Crocodile Got a Little Angry
Crocodile's Observation Haki quickly detected the edge of the Battlefield.
Mr. 1, Mr. 2, and Mr. 3 had already been subdued by Ace and Luffy, and his face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
He forced Smoker back with a Sandstorm attack, stood proudly, and swept his sinister gaze over Ace, Luffy, Smoker.
The sand and dust around him were still churning, but he didn't attack immediately. Instead, he gritted his teeth and growled, "What exactly do you want?!"
"I'm Shichibukai! I didn't do anything, what right do you have to cause trouble for me?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he abruptly raised his Golden Hook Claws, pointed them fiercely at Smoker, and roared angrily:
"You think you're Roy?!"
These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, silencing the surroundings for a moment.
Smoker paused, his brow furrowing, unable to respond for a moment.
In that brief moment, Ace and Luffy side by side to Smoker's side.
Ace patted him on the shoulder, laughing easily, "Uncle, what's going on? Why are you fighting with Crocodile?"
Luffy tilted his head, looking completely innocent. "Yeah, yeah! Uncle Smoker, weren't you here to find the 'Effort Pirates'?"
Smoker took a deep breath, exhaling Smoke from his nostrils, forcing himself to calm down.
Ace turned to Crocodile, a mocking grin on his face.
"Long time no see, Crocodile."
When Crocodile saw Ace, the veins on his forehead bulged instantly, and his chest heaved violently.
"You bastards... what do you mean by this?!"
Smoker finally snapped out of his daze and growled through gritted teeth, "That's what I want to ask you!"
Didn't some bunch of lousy 'Effort Pirates' come to your place a while ago?! Where are they?!
Upon hearing this, Crocodile's expression instantly darkened, a shadow falling over his entire face.
He seemed to have been struck in a sore spot, and roared back, "Who knows where those idiots ran off to?!"
Nami and Nojiko then stepped forward.
Nami, a sudden realization Flash, seized upon the flaw in his words, raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Oh? You mean—you've seen them?"
Crocodile was speechless for a moment, his face turning ashen.
He scanned the enemies before him— Ace, Luffy, Smoker, and that imposing girl...
He cursed inwardly, "Damn it... I don't stand much of a chance of winning in a fight."
He finally gave a cold snort, his tone softening slightly, but his face was full of impatience. "Hmph... I have indeed seen those guys!"
As he spoke, his voice gradually rose, filled with anger. "The moment they arrived, they started yelling things like 'Down with me, save this country!'"
"I didn't do anything, what the hell are they saving?!"
Recalling the scene, his veins throbbed, and his words were laced with rage:
"They were like they'd been brainwashed. I ordered my men to throw them out, and it turned out that the captain, who looked like a coward with Glasses, actually had some skill and injured Mr. 1, Mr. 2, and Mr. 3!"
"In the end, I personally took action and utterly crushed them!"
He breathed heavily, and with a flick of his Golden Hook, a cloud of dust billowed up.
"But I had other things to do at the time and didn't want to waste time, so I didn't kill him."
"And then what happened?!"
Crocodile's voice was almost squeezed out through clenched teeth, trembling with anger:
"They came again! They were yelling things like 'Work hard!' 'You'll become the Pirate King!'"
"I crushed them again, and this time, finding them too troublesome, I threw them all in jail!"
His chest heaved, his eyes filled with rage.
"Result--!"
His cold face was contorted with rage, and he gritted his teeth. "The third time, they were released by someone, fully recovered, and charged at me again to challenge me!!"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and everyone was stunned.
At this point, Crocodile's expression suddenly froze, his eyes twitched, his Golden Hook trembled slightly, and his entire face contorted for a moment.
Clearly, the memory of being repeatedly harassed and toyed with by the "Effort Pirates" was like a brand tearing at his heart, causing this Shichibukai to feel unprecedented humiliation and anger.
He took a deep breath, his chest heaving, suppressing his almost out-of-control anger.
That's how it is!
They later left Alabasta on their own, and I have no idea where they went!
"Now—can you all get out of here?!"
Smoker bit down hard on his Cigar, veins bulging, his face ashen.
White mist billowed from his nostrils, his gaze fixed on Crocodile, and he whispered coldly:
"These stupid Pirates... how dare they repeatedly provoke the Shichibukai?"
But the next moment, he narrowed his eyes, a deeper question surfacing in his mind, "But... how exactly did they escape from prison?"
Ace stood with his arms crossed, lightly tapping his chin with his finger, a mocking look on his face. "Tsk... now that you mention it, those guys are quite persistent, aren't they?"
Luffy's eyes lit up instantly, and he excitedly shouted, "Wow! They're so much fun! I want to fight them too!!"
"Smack!!"
Nami swung her fist and smashed it hard into Luffy's head.
"Idiot!! That's not the point, okay?!"
Luffy clutched his head, tears welling in his eyes, and shrank back, saying, "It hurts... but it sounds really interesting..."
Nojiko, who had been observing quietly, spoke softly, but her tone was like Razor cutting into the heart of the matter:
"Mr. Crocodile, you said they were 'released'... So, did someone deliberately help them escape from prison?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.
All eyes turned to Crocodile.
Crocodile scoffed, his gaze sinister, dust swirling at his feet as if about to explode. "Who knows? They're definitely not one of my people!!"
"Those idiots are like cockroaches that just won't die, they're so annoying!"
Smoker slowly exhaled a puff of Smoke, his gaze gradually sharpening, and coldly said, "Hmph... since they're not with you, then let's just leave it at that."
He paused, his eyes sharp as knives, staring intently at Crocodile, his voice icy:
"However—if you dare to protect them, next time I come, I won't be so polite!!"
The air instantly condensed!
On one side, Sandstorm was brewing, and on the other, billowing Smoke rose endlessly.
The two forces clashed fiercely in the air, emitting a suppressed, low hum, as if they were about to tear the heavens and earth apart at any moment!
Crocodile's temples bulged with veins, and sand and dust churned wildly around him.
His eyes were icy cold, but in the end, he laughed in a fit of rage, his voice hoarse and ferocious. "Hehehe..."
"Get out of here!!"
"Before I change my mind!!"
"Boom!!"
The Sandstorm exploded with a deafening roar, whipping up a fierce wind that swept across the entire street like a roaring Beast, instantly causing the air to whistle and tremble!
Smoker, Ace, Luffy, and the others stood firm amidst the sandstorm, their expressions varied, but none yielded an inch.