A blinding white flash lit up the entire sky.
The violent explosion should have stirred up a raging storm, destroying everything within its range. But when that explosive force collided with the massive sandstorm that had been consuming the sky, the energies canceled each other out.
The storm suddenly swelled outward, consuming the explosion's fury.
Brilliant flames blazed across the sky. For a moment, it looked like dawn breaking over the desert. The dark clouds that had been gathering overhead were blasted apart.
And then, rising above it all, a crimson mushroom cloud towered into the sky.
High above the chaos, Usopp stared at the explosion.
"The blast was smaller than I thought it would be," he muttered, shaking his head.
Kira was so stunned she couldn't form words. She just stared at the massive pillar of fire and smoke climbing toward them.
"If I hadn't flown away fast enough, that thing would've swallowed me whole!" she finally managed to choke out, swallowing hard.
Usopp shook his head again. "In my calculations, a B1 explosion should have been powerful enough to destroy an entire island. Sure, it looks huge, but you have to factor in the sandstorm's effect. A lot of that smoke and flame got caught in the winds and carried upward. The destructive force at ground level was probably way less than what we're seeing."
As someone who'd eaten the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, his fascination with explosions had only grown deeper over time. He was constantly analyzing, calculating, trying to push the limits of what his power could achieve.
Kira's expression was complicated. She didn't know where to even start with a rebuttal to that logic.
"Wait! What about Marcus and the others? Are they okay?" Even if the explosion had been triggered in mid-air, could Marcus really withstand something like that on the ground?
Usopp finally snapped out of his trance and pulled out his Den Den Mushi. The explosion hadn't cut the signal, which was a good sign.
The line connected with a soft gacha.
"As I suspected, the destructive power wasn't sufficient," Usopp said into the snail.
Inside his obsidian shelter, Marcus sounded puzzled. "Was the blast really that weak?"
Before Usopp could respond, Kira snatched the Den Den Mushi. "Don't listen to him! That explosion's mushroom cloud reached thousands of meters into the sky!"
Usopp grabbed the snail back. "Kira, we need to be realistic here. Yes, the mushroom cloud went that high, but that doesn't mean the explosion itself had that level of destructive force. Most of that height came from the sandstorm's updrafts carrying smoke and debris upward. The real power at the detonation point wasn't nearly as impressive."
"But it scattered the entire sandstorm."
Marcus listened to them argue back and forth, already forming his own conclusions. From the vibrations he'd felt through the ground and the obsidian walls, he could estimate the force fairly accurately.
The destructive power was probably comparable to Crocodile's timed bombs from earlier in the day, devastating, but not the island-destroying apocalypse Usopp had been hoping for.
He broke open the obsidian shell and confirmed his suspicion. The three-layer defense had been complete overkill. The outermost layer hadn't even been scratched, and the sand outside hadn't crystallized from heat.
He walked over to Luffy's obsidian prison and broke it open.
The moment Luffy saw him, his expression turned pitiful, like a kicked puppy.
"Marcus..."
"Don't even try the sad face. Who the hell takes off their armor in the middle of a fight?"
Luffy opened his mouth to protest, but Marcus just turned away, already moving on to assess the situation.
---
Far from the blast site, Crocodile frowned as he glanced back over his shoulder. The sandstorm he'd spent so much energy creating had been completely dispersed by that explosion.
"Did they move one of my bombs over there? No... the timing doesn't match up." His brow furrowed as he tried to puzzle it out, but then he dismissed the thought with a shake of his head.
Failure was failure. As long as his ultimate goal was achieved, he could accept a few setbacks along the way.
He continued forward until he reached the royal tomb.
Robin was already waiting there, standing beside the entrance. Next to her stood Poisson. His face was bruised and swollen, and he was smiling obsequiously, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.
Crocodile frowned at the sight, though not out of anger at Robin. More puzzlement than anything.
"Why didn't you just finish him off?"
When Poisson had taken control of the royal army but failed to follow orders, his usefulness should have ended right there. There was no reason to keep him alive.
Poisson shivered, stammering in panic. "It's not like that! It's not that I didn't want to carry out your orders, but I only just took this position recently! The royal army won't listen to a word I say, and the palace guard openly defies me. What could I possibly do?"
Seeing Crocodile's expression soften slightly, he rushed to continue. "Although Cobra never revealed the full secret, I still managed to find out through other channels that there's some great mystery hidden within the tomb. But beyond that information, I don't know much more."
He pressed his case, desperately trying to prove he still had value.
But Crocodile simply placed a hand on his shoulder. "Very well. Since you've made your contribution, it's only fitting that you now pay the price for all these years."
His Devil Fruit power activated.
In an instant, Poisson's body withered and shriveled, all moisture sucked out in seconds. He collapsed to the ground as a dried-up husk, dead before he could even scream.
"How ruthless," Robin remarked, not sounding particularly bothered. "After all, he was the one who passed that information along to you in the first place."
Crocodile shot her a sidelong glance. The look said everything without words needing to be spoken.
Robin simply shrugged and walked ahead, leading the way into the tomb.
The ancient structure opened before them, revealing stairs descending below.
They walked quietly into Arabasta's most closely guarded secret.
Despite being underground, the tomb wasn't dark at all, in fact, it was strangely bright, illuminated by some light source.
Robin glanced toward where the light was coming from. "It's hard to believe this craftsmanship is from eight hundred years ago. Even with modern technology, people couldn't replicate this level of precision."
Crocodile, however, showed no interest in the artistry or historical significance. He was scanning the corridors, searching for only one thing.
"You know what I'm after. Find it."
Robin sighed and activated her Devil Fruit power. Arms and eyes sprouted throughout the tomb, spreading like a network as she searched every chamber.
But then she froze.
There was someone here. Someone who'd been missing for days, presumed dead or captured by now.
King Cobra.
"What is it?" Crocodile demanded, noticing her reaction.
"I found Cobra. He's kneeling... in front of a coffin..."
"What?"
Following her directions, they made their way deeper into the tomb until they reached a large chamber. And there, exactly as Robin had said, was Cobra.
He was on his knees before an ornate stone coffin, his posture suggesting he'd been there for quite some time. His body was gaunt, his clothes were filthy, and his lips were cracked and bleeding.
Cobra sensed their presence and weakly turned his head. When he saw Crocodile standing there, he let out a long sigh.
"So it isn't Poisson after all... I suppose that fool didn't survive then."
"You knew I would come?"
Cobra didn't answer. He simply remained kneeling, silent and still. His cracked lips and parched throat couldn't form many words anymore, even if he'd wanted to speak.
Crocodile easily sensed the strangeness of his condition. He stepped forward until he stood directly in front of the king.
"You're telling me you've been kneeling here since the day you disappeared?"
Cobra gave a faint nod.
"..."
Crocodile had no patience for whatever sentiment was driving this behavior. "Poisson claimed you never revealed the royal family's secret to him. Since you're here, speak. Tell me what I want to know. Otherwise, you die."
Cobra lifted his head, meeting Crocodile's gaze. Then, he laughed.
"I never intended to walk out of here alive. To die by your hand... is fitting enough."
With that, he said nothing more, simply returning to his vigil before the coffin.
A vein bulged on Crocodile's forehead. Nothing was going smoothly. Every step of this operation had been a frustration.
"In that case, I'll grant your wish."
He raised his hook, ready to end this pointless standoff.
But just then, Robin spoke, "Aren't you curious why he's kneeling here in the first place?"