Elementalization, who can't do it?

The moment the Dragon of the Hour's words fell, Crocodile truly saw the giant wave appear out of nowhere.

The meltwater from the iceberg converged and rushed down, its sheer volume and the height of its crest reaching nearly dozens of meters.

It was as if a real dragon was thrashing within the surging waves!

It surged and roared, charging towards the desert where Crocodile stood!

"."

Far away, Aha, watching this scene, was almost stunned.

He almost felt like he was dreaming.

But a moment later, he was sure he wasn't dreaming.

Because even in a dream, he couldn't imagine such a sight.

Alabasta—in this desert kingdom, a tsunami had appeared!

And at this moment, Crocodile also felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.

What was happening now was beyond his comprehension.

"That giant iceberg melted, how did that happen?"

"What is this guy's ability... what's going on?"

He had countless questions in his heart.

But at this moment, none of that mattered anymore.

There was only one thing that was most important now—the outcome of this battle!

"Truly... I've encountered an incredible monster."

As his words fell, Crocodile didn't retreat—running away was meaningless against such a move.

So.

"Boom!"

He gripped the wrist of his Golden Hook with his right hand, then plunged both hands fiercely into the Sea of Sand beneath his feet.

"Corrosion Samsara!"

His low roar echoed.

The next moment, the earth trembled violently once more.

From within the desert, countless yellow sands surged with increasing ferocity.

They surged, transforming into an invisible wave centered on Crocodile, and began to spread.

And wherever it passed...

Even the scarce moisture already present in the desert was rapidly absorbed.

The stones faintly visible within the quicksand instantly turned to dust.

And at this very moment...

"Heavy Sandstorm!"

Crocodile unleashed his ability again—and the surrounding yellow sands swirled even more intensely, forming a massive storm.

And in the next moment...

The power that dried up all moisture, and that colossal Giant Sandstorm...

Collided with the giant wave sweeping across the desert!

"Boom!"

Yellow sand churned the giant wave, stirring up turbid water columns.

Golden sandstorm, azure giant wave—the collision of the two was as grand as a myth.

But every story has an end.

When, at a certain moment, water droplets from the giant wave began to pierce through the yellow sand...

The victor was decided.

"Boom!"

In the next moment, the giant wave shattered the sandstorm with a roar.

Mud splattered everywhere, and the remaining waves washed over Crocodile unimpeded.

Feeling his body instantly stiffen, Crocodile gritted his teeth.

He knew—from this moment on, he could no longer use Elementalization.

He knew even better that the opponent would never let this chance slip away!

And indeed, that was the case.

"Crack!"

A biting cold suddenly swept over, and Crocodile looked up.

He saw the figure of the Dragon of the Hour, wreathed in frost, leaping towards him.

"The outcome is decided, Crocodile!"

(He) swung his fist towards Crocodile. A punch descended!

"Indeed."

But it was at this very moment.

A strange smile appeared on Crocodile's lips: "The outcome... is decided!"

As the words fell.

"Bang!"

From behind the Dragon of the Hour, from the sandy ground that had already been washed by the giant waves.

Something suddenly shot out from the sand layer--it was a hand!

A left hand, wearing a Golden Hook, with Yellow Sand wrapped around its base.

However, at this moment, the Golden Hook on the hand had been removed--replaced by a sharp, short needle.

The next moment.

"Chii!"

That left hand swept over from behind, piercing directly into the Dragon of the Hour's right abdomen.

Crocodile then let out an excited laugh.

"You're a formidable opponent--even my 'Corrosion Samsara' couldn't possibly absorb all of that giant wave."

"But."

(He) stood up.

The wind blew his long robe, and it was clear to see--at some point, his left arm had vanished from the base of his arm.

"Before being washed away by the water, I could still manage to hide a hand beneath the Yellow Sand."

Crocodile knew he had won.

Because his left hand's Golden Hook and that short needle were both coated with Alabasta's specialty, Scorpion Venom.

Once hit, unless an antidote was obtained, death was certain!

But, before Crocodile could even declare his victory.

He discovered something was wrong.

"Huh!?"

Because at this moment, he noticed—his left hand didn't feel like it had pierced 'flesh'.

Quite the opposite.

He felt as if what he had pierced was something indescribably viscous.

And just a moment later, Crocodile felt a heart-scorching heat and extreme pain spread from his arms.

"Ugh!"

The excruciating pain that melted his bones and flesh together made even a formidable figure like Crocodile unable to help but cry out.

But his willpower still allowed him to struggle and raise his head.

Then, he saw—at this moment, something began to flow from the Dragon of the Hour's body.

But what flowed out was not blood.

That viscous, scorching substance, burning with flames, was none other than

"Magma!?"

He gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse: "Elementalization!?"

He understood what had happened—the Dragon of the Hour had, in the previous instant, dodged his two fatal attacks by Elementalizing in advance.

But

"How is this possible? The Magma-Magma Fruit clearly should belong to—"

With his knowledge, he naturally knew who the Magma-Magma Fruit belonged to—that top-tier Logia fruit belonged to Admiral Akainu.

But at this moment, the Dragon of the Hour clearly had no intention of giving Crocodile time to think.

Because now

"Swish!"

The sound of wind breaking appeared again—the Dragon of the Hour's fist had arrived.

In contrast, Crocodile's eyes also saw his opponent's unbelievable posture at this moment.

The majestic Dragon Head Mask seemed to split into two parts, red and blue, at this moment.

His appearance was just the same.

Steam swirled around his form, like a pure white sash.

Part of his body was condensed frost.

Another part of his body was burning magma.

"Dual Elementalization: Frost-Fire Embodiment."

Water dripped as the frost melted, silently answering Crocodile's confusion.

The opponent's ability was not controlling moisture at all.

"Ice and magma, two completely different elementalizations. Concentrated in one body?"

This was beyond Crocodile's understanding.

He was certain that if he told anyone else what he was seeing now, it would undoubtedly cause a global sensation.

But clearly, he wouldn't get the chance.

"Didn't I already say it?"

Within his field of vision, the Dragon Head Mask spoke in a calm voice.

And in the eyes revealed beneath the mask, there was only calmness.

"You can't win against me."

The fist, where magma and frost converged, magnified in Crocodile's sight.

And so, he closed his eyes.

"Twelve Zodiacs. 'Dragon of the Hour'."

In his heart, he softly murmured this name, which he had heard for the first time today.

He knew that this opponent was destined to shake the seas.

Just like... he himself once was.

Countless memories surged into his mind: the excitement when he first set out to sea as a Pirate, the sense of accomplishment as he grew stronger, the powerlessness when defeated by Whitebeard, the pride when he became a Shichibukai.

He thought of his unfulfilled ambition, his aspirations, and his pursuits.

But, just as he had said before.

When one fails, these are all useless things that will be etched onto their epitaph.

"The victor takes all, the vanquished loses everything—this is the rule of this sea."

"Truly... I can't accept this."

This whisper became the final thought in the life of Crocodile.

Crocodile, though a villain, is actually quite charismatic (especially after Impel Down).

Originally, I didn't want him to be written out so soon. I had even planned a comeback arc for him later, but while reviewing the outline yesterday, I realized there was a better option for that section.

So, there's no helping it. In this book, he won't have the chance to achieve enlightenment.