Chapter 63 Luffy beats up Crocodile and Aokiji arrives"This move was originally designed to restrict movement."
Luffy chuckled, clenching his fist tightly. "Observation Haki? Try dodging that again!"
Luffy clasped his hands together, and black iron sand surged wildly from the ground, piling up on Crocodile and gradually forming a massive pyramid shape.
Desert Layer Burial Seal!
Just as the intricate runes were about to cover the pyramid's surface, Crocodile's roar suddenly erupted from within.
"Erosion Reincarnation!!"
Accompanied by the roar, cracks began to appear on the sturdy sealing pyramid, as if it had weathered over a thousand years.
Luffy raised an eyebrow. This Sand-Sand Fruit was indeed powerful; its essence wasn't just absorbing water, but it could even corrode and weather sand imbued with chakra?
"You've completely enraged me!!"
Crocodile's voice echoed from the shattered pyramid, filled with boundless fury. "You think defeating me will save Alabasta?"
"How naive! Betrayal and conspiracy are the eternal themes of pirates! I never put all my eggs in one basket! You want to be a savior, don't you?"
"You probably don't know, do you? The merchant ships transporting weapons have already delivered them to the rebels. They should be at the city gates by now."
"Now, if even one person accidentally fires a weapon, a bloody massacre of hundreds of thousands will unfold in the capital!"
Crocodile excitedly stretched out his palm, a small sandstorm conjuring in his hand: "See this little cutie? With just a gentle toss, it will grow bigger and stronger, eventually becoming a devastating super sandstorm that will sweep across the capital!"
"Everyone will slaughter each other in the pitch-black sandstorm. Even if my plan fails, Alabasta is doomed!"
"You think I want to steal a country? I want to be king?! What a joke! So what if the plan is exposed? All I want is that Pluton warship sleeping underground! Hahaha! The Pirate King is my ultimate goal!"
"Once I get the legendary Pluton, the entire Grand Line will bow down at my feet!"
Crocodile's face was contorted with excitement, like a madman.
Mr. 1 and the others, watching the completely deranged Crocodile, couldn't help but swallow hard, feeling a chill run down their spines.
Spending three years devising such a vicious plan, all for a warship!
"I also have news of Poseidon and Uranus. Do you want it?"
Luffy, looking at the increasingly frenzied Crocodile, suddenly asked.
"What!? Poseidon and Uranus?"
Crocodile froze, clearly stunned.
The others stared at Luffy in shock. That was a legendary Ancient Weapon! How could this guy talk about it like it was nothing more than cabbage from the market?
"Hehe, just kidding."
Luffy made a face.
Crocodile instantly flew into a rage, feeling his intelligence insulted: "You bastard! I'll show you the true terror of the Sand-Sand Fruit!"
"You think I can't do anything to you hiding in that turtle shell? Desert Sunflower!!"
Crocodile roared, slamming his hands into the ground. Centered on Luffy, a large swath of sand began to rapidly sink.
Everyone was swept into this sudden, massive quicksand pit.
"I can control the water veins beneath the dunes at will. Now, what lies beneath your feet has become a giant, deadly quicksand pit. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink!"
"You will be buried alive in the deepest part of the earth, feeling the crushing and suffocating sand in despair!"
"Enjoy the terror of being buried alive, let me show you… um? Why aren't you sinking?"
Crocodile was excitedly explaining his ultimate attack when he suddenly noticed that Luffy, right in the center, was suspended in mid-air, showing no sign of sinking.
Mr. 1, Mr. 2, and the others, on the other hand, screamed in terror, only half their bodies remaining above the surface.
"Huh?" Luffy was listening to the villain's classic "death confession" when he suddenly heard a question. "Oh, I can fly."
Crocodile: "..."
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!!!
"What kind of Devil Fruit user are you?! How the hell can you fly?!"
"Don't you fly too?" Luffy looked at Crocodile strangely.
Crocodile: "..."
Although the Sand-Sand Fruit turns him into sand, he can indeed use whirlwinds to fly at low altitudes.
"That move of yours... I know it very well!"
Luffy's hands moved with lightning speed, forming hand seals: "Hell Sand Burial!"
Crocodile felt the sand beneath his feet suddenly collapse rapidly, like an angry vortex. Unlike the natural quicksand he created using the terrain, Luffy's quicksand seemed to possess a highly aggressive, proactive nature.
Countless grains of sand rose up as if alive, tightly binding Crocodile and pulling him frantically deeper into the earth.
"Impossible! I'm a Sand-Sand Fruit user! How could I die in the desert?!" Crocodile roared in terror.
As wave after wave of sand imbued with Armament Haki dragged him toward the abyss, Crocodile utterly broke down, laughing maniacally:
"Even if you kill me, you can't save Alabasta! Hundreds of thousands of people will die with me! Hahaha!"
Luffy smiled, watching Crocodile's head disappear from view, and said calmly, "Die with me? You're overthinking it. Do you think Fleet Admiral Sengoku, a strategist, would stand idly by while a Shichibukai does something so despicable?"
"I think by now, both the rebel army and the royal army have probably infiltrated the Marines, right? This war won't even start."
Hearing Luffy's words, Crocodile's maniacal laughter froze instantly, replaced by utter astonishment: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
However, the relentless sandstorm, like giant octopus tentacles, dragged him completely into the dark depths of the earth.
The next day, dawn broke.
Outside the Alabasta Royal Palace, yellow sand filled the sky.
A large contingent of rebels gathered in an open area, weapons gleaming, their killing intent palpable.
Leading them was Vivi's childhood sweetheart, the rebel leader, Kosha.
"Brothers, listen to my command! Alabasta is now a shadow of its former self. This is the final battle! We must take Albana! Launch the general offensive immediately!"
Below, countless rebel soldiers cheered loudly, their roar deafening.
Meanwhile, inside the royal palace at the same moment.
King Cobra was fiercely arguing with his two chief guards, Bel and Jaka.
"Your Majesty! The rebels have begun their attack! We must launch a counterattack immediately!"
Jaka, the Jackal, knelt on one knee, shouting hoarsely.
"Shut up! I said absolutely not!" Cobra trembled with emotion. "This is no child's play! An eye for an eye? Those are our people! They are all citizens of Alabasta!"
"But Your Majesty, a sword is at our throats! If this continues, the nation will perish!"
Jaka's eyes were red with anxiety.
Cobra sat on his throne, his gaze unwavering. "So what! Ever since the 'Dancing Powder' incident, this has been a conspiracy against the nation! Am I supposed to slaughter my own people before I even uncover the mastermind?"
"Doing so would only plunge the nation into an abyss of no return!"
"Listen to me! The nation is its people!" Cobra declared emphatically. "I will never raise a sword against my own people! Even if Alabasta falls, as long as everyone lives, there is hope for the nation!"
"Your Majesty!"
Jaka and Bell tried to persuade him further, but Cobra sternly stopped them.
"But just appeasing them isn't enough; the soldiers' emotions have reached their limit. If this continues, a mutiny might break out!"
Bell reported, sweating profusely.
However, Cobra shook his head firmly. "Even if it means withdrawing from the capital! We absolutely cannot allow bloodshed with our people!"
Clap clap clap!
Suddenly, a series of crisp applause echoed in the empty hall.
"Who!?"
Jakka and Bell instantly went into battle mode, turning warily to look at the door.
"As expected of the Nefertari family, even after being framed like this, they still put the people first?"
A lazy voice rang out.
The heavy door creaked open.
"Looks like I won't need to waste my time trying to persuade you to surrender."
A tall man with curly hair and an eyepatch over his forehead strolled in.
"Impossible! You are…!"
Cobra stared at the newcomer in shock, "Admiral…Aokiji?!"
"Yo," Aokiji scratched his head, looking half-asleep, and greeted them, "Hello."
"Why is a Marine Admiral here?"
Jakka and Bell were utterly stunned.
"Ah, well... it's too complicated to explain, can I not explain?"
Cobra, Jaka, and Bell: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!!
"No!!"
Aokiji sighed helplessly: "Alright, to put it simply, our Marine Supernova picked up your princess on the road and, following the clues, discovered Crocodile's plot to destroy Alabasta."
"So it was reported to headquarters, and the Fleet Admiral sent me down to clean up the mess, and incidentally cover up the scandal of the Shichibukai Crocodile's theft of the country, which would embarrass the government."
Cobra and the other two exclaimed in shock: "Vivi? Crocodile!?"
Jackal Jakka gritted his teeth: "The mastermind behind this rebellion, attempting to seize the country, is actually Crocodile, the hero everyone knows?!"
"Damn it! I lowered my guard because I thought he was from the World Government, but I let a wolf into the house!" Cobra slammed his fist against the wall, blood streaming down his face.
"Crocodile! Your Majesty!" Pell shouted angrily.
Cobra's gaze was terrifyingly grim: "Now that we know the enemy's identity, we'll immediately abandon the palace and launch a full-scale attack on Crocodile's lair, Rainfield!"
"Ah, that won't be necessary. Crocodile will probably be brought here soon," Aokiji said, scratching his head.
"Huh? Came to Albana?" Cobra was taken aback, then his face turned ashen. "Is he here to witness the human tragedy he caused, and incidentally to take over the capital?"
Jaka gripped his sword hilt angrily. "Crocodile is still constantly winning over the people. Forgive my bluntness, but his prestige among the people is even higher than Your Majesty's!"
"So what! As long as we kill that culprit, all the tragedy will end!"
Cobra stared intently in the direction of the Rainlands. "Even if it costs us the entire Alabasta!"
Bell and Jaka were moved to tears. "Your Majesty!"
Aokiji: "..."
Cobra: "Eh? What did you say?"
Aokiji explained helplessly:
"Just last night, Marine Rear Admiral Luffy and Crocodile had a fierce battle in the Rainlands. By dawn, Rear Admiral Luffy had completely subdued the Shichibukai Crocodile and is currently being escorted here. That's what the report says."
"I'm here on behalf of the Navy to advise Your Majesty to try to avoid conflict between the Kingdom's army and the rebels, minimizing unnecessary casualties."
Cobra's eyes widened instantly, exclaiming in surprise, "Really?"
Aokiji shrugged. "That's what the report says. How to actually do it is up to you, the King. After all, the Navy can't interfere in your country's internal affairs; it's just a suggestion."
"Of course, if you want us to intervene, I can help you suppress the rebellion, but there might be a few deaths…"
"No!" Cobra shouted excitedly, "That's good enough! We surrender! A peaceful resolution would be ideal!"
Aokiji nodded. "Alright, in that case, we won't interfere."
"However, Princess Vivi insists on going to persuade the rebels to stop their attack."
"What!? Vivi…!" Cobra's heart leaped into his throat.
Seeing the excited Cobra, Aokiji quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, there are a few newly promoted Marine lieutenant commanders with her. That green-haired guy and the curly-browed guy are decent fighters; they should be safe."
Jaka and Pell exchanged a glance and quickly went to plan the retreat.
Meanwhile, outside the city...
Zoro and the others were escorting Vivi towards the rebel army's headquarters.
Looking at the hundreds of thousands of menacing rebel soldiers ahead, Usopp and Nami trembled with fear, clinging tightly to Zoro and Sanji.
"Are you sure we want to just charge in like this? Shouldn't we wait for Luffy?" Usopp tried one last time.
However, Vivi shook her head with unwavering resolve: "I must stop this rebellion! Crocodile is finished! I don't want to see anyone else die!"
With that, Vivi strode forward, resolutely heading towards the rebel army.
Zoro and Sanji grinned behind her and followed without hesitation.
"Hey Smoker, you're really shameless, jumping into such a low-level trap?"
Luffy launched into a sarcastic remark at the livid Smoker.
"Shut up! Who would have thought Crocodile would be so audacious as to attack the Marines!"
Smoker roared at Luffy, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Hey! Don't explain, explaining is just a cover-up!"
Smoker: "...Want to fight, you bastard?!"
Tashigi pushed up her glasses, glanced at Crocodile beside her, bound handcuffed in seastone chains like a dumpling, then looked at Robin, who was only wearing small handcuffs and looked as relaxed as if she were on vacation.
"I never thought Commodore Luffy could defeat a Shichibukai. You're incredibly strong. But for a Shichibukai to do something so heinous is shocking."
Tashigi looked at Luffy with admiration.
Smoker, standing to the side, sneered and glared at Crocodile, saying, "Hmph! A pirate is a pirate! A leopard can't change its spots! What Shichibukai system? That kind of thing shouldn't even exist!"
"You're right about that," Luffy nodded in agreement. Although he was planning to push Ace into the Shichibukai position, that didn't stop him from thinking the system was garbage.
The so-called "using pirates to counterbalance pirates" is, in Luffy's eyes, a complete joke. Look at the monsters and freaks of this generation of Shichibukai!
Doflamingo is busy seizing power and becoming an underground emperor; Moria is hiding in the Devil's Sea, having a corpse party; Kuma is clearly a Revolutionary Army spy; Crocodile wants to destroy Alabasta and steal the Ancient Weapons; Mihawk, that good-for-nothing, just kills a few small-time pirates for fun; and Hancock is purely using her identity to generate revenue for Amazon Lily.
The only slightly decent and honest one, Jinbe, betrayed them during the Marineford War.
So, the Shichibukai are nothing but troublemakers and incompetent slackers at crucial moments, serving no purpose other than lowering the Navy's prestige.
Later, Blackbeard, that schemer, used his Shichibukai status to infiltrate Impel Down and release a bunch of Level 6 heinous criminals.
The former Marine Admiral's decision not to kill Zephyr was fueled by the fact that the pirate Weevil, who severed his arm, became a Shichibukai, infuriating him so much that he defected from the Marines, intending to drag the New World down with him.
Upon closer examination of the Shichibukai's system, aside from causing trouble for the Marines, they are practically useless figureheads.
In short, they are merely a tool created by the World Government's old foxes to curb the Marines' absolute dominance.
My gaze returned to Crocodile beneath my feet, and I couldn't help but marvel at the incredible resilience of these powerful figures in the pirate world.
This guy was wrapped up like a dumpling in a sandstorm imbued with high-level Armament Haki, and I slammed him into a crater two hundred meters underground, where he remained trapped for several hours.
Just when I felt my energy in my body was almost depleted, I dug through the sand and saw that the old crocodile was still clinging to life.
Keep in mind, this guy was a fragile Logia-type. If it were a Zoan-type tank like Jack, it would probably be alive and kicking even after being submerged in the ocean for days by Sengoku. It was utterly absurd.
Since my plan to kill this sand crocodile with physical asphyxiation had failed, I didn't bother trying to finish it off.
A thought flashed through my mind: in the basement of the Rainbanquet Casino, this guy had kept a luxurious Seastone suite specifically for imprisoning Devil Fruit users.
Blowing through the rubble, I finally found the cage that had almost trapped me to death in the original story. But when I looked inside, Smoker and Tashigi, those two unfortunate brothers, were slumped over, clearly on the verge of death.
This led back to that awkward scene at the beginning.
"I was originally planning to just send him on his way and be done with it, but who knew that old buddy Sengoku had to make an example of him, specifically asking for him to live, saying he'd put on a globally televised public execution show in a couple of days."
Looking at Crocodile, who lay unconscious like a dead pig, I shook my head helplessly: "Consider yourself lucky, you can still catch your breath at sea for a few more days."
Smoker's face darkened, his lips twitching as if he wanted to curse.
At that moment, he was probably roaring in his heart: "I'd rather just give me a quick death!"
"But you, Nico Robin, are acting far too calm."
Smoker exhaled a smoke ring, glancing strangely at the elegant figure in the corner: "Straw Hat Kid, are you planning to package her up and hand her over to the World Government to curry favor?"
The Devil's Child, Nico Robin, is a formidable character with a red name on her list at the highest levels of the World Government, completely different in weight from the bounties our Navy usually issues.
Although the government didn't verbally express concern, capturing her would undoubtedly be a shortcut to promotion and wealth.
Robin was as quiet as a delicate doll, seemingly indifferent to her imprisonment. Even with ordinary iron shackles on her wrists, she showed no intention of running away.
Her eyes were lifeless, the despair of someone already resigned to death. She had originally planned to find the Poneglyphs and then perish together with Crocodile.
Twenty years of struggling alone in the darkness of betrayal and escape had chilled her to the bone.
Even in this desperate situation, when she saw Princess Vivi infiltrate Baroque Works' lair alone, she couldn't help but lend a hand to the poor princess.
Putting myself in Robin's shoes, if I had experienced Robin's hellish childhood, I'd probably have become completely corrupted, and wouldn't have hesitated to destroy the world to atone for my suffering.
This precisely proves that Robin still retains that precious gentleness deep down.
I stared at Robin's intelligent face and chuckled mischievously, "This is the prospective crew member and bandit queen I've set my sights on. I can't let those wrinkled old orange peels of the Five Elders get away with this."
Robin's previously calm face instantly cracked, revealing an expression of utter astonishment, as if she'd seen a ghost.
Smoker's two cigars fell with a thud to the dusty ground. "Holy crap, you're serious? This woman is a wanted criminal by the World Government!"
When that wanted poster was issued, it caused a global sensation. An eight-year-old girl with a bounty of 79 million—even Smoker couldn't understand how she had survived the combined attacks of various factions.
"The so-called crime is nothing more than the execution of nine generations of her family. What does that Ohara mess have to do with a little kid like her? You really think she survived by luck? It was just the Five Elders giving some big shot a hand."
I chuckled knowingly, my eyes playful.
Robin's eyes were filled with disbelief. For the past twenty years, she had survived by hiding her identity, constantly betraying others, and running away. How could this guy portray her as someone secretly protecting her?
"You don't believe me, do you?" I looked at Robin's stubborn face, my smile deepening. "Think about it carefully. Isn't there always a familiar figure lurking nearby whenever you're in dire straits?"
Robin's delicate body trembled violently. A tall, perpetually sleepy figure instantly surfaced in the depths of her mind. Whenever she was about to settle down in a pirate crew, that demonic figure would appear and utterly destroy her.