Chapter 177 / Chapter 178

Kuro adjusted his glasses, his face expressionless, and said, "Hoping for a weaker opponent is impossible."

"Crocodile is, after all, someone who has been in the New World, and he has been Shichibukai for over twenty years."

"Even if he neglects his training, his strength declines, he loses the ambition he had in his youth, and he has completely fallen into depravity."

"Even so, he is a veteran who has been famous for a long time, and we newcomers cannot compare to him. That is beyond doubt."

"So if we try to outdo him in terms of sheer Haki, we're bound to lose; that's inevitable."

Looking at Lafitte in the sky, Kuro murmured, "I originally thought the gap between the First Mate and Crocodile wasn't that huge."

"It seems that Crocodile is much stronger than I thought, and he's not so easy to deal with."

(This is so hard to write! I've been writing since this morning and only managed to finish this one chapter. I'm truly at my wit's end. There's no way around it; this chapter is a clash of Haki, and it's just too difficult to write. I'm so frustrated! o(╥╥)o.)

Chapter 177

By this time, Crocodile had landed on the desert, and the fine sand covering half of his body was gradually receding, restoring his original appearance.

"Not bad, you little devils are really quite good."

Crocodile, Cigar in mouth and looking every bit the big boss, said coldly, "I haven't made a move in a long time, so today is definitely a good day for you."

"To die at the hands of the Shichibukai, you'd be happy even in hell, hahahaha..."

The outer area.

Hearing Crocodile's arrogant voice, Nami couldn't help but frown, her beautiful eyebrows furrowing. A look of disgust appeared on her exquisitely fair face as she uttered a single sentence.

"This person is so annoying, so incredibly irritating."

Alvida held the massive, black iron rod upright in front of her, sneered, and said disdainfully, "This kind of person deserves to die. He shouldn't be allowed to exist in this world."

Desaya brushed aside her red and yellow hair, looking serious. "Speaking of which, these important figures are all quite terrifying."

"He's among the weakest of the Shichibukai. But his strength is already quite good; he at least knows Two-Color Haki and can use them skillfully."

"With his strength, he's ranked at the very bottom among the Shichibukai. This just shows how terrifying the strongest members of the Shichibukai truly are."

Honey Queen looked at her, her delicate eyebrows arching, and smiled gently, saying, "Didn't Chris already answer your question last time?"

"The strongest of the Shichibukai, Hawk-Eye, is at the level of Admiral; there's no doubt about that."

"After all, the World's Greatest Swordsman is no joke."

Belo Betty took a drag of her cigarette and said calmly as always, "You need to know how many years Crocodile has Cultivation."

"He's over forty years old now, Cultivation for over twenty years more than Chris, yet his strength is like this."

"Honestly, he's wasted his life, he's utterly trash."

At this moment, Carina touched her fair, jade-like chin, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint, and she chuckled to herself, making a clear, melodious sound like silver bells.

Perona, who was closest to her, floated over to her side, looked her up and down, her pretty face full of doubt, and asked curiously.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"Someone's standing there grinning like an idiot, making giggling noises. Is he going crazy?"

Carina rolled her eyes at her and retorted irritably, "Let go..."

"What do you mean I'm grinning like an idiot? Stop talking nonsense, or I'll hit you!"

"Hmph, you haven't all noticed, have you? I'm different; I've already seen everything clearly."

Makino looked at her, her eyebrows curving into a sweet, Gentle smile, and said, "What did you find? Can you tell me quietly?"

Kaya nodded her little head gently, smiling radiantly, looking incredibly cute, and chimed in.

"Yes, Sister Carina, can you tell me about it? Kaya really wants to know too."

Mei Di glanced at the Division Commanders, then turned to Carina, smiling sweetly, and said, "What did you discover? Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us quickly."

The others remained silent, all looking at Carina with curiosity on their pretty faces, eager to know the answer.

Being watched by the women and seeing the eager expressions on their faces, Carina felt extremely proud and smug.

No one else noticed, but she was the most insightful, with uncanny observation skills, and discovered something extraordinary about them.

"I knew it, you definitely didn't notice."

Carina blinked her beautiful eyes and said with a grin, "After all, I'm the only one with such discerning eyes, hee hee hee~~"

At this moment, Robin crossed her arms in front of her, glanced in the direction of the Division Commander, and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

She smiled slightly, her expression sophisticated and elegant, and said, "Now that you've pointed it out, I've also noticed something different."

"That's amazing! None of us noticed it, but you were the only one who found the problem. Your insight is truly remarkable."

Princess Vivi frowned slightly, her beautiful face filled with doubt, and she quickly asked.

"What are you two talking about? I don't understand at all, it sounds so complicated."

Carmen blinked her beautiful eyes, looking puzzled, and said, "I've looked and looked, but I haven't found anything wrong. I really don't know what secret you two have discovered."

Reiju brushed her pink hair aside, smiled gently, and said with an air of elegance and grace, "Didn't you notice that someone is missing?"

Baccarat nodded slightly, smiling sweetly, and said, "What Carina is talking about must be Van Aucker."

"He took advantage of the dust and smoke that prevented outsiders from seeing what was happening inside, and secretly hid in the desert, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Crocodile."

Upon hearing Baccarat's words, the women's eyes lit up, and they looked on with Satori realization, finally understanding what was going on.

Nami carefully examined the Division Commanders, searched them thoroughly, and then said with a carefree laugh, "It's true, we really can't find any trace of Van Augur."

"Sure, he's a sniper, and he'll hide in the desert and launch a sneak attack. Tsk tsk, Crocodile is in for a rough time now!"

Carina's beautiful eyes sparkled, and she covered her mouth with a soft laugh, looking quite pleased with herself, before saying something.

"You guys are so slow to react, only noticing now? You all have terrible eyesight, hehehe..."

Perona floated in the air, placed her small hand in front of her to make a shushing gesture, and whispered, "Everyone, please don't speak so loudly, or Crocodile will hear us."

"This has to be done secretly. If it gets out, we won't be able to carry out the sneak attack. You all know that, right?"

Princess Vivi's pretty face lit up with surprise. Suddenly enlightened, she agreed and echoed her sentiments.

"I see, Van Auger really is missing."

"Now that we've discovered this secret, we really can't say too much, lest someone with ulterior motives overhears it and it affects the Division Commanders' plans, which would be terrible."

Alvida looked at the man beside her, smiled sweetly, and asked, "Chris, you must know Van Augur's location."

"Can you tell us quietly? We really want to know where he's hiding."

Desaya nodded, her beautiful eyes lighting up, and quickly added, "That's right, that's right, that's a good question, I'd love to know the answer too."

The others remained silent, all staring intently at Chris, eager to know the exact location where Van Aucker was hiding.

Chris stood quietly with his arms crossed in front of him, looking straight ahead, and said something as calm as ever.

"He was lying in ambush beneath Burgess, about three meters above the sand surface."

Upon hearing Chris's words, the women immediately looked ahead, searching for Burgess's figure.

He stood behind Crocodile, his massive fists clenched, as if he were about to unleash a fierce attack.

The desert beneath him was unremarkable, without the slightest movement; it was just an ordinary sandy surface, truly unremarkable.

"No wonder Crocodile couldn't detect it, now I understand."

Honey Queen smoothed her light blonde hair and said with a wry smile, "If Chris hadn't pointed it out, who would have known there was someone hiding there? It's impossible!"

Mei Di nodded gently, smiled gracefully, and said, "It looks exactly the same as the Shamian Island next door; you really can't tell the difference at all."

"Without Observation Haki, it would be impossible to find Van Augur's whereabouts by sight alone."

Makino looked at the group of women, Gentle smile appearing on her beautiful and refined face, and said something.

"Speaking of which, Van Augur's Devil Fruit Ability is truly unique."

"Not only can it burrow underground, but it won't be affected at all, even in the desert."

"This Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the 'Waaa no Mi,' is perfect for sneak attacks!"

Robin looked at Chris, her eyebrows arched, exuding an intellectual and classical charm, displaying the demeanor of a talented woman, and asked with a slight smile.

"Chris, do you think Van Augur's sneak attack will succeed?"

"Among them, you have the deepest knowledge and the most extensive combat experience; you are an absolute expert."

"So, I really want to hear your opinion. I'm sure your answer is correct."

Robin turned to look at them, smiled slightly, and said, "I believe I'm not the only one who thinks this way. I'm sure everyone would like to hear your opinion, right?"

Princess Vivi nodded emphatically, hummed in agreement, looked at Chris with her beautiful eyes, and said with a smile, "I really want to know the answer, not just a little bit."

The others remained silent but nodded, their opinions remarkably unanimous; they were all eager to hear Chris's analysis.

After all, he was the strongest and most skilled fighter among them.

Anything Chris says is absolutely trustworthy; the women have no doubt about it whatsoever...

(Thanks for the monthly tickets, everyone. That's all for today. I'll continue to thank everyone tomorrow, so don't worry. Um, if you have any monthly tickets, please continue to send them to me. Thank you so much! (￣￣).)

Chapter 178

"Van Oka's time on board was far too short."

Chris kept his arms crossed in front of him, still calm and composed. "Without Two-Color Haki, he simply can't unleash the full potential of a sharpshooter."

"He simply cannot launch a sneak attack on Crocodile with his current strength."

The women fell silent, pondering Chris's words. They nodded slightly, their pretty faces showing thoughtful expressions.

Nami looked down at the desert below Burgess, her smile sweet and innocent, and said casually, "Speaking of which, Van Augur doesn't have Observation Haki."

"He's hiding underground, completely unaware of the situation up above. A successful sneak attack will be extremely difficult."

Alvida held the large iron bar upright in front of her and smiled, saying, "Chris is right. It seems that Van Augur, this surprise weapon, won't be of much use."

"After all, Crocodile possesses Observation Haki; if Van Augur even shows his face, he'll definitely be detected."

Makino brushed her dark green hair aside, as Gentle as ever, and said something.

"What I'm actually curious about is, how does Van Oka breathe while he's in the desert?"

"There's no air underground, it's incredible that he could stay there for so long."

Princess Vivi nodded gently, her delicate eyebrows arching, and said with a smile, "I'm also very curious about what you're talking about."

"However, the Warp-Warp Fruit is so magical that it can pass through any non-living matter, so being able to breathe in the desert isn't entirely unacceptable."

Robin sighed and gave a wry smile. "Speaking of which, Cultivation Two-Color Haki is really too difficult."

"If I hadn't joined the team, I wouldn't have known that Armament Haki and Observation Haki actually existed in this world."

"I've been practicing my Haki these past few days, but I'm completely baffled and have no clue what to do."

"Learning Two-Color Haki is really a difficult thing."

Honey Queen shrugged, a helpless look on her pretty face, and sighed, "I can only blame myself for being too incompetent; I simply don't have any talent in this area."

"I'm the third one to board here. We came all the way from the West Blue, passed through the North Blue, reached the East Blue, and then entered the Grand Line to arrive at the Alabasta Kingdom."

"So many days have passed, and I still haven't learned anything. I'm so embarrassed to face anyone! Sigh..."

Belo Betty glanced at her sideways and said irritably, "How can you learn Haki if you don't Cultivation diligently and only work sporadically? Don't be ridiculous."

Kaya looked at Belo Betty, her beautiful eyes sparkling, and her fair and delicate face showed admiration as she praised her.

"Belo Betty is the best! She not only knows Armament Haki, but she also knows Observation Haki!"

"And the Devil Fruit Ability is so strong, it's really amazing! I admire you so much, Belo Betty!"

Reiju nodded gently, poised and graceful, and said with a smile, "Among us, Belo Betty is undoubtedly the strongest."

"Therefore, we should all learn from her, Cultivation diligently, and become stronger."

Nojiko smiled sweetly, her eyebrows arching, and agreed, "Indeed, Belo Betty knows Two-Color Haki; that's not something just anyone can do."