Crocodile had been on guard against both Kairo and Robin.
The one person he hadn't bothered guarding against was Perona.
As a result, his face darkened instantly.
Turning toward the little girl, he gritted his teeth and said coldly,
"You're looking for death."
Although Crocodile was currently working hard to build himself an image as a hero in Alabasta, he was still one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Killing a few people out on the ocean meant nothing to him.
In his eyes, eliminating Kairo, Robin, and this troublesome little brat would be trivial.
If necessary, he could easily fabricate some story about them being vicious pirates and earn even more admiration from Alabasta's citizens.
"Eh?"
Kairo blinked.
"Looks like it didn't have much effect."
Then Perona looked at Crocodile's murderous expression and nervously scratched her cheek.
"He looks really scary now."
"Wait for me!"
"I'll go get another bucket of seawater!"
The moment she finished speaking, she turned and sprinted into the cabin.
Seeing this, Kairo couldn't help but sigh.
"Perona."
"Don't forget you're a Devil Fruit user too. You shouldn't be playing around with seawater."
"I know, I know!"
"I'll be careful!"
"Fine."
"As long as you're having fun."
Kairo shrugged helplessly before turning back toward Crocodile.
Robin, standing nearby, was already fully alert.
She knew Perona hadn't meant any harm.
Unfortunately, Crocodile certainly wouldn't see it that way.
And they weren't facing an ordinary pirate.
They were facing one of the Seven Warlords.
The moment Crocodile heard that Perona had gone to fetch more seawater, he completely exploded.
Without hesitation, he leaped from his small boat and landed directly on the Traveler's deck.
After tossing Black Lion's dried corpse aside, he raised his head and glared at Kairo.
A bloodthirsty grin spread across his face.
"I wasn't planning to kill any of you."
"But you've thoroughly pissed me off."
"So—"
Before he could finish speaking—
Kairo vanished.
"So fast—!"
Crocodile's eyes widened.
All he saw was a blur.
Then Kairo's jet-black fist rapidly expanded within his field of vision.
BOOM!
A violent impact exploded across the deck.
Caught completely off guard, Crocodile was launched backward.
He crashed into the railing near the edge of the ship and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Damn it..."
Crocodile immediately sprang back to his feet.
His heart churned violently.
Such powerful Armament Haki!
Before he could finish processing what had happened—
His pupils contracted again.
Kairo had disappeared.
Without hesitation, Crocodile relied on years of battle experience and swung his poisonous golden hook toward empty space.
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave erupted.
The Traveler itself shook violently from the collision.
Kairo appeared in midair.
Using Moonwalk, he had launched a second attack from above.
What surprised him was that Crocodile had actually reacted in time.
The golden hook blocked his strike head-on.
Landing lightly on the deck opposite Crocodile, Kairo smiled.
"Even with your Devil Fruit restricted, your reactions are still this fast."
"As expected of a Warlord."
Crocodile grinned viciously.
"A traveler?"
"You're far more interesting than I expected."
"But don't think this is over."
As he spoke, he threw aside his black fur coat.
Immediately afterward, his right arm rapidly expanded.
Sand gathered together and transformed into a gigantic crescent-shaped blade.
"Whoa."
"The water evaporated already?"
Kairo's eyes narrowed.
The instant Crocodile activated his power—
Kairo moved.
His body vanished again.
Before Crocodile could bring down the massive sand blade, Kairo shot forward like lightning.
He wasn't interested in dragging this fight out.
Otherwise, his Traveler would be the first casualty.
"This speed...!"
Crocodile's expression changed drastically.
"How is that possible?!"
"Did he predict my attack?"
"Damn it—Observation Haki!"
His thoughts barely finished before Kairo was already in front of him.
A hand grabbed his head.
Even though Crocodile had already begun turning his body into sand, Kairo's Armament Haki forced contact with his true body.
Then—
A terrifying pressure descended.
Like a mountain crashing down.
Crocodile's vision blurred.
His body immediately lost control.
BOOM!
His head was slammed straight into the deck.
The mighty Crocodile was instantly pinned face-first against the floor.
At the same time—
Perona finally came running back out of the cabin carrying a large basin of seawater.
The moment she saw Crocodile pinned down beneath Kairo's hand, she excitedly shouted,
"Kairo!"
"The seawater is here!"
"!!!!!!"
Crocodile's heart skipped a beat.
"Haha."
"Perfect timing."
Kairo's grin instantly turned evil.
"Quick!"
"Pour it!"
Hearing that sinister enthusiasm in Kairo's voice, Crocodile nearly coughed up blood from sheer rage.
What kind of travelers are these?!
Are travelers supposed to be this evil?!
SPLASH!
The entire basin of seawater was dumped onto him.
Without his coat protecting him, the seawater soaked his entire body.
The effect was immediate.
His strength vanished.
"Done!"
Perona blinked happily as she watched Crocodile go limp on the deck.
Then she turned toward Kairo.
"Kairo, are we being rude?"
"He did help us deal with those pirates just now."
"It's fine."
"As long as you're happy."
Kairo casually walked over, dragged a chair into place, and sat down opposite Crocodile.
The moment he sat down, Perona immediately jumped into his lap.
Then she cheerfully greeted the defeated Warlord.
"Hello, Mr. Sand Person!"
"My name is Perona!"
"I'm Kairo's little Perona!"
"Don't be angry."
"We were only playing."
"We really didn't mean any harm."
"Oh right!"
"I should thank you."
"Those pirates woke me up from my nap."
"They were so annoying!"
At this point—
Just like Mihawk before him—
Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, seemed destined to suffer the same fate:
being slowly and thoroughly broken by Kairo and Perona.
Meanwhile, Robin stood nearby in complete disarray.
Watching one of the most feared men in the Grand Line get defeated through such an absurd combination of brute force and childish bullying...
She covered her forehead with one hand.
Black lines practically appeared over her head.
She genuinely couldn't bear to watch anymore.
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