Alabasta Arc: The End

"That Straw Hat..."

As Luffy's battle with Crocodile intensified, the expressions of the Hell Pirates became increasingly 'shocked'.

Crocodile's Devil Fruit ability is in no way inferior to Enel's, and most importantly, Crocodile is a veteran 'giant' on the sea.

It will also be Haki.

There's no way he could lose to Luffy, who's only been at sea for a short time.

But as the battle progressed, the group became increasingly worried for Crocodile, even believing that the Shichibukai would lose.

This is absolutely 'against the rules'.

Especially when Luffy, holding the water bucket, began to use the elemental advantage to damage Crocodile.

"Is he... indestructible?"

Dorans gasped.

Upon seeing his enemy again, Enel did not lose control; he simply observed the two fighting closely.

Dom and the others did not respond.

An eerie silence fell over the room.

They all sensed an extremely discordant 'energy' emanating from Luffy. Despite the vast difference in their strength, and even with Straw Hat's clever tricks, he didn't seem capable of defeating Crocodile. However... reality seemed to be tilting the scales of victory in Straw Hat's favor.

In the original work, if Luffy defeated Shiki through plot armor...

So... removing Crocodile from the position of Shichibukai makes his 'protagonist halo' even stronger.

Crocodile is a 'famous' man who can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

Looking at Crocodile's resume, he witnessed Roger's execution in Loguetown, formed his own One Piece crew in his youth, secured a place for himself in the New World, and fought Douglas Bare, who was on par with Rayleigh. Later, he even fought Whitebeard- on-one, though he lost. Even now, none of these achievements are easily attainable by anyone... let alone the accumulation and experience he gained over the long period of time.

Of course, given that this part of the story happened too early, before the original work had the concept of Haki, Crocodile's defeat was also considered 'fate'.

However, they are currently in a real world.

Elements like halo and plot-driven deaths cannot be represented by just a few sketches.

From what I've witnessed, the most direct impression is that Luffy has some kind of cheat code.

I used a cheat program.

Nika Fruit... the power of the sun god.

Even though Straw Hat hasn't awakened yet and his Devil Fruit ability is still in its early stages, his source of power is Nika... This Devil Fruit inherently possesses incredible power, which allows Luffy to demonstrate methods that are 'beyond common sense' and 'comprehensible' in any extreme or difficult battle.

The signs are already beginning to emerge.

This is the only explanation.

Otherwise, the Gum-Gum Fruit alone could not achieve this level of power.

"If we put him in a near-death state now, will he awaken directly?"

He squinted, a thought flashing through his mind.

The answer is probabilistic... but not absolute.

The Five Elders also stated that the Nika Fruit has had several owners over the centuries, but all of them performed "ordinarily," with the Straw Hats being the first to awaken it. This implies that previous users of the Gum-Gum Fruit all died for various reasons, including being murdered... Moreover, this fruit is quite special; it possesses a "soul," and it seeks its own master while evading the World Government's "possession." From this perspective, it's undoubtedly the will of the One Piece world at work.

But this also suggests that each of its owners was extraordinary... and might even be Clan of D like Luffy.

Even if not, they are definitely exceptionally talented.

The deaths of these people... prove that Luffy can be killed.

Luffy, who should have been the 'protagonist,' ultimately faded into obscurity like his predecessors, becoming just another Devil Fruit user.

Why is the Nika Fruit so terrifying? It's because of its incredible power... its attacks, defenses, and a whole host of other methods are unpredictable.

To some extent, it is equivalent to 'the unknown' to the enemy.

Unknown forces... This conclusion was all too familiar to Oboro.

When he went to the Dark Continent, he faced the 'unknown'.

The unknown... is the most terrifying thing.

Once Luffy awakens and becomes Nika ... to be honest, even Oboro isn't confident he can defeat him.

Even the hope of killing him is slim.

Luffy is certainly a valuable resource... but you must acquire the power of this character before awakening Gear Fifth.

Otherwise... we'll most likely lose it.

We won.

With the hidden help of the Nika Fruit and the entanglement of fate and karma... Luffy won.

Except for Oboro, the entire Hell Pirates were dumbfounded.

Looking at it this way, Enel's defeat doesn't seem so embarrassing after all.

As the giant bell in the square rang, and Vivi gave a speech to 'awaken' the crowd.

This signifies that Crocodile's plan has been thwarted.

Alabasta has returned to normal.

A few days later, the Straw Hat Pirates left Alabasta.

The Hell Pirates, however, still did not leave.

Because Enel's trials are not yet over.

He has one last 'teacher' to give him a lesson.

Even without him saying it, the other members, including Enel himself, already realized who his opponent was.

Crocodile! What happened in Alabasta cannot be hidden. This superpower in the first half of the Grand Line is a member state of the World Government.

Moreover, the Nefertari Family also has its own 'special characteristics'.

Crocodile has become a criminal, and the Navy will naturally send people to deal with him immediately, taking this behind-the-scenes boss of Baroque Works back to headquarters along with his remaining followers to await punishment... But needless to say, we all know what Crocodile's fate will be.

Impel Down! "They're gone..."

The following day, over the port of Alabasta.

The group watched as several warships slowly sailed into the distance.

"The one in charge of escorting Crocodile... is a major general from headquarters," Dom said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Dorans and his companions looked suspicious.

Even Rob Lucci was taken aback.

"Major General?"

"That's right."

Dom repeated a sentence.

"How could he only be a major general?"

The World Government has already issued a notice stripping Crocodile of his title as a Shichibukai, but even if they trust him the most, they should at least send some veteran vice admirals over to deal with a dangerous figure like Crocodile.

"Is it because of... our relationship?"

Dorans muttered.

"Given Crocodile's current condition... and the binding effect of Seastone, there's actually no real danger. It's just that his reputation is quite intimidating. The first half of the Grand Line is essentially on the Navy's territory, and there are Navy bases along the route for escorting him back, so... it doesn't matter who comes."

"Rob Lucci said softly."

However, his statement made Long smile slightly.

The navy's actions further confirmed Oboro's suspicions.

Heh... Doflamingo, that guy, really does hate the Celestial Dragons to the bone.

He's too vengeful.

It's worth noting that Doflamingo returned to Mary Geoise as a child to try and regain his identity, but was ruthlessly rejected.

Back then, Dover... made some harsh remarks at such a young age.

Some words, once spoken, cannot be taken back.