"Me? Sanji?"
'Holy crap, can't there be one normal person in this world?'
'This guy actually mistook me for Sanji?'
Taro was dazed, completely unable to figure out what was happening. However, he was certain of one thing: Crocodile hadn't come to find him for a tea chat. The killing intent in the man's eyes was already uncontrollable.
Taro couldn't help but be on high alert, circulating his Minor Formless Skill as he watched Crocodile's movements warily.
"What? Now that I've exposed your identity, you have nothing to say?" Seeing Taro's shocked reaction, Crocodile naturally assumed it was the normal behavior of someone whose cover had been blown, further convincing him that Taro was the man he was looking for.
"Sand Blade!"
Crocodile raised his right arm, and with a flash of purple light, a massive blade of sand suddenly appeared, pouring down along the dune.
[Successfully learned Sand Blade]
Taro, who had been on guard the whole time, learned the move instantly.
"Sand Blade!"
Taro put his new skill to use immediately, swinging out a Sand Blade of his own. However, compared to his opponent's, Taro's appeared much smaller.
After all, Crocodile was a Suke Suke no Mi user who could turn anything into sand, including his own body—not to mention they were currently in a desert.
Taro's Sand Blade, on the other hand, was formed by using the Internal Energy of the Minor Formless Skill to drive a blast of Qi that swept up the yellow sand. If they weren't in a desert environment, his Sand Blade would look more like a form of Sword Qi.
The two Sand Blades collided halfway up the dune with a loud "Boom," sending yellow sand flying everywhere.
Crocodile was slightly surprised. He had already judged that his opponent wasn't weak, so he wasn't shocked that Taro could block the strike. What truly surprised him was Taro's ability.
"Desert Sunflower!"
Crocodile suddenly raised his right arm high. His right hand turned into yellow sand and slammed violently into the ground.
[Successfully learned Desert Sunflower]
Just as Taro received the System notification, his body suddenly stumbled. The sand beneath his feet began to sink rapidly, quickly forming a patch of quicksand.
He tried to use Moonwalk several times, but because the sand beneath him kept giving way, he couldn't take flight. Seeing himself sinking deeper and deeper, Taro had no choice but to rotate his right arm a few times before thrusting it out.
His bluish-white Internal Energy transformed into the afterimage of an arm and flew out. With a "Whoosh," it dug deep into the top of the dune, then quickly retracted, pulling Taro's body up.
Taro stood atop the dune, feeling a surge of anger. Although he had intended to deal with Crocodile eventually, the man had first mistaken him for Sanji and then attacked him twice without provocation. Even a clay Buddha has three points of fire.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
Taro threw a punch. The fist shadow generated by his Internal Skill stretched out a vortex of Qi, charging straight at Crocodile.
Crocodile didn't even dodge, letting Taro's fist shadow strike him. With a "Puff," a hole was punched through his left chest, but only sand splashed out, not blood.
Crocodile had turned his body into sand. No matter how many times he was attacked, it was like hitting a pile of sand; he would recover in an instant.
Taro was well aware of this. This Logia-type Devil Fruit Ability was practically invincible before one learned Haki.
He frowned deeply. To defeat Crocodile, the preferred choice would definitely be Haki, but that was clearly impossible right now.
That left only the method from the original plot: using water.
Thinking of water, Taro's eyes lit up. He had just crossed the St. Dora River not long ago. If he could lure Crocodile to the riverbank, maybe he'd have a chance?
"Fire Fist!"
Taro threw a powerful punch. Bluish-white flames swept up the yellow sand and surged toward Crocodile. Without waiting to see the effect, he turned and performed several consecutive leaps, jumping down the slope and sprinting toward the distant St. Dora River.
The domineering and wide-reaching flames completely enveloped Crocodile. The powerful impact shattered his body, but the grains of sand quickly gathered back together.
"Trying to run? Just try it!" Crocodile let out a cold laugh and transformed into a Sandstorm to give chase.
"Desert La Spada!"
Crocodile, whose legs had turned into sand to take flight, gave a sharp cry in mid-air. His high-raised right hand suddenly sandified, transforming into a massive four-bladed sand sword that slashed down at Taro.
Taro, who was running for his life, heard the whistling wind behind him and knew Crocodile had caught up. Then, an even more distinct piercing sound occurred. Without daring to look back, Taro leaped sideways with all his might, narrowly dodging the strike.
In the blink of an eye, Crocodile landed from the air, blocking Taro's path.
He tilted his chin up arrogantly, looking down at Taro. "You almost ruined my grand plans, and now you want to run?"
Taro curled his lip. 'The one who ruined your grand plans wasn't me. At most, I just caused you a little trouble.'
"Gum-Gum Battle Axe!"
Taro gave a low shout and suddenly raised his right leg. The Internal Energy of the Minor Formless Skill surged frantically, and a bluish-white vortex of energy erupted from his right leg, condensing into a massive leg shape that stomped down heavily.
Crocodile was split in two from the top of his head by the blow, which pierced through his entire body. But soon, the sand gathered together again.
"In this desert, no one can defeat me." Crocodile gave a contemptuous smile, then let out a roar:
"Die!"
"Sandstorm!"
A small Sandstorm tornado suddenly appeared in the palm of Crocodile's right hand, quickly expanding in size. He threw it violently; the Sandstorm left his hand and instantly grew dozens of times larger, surrounding Taro.
[Successfully learned Sandstorm]
The moment the Sandstorm appeared and grew before leaving Crocodile's hand, Taro received the System notification. However, he was also trapped by the rapidly expanding storm. He shielded his forehead with one hand and squinted his eyes, searching for Crocodile's position amidst the swirling sand.
"Desert Gande Lancia!"
A sharp cry suddenly rang out from within the Sandstorm. Taro's heart tightened. Just as he was about to dodge, he felt a sharp pain in his waist. With a "Crack," he coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.
Taro struggled to stand up. Crocodile also solidified from the yellow sand, wearing a cruel smile. However, in the next second, his smile froze.
A Sandstorm was also condensing in Taro's right hand, and it was expanding rapidly.
"Sandstorm!"
Taro let out a loud roar and hurled the Sandstorm out. The bluish-white vortex swept up the yellow sand, intertwining and clashing with Crocodile's Sandstorm.
"Impossible! What kind of Devil Fruit Ability is this?" Crocodile shouted in shock and anger.
"Cough... you guess!" Taro coughed up a bit of blood and pulled at the corner of his mouth, revealing a slight smile.
Crocodile was furious. Just as he was about to strike again, the two intertwined Sandstorms finally reached a breaking point due to the sudden accumulation of energy. With a deafening "Boom," they exploded.
Taro was swept up by the massive air currents, tumbling through the air before falling into the St. Dora River with a "Thud."
The yellow sand drifted to the shore and reformed into Crocodile's body. He stared at the surging river water with a dark expression. Finally, he let out a cold snort and transformed back into a Sandstorm, heading toward Rainbase.
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