A Dramatic Entrance

But what happened next made Crocodile question reality itself.

Jax still didn't dodge. His entire body, from head to toe, was covered in black Armament Haki. He stood like an iron tower, radiating pressure as the sandstorm swept over him. The ground around him was stripped away and sent flying, but Jax remained as immovable as a mountain.

He clenched his fist and punched into the storm. The blow forced a hole through it, and Jax stood before Crocodile, looking down at him with mocking eyes.

"Kid, Logia abilities are powerful, but you're too weak."

"Crescent Dune!"

The moment Jax finished speaking, Crocodile roared furiously. His arm turned to sand, forming a huge crescent-shaped blade that swept past Jax.

The move had no killing power. Its only purpose was to drain the moisture from a living body.

But Crocodile's attack failed again.

Jax's entire body was now covered in Armament Haki, sealed tight. There was no way for him to lose any moisture.

"How is this possible?!"

Crocodile's mouth was full of blood. He couldn't believe Jax was completely unharmed.

"Bang!"

A huge shadow suddenly loomed over him. Crocodile raised both arms to block, no longer daring to let Jax attack him as he had before.

The terrifying force hit like a mountain. Crocodile's face twisted in pain as he was sent flying, crashing through building after building. He tore a ruined trench through the ground before slamming into a mangrove tree. It snapped at once and toppled sideways, sending up a cloud of sand and dirt. Crocodile lay at the end of the trench, vomiting blood without pause.

Elementalization had become useless.

Unless he activated it in advance!

Before he could catch his breath, he heard a rush of air above him.

Crocodile bore the pain and exploded into a cloud of sand. The next moment, the ground shook. The earth erupted for hundreds of meters around them, chunks of soil flying like a meteor shower. The commotion left plenty of pirates trembling.

Whoosh!

Crocodile had only just re-formed his body more than ten meters away when a black leg swept across like a scythe. Blood covered his face as he turned his right hand into a blade of sand and roared, meeting the kick head-on.

But the sand blade, usually unstoppable, shattered with ease when it collided with that leg.

The kick kept going and slammed into Crocodile's chest. Sand flew everywhere as he was sent hurtling away, tumbling over and over before smashing into the ground and leaving a trail of destruction.

Rumble, rumble!

Jax dropped from the sky, driving one foot after another deep into the earth. Crocodile kept using Elementalization to fly away; if he was even a little too slow, Jax would graze him.

"Damn it! Desert Prison!"

Crocodile roared. He refused to believe he couldn't fight back at all. After crashing through a mangrove tree, he turned his entire right arm to sand and reached for Jax, trying once more to drain the moisture from his body.

Jax sneered and let Crocodile grab him by the neck. Armament Haki sealed his body, forming a barrier that completely blocked Crocodile's ability.

"Pfft!"

A black fist slammed into Crocodile's abdomen, seeming to drive deep inside as it twisted. Crocodile doubled over at once, his feet lifting off the ground. A burst of pressure erupted behind him, shattering the bubbles floating in the air.

"Kid, weren't you just acting so tough?"

"You haven't mastered your Logia abilities."

Jax grabbed Crocodile by the hair and lifted him in front of his face, grinning viciously.

Crocodile's face was twisted with pain. His eyes bulged, bloodshot, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, and blood kept spilling from his mouth and nose.

That punch had nearly made his body go into shock.

The arrogance and swagger he'd shown at first had given way to nothing but a pitiful, wretched state.

"So young!"

On the open-air rooftop, Chaos sipped his coffee and enjoyed the show.

Crocodile really was young now. He clearly hadn't yet reached the point where, in the future, he could trade blows with just about anyone.

The future Shichibukai were all still growing.

In other words, they were the supernovas of this era!

Looking up, he saw clouds drifting five thousand meters overhead. A Goddess of the Heavens, golden from head to toe, opened her tightly shut golden eyes and plunged straight down.

On the ground, Jax held Crocodile by the hair as if he were carrying a chick.

"Kid, since you're a Logia user, I'll spare your life if you submit to me."

Though Jax was the captain of the 20th Fleet, he had always wanted to climb higher—to become captain of the 19th or 18th Fleet, or even one of the top five. So he needed to recruit powerful subordinates.

This Logia brat was still weak, but he had great potential.

With a year or two of training under Jax's guidance, he was sure to become powerful.

He might even stand shoulder to shoulder with the Navy's three rising Rear Admirals.

Besides, the Grand Admiral admired promising new pirates.

Rumble!

Without warning, a rush of air tore through the sky. A tiny black speck grew larger and larger, like a meteor ripping through the atmosphere. The disturbance shook most of the Sabaody Archipelago.

Jax looked up at once, his expression turning grave.

The powerful pirates across the Sabaody Archipelago also looked skyward. Soon, the ordinary residents followed suit. When they saw the enormous figure drawing closer, everyone's eyes filled with shock and panic.

The view pulled back. The entire Sabaody Archipelago stood amid the churning sea. Just thirty meters above the ground, a Goddess of the Heavens, golden from head to toe and radiating holiness and beauty, hung in the air. Her immense, graceful figure seemed like a mountain, blotting out the sunlight.

A breathtaking palace gown of fluttering ribbons, delicate golden ribbons wound around her wrists, and three thousand strands of golden hair falling to her waist—all danced in the sea breeze. A huge golden halo stood upright behind her, making her seem sacred and untouchable.

"God!"

"What is that?!"

"My goodness!"

"Is her whole body made of gold?"

"She looks fifty meters tall!"

Some were captivated by the Goddess of the Heavens' divine beauty, while others were drawn to her enormous, graceful figure. Every glance and smile seemed to be made of gold.

And the gold contained not a single impurity.

Most importantly, she was alive.

That was the most shocking and astounding thing of all!

The Goddess of the Heavens' phoenix eyes were cold, utterly devoid of worldly warmth. She gazed down at the ground, then fixed her eyes on Jax, who was holding Crocodile by the hair.

Crocodile was stunned.

The corner of the Goddess of the Heavens' mouth suddenly curled upward. The air she gave off was somehow both dignified and graceful, yet alluring and seductive.

But she was still beyond defilement!

"Damn it!"

Jax's hair stood on end as the Goddess of the Heavens suddenly raised her slender hand and brought it crashing down toward him.

The sky seemed to darken. Her golden hand was like a cloud, hurtling down with a rush of air.

Crocodile was quick-witted enough to throw a punch at once, forcing Jax to release him. He immediately turned to sand and flew out of the golden hand's reach.

Jax ignored Crocodile and swiftly skimmed along the ground, escaping the palm's range.

Rumble!

Half the Sabaody Archipelago seemed to leap. The enormous hand struck the ground, sending the earth around it surging upward. Cracks spread in every direction like a spiderweb.

Chunks of dirt and rock shot through the air, unleashing a crushing wave of pressure that swept everything around them flat.