Crocodile's rage hit its peak. He couldn't accept his defeat, and he certainly couldn't accept being beaten by some nobody with barely any reputation!
"You no-name piece of trash... who do you think I am?!!"
"I am... a Warlord of the Sea... Crocodile!"
CLANG.
A hidden blade extended from his gold hook. Stomping his foot into the ground, he charged desperately at Chrollo!
Drip.
Drip...
Just at that critical moment, a few drops of rain fell from the sky. Crocodile froze mid-step and looked up. To his shock, a massive chunk of ocean was floating in the clear sky, blocking out the sun.
Immediately after... the rain came pouring down.
SPLASH—
Chrollo looked up at the sky, his eyes twinkling with a smile.
"Looks like Nobunaga is back."
Before the operation started, Chrollo had instructed Nobunaga that once his task was done, he should transport the final section of seawater floating in the sky over to the palace.
On one hand, the people of the capital, Alubarna, desperately needed a good, heavy rain.
On the other hand, Chrollo had prepared a backup plan, just in case.
This "rain" was actually seawater. While it wouldn't completely immobilize a Devil Fruit user like falling into the ocean would, being drenched in a downpour of seawater would significantly weaken their strength.
"Not good. That rain is seawater! We need to find cover!"
Bonney realized the truth first. She dragged Robin and ran to huddle under the eaves of a collapsed building, watching the two men fighting in the rain.
Crocodile was soaked to the bone by the sea-rain. He stared blankly upward.
Water was already the natural counter to his fruit ability, and this was actual seawater. He didn't feel completely paralyzed, but he couldn't turn his body into sand anymore.
If Chrollo could beat him that badly when he could turn into sand, the consequences of not being able to...
...He didn't even want to think about it.
"Is it over...?"
"Yeah, it's over."
Chrollo walked slowly toward him, spreading his hands. "The sea-rain was just a backup plan, honestly. But even without it, you're no match for me."
Rainwater streamed down Crocodile's face. His expression was unreadable. The tip of his golden hook detached, revealing a hidden dagger.
Seeing this, Chrollo raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What? You still want to fight?"
Crocodile covered his face with his hand and let out a low, desolate laugh. "Knowing you've lost is one thing. Doing nothing about it is another..."
"A man who dares to fight against his fate... that is a true warrior."
He shook the water off his blade, looked up, and with a ferocious expression, launched one final charge at Chrollo!
"Now that is a true villain," Chrollo sighed, looking impressed.
"As expected of Sir Crocodile. I'll make sure to give you a private cell with high-quality tea and the morning paper."
"Desert Spada!"
Crocodile controlled the remaining dry sand in a shadowed corner, forming it into a blade that shot toward Chrollo's back.
But Chrollo's En (circle) caught it instantly. With a calm expression, he turned his body slightly, dodging it with ease.
"I've been wanting to tell you this for a while..."
"Your way of using sand is incredibly weak."
"All you know how to do is make sandstorms, knives, and swords..."
"I know a kid—red hair, spiky, kind of a round face. His raw power isn't as high as yours, but he's way more creative with his sand. You've got a long way to go."
Chrollo vanished from his spot, dodging the fatal slash from Crocodile's hook-blade. "But it doesn't matter. I'll teach the Troupe member who inherits this fruit how to use it properly. You can rest easy in prison."
He reappeared behind Crocodile. His right arm was raised high, fingers straight. He aimed for the back of Crocodile's neck and brought his hand down like a chop!
THUD—
Unable to turn into sand to disperse the impact, Crocodile was smashed into the ground.
CRACK.
The ground instantly fractured, spiderweb cracks spreading outward as a shocking crater formed.
Crocodile lay in the center of the pit, eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
Warlord of the Sea—Sir Crocodile... Hunt Complete.
But right now, Chrollo couldn't care less about the miserable state of the Warlord at his feet. In his vision, Bandit's Secret was scrolling like a data stream. Lines of notifications were flashing by, practically exploding across his screen.
Chrollo slowly grinned. Then, remembering himself, he kept a straight face and looked around. Once he confirmed none of the original Troupe members were nearby, he let his face relax into a wild, distorted expression of pure joy and laughed out loud.
"This time... I hit the jackpot!"
[Detected player led the team to defeat Baroque Works Senior Agent Miss Merry Christmas. Triggered Plunder Ability.]
[Reputation Points Gained: 1,400]
[Detected player led the team to defeat Baroque Works Senior Agent Miss Doublefinger. Triggered Plunder Ability.]
[Reputation Points Gained: 3,500]
[Detected player led the team to defeat Baroque Works Senior Agent Mr. 1 (Daz Bones). Triggered Plunder Ability.]
[Reputation Points Gained: 7,500]
[Detected player led the team to defeat Baroque Works Senior Agent Mr. 2 (Bon Clay). Triggered Plunder Ability.]
[Reputation Points Gained: 3,200]
A string of reputation rewards poured in now that the crisis was resolved, but this was just chump change. Chrollo's eyes sparkled as he continued reading down the list.
[Detected player led the team to defeat—Warlord of the Sea, Sir Crocodile. Satisfied trigger conditions. Triggered Plunder Ability.]
[Crocodile: President of Baroque Works, Warlord of the Sea, one of the true future leaders of the Cross Guild Emperor Crew. Currently at Warlord level due to incomplete Taijutsu development.]
[Estimated Bounty: 700 Million. Reward Reputation Points: 70,000]
[Detected player led the team to completely crush the Baroque Works conspiracy and prevented the destruction of the capital, Alubarna. Satisfied trigger conditions. Triggered Plunder Ability.]
[Reputation Points Gained: 30,000]
Chrollo looked at the bold text at the very bottom of the page:
[Player Current Total Reputation: 143,350]
"I'm... I'm rich!"
Chrollo's eyes were practically filled with dollar signs.
He had never fought such a profitable battle!
The total reward for this operation was even crazier than when he stole the Heavenly Tribute.
Part of it was the reward for taking down a powerhouse like Crocodile, and the other part was due to the special significance of the Alabasta Kingdom itself.
Now, no matter what showed up in the Bandit's Point Shop tomorrow, he could afford it!
"I never want to feel the pain of being broke again!"
With the reputation points settled, Chrollo looked up.
Seeing the sandstorm fade and realizing the Captain's battle was over, the rest of the Troupe arrived at the palace to regroup with Chrollo.
Phinks tossed the unconscious Mr. 1 and Bon Clay onto the ground, lining them up next to Crocodile.
Chrollo looked suspiciously at the new gold rings and thick gold bracelets on Phinks's fingers. Phinks had some strange hobbies.
Did this guy go shake down the local mob casinos again?
Chrollo twitched his lip. He didn't know to grab a little more? Doesn't he know the Troupe is on a tight budget right now...?
Wasting no more time, Chrollo crouched down. With a look of anticipation, he slowly extended his hand and placed it on the three defeated enemies.
I wonder how many attribute points these three fruits will give me...
Will it be enough to push me to the First Mate level?
And... the Sand-Sand Fruit... who should I give that to?