Luffy vs. Crocodile

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

On the sandy ground filled with black smoke, Ace was panting heavily, bent over.

He kept wiping the sweat from his face.

He looked rather disheveled at that moment.

Fortunately, the opponent was already lying nearby and temporarily unable to move.

Compared to his injuries, Enel's were undoubtedly more serious... However, Ace did not kill him, after all, this was just a 'contest'.

He understood what the God Slayer meant.

If they really kill each other, then it will be a conflict between the Hell Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates.

He closed his eyes, swallowed hard, and exhaled a breath of stale air.

Put the cowboy hat back on.

Overall, he thoroughly enjoyed the battle... Through this 'sparring,' he had already discerned Enel's weaknesses. Although he had won for now, given time to grow stronger, Enel would likely become a very 'troublesome' opponent.

"That ability..."

Looking at Enel lying motionless on the ground, Ace's emotions gradually calmed down.

This battle had the biggest impact on him.

It was one of Enel's two abilities... one of which caused him to lose his 'direction' during the battle, unable to distinguish east from west, north from south, and even his movements became distorted, and he even brushed past the 'Bleach' several times, leaving him with lingering fear!

It can control his sensory system.

Fortunately, his Haki came in handy, promptly eliminating his own abnormality.

He possesses Conqueror's Haki... which has a certain 'restraint' effect on all abilities.

If his Haki aura had been even slightly weaker, he might have... fallen for it.

Ace knew that God Slayer could grant others divine power... He now suspected that the other members of the Hell Pirates might all be dual Devil Fruit users like Enel.

If so, that would be a bit 'horrifying'.

It's no wonder that the World Government, including Kaido and Big Mom, coveted Oboro's power.

Pulling his thoughts back, Ace glanced at the scorched wounds on his body caused by lightning... Elementalization doesn't mean absolute immunity to all attacks. The power of a Devil Fruit is controlled and mastered by the user. In other words, he needs to react in time, otherwise the attack might arrive before he can even elementalize.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit's inherent attribute is its exceptional speed.

Unexpectedly... as a fellow Logia-type Devil Fruit user, I was actually injured by the other party's Devil Fruit ability.

Thinking of this, Ace gave a self-deprecating smile.

He turned to look into the distance, where the rest of the Hell Pirates were slowly approaching under the cover of night.

"Now you can tell me, right?"

"Ace asked."

"Nearly a month ago, Blackbeard Teach and several of his companions appeared in Mock Town."

"Long answered."

Where did they go?

Ace.

"Banaro Island, you can try heading in that direction... He's waiting for you too."

Oboro said directly.

In order to win cooperation with the World Government, Marshall D. Teach initially planned to hunt down One Piece with bounties of over 100 million in exchange for 'profits'.

Marshall D. Teach has probably set his sights on many of the rising stars Four Blues.

Including the Straw Hat Pirates.

However, now that the Hell Pirates have appeared, Marshall D. Teach may have to change his mind. Capturing Ace is just the worst-case scenario, a last resort.

But now it has to be done.

"Remember your promise."

After finishing his sentence, Ace turned around and left resolutely without lingering.

He was reminding Oboro not to Luffy.

This also serves as a warning to the Hell Pirates that if anything happens to Luffy, they will hold Oboro responsible.

Although he is wary of the God Slayer, it doesn't mean he's afraid... Judging from the current overall situation, even though the Hell Pirates have a good reputation, they are still far behind the Yonko.

The most direct manifestation of this is core combat capability.

Aside from Enel, none of the other captains of the Whitebeard Pirates are currently capable of competing with him.

Oboro sensed Ace's threat but ignored it with a smile, saying, "You're no match for him."

He spoke to Ace's retreating figure.

"Marshall D. Teach has received my blessing... If you really go up against him, you will be walking into a trap."

However, Oboro's words did not shake Ace's will or make him hesitate.

As Ace walked further and further away.

Dorans, standing beside him, asked in surprise, "Captain, this Fire Fist Ace will lose to that Blackbeard?"

Dorans was a little skeptical.

That Blackbeard is quite dangerous, but he doesn't seem as strong as Ace.

"Don't be fooled by Blackbeard's appearance... that kind of person..."

Before Long could explain, Dom chimed in.

The latter recalled the sniper who had fled for his life from under his blade.

His gaze was cold.

In short, Marshall D. Teach's appearance is very deceptive.

Yurivich strode forward and hoisted Enel, who was still conscious but covered in wounds and unable to move, onto his shoulder.

Another failure.

But this time, neither Enel's reaction nor the members of the Hell Pirates were calm.

The two priests Gedatsu and Satori, also remained silent.

Lonely's gaze remained fixed on the direction where Ace had disappeared.

Luffy and Ace are very similar, especially in their extreme obsession with the things they care about.

Shanks should have already met with Whitebeard. Shanks also noticed Blackbeard Teach's situation and specially boarded the Moby Dick to ask Whitebeard to stop Ace's actions, because he felt that Marshall D. Teach was quite dangerous and Ace was very likely to get into a 'quagmire'.

Doesn't Whitebeard know? Of course he does.

But he also understood Ace's personality.

Even after instructing Marco to contact Ace, the results were minimal.

Oboro's words at this moment had no effect on Ace either.

It can be said that Ace was destined to fall into Marshall D. Teach's hands; that was his fate.

The Summit War was an unchangeable part of the story.

"They're gone."

Then, Oboro rode the air currents, carrying everyone away from this place.

A few days later, Enel, still recovering from his serious injuries, appeared in Alubarna with the Hell Pirates.

They rushed over upon hearing the news.

Oboro kept Dom on his toes regarding the movements of Alabasta.

A riot broke out in this capital city today.

The Straw Hat Pirates have also clashed with Baroque Works.

When they arrived, Luffy was engaged in a fierce battle with Crocodile inside the palace, where many buildings had collapsed and turned into ruins.

The square at the entrance to the palace was packed with people.

It seems that Luffy and his Baroque Works in the past few days, until the Final Battle breaks out.

As for Ace, he has obviously already left.

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea... Crocodile."

"Hiss... Straw Hat is fighting injured? Has he not recovered yet?"

"This injury is recent; it's likely that the Crocodile taught it a lesson before today..."

"This kid's vitality is simply too tenacious..."

High in the sky, Long and the others watched the battlefield on the ground and discussed it incessantly.