"I'm very disappointed!"
Watching Oden and the others pant heavily, looking utterly miserable, Crocodile took out another cigar and lit it, his expression full of disdain and disappointment.
He'd thought these guys could give him a real thrill, but it turned out they were all show and no substance. He'd only traded a couple of big moves with them, and they were already wilting.
Honestly.
There was no sense of accomplishment at all!
Wasn't it rumored that this samurai, who had served aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' and then the Roger Pirates' ships, was incredibly strong?
Who started that rumor?
They were talking complete nonsense.
"Damn it."
Crocodile's contempt didn't anger Oden and the Nine Red Scabbards. Instead, they grew wary and grim.
They had calmed down a little by now.
The danger they'd faced just moments ago had been utterly terrifying.
The man before them was the Brainwashing Representative of the Richest Group, with a bounty of 3,589,000,000 Berries. He also possessed a host of impressive titles.
Even more than their boss, Gild Tesoro.
Desert King, Tsar, Emperor Chuanxue, Environmental Killer, Thinker, Philosopher, Savior, Truth Great Emperor, Light!
Just looking at those titles was enough to tell how powerful the man before them was.
And he had a huge number of fans!
Perhaps his reputation was just so overwhelming that deep down, some people refused to believe it, or simply wouldn't accept it. The proud and arrogant figured it was all hype and that his true abilities probably weren't much to speak of.
But now Oden and the Nine Red Scabbards understood: this man was strong.
Unusually strong.
"I want to know if my wife is really dead."
Oden held his two swords, his eyes lowered, his voice hoarse.
Even now, he still clung to a sliver of hope.
The