Stabbing Crocodile to Death

"Yes!"

Meanwhile.

Sadi, Smoker, Tashigi, and a group of Marines had long been unable to hold back. If it weren't for Wilton ordering them to stand down, Tashigi and the others would have likely intervened in this war.

Because people were dying every minute and second.

The battle between the Straw Hat Pirates and the executives of the Patrick Studio had been under their surveillance the whole time. After waiting so long, Major General Wilton finally gave the order.

"Action."

"According to the plan set by Major General Wilton, Colonel Smoker and Sergeant Tashigi will lead the Marines to stop this farcical war."

"I and the Minotaur Zebra will go capture the Straw Hat Pirates and the Patrick Studio executives."

Sadi put away the Den Den Mushi, stuck out her tongue, and licked her red lips. Her actions were unexpectedly efficient.

"Understood."

They split up and acted. Meanwhile, Wilton also made his move, gripping a dumbbell in his right hand, leaping high, and smashing it down onto the ground.

The hard ground quickly collapsed, revealing a hole. Wilton descended from the sky and crashed into the underground burial hall. Amidst the swirling dust, both a heavily wounded Crocodile and a panting Luffy were startled.

Cobra on the ground also widened his eyes.

"Shichibukai Crocodile, Straw Hat Kid Monkey D. Luffy, you are suspected of subverting state power. I arrest you in my capacity as a Marine Rear Admiral."

"You can resist, or you can surrender."

Wilton walked out of the dust without room for doubt.

To his left was a tall man with a slicked-back hairstyle, a long scar across his face, a golden hook for his left hand, and wearing a black fur coat.

To his right was the Straw Hat Kid, who could collapse at any moment.

"Big guy Marine."

Luffy swayed, almost unable to stand. He looked like he had been fished out of a pool of blood. Combined with Crocodile's poison needle, he was at the end of his rope, just one step away from defeating Crocodile.

He hadn't expected Wilton to appear at such a critical moment.

When enemies meet, their eyes burn with hatred.

Luffy's eyes were filled with icy, bone-chilling killing intent.

"Guhahaha~"

"Marine Rear Admiral, I am a Shichibukai. According to the agreement, you should be helping me right now."

Crocodile's face was sinister. Strictly speaking, he had a cooperative relationship with the Marines, but the other party's intention just now was to arrest both him and the Straw Hat Kid?

Normally, he wouldn't have paid attention to a mere Rear Admiral. But he was seriously injured right now and desperately needed treatment and rest.

Wilton's expression was blank. He merely looked indifferently at this unlucky man nicknamed the Desert King, calling him a big fool, just like Enel behind him.

Although he was weak in the early stages, he was incredibly fierce later on.

However, meeting him meant this was the end.

"Explosive Double Axes."

The ground within a twenty-meter radius exploded. Wilton leaped and appeared above Crocodile, swinging the dumbbell with all his might in both hands.

The Sand-Sand Fruit was right before his eyes, and he didn't have time to waste words with the other party.

Wilton had also considered Luffy's Mythical Zoan: Nika Fruit before, but he thought that Devil Fruit was completely unsuitable for him.

He preferred simple and brutal Devil Fruits, not those that made one act like a clown.

More importantly, he didn't have the strength yet to withstand the consequences of killing Luffy.

"You're asking for death."

"Desert Sword."

Facing Wilton's attack that came without warning, Crocodile, gasping for breath, became furious. His right hand transformed into a sand blade, which enlarged and swung fiercely.

The sharpness of this attack could even cleave through the desert.

Bang--

With a loud noise, the fierce, blood-stained sand blade shattered. It was completely unable to block Wilton's power. The five-hundred-meter dumbbell phantom slash wave was invincible. In Crocodile's horrified and disbelieving gaze, it fell heavily.

A piercing bone-cracking sound rang out.

The dumbbell continued its momentum, pressing down on his arm, and smashed directly onto Crocodile's head. This blow was imbued with Armament Haki, unlike Luffy's, which required blood to hit Crocodile.

"At your end, you have no chance of winning."

The entire underground burial hall began to collapse rapidly. The ground beneath Crocodile's feet cracked and caved in. Finally, with blood flowing from his seven orifices and his eyes rolled back, he fell to the ground, losing consciousness instantly.

Giving the Shichibukai the greatest respect, Wilton went all out with this blow.

Losing to him was better than losing to Luffy. It would at least be less embarrassing if the story got out. After all, he knew Armament Haki, and he was a tough guy who survived fighting the world's most dangerous man and Whitebeard Pirates' second division captain, Fire Fist Ace.

In terms of reputation and strength, he completely crushed the Straw Hat Kid.

However, seeing how depleted Crocodile was, even if he hadn't intervened, Crocodile was only one move away from Luffy's Gum-Gum Storm.

A glance from the corner of his eye.

Cobra was carrying Nico Robin and dragging Luffy as they disappeared into a passage. Wilton didn't pay them any mind at first. Instead, he grabbed Crocodile and soared into the sky, landing on the ground.

Carrying a bundle full of fruit on his back, Wilton quickly entered a dilapidated residential building and rapidly poured out the fruit, arranging them in a circle.

Wilton grabbed Crocodile by the neck and entered the fruit circle. He drew the dagger he had prepared beforehand, wrapped it in Armament Haki, and with a swift strike, plunged it into Crocodile's heart.

Gurgle, gurgle.

Crocodile, who had been unconscious, suddenly woke up, feeling a sharp pain in his heart. He struggled violently, but Wilton sat firmly on him, his left hand covered in Armament Haki, gripping his neck.

Two heavy dumbbells were also pressing down on him.

"Rest in peace! I will inherit your Sand-Sand Fruit and rule the world."

Wilton's gaze was deep and cold, Crocodile's hot, pungent heart's blood splashing onto his face. He then pulled out the dagger and continued to stab his heart.

One stab after another.

Numb and cold.

A large amount of blood gushed from Crocodile's mouth and nose. His eyes widened, his body convulsed, filled with disbelief and terror.

He wanted to say something.

But Wilton held his neck tightly. Slowly, Crocodile's consciousness began to sink into darkness, the light in his eyes dimming.

Things weren't supposed to develop like this.

Why was this Marine killing him? Did he not even deserve to go to prison?

Unwillingness, anger, and despair slowly settled on Crocodile's lifeless face.

A generation's formidable figure, the Desert King who later became even stronger, was thus stifled in his early days.

He died cleanly, he died peacefully.

Leaving no possibility for a comeback.

This was a true plot kill.

After confirming Crocodile had breathed his last, Wilton stood up, walked out of the fruit circle, and stared intently at the fruits.

One minute.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Wilton's expression grew increasingly grim. Seeing no change in the fruits, he knew that stripping the Sand-Sand Fruit had failed.

This was a gamble from the start.

When a Devil Fruit user died, the Devil Fruit would be reborn anywhere in the world. However, if some ordinary fruits were placed around the user beforehand, there was a chance the Devil Fruit would be reborn within the nearest fruits.

If he were lucky, the Sand-Sand Fruit might have already reborn into one of the fruits.

Wilton's luck was clearly not good. Ten minutes had passed, and the fruits around him were still just ordinary fruits.

Unwillingly, he continued to wait for another five minutes.

Wilton sighed, grabbed Crocodile's corpse, and then punched directly through the heart area, covering the wound made by the dagger. He then collected the fruits and quickly disappeared from the residential building.

Although Crocodile was dead, his corpse could still be useful for gaining him reputation.