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Chapter 128: Ganyu vs. Crocodile
The environment surrounding the impact was devastated, so one could only imagine the power endured by Luffy at the center.
Crocodile stared expressionlessly down at the massive sand pit.
As the dust settled, a bowl-shaped depression over thirty meters in diameter and five meters deep was revealed. In the very center, a buried human silhouette was faintly visible.
A full minute passed, and there was still no movement from below.
No struggle, no groans. Not even a trace of life could be sensed.
"Kid, seems that was your limit."
Crocodile let out a faint snort, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment.
He expected the brother valued by "Fire Fist" Ace to be more troublesome. At the very least, he shouldn't have fallen so easily.
After a long moment, he slowly turned his head, looking toward a city gate with eyes full of gravity and wariness.
"The annoying guy is back."
There, on the horizon, a mass of blazing fire was approaching at alarming speed. The flames trailed a long tail as they flew, looking like a brilliant sun rising from the horizon, dyeing the entire desert sky crimson.
As expected, it was "Fire Fist" Ace, whom he had fought fiercely just last night.
Irritation rose uncontrollably in Crocodile's heart.
This opponent was not as easy to deal with as the Straw Hat kid. Once engaged, a winner wouldn't be decided in a single day.
But now, the Rebel Army was at the city gates, about to storm the capital. The harvest of his years of planning and waiting was due today.
If he was stalled here by Ace, if he didn't appear on the main battlefield, if something unexpected happened with those foolish rebels or the Royal Army...
"Tch."
Crocodile clicked his tongue, making a painful decision.
He looked down at the city he had managed for years—his loyal subordinates, the adoring citizens, and this oasis city of Rainbase, a pearl in the desert.
"It's just a small city. Compared to 'Pluton,' this sacrifice is worth it."
He decided to abandon his base and all his subordinates in the city.
"However, before I go, I have to take her."
The woman who could decipher the Poneglyphs was the key to achieving his goal. Without her, even if he found information on the Ancient Weapon "Pluton" or the stone tablet recording its location, he wouldn't be able to read the lost text.
Crocodile flew at high speed through the air, using the elevated vantage point to quickly lock onto his target.
At a relatively intact street corner, several figures were moving.
Among them, the tall, black-haired woman was exactly the Nico Robin he was looking for.
Beside Robin were four others.
Crocodile's gaze fell on the most prominent figure among them. Ice-blue hair and a pair of peculiarly shaped small horns on her head—she looked like she belonged to a unique race.
"Blue hair... and horns?"
Crocodile frowned slightly.
These features reminded him of someone—a monster in the New World, an existence even he didn't dare provoke lightly: Kaido of the Four Emperors.
"Could she be one of Kaido's kin?"
If that were true, this suddenly appearing girl held significant value. Whether as a research subject, a bargaining chip with Kaido, or...
Crocodile carefully examined her face and her petite figure. Such beauty... even if sold to an auction house, she would fetch a price that would tempt even him.
Hesitating no longer, he waved his right hand.
"Sables!"
The sand on the ground moved without wind, spinning and rising. Within seconds, it formed a small but sufficient sand tornado to cage the five people below.
Crocodile's objective was clear: trap them with the sandstorm, then snatch Robin and the blue-haired girl.
As for the other three worthless-looking guys?
Just crush them in passing.
However.
What tightened Crocodile's chest was that the moment he activated his ability, the girl looked up almost simultaneously. Those exceptionally beautiful eyes stared straight at his position.
Their gazes met in mid-air.
For some reason, a chill ran down Crocodile's spine.
Spotted?
Just as the doubt surfaced, a blinding cold light bloomed before his eyes. In the blink of an eye, a speck of cold light arrived before him, piercing straight into his chest.
"What the hell is this?"
Pfft—!
The sound of the arrow penetrating flesh was crisp and cold.
Crocodile jolted violently in the air as if struck by lightning.
He looked down in horror, only to see a crystal-clear arrow embedded in his chest. A bone-chilling cold was spreading madly outward from the arrow.
Crack!
The sound of ice freezing rang out.
Starting from his chest, frost crawled over Crocodile's entire body. In two seconds, the arrogant Warlord was turned into an ice sculpture.
But soon.
With a BOOM, the layer of frost that had just frozen Crocodile was shattered by sand exploding from within his body.
Chunks of ice clattered down, falling from the sky.
Crocodile broke out of the ice, clutching his chest with one hand. Blood was flowing from the wound.
He... had been injured by that arrow!
"Boss?"
Below, Robin, Nami, and the others finally realized someone had ambushed them from the sky. Seeing the figure hovering above, Robin exclaimed in surprise.
"Boss? You mean that guy is..."
Usopp, Nami, and Chopper looked at each other, seeing fear in one another's eyes.
A Warlord of the Sea!
Then, moving with extreme synergy, the three retreated swiftly, hiding behind a petite but reliable figure.
"Crocodile, what did you do to Luffy?"
Ganyu stared coldly at Crocodile in the sky, holding a bow with both hands. Cold light gathered on the string, forming a faint ice crystal arrow.
She had been focused on getting her companions into the city and hadn't noticed the battle between Luffy and Crocodile. But the fact that Crocodile had the leeway to ambush her meant Luffy had likely lost.
This result wasn't unexpected. With Luffy's current strength—having not even developed Gear 2—the probability of defeating Crocodile was almost zero. In the original story, Luffy suffered multiple crushing defeats, fighting with his life on the line, and only won due to a sudden burst of power and Crocodile's own carelessness.
"Him? I killed him, of course," Crocodile said indifferently.
As he spoke, he slowly descended from the sky, landing on a sand dune ten meters away from Ganyu.
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