.
It was something to aspire to.
However, he remembered Lancelot's repeated reminders.
Techniques are rigid, but people are flexible.
Therefore, it was essential to fully integrate the characteristics of the Sand-Sand Fruit into every move.
And what were the characteristics of the Sand-Sand Fruit?
Sharpness?
Desert Spada was indeed sharp.
However, when facing true powerhouses, many could block it.
Moreover, sharpness was never the defining trait of the Sand-Sand Fruit.
So, what was its characteristic?
It was the ability to absorb moisture, whether from objects or living beings...
Killer and Gin stood back-to-back, so Killer naturally couldn't see the expression on Gin's face.
But Kid, who was facing Gin directly, saw it clearly.
Thus, when he noticed the smile on Gin's face, a sense of foreboding surged within him...
He wanted to warn Killer but didn't know how. He understood that, at this moment, Killer's defensive stance was entirely reasonable.
Moreover, aside from this defense, there was no other choice.
It was too late to dodge, let alone escape.
"Swish..."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Gin's sand blade struck Killer's sickles directly.
Under normal circumstances, Killer would either successfully block the attack or be sent flying.
But what happened next was neither.
The seemingly sharp sand blade, which looked like a real sword, split apart as if it were ordinary sand the moment it touched Killer's sickles.
Thus, it failed to block the attack at all.
Yet, the "fragile" sand blade did not dissipate.
Instead, it continued forward unaffected, ultimately striking Killer squarely.
Upon being hit, Killer was momentarily stunned, as the force of the blow was so weak it felt like being struck by an ordinary person with a stick...
Such power couldn't possibly harm him.
But the next moment, he sensed something was wrong.
He felt himself becoming light-headed.
While he only felt light-headed, others witnessed a completely different scene: the instant Killer was struck, his entire body was drained of moisture in an extremely short time.
He turned into a desiccated corpse-like figure before collapsing lightly to the ground.
"Hiss..."
This bizarre sight sent chills down the spines of those who witnessed it.
'Did he just take down Killer, who had a bounty of 110 million berries, in a single move?'
Mr.2, Mr.3, Mr.5, and Miss. Golden Week all widened their eyes in astonishment.
At this moment, they finally understood why Lancelot had stationed Gin at Whiskey Peak—because he possessed such formidable strength.
Especially Mr.3, who had previously been the highest authority at Whiskey Peak.
When Gin arrived and took his position, he had been deeply resentful.
He always believed that Gin had merely joined Lancelot's ranks earlier than him and had gained the Rear admiral's trust sooner.
Otherwise, given his own strength and cunning, even a fool like Lancelot would know whom to choose.
But now, it seemed... they didn't even need to lift a finger.
...
"Killer..."
At this moment, Kid and the other members of the Kid Pirates couldn't help but show expressions of concern.
At the same time, the way they looked at Gin had changed—filled with hatred, shock, and terror...
"Gulp..."
Even Kid himself couldn't help but swallow hard.
The South Blue was not as isolated as the East Blue; they had some understanding of the Grand Line and naturally knew about the Admirals.
And when it came to the Marine Admirals, Logia-type Devil Fruits were an unavoidable topic.
After all, all three current Admirals were Logia-type Ability Users.
Thus, he understood.
Before awakening Armament Haki, no matter how powerful you were, you stood no chance against them.
Because the only things capable of countering Logia-type abilities were other Logia users, Haki, or Seastone.
Unfortunately, at this moment, he possessed none of these three.
The outcome was already decided.
The only thing that could change was whether they would be killed or manage to escape.
Kid shouted to his crew behind him, "I'll hold this guy off! You go rescue Killer!"
"Hold me off?"
Gin showed a hint of surprise, then laughed. "I'm afraid you don't have the strength for that."
As soon as he finished speaking, a massive amount of sand surged from Gin's body, rapidly gathering above his head.
In an instant, over a hundred sand daggers materialized in the air.
"Go!"
With a wave of Gin's hand, the sand daggers shot forward like rain, targeting the Kid Pirates...
This move was undeniably impressive.
"Not good!" Kid's face paled.
Having seen what the sand did to Killer, he had no desire to become a desiccated corpse.
"Magnetic String!"
He immediately activated his Devil Fruit ability, drawing all nearby metal toward him and rapidly coating his right arm.
In moments, a massive mechanical arm formed, shielding everyone in front of him.
"BOOM.."
The next second, the sand spears struck the mechanical arm.
Just like the earlier sand blades, they didn't cause direct damage.
Instead, upon impact, they exploded into clouds of sand.
In an instant, Kid's side was engulfed in a sandstorm, shrouding everyone—including the entire mechanical arm—in a veil of yellow dust.
Visibility dropped to almost zero.
They couldn't even open your eyes, as the sand would immediately rush in.
"Silent Assassination Technique!"
Gin instantly transformed into sand, merging with the swirling storm as he charged into the chaos.
"AHHHH..."
A scream echoed.
"AHHHH... AHHHH... AHHH..."
One after another, agonized screams echoed through the air.
Each cry meant another member of the Kid Pirates had fallen.
"No... no... please don't kill me."
In this environment of complete darkness where companions kept getting slaughtered, even those with the strongest willpower would be terrified.
Including Kid himself, whose entire body was now tensed up.
He could no longer afford to care about anyone else, because he couldn't be certain whether he would be the next target of the enemy's attack.
If even Kid felt this way, his underlings were naturally even more terrified.
Each of them was now experiencing firsthand what boundless darkness truly meant, what the fear of the unknown felt like, and how death's threat loomed over them.
Death was terrifying!
But even more terrifying was this sensation of a sword hanging over their heads—the constant threat and torment of impending death.
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