Intelligence Failure: Ignoring Intelligence

Puff,

With the broken paper knife stuck in his hand, Roman, kneeling on the ground, forced a smile and uttered a few words in despair.

"Armament Haki... Haki?"

Oda has ruined me!

"Hmm, you do have some knowledge."

Across from him, Crocodile clutched a broken paper knife in his right hand, blood dripping from his hand. This was Roman's only 'achievement' today.

"I acknowledge you as a mid-level powerhouse,"

Crocodile was not angry at Roman, who had injured him; instead, he showed an expression of great interest.

"Now, submit to me!"

"I can spare your life."

Without any threats or intimidation, Crocodile's words carried absolute Haki and confidence! Roman almost knelt down on his other knee.

Ugh, we've completely lost...

Whether it's the development of Devil Fruits, hand-to-hand combat, or even observational weaponry...

I've done my best; there's no point in making excuses. Thankfully, the Crocodile doesn't seem to intend to kill me...

Do you want to surrender?

As long as the green hills remain, there's no worry about running out of firewood.

A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years.

A man can bend and stretch,

Feigned surrender is also...

During the battle, Crocodile, all imbued with Armament Haki. This was the first time he had witnessed such a technique, Roman had suffered broken limbs, ruptured internal organs, and numerous deep, bone-revealing wounds on his skin.

If it weren't for his superhuman physique, he would have already been sitting in the morgue waiting to be stitched up.

Admit it, Roman.

You are not a 'good person' at all!

You wouldn't even blink if countless people died in Alabasta.

Even if Crocodile obtained Pluton Cannon the entire world with it, you'd just be watching from the sidelines...

Clang,

Crocodile raised an eyebrow as the broken Sailor's Knife fell to the ground.

"I refuse!"

"Oh,"

Crocodile wasn't surprised that he could 'foresee' the future using Observation Haki; he simply took the cigar he was holding and flicked off the ash.

"An assassin,"

"Even when facing death, you still want to play the hero?"

"Hero?"

Roman struggled to his feet, supporting himself on his knees with both hands, and grinned.

"Don't get me wrong, I never thought I'd be associated with the word 'hero,' but:"

I really envy Luffy; he can always face everything with a cheerful attitude. If it were him, even if he fell into a pirate's den, he could still maintain his true self, right?

I really envy Zoro. He just needs to keep getting stronger and cut through everything in his path. He never backs down, never gives up, and keeps moving towards the throne of the World's Greatest.

I really envy Nami. A mere 10-year-old girl has to shoulder the lives of everyone in her hometown. What incredible strength! If it were me, I would have vanished without a trace long ago...

"Sorry, I'm already on someone else's boat."

Roman, covered in wounds, opened his arms and smiled as he faced Crocodile.

"Even though I'm not a good person, at least let me leave looking cool..."

Snort,

Another idiot bound by emotions.

Crocodile felt a surge of irritation, as if he were seeing his former self!

"I'll grant your wish."

"Death Spike Sand Spear!"

Puff--

With a light stomp of his foot, Crocodile unleashed a massive sand spear that shot straight up from the ground, piercing Roman instantly! It soared high into the air like a flag!

"This is what happens when you try to challenge me."

Crocodile brought the assassination to a close with his domineering words, then decisively turned and left.

Robin, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, looked at the challenger on the sand spear with his hands and head bowed, and shook his head regretfully.

It's such a pity. Someone with such a bright future, why did they have to lose their life here at such a young age...?

"Ugh, it's so hot!"

As Devil Fruit user the Gum-Gum Fruit, Luffy is inherently weak to fire. The scorching desert sun almost turned him into a puddle of mud; he was leaning on a wooden stick, his tongue lolling out, and he only managed to hold on until now thanks to a small jar of water in his chest.

"After we beat that Crocodile to a pulp, you have to treat us to a meal until we're stuffed!"

Vivi nodded vigorously in response to Luffy's words.

"Of course not—"

Snap,

"Nami, what's wrong?"

"It's because I'm too tired—"

"Could it be heatstroke...?"

Faced with the Straw Hat crew's concern, Nami, who had collapsed in the scorching desert, simply covered her mouth and shook her head, letting her tears fall and disappear instantly into the yellow sand. Because in her hand, a book titled "The Art of the Thief" automatically unfolded, revealing lines of text.

'Target: Crocodile, age 44, height 253cm, Logia Sand-Sand Devil Fruit user.'

'The target possesses the Logia passive skill' Elementalization,' making them immune to normal attacks. Under normal circumstances Armament Haki or Seastone weapon is required to break through it...'

Known combat skills include: Sables, creating a sandstorm in the hand that can be controlled in its direction; the storm intensifies over time, and the resulting sand blades can easily cut through rocks, making it impervious to ordinary iron armor...

' Arcuate Sand Dune attack, where the user's arm grows to a gigantic size and transforms into a crescent-shaped sand blade to slash at the enemy (the sand blade only touches the body and does not cause damage). This is a terrifying attack that will drain all the moisture from the target, eventually causing them to collapse and become a dehydrated mummy. —Extremely dangerous; proceed with caution in close combat.'

' The Desert Treasure Saber, a curved blade formed from extremely compressed gold dust, can easily cut through metal, its sharpness rivaling that of ordinary Great Grade Swords. It's speculated that it may have other forms...'

'Using large amounts of water can suppress the target's Elementalization, but it will be countered by the target's 'water absorption' ability. When using the right hand to absorb water, the target will experience a brief pause. Continuous suppressive attacks can prevent the opponent from activating the 'water absorption' ability...'

'When the opponent is careless and underestimates you, you can try the above tactics...'

'Attention: The opponent possesses the strength of a swordsman! This contradicts the intelligence, and the combination with the Desert Treasure Saber is extremely dangerous! Close combat must be approached with extreme caution...'

"Attention: The opponent possesses Observation Haki! This is highly inconsistent with the intelligence! It is estimated to be advanced! Cancel all battle plans! Cancel..."

"Caution: The opponent possesses Armament Haki; they have been captured Elementalization..."

"Attention: The opponent possesses the ability to fly, and travels at great speed—"

That was it; the words in the book ended abruptly there. Only a blank white space followed, leaving the Straw Hat crew members who had gathered around in silence.

Although they weren't entirely clear about this creation of the fruit of Roman, however:

The increasingly illegible handwriting and the increasingly brief sentences clearly illustrate one point...

Splash!

As the pages turned on their own without any wind, a line of words, written on them at some unknown time, came into view.

'Um... if you see this... never mind, let's get down to business.'

In the current situation, there's actually a very simple solution: immediately notify the nearby Marine base and contact the World Government's intelligence agency, CP, telling them that Crocodile is after 'Pluton'. They could even reveal that Pluton's 'instruction manual'—the Poneglyph —is located in Vivi's family tomb.

Believe me, soon a large number of skilled fighters, even Marine Admiral, will descend to earth and deliver a slap on Crocodile. All the crisis will vanish into thin air! Congratulations! Congratulations!

Certainly:

The downside of doing this is that the World Government will target Alabasta, and the consequences might not be much better than if Crocodile succeeded. However: if you insist on moving forward, I recommend using my method.

... Yes, the days I spent sailing with you all were the happiest time of my life... so...

You bunch of weaklings who can't even beat me! Just do as I say! Who do you think you are? Chosen ones? Protagonists of the world?! Or...?

—Sorry, that's all I wanted to say.

Tokovic Roman

Keep'

"It seems Roman has already..."

Sanji silently threw the cigarette on the ground, then stomped the cigarette he had just taken a puff into the yellow sand.

"So, what's next—"

He glanced up at Luffy at the front of the group. There was nothing he could do about it; with such rough seas, it was normal for a few people to die. After all, this wasn't a fairy tale...

"Keep going!!"

Luffy dropped the wooden stick in his hand and adjusted the Straw Hat on his head.

"Can·····"

The intelligence before them, delivered with lives at stake, reminded them of just how powerful the enemy they were about to face truly was.

"I didn't hear anything!!!"

"All I know is that I'm going to beat up that bastard Crocodile!!!"

Luffy suddenly Guotou, revealing a face that was tightly suppressing his anger.

"And Roman, he dared to run away alone, I'm going to beat him up too!!!"

Ah, this...

Are you planning to desecrate a corpse?

Even though they should have been feeling very sad, Luffy's words left everyone unsure how to react.

"Luffy is right,"

Nami was the first to react. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and was the first to perk up.

"Roman will be alright!"

As she spoke, she waved the book "The Art of the Thief" in her hand, "Don't forget, this was created by Roman's abilities. — As long as this book is still functioning normally, it means that Roman, as its creator, is still alive and well."

!

"Yes, Paramecia creations only need their master not to..."

Usopp covered his mouth and turned it to the side, not uttering the unpleasant words that followed.

"Snort,"

Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Roman is not just that kind of man."

Despite saying that, his hand, which had been gripping the hilt of the knife until it turned white, finally loosened its grip slightly.

"Hey~~!"

In the time it takes to say a few words, Luffy has already run so far that he's practically just a tiny dot.

"Hurry up and keep up!!"

"Let's go,"

"Let's go to the Rain Dinners and beat up the Crocodile."

Rescue Roman.

Clutching the book tightly to her chest, Nami dared not imagine what would happen if the book suddenly 'disappeared'...

P. S.: Hmm, hmm, hmm, this shouldn't count as protagonist abuse, right? Which manga protagonist hasn't lost at some point...?

By the way, you can guess how Roman escaped death. —I hinted at it earlier.