"Crocodile, you're far too slow!!"
Teleportation!!
Their positions switched.
Reno appeared behind Crocodile and threw a punch. Boom!!!
Crocodile's face instantly twisted out of shape. His nose was smashed crooked, and several teeth flew from his mouth along with blood.
Crocodile traced an arc through the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.
His distorted face had another intimate encounter with the floor.
"I was going to give you a quick death, but who told you to have such a filthy mouth and threaten Robin?"
"You..."
Crocodile had barely uttered a word when Reno teleported over again.
He kicked him in the face once more.
Crocodile spat out several more bloody teeth and was sent flying dozens of meters away. He only stopped after slamming into a wall, snapping several thick stone pillars along the way.
Robin watched helplessly as Crocodile flew past her.
"Th-this..." Robin covered her face with both hands, completely losing control of her expression.
Was that really Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai, who had just flown past her?!!
Why did he look like a helpless chick in front of Reno?!
He had been passively beaten from beginning to end, utterly incapable of fighting back.
And Reno had just said he was teaching Crocodile a lesson because of her, hadn't he?!
Why did such a bloody scene feel a little moving to watch?!
"Don't worry. I'll finish him off soon." Through her daze, Reno's gentle voice drifted into her ears as he walked past her.
Robin subconsciously nodded.
In a corner of the palace, Crocodile lay on the ground like a dead dog, his vision blurring.
Painful groans escaped his mouth.
That punch and kick from Reno had nearly sent him to meet his ancestors.
Damn it!!!
Even when he had challenged Whitebeard back then, he had never been this miserable.
"You can use both Observation Haki and Armament Haki. Who exactly are you?!!"
Crocodile braced himself against a stone pillar and forced himself to stand despite the pain, glaring viciously at Reno as he approached.
Back then, he had mastered both forms of Haki as well.
At the time, he encountered Douglas Bullet, a member of the Roger Pirates. After a fierce battle, neither emerged victorious.
That same year, swollen with confidence, he challenged the Great Pirate Whitebeard, only to be knocked awake by a single slash from Whitebeard.
From then on, he left the New World and came to Alabasta, beginning his plan to seize the Ancient Weapon Pluton.
But in this region, his Sand-Sand Fruit abilities were enough to sweep through everything.
Over time, he had neglected his Haki training.
Now, Crocodile could only recognize Observation Haki and Armament Haki. He had long since forgotten how to use them.
After twenty peaceful years, Crocodile had never expected to encounter such a tough opponent as Reno today.
"What?! You want to have a sudden power-up too?!" Reno looked at Crocodile disdainfully. Did he think he had some invincible cheat like the protagonists?!
"Damn it!!" Crocodile glared at Reno, his eyes nearly splitting apart.
This bastard clearly had the strength to defeat him, yet he kept toying with and humiliating him.
Was it really just because of that threatening remark earlier?!!
He was just a woman. Men of their status could have as many as they wanted.
"There's one more thing..." Reno suddenly dragged out his words as if he had recalled something, his gaze drifting downward.
"Back then, did you really seek out Ivankov because..."
Boom!!!
Before Reno could finish, adrenaline instantly took over Crocodile's body. An incomparably sharp aura erupted from within him, no weaker than at his peak.
The killing intent, nearly solid enough to take form, made Robin's expression change instantly after she had relaxed. She instinctively hid in a corner.
She had no idea why Crocodile was reacting so violently after hearing that sentence.
It was like someone had stepped on a cat's tail.
Crocodile's excessive reaction immediately stirred Robin's curiosity. Even when the plan he had plotted for years had failed, she had never seen him lose his composure like this.
Ivankov?! That okama?!
Robin had already begun imagining the love-hate drama between the two.
Could it be true?!
Reno silently complained to himself.
So he had that kind of bizarre preference.
"Reno!!!"
With his deepest secret exposed, Crocodile completely lost his mind.
He no longer cared about any plan or Pluto.
At that moment, he had only one thought: get rid of Reno.
"Die!! Corrosion Cycle!!"
Crocodile roared in fury and decisively unleashed his ultimate move!!
The power of sand erupted. With him at the center, wind and sand rapidly spread outward.
Wherever the wind and sand swept through, the ground, walls, stone pillars—every tangible object—were instantly assimilated. The entire hall became part of a world of sand under this power.
Ivankov was Crocodile's taboo, a name no one could mention in front of him!
Even if his plan failed, that matter absolutely could not be known by anyone.
Anyone who knew that secret had to die!!!
"Desert Diamond Blade!!!"
Crocodile swung his Gold Hook, and the quicksand covering the ground flowed rapidly as though it had come alive.
The instant it neared Reno, an enormous sand blade suddenly shot out and slashed toward his head.
The Desert Diamond Blade not only possessed the sharpness of a sword, but could also drain all the moisture from a human body and turn its victim into a dried corpse.
"So you're embarrassed into rage already?! Looks like the rumors were true." Reno chuckled as he blocked Crocodile's attack.
Now that he knew the truth, he could no longer look at Crocodile directly.
A chill ran through his heart.
Wasn't the original setup good enough?!
Why insist on making things so flashy?
"Reno, shut up!!"
"Desert Greatsword!!"
Crocodile's right arm plunged into the quicksand, merging with it.
At the same time, the Observation Haki within Reno suddenly warned him.
Teleportation!!
The instant Reno vanished, a massive quicksand sword suddenly struck, slashing at where he had just stood.
The slash missed. The greatsword collapsed and merged with the quicksand once more.
"Crocodile, it seems you've gotten too used to enjoying yourself in Alabasta these past years. You've truly grown lazy in your training."
"If this is all you have, then you can die now!!!"
Reno flipped his palm and slowly raised the long blade in his hand.
Seeing Reno's movement, Crocodile's heart skipped a beat.
Although he did not possess Observation Haki, he could distinctly smell the scent of death.
Run!!!
Without the slightest hesitation, Crocodile's body burst apart with a bang, completely merging with the quicksand in the palace.
"You want to run?!!"
Reno's gaze sharpened. His Observation Haki firmly locked onto Crocodile as he fiercely swung the long blade in his hand!
"Hagoku!!!"
Boom!!
A gigantic Energy Shockwave shot forth like a cannonball, charging toward Crocodile with overwhelming force.
"No—"
Crocodile's terrified voice rose from the river of sand. The next second, the Armament Haki-enhanced slash struck his true body directly, splitting him in two.
The quicksand vanished, and Crocodile's true body appeared once again.
Crocodile, not yet completely dead, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something. But in less than a second, his breath ceased.
The palace fell into terrifying silence.
"He's dead?!" Robin stared blankly at Crocodile lying in a pool of blood, feeling as though it were all a dream.
After all, aside from Admiral Akainu and Admiral Aokiji, Crocodile was the strongest person she had ever encountered.
After a while, Robin finally accepted the truth.
Crocodile was truly dead.
"Captain, you did very well." Seeing that Crocodile was dead, all of Robin's worries vanished, and she finally revealed her truest self.
"Who told him to bully our Princess Vivi and Miss Robin?" As he spoke, Reno's right arm had already domineeringly wrapped around Robin's slender waist.
Robin was slightly flustered, but she quickly returned to normal.
"Captain, you're so lecherous. I'm really worried about my future." Robin spread her hands, her expression helpless. She could already foresee what awaited her.
She had disguised and protected it for so many years, painstakingly keeping it until now.
It seemed she would have to say goodbye to that thing in the next few days.
"That can wait. I'll take you to see the Poneglyph first." Ignoring Robin's coquettish gaze, Reno led her straight toward the deepest part of the palace.
The other battlefield.
Clang!!
Clang!!
Several clashes of metal rang through the night sky.
Tashigi's figure, hidden in the shadows, unleashed several consecutive slashes.
"Shadow Moon Consecutive Slashes!!"
Tashigi spoke expressionlessly, then sheathed Wado Ichimonji!!
Rip—
Rip—
The next second, Daz Bones's skin split apart, followed by several deep slash marks.
Crimson blood gushed out, dyeing the ground red.
Before you continue