"Useless! In this desert, I reign supreme!" Crocodile grinned viciously, turning his body into sand again and appearing behind Luffy like a phantom.
"Your blood, your moisture... will all become nourishment for this desert! Become my stepping stone to Pluton! Desert Sunflower-!"
The sand beneath Luffy's feet instantly collapsed into an enormous quicksand vortex, unleashing a terrifying suction that threatened to swallow him whole.
"Luffy-!!" In the distance, Nami and Tony Tony Chopper's heart-wrenching cries could faintly be heard, but the violent sandstorm blocked them from drawing near.
Just as Luffy struggled desperately, only to sink deeper and deeper, and a victor's cruel smile appeared on Crocodile's face.
Rumble-!!!
A deafening roar came from the horizon-not thunder, but the bellow of some enormous engine running at full power.
An enormous, streamlined golden ship, shimmering with blue energy patterns, suddenly appeared.
Like a primordial beast tearing through the night, it hurtled toward the center of the battlefield at a nearly suicidal speed, bringing violent winds and a shadow that blotted out the sky.
Crooked, freshly welded gold edging still remained on its hull, looking particularly glaring and ridiculous beneath the starlight.
"Hmm?!"
Crocodile's pupils contracted as he abruptly looked up at the uninvited guest that had suddenly intruded. His plan had reached a critical stage. He would allow no surprises.
Almost simultaneously, his hawklike gaze pierced the swirling sand and caught sight of a figure who had appeared at some unknown point on a Sand Dune at the battlefield's edge.
White hair, black clothes, a long sword slung diagonally at his waist-he stood quietly watching, like an indifferent spectator.
"Reinforcements?" Crocodile's eyes turned utterly sinister, and anger mixed with the violence of being scorned surged up in an instant.
"I don't care who you are! If you dare interfere with my