"Chief Spandam! They've already broken out of our encirclement and are rushing full speed toward Alubarna!"
"Damn it!" Spandam's eyes were blood-red. "My deal with that guy Crocodile was to help him seize this kingdom."
"Afterwards, use the government's power to let him legitimately and rightfully ascend the throne. If this woman ruins my plan…"
"Even if he kills Nico Robin, he still won't hand her over to me!"
"This is all your fault, Nefertari Vivi! I'll make you the sinner of the nation!"
———
"Boss, it looks like they've escaped."
Miss Valentine was a user of the Kilo Kilo Fruit. She hovered high in the air, observing the situation inside the field.
"The Navy really is a bunch of useless trash." Crocodile bit his cigar and let out a cold snort, not surprised at this outcome in the least.
After all, if the Navy weren't trash, there's no way they'd let him run rampant in Alabasta with Dance Powder.
"Seems I prepared a Plan B in advance." He kicked the unconscious Avon at his feet and said to Mr. 5 beside him, "Take him away. Hand him over to that useless chief. He should know what to do."
After that, he looked at the rest of his subordinates nearby.
"Just in case, you guys chase that princess. Best if you kill her before she reaches Alubarna."
"By then, no one will be able to argue, and those foolish commoners will completely believe our words."
Mr. 1 said, "Boss, don't you need us to help you take care of that guy?"
Crocodile said coldly, "No need. I'll personally make a move, finish him off as quickly as possible. After that I still need to rush to Alubarna."
"After all…" a meaningful smile appeared on his face, "at the moment this troubled kingdom faces its most dangerous life-or-death crisis, it needs me, the hero, to step in."
Mr. 1 no longer spoke. He exchanged a glance with his partner, then turned his back to Crocodile and slowly left.
Just after a few steps, the floating Miss Valentine crashed down in front of them, a huge bump swelling on her head, lying before them like a dead pig.
From within the sandstorm, Jotaro walked forward, the broad brim of his hat covering his eyes, the hem of his long coat fluttering in the air.
"Oh?" Hearing the commotion behind him, Crocodile slowly turned around. Outwardly calm, but in truth, waves of shock were already surging in his heart.
'When did this guy get behind me?'
'Isn't he surrounded from the front?'
Jotaro walked calmly right between Mr. 1 and his partner.
The two not only had no desire to attack, their faces even went instantly pale, their bodies suddenly curling up, collapsing to the ground, unable to move at all.
"Conqueror's Haki!"
Crocodile felt this overwhelming pressure, his expression growing grave.
He knew in his heart he had underestimated Jotaro, this guy was even scarier than he imagined.
Crocodile's eye twitched. Forcing down his discomfort, in the next moment he suddenly burst out, lunging to attack.
He wanted to cover his inner terror with offense.
The golden hook swept across. Jotaro's expression didn't change, Armament Haki quickly wrapped around his hand.
Though Crocodile's strength wasn't great, he was still one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and did have some Haki on him.
If not blocked with Haki, being struck directly by the golden hook would hurt Jotaro's real body too.
The reason he didn't block with Star Platinum was because he needed to save both fists, to beat him with.
The moment Crocodile charged in, Jotaro realized this man didn't have any intel on him.
Otherwise, the other party would never have swaggered so carelessly into his range.
'Star Platinum!'
"Ora ora ora ora!"
The golden hook was caught, Crocodile unable to move. Star Platinum's fists struck as promised, pounding Crocodile's body like a violent storm.
"What!"
But Star Platinum's fists didn't feel flesh at all, it was like hitting sand.
Jotaro suddenly turned his head, alert to his surroundings.
The Crocodile before him suddenly scattered, turning into sand that slid down from Star Platinum's fists.
Fists wrapped with Armament Haki could touch the body of a Devil Fruit user.
But what stood before him had only been sand, naturally not an actual body.
Crocodile was cunning. The moment he realized Jotaro wasn't easy to deal with, he used his fruit ability to create a Sand Clone.
The Sand Clone attacked, while the real body was long gone.
Even Jotaro hadn't noticed he used such a trick.
The desert around Yuba was entirely Crocodile's battlefield. It was all too easy for him to play tricks here.
Even with Star Platinum's eyesight, there was no way to find Crocodile's true body in an endless sea of sand.
He had already taken the chance to slip underground.
Though the current situation seemed rather disadvantageous, Jotaro still remained calm and composed.
The moment his eyes lost Crocodile, he began using Observation Haki to sense him.
But unfortunately, he gained nothing.
Crocodile also knew how to use Observation Haki. The two forms of Haki canceled each other out, exactly matched.
Observation Haki's effect was reduced to zero.
"Desert Sunflower!"
In an instant, the sand beneath Jotaro's feet began to flow rapidly, wrapping up his legs entirely.
A tremendous force pulled his body down into the ground.
Jotaro didn't move an inch.
He knew this was quicksand, the more you struggled, the faster and deeper you sank.
"Gu ha ha ha ha, in this battlefield, no one is a match for me!"
Around the massive quicksand area, several sand waves rose, lashing toward Jotaro like whips.
"Star Platinum!"
"Ora ora ora ora!"
Star Platinum appeared, fists swinging, intercepting the sand whips.
But Jotaro's own situation was far from optimistic, the sand had already reached his jaw, and before long, it would swallow him whole.
"Yare yare!"
Jotaro tilted back his head, trying to struggle, but the suction of the quicksand left him unable to move.
Finally, the sand passed over his nose, swallowing him completely.
Moments later, sand converged to the side, and Crocodile's figure gradually emerged.
He looked at the spot where Jotaro had been buried, letting out a chilling laugh.
"A bounty of one billion is nothing special. This is the desert coffin I prepared for you."
"In a place like this, even Whitebeard can't do anything to me!"
It was precisely because of this confidence that Crocodile didn't flee after dispersing into sand, thus missing his only chance to escape.
"Ora!"
Out of nowhere, Star Platinum appeared again, its Haki-wrapped fist mercilessly smashing into his face.
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