Grand Line, Alabasta Kingdom:
"Damn it, Cobra! If you don't reveal the whereabouts of the ancient weapon next time, I'll pry your mouth open even if it means giving up the title of Shichibukai!"
Crocodile, the Shichibukai, took a deep drag from his cigarette to calm the anger boiling within him.
He had been lurking in Alabasta for so many years for the ancient weapon, building his power and secretly searching, and his patience had been worn thin over the years.
After being defeated by Kaido, the only thing that could restore his lost dignity was the ancient weapon.
He knew very well that it was impossible to defeat a monster like Kaido with his own strength; the gap was just too vast.
To bridge that gap, he could only seek out an ancient weapon of such extraordinary caliber.
That was why he had willingly spent so many years hiding in this desert kingdom.
"Boss, we've spotted a suspicious individual entering Alabasta; it's Fire Fist Ace, a new officer of the Infinite Pirates."
"However, after he entered Alabasta, we lost track of him."
Mr. 1 conveyed the message to Crocodile via Den Den Mushi.
"What does an officer from the Infinite Pirates want here? Are they also here to look for the ancient weapon?"
Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Crocodile immediately considered this possibility.
The Infinite Pirates possessed powerful technological capabilities, and their weapons were the strongest in the world; it was highly likely they had sensed the existence of the ancient weapon.
However, before Crocodile could take any action, a figure with legs transformed into flames and flying through the air appeared before him.
"Hey, you must be the Sand Crocodile, Crocodile!"
Ace looked down at Crocodile from above, and to confirm his identity, he pulled out a bounty poster to compare.
"Fire Fist Ace, what brings you here?"
Crocodile suppressed the urge to bury the person before him and asked.
"Well, it's nothing much. I just want you to give up the title of Shichibukai. After all, you know, the Infinite Pirates are planning something big."
"You Shichibukai are affiliated with the World Government, so we naturally want to weaken the World Government's power, starting with you Shichibukai!"
"As long as you renounce the title of Shichibukai in front of me and stop working for the World Government, I can let you go today."
Ace said earnestly.
Having received excellent education from Rouge, Ace had always been a good child, and as he grew up, he became a polite young man, preferring to negotiate before resorting to violence.
"Do you think a punk like you can threaten me?!"
Upon hearing Ace's words, Crocodile was instantly enraged, his limbs turning to grains of sand.
He had been lurking here for over a decade for the ancient weapon; if he were to give it all up because of a single statement from the Infinite Pirates, wouldn't all his efforts over the years be in vain?
No one could stop his plans, not even the Infinite Pirates! Especially not this punk who was barely twenty years old, daring to threaten him to his face!!
"Desert Treasure Sword!"
Crocodile swung his right hand fiercely, and in an instant, a forty-meter-long desert blade slashed toward Ace.
"Ah, I really didn't expect it would come to a fight in the end!"
Ace sighed at this, wondering why they couldn't just negotiate peacefully without resorting to violence! As the Desert Treasure Sword descended, Ace's feet erupted with even more intense flames, easily dodging Crocodile's attack.
"Fire Fist!"
As he evaded the attack, Ace's right hand transformed into flames, and in an instant, an infinite torrent of fire shot out, forming a massive fist with a diameter of a hundred meters that slammed down.
"Boom!!!"
Wherever the Fire Fist passed, all the desert was incinerated, turning to dust that fell from the sky.
Faced with such terrifying flames, Crocodile dared not hesitate for a moment and immediately rushed out of the fiery area at top speed.
"Desert Sunflower!"
After witnessing Ace's terrifying flames, Crocodile no longer dared to be dismissive. He transformed into sand and merged into the desert.
Then, under Crocodile's control, the sand within a thousand meters began to swirl and flow, forming a Desert Sunflower.
The sunflower erupted from the desert ground, transforming into a sandy cage that continuously approached Ace, attempting to bury him alive!
After Ace locked onto Crocodile's position in the desert with his Observation Haki, he didn't fly away from the encroaching sand but instead transformed into flames and dove into the underground desert.
"Earth Fire Flame Lotus!"
Flames erupted from underground, forming a fiery lotus, and the entire desert instantly turned into magma.
"No!!!"
Crocodile, who had thought he was safe hiding underground, was caught off guard as flames enveloped him in the blink of an eye. The extreme heat surrounded him, and no amount of sand could extinguish it!
The original Desert Sunflower was destroyed in an instant, forcing Crocodile to crawl out from underground.
However, now he was burned all over, barely able to move.
"With such strength, you dare to resist the Infinite Pirates? I really don't know what gave you such courage!"
Ace looked at Crocodile, who resembled a charred dog, and disdainfully said to him.
He had initially thought about giving Crocodile a chance, but now it seemed unnecessary; it would be more appropriate to just capture him.
"How could this happen…"
Crocodile was filled with unwillingness, unable to move or use his powers, feeling indignant and unable to understand why he had been defeated so easily.
He had lost to a young punk, and even if the other party was an officer of the Infinite Pirates, he shouldn't have been defeated so effortlessly!
Why? Why!!
"Crack!!!"
Ace didn't care about Crocodile's unwillingness at that moment. He walked over to the nearby desert, skillfully picked up the bag he had thrown there, put on his gloves, and took out a pair of Sea Stone Handcuffs to put on Crocodile.
Then, with his feet transformed into flames, he dragged Crocodile into the sky, disappearing into the desert.
"Boss, the boss was defeated so easily and captured!"
"How is this possible? How could this happen!"
"What should we do now?"
In the distance, Crocodile's subordinates, holding binoculars, watched as Crocodile was taken away, deeply engulfed in self-doubt. They felt as if they were dreaming, unable to believe that their powerful, god-like boss had been so easily defeated!
-Support me on Ko-Fi for 35+ advance chapters there.
https://ko-fi.com/zxc1015
Thanks!