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Chapter 129: Ganyu vs. Crocodile (II)
On the other side.
A battle of smoke and fire was underway.
Combat between two Logia users was different from ordinary fights. They didn't engage in close-quarters brawling but stood dozens of meters apart, controlling flames and white smoke.
Waves of crimson fire and walls of gray smoke clashed, tore, and mingled in mid-air, erupting with thunderous booms.
Fire tried to devour smoke; smoke tried to suffocate fire. For a moment, they were evenly matched, the buildings on both sides of the street scorched black.
"'Fire Fist' Ace," Smoker said, raising an arm that had completely turned into the element. Billowing smoke poured out like living pythons. "For a man like you to suddenly appear in this country... what is your objective?"
"I should be asking you that," Ace tilted his head, flames dancing at the tips of his hair, his expression half-smiling. "Isn't it stranger for the Marines to be on a Warlord's turf?"
He raised an arm similarly transformed into raging fire, the flames pouring forward as if possessing a will of their own.
Unlike Smoker's focused stance, Ace seemed quite relaxed, even glancing sideways occasionally, scanning street corners and rooftops as if looking for something.
Where did that kid Luffy run off to?
Smoker caught his movement, his heart growing heavier.
The Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates in Alabasta, and Crocodile the Warlord is here... Could there be a secret agreement between an Emperor and a Warlord?
Just the thought made his spine tingle.
No, I can't let this situation spiral out of control. I have to stall him here today. If possible... arrest him and drag him back to Marineford!
Decision made, Smoker stopped talking.
His left hand gripped the Nanashaku Jitte at his waist. His lower body exploded into steam with a bang, propelling him like an arrow from a bow through the battlefield of smoke and fire, straight at Ace!
"Oh? Getting serious?"
Ace narrowed his eyes. Not until Smoker rushed to within five meters, three meters, one meter...
Did he finally drop the smile. His right fist clenched, surging flames instantly wrapping around his entire arm, the high heat warping the surrounding air.
"Fine then," Ace grinned, flames flickering between his teeth. "I'll buy Luffy and the others some time."
.....
Meanwhile, several streets away.
"He just said... Luffy was..." Usopp's face went instantly pale, his voice trembling.
"Impossible... he's lying, right?" Chopper covered his mouth with both hooves, his round eyes filled with terror.
"Luffy wouldn't die that easily! Don't believe him!" Nami shouted, trying to mask her panic with volume, but her knuckles gripping the Clima-Tact were white, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
"Don't worry."
A clear and firm voice rang out.
Ganyu took a half-step forward, standing in front of the three. Her blue hair fluttered slightly in the dry wind.
She turned her head, her gaze sweeping over Usopp, Chopper, and Nami in turn, her tone decisive.
"Luffy might be very weak right now, but he is absolutely not dead."
Ganyu didn't actually know the outcome of Luffy and Crocodile's battle. But she knew better than anyone the tenacious vitality of the protagonist. Defeating the current Luffy might be easy for Crocodile, but completely killing him in such a short time?
Impossible.
"Hey, aren't you coming over?"
A cold voice came from the opposite side, carrying undisguised chill.
Crocodile clutched his chest. The wound torn by Ganyu's arrow had barely stopped bleeding thanks to the Sand-Sand Fruit's ability.
His gloomy gaze bypassed Ganyu, shooting straight at the tall black-haired beauty opposite him.
Robin paused slightly, then resumed her composed demeanor. She rested her chin lightly on one hand, a faint smile curling her lips. "Boss, I'm currently a 'captive' being held by them. Returning to your side isn't that simple."
"Captive?"
Crocodile snorted a cold laugh through his nose, slowly lowering the hand covering his wound. "Nico Robin, don't take me for a fool. Your current stance... is with them, isn't it?"
He took a step forward, the yellow sand beneath his feet parting automatically.
Despite his injury, the oppressive aura belonging to a Warlord permeated the air like a physical substance, causing Usopp and Chopper to instinctively retreat another half-step.
"I don't care what your stance is. As long as you stand over here now, I can pretend none of this happened, and we can continue to complete what we planned."
The smile on Robin's face froze.
Her gaze shifted between Ganyu's back and Crocodile's gloomy face, her slender fingers unconsciously curling and uncurling.
For a moment, only the sound of the wind and the distant explosions remained on the street.
Seconds later, she let out an almost inaudible sigh and lifted her foot.
One step, two steps.
She walked toward Crocodile, her sandals making a soft rustling sound on the sand.
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper watched her back in silence. They weren't surprised by this choice. Although she had temporarily joined them, she was ultimately an outsider, and the partner of the enemy boss to boot.
But just as Robin passed the relatively rear-positioned trio and was about to pass the blue-haired girl at the front, the girl suddenly raised her arm, blocking her path.
"You..." Robin looked shocked, surprised and confused.
Crocodile's face instantly dropped to freezing point, biting killing intent sweeping out like a blizzard.
Ganyu merely smiled—a smile so beautiful it almost dazzled Robin.
"You're a crew member of the Straw Hat kid, right?"
Crocodile spoke coldly, breaking the brief silence. He stared at Ganyu, his predatory gaze looking her up and down.
"Your strength indeed exceeded my expectations. To actually wound me."
He slowly raised his right hand, fingers curling.
The yellow sand on the ground seemed to hear a summons, rustling as it flowed and gathered. In the blink of an eye, it condensed above everyone's heads into a massive palm of yellow sand.
The hand blocked out the sky, casting a shadow that covered most of the street, enveloping Ganyu, Robin, and the Weakling Trio.
"But aren't you getting a little too carried away?" Crocodile's voice dripped with mockery. "Thinking you can stop a Warlord alone?!"
The hovering sand hand sank slightly, the pressure doubling.
Usopp's legs were so weak he was about to collapse. Chopper hugged Nami's calf tightly. Nami, though forcing herself to stand, bit her lip until it turned white.
Ganyu didn't even look up at the giant hand.
She just stood there quietly, clothes fluttering in the wind, her red-violet eyes calm and ripple-less.
She knew very well what kind of terrifying terrain advantage a Sand-Sand Fruit user possessed in the desert kingdom of Alabasta. With a casual wave, Crocodile could mobilize sand from hundreds of meters around. Fighting him here was like fighting the entire desert.
Fighting only in human form, and not yet fully recovered to peak condition... the outcome was indeed unpredictable. After all, she was still unskilled in Haki—the world's most essential power—making it difficult to deal fatal damage to a Logia user like Crocodile.
However, she also believed that Crocodile likely couldn't hurt her either.
Ganyu thought for a moment.
Just as Crocodile's patience was running out and the giant sand hand began to tremble, she finally turned to her companions.
"Robin, take Nami, Usopp, and Chopper and go find Luffy immediately."
As she spoke, she reached out and grabbed Robin's wrist. Under Crocodile's suddenly darkened gaze, she forcefully pulled Robin back to the Weakling Trio's side.
"Once you find him, pass on a message for me."
Ganyu's voice was soft, yet clearly heard by everyone. "I'm only giving him ten minutes. If he doesn't arrive in ten minutes..."
She paused, the corner of her mouth lifting in an almost imperceptible arc.
"...I'll turn into a 'monster' just for him to see."
"Uh... O-Okay!"
Although the Weakling Trio didn't fully understand the last sentence, they knew staying here would only make them burdens.
Nami reacted fastest, grabbing the arm of the still-dazed Robin and signaling Usopp and Chopper with her eyes.
"Let's go!"
The four turned and sprinted toward the other side of the street!
"Do you think I don't exist?!"
Crocodile was furious. He slammed his raised right hand down.
BOOM!!!
The hovering sand hand, like a collapsing mountain, crashed down with the force of ten thousand tons! Shadows instantly swallowed the entire street, violent air currents kicking up dust.
"I said, your opponent is me."
Ganyu's gaze sharpened. She sank her stance slightly, drew the bow, and nocked an arrow, the movements flowing like water.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Four streaks of azure light tore through the air, hitting the four corners of the giant sand hand in the sky. The moment the arrows sank into the sand, extreme frost erupted.
Crack!
Frost spread at an alarming speed, freezing the entire giant sand hand in an instant.
A flash of astonishment crossed Crocodile's eyes.
He tried to manipulate the frozen sand hand, only to find the layer of ice seemed to sever the connection between his fruit ability and the sand.
He had lost control of that patch of sand.
In that brief stalemate, Robin and the others had disappeared around the street corner.
"You've thoroughly angered me, annoying woman!"
Crocodile slowly turned his head to look at Ganyu.
His eyes had gone completely cold—the look given to a dead thing.
Suddenly.
His body collapsed into a pile of sand, vanishing from his spot!
The next second, the air less than a meter in front of Ganyu distorted. Sand grains gathered out of thin air, reforming into Crocodile's figure!
He raised his left arm high, the golden hook glinting coldly as it tore through the air, aiming straight for Ganyu's throat.
CLANG—!!!
The sound of metal clashing rang through the street!
Ganyu held the bow with one hand, blocking the hook steadily with the bow's back.
The longbow, made of unknown material, displayed astonishing toughness. It bent only slightly under the violent impact of the hook before instantly snapping back to its original shape.
Crocodile's pupils contracted slightly.
The recoil from the hook numbed his arm, but what shocked him more was that this seemingly petite girl was not inferior in a contest of pure strength.
Not only did he fail to suppress her, but he also felt a steady, mountain-like force coming from the bow, threatening to push him back.
At that moment, Ganyu's free left hand reached for the bowstring.
An arrow condensed from frost appeared out of thin air, the tip pointed straight at the center of Crocodile's forehead.
Extreme cold caused the surrounding temperature to plummet, freezing even the moisture in the air into tiny ice crystals.
Crocodile reacted extremely fast. Almost at the same moment Ganyu nocked the arrow, his right foot stomped violently on the ground.
Rumble—
The ground of the entire street seemed to come alive!
Countless grains of yellow sand surged from all directions like a tide, moving at shocking speed, threatening to swallow Ganyu whole!
Ganyu's expression remained unchanged as she gently stamped her left foot.
Centering on her, a visible ring of ice-blue ripples radiated outward!
Bone-chilling cold erupted instantly. The first to be touched was Crocodile, who was mere inches away; in the blink of an eye, he was frozen into an ice sculpture!
The cold continued to expand. Wherever it passed, the surging yellow sand was frozen in place, maintained in its flowing posture but unable to advance another inch.
Then, she released the bowstring she had been holding for so long.
"Liutian."
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