Fallen into the Trap, Arrogant Crocodile

"Stop! Don't run!"

This is Smoker, the old smoker with two cigars in his mouth, the 'White Hunter'.

"Ugh, why are there marines here too?"

Luffy looked utterly devastated; his Gum-Gum Devil Fruit ability were simply no match for the opponent's Smoke-Smoke Fruit.

"How should I know? Anyway, run!"

This is Usopp, who is very confident in his escape, a fierce man who can keep up with a cheetah on two feet.

"Halt! Roronoa Zoro!"

This is Navy Petty Tashigi wearing glasses.

"Aaaaaah~~~ Don't let me see your face!" The beautiful female swordswoman from the Navy was enraged by Zoro's words!

Are you looking down on me?

"You despicable Green Algae Head, what did you do to the beautiful navy lady?!"

This is Sanji when his 'gentlemanly' spirit begins to emerge.

"Please be serious, we're on the run."

Nami covered her forehead, utterly speechless.

"Why am I, a reindeer, being chased?!"

With Roman absent, Nami vented all his frustrations for him.

"Chopper, you suddenly remembered you're a reindeer? Didn't you always emphasize that you're a human reindeer...?"

"Humans are so scary, I want to be a reindeer!!"

This is Chopper in his reindeer form, running on all fours with his luggage on his back.

Besides friendship and adventure, the life of a pirate also includes:

Chased by the navy!

Under the blazing sun, two groups raced across the desert! The Straw Hat crew were fleeing in front, while Smoker and his Marine comrades pursued them closely behind. However:

As they ran, the naval soldiers began to fall behind, panting heavily. Smoker, Guotou, frowned at the sight.

A bunch of good-for-nothings, they can't even outrun pirates!

What use are you?

"Look, there's Rain Dinners ahead!"

The outline of buildings and an oasis appeared on the horizon, which invigorated the Straw Hat crew, who collectively began to accelerate! Smoker, watching from the back, choked on a puff of his cigarette.

These pirates! Are their physical abilities all this exaggerated...?

"I'll go after them first, you guys catch up yourselves!"

This teammate is impossible to carry.

Whoosh whoosh,

Smoker's lower body turned into white smoke and he soared into the air, gliding forward at close range! This startled the Straw Hat crew.

"Don't come any closer!"

"Run in a dispersed manner! Run in a dispersed manner!"

"Wait a minute! Where is that damn crocodile?"

Amidst the astonished gazes of a few down-on-their-luck pirates (who had been tricked by Roman) in the suburbs, a group of teenagers came running towards them, followed by a smoking Devil Fruit user. Further away, a group of Marines moved listlessly toward them.

This········

"The tallest building in the city is," Vivi, acting as the guide, quickly explained, "surrounded by a pool, its exterior is shaped like a giant pyramid, with a huge Banana Crocodile carved on it. It's very easy to spot—"

"Alright, let's meet there!"

At Luffy's command, everyone consciously moved away from him.

There's no way around it, Luffy's taunt level is just too high. Basically, wherever he goes, he's the first main force to engage in combat... like right now:

"Stop right there, Straw Hat Kid!"

As expected, Smoker only had eyes for Luffy, much to the relief of the other Straw Hat crew members who had scattered. However:

"Be careful, this is Baroque Works' headquarters. If they're discovered—"

Zoro glanced at the men on the streets, carrying knives and guns, their eyes filled with hostility, and at the 'portraits' they held. Although the Straw Hat crew had put on some 'disguise,' it was simply unrealistic to expect them to fool these professionals.

"... It's too late, but..."

Anyway, their plan was to cause a huge scene and take down the other side's leader. So whether they were discovered or not didn't really matter.

Just fight your way through!

"Oh, Vivi and a group of pirates have broken into this city?"

"Yes, a squadron leader just sent a message."

Beneath the colossal casino known as the Rain Dinners, in a luxurious room situated in the middle of a lake, Crocodile listened to Nico Robin's report and smiled smugly.

"Ha ha ha ha,"

"Give these silly little Rat a proper welcome."

"Yes!"

Nicole Robin, who was wearing a long white sweater next to him, nodded.

Personally, she didn't dislike the Straw Hat Pirates. But some things aren't about whether you like them or not, but about how to survive.

"The White Snake!"

The extended white smoke suddenly grabbed Luffy, who had jumped into the air, and trapped him firmly! Although Luffy couldn't create a strong wind like Roman did to blow the opponent away, he had already considered how to deal with it.

"Rubber-"

Luffy suddenly took a deep breath.

"Balloon!"

Expansion—

With a sudden expansion of his body, Luffy forcefully shook off the smoke that was binding him, and took the opportunity to leap towards the tallest building in the city!

A quick glance from mid-air revealed Zoro had just defeated a group of combatants, and Nami and Usopp, who were being chased by the same group. The group was heading towards the tallest building in the city: Rain Dinners.

Snap!

Luffy's sudden appearance from the sky startled a group of passersby, and then:

Just do what you're supposed to do.

After all, this is the territory of Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai of Crocodile Sea. Who would dare cause trouble here? The only outcome would be being turned into a mummy! Therefore:

"Crocodile ~~~ Come out here!!"

Despite Luffy's Luffy as he stormed into the casino, everyone ignored him and continued their games. Then Nami rushed in and punched him!

"This is their main base! What do you mean by shouting like that?"

"Yeah, yeah, and I don't even know what that Crocodile looks like—"

Usopp chimed in from the side, and then:

"Crocodile, Vivi!!" x2

Faced with Luffy and Usopp's shouts, Nami and Zoro covered their foreheads in speechless disbelief.

"Roman's intelligence report states that the target is a tall (253 cm) middle-aged man with Golden Hook in his left hand. With this information, locating him shouldn't be difficult."

"Wait a minute, sir!"

"Navy prohibited..."

The commotion behind them Luffy and the others Guotou, and then they saw Smoker, the White Hunter, break free of the casino guards and rush in!

"He's a heavy Smoker..."

"Run!"

Luffy and his crew instinctively started running around randomly, but this was, after all, a casino; where could they possibly run to?

"Welcome, welcome!"

"This way, everyone—"

?!

Ahead lay a red carpet avenue lined with staff in suits, while glamorous dancers bowed and extended invitations. At the end of the red carpet stood a magnificent gate, engraved with the letters 'VIP'.

"Crocodile!" Luffy roared angrily, charging forward, "Does that mean you're going to bring it on?"

"A head-on fight?" Zoro's fighting spirit soared. "At least he's a reasonable bastard!"

"Wait," Nami instinctively sensed something was wrong; they were enemies. There was no reason for this...

"VIP special treatment?"

Smoker, standing behind, took a deep drag on his cigar. "What's your relationship with Crocodile? Why are you hanging out with the Alabasta princess? —Never mind,"

The naval captain, codenamed 'White Hunter,' rushed into the VIP passage with Luffy and the others, shouting, "I'll send you all to prison—"

Click,

The scene shifts, and the group is now squatting in a cage, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Ah, what a brilliant trap."

Luffy Satori.

"That's right, there's nothing we can do about it."

Usopp nodded as well.

"You bunch of idiots!" Nami roared, "You ran right into someone else's trap and you still have the nerve to complain?!"

In short, this VIP passage was a trap. As for Luffy and his crew... even Smoker, who was chasing behind, was utterly speechless. How could a seasoned Marine captain suddenly lose all his intelligence and fall for such a simple trap?

It must be Straw Hat Kid's fault!

"Why have I been unable to muster any strength since just now?" Luffy subconsciously walked to the cage, and as soon as he touched the iron cage, he slid down like a noodle.

"This situation,"

Nami was startled and pulled Luffy up. As soon as he was out of the iron cage, Luffy seemed to regain his strength.

"Is it Seastone?"

"Oh,"

Smoker, who had been silent all along, glanced at Nami with surprise.

"This young lady has some knowledge; she even knows about Seastone. What a pity—"

Judging from his expression, it was as if he had "You're such a beautiful woman, why did you have to become a thief?" written all over his face.

"This is terrible!"

Nami's expression changed. Luffy was a Devil Fruit user, and the "The Art of the Thief" in her possession was also a creation of Devil Fruit power. —Because the "The Art of the Thief" was essentially a part of Roman, possessing the characteristic of being 'alive,' it would also be suppressed by this cage! And more importantly:

In that case, she couldn't even determine whether Roman was still...

"It doesn't matter,"

Smoker stood up and drew his weapon Jitte, from his back.

"I will wipe you all out right here..."

Clang,

"Then you can give it a try."

With a press of his thumb, the Wado Ichimonji in his hand was ready to be drawn at any moment! The tension was palpable within the cage, and at that very moment:

"Save your energy."

A calm yet Haki middle-aged voice interrupted the standoff between Smoker and Zoro.

"Because you will soon be going to the afterlife together, you should cherish your time together..."

He was a tall, middle-aged man wearing an orange plaid long-sleeved shirt and a black fur coat. He had his hair slicked back, a long horizontal scar on his face, an earring in his right ear, a cigar in his mouth, and a Golden Hook in his left hand.

Both men are always seen with cigars, but unlike Smoker, who has a 'thug' look, this man exudes the aura of a top Underworld boss.

"Crocodile!"

"Crocodile— "

"This is the guy..."

Almost instantly, Luffy and the others recognized the man! Even Nami, who had been suppressing her emotions, suddenly rushed to the iron cage and looked at the man who was sitting with his legs crossed.

"Where's Roman!"

"You locked Roman up there—"

"Roman?"

Crocodile tilted his head and glanced disdainfully at the excited Nami in the cage.

Who is that?

"He was defeated by you—"

"Ha~~"

Nami's words were interrupted with a cold laugh by the other party.

"A nobody, I killed him with a flick of my wrist."

"What did you say!!"

"Asshole!"

"Clang!"

Faced with the Straw Hat crew's sudden outburst of rage, Crocodile simply flicked his cigar.

"I'm just telling the truth,"

The man named Crocodile had a pair of eyes that held an aloof indifference.

"Do you even remember how many slices of bread you ate each day?"

P. S.: Thank you for your support, fellow readers! And could you please vote for me?