A Rain of Red Envelopes in Rainbase

"Sandification!"

The Sand-Sand Fruit's power activated. The door beneath Noil's palm crumbled as if eroded by wind and sand, leaving a gaping hole.

Noil gave a disdainful sneer.

Who used doors these days?

After breaking through the door, Noil called the chubby manager over again.

When the manager arrived, his entire round face went blank.

Where was the door?

Where was the vault door?

Noil paid no attention to his expression. He beckoned him closer and whispered in his ear.

The more the manager heard, the more shocked he looked. "Boss! What... what are you doing?"

"Cut the crap!" Noil grabbed him by the collar, pretending to be vicious. "Just do it!"

"Yes..."

The manager was deeply reluctant, but he called his staff into the vault.

Noil went outside to the spacious casino hall.

He took a glass of red wine from a waiter, cleared his throat, and called out, "Everyone, quiet down!"

Crocodile's reputation as a Shichibukai still carried weight here. The guests stopped what they were doing and looked at him curiously.

Noil swirled his wine with a showy flourish. "You're all loyal customers. I'm very grateful for your patronage..."

The guests looked puzzled. Why was Crocodile suddenly being so polite?

"You come here to gamble for the fun of it."

"Money isn't much use. If anything, it only gets in the way of the fun."

As Noil rambled on, the guests grew even more confused.

What was he getting at?

Noil smiled faintly and raised an arm.

"So, as the owner, I've made a decision today!"

"I'm giving you money to play with!"

"Everything you spend here today is on me, Crocodile!!"

The entire hall erupted.

"What a generous boss!"

"That's a Shichibukai for you! What a great man!"

"He's right! Let's have some fun!"

The upper-class guests, who had been posing as gentlemen moments ago, instantly turned into fawning sycophants, shouting Crocodile's praises.

Noil talked big and spent someone else's money. It didn't hurt him one bit.

At a small wave from him, the staff carried bags of valuables out of the vault and began handing them around.

The guests turned into thugs the moment they saw the riches, their eyes reddening as they scrambled for money.

If money was being handed out, why bother acting respectable? You'd have to be an idiot!

Noil watched the crowd fight over the Beli with satisfaction. Now this was lively!

Just then, the front doors burst open under a tremendous force.

The real Crocodile had finally rushed back from miles away.

The sight that greeted him nearly blinded him.

Why had his guests turned into such a pack of animals?

Didn't they usually dress themselves up as respectable people?

Then his gaze shifted, and Crocodile spotted the face whose handsome reflection greeted him every morning.

Noil!

He'd taken Crocodile's appearance and started handing out money?

Rage erupted inside Crocodile like a volcano. He wanted to kill someone.

He wanted to kill Noil!

A Rain of Red Envelopes in Rainbase

The smug Noil saw Crocodile burst through the entrance, and his heart sank.

How had he gotten back so fast?

The guests saw that familiar face at the door and even stopped grabbing for money.

The chubby manager's mouth fell open as he stared in disbelief at his two "bosses."

His mind was a mess...

The two Crocodiles looked almost identical, but the manager soon noticed something wrong.

The boss who had just arrived had a Golden Hook. The handsomer boss didn't!

Crocodile was so furious he laughed. He fixed Noil with a wolfish stare and asked, "What do you think you're doing?"

Noil smiled lightly. "Winning people over for you."

Winning people over, my ass! Give me a few more years with this casino, and I'll have the whole country. I don't need your help!

A vein bulged on Crocodile's forehead. Unable to hold back any longer, he roared, "Die!"

Dust billowed through the hall and formed a blade of sand, ripping through the casino and leaving it in ruins.

Still wearing Crocodile's face, Noil's eyes flashed. With a casual gesture, he used the very same move.

The two currents of sand collided, and the magnificent Rain Dinners casino took the full force of the impact.

The powerful attacks tore away a huge section of Rain Dinners' roof.

Beneath the open sky stood two Crocodiles, both wielding the same power.

Crocodile stared at the impostor in bewilderment. "How can you use my power?"

"No, not just mine! Mr. 2's, too, and the Logia ability they reported earlier!"

As though he had uncovered an enormous secret, Crocodile said in disbelief, "You can't possibly have that many Devil Fruit powers!"

"The Copy-Copy Fruit?!"

"How can a power like that exist?"

Noil curled his lip. That name again.

Ace had come up with it too. Was there really such a Devil Fruit?

Crocodile clearly believed he had figured it out. His expression turned grave. "Don't think that power means you can beat me."

"An impostor will always be an impostor!"

The Sand-Sand Fruit's power surged again. This time, the two fought outside, where countless civilians gathered to watch.

What they couldn't understand was why two Crocodiles were fighting each other.

In the desert, the Sand-Sand Fruit's home-field advantage was magnified beyond measure. Both men seemed to have the desert itself on their side.

Two sandstorms slammed against each other again and again. The enormous storm looming over the desert was a terrifying sight.

Before long, Noil began to lose ground.

When it came to the Sand-Sand Fruit alone, Noil's copied talent—Demon Possession: Sand-Sand—was only an imperfect version of the Devil Fruit.

Unless he killed Crocodile and obtained the complete talent.

In terms of mastery and potential, Noil couldn't match Crocodile, who had spent years honing his power.

But Noil had copied far more than a single Devil Fruit.

Seeing that the Sand-Sand Fruit wasn't enough, Noil switched powers. The battlefield, moments ago filled with yellow sand, suddenly blazed with fire!

Noil cloaked himself in Amaterasu Flame and wielded his Flame-Flame Fruit power as a spear. The searing heat and destructive force tore straight through the encircling sand.

Fire and sand clashed furiously, and the heat forced Crocodile to retreat.

He could handle the ordinary flames. The problem was the black fire burning around Noil.

Something about those savage flames told him that even a touch would kill him.

Propelled by fire, Noil closed the distance to Crocodile.

As Noil moved into close combat, Crocodile hurried to counter. His hand turned into a stream of sand and slashed out. "Desert Spada!"

Still wreathed in flame, Noil switched powers again.

He activated the Bear-Bear Fruit, which he hadn't used in ages. A thick bear paw extended, coated in black Armament Haki.

The Haki-coated paw, burning with black fire, tore through Desert Spada's defense with ease and swung toward Crocodile's head.

Armament Haki?!

Crocodile's heart jolted. He hastily turned his body into sand, scattering beyond the reach of Noil's attack.

Imitation, fire, a bear, strange black flames, and Crocodile's own sand—Crocodile was stunned to realize just how many powers the kid had!

"What a terrifying Devil Fruit." Crocodile re-formed his body.

Even consumed by anger, he couldn't help admitting it.

"But!" Crocodile's confidence returned. "This is the desert. My territory."

Sand surged up from the desert in such vast quantities that it cast a dark shadow over all of Rainbase.

Noil stared at Crocodile, dumbfounded. Wasn't this taking Devil Fruit mastery a little too far?

It was insane that Luffy had managed to beat this guy!

Crocodile swept his hand forward. The apocalyptic mass of yellow sand converged into a single torrent and hurtled toward Noil.

Noil didn't dare take it head-on. He hastily turned into sand to escape.

The immense impact sent smoke and dust flying. Several buildings in Rainbase were engulfed and crushed.

Soon, sand nearby began to shift, and Noil's body formed again.

Seeing Crocodile's grim expression, Noil taunted him. "The Sand-Sand Fruit alone won't work. I've got the same power you do!"

Crocodile gritted his teeth in frustration.

Haki wasn't his strength. Like Smoker, he had focused squarely on developing his Devil Fruit power.

Against an enemy with the same ability and stronger Haki,

more than half the ways he could hurt him were useless.

Crocodile steadied himself and prepared to charge again, but Noil had lost interest in fighting him.

After all, Noil had already achieved several of his goals.

He'd made a fool of Crocodile. That had gone splendidly.

He'd also obtained the two Devil Fruit powers he wanted most in Alabasta.

Once he made off with a few bags of Crocodile's money, the trip would be a complete success!

His last little goal was to coax Robin aboard his ship.

While Crocodile was distracted, Noil turned and dashed back into the casino.

Caught off guard by the feint, Crocodile was still wondering what he was doing when Noil flew back out as a swirl of wind and sand.