I Can Copy Any Talent in the World of One Piece

"Bastard! Die!"

Crocodile could no longer contain his murderous rage. Countless grains of sand gathered in his hand, forming a blade that he brought down on Robin's head.

Gravely wounded, Robin had no strength left to dodge. She could only watch the sand blade fall.

Yet as the despair of approaching death closed in, Robin unexpectedly felt a sense of release.

She had spent her whole life hiding, but in the end, she had never found the "friends" Saul had told her about...

Robin gently closed her eyes and waited for death.

But just as she resigned herself to her fate, a thunderous impact jolted her back to reality.

The sharp sand blade shattered into dust. Crocodile took a punch to the face and went flying.

Standing before her was a ridiculously handsome guy wearing flashy, glowing rainbow sunglasses and smoking a cigar.

His coat billowed though there was no wind, snapping behind him. His unsmiling face was full of grim resolve.

Somehow, even the silence around them had turned into Chow Yun-fat's signature God of Gamblers entrance music.

Robin opened her eyes and stared at him in astonishment. Crocodile sat where he had fallen, glaring at the face he hated so much it made his teeth grind.

But why was there music playing...?

Robin gave Noil's theatrical entrance a speechless look. "What are you muttering?"

Noil, a premium cigar from the system between his lips, had been humming his own entrance music. He scratched his head sheepishly. "A hero saving a beauty needs a little atmosphere..."

Neither of them had anything to say to that.

Noil noticed Robin's bleeding wound. His expression turned serious, and he crouched beside her. "Are you okay?"

Warmth stirred in Robin's heart. She shook her head.

Noil nodded and rose, a dangerous smile spreading across his face. "Nico Nico Ni, stand back. I'm going to have some fun with this guy."

Robin knew it. The emotion she had felt a moment ago had definitely been a mistake!

Crocodile wiped the blood from his nose and asked haughtily, "What? Are you going to avenge her?"

"Do you even know what kind of woman she is?"

"She betrayed me for her own goals. She'll betray you too!"

"Tch..." Noil could not be bothered with Crocodile's attempt to turn him against Robin. He raised his fists and squared up to him.

Seeing that Noil would not listen, Crocodile stopped wasting his breath.

It was time to settle everything!

Those two had played him for a fool all day, and Crocodile had had enough!

"I'll bury you underground!"

Crocodile summoned the power of the desert. A vast sea of sand surged toward Noil, blotting out the sky. Scorching grains swept over him, seeking to drain every drop of moisture from his body.

Noil charged fearlessly into the heart of the sand sea, releasing sand from his left hand and flames from his right.

Clenching both fists, Noil forced the two elements together and hurled them forward. A fiery sandstorm, even more menacing than the sea of sand, soon rose into the sky.

The flame-laced sandstorm tore through the sea of sand. But Crocodile used the obscured view to rush in, his deadly Golden Hook reaching for Noil.

Noil ducked beneath the hook, then drew his blade and slashed upward. Black Sword Aura flashed past, leaving a bloody cut on Crocodile's face.

Damn Armament Haki!

Wary of the Qingxing Blade, Crocodile reached for Noil, intending to drain him into a shriveled mummy.

But black flames suddenly flared across Noil's body. Crocodile reacted quickly and pulled his hand back, only for Noil to seize the opening and slash his body apart.

Crocodile skillfully used his power to evade the attack. Noil watched him with a growing headache.

He had not noticed it when he fought Ace.

But compared with Crocodile, who had made a name for himself young and trained with the Sand-Sand Fruit for years, Noil's use of his fruit powers was garbage.

He might have plenty of Devil Fruit abilities, but that was exactly the problem: he had a whole harem of them to manage.

Like a man juggling too many lovers, Noil tried to give every ability equal attention and had not made any of them strong enough.

Noil was troubled. Crocodile, meanwhile, was getting irritated.

This kid has way too many abilities. He's like a damn porcupine!

And with Haki on top of that, I can't even touch him!

As their battle reached a stalemate, Crocodile caught sight of Robin hiding in the distance.

An idea struck him. He evaded Noil's attack, pressed a hand to the ground, and roared, "Desert Sunflower!"

The dunes began to shift. Within moments, the ground for hundreds of meters turned to soft quicksand, like a grotesque coffin ready to drag its victims into the land of the dead.

Noil wielded sand himself and had nothing to fear. But when he turned his head, he saw Robin.

Too badly injured to move, she stared in panic as the quicksand swallowed her little by little!

A Beating for Crocodile

Robin sank deeper into the quicksand. In a panic, Noil abandoned Crocodile and rushed toward her.

By the time most of her body had disappeared, Noil reached her and caught her hand.

"Hold on tight! I'll pull you out!" Noil shouted.

Crocodile watched them with a cold smile. "Not a chance!"

A massive blade of sand came hurtling toward them. Noil had to free a hand to unleash his flames.

A fist of searing fire blasted through the flowing sand once more. Noil used the opening to scoop Robin into his arms.

After carrying Robin to safety farther away, Noil drew the Qingxing Blade and charged back in.

This time, though, he changed tactics.

He made swordsmanship and Haki the core of his attack, using his fruit powers to support them as he pressed forward with his blade.

Sure enough, by pitting his strengths against Crocodile's weaknesses, Noil soon gained the upper hand.

Crocodile's Haki was lacking, and his physical endurance was poor. With his fruit power countered by Noil's various abilities, he suffered more than a dozen cuts in just a few exchanges.

Battered and disheveled, Crocodile fought while retreating, gritting his teeth as he swung his arms.

Noil had transformed into a towering bear-man. He wielded the Skillful Grade Blade Qingxing, wreathed in Amaterasu Flame, while fire and sandstorms swirled around him.

Using so many powers at once, Noil seemed like an unstoppable god of war.

Robin watched from the sidelines, transfixed.

That shouldn't be possible.

How could one person possess so many Devil Fruit abilities at the same time?

Crocodile spat a mouthful of blood and stared warily at Noil.

That Copy-Copy Fruit is a real pain!

Crocodile cursed inwardly. None of those abilities was as strong as his power over sand, but together...

Why are they so terrifying?!

Crocodile's condition kept worsening, while Noil only grew more energized as they fought.

The fact that Noil had not developed any of his fruit techniques very far also meant they consumed less stamina.

So even while using several abilities at once, Noil's monstrous reserves had barely diminished.

After several exchanges, Crocodile had gained nothing. Instead, Noil kicked him to the ground.

His once immaculate clothes were in tatters, and several strands had fallen loose from his stylish slicked-back hair.

In an instant, Crocodile had gone from looking like a successful company president to a washed-up middle-aged man whose business had gone bankrupt.

Caught up in the fight, Noil brandished his blade and yelled, "Come on, keep acting tough! Why'd you stop fighting?!"

Crocodile's face darkened as he began searching for a way to escape.

Since when did rookies become this terrifying?

As if his absurd Devil Fruit powers weren't enough, his Haki is this strong too.

Does nobody care about the Shichibukai's dignity anymore?!

Just as Crocodile was about to swallow his pride and flee, shouts sounded behind him.

"Someone broke into the palace!"

"Over here! Someone's over here!"

"Is one of the Shichibukai here too?!"

"Who's that? How did he beat Lord Crocodile into such a sorry state?!"

Crocodile could not help coughing up another mouthful of blood.

If you don't know what to say, keep your mouth shut!

Noil frowned at the approaching group and quickly judged that they had come from the palace.

He suddenly felt a weight against his shoulder. Turning, he saw Robin leaning against him, her face pale.

"That's the palace army. They must have discovered I'd broken in... Don't get caught up fighting them..."

Robin's words came haltingly. Then she collapsed against Noil's chest and lost consciousness.

Startled, Noil looked down at her wound. The blood flowing from it had already stained a large patch of her clothes red.

He glared at Crocodile, then at the palace soldiers drawing closer. Quickly lifting Robin into his arms, Noil fled into the distance.

By the time Alabasta's royal troops arrived, Noil was long gone.

Crocodile's true intentions had not yet been exposed, so the people of Alabasta were still fairly friendly toward the Shichibukai.

Even those who disliked the pirate generally kept quiet and showed no open hostility.

The palace detachment was led by a deputy commander of the guards: Chaka the Jackal, one of Alabasta's two strongest warriors.

Personally, Chaka did not much like Crocodile.

But for now, the pirate truly was a hero to the kingdom, so Chaka could hardly say anything.

Chaka approached Crocodile and asked, "Mr. Crocodile, who were those intruders?"

Crocodile knelt on one knee, his breathing uneven. He gave Chaka a sharp look. "Just thieves who broke into the kingdom."

"I drove them off, but they ran too fast for me to catch..."

Crocodile lied without missing a beat. Seeing his battered appearance, Chaka did not know what to say.

"Your injuries..." Chaka glanced uncertainly at him.

Crocodile swept his hair back with one hand. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

He looked up in the direction Noil had fled, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

Under the bright moonlight, the tip of his Golden Hook gleamed purple, giving off a dangerous air...

Noil, you'd better carry her fast. Don't let her die on the way!

After speaking with Crocodile, Chaka led his soldiers in pursuit of Noil for a while, but found nothing.

With no other choice, Chaka led his men back to the palace.

He had just settled the troops and was about to leave when a petite figure came running out.

"Chaka! What happened?"

The young girl wore her soft blue hair in a ponytail. Her bright eyes watched Chaka with curiosity as she asked.

Chaka immediately knelt on one knee. "Princess Vivi, a group of thieves broke into the palace, but they've escaped."

"Really?"

Vivi furrowed her delicate brows, then asked, "What about the matter I asked you to investigate privately? Did you find anything?"

Chaka nodded. "Baroque Works is indeed a criminal organization, but there's no evidence linking it to the strange incidents in our country."