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A roaring sand current surged forward violently, and everything it touched was instantly turned into sand by Crocodile's ability.
Like a spark igniting a wildfire, a few grains of sand rapidly affected the surrounding matter, transforming it into even more sand. In the blink of an eye, within just 2–3 breaths of time, everything Jason could see had turned into a flowing river of sand.
Starting from Crocodile, the ground for 150 meters ahead had been reduced to a desert river.
"Hoo!"
A puff of white smoke was exhaled as Crocodile slowly raised his right hand and pointed it forward. At that moment, a fierce light flickered in his eyes. Staring ahead, at one figure standing still and another still trying to dodge the sand flow, his gaze erupted with killing intent.
"Before my sandstorm, no one escapes!"
"Sandbind!"
"Sààààà!"
The rasping sound of leaves brushing against the sand filled the air, and what unfolded next shocked everyone present.
From the surging sand flow, like a flood, countless sand ropes suddenly sprang forth. These ropes soared into the air like fierce, venomous serpents, aiming straight at No. 2 and another man in black.
The ropes moved with terrifying speed and in overwhelming numbers; hundreds burst out of the sand river in an instant, and their number was still increasing. Dense and innumerable, they blotted out the sky. The two men in black had their expressions completely change.
Faced with such a massive attack, there was simply no room to dodge. One of the black-clothed men tried to evade, but in just two flickers of movement, one sand rope had already wrapped tightly around his ankle.
Once caught, his movement faltered for a split second, and then, countless ropes surged forward and completely bound him. A strange power traveled along the sand ropes. The moment they touched the man in black, his clothing disintegrated into particles of sand.
"What is this?!" His pupils contracted in panic, and he shouted loudly: "Tekkai!"
That strange power surged over him, Iron Body (Tekkai) seemed to delay the transformation for a brief moment, but Crocodile didn't hesitate.
The ropes pulled hard, and the black-clothed man was dragged down to the ground.
"Sààààà!"
In another breath, the sand current surged upward, swallowing his figure in an instant, burying him under a tide of sand. His presence vanished completely.
Immediately after, Crocodile's gaze turned to No. 2, who was still in the air.
Seeing his comrade eliminated in just a few moves, No. 2's expression turned grave, and a trace of fear showed toward the sand river below.
"Boom!"
As he used Geppo (Moonwalk) to keep moving through the air, the sand beneath Crocodile's feet surged upward.
In the next moment, his figure was carried by the sand like a long serpent, soaring into the sky and flying straight toward No. 2.
"Jason is too slow. Let me deal with you instead."
That deep voice reached No. 2's ears in an instant, and his eyes narrowed, clearly astonished by Crocodile's mastery of his Devil Fruit power. With this level of strength, he could easily earn the rank of Rear Admiral in the Marines and stand shoulder to shoulder with the rising stars of recent times.
Yet such a man was hidden among Rojen's crew.
"Crocodile... The Marines underestimated you. The world underestimated you!" No. 2 spoke coldly, clenching his fists as a trace of black aura began swirling around them. In the blink of an eye, both fists looked like they were covered in iron.
"Busoshoku!" (Armament Haki)
"But even so, you're still no match for me!"
Shrouded in mist, Crocodile saw the strange aura around his opponent's fists and didn't immediately attack. Instead, he maintained a certain distance.
"So this is Busoshoku, the power that can harm a Logia Devil Fruit user's real body?"
"Oh? You actually know that?" No. 2 said in surprise.
According to their intelligence, this group was nothing more than a band of small fries who had just entered the Grand Line. Even if they had a powerful captain, that was likely a fluke or situational strength. Yet someone like Crocodile actually understood the properties of Busoshoku.
"Oh, I know a lot more than you think," Crocodile responded casually as he extended his right hand and pointed forward. "Now, it's time to eliminate you. We're in a hurry."
"Buzz!"
As Crocodile extended his hand, the vast sea of sand behind him suddenly roared and began floating upward.
No. 2's pupils contracted in shock.
He saw that the sand, which had just been flowing across the ground, was now floating into the air, forming a hazy sandstorm behind Crocodile that blocked out everything from view. It was suffocatingly oppressive, yet immensely powerful.
Crocodile then waved his hand.
"Sandstorm!"
With just that one word, the sky filled with sand began to churn violently, as if controlled by an invisible force. In a blink, the sand swept past Crocodile's body and surged straight toward No. 2.
"Buzz Buzz Buzz!"
The particles of sand trembled as they rushed forward, reaching No. 2 almost instantly.
No. 2, aware of how strange and dangerous the sand was, kept retreating. But the speed of the sand clearly surpassed his, and its overwhelming quantity was terrifying.
Within just five breaths, the sand had already engulfed his entire body.
"Damn it!" No. 2's face twisted. He brought his right leg up and suddenly kicked downward.
"Rankyaku!" (Tempest Kick)
"Snap!"
A wave of sand was scattered by the attack, but immediately, it gathered again at high speed. This strange substance, soft and solid at once, couldn't be resisted by normal force.
In just the brief moment of battle, even more sand surged in.
In the air around him, the density of sand particles was steadily increasing. Little by little, the air began to thin. No. 2's expression turned utterly grim. His surroundings were a thick yellow haze; he could no longer see anything beyond it.
"Damn it!"
Clenching his fists, he struck out using Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) toward the sandstorm. But all it did was cause the sand to ripple briefly, then even more sand rushed in, completely unhindered.
Meanwhile, Jason stood on the ground, looking up at the sky, his eyes filled with awe.
Huge waves of sand were now spiraling upward from the earth. From a distance, they looked like massive yellow rivers reversing their flow, surging upward majestically and with unstoppable force. And their target was the airborne No. 2.
After six breaths, No. 2's body was completely overwhelmed by the sandstorm. The relentless pressure compressed everything, rendering him immobile.
"Hoo!"
Crocodile exhaled a mouthful of smoke and then suddenly pressed his right hand toward the ground.
"Boom!"
The compressed sandstorm, as if losing control, began plummeting back toward the ground.
"Bang!"
A cloud of dust exploded into the air. Standing atop the swirling sands, Crocodile saw, within the storm, a struggling silhouette, No. 2, still roaring and resisting.
His eyes narrowed.
Suddenly, Crocodile clenched his right hand.
"Boom!"
Like waves crashing violently against the shore, a massive torrent of sand pounded down on the just-rising No. 2.
In an instant, No. 2 was slammed back into the ground and buried beneath the raging sands.
But… it wasn't over yet.
The sand covering the ground began to churn again. No. 2's formidable strength was still resisting with all its might.
(End Of This Chapter)
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