"You're quite capable."
" Sables!"
Crocodile took a step back, and a sandstorm appeared in his right palm, which he hurled directly at Kazu.
"Hmph, a mere trick."
Space Slash.
A slash imbued with spatial power cleaved the growing sandstorm in two.
The sandstorm dissipated in the wind after being cleaved apart, while the Space Slash continued its attack on Crocodile.
Crocodile raised his left arm with the Golden Hook and slammed it down, deflecting the Spatial Space Slash off course, sending it flying towards the desert to the left.
" Desert Spada."
" Battō Slash!"
The two fought to a standstill, and then engaged in close-quarters combat again.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of moves had been exchanged, and Crocodile grew increasingly alarmed.
This Her Kazi truly lives up to his reputation; he's worthy of being someone who can go toe-to-toe with Marine Admiral. I can't defeat him at all; he's incredibly strong.
However, he wasn't too worried. Judging from their exchange just now, his opponent's strength should be roughly equal to his own.
"No wonder you dared to kill Celestial Dragons; you do have some strength after all."
"Our strengths are roughly equal, and continuing to fight is futile. You should leave; as long as you leave Alabasta, everything will be fine."
Crocodile really didn't want to fight Kazu anymore. If it were before, he would have fought with all his might, whether it was challenging Bullet or Whitebeard.
But now he has bigger plans. If he makes too much noise, the World Government and the Navy will notice. If they come here to investigate, Pluton will likely be exposed, and then he will be out of the picture.
This was something he couldn't allow; he hadn't found Pluton yet, and he couldn't afford to attract too much attention here.
"Hmph hmph hmph, hahahahaha."
Kazu couldn't help but burst into laughter upon seeing Crocodile's sincere efforts.
"You Crocodile, you're quite interesting."
"You'll let me go as long as I leave on my own?"
"Our strengths are about the same..."
I said...
"When did you start having the misconception that I've already given it my all?"
After saying that, Kazu's Conqueror's Haki instantly erupted towards Crocodile.
His aura reached its peak, Armament Haki covered the Muramasa's blade, and he used the power that had been amplified again by the Iron Balloon to its fullest extent.
Let me show you a new world.
" Space Swap."
The next instant, Kazu appeared directly in front of Crocodile.
That's right, he's determined to defeat this Crocodile head-on.
He hadn't even challenged his own father yet, but this guy had already done it before him a while ago.
What level is Crocodile in that he's challenging a fanfic character like Crocodile?
Muramasa, enveloped in Armament Haki and spatial manipulation, and empowered by Kazu's immense strength, slashed fiercely down at Crocodile.
Kazu didn't use his spatial abilities to move, nor did he use his full strength to fight Crocodile.
"Nani!!"
This sudden Space Swap and superhuman strength caught Crocodile completely off guard.
Kazu suddenly pressed his face close, and the Muramasa's blade drew ever closer to Crocodile's gaze.
Pfft~
With a swift and clean slash, Crocodile was sent flying, a gruesome wound appearing on his chest, blood splattering through the air as if it were free.
Makino, who was behind her, had seen Kazu fight many times before, but this was the first time Robin had seen Kazu fight an enemy.
She understood all too well what it meant to be Shichibukai, having endured so much hardship and displacement.
She had even considered joining one of the Shichibukai.
Unexpectedly, a living, breathing Shichibukai has been swiftly and decisively defeated by Kazu.
As expected of a man who could stop Aokiji, his strength is indeed formidable.
Aokiji had long been a nightmare for Robin; he was more than just one of the high-ranking officers who destroyed Ohara.
Moreover, he's been a Marine since she was a child. No matter where she escapes, Aokiji always manages to appear behind her, filling Robin with immense fear each time.
Therefore, it was of great significance to Robin that Kazu was able to withstand Aokiji.
Crocodile was sent flying over a hundred meters, crashing heavily into a sand dune and kicking up sand several meters high.
"Pooh."
"What kind of class do they have to challenge the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"That man is my target. For my mother's sake, he's going to get a beating."
Kazu knew Crocodile wasn't dead, but he didn't want to kill him so easily.
Crocodile is no pushover; he'll give the World Government a headache in the future.
The Sand-Sand Fruit poses no threat to Kazu; let's save it to attract the World Government's attention later.
"Let's go buy some camels, and we'll cross this desert to check out the next town."
Kazu swaggered back to town with Makino and Robin to select camels.
Before leaving, Robin saw Crocodile's figure completely buried by the yellow sand.
"I wonder if he'll encounter centipedes and scorpions lurking under the sand."
"Given his current condition, a single bite would likely be fatal."
Shaking her head, Robin didn't think about it anymore. Kazu had already let the other person go; whether he lived or died depended on his fate.
Several hours later, Crocodile finally woke up.
Fortunately, he possesses the Sand-Sand Fruit ability, so lying in the desert is like an ordinary person soaking in a hot spring; he doesn't feel uncomfortable at all.
Crocodile sat up, looking at the wounds on his body; the pain made him frown slightly.
"That damned bastard, he didn't kill me."
" The Space-Space Fruit's ability is indeed troublesome. I was careless and didn't dodge, so I was caught off guard and the opponent seized an opening."
Crocodile pulled a cigar from his clothes, took a deep drag, and only then did he feel a little better.
" Pluton..."
Crocodile clenched his fists, his obsession with Pluton growing even stronger.
On the other side, Carlmand and Behrens also encountered a formidable enemy Daz Bones, a blade-wielding man who had eaten the Dice-Dice Fruit, accompanied by a man wielding Fire Pistol.
Baroque Works?
"Never heard of it."
"We are the Blond Hair Pirates, not some small fry like you."
A fierce battle was about to break out between the two sides. Carlmand had mastered dual-color Haki and was not afraid of the opponent's blade at all, so he began close combat with punches landing squarely.
Behrens also used a superior technique; although his Armament Haki was still rusty, Observation Haki was his forte, giving him a significant advantage in sniper battles.
The opponent fired three shots first, but Behrens calmly dodged the bullets and then fired both guns simultaneously.
A dozen minutes later, Behrens had already opened several holes in the enemy's defenses, and the enemy collapsed to the ground with a look of unwilling resentment.
Meanwhile, Carlmand's team grew more and more passionate as the fight progressed; this kind of tough-guy battle was the most exhilarating.
" Carlmand, do you need my help?"
Behrens watched the game from the corner, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, sitting on the ground.
"Don't make a move, Behrens."
"This guy is my prey."
Carlmand was in the middle of something exciting; how could he possibly let Behrens leave?