"You're… Crocodile?! You're a woman?!"
Ace's jaw dropped wide enough to swallow a whole Luffy, while Luffy's jaw dropped wide enough to swallow a whole Garp. The two of them were so shocked they practically turned into reaction memes, wearing the same kind of expression Enel had when he first learned that Luffy was made of rubber.
"So what if I am? You two brats still wet behind the ears—congratulations! Out of respect for those two old geezers, Garp and Whitebeard, I was originally planning to go easy on you. But now, it seems there's no need for that."
The golden hook on Crocodile's hand returned to normal. Then, an utterly pitch-black substance, like dark iron yet faintly tinged with a mysterious dark red sheen, wrapped around the hook.
For some reason, it gave off an impossibly sharp sensation.
Ace and Luffy's hearts tightened at the same time. Luffy had only just set out to sea and had no idea what this power was. Ace, however, was different. He came from the New World. He came from the Whitebeard Pirates.
There were countless powerful fighters in Whitebeard's crew. Of course he knew what this was.
Armament Haki!
A power even he had yet to master!
"Leave your limbs behind as the price for offending me!"
Even after returning to a female body, the side effects of the Horm-Horm Fruit were still wreaking havoc. But the current Crocodile was far stronger than she had ever been as a man.
Haki was a power that stood above all others.
Crocodile, after all, was a user of all three types of Haki. Her Armament Haki and Observation Haki had both already been developed to an advanced level. In the tiny first half of the Grand Line, this was nothing short of a dimensional strike.
Before Luffy and Ace could react, Crocodile's golden hook had already smashed into Ace. At the same time, her other fist clenched and drove toward Luffy.
Both of them were sent flying far into the distance.
An indescribable agony flooded through their bodies. Internal destruction through Armament Haki was not something their current physiques could withstand. Luffy tried to stand, but the pain tearing through his body left him unable to summon any strength.
Ace was in slightly better condition, but the large amount of blood he coughed up proved that he had also suffered a serious injury.
"What's going on? I'm rubber! Fists aren't supposed to work on me!"
Luffy was utterly stunned.
Why?
Why did Crocodile's punch feel just like when his grandpa hit him?
It hurt. It hurt like crazy!
"Brat! The power of Haki stands above everything! Naturally, that includes your Devil Fruit ability!"
The deadly sense of weakness had mostly faded, and Crocodile could finally muster her strength again.
Moving at a speed that seemed like teleportation in Luffy and Ace's eyes, Crocodile appeared in front of them once more. Her golden hook pierced through Ace's abdomen, causing blood to spill out in great amounts. Then she planted one foot on Luffy's head and stomped him straight into the ground.
In only a few moments, the situation had completely reversed.
"Cough! Don't get so full of yourself!"
Flames surged around Ace's body. Empowered by the fire, his fist became especially forceful. A heavy punch containing all his strength slammed into Crocodile's face.
But then a shocking scene unfolded.
Crocodile did not dodge or retreat. She allowed the fist to crash into her beautiful face. Yet even such tremendous force merely tilted her head slightly. It had no other effect.
"You…"
Bang!
Ace was slammed heavily into the ground.
"Those Marines may be irritating as hell, but their Rokushiki is somewhat interesting."
What Crocodile had used was naturally one of the Marine Rokushiki techniques: Iron Body, also known as Tekkai.
It was hailed as a mythical divine technique. Its practical use was not particularly great, but it could give the user an immense boost in confidence.
Originally, it was the kind of move that could get someone killed. But that depended on the gap in strength between the two sides.
When Crocodile used such a technique to receive Ace's punch, Ace had absolutely no chance of breaking through her defense.
As for where this Rokushiki came from, of course Roldy had taught it to her.
Before reaching the level of someone like Zephyr or Garp, techniques of this caliber had little effect against top-tier fighters. At most, they served a functional purpose. But against opponents on Luffy and Ace's current level, this was a divine technique.
"How is this possible… How can the gap be this huge?!"
Ace gritted his teeth.
But this was reality.
"The game is over. However, out of respect for those two old geezers, if you kneel and apologize now, I'll allow each of you to leave behind only one arm!"
Although these two brats had damaged Crocodile's pride, she had a reason for doing this.
She knew about the relationship between Roldy and Garp. As for the two legs and one arm she was sparing Ace, they were meant to exchange for a favor from that man Whitebeard.
Had she been alone, she would have killed these two brats without the slightest hesitation.
But she was not alone.
She was a high-ranking officer of Roldy 's crew. Everything had to be considered from the perspective of the team's interests.
With such bearing, she could truly be called a ruthless hero.
"Don't get cocky! Kneeling to someone like you is absolutely impossible!"
Luffy struggled to stand, but Crocodile's foot was as heavy as a mountain. Breaking free was impossible.
"Then pay the price!"
Desert Spada condensed in Crocodile's hand. Her eyes turned cold, and she was just about to chop off one of Luffy's arms.
But then, a sharp whistle suddenly tore through the air.
A black-iron-colored cannonball flew in from the distance. From that cannonball, Crocodile sensed a threat.
Without hesitation, she launched the fully condensed Desert Spada in her hand toward the cannonball.
The two collided in midair.
It was hard to imagine that an ordinary cannonball could actually match her attack evenly. A tremendous explosion echoed through the air, and then both attacks vanished into smoke and dust.
"It seems my Alabasta really is lively. Guests are arriving one after another."
Crocodile kicked Luffy away, then turned to look toward the distant sky.
There was a tiny black dot in the sky, flying toward this place at astonishing speed.
A cross-shaped red light suddenly condensed in midair, like a newborn sun.
"Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral! The Hero, Garp!"
After much difficulty, Garp had finally arrived in time.
After learning that Luffy had set out to sea and received a bounty, as well as receiving news that Ace had appeared on the Grand Line, he had returned from Marine Headquarters and followed the intelligence to Alabasta.
But after arriving in Alabasta, an inexplicable sense of panic came over him. Anxious, he rushed ahead alone, while his adjutant Bogard led the remaining Marines here at full speed.
Fortunately, he had gone on ahead.
"Crocodile! Do you know what you're doing?!"
Both of his grandsons were in danger. As their grandfather, how could he possibly remain unmoved?
"Fist Bone: Galaxy Impact!"
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