Crocodile lay sprawled on the ground, his entire body trembling.
A violent gust of wind burst around him, stirred by a sudden flare of Conqueror's Haki focused into a single point, distorting the air itself.
The mocking words, the contemptuous attitude—every bit of it fanned the flames of hatred raging in his heart.
The fury swelled inside him, boiling over.
Using his broken arms, he forced himself up. The pain and humiliation pushed him past reason.
With bloodshot eyes, he roared.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!!"
BOOM!
A blast of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him!
But it lasted only a moment before Sakazuki's far more dominant Haki crashed down like an iron weight, snuffing it out completely.
He let out a soft chuckle. "Interesting. But..."
He lifted the foot pressing on Crocodile's head, then firmly stepped the man's right hand, which was propping him up on the ground.
Crunch. Crack.
A sickening sound rang out as every bone in his right hand was crushed under the black leather boot.
The crushing wave of Haki suppressed Crocodile's will, dragging him slowly back to his senses.
Agonizing pain surged from his body. Gritting his teeth, the pirate pushed off the floor with his uncrushed left arm and yanked his right hand free. He then slumped backwards, sitting on the ground, panting heavily. His eyes were still bloodshot, burning with hatred as he glared at Sakazuki.
The vice admiral chuckled again. "Why bother? That pathetic pride of yours. Staying down was your best option. At least it would've hurt less, wouldn't you agree?"
Crocodile heard those words and, through labored breaths, began to laugh coldly.
Sakazuki glanced at him with apathy.
"Enel."
A crisp voice responded, "Luminous Forge."
The gold ornaments around the boy's wrist glowed with arcs of electricity, instantly melting and reshaping. Four golden spikes formed, each coated in pitch-black Armament Haki.
With a flick of his arm, Enel hurled them forward.
They pinned Crocodile's limbs to the earth.
"20,000 Volt. Vari."
A burst of white light exploded from the pirate's body as he collapsed, twitching uncontrollably. His body seized, his mind went blank. He couldn't even control his breathing.
Sakazuki sat back down on his magma chair, calmly smoking his cigar. Beside him, Bullet grinned wickedly, watching the spasming body on the ground.
After an unknown amount of time, when Sakazuki's cigar had burned down to the butt, he took one last drag, then tossed it aside.
"Fhooo..."
A thick cloud of smoke settled over Crocodile's face.
"Have you made up your mind yet?"
A weak, broken laugh rose from the pirate's throat.
"Kuah... ha... haha… have you ever seen… a dog become king?"
Right after he spoke, a burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him again.
Sakazuki sighed. "Foolish. Not everyone who awakens Conqueror's Haki becomes a king. If you die, what use is a crown? Besides, a king among dogs is still a king."
He raised his right hand, pointing his index finger at Crocodile. It was clear now, unless this man was given a brutal lesson, he'd never yield.
Whoosh!
Bang!
A magma-infused bullet, reinforced with Armament Haki, exploded the pirate's left hand, vanishing it into a mist of blood.
Sakazuki didn't even glance at Crocodile's terrified expression. "This is your last warning. If you talk back again, you'll be a dog without legs."
The pirate's heart flooded with fear as the pride from awakening his Haki moments ago were completely shattered.
The loss of his left hand snapped him back to reality.
Swallowing down the panic rising in his chest, he asked, "What kind of opportunity?"
Sakazuki nodded. "Now that's more like it. If you'd said that earlier, you might still have both hands."
Ignoring the strained look on Crocodile's face, he continued, "The opportunity is tied to a new plan from the World Government. It's about the Seven Warlords of the Sea system. You've been selected for the trial phase."
Crocodile took a few heavy breaths.
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Sakazuki explained, "It is a government proposal. They plan to pick a few promising pirates who hold grudges against the forces of the New World and grant them the title of Warlord.
"The government will support their growth. In power, in resources—across the board. They'll even be granted legal rights to plunder. But the main goal is to help the Warlords grow as fast as possible so they can oppose the giants of the New World and respond whenever the government calls upon them. No excuses are allowed."
After hearing everything, Crocodile thought for a moment and quickly understood the government's intent.
'A plan to make us kill each other...'
"Heh heh… how clever. And what about the limits of that legal right to plunder?"
For now, he buried his fear. He was definitely tempted. The offer was simply too attractive.
Sakazuki smiled faintly. "The scope of the legal right to plunder is strictly limited to… pirates."
Crocodile's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding!"
Bang!
Sakazuki raised his black boot and stomped down hard, then ground it slowly.
"That was a good question. You got to the point, but your tone… I don't like it."
He removed his foot, but Crocodile still didn't move, lying on the ground. However, the slight trembling in his body betrayed the storm inside.
Sakazuki spoke flatly, "The right to plunder covers everything except the Marines and the nobles. You can take whatever else you want. But, I won't allow it. Understand? If you're a dog, then act like one. Know your place."
After a long silence, Crocodile lifted his head. His face had regained its cold calm, showing no emotion.
"Alright."
Sakazuki stood up. "Good. Now that you understand, government officials will come to brief you on the details. And I'll say it one more time. Don't cross the line. This concludes the notification."
Bang!
He casually kicked Crocodile several meters away.
"Enel, call the medics outside and tell them to patch him up."
The boy raised a hand in salute.
"Got it!"
Zzz!
He turned into a flash of lightning and disappeared.
Zzz!
Then returned in another flash.
"Almost forgot."
He reached toward Crocodile lying in the distance and with a flick of his hand, the four golden spikes pulled free from his limbs. The pirate let out a muffled groan.
His teeth clenched in anger, almost cracking, but he still didn't move. He held back the rage and forced himself to stay calm...
Zzz!
Enel vanished again in a streak of light.
* * *
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 24.
It was nearing dusk.
Sakazuki, Enel, and Bullet sat outside a restaurant.
The table in front of them was stacked with empty plates. Waiters came and went, bringing more meat and alcohol.
Bullet, still weakened and shriveled from dehydration, slowly regained his size and strength with every bite and drink.
Sakazuki leaned back in his wide chair, arms draped over the top. He glanced to the right as Carlo approached.
"How is he?"
The man walked up and shook his head with a bitter smile.
"It's bad. Real bad. His left hand's gone. Most of his bones are shattered. When we reported his condition to the higher-ups, they nearly ordered him thrown straight into prison. Luckily, he awakened Conqueror's Haki. That's the only reason they kept him."
Thinking of the arrogance of the original story's Seven Warlords, the vice admiral said, "A little pain teaches better than words, otherwise, they'd all run wild. Come. Let's eat."
Carlo gave a light "Mm" and was just about to sit down when all four at the table looked to Sakazuki's right.
A little girl holding a ten-layer ice cream cone was running with her friends. Her foot caught on something and she stumbled forward, straight at Sakazuki.
Thump.
The vice admiral caught the little girl, but the ten scoops of ice cream splattered all over his body.
The girl looked at her now-empty cone, then up at Sakazuki's grim, terrifying face. Her eyes became moist. Her shoulders trembled as the tears began to fall, but she didn't make a sound.
The people around them, including her little friends, didn't dare come closer.
Sakazuki wiped the ice cream from his arm.
"Carlo."
Carlo chuckled softly and reached toward the side where Oto was strapped...
To his pouch.
He pulled out 1,000 Berries, walked over to the little girl, then patted her head and spoke gently.
"There, there. Don't cry. Go buy a few twenty-layer ones and share them with your friends."
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