Heeheeheeheehee

Crocodile had never before felt that he'd been a little too impatient.

It was only natural.

Perhaps it was because this was the first time he'd found a clue about an Ancient Weapon, and the first time he'd seen a Poneglyph;

Perhaps it was because he'd gotten used to calling him "Primitive Man" all the time;

Or maybe it was because the other man's personality was so carefree and pure that Crocodile had let his guard down;

In any case, Crocodile had overlooked one thing—

Aiven Lindsey was no ordinary human, but some kind of revived "ancient unknown life-form"!

What would happen if he rashly let him come into contact with a Poneglyph, itself an Ancient Creation? No one could predict!

Could he decipher the Poneglyph?

Or perhaps...

Was Aiven Lindsey, this ancient life-form, himself "plotting" something?

What appeared before everyone's eyes was an "anomaly" that defied description.

Aiven Lindsey's hand touched the enormous Poneglyph, then went straight through it and disappeared inside!

It wasn't "breaking" or "tearing." It was more like a state of "overlapping."

Aiven Lindsey's right hand had actually overlapped with part of the Poneglyph, becoming one with it!

"Th-this!"

Watching the scene, Igaram, a member of the royal guard, couldn't help exclaiming:

"It's just like an uncivilized little kid sticking his hand into some cheap jelly!"

"..."

That was one strange comparison.

But it had to be admitted, it was pretty apt.

As they gaped in amazement, Lindsey's forearm disappeared into the Poneglyph, and he took another big step forward, overlapping most of his body with it!

At that point, all that remained outside were half his face, part of his knees and shoulders, and his lower legs and feet.

Lindsey overlapped with the Poneglyph, yet the hard stone showed no cracks or bulges. It felt as though a few human body parts had appeared out of nowhere on its surface!

"Hey, hey, hey, hey..."

Crocodile's gaze shifted upward, fixed on Lindsey's eyes. The one visible pupil had already lost all its light, as though it belonged to a dead thing.

What in the world was happening?!

A few drops of cold sweat appeared on Crocodile's forehead.

He'd never expected anything like this. It was beyond what "Poneglyphs" or "Devil Fruit Abilities" could explain.

"Tch, this Primitive Man sure knows how to cause trouble!"

After cursing under his breath, Crocodile stepped forward and grabbed one of Lindsey's exposed hands.

He exerted all his strength, trying to pull Lindsey out of the Poneglyph.

But the moment the force reached him, Crocodile suddenly felt as though he wasn't pulling on a "person" at all, but on an enormous "Stone Tablet" in its entirety!

Overlapping?

Crocodile couldn't describe the sensation.

Just then, Jaka noticed something was wrong and exclaimed in shock, "Hey, look out!"

"Hm?"

Crocodile looked up and saw Lindsey's pupil beginning to move. Their eyes met!

The only pupil still visible had turned completely black, like the surface of the sea at night, so black it made his heart clench with dread.

Rrrip!

A crisp tearing sound rang out. Tattered black "ribbons" fluttered and spread through the air, their ends connected to Aiven Lindsey's body.

Whoosh...

One of the "ribbons" brushed Crocodile's cheek. A sharp pain flashed, and a few drops of blood fell.

?!

Haki...

An immense amount of it, emitted outward, and unknown—

Armament Haki!

Crocodile shuddered.

What brought him back to his senses was Cobra's shout.

"Vivi!"

At the moment of danger, Cobra naturally moved to protect his daughter.

In front of them, Igaram pulled a cannon from his hair, while Bepo and Jaka each entered a partially transformed animal state, ready for a fight.

And standing farther ahead of the five was [Sand Crocodile] Crocodile!

But it wasn't because he wanted to be there. It was the result of weighing the stakes and the timing.

Just imagine: if the five people behind him died here, the World Government would undoubtedly pin all the blame on him!

At that point, forget the Poneglyph—he'd probably lose his Shichibukai title too!

So those five good-for-nothings absolutely couldn't die...

More importantly, Crocodile really was curious about what had happened to Aiven Lindsey.

It might have something to do with an Ancient Weapon. He had to get the information firsthand!

"Hehehehe..."

At the thought, a feral grin spread across Crocodile's face.

He'd heard all along that Poneglyphs were indestructible. Today, he'd see for himself if that was really true!

And there was one more thing—

He'd wanted to do this to Aiven Lindsey for a long time...

His intact right hand rested against an ordinary stone pillar nearby.

One of the Sand-Sand Fruit's abilities was to drain the moisture from any living thing or object it touched.

Taken to its limit, this ability could even turn everything in the surrounding area into sand!

Erosion Cycle!

In an instant, the Sand-Sand Fruit's power spread.

Everything, including the stone pillar, crumbled into sand in the blink of an eye.

The grains didn't fall to the ground. Instead, with Crocodile's palm as the eye of the storm, they gathered into a sandstorm of astonishing power.

"Whoosh..."

Crocodile kicked the Poneglyph, then, from point-blank range, swung his right hand at the spot where Lindsey overlapped with it—

Heavy Sandstorm!

Boom!

The sandstorm roared.

This was an enhanced version of the ordinary Sandstorm, with even greater power—enough to destroy an entire town!

At such close range, Crocodile was confident that even [Whitebeard] wouldn't dare take the hit head-on!

But Crocodile's attack wasn't over.

The sandstorm smashed into the Poneglyph and scattered, but the Sand-Sand Fruit's power kept it suspended around them. It then condensed into four sharp, heavy sand blades.

Crocodile kicked the Poneglyph hard, using the force to leap back and put some distance between them, then clenched his fist.

Diamond Saber!

Whoosh!

All four sand blades struck the Poneglyph and Lindsey at once, then exploded!

Rumble...

Logia Type Devil Fruit Users were truly terrifying.

After that flurry of attacks, sand filled the air. More than half the room had turned to sand, and the chamber was on the verge of collapse.

Yet the Poneglyph at the far end of the room hadn't suffered the slightest damage. It remained as good as new!

That, however, was within Crocodile's expectations. Even the World Government had trouble destroying Poneglyphs.

So the real question was: what had happened to Aiven Lindsey?

Crocodile looked up and saw a sight that made his scalp tingle—

The Armament Haki spreading through the air had grown even denser. One wrong move and he'd be cut!

And Aiven Lindsey, who had been still for so long, finally moved.

He grabbed one of the strands of Armament Haki streaming through the air, then turned his wrist and wrapped it around his arm.

With that movement, more of the Armament Haki returned to the Poneglyph...

No.

It had gone onto Aiven Lindsey!

The strange Armament Haki coiled around Lindsey's whole body, and at the same time, he came free of the Poneglyph.

Crocodile could hardly describe what Aiven Lindsey looked like now.

His entire body covered in Armament Haki?

It was close.

But when someone covered their whole body in Armament Haki normally, it just looked as though they'd gained another layer of black, gleaming like metal.

But Aiven Lindsey looked as though his entire body was wrapped in a mass of tattered black cloth.

Like stray splashes of ink on a canvas, it fluttered wildly in the air.

"You..."

Crocodile paused. He'd only managed to get one word out when a sharp laugh cut him off.

"Heeheeheeheehee..."

The one laughing was Aiven Lindsey.

His face was mostly wrapped in the black "cloth" too, leaving only a small part of his eyes and cheek visible.

"This is it!"

"Finally, I've finally obtained this power!"

?!

At those words, Crocodile immediately went on high alert.

Sure enough.

Who would've thought that after scheming against so many people, he'd end up being tricked by a Primitive Man from ancient times!

Maybe Lindsey had been using him from the very beginning, getting him to help find the Poneglyph!

"Tch..."

The more Crocodile thought it over, the more his scalp prickled.

He activated the Sand-Sand Fruit, turning most of his body to sand, and prepared to trade blows with the ancient [demon].

Even if the whole plan had fallen apart, even if he had to flee today, he was going to vent his frustration first!

The next instant—

Crocodile leaned forward and charged, closing in on Lindsey as he prepared to swing the Grit Saber in his hand.

At the same time, Lindsey turned his head and casually said four words:

"Just kidding!"

Crocodile: "..."

Crocodile: "..."

Crocodile: "?"

The Grit Saber hung in midair.

Should he let it fall?

There was no reason to.

But if he pulled back...

That would seriously piss him off!

Hehehehehehe...