Crocodile Attacks, Okama Friendship

"What?!"

A roar came from the vehicle transporting the giant tortoise 'Binchi' in the desert, several hours away from Alubarna.

Say it again!

Clad in a black fur coat, Crocodile abruptly stood up, completely devoid of his usual composed demeanor, and coldly questioned the Den Den Mushi he held in his hand.

Yes... yes...

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi was a company commander who had narrowly escaped the purge. As a Baroque Works spy infiltrated into the Royal Army, he had luckily evaded the purging and even managed to contact high-ranking officers outside the city. However, the result was:

"Not only did the cadres encounter the enemy, but most of the Rebels also..."

As a grassroots leader, the squad leader already had the right to choose his own 'clothing' and didn't need to tattoo the Baroque Works logo on his body, so he allowed them to escape with their lives for the time being. However:

With a large number of low-ranking personnel apprehended, these junior commanders will inevitably be identified sooner or later! And what awaits them then is:

Even being torn to pieces or dismembered would not be enough to vent my anger!

Thanks to the work of their 'Baroque Works', the number of people who have died in Alabasta due to drought and civil war is not in the hundreds or thousands, but in the hundreds of thousands or even millions!

Each person could be shot repeatedly for several minutes without feeling it was too little...

"... Excuse me, Miss, are you available all Sundays? We should—"

Click,

Crocodile casually hung up the Den Den Mushi, not bothering to care about the poor wretch who had tipped him off. His entire demeanor darkened, and a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at Nico Robin beside him!

"I understand how you feel, boss."

Faced with the menacing killing intent that was right in front of her, Nico Robin simply spread her hands.

"But I still want to say that I didn't do it."

·······

"I know,"

Crocodile took a deep drag on his cigar, forcing himself to calm down!

Although he couldn't see through Nico Robin in front of him, his Observation Haki clearly sensed that Nico Robin harbored an extreme desire for their goal! At this crucial moment, she had no need to resort to such self-destructive tactics.

Besides, this woman is sitting right next to him right now. With Crocodile's strength, he could kill her with a single stroke! If she really was behind this, there's no reason why she wouldn't have escaped Crocodile's senses.

But that doesn't make sense.

Only he and the woman beside him knew the details of the entire plan; the other executives of Baroque Works were merely following orders. Even if they had leaked information, things shouldn't have turned out this way! It's like...

"It's as if there's an invisible pair of eyes watching everything we do."

Crocodile, having calmed down, took a deep breath and looked in Alubarna's direction.

"Someone saw through all my plans and sabotaged them at the most crucial moment—"

But an intelligence network capable of instantly shutting down everything before they could act... could it be them? The World Government's intelligence agency, CP...?

"Should we retreat, boss?"

Robin, dressed in a white trench coat, noticed Crocodile's hesitation. If even he was backing down, then she could only watch helplessly as the Poneglyph passed right before her eyes...

"Hehehe, you're not happy about it either, Nico Robin?"

Crocodile sneered. Regardless of which force was sabotaging things behind the scenes, he was now on the verge of execution and had no choice but to act. So—

"It seems I've been playing the role of a 'hero' in this country for so long that people have forgotten my true purpose!"

Pirates.

Pirates who will stop at nothing!

"Let's go see who's behind this."

Since the entire plan has been sabotaged and the 'peaceful' takeover of Alabasta has become a pipe dream, Crocodile doesn't mind taking a gamble! With the entire Alubarna as hostage, surely the 'merciful' Nefertari royal family will know what to choose?

With a flick of his trench coat, Crocodile swept Nico Robin up with him, their lower bodies transforming into a swirling tornado as they hurtled away into the distance! Since scheming had failed, he would break the deadlock with brute force.

Kill!

On the other side of the battlefield,

Hahaha~~

Sanji was trampled underfoot by Vivi, who was laughing loudly, and looked like he was at a disadvantage.

"All talk and no action, can't you even stand up straight? Third-rate chef!" Mr. 2 von Clay, with a face resembling Vivi, dressed in a swan-like gown and a pink trench coat, smiled... and he was quite handsome.

"Don't think I'll just take a beating! No matter how much you resemble Vivi, you're still just a transvestite at heart!"

Sanji is enraged!

"Don't get too cocky—"

"I got carried away~~"

Sanji has fallen.

Is this guy an idiot?

"A magnificent swan dance!"

Regardless, take him down first! Facing Sanji, who had been hit with a flying kick and was finally getting into a defensive stance, Mr. 2 Bon Clay had already figured out his opponent's strength.

It's labeled 'Gentleman,' but reads like an old snakeskin...

"Ugh, the weather in this country is so hot!"

Mr. 2 von Clay easily defeated the old snakeskin!

"It makes you want to take all your clothes off!"

As she spoke, she pulled open her collar, revealing...

"Do you need my help?"

Facing a red-faced Sanji, Mr. 2 Bon Clay remained expressionless. —That's it? If I'd known he was this easy to deal with... I'd instantly turned on him.

"Okama Kenpo!"

A sudden, close-range chop to the neck struck Sanji hard, nearly knocking the blond, suited chef unconscious. Then came:

"Heel Kick!"

Although the name is ridiculous, Mr. 2 Bon Clay's kicks, which combine strength and speed honed through rigorous training, are by no means weak. He can even break a concrete pillar that an adult has to hug with one kick! Poor Sanji instantly sent flying to the side, tumbling more than a dozen times in a series of cracking sounds before coming to a stop.

"Hahaha, so easy, so easy!"

"Unforgivable! How dare you use Miss Vivi's appearance to seduce me—"

Sanji, having rolled over and gotten to his feet, kicked out with a flurry of leg movements! In an instant, he attacked Mr. 2 Bon Clay, who had revealed his true form! However, the latter simply calmly touched his face with his right hand.

You're not going to kick me, are you?

Faced with Vivi's pitiful face, Sanji instinctively twisted his waist mid-air to change the trajectory of his kick! But—

"Okama Hand Blade!"

Sanji was hit again and sent flying backward, spraying blood all over the yellow sand! The paper cranes circling in the air next to him almost fell headfirst.

What the hell?!

This is a life-or-death battle, and the opponent is a shapeshifting transvestite! You still can't bring yourself to do it???

You're telling me this is gentlemanly conduct?

It's clearly the old snakeskin spirit, isn't it?

Meanwhile, Roman, seated in his spider-shaped wheelchair and leading Vivi and the Rebels leaders back to Alubarna, clutched his forehead and waved his hand dismissively at Vivi's concern. Was he really going to tell Vivi that a transvestite was beating up Sanji while wearing her face?

Forget it, the Straw Hat crew can't afford to lose face like that...

But:

"I've seen through your tricks!"

Sanji had been dealt another heavy blow, stood up and calmly lit a cigarette.

"You can transform into Vivi to prevent me from attacking, but when you attack, you'll revert to your transvestite body!"

"So, does your transformation alter your physical constitution, making you unsuitable for combat?"

Faced with Sanji's reasoning, Mr. 2 Bon Clay's expression froze.

The other person is right. The reason he frequently switches transformations is because only his own well-trained body can unleash his full fighting potential! But once he transforms into someone else...

"So what?"

Even if you see through the flaws in my Mane Mane no Mi, you still can't defeat it—

Speed!

A figure flashed, and the black boots billowing high caught Mr. 2 Bon Clay's eye, causing him to quickly touch his right cheek, instantly transforming into Vivi's appearance! But:

What's on your left cheek?

"Ah?"

Mr. 2 von Clay, who had automatically reverted to his original appearance, froze as he subconsciously touched his left cheek!

Oh no!

"Shoulder Loin Shoot!"

With a sudden burst of power, the whistling kick landed heavily on Mr. 2 Bon Clay's face, catching him completely off guard. But it wasn't over yet:

"Waist Meat!"

A leg swept across Mr.2 Bon Clay's waist, catching him off guard and igniting his competitive spirit!

"This humble servant—"

"He's not someone who only relies on Devil Fruit ability!"

"The Swan Dance!"

"Banquets of Meat Platter!"

The two men launched themselves forward at a speed of more than ten times per second! They faced off head-on, neither willing to give an inch.

The sky was filled with countless leg shadows, some kicking straight through the air, some meandering and twisting, some using each other's force to cancel each other out, and some colliding and resisting each other head-on!

Clap clap clap clap clap!

Two legs capable of shattering rocks and cracking metal clashed repeatedly, creating a deafening explosion that reverberated through the air, causing the ground to crack and crumble, sending sand flying like bullets! Until—

"Veal Shoot!"

In the end, Sanji proved to be the better player, kicking his opponent more than ten meters away! The power of the spiraling penetration even caused Mr. 2 Bon Clay to spit blood in mid-air.

"... cough cough... amazing..."

Mr. 2 von Clay, who was lying on the ground without even the strength to turn over, exclaimed in genuine admiration, and then:

"Kill me!"

If one's skills are inferior, one should naturally offer one's neck for execution! However:

A hand was stretched out in front of him. He looked up and saw Sanji's handsome face.

"This battle was really enjoyable, as for the rest..."

"... No need to say more."

·······

Is this what they mean by "no fight, no friendship"?

This guy... is a true friend!

Mr. 2 von Clay, almost moved to tears by the other person's gesture, extended his hand, and then:

Bang bang bang!

"After all that talk, you're still going to beat me up?"

"Who told you to look like Vivi— "

Sanji, having beaten up the other person, turned around and waved.

"They're gone."

P. S.: I've realized I don't know how to write about kicking techniques...