Crocodile

"I don't know," Rono replied bluntly.

"..." I must've been possessed to agree to this, Sairona grumbled inwardly.

"Anyway, let's take out that annoying sniper first," Rono said, changing the subject.

"Got a plan?" Sairona had no expectations of Rono. This sniper was even more troublesome than Deng, and far more experienced. He hadn't taken a shot at Sairona during Rono's fight; he'd waited until Sairona had completely let his guard down. If not for Rono's somewhat unreliable Observation Haki, Sairona would already have been sent back to town for a hot spring soak.

"Easy. Just tell me where he is." Rono flashed a bright smile.

"I do know that much. When he fired, he was on the second-highest red rooftop to the southeast." Sairona frowned. "Given how experienced our opponent is, he's probably already left. Or at least changed positions."

"Wait, how did you know the second-highest building had a red roof?" Rono asked, ever curious.

"Is that what you're focusing on, you idiot?" Sairona replied with a perfectly calm expression. Still, he answered Rono's question. "I saw it on the way here. More accurately, I memorized everywhere I passed."

"..." Watching Sairona calmly admit to something so insane, Rono decided he ought to drink more brain tonic. Hmm, nowadays, walnut drinks are all the rage.

"So what now, Rono?"

"Call me Captain!" Rono corrected him with a serious expression. "Obviously, we charge straight through!"

Before Sairona could say anything, Rono stepped out from behind cover. Bang! As if he'd known it was coming, Rono tilted his head and dodged.

"North!" Sairona shouted.

The muscles in Rono's legs bulged, and his skin peeled away. Bang—Rono vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a smoking crater.

Using the walls as cover, Rono raced ahead and soon reached the sniper. The sniper stopped fleeing and held his rifle in both hands, his expressionless face turned toward Rono. "If the intel hadn't been wrong, my plan wouldn't have failed."

"Exactly, Captain Haddaway. If I hadn't kept something in reserve, you might've killed me." Rono had none of his usual carefree cheer. The sniper was most likely Haddaway, but seeing him in person still left Rono feeling a little disappointed.

Haddaway suddenly leaped backward. Bang, bang, bang—he fired three shots in rapid succession. Rono couldn't dodge in time. Even with Observation Haki, his body couldn't react.

Rono dodged the bullets aimed at his head and chest, but one struck his lower leg. It punched straight through his left shin, throwing off his balance and sending him toppling to the left. Bang, bang, bang—another three shots flew toward his chest, head, and arm.

Rono's pupils widened as Berserker Mode finally kicked in. He twisted his body in a way that defied the laws of physics. Crack! His already-broken left leg snapped in two under the strain, and bone fragments pierced his muscles. Yet his expression didn't change. The muscles in his right hand bulged as his skin gradually disappeared, and the bone spikes covering his body retracted. Pfft! Bone pierced through Rono's palm. Thunk! It punched through Haddaway's body. Rono stood on one leg, his body turned sideways. Below the elbow, his right arm was nothing but fleshless bone, with a huge, ivory-white spike thrust forward through Haddaway's back. Rono gave a bloodthirsty grin. At his will, the bone spike inside Haddaway swelled like a startled pufferfish, blossoming into a ball of spikes before twisting. Without Rono's absurd healing ability, Haddaway would have been as good as dead. Even the greatest doctor couldn't have saved him, with his internal organs reduced to pulp.

"Ah!" Haddaway spat blood, along with bits of his internal organs. His grip on the Sniper Rifle failed, and it fell to the ground. His breathing faded. Haddaway was dead.

"!" Rono pushed off with his right leg and leaped away from where he'd been standing. A wave of yellow sand crashed into that spot.

Rono grabbed his left leg and wrenched it, forcing it back into position. Super Regeneration restored it at a visible speed.

The bone spike retracted into his right hand, and the flesh below his elbow began to grow back. Rono was now at his weakest.

The yellow sand took human form. A pair of gleaming black leather shoes touched down on the floor. He wore a yellow checked shirt, brown trousers, and a gray-green coat, and his hair was slicked back. A golden hook replaced his left hand, and a cigar rested between his lips. A stitched scar ran from the bridge of his nose across his cheek.

Crocodile!

Crocodile glanced at the dead Haddaway, then paid him no more attention. "Kid, I have to say, you've got a real talent for fighting. If you ever reach your full potential, the pirates in these waters are in for a world of trouble."

"..." Rono didn't respond. At this point, he had to use every second to recover his strength and heal his injuries.

"Well, well. You're healing awfully fast." Crocodile turned back into sand and surged toward Rono.

The bones in Rono's lower leg had already reconnected. He rolled clumsily across the ground, narrowly avoiding Crocodile's attack.

Crocodile had already grown soft. Ever since Whitebeard defeated him, he'd focused solely on his Devil Fruit Ability and largely neglected physical training. His Haki training was even worse. Luffy had defeated him just after entering the Grand Line. Sure, the protagonist's plot armor had helped, but if Crocodile had been stronger in hand-to-hand combat—or even if he'd just maintained his Observation Haki—Luffy probably wouldn't have been able to touch him.

From the moment Crocodile had spoken, Rono had been calling for backup.

"System! Get out here and help!" Rono's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"Ding. Due to current needs, the system has temporarily activated Haki enhancement."

"Put it all into Armament Haki." Rono had accumulated some Enhancement Points aboard the ship, and after everything that had just happened, he now had as many as 37.

"Ding. Please wait... Enhancement complete. Host currently has Observation Haki Level 0 and Armament Haki Level 3. Remaining Enhancement Points: 7." The system's electronic voice rang out.

"Tch, it takes ten Enhancement Points to raise a level? Hope this is enough."

There was no time to think. Crocodile attacked again, this time with his right hand. Rono didn't know why he wasn't using his more damaging hook, but the Berserker's instincts warned him: Dodge. Danger. Rono was just about to move when his eyes suddenly glowed red. "Roar!" Armament Haki coated his unharmed left hand as he clashed with Crocodile.

Crocodile clearly hadn't expected Rono to know Armament Haki. Caught off guard, he took the hit and staggered back two steps before regaining his footing.

"It's not over yet!" A Bone Whip coated in Armament Haki lashed toward Crocodile.

Crocodile turned to sand. Only his head retained its human form; the rest of his body became yellow sand, evading Rono's attack.