Crocodile

On the street.

Robin walked to Satoru Gojo's left, showing him the way, while Esdeath walked to his right.

As for Koratt, he tactfully followed behind.

"How about joining our Pirate Crew, Robin?"

"You know who I am, don't you?"

"I know quite a bit!"

"Then you should know what will happen if the Navy finds out I've joined your Pirate Crew!"

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as Satoru Gojo said confidently:

"The mere Navy? I don't give them a second thought! No one can touch someone I want to protect!"

The Navy was the natural enemy of pirates. Even the Four Emperors, who stood at the pinnacle of the seas, would not lightly go to war with them.

Yet the man before her did not take the Navy seriously at all. Either he was ignorant, or he was powerful enough to challenge them.

Looking at Satoru Gojo's rather handsome face and listening to his arrogant words, Robin found herself momentarily lost in thought.

Rustle...

Dust swirled through the street. A mass of sand rode the wind through the air, descending from the sky and gradually taking human form.

He had slicked-back hair, a long scar running horizontally across his face, an earring in his right ear, a cigar between his lips, and a golden hook for a left hand. The newcomer was Crocodile!

Robin stepped forward and said:

"Boss!"

"I already know what happened. Stand back!"

Although Crocodile was highly ambitious, he still cared about his subordinates.

To keep Robin from getting hurt in the battle that might follow, he specifically told her to stand back.

"Hey, Crocodile! I've missed you so much!"

Satoru Gojo waved excitedly in greeting, as though he had run into a close friend he had not seen in years.

"Crocodile!?"

Crocodile narrowed his eyes, a dangerous look appearing on his face.

"Your subordinate told me you wanted to be my underling, so I came here especially to find you!"

He's twisting everything around! He obviously wanted you to be his underling!

That was Robin's inward retort.

Crocodile ignored Satoru Gojo's words and said:

"You easily defeated the men I sent. Just what I'd expect from a pirate whose first bounty was over fifty million!"

"It's only fifty-five million. They're seriously underestimating me!"

"The Navy wants me to take your head!"

His tone turned icy.

"We're going to be the best of crewmates! And the Navy actually asked you to kill a crewmate!" Even with Crocodile giving off murderous intent, Satoru Gojo continued joking blithely. "Did they offer extra?"

"They offered twice the price on your bounty!"

"You're going to sell out a crewmate for money?"

Rustle...

Crocodile did not answer, but the murderous intent he radiated grew even stronger.

Fine grains of sand whirled around him, and sand kept spreading from beneath his feet.

"All you did was kill a captain and destroy a few warships, yet the Navy asked me to deal with you. It seems they're quite wary of you!"

Crocodile slowly walked toward Satoru Gojo, the sand swirling around him steadily increasing.

The instant his words fell, his eyes became as sharp as a hunting falcon's. He suddenly surged forward, his right arm turning into sand as he swung it viciously at Satoru Gojo.

With a swing of his arm, a crescent-shaped blade of sand shot out, sweeping horizontally toward Satoru Gojo and the others.

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This was not merely a blade formed from sand. The Sand-Sand Fruit's ability could drain the moisture from objects, turning them into sand.

Facing this move, Satoru Gojo did not panic. He merely extended his hand and slapped at the oncoming crescent-shaped sand blade as though swatting a fly.

Boom!

Satoru Gojo's palm struck the crescent-shaped sand blade, instantly shattering it. Before the moisture-draining Devil Fruit power within the blade could enter his body, Limitless stopped it.

After scattering Crocodile's sand blade with one slap, Satoru Gojo abandoned his earlier demeanor and said seriously, "Attacks like that don't work on me. So? Will you join my Pirate Crew?"

Crocodile did not answer his question, instead saying:

"Let me see just how strong you are, to make the Navy so wary!"

Crocodile was not surprised that Satoru Gojo had blocked his sand blade. It would have been strange if someone the Navy wanted him to kill personally had died so easily.

He extended his right hand and slammed it against the ground.

Smack!

The Sand-Sand Fruit's demonic power surged out. The street instantly cracked, the fissures spreading in every direction with Crocodile at their center.

Immediately afterward, the ground turned to sand at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Almost instantly, every street and house within dozens of meters turned to sand. The sandy ground seemed to possess a gravitational pull, trying to drag Satoru Gojo and his two companions under.

"Freeze!"

Esdeath stamped her foot, activating the power of her Teigu, Demon's Extract: The Demon God Manifestation, and freezing the sand beneath her feet. Standing on the ice, she said unhurriedly:

"So this is a Devil Fruit's power? How fascinating!"

Satoru Gojo stood motionless on the sand, its gravitational pull having no effect on him whatsoever, and explained to Esdeath:

"This is the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit. The defining feature of Logias is their ability to use Elementalization. Without Armament Haki, they're a real pain!"

"Elementalization? Armament Haki? What's that?"

"You'll learn Armament Haki later. You'll understand then! As for Elementalization..."

Satoru Gojo and Esdeath could handle this calmly, but Koratt did not have that kind of strength.

"Lord Gojo! Help!"

With half his body already swallowed by the sand, Koratt hurriedly cried out to Satoru Gojo for help.

"Honestly (~_~;)"

Resigned, Satoru Gojo lifted Koratt out of the sand and threw him toward its edge.

"Esdeath, you stand back too!"

"Mm."

With that reply, she leaped backward, performed a beautiful backflip in midair, and landed steadily on the ground.

To win someone over, one needed strength capable of earning their submission. That strength could be intelligence or martial might, but Satoru Gojo had to demonstrate it himself.

For an ambitious man like Crocodile, force was necessary to make him submit. Simply put, he needed a beating.

That was why Satoru Gojo had told Esdeath to stand back. Despite her thirst for battle, Esdeath did not complain at all, because she understood his intentions.

"You're not coming at me together?"

"I'm more than enough to handle you!"

"Rookies these days are so arrogant!"

He stared at Satoru Gojo and said with a faint sneer, "Let me give you a proper lesson in respecting your seniors!"

The instant his words fell, Crocodile raised his arm and swung it at Satoru Gojo again.

In an instant.

The sand surrounding Satoru Gojo turned into sharp spears, suddenly thrusting toward him with lightning speed, about to impale him.

Facing this attack, Satoru Gojo lightly leaped into the air, and the sand spears pierced nothing but empty space.

Crocodile was not surprised that his attack had missed.

Because this was precisely the moment he had been waiting for!

He immediately formed a sand spear in his right hand and sent it hurtling toward Satoru Gojo, who was still airborne.

With no foothold in the air, Satoru Gojo would be unable to dodge his attack!

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