Practice and Progress

Today, Crocodile misjudged two things.

First, what Caesar had secretly salvaged was not Ohara's remaining documents, but a stone tablet carved with a sculpture.

That sculpture eventually came to life, turning into a Primitive Man!

Second, it was about the personality of that Primitive Man, "Aiven Lindsey."

Lindsey's initial "toddling" had led Crocodile to mistakenly believe that Lindsey was simply a naive child.

But in truth, those long years had already transformed Lindsey's "naivety" into "purity."

That was the most troublesome personality on this sea!

Crocodile couldn't control him, so he decided to eliminate him first, to prevent greater upheaval.

Thus, Crocodile was now very displeased!

And so, Aiven Lindsey was now ecstatic!

Throughout those fifteen hundred long years, Lindsey had nearly lost his ability to perceive the outside world.

He had constantly theorized about his Devil Fruit Ability, spinning out countless theories, also as a way to find an outlet.

But now, as he once again used his five senses to experience this world, everything felt so precious.

The fragrance of soil and grass;

Sunlight, sea breeze, sandy beaches, rough decks;

Even things others couldn't understand—

The sting of flames scorching his body;

The impact and tremor from a dragon's frontal collision;

Getting hurt was certainly unpleasant, and pain was hard to bear.

But Lindsey was still overjoyed.

Those sensory feedbacks, even the inner ups and downs, made Lindsey feel alive.

What was called "freedom" should be just like this!

Therefore, when Lindsey clenched his fist and shattered Crocodile's Grit Saber with his forearm, what he felt first was not pain, but joy.

How exhilarating!

The Punk Dragon was somewhat weak, only fit as an appetizer before a meal.

In comparison, the [Sand Crocodile] Crocodile before him was fully qualified to be called the "main course"!

Crackling...

The Grit Saber shattered, scattering into countless fragments.

But these sands, which should have fallen to the ground, eerily hovered in midair, frozen in a state of suspension.

In truth, these were not ordinary "sand grains," but part of Crocodile's body!

As a Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit user, Crocodile possessed the special ability to turn his entire body into elemental sand, thereby deriving various techniques.

Yet he did not grow arrogant because of this.

Back in the laboratory on Punk Hazard, Crocodile had already gotten a preliminary glimpse of Lindsey's Devil Fruit Ability.

Zoological Mythical Beast Type: Demon!

So-called "Demons" were creatures of fantasy, their abilities unknown.

And the ability Lindsey had displayed, the so-called "Earth Demon," seemed to be related to "the earth."

Cracking the ground, swiftly digging underground tunnels, and condensing soil into hard weapons.

All of these were inseparable from the earth and soil!

Thus, it was only after the two boarded the ship and left the island that Crocodile began to test Lindsey.

Without soil, even if you were a Mythical Beast, you'd likely be left with nothing but brute strength.

And though their abilities were similar, as a Logia-type user, every inch of his body could be controlled with precision!

Crocodile let out a low shout.

His right hand opened, gently patted downward, letting the hovering sand fall to the ground, then suddenly clenched his five fingers.

Clang!

A razor-sharp Grit Greatsword rose from the ground, thrusting toward Lindsey's side.

This move was not only sharp, but its key was "speed"!

Lindsey didn't even have time to shift into Earth Demon Form, but the combat theories he had endlessly replayed in his mind over the years now came into play.

His legs drove hard, leaping high along the diagonal thrust of the Grit Greatsword while his entire body spun, deflecting most of the force from the blade.

The sharp grit only grazed a bit of Lindsey's skin, drawing a few drops of blood.

But Crocodile's attack wasn't over.

"Let me teach you one more thing, Primitive Man."

Crocodile spread his right hand, where a tornado-shaped sandstorm gathered, growing fiercer by the moment.

He aimed at Lindsey midair, sneering:

"Without flight, you're a sitting duck up there!"

Shwoosh!

Crocodile hurled a sandstorm with force.

Sandstorm!

If used in a desert, this move would stretch endlessly, eventually becoming a colossal sandstorm capable of destroying everything.

Now on the ship, the Sandstorm's power was greatly diminished, but it was still enough to shatter an ordinary person's skeleton!

As for Zoan types?

At this close range, they'd be crippled at best, if not killed outright!

Whoosh!

The Sandstorm struck, hitting Lindsey square in the body.

He flew backward, crashing heavily into the cargo hold at the stern, vanishing into it along with shattered wooden planks.

Dust erupted everywhere!

Crocodile squinted, his gaze piercing the spreading dust, only to see something he couldn't understand.

Aiven Lindsey had successfully activated his Devil Fruit Ability.

Demon Horns grew from his head, his form enlarged, and an eerie red light glowed in his pupils.

That much he could still grasp—at most, it meant Lindsey's ability activation was unusually fast.

But the real issue was that aside from a thin gash on his waist, Lindsey's body bore no other injuries, as if the Sandstorm had never hit him!

Why?

Crocodile was utterly baffled, and he also heard the words repeated several times—

"Good, I've got it!"

What had he got now?

Lindsey's excited voice rang out: "So sand is just part of the earth!"

Before the words faded, cold sweat had already beaded on Crocodile's forehead.

What did Lindsey mean by that?

A Sandstorm gathered again in Crocodile's palm, and he said coldly, "Don't tell me you can control sand too..."

Shwoosh!

Another Sandstorm was unleashed, this time with greater force, intent on utterly destroying Lindsey.

But what met the Sandstorm were two hands of crimson skin.

Lindsey raised his hands, his back braced against the wreckage of the cabin, and caught the tornado-shaped Sandstorm directly, halting its advance!

"Control?"

"No, no, that's wrong!"

The theories he had constructed countless times in his mind over the years began to surface, and Lindsey quickly spotted the flaw in Crocodile's words.

"The Sand-Sand Fruit's ability is to command sand, to dominate it."

"But Earth Demon Form isn't!"

Lindsey's mind raced, and through this real combat, more theories from before were being organized into shape.

In other words, Aiven Lindsey was "putting theory into practice," and he was "improving" at an astonishing rate!

"The essence of Earth Demon Form's ability is the destruction and ruin of the element 'earth'!"

Tearing the ground apart to dig tunnels;

Squeezing the soil to forge weapons!

"Good, I've got it!"

Lindsey's ten fingers suddenly clenched, actually forcing several cracks into the storm-like Sandstorm!

In the blink of an eye, the Sandstorm was about to be torn apart.

Seeing the danger, Crocodile immediately hurled two more sandstorms, using the wind and grit within them to repair the parts Lindsey had destroyed.

This was a contest of endurance!

Lindsey tried to "destroy" Crocodile's sand, while Crocodile kept "piling on the pressure."

Question: Who would break first?

Answer: The ship.

Crack!

A crisp sound of snapping drew both Crocodile's and Lindsey's attention at the same time.

The two simultaneously withdrew their hands and looked toward the middle of the sailboat.

It turned out that the force of their earlier clash had been too great, tearing through the ship's keel. It was now on the verge of sinking.

Crocodile: "..."

Lindsey: "..."

Not good.

Night fell.

Crocodile and Aiven Lindsey squeezed together on a small lifeboat.

By the light of the moon, they watched the sailboat sink completely.

The two lay on opposite sides, the atmosphere a bit stiff.

After a moment, Lindsey stared at the night sky and suddenly burst out laughing. "That was fun! Let's fight again sometime!"

"Forget it..."

Crocodile only felt mentally exhausted. He helplessly covered his eyes and let out a long sigh.

He really couldn't handle Lindsey's personality.

They should have been settling things with a burst of anger, but the sailboat's keel had snapped, forcing their battle to end.

If they kept fighting, both Devil Fruit users would drown in the sea!

Crocodile had wanted to suppress Lindsey and force him to obey, but as things stood, neither seemed able to overpower the other.

Not to mention, they were now both Devil Fruit users on the same boat—if it capsized, they'd both die!

Helpless, Crocodile could only propose, "How about we head to the next island first and figure things out from there?"

"Sure."

Lindsey nodded, then rested his head on the boat's edge and went back to stargazing.

Crocodile, meanwhile, examined the Log Pose and sea chart to determine their location.

As he looked, he suddenly heard Lindsey mutter to himself.

"Too bad. I was almost there—figuring out how to deal with the Sand-Sand Fruit's power..."

"..."

The night sea breeze was cold.

For no reason, Crocodile shivered.