Miss Golden Week's furious outburst at Crocodile left Vivi and Miss Valentine staring in awe before they couldn't help but give her enthusiastic thumbs-up. It was a profoundly satisfying sight, like drinking a cold glass of water on a sweltering summer day—incredibly refreshing.
So cathartic!
Even Leo looked at Golden Week with newfound respect. Was this a case of a small package containing immense, explosive energy?
On the other end of the line, Crocodile was rendered speechless by the tirade. Truth be told, a man of his status wouldn't lose his composure over a few insults from a subordinate. In his eyes, this was just the impotent rage of a failure. What truly irritated him was the betrayal itself.
"Leo," the low, gravelly voice finally broke the silence, "it seems you've given them delusions they have no right to possess."
Leo, leaning back with one leg crossed over the other, stared at the transmogrified Den Den Mushi and replied in a slow, deliberate tone. "Crocodile, don't think I'm unaware of the filth you're scheming in the shadows. If you pack up and leave Alabasta right now, I might just let you slink away with your life." He let the threat hang in the air for a moment before delivering the final blow. "Otherwise, you can look forward to becoming a permanent part of the desert landscape." With that, he unceremoniously ended the call.
Three pairs of beautiful eyes stared at him, shimmering with undisguised admiration and awe.
Rainbase, the Casino "Rain Dinners."
In a lavish office, the real Crocodile stared at the now-silent Den Den Mushi, the veins on his forehead prominent, his expression thunderous.
"LEO!!" he snarled.
This was the first time anyone had ever dared to hang up on him. It seemed that defeating a few high-level agents had given this upstart the mistaken impression that he was a match for a Warlord of the Sea.
In reality, within the entire structure of Baroque Works, aside from Robin who was a special case, there was only one person he truly valued: the assassin Mr. 1. Everyone else was expendable, interchangeable.
"Does he think just because he can throw his weight around in some backwater sea, he can make it in the Grand Line?!" Crocodile shook his head with a contemptuous sneer. He had sailed the seas for decades; he'd seen every type of arrogant fool there was. Most of those who were brasher than Leo were now dead, their lives cut short by their own hubris. The last person who had dared to act so arrogantly in front of him now had a gravestone overgrown with three-meter-high weeds.
Just then, the door opened, and Robin walked in, dressed in a professional suit that accentuated her elegant figure.
"Boss, do you have any instructions?" she asked, her tone neutral.
Crocodile massaged his temples, his annoyance palpable. "I was going to have you provide backup for Mr. 3, but it seems his mission has failed. Contact Mr. 2. Tell him to intercept and eliminate Leo and Vivi on the next island." He paused, his eyes narrowing. "If they manage to come directly to Alabasta, then Mr. 1 will handle it. It's time these provincial pirates learned the true terror of the Grand Line."
He issued the commands in quick succession. He refused to believe that sending out Baroque Works' top two assassins, numbers 1 and 2, wouldn't be enough to ensure Leo and his band never made it to his doorstep. His plan was entering its final stages. He was on the verge of discovering Pluton's location. At a time like this, he could not afford any variables. All uncertainties had to be eliminated!
"Understood. I will notify them immediately," Robin replied, her face a perfect mask of composure. Internally, however, her mind was racing. She could see it clearly: Crocodile was genuinely unsettled. That was a rare occurrence.
Back on Little Garden...
Leo led Vivi, Miss Valentine, and the newly recruited Miss Golden Week out of the wax hut. Vivi and Miss Valentine smoothly resumed their positions, each linking an arm with Leo's. Golden Week, however, trailed a few steps behind, her movements hesitant and awkward.
Just moments ago, they had been mortal enemies. Now, they were... comrades? Coupled with the emotional whiplash of her furious rant at Crocodile, her mind felt foggy, struggling to process the rapid shift in her reality.
"Let's go," Leo said, his voice pulling her from her thoughts. "Let's go see Brogy and Dorry. It sounds like they've started up again."
In the distance, the unmistakable, earth-shaking CLANG! CLANG! of metal on metal echoed through the primal air. As predicted, the volcanic eruption had served as the starting bell for another round in the giants' eternal duel.
Meanwhile, Deep in the Jungle...
Nami and Tashigi had carved a path through the prehistoric wilderness, leaving a trail of defeated and dazed beasts in their wake.
With a final, deafening BOOM!, a saber-toothed tiger over ten meters tall crashed to the ground, sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air. Its massive form twitched uncontrollably, faint tendrils of black smoke rising from its singed fur.
"All done!" Nami declared, dusting off her hands as her crackling lightning aura dissipated. She looked quite pleased with her work.
"That was incredible, Nami," Tashigi said, walking over from where she had dispatched her own pack of predators. Her face was flushed and glistening with sweat, but her eyes were bright. "Your control over your fruit's abilities keeps getting better."
"Thanks, Tashigi. I think we should probably head back now—" Nami began.
BOOOOM!
Before she could finish her sentence, a colossal impact, far louder and more powerful than any of their skirmishes, rolled over them. The resulting shockwave whipped through the jungle, tearing at their hair and clothes like a sudden gale.
"Nami," Tashigi said, focusing her senses, "that sound... it started right after the volcano erupted, didn't it?" She stretched out her Observation Haki, but the source was too distant; she could only vaguely sense two immense presences... clashing.
"Let's go check it out!" Nami's curiosity was instantly ignited. Without another word, she grabbed Tashigi's wrist and took off at a run, leading the way through the dense foliage.
After navigating through a particularly thick stretch of jungle, their view cleared, and the source of the commotion was revealed. Two giants, each standing over twenty meters tall, were locked in a monumental battle.
"Giants?! There are two Giant Warriors here?!" Tashigi gasped, her expression one of pure astonishment. Finding members of the legendary Giant Warrior Pirate crew in this remote, uninhabited place was astounding. But... why were they fighting each other?!
KABOOOOOM!!!
The simultaneous impact of a colossal axe against a shield and a massive sword against another shield created a concentric blast of force that radiated outwards from the two combatants, flattening everything in its immediate vicinity.
Brogy and Dorry each braced behind their mighty shields, blocking the other's attack, while simultaneously swinging their own primary weapons—a giant sword and a massive axe—in a brutal, reciprocal blow. The two titans strained against each other, but their mirrored, century-old fighting styles resulted in a perfect, exhausting stalemate. Neither could gain an inch on the other.
Nami and Tashigi could only watch, utterly mesmerized by the raw, primordial power on display. The ground shook with every impact, a testament to a rivalry that had lasted for over a hundred years. It was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
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T/N :
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