"Who are you?"
The shock only lasted for a moment before Crocodile regained his indifferent expression.
He was Crocodile! How could he be flustered by a person who suddenly appeared? It was just a minor accident...
"Sables (Sandstorm)——"
Without much conversation, Crocodile unleashed a sandstorm, aiming straight at Chrollo's position.
For such petty people, death was their best destination...
Wherever the sandstorm passed, everything in the room was turned into fragments and sucked into it.
In an instant, the whole room was a mess, turned into ruins. Looking at this terrifying scene, Chrollo gently touched the ground with his palm. The entrance to the [Fourth-Dimensional Mansion] appeared, and the low-combat-power Cobra and Vivi jumped into it, leaving only Bonney.
Immediately after...
"Anywhere Door"
A transparent door appeared in the air in front of Chrollo. Before that storm carrying sand could expand, it was swept into the door... and disappeared.
Watching this scene, Crocodile raised his eyebrows slightly, looking surprised: "A space ability user..."
"Allow me to introduce myself to you~"
Chrollo put one hand in front and the other behind his back, bowed slightly, and performed a gentleman's salute to him very elegantly.
"I've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time~"
"I am Chrollo Lucilfer, Captain of the Phantom Pirates."
"I came... to hunt you." The corners of Chrollo's mouth slowly lifted.
Crocodile finally put away his contemptuous expression and looked thoughtful. "Chrollo..."
"The one with a bounty of 720 million?"
As the boss of Baroque Works, Crocodile certainly knew about this newly emerged pirate group that had gained fame recently.
As soon as this group debuted, they were given a high bounty by the Navy, obviously not to be underestimated.
"So it was you helping Vivi behind the scenes." Crocodile instantly realized, then asked in confusion: "But why didn't my agents send back any news about you?"
"That's naturally because..." The smile on Chrollo's face grew wider. "...all the Baroque Works agents who met me... will never appear again."
Crocodile's face gradually darkened.
He had calculated everything, but he never calculated that his meticulously prepared plan, laid out for several years, would be disrupted by a suddenly appearing Phantom Pirates!
Crocodile recovered his expression, hiding his killing intent under an expressionless face, and spoke slowly: "Why help this country? You are pirates, right..."
"If you want wealth, we can join hands. Just give Cobra back to me, and the wealth of this country will be yours..."
A space ability user... even if he killed the man in front of him, the plan would fail because of Cobra's disappearance. Therefore, Crocodile planned to negotiate with Chrollo.
Pirates... were just after money.
Crocodile had a contemptuous expression, as if seeing through Chrollo.
Chrollo shook his head, not buying it at all.
"I told you... I came to hunt you. My target is only you. Quelling this country is just a matter of convenience~"
"Pirates don't want treasure?" Crocodile seemed to have heard something extremely ridiculous. "Hunt me? What can you get from hunting me... I am a pirate recognized by the World Government. Hunting me has no bounty~"
Chrollo shook his head again, then looked him up and down, revealing a mysterious expression. "The most valuable thing on you is not the bounty~"
"You mean—" Crocodile's pupils shook violently.
"Looks like you've guessed something~" Chrollo smiled meaningfully.
"As expected of a future... finalist~"
"By the way... I have a very curious question to ask you~"
Chrollo tightened his wrist, slowly raising his arm. "Wearing mink in the desert... isn't it hot?!!"
As soon as his voice fell, Chrollo's expression became sharp, attacking instantly.
"Open Door——"
As his palm raised, an air door opened instantly in front of him, and his figure stepped into it and disappeared. Immediately after, in the blind spot of Crocodile's vision on one side, a door quietly emerged. Chrollo stepped out from the door, his right fist raised high, Armament Haki clinging to his fist, aiming at the back of Crocodile's head, smashing down with heavy force—
With a visible airwave, Crocodile's body flew backward.
Seeing this scene, Robin and Bon Kurei, who were watching the battle, widened their eyes instantly.
Bon Kurei opened his mouth wide: No... where did this guy pop out from? Can he send a Warlord of the Sea flying with one punch?
You gotta be kidding me...
And Robin watched this scene, wondering what she was thinking. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly imperceptibly, revealing an interested expression.
Bonney looked at the other two, who had no intention of making a move.
She was hungry and pouted, even squatting on the ground angrily drawing circles to curse him.
Really...
If he just borrowed the Age-Age Fruit, Chrollo could solve these enemies in front of him in minutes. But he insisted that only evenly matched battles could help develop Haki.
BANG—
Making her unable to even eat...
Chrollo shook his wrist. Even though he hit the target, he remained expressionless.
Something's wrong.
Only Chrollo knew... the feel was wrong.
The punch he just landed on the back of Crocodile's head didn't feel like hitting flesh at all. Instead, it felt like connecting with an incredibly hard object. And what could produce this effect...
Chrollo looked up and saw Crocodile, who had flown backward, slowly straightening his head. He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, spat, and then looked at Chrollo expressionlessly.
From Chrollo's line of sight, he could see... the pitch-black color on the back of Crocodile's head was slowly fading.
That was obviously... Armament Haki.
Sure enough, according to Chrollo's previous strength ranking, strong individuals at the level of the Seven Warlords of the Sea mastered at least one type of Haki.
From the fight between Crocodile and Luffy in the original story, it could be seen that Crocodile's attacks could easily hurt Luffy, who was a rubber man. That was obviously an effect only Armament Haki could have.
And...
Chrollo's eyes became solemn. Judging from the opponent's quick reaction just now, using Armament Haki to cover the back of his head to resist the attack...
Crocodile clearly also possessed the aptitude for Observation Haki...
Although judging from the slight damage Crocodile received at this time, his levels of Armament and Observation Haki were not high. They should have been developed not long ago, at a beginner level.
However, beginner Haki was still Haki...
Chrollo sighed, feeling emotional and confused. How exactly did Luffy defeat such an opponent back then?
Could 'Destiny' really do this much!!!