The Straw Hat Pirates regrouped and headed towards the Rainbase, following the route map left by Robin.
The temperature in the desert plummeted at night, and exhaled breath condensed into white mist in the air, but no one complained.
Everyone knew what awaited them next— the Rainbase, the Underground Royal Tomb, and a true Shichibukai.
But strangely, no one was afraid.
Perhaps it was Luffy's resolute figure Luffy ahead that gave them hope, or perhaps it was the map that showed them that hope.
Perhaps it's simply because they trusted their captain.
Robin stood on a distant sand dune, watching the group disappear into the night.
Her hand unconsciously pressed against her chest, where the Den Den Mushi Roy had left her lay, the tiny golden snail curled quietly in her palm.
Captain Roy.
"You're right. That kid is definitely different."
The Den Den Mushi didn't answer, but she knew Roy was listening.
The night wind blew across the sand dunes, stirring up a thin layer of golden sand mist.
Robin put the Den Den Mushi back in her pocket and turned to walk in the opposite direction. Her mission wasn't over yet.
Before leaving Alabasta, she had one last thing to do—go to the port and wait for the ship.
Casino in the Rainbase.
Crocodile stood in the central rotunda, beneath his feet large stone slabs arranged in the shape of a sun totem.
He pulled out his last cigar from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke toward the dim ceiling.
A loud boom came from outside.
The casino's main entrance was blown away.
Then came the shouts of battle, the clanging of swords clashing, and the booming voice unique to a certain Rubber Man.
" Crocodile! Where are you?! Come out and get a beating!"
They've arrived.
Crocodile took the cigar from his lips, stubbed it out on a stone pillar beside him, and then carefully straightened his cloak.
This is the actor's last scene; after this performance, they can return to Hachinosu.
He encouraged himself mentally.
The stone door at the entrance to the hall was kicked open.
Luffy stood at the doorway, moonlight streaming in from behind him, casting the shadow of his Straw Hat onto the stone slab.
His body was still wrapped in bandages, and the wound on his right arm had just scabbed over, but his entire demeanor was completely different from three days ago—his back was as straight as a flag, his fists were clenched tightly, and the muscle lines under his rubber skin were more defined than in any previous battle.
" Straw Hat Boy."
Crocodile turned around, his cloak billowing silently behind him, sand pattering down from its edges.
"Wasn't the lesson learned last time enough?"
I'll beat you to a pulp!!
Without a word, Luffy kicked off the ground and his rubber fist came crashing down.
Crocodile dodged to the side. At the same instant he moved, Roy's voice echoed in his mind.
"Don't hit him too hard at the start; let him warm up first. Then slowly push him into a corner."
"Okay, okay."
Crocodile thought to himself, then waved his right hand, and a sandstorm exploded in his palm.
The entire circular hall was filled with yellow sand, and visibility plummeted to zero.
Luffy lost his way in the sandstorm, his rubber fists swinging wildly through the yellow sand, hitting stone pillars and walls, but he just couldn't hit Crocodile.
Where are you hitting? I'm right here.
Crocodile's voice came from the sandstorm, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes near, sometimes far.
Luffy threw a punch at the sound, only to disperse a cloud of sand.
It's a Sand Blade again.
Three sand blades simultaneously slashed at Luffy from different directions.
Luffy hurriedly jumped back, dodging the first two wounds, but the third grazed his side, adding another tear to his bandages.
" Gum-Gum Whip!" Luffy twisted his body in mid-air, his right leg whipping out in an arc towards Crocodile.
The rubber leg pierced through Crocodile's sand-covered chest, sand flowing past the sides of the leg without any sense of impact.
"Haven't you learned how to Haki yet?"
Crocodile's body reformed, his right hand's five fingers spread open, the Golden Hook gleaming coldly in the darkness.
"Let's do it one more time."
The Sand-Sand Fruit power is activated.
A large amount of moisture was drawn from the surrounding air, causing the dryness level to rise instantly.
But this time, Luffy didn't collapse from dehydration as quickly as before.
Luffy gritted his teeth, stood firm, and swiftly pulled a straw from behind him.
Crocodile's heart skipped a beat. This kid had found a way to deal with dehydration in such a short time.
This method is just too rudimentary.
Crocodile watched as Luffy used Luffy to suck water from the water pouch on his back into his stomach to resist Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit, and he couldn't help but laugh and cry.
Hey! Straw Hat Boy!
"You don't think you can beat me with just a little water, do you!"
"I'll definitely beat you to a pulp!" Luffy stared fiercely at Crocodile.
"A decent momentum, but not enough."
Crocodile concentrated the sandstorm into his right arm, forming a high-speed spinning sand spear.
The spearhead was aimed at Luffy's chest, poised to strike.
Roy's voice transmission rang in my ear again.
"Wait, that move was too powerful, hold back a bit."
You're not fighting in New World, you're teaching a lesson to a newcomer.
Crocodile cursed inwardly and silently reduced the speed of his Sand Spear by 30%.
Even so, the power of this attack still far exceeded Luffy's current limit.
The sand spear flew out of his hand, leaving a sharp whistling sound in the air, and stabbed straight towards Luffy.
Luffy didn't dodge. He took a deep breath, and his rubber belly suddenly swelled up like a drum.
" Gum-Gum Balloon!"
The sand spear pierced Luffy's swollen belly, and the elasticity of the rubber completely absorbed the impact of the sand spear.
The sand spear spun a few times inside Luffy's stomach before being bounced off by the force of the impact, crashing into the ceiling with a loud bang, sending pebbles and sand raining down.
Crocodile paused for a moment.
What kind of weird trick is this? Using her stomach as a cushion?
He'd been fighting in the New World for so many years, and this was the first time he'd ever seen someone use such a shameless method to defend against the sand spear.
Roy's telepathic message even carried a hint of a smile.
"Interesting, isn't it? This kid's combat IQ isn't low."
It's a ghost.
Crocodile's lips twitched, but his professionalism prevented him from showing it.
He could only continue to wear a surprised yet angry expression while reciting his lines.
"You little brat—!"
"It's not over yet!"
Luffy was still fuming, and he bounced up like an inflated balloon.
He somersaulted in the air, using the rebound force to accelerate and crash into Crocodile.
Crocodile instinctively wanted to retaliate with his Sand Blade, but Roy coughed in his ear.
The cough made it clear – he had hit the target.
Crocodile forcefully suppressed his instinctive reaction, pretending not to have expected Luffy to attack in such a comical way.
Luffy's head slammed into Crocodile's chest, sending him flying several meters.
The two rolled around on the ground several times, with Luffy landing on top of Crocodile and throwing punches.
Crocodile instinctively tried to disperse the sand, but Roy's telepathic communication once again precisely thwarted his thought:
"Let him land two punches before you disperse."
Two punches.
Crocodile cursed inwardly, but managed to suppress his instinct to transform into an elemental form, Luffy to deliver two solid punches to his face.
Golden Hook was knocked to one side, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth—that was real, not an act.
The kid's fist was heavier than he expected.
After taking two punches, Crocodile finally "reacted," his body turning into dust and sliding away from Luffy, reforming at the other end of the royal tomb.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face so dark it seemed to drip water.
Although it was mostly acting, those two punches really made him lose face.
"That's more like it."
Crocodile muttered something under his breath, and his right hand once again conjured a sandstorm.
This sandstorm was more violent than any before, and the entire hall was trembling.
Roy transmitted his voice. "You can start fighting seriously now, but don't forget—let him find an opening."