Sandstorm Strikes, Artificial Rainfall

Alubarna,

The huge city that could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people is now deserted.

All civilians have been evacuated to several oasis cities in the east, leaving only tens of thousands of elite Royal Army, which fill the capital of Alabasta with a chilling atmosphere!

All the water that could be collected was stored in wooden barrels, hidden inside most of the buildings, waiting—

"They're here!"

In the heart of Alubarna, in the magnificent Nefertari Royal Palace square, Roman, seated in his spider-shaped wheelchair, looked up towards the west. Although others lacked his Observation Haki and couldn't see the approaching figure, the strange phenomenon before them was clearly visible!

It was afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly on the earth in the west.

But now, the blazing sunlight was completely obscured by a golden beam that came from the west, like a rainbow piercing the sun, or a vast, boundless expanse. The entire sky was shrouded in a yellowish haze, and the blazing sun had become a ring of flickering, fading light.

Before they even arrived, the entire western region was already covered by a rolling sandstorm! For a moment, only the rumbling sound could be heard echoing across half the sky, and even the distant desert seemed to be swallowed up by this golden yellow, sweeping up and rushing towards Alubarna.

The sky and the earth seemed to merge, like the end of the world!

The inexplicable pressure pouring down from the sky made all the Royal Army still in Alubarna tremble. If they hadn't been holding the ground firmly with their weapons, they would have had trouble even standing up...

It was as if a natural disaster had struck, and all living things were regarded as ants.

"Is this... Crocodile's full power?"

Besides Roman, who was in a wheelchair, Zoro and Usopp, who were seriously injured, also stood in the square after receiving emergency treatment. Next to them was Sanji, who had less serious injuries, and Chopper, who was busy treating people.

—Overall, Luffy is actually the healthiest among them.

Faced with this ferocious power sweeping across the entire desert, not only the Straw Hat crew, but even the people standing nearby remained silent:

King Cobra, Princess Vivi, two vice-captains of the Kingdom Guard: Chaka and Chaka, and four elite Bird Claw warriors of the Kingdom Army.

On the other side were the Rebels leader Koza, Kebi wearing goggles, the chubby girl Kame, the tall Falafra,... and Chief of Staff Eric, who had torn off all the medals on his chest.

If we categorize them by bounty on the high seas, the lowest bounty present is Vivi's, at 10 million. The others are all 'minor experts' with bounties of 20-30 million, while the two Zoan users who are the guardians of Alabasta are 'experts' with bounties of 40 million. However:

Although they were all battle-hardened and resolute men, faced with the overwhelming power of heaven and earth, they asked themselves honestly...

"Don't panic,"

A voice broke the silence of the palace square as Roman, sitting in a wheelchair, waved the feather fan in his hand, attracting everyone's attention.

"Don't all look like you're dead, it's like you're already in your coffin before the fight even starts."

"If we're not afraid, then you have even less reason to be afraid, right?"

As he spoke, Roman turned to look at Luffy beside him.

"You agree, Captain."

"Of course," Luffy forward, rubbing his hands together, his face showing no fear. "I'm going to beat that damn crocodile to a pulp!"

"Today!"

"Right here!"

·······

"Oh,"

Chaka, Alabasta's strongest fighter, smiled as he looked at Vivi was being protected by him and Chaka.

"Your Highness, you have made a group of precious friends."

"Um, I—"

"They're here,"

The gale had already arrived first, making everyone's clothes flutter loudly. Then came the yellow sand that swept across the sky like Wind-Driven Lightning, blocking out the sun and turning everything into a hazy yellow, making the sky suffocate and the earth tremble!

"Give the order, Luffy."

"Usopp!!"

With Luffy's roar, Usopp immediately commanded dozens of the king's elite troops to slowly rotate a cannon and aim it at the oncoming sandstorm.

If you ask what this is—

"Mr. Crocodile, you should keep your super bomb for yourself."

Although Roman didn't know how the bomb achieved such power (reportedly reaching a range of five kilometers)... that didn't stop him from using it as the vanguard. Anyway:

They can't even kill a Zoan bird-like creature, yet they boast about destroying five kilometers...

Chaka: Thank you, I feel offended again.

"Fire!"

With Usopp's command—anyway, Roman's advice to you is 'fight by gut feeling', so:

Boom!

First came a deafening explosion, and then a straight line pierced through the yellow sand, hurtling westward at supersonic speed! Detected by Roman's Observation Haki, this massive projectile cut through everything in its path, heading towards:

A hazy, humanoid figure flew away from the yellow sand!

The figure was also carrying a tall, white...

Boom!

Holy crap, my eyes!

Wait, something's not right!

I'm observing using Observation Haki...

In an instant, even though everyone in Alubarna had already received warnings and closed their eyes, the intense light still pierced through their eyelids, making everyone's vision appear white and red!

The white light was the explosive light that covered an area of one kilometer.

Red is the image left by strong light penetrating the eyelid.

This--

Brother, with weapons this powerful, why even bother looking for Pluton?! Just make a few more, and the world's no place you can't go! One could destroy Marineford, two would instantly wipe out Holy Land Mary Geoise...

But that's just wishful thinking. This world is full of experts, and bombs that can only clear out mobs are nothing special.

But it must be said that the bomb Crocodile got from somewhere was really powerful. When it exploded, it was like a second 'sun' suddenly appeared in the sky, which blocked the overwhelming sandstorm.

The powerful explosion caused the sandstorm to dissipate, its ferocious momentum, accumulated over its long and arduous journey, to halt abruptly and plummet in strength. But the next moment, another dramatic change occurred!

Like a thunderclap that turns the night sky into day, a violent and magnificent light burst forth from a figure in the air, and in the next instant, the brownish-yellow light filled the entire sky.

In the overwhelming yellowish-brown light, the earth, plants, buildings... were all tinged with a yellowish-brown. In this domineering and cold light, the world was filled with indescribable indifference and aridity! Everything seemed to have gone through thousands of years in an instant, rapidly decaying and turning into yellow sand.

"Brother, this kind of gameplay is no fun. You start with 'Awakening' right away?"

"Crocodile,"

Even though the soldiers in the city were splashing water, the city was still turning into a desert step by step. Roman controlled his spider wheelchair and stepped forward.

"I'm here to negotiate, and the contents are:"

"Pluton!"

·········

"Oh?"

With a cold and domineering voice, the yellowish-brown light in the sky spread out, Crocodile, with his black fur coat dancing wildly behind him, descended the steps! As he landed, swirling yellow sand formed steps out of thin air, as if welcoming their king.

Behind Crocodile stood Nico Robin, dressed in a white trench coat. Judging from her shocked expression, she probably never expected her 'boss' to become so godlike and demonic once he unleashed his full power.

As the two descended the golden steps, the people in the entire palace square went from stunned to terrified, from terrified to desperate, and from desperate to resolute!

What's the point of fighting? Let's fight to the death, even if all we get is blood on the other person...

"Tell me, what do you know?"

Tell me, and I'll spare your lives!

Crocodile took off his cigar, flicked off the ash, and looked at Roman, who was sitting in a wheelchair, and Luffy beside him. Although his expression remained unchanged, his heart was already filled with doubts.

These two guys—

One was pierced through the stomach, the other through the chest. How did they end up standing in front of me again in the blink of an eye? Could they be backed by a powerful figure...?

"I know a lot more, but since this is a negotiation, there should naturally be reciprocity—"

"Don't try to stall for time."

Crocodile waved his hand Haki.

"I ran into a group of sailors on my way here, if you're counting on them. — I've already taken care of them."

?

"Excuse me, but it's not that old chain smoker, is it?"

Crocodile on the other side sneered.

"He's lucky he Fast Runner. Does he think I'm afraid of him just because he's a navy officer?"

Ah, this...

Poor Smoker, everyone else is showing off, but he's the only one getting beaten up.

"Alright, Mr. Crocodile."

Roman spread his hands, as it had been pre-arranged that the negotiation and stalling would be handled by Roman. Luffy was simply on the sidelines, wary of a possible surprise attack from Crocodile. This was the source of Roman's confidence in using rhetoric to buy time, even with his injuries severed.

"But you'd be very wrong to think we're only connected to the navy,"

"Our Straw Hat crew's background is so shocking, it'll scare you to death. I suggest you turn to rats for juice..."

Seeing Crocodile's face growing darker and darker, and that he was about to make a move, Roman had been rambling on, suddenly smiled.

"But none of this has anything to do with us."

?

"Because our captain is going to beat you up,"

Roman pointed his paper fan at Luffy beside him.

"That's what our captain said, even the Fleet Admiral can't protect you!"

Sengoku: Fight hard, don't give me any face!

"You--"

Just as Crocodile, unable to contain his anger, raised his hand, a dripping sound startled him as he felt something wet on his palm.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock,

Then it became:

Splash splash~~

Suddenly, rain began to fall from the sky, enveloping the entire battlefield in a misty haze! Although the rain wasn't heavy, it signified:

"Dance! Pink!!"

Almost uttering each word through clenched teeth, Crocodile, soaking wet, raised his head, his fierce gaze sweeping over them:

Nefertari Cobra!

"You hypocrite..."

"Don't make false accusations,"

Roman interrupted Crocodile, the raindrops falling on him like dewdrops sliding off. Now, draped in the Vivre Card, he no longer feared the merciless water and fire as he once did.

"It's not us who have Dance Powder, it's a—" Roman grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"A ship named 'Baroque Gustav'!"

"You're the one who'll be held accountable by the Navy and the World Government, Mr. Crocodile."

Crocodile looked at the boy in front of him and read the message the boy was trying to convey from his provocative gaze.

Hey, hey, hey, you don't actually think that framing someone is your exclusive right, do you?

Looks like you've really been 'on shore' for too long, crocodile—

!!

You thief, how dare you!

PS: Yeah, that's about it for Crocodile's strength, otherwise I don't think he deserves his top-tier performance.