Suna Suna no Mi Awakening, Crocodile the True King of the Desert

Crocodile was smashed into the scorching desert by an immense force. His entire body instantly shattered into countless grains of Yellow Sand, merging with the ground.

The next second, the surrounding sand seemed to be drawn by an invisible force. It began to swirl and gather, reforming into his original human shape.

Crocodile reappeared in the same spot, completely unscathed. Grains of sand slid rustling from his black coat, while his eyes brimmed with incredulous fury.

Whether it was the Gravity Field that had covered the entire battlefield without containing Haki, or the seemingly ordinary yet immensely powerful throw just now, neither had caused any substantial damage to Crocodile's body.

But his pride felt as though it had been trampled beneath someone's foot, suffering an unprecedented blow.

This was the perfect embodiment of "little damage, maximum humiliation."

"How dare you insult me, brat!"

Crocodile roared, his voice filled with the fury of being looked down upon. His body instantly turned into billowing Yellow Sand, propelling him into the sky like a yellow dragon.

A crescent-shaped mass of Yellow Sand rapidly extended from his right elbow. As he swung his arm, the crescent sand suddenly compressed, transforming in the blink of an eye into a Sand Blade gleaming with cold light. It sliced through the air with a piercing howl, carrying the force to tear apart everything as it slashed straight at Dawn's face.

"[Desert Grande Spada]!"

Dawn, suspended in midair, casually threw an ordinary punch. Where the force of his fist passed, both the howling Sand Blade and Crocodile's figure exploded into a skyful of Yellow Sand, raining down below like a yellow tempest.

The falling Yellow Sand spun through the air and rapidly gathered. Crocodile's face, so grim it seemed ready to drip water, gradually formed from the grains.