Crocodile Makes His Entrance, an Invincible Presence

"Hahaha, we are invincible!"

"Awesome, so awesome!"

"Kill, loot, smash—"

A group of down-on-their-luck pirates, who had previously been struggling and waiting to die in the suburbs, suddenly became wildly arrogant, indiscriminately hacking and slashing at the armed personnel who were desperately holding on. They let the enemy's blades and bullets fall on their bodies, and despite the flying sparks, they were unharmed, and for a moment they were quite invincible.

This is Crocodile's stronghold, and the so-called 'government' departments are all shaped like Crocodile's. And these armed personnel maintaining 'security' are simply Baroque Works assassins.

"Damn it, how did we end up with such a troublesome guy?"

Just as a Baroque Works 'squadron leader' uttered a curse, a bloodthirsty pirate charged at him! His scimitar slashed down fiercely, displaying a desperate fighting style.

With a scream, the company commander jerked backward. But the sharp blade still sliced heavily across his chest, tearing the leather of his white jacket apart, making his eyes harden!

"Go to hell!"

A round, metallic lump landed on the ground as he tumbled backward, followed by a loud 'boom' as a large crater appeared, black smoke billowed up, and sand and dirt flew everywhere! The pirate was also sent flying backward, and then:

"Ah, my eyes! My eyes—"

Despite being hit by an explosion at close range, the pirate was completely unharmed, with all four limbs intact. He was just groaning while covering one eye, which caught the attention of the squadron leader.

"Attack the enemy's eyes!"

As the company commander shouted a reminder, the squad leaders, all highly skilled, one of them raised his Fire Pistol, loaded it, aimed, and fired in one smooth motion.

Bang!

In a flash of blood, one of the pirates who had been hacking and slashing fell backward. His body twitched on the ground, but he could no longer stand up.

Efficient!

The Baroque combat captains exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with excitement. —If they could find the enemy's weakness, dealing with these guys wouldn't be difficult. After all:

These are nothing more than a bunch of pathetic pirates reduced to robbing in the suburbs; compared to these elites...

"Get out of the way!"

Thump, thump, thump,

A tall figure charged over, like a human tank!

"It's the boss!"

"Boss, take them down—"

"We are invincible!"

Amidst the shouts of the other pirates, this fat and muscular pirate charged forward with an agility completely disproportionate to his physique, ignoring the bullets and swords that pelted him! A broad, shield-like arm blocked his path, while the other hand swiftly scooped up a squad leader, and then:

Crackling sounds!

The poor squad leader was like a folding stool in the hands of this burly pirate, being grabbed and smashed around! In an instant, a large area was cleared: the Baroque Works combat personnel within this range either rolled away in a sorry state or were already lying on the ground.

"Boss is awesome!"

"Take down the crocodile!"

"The Rain Dinners is ours—"

Although Baroque Works discovered that these 'invulnerable' pirates' weakness was their eyes, however:

Those capable of accurately shooting bullets into eyes during a chaotic battle are at least squad leaders, and there are probably only a handful of them on the entire battlefield. Meanwhile, the enemy can charge in recklessly, as long as they protect their eyes. Facing the Baroque Works members who can't harm them, these pirates, displaying their incredible prowess, act like gods descended from heaven.

So when the two figures arrived at the battlefield, what they saw was a group of corpses of Baroque Works combat members, and pirates howling and boasting that they would take Crocodile and dominate Rain Dinners!

"Oh?"

A calm yet Haki male voice rang out. It wasn't loud, but it instantly drowned out the wolf howls on the battlefield, making the hot-blooded pirates feel a chill.

"Foolish insects," everyone instinctively Guotou to look at the two figures slowly approaching.

Walking in front was a tall man with slicked-back hair, a long horizontal scar on his face, an earring in his right ear, and a cigar in his mouth.

His left hand wore Golden Hook, and his right hand adorned with three ornate gemstone rings. This attire would normally be considered tacky, but on this man, it only added to his domineering presence!

He was wearing a black fur coat over an orange plaid long-sleeved shirt. If Roman were here, he would definitely remark. "This Crocodile, he has the air of an Italian Mafia patriarch."

As for the tall, elegant woman next to him, wearing a white cowboy hat and a white trench coat, she was completely overshadowed by his imposing presence.

As the man slowly approached, the pirates seemed to see a sandstorm sweeping across the sky! It engulfed them, and in the face of such a natural disaster, they were as insignificant as Rat... no, just insects!

"Crocodile..."

"Crocodile..."

"Shichibukai..."

One by one, names were murmured from the pirates' mouths, accompanied by boundless fear.

"He's immortal, we're doomed..." Unlike those arrogant foreign pirates, these pirates who operated in the Rain Dinners had the privilege of witnessing his power firsthand!

They were subjected to hacking and slashing, and relentless bombing.

This man would reappear unharmed from the swirling yellow sand in the next second.

With just a wave of his hand, even the strongest pirate would instantly turn into a dried-up corpse...

"Don't be afraid!"

Death is certainly terrifying, but for these pirates, a life without money, alcohol, and women is worse than death! They risk their lives to go to sea, isn't it all to satisfy their desires?

"We are invulnerable to bullets and swords! And we also have—"

"What else?"

Before the pirate, who was trying to boost morale, could react, a tall figure was already standing behind him, his fluttering black coat like a banner of death, while a wisp of sand that had passed through the pirate returned to Crocodile's hand.

Arcuate Sand Dune

After enlarging his arm into a crescent-shaped sand blade, he strikes the enemy (the sand blade will only touch the body and will not cause damage). It is a terrifying move that will drain all the moisture from the enemy once they are hit by the sand blade, and they will immediately collapse and become a dehydrated mummy.

"... Ah... ah?"

The pirate who was 'slashed' first opened his mouth wide as if on the verge of death, emitting a meaningless groan, before suddenly realizing what was happening:

"I... I... I'm alright?"

?

Slightly surprised, Crocodile Guotou and looked at these tiny challengers for the first time.

"Ha... hahahaha, I'm fine!"

The pirate burst into maniacal laughter. Crocodile's signature move, capable of instantly reducing a burly man weighing several hundred pounds to a mere skeleton of a few dozen pounds, was a nightmare for Rain Dinners pirates! But today:

"Prepare to die, K—"

Why?

The pirate, who hadn't even finished shouting his slogan, suddenly looked up, his excited brain still reeling.

What am I doing...?

Snap,

A soft sound reached his ears, accompanied by a jolt to his cheek. His gaze fell to the ground, and the last thing he saw was a headless corpse standing before him.

This is not me...

"I see,"

Crocodile, who had instantly defeated the arrogant pirate with a 'physical attack', looked thoughtfully at the opponent's 'skin'.

"Is it by covering the skin with a special 'substance' to hinder my Arcuate Sand Dune from absorbing moisture?"

Moreover, it seems to possess a slight defensive capability.

"A clever little trick,"

Crocodile took a puff of his cigar and calmly looked around at the pirates.

"So, you're planning to challenge me with these petty tricks?"

—Dead silence.

Although these pirates had just boasted that they would 'replace' Crocodile, when he actually stood there, fear, trembling, and retreat... all the pirates subconsciously distanced themselves from this infamous 'Shichibukai,' until:

They tensed up!

It's not an adjective, nor is it a psychological effect. It's simply a physical tightening! The defensive armor that had just made their skin "invincible" is now silently reminding them:

Those who retreat shall die!

"Let's give it our all!"

A pirate suddenly grabbed the water jug at his waist, poured all the water onto his weapon, and then lunged at Crocodile with a ferocious expression.

Stop putting on airs, we all know how weak you are—

Puff,

With a crisp sound, the pirate who had just rushed halfway through his journey was split into several pieces in mid-air! Several arc-shaped sand blades flashed by, while Crocodile casually took the cigar in his mouth and flicked off the ash.

"Although I don't know where you found out about my so-called weakness of being 'afraid of water,' but:"

He turned his head slightly, his aggressive pupils sweeping across the battlefield with the nonchalant air of a king surveying his territory.

"An ant that has grown teeth dares to challenge the strong?"

Nonsense!

"Let's end this boring farce."

" —Sables!"

The 'miniature tornado' that appeared out of thin air in Crocodile's palm unleashed a series of sand blades, which immediately expanded upon leaving Crocodile's palm!

The sand blades slashed through the air, emitting sharp Sonic Boom, like the howling of a gale sweeping across the sand dunes. They crisscrossed and raged across the battlefield like a whirlwind, and even thick, hard boulders were sliced open like tofu when they encountered them.

"Ahhh~~~"

"I don't want to die—"

"Rao..."

Puff puff puff puff puff!!

If rocks are like this, imagine how fragile the human body must be. Even though these pirates are covered in a layer of 'armor,' they still can't stop the flying sand blades from slicing through the battlefield. In an instant, the entire battlefield becomes like a meat grinder, with blood and flesh flying everywhere and severed limbs scattered all over the place.

"If this is what they call 'bloodshed',"

Robin, standing to the side, adjusted his white cowboy hat and shifted his gaze away from the man who remained motionless on the battlefield.

"You really are a terrifying being who can 'summon the wind and rain'."

"Boss."

PS: Thank you all for the monthly tickets, here's an extra chapter.