A sharp crack of bones rang out and Crocodile vomited up blood as he was sent flying.
"Ugh..."
He tumbled across the ground, rolling a long way before coming to a stop. One hand pressed against the earth as he pushed himself up, and looked toward Bullet in the distance.
"Cough... cough… Haki again… damn it..."
As if something came to mind, Crocodile's already serious expression turned darker, filled with hatred.
He took a deep breath, forced down the pain, and his entire body dissolved into golden sand, merging into the surroundings.
The sandstorm swirling around them grew even more violent and surged toward the center, targeting Bullet.
* * *
Sabaody Archipelago, the outer edge of Grove 27.
With the arriving soldiers lining up behind Sakazuki, the scattered crowd began to grow bolder.
Because the Marines were here.
Suddenly, an overwhelming burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Sakazuki, sweeping in all directions.
His indifferent voice followed. "Clear the area."
Snap!
A sharp sound of saluting echoed across the grove.
"Yes, sir!!!"
Nearly a thousand marines behind him shouted in unison. They then split into two teams, running to both flanks. Spreading out wide, each soldier kept a large gap between them as they surrounded the massive tree of Grove 27.
Once the formation was complete, Sakazuki signaled Carlo to guard the perimeter. Then, he and Enel walked straight into the howling sandstorm.
Carlo drew the sword from his waist, Oto. And in a flash, two arcs of sword energy flew forward, carving deep gullies into the ground.
The arcs encircled the giant mangrove tree, forming a boundary. Some of the stronger ones watching were immediately suppressed. None dared step closer.
Chuckling softly, Carlo sheathed his sword.
Shing!
* * *
At the heart of the sandstorm.
Crocodile raised towering waves of sand nearly a hundred meters high, closing in on Bullet, who stood there with a grin on his face.
Atop one of the waves, Crocodile reformed his body.
"You're looking for death! Wasteland Cataclysm!"
His cold voice rang out as wave after wave of sand came crashing down. From all directions, the sand converged, merged, and charged at Bullet.
As a colossal sandstorm tornado reached to the sky, countless fine sand grains spun at incredible speed, scraping against Bullet's skin.
For the first time, he reacted.
These billions of tiny grains... actually managed to wear down a sliver of his Haki. They even caused the slightest damage to his body.
Bullet's grin turned more savage.
This was... this was perfect!
Back on the warship, aside from Sakazuki, no one could hurt him anymore. However, the vice admiral wasn't about to be his sparring partner every day.
He had hit a wall in his growth. The only thing he could train now was his Haki. But at this moment, he finally felt it again—that feeling of real injury. And that sensation... for someone like him, who lived for explosive charges into enemy lines, was pure bliss.
"Not enough! Not nearly enough! Hit me harder!!!"
His blood-red eyes seemed to pierce through the layers of sand as his voice, carried by a wave of Conqueror's Haki, crashed straight at Crocodile.
Atop the sand wave, the pirate's expression turned grim. It wasn't just the shock from being struck by Conqueror's Haki, it was the scorn in Bullet's words that truly enraged him.
"Kuahahahaha… fine. I'll grant your wish. Wasteland Cataclysm!"
Crocodile laughed in fury as endless sand waves rushed toward Bullet.
The storm of sand converged at his location, forming a massive, violently spinning sphere. Hundreds of meters tall, it kept shrinking inward toward the center—toward Bullet.
Within the heart of the storm, the sound of grinding compression echoed sharply as the Haki-infused sand continuously attacked Bullet's body.
He deactivated his Demon Mode of his own accord. His skin was instantly eroded and torn. Moisture was drawn from his body, his figure shrinking slightly. After dozens of seconds, his entire body had been reduced to one-third its original size.
Crushed beneath immense pressure and weight, Bullet flexed his limbs, testing them amid the searing pain.
"That should be enough."
Hoo…
He let out a slow breath, and in that instant, his form flared into Demon Mode again.
He raised a fist as blue energy surged along his arm.
* * *
Outside.
Atop the sand wave, Crocodile suddenly had a bad feeling.
The enormous sand sphere had shrunk to around a hundred meters in diameter, then stopped compressing altogether.
Though he could clearly sense some moisture being drawn in, it wasn't much.
He began considering what to do next.
BOOM!
The massive sphere exploded and compressed sand, knocked loose by overwhelming force, surged outward like a tidal wave.
At the very second the sphere burst, a blur of blue shot forth, catching Crocodile off guard.
"Wha—?"
Before he could react, a big hand clamped down on his face and smashed him into the ground.
BOOM!
A crater several meters deep formed as Bullet pinned Crocodile to the earth. He grabbed the pirate by the head and lifted him up. Gazing at a distant stone monument marked Lawless Zone, he broke into a savage grin.
Then he charged.
Crocodile was held in front of him like a battering ram, and with a brutal smash, Bullet shattered the stone monument.
He gave the pirate's limp body a slight shake, making sure he was still alive. Then started walking toward Sakazuki.
Jolted by the movement, Crocodile regained a trace of consciousness. With great effort, he summoned his ability as towering sand waves several meters high rose on either side, covering the two of them.
In response, Bullet pulled his left arm to his waist and swung. A flurry of afterimages flickered as the air before him erupted in white shockwaves. Like compressed air cannons, the fist strikes blasted toward the sand waves on both sides.
Boom! Boom! Boom!...
Each punch landed in rapid succession, detonating the waves and scattering the sand.
Bullet then glanced at the pirate in his other hand and clutched him by the shoulder.
CRACK!
A clean break. Next, he stomped down with his foot.
CRUNCH!
Crocodile's lower leg snapped cleanly and Bullet's cruel voice followed.
"Stay put."
The searing pain brought the pirate fully back to his senses, but with his face pressed, he couldn't make a sound. Drenched in cold sweat, he forced himself to stay calm.
After being dragged a good distance, Crocodile abruptly struck. His right hand morphed into a blade of sand and shot toward his captor's throat.
At the same time, the ground had quietly turned into a desert. Several sand spears erupted, aiming at different points on his body.
Bullet let out a snort and activated Demon Mode once more. His muscles bulged dramatically. The sand blade and spears hit him, but the sound they made was that of metal clashing, none of the attacks pierced even a millimeter of flesh.
Crocodile changed the blade into a palm and slammed it down on a fresh wound Bullet had sustained earlier. All of his energy poured into his right hand as a powerful suction pulled a large amount of moisture from Bullet's body.
But it had no effect.
Bullet gave a cold sneer and a flicker of blue flashed by.
Crack! Crack!
With two crisp snaps, Crocodile's limbs were completely torn apart.
* * *
Moments later.
Bullet dragged Crocodile, now limp like a dead dog, to stand before Sakazuki, who sat on a magma chair among the ruins.
With a dull thud, the pirate was tossed to the ground. Only then did he finally have time to catch his breath.
"Ha... haa… the Marines..."
He struggled to lift his head. Blood-ringed eyes could just barely make out the figure before him, dressed in a Marine uniform.
Sakazuki picked up a cigar that had fallen from Crocodile, smiled faintly and put it in his mouth. His fingertip turned into magma, lighting it with a flick. He took a deep drag.
"Fffhh…"
A thick white cloud of smoke rolled out and enveloped Crocodile's face.
"You recognize me?"
The sudden smoke made the pirate cough violently.
"Cough… cough… hack… damn..."
His blurred consciousness cleared a little. He looked up and his pupils shrank.
"Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral… Sakazuki!"
Sakazuki chuckled. "Since you know who I am, there's no need for pleasantries. You've heard the stories about how I do things. If I haven't killed you, then I must have a reason.
"I'm here to offer you something. A chance to be the Marines' dog. An opportunity to rise again from the dirt. If you seize it, maybe you'll even get your revenge on Knox someday."
Crocodile, of course, knew the name of the infamous Sakazuki. Still, he couldn't help but scoff.
"Kuahahaha… a chance? To be the Marines' dog? What a joke. Should I thank you for that?"
Sakazuki kept the cigar in his mouth, letting out a snort. His face, half-hidden behind the white smoke, was unreadable.
Standing up, he lifted his black leather boot.
Boom!
Crocodile's raised head was stomped straight into the ground.
"You should thank the World Government."
The boot came up again.
Boom!
"Thank the Marines."
Again.
Boom!
"For giving you this opportunity."
He ground his heel into the pirate's skull.
"And most of all, thank me for not killing you. You understand?"
The moment those words dropped, Sakazuki's Conqueror's Haki erupted with murderous intent and slammed down upon Crocodile.
BOOOOM!
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