Battle Once More

To normal people, Kisame and Kakuzu are both mysterious and cunning individuals, and upon first meeting them, few would have much trust in them.

Even though the two saved the entire Straw Hat Pirates' lives, there are still many suspicious points. Ordinary people would not be grateful for their life-saving grace, but would instead be even more suspicious of them.

Unfortunately, few of the Straw Hat Pirates are normal people, and Luffy's actions only elicit a few words of criticism from cowards like Usopp.

As night slowly fell and the small Oasis temporarily recovered, many animals in the Desert seemed to sense the moisture and began to gather there.

Desert animals are Superman can imagine. In addition, there are already many animals living near the Oasis, so they are familiar with the place. Therefore, this was an unexpected bonus. The Straw Hat Pirates quickly caught many small and medium-sized animals that came to the Oasis to drink water, and even caught a wild camel.

With water and food available, the Straw Hat Pirates didn't think about saving any food at all. Instead, they immediately held a feast, where everyone ate and drank heartily, without leaving any food overnight.

I always felt that these people were out of place with the two of us.

Opening his eyes, Kisame listened to the snoring, teeth grinding, and sleep talking around him. He turned to look at Kakuzu, who was also awake, and sighed helplessly.

"Are we almost at Rainbase?"

"It should be something that happens tomorrow."

"That means the decisive battle is just around the corner!"

"This is so obvious, you don't need to tell me."

"How can these kids sleep?"

"God knows, I don't think I can understand idiots' thinking."

Just then, a faint killing intent emanated from the camp, and in an instant, all the snoring, teeth grinding, and sleepwalking sounds in the camp stopped.

As the saying goes, when God closes a door, he opens a window. While most people in the Pirate World may have some intellectual deficiencies, they are greatly compensated for in terms of instinct.

Just like how a fool's instinctive perception is often a little stronger than that of a smart person, the Straw Hat Pirates have many fools, so naturally each of them has a high level of instinctive perception.

Without a word, Kisame and Kakuzu sat up and looked toward the source of the killing intent. They saw Green Bull Aramaki slowly walking toward them, and a flower-lined path appeared beneath his feet.

"I never expected that you didn't die in the Desert. But that's good. At least the mission the World Government gave me won't fail because of such a ridiculous reason as the target dying in the Desert."

Aramaki remained arrogant, and as he spoke, sandstorms swirled in the night wind, Crocodile also appeared beside him.

"Shichibukai Crocodile? Are you also going to take on the Straw Hat Pirates?"

Princess Vivi looked at Crocodile, a hint of despair on her face. At that moment, Green Bull Aramaki burst into laughter:

"How ridiculous! Poor Princess Vivi, what exactly did you do while infiltrating Baroque Works? Don't you know that the Shichibukai in front of you is the mastermind behind Baroque Works?"

"Of course, this Shichibukai no longer needs Baroque Works. Because of your cooperation with the Straw Hat Pirates, the entire Alabasta Kingdom is no longer protected by the Navy and the World Government. Just a few days ago, Crocodile took over your father and became the new King of Alabasta!"

"Wh... what?"

Princess Vivi's eyes widened, and she looked as if she was about to faint, her whole body trembling as she spoke:

"Father, how is Father now?"

"You should worry about yourself first, poor little princess! I don't want to hurt you, but who told you to stand against me?"

"Hmm!? It seems there are two more members, and one of them is actually a filthy Fish-Man..."

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

Before the foul-mouthed Ryokugyu could finish speaking, Kisame swept across with a Water Severing Wave, instantly splitting Ryokugyu and Crocodile in two. Of course, this attack, which did not contain Haki, posed little threat to the two, and in an instant, the two halves were restored.

"A water manipulator... it seems I can't let you live!"

Ryokugyu and Crocodile both looked rather grim, and Marine Admiral, Aramaki the slightest hesitation, immediately unleashed his Devil Fruit power, preparing to take down Kisame.

"Crocodile, I'll leave Straw Hat to you for now. I'll take care of this Fish-Man first, and then we'll team up to deal with the Straw Hat Pirates!"

Crocodile gave a cold snort, took a sharp drag, and his cigar turned into white ash. He then charged towards the Straw Hat Pirates like a sandstorm.

"Watch out! Don't get touched by Crocodile. His Sand Fruit can directly absorb water. If you get touched, you'll be sucked dry!"

Princess Vivi shouted loudly immediately. Crocodile had been a hero in Alabasta for so many years, fighting against countless pirates, so his abilities were naturally known to everyone.

Of course, knowing is one thing, but whether he can actually stop them is the most important question. However, with Luffy's current strength, he is not afraid of any Shichibukai and went up against them without hesitation.

"Rubber, rubber, fire rockets indiscriminately!"

A massive, swollen fist, crackling with tiny black Inazuma, suddenly lashed out like a terrifying cannonball. Crocodile's eyes narrowed slightly, and with a casual flick of his wrist, endless sand condensed into a golden scimitar, wreathed in dark Haki, and slashed down in a dark gold hue.

"Desert Vajra Sword!"

The fist and the scimitar made slight contact, followed by a series of violent explosions. Crocodile transformed into a sandstorm and retreated more than ten meters. His fist trembled slightly, and he could feel even tiny cracks in his bones.

Luffy's fist was also knocked back, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound. The wound looked dry and withered, without any color, and his entire arm had shrunk somewhat.

"Such powerful, such formidable Haki! I never imagined you'd mastered Internal Destruction Haki! No wonder you're a legendary Shichibukai!"

Luffy, somewhat surprised, pressed his arm and spoke. Crocodile's eyes flickered uncertainly as he coldly replied:

"There are many things you haven't considered!"

Just then, Sanji and Zoro stepped forward, but Luffy simply waved them away.

"Sanji, Zoro, you two go deal with that vegetable! I'll handle this guy alone."

"This guy is tough to deal with, but he's still easier to handle than that vegetable Admiral!"

Zoro and Sanji looked to the other side, where four giant masks had appeared on Kakuzu's back, each spewing out earth fire, wind, and lightning. He himself was also casually manipulating a large amount of gold, which collided with the forest summoned by Ryokugyu like waves.

"He can actually summon gold, and... what is that? What a strange Devil Fruit User..."

Ryokugyu's expression was also somewhat unpleasant. These two on the other side were truly formidable reinforcements. Although their physical attributes and Haki cultivation were somewhat weak, their abilities were simply astonishing.

Just then, Kisame, who was standing Kakuzu, began to undergo a dramatic change. His Chakra surged almost to boiling point, and sharp bone spurs pierced out from his body. In an instant, his height expanded to four meters, resembling a pufferfish.

Kisame originally had a mouthful of sharp teeth, but now, his mouth was stretched almost to his ears, his teeth protruding from his lips, and his entire face was occupied by a terrifying mouth.

That was Kisame 'Half-Beast State after undergoing human modification and absorbing the entire Samehada!

In this state, Chakra's Kisame increased by dozens of times, to Nine-Tails point that he could even rival the chakra of the strongest Tailed Beast, Chakra. His body also became incredibly tough, and his skin could withstand Chakra Metal without using any Ninjutsu.

Most importantly, because it uses scientific genetic modification combined with some Ninjutsu modifications, it has little connection with Artificial Devil Fruit technology.

Therefore, Kisame is more of Genetically Modified Human than Devil Fruit User. He is not afraid of the Sea Stone Factor and could even eat another Devil Fruit if given the chance.

However, in order to maintain his Water Release's effectiveness against Devil Fruit, Kisame had no intention of eating any more Devil Fruit.

With Chakra level close to that of the Nine-Tails, Kisame's Water Release Ninjutsu was elevated to a terrifying level. He opened his mouth and unleashed a massive wave that blotted out the sky, instantly covering the battlefield!

"Water Release, Great Exploding Water Wave!"

"Damn it! This guy can spit out so much water, is he Devil Fruit User?"

Ryokugyu was in a panic, and the entire forest was instantly submerged by the waves. Although in theory, ordinary fresh water would not harm the forest, the Forest-Forest Devil Fruit User was not a forest after all, and was still restrained by the Sea Stone Crystal.

If Ryokugyu were completely enveloped by this giant water sphere, his strength would probably be greatly reduced. At the very least, he wouldn't be able to use his Devil Fruit powers. If he didn't run fast, it would be quite normal for him to be killed.

Huge trees instantly grew out, forming a protective barrier that blocked the surging waves. However, Kisame's Water Release, which used nearly Nine-Tails Chakra, was far more powerful than the First Hokage's Wood Style in terms of sheer scale!

Among Ninjutsu of the same level, Water Release has always been known for its sheer quantity. With the same amount of Chakra, Water Release far surpasses the other Five Basic Nature Transformations in terms of quantity, not to mention Wood Style, which requires an extremely high amount of Chakra. Kisame's Chakra quantity may be slightly less than that of the First Hokage, but the sheer scale of his Ninjutsu is definitely greater.

The terrifying giant wave, hundreds of meters high, easily shattered the Protective Forest. The surging water made Ryokugyu pale and desperately burrow into the ground.

Crocodile and Luffy, who were fighting, turned and ran when they saw the giant wave coming. Both of them are Devil Fruit User, especially Crocodile, who is naturally countered by water. If he were to be submerged, he would be doomed.

Fortunately, although Crocodile are weak against water, they also have a special ability: to fly by taking advantage of sandstorms. By flying directly into the sky, they managed to avoid being swept to the bottom of the water by giant waves.

Looking down at the battlefield, Crocodile sighed, turned around and flew away, ignoring Ryokugyu.

About half an hour later, in the secret room of the Rainbase Casino, a tiny plant slowly grew from the ground, and soon a pale-faced, blood-stained Ryokugyu appeared there.

"Damn it, you bastard! Didn't you say that next time we met, we'd fight to the death? Why did you run away so fast?!"

Crocodile looked coldly at Ryokugyu and said calmly:

"If I don't run, am I supposed to just wait to die? My Sand Fruit is completely countered by water!"

"Besides, if I had run slower back then, I probably would have been the one left behind and caught up in the rear, right?"

The relationship between the Shichibukai and the Marine Admiral is not good. They are basically in perfect sync – if there is an opportunity to trick someone, they will definitely do so!

Everyone knows this is a fact. In any case, almost all the Marine Admiral don't really like the Shichibukai. At the same time, most of the Shichibukai wouldn't mind killing a Marine Admiral if they had the opportunity and the benefit.

"Hmph... What? You were the one who said it was a matter of life and death, but as soon as you saw you were really going to die, you ran away faster than a rabbit! You really are worthy of being Shichibukai!"

Ryokugyu snorted coldly, looking somewhat embarrassed; in fact, that was exactly what he thought.

The Shichibukai don't have a good reputation among either the Navy or the pirates. Most pirates consider them traitors, while the Navy sees them as nothing more than opportunistic opportunists with ulterior motives.

Especially in Ryokugyu's eyes, Crocodile's Sand Fruit naturally counters his Woods-Woods Fruit... Under such circumstances, if there is a real chance, Ryokugyu would not only not stand by and watch someone die, but he would also be capable of kicking someone when they are down!

Despite Ryokugyu's mocking words, Crocodile's expression remained unchanged, and he spoke in a calm tone:

"Don't worry, since I said I was going to fight to the death, I naturally won't give up halfway. In fact, I've already set a trap!"

"Oh? Hahahaha! That's really impressive! I wonder what kind of trap you made that could take down the Straw Hat Pirates!"

While he said it was really impressive, Ryokugyu's tone was actually full of sarcasm. At their level of strength, ordinary traps were almost ineffective. Moreover, the Straw Hat Pirates were not just one or two people. With multiple people working together, what kind of trap could work?

"This trap... is called Sea Stone Factor Ground Reinforcement Radiator! It's specifically designed to deal with certain burrowing ground Nezumi!"

Crocodile Fartu revealed his true colors, grinning maliciously as he spoke. He then slapped the wall, and instantly a layer of blue light membrane appeared on the entire wall, ceiling, and floor.