"Got it."
Upon hearing this, the crew members understood that Shano was about to go solo again.
Since the captain wanted to take action personally, was there any part left for them?
Kuina sighed, disinterestedly sheathed the Wado Ichimonji, and turned to be the first to head back to the ship.
The others followed suit, sighing as well. Surprisingly, not a single person voiced any objections, or even reminded Shano to be careful.
This made Crocodile's brow furrow.
What is wrong with these people?
Why are they reacting this way?!
Normally, wouldn't they be panicking and then encouraging each other to band together to fight against me?
The most infuriating thing was that the orange-haired girl, after hearing that Shano wanted to handle it personally, turned her head and gave him a look of pity and sympathy.
What the hell is going on?!!
Crocodile's heart filled with inexplicable anger.
He believed he had already taken this group seriously, especially Shano.
Just after emerging from the East Sea, his bounty exceeded a hundred million, even Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral Onigumo was caught off guard and fell into his hands.
Indeed, a troublesome brat.
He had to be prepared; he couldn't underestimate him.
If it weren't for this, why would he have chosen this island for a battlefield?
—It's known that Whiskey Peak is mostly desert!
And as a Sand-Sand Fruit Ability User, he was undoubtedly the king of the desert!
"No one has ever defeated me in the desert."
Crocodile's face darkened as he slowly raised his right index finger, "Naturally, no one can escape the palm of my hand in the desert either!"
A group of nobodies dared to belittle him, so they should pay the price!!!
"Desert… Sunflower!"
The entire harbor ground suddenly began to turn into sand, and within a few breaths, a massive quicksand vortex formed beneath everyone's feet.
At this moment, the crew had yet to reach the shore, and as they were about to be swallowed by the vortex,
Moonwalk!
Swish, swish, swish! Kuina, Zeff, Nojiko, Smoker… all flew up into the air, even Nami transformed into a firebird, flapping her wings to easily avoid the desert vortex.
"Wow, Nami!" Nojiko couldn't help but turn her head in surprise, "You can actually fly now? When did you learn this trick?"
"I've known for a long time, but this move consumes a lot of stamina; I can't fly far, and it's not as practical as Moonwalk."
"That idiot Seven Warlord, he's really asking for a beating. The captain already said he wanted a one-on-one, but he still insists on attacking us."
"Indeed, he's so annoying. If the captain hadn't stopped me, I would've kicked him long ago…"
As they chatted and laughed, they flew through the air toward the deck.
They didn't regard the terrifying vortex on the ground at all, nor did they heed Crocodile, whose face had turned ashen.
"Do you feel like a clown?"
Shano's voice redirected Crocodile's gaze, seeing the black-haired young man opposite him grinning, revealing a mouth full of gleaming white teeth:
"Don't worry, don't rush, you've just arrived in Gotham."
Swish!
Before the words fell, the black-haired youth before him vanished without a trace.
Where did he go?
Crocodile's expression changed slightly, not daring to be careless, he unhesitatingly activated Elementalization, turning into a scattering of yellow sand, yet—
"Too slow."
A cold voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Crocodile only felt a chill on the back of his neck. His entire being was grasped by a large hand and violently smashed to the ground!
How did he do that?
A look of shock appeared in his eyes; he had clearly already Elementalized, supposedly making it impossible to be touched…
Thud!
Crocodile's head intimately contacted the ground. His vision went black, his ears buzzed incessantly, and his body slid uncontrollably, leaving a long trail in the sand like a ragdoll.
But at this moment, in his blurred, distorted vision, he clearly saw what was on Shano's hand, something flowing like black ink—
Armament Haki?
How is this possible! The entire Paradise has few people who have mastered this technique, yet a newcomer who just crossed Inverted Mountain has mastered it so expertly?
"You seem quite surprised?"
Shano's calm voice reached him, "Lingering in Paradise for so long, too afraid to go to the New World, have you already forgotten the sensation of getting your head punched askew?"
Crocodile struggled to climb out of the sandpit, the blood spilling from the corner of his mouth stained his collar, and also the cigar.
He spat out that half-burnt cigar to the side, and when he raised his head, his eyes were filled with killing intent.
"It was quite unexpected."
Crocodile lit a new cigar, sneering as he spoke, "I didn't expect you to know this stuff, but Haki… in the New World, even the small fry can master it, who doesn't know it?"
Buzz!
The power not seriously used for many years, was activated at this moment—his entire left arm, together with the scorpion-tail-like golden hook, bathed in an ominous black sheen.
"Wow!"
Shano's tone mixed with mockery also carried a hint of genuine surprise, "You actually know Haki too?"
This surprise was genuine.
"Nonsense!"
Crocodile's face darkened. He had fought with Whitebeard before; how could he possibly not possess Dual-Colored Haki!
"So… If you think mastering Armament Haki means you can deal with me, then you're making a big mis—"
Bam!
Before he finished speaking, the shadow of a fist rapidly magnified in his eyes, his pupils shrank instantly, and his head exploded with sensation—
The punch passed through, but it didn't have the feeling of hitting a solid body. Meanwhile, the Sand Crocodile's body quickly regenerated a few meters away, revealing a face with a cigar in mouth.
"See that?"
Watching Shano's missed blow, Crocodile, despite cold sweat trickling from his temples, let out a roguish laugh:
"At the beginning, it was just the speed of Elementalization being too casual, letting you catch me. As long as I'm on guard, how will you capture my true body?"
"Is that so?"
The wind and sand carried an indifferent chuckle, "But my warm-up has just finished, the next moves, can you really react to them?"
In the night, Shano's body suddenly crouched slightly, muscle lines tensed like precise machinery, layers upon layers.
Crocodile, sensing danger, instantly pushed his Observation to the limit.
"Soru!"
The ground exploded, the figure before him vanished instantly, and as a red glow flashed in Crocodile's eyes, the corners of his mouth curled into a sinister smile: "I got you!"
The arm connected to the golden hook twisted freakishly, stretching long, and then with a fierce flick, the hook's tip entwined with a threatening black Haki, stabbing like a viper into the empty space above!