Standing behind Uchiha Xin, Vivi looked at the yellow sand covering the square, and her tense body relaxed a lot.
She had previously worried that Crocodile, having taken over the desert home turf, would be able to unleash several times the fighting power.
In retrospect, her worries were completely unnecessary.
Uchiha Xin looked at Crocodile, his tone indifferent.
"Is this the attack you're so proud of?"
"Too weak."
These two short sentences made Crocodile's expression even more unpleasant.
He is Shichibukai.
Having operated in Alabasta for many years, everyone bowed down to him.
Even those Baroque Works members who knew his true identity dared not question his power.
However, Uchiha Xin has never considered him a rival since he appeared.
That kind of contempt was even more unacceptable to him than direct insults.
"Weak?"
Crocodile, with a cigar in his mouth, slowly pressed his right hand to the ground.
"You're so smug just because you blocked one attack?"
"This is Alabasta."
"Every grain of sand beneath my feet can be used to my advantage."
"I'll see how long you can hold out!"
Crocodile suddenly spread his five fingers wide.
" Desert Sunflower!"
Rumble!
The entire square shook violently.
The stone slabs on the ground cracked one after another, and the yellow sand hidden underground burst through the cracks and gushed out wildly.
The ground beneath Uchiha Xin and Vivi's feet quickly sank.
The surrounding sand began to swirl.
In the blink of an eye, a vortex of quicksand covering most of the square took shape.
Broken stalls, stones, and house ruins were all swept up in it.
Vivi's feet slipped, and her body sank downwards.
"Oh no!"
She quickly reached out and grabbed Uchiha Xin's sleeve.
The quicksand had already reached her ankles and was still tightening.
The more it struggles, the faster it sinks.
The few civilians who had not yet fled in the distance were so frightened by this scene that they retreated repeatedly.
"It's quicksand!"
"Get out of here!"
"Once you're swallowed, you can't get out!"
Crocodile stood outside the quicksand, his body already half-dusted with sand.
Yellow sand swirled around his black overcoat.
" Desert Sunflower cause underground water veins to collapse, creating massive quicksand pits that devour everything."
Those who fall in will be dragged deep into the desert.
"It won't be long before you are completely buried."
Vivi looked down at the yellow sand that was rising above her calves, her face turning pale.
She tried to step out, but her right leg felt like it was being held tightly by a hand, and she couldn't pull it out at all.
" Uchiha Xin!"
"The quicksand is still expanding!"
Uchiha Xin stood still, his feet sinking into the yellow sand.
But there was no trace of panic on his face.
He didn't even look down at his feet.
"Bury someone with a piece of sand?"
"You actually dare to use that kind of move?"
Crocodile's forehead veins throbbed.
"Still talking tough even when you're about to die!"
"Sink!"
He pressed his palm down.
The entire stretch of quicksand erupted in chaos.
The yellow sand formed several whirlpools, tearing at Uchiha Xin and Vivi from different directions.
Vivi's body suddenly sank, and the quicksand instantly submerged her knees.
She gripped Uchiha Xin's arms tightly with both hands, not daring to let go.
The next moment, Uchiha Xin raised his right hand.
Shinra Tensei.
boom!
A tremendous force of repulsion erupted from his body.
Centered on Uchiha Xin, the quicksand was forcibly pushed outwards.
Layer upon layer of yellow sand surged into the air, forming sand waves tens of meters high.
The swirling quicksand vortexes exploded simultaneously.
The broken walls, stones, and wooden planks buried underground were all blown away by the tremors.
A huge circular pit was cleared out in the center of the square.
Vivi felt a sudden lightness in her body as the sand binding her legs vanished.
Before she could react, her feet touched solid ground again.
Yellow sand flew in all directions.
Crocodile's coat was ripped off by the impact, and he slid backward for more than ten meters, his feet leaving two tracks in the ground.
He raised his Golden Hook to block in front of him, thus avoiding being blasted away.
A moment later, the sand and dust settled.
There was no more quicksand in the center of the square.
Vivi looked at her legs, then looked up at Uchiha Xin.
"Such a huge quicksand pit..."
"It was just shattered like that?"
She knew that Uchiha Xin very strong.
However, whenever Crocodile unleashed a larger-scale attack, Uchiha Xin would counter it in a simpler way.
Crocodile lowered his Golden Hook and stared intently at Uchiha Xin.
That repulsive force came too quickly.
He lacks Armament Haki.
It's also unlike any other Taijutsu.
"You're also Devil Fruit User?"
Crocodile asked in a deep voice.
"Manipulate the invisible impact, pushing aside everything around it."
" Paramecia?"
Uchiha Xin did not answer.
Crocodile took his silence as tacit agreement.
He put the cigar back in his mouth and raised his hand to wipe the dust off his face.
"I see."
"No wonder you dared to come to Alabasta to cause me trouble."
"Your Devil Fruit ability is indeed impressive, but unfortunately you chose the wrong opponent."
Crocodile opened his right hand.
Outside the square, countless grains of yellow sand rose into the air.
The desert outside the city was also drawn in.
A large sandstorm swept into Alubarna, obscuring half the sky.
"In other places, I might need to put in a bit more effort."
"But this is a desert."
My power is inexhaustible!
The yellow sand spun rapidly above Crocodile's head.
The wind was getting louder and louder.
A large sandstorm whirlwind shot into the sky, and its size continued to expand.
The doors and windows on both sides of the street were torn apart by the strong wind.
The gravel was immediately pulverized by the dense sand as soon as it was caught in the wind.
Vivi looked up at the ever-growing Sables, her breath catching in her throat.
"What kind of scale is this...?"
Crocodile raised his right arm, and the massive Sables tilted accordingly.
" Sables!"
"Go to hell!"
A giant sandcastle shot towards the center of the square.
Wherever it went, the stone slabs were uprooted.
Several civilians who were hiding in the distance turned and ran, but were still knocked to the ground by the wind pressure.
Vivi's long hair was blown back by the wind.
She instinctively hid behind Uchiha Xin.
We can't let it get any bigger!
"If this continues, the surrounding neighborhoods will be destroyed!"
Uchiha Xin looked up and glanced at the approaching Sables.
No Hand Seals.
He did not draw his sword.
He uttered only one word.
"Disperse!"
The sound faded.
The rapidly spinning Sables suddenly stopped.
The sandstorm that connected heaven and earth shuddered violently before breaking in half.
The yellow sand, no longer pulled by the wind, fell in large swathes.
In the blink of an eye, the massive Sables, powerful enough to destroy large swathes of a city, completely disintegrated.
The gale subsided.
The flying pebbles fell to the ground.
The yellow sand has completely calmed down.
Crocodile's raised right hand froze in place.
He could clearly feel that his connection with Sables had been forcibly severed.
That was not a direct defeat.
There was no way to counteract it with stronger wind pressure.