"Got it."
Hearing this, the crew immediately understood—Shano was going to hog all the fun again.
Since the captain was going to personally take action, there was no chance for anyone else to join in.
Guina sighed, disinterestedly sheathed her Wado Ichimonji, and was the first to turn around and head back to the ship.
The rest also sighed in resignation and followed one after another. Not a single one voiced any opposition, nor did anyone warn Shano to be careful or anything like that.
This made Crocodile frown.
What was wrong with these people?
Why would they react like this?!
Shouldn't the normal reaction be a panic, some frantic encouragement among each other, and then everyone banding together to fight him to the death?
Most infuriating of all was that little orange-haired girl—after hearing that Shano was going to fight personally, she actually turned back and gave him a sympathetic look.
What the hell was going on?!!
Crocodile felt a nameless fire rising in his chest.
He believed he'd already been cautious enough with this crew—especially that Shano.
A bounty over 100 million straight out of the East Blue, and even Marine HQ Vice Admiral Onigumo had been taken down by him.
He really was a troublesome little punk.
He had to be prepared, and couldn't afford to underestimate him.
If not, why else would he have chosen this island as the battlefield?
—After all, most of Whisky Peak was desert!
And he, as the wielder of the Suna Suna no Mi, was undeniably 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 escapes my grasp in the desert either!"
A bunch of no-name nobodies dared to look down on him—then they'll pay the price!!!
"Desert Sunflower!"
The ground of the entire port suddenly began to turn into sand. Within a few breaths, massive quicksand whirlpools formed beneath the crew's feet.
Just as the vortex was about to engulf them—
Geppo (Moonwalk)!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Guina, Zeff, Nojiko, Smoker… all of them leapt into the air. Even Nami transformed into a fiery bird, flapping her wings effortlessly to avoid the sand whirlpool.
"Whoa, Nami!" Nojiko turned in surprise. "You can fly now? When did you learn that move?"
"I've had it for a while. But this move burns a lot of stamina. Can't fly too far with it. Geppo's way more practical."
"That idiot Shichibukai is really asking for a beating. Captain already said he's handling it one-on-one, and he still comes at us."
"For real. What a nag. If the captain hadn't told us not to interfere, I would've kicked him already…"
The crew chatted and laughed as they casually airwalked back to the ship.
They paid zero attention to the terrifying whirlpool on the ground, and no one even spared a glance at Crocodile, whose face was now ashen.
"Feeling like a clown, aren't you?"
Shano's voice drew Crocodile's eyes over. The black-haired boy was grinning wide, his teeth gleaming:
"Don't worry. You're just getting to Gotham."
Whoosh!
Before the words even faded, the black-haired boy vanished without a trace.
Where did he go?
Crocodile's expression changed. Not daring to act arrogant, he immediately activated his elemental form, dispersing into swirling yellow sand—but—
"Too slow."
A cold voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Crocodile felt a chill on the back of his neck—his whole body was seized by a massive hand and brutally slammed into the ground!
How did he do that?
Crocodile's eyes widened in shock. He had clearly transformed into sand—he shouldn't be touchable at all…
Boom!
Crocodile's skull slammed into the ground with force. His vision went black, ears ringing, body skidding across the sand like a ragdoll, dragging a trench dozens of meters long.
But at that moment, through the blurry, disoriented view, he saw it—on Shano's hand, there was a substance flowing like black ink—
Armament Haki?!
How?! That was a technique barely anyone in Paradise could use, and this newbie who just crossed Reverse Mountain had mastered it so proficiently?
"You look surprised."
Shano's calm voice came again. "You've stayed in Paradise so long because you're scared to go to the New World. Have you forgotten what it feels like to get your head rocked by a punch?"
Crocodile struggled to get up from the sandpit, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth, staining both his collar and his cigar.
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He spat out the half-burned cigar and lit a new one. When he raised his head, his eyes were full of killing intent.
"It was unexpected."
Crocodile sneered as he lit up, "Didn't think you could use that kind of technique. But Haki… in the New World, even fodder knows it. Who doesn't?"
Buzz!
A power long unused was now being awakened. His entire left arm, along with that scorpion-like golden hook, was coated in a deep black sheen.
"Woah!"
Shano's tone was both mocking and genuinely surprised. "So you do know Haki, huh?"
His surprise was honest.
"Of course, you idiot!"
Crocodile's face darkened. He had fought Whitebeard, for crying out loud—how could he not know both Armament and Observation Haki?!
"So… if you think knowing Haki is enough to beat me, then you're sorely mistak—"
BAM!
Before he could finish, a fist suddenly blew up in his face. His pupils shrank as his head was blasted backward—
The fist passed through—but it didn't strike anything solid. Crocodile's body quickly reformed several meters away, face still biting a cigar.
"See that?"
Looking at Shano's missed punch, Crocodile laughed wildly, though sweat dripped from his temples:
"At the start, I was just too casual with my elemental shift. That's why you caught me off guard. Now that I'm on alert—how can you possibly find my true body?"
"Is that so?"
A calm chuckle echoed through the sand.
"But my warm-up… just ended. The next move—can you really keep up with it?"
In the night, Shano's body slightly crouched, muscle lines tightening like precise machinery under pressure.
A sense of dread suddenly crept into Crocodile's heart. He immediately pushed his Observation Haki to the max.
"Soru!"
Boom! The ground exploded as Shano vanished once again. Crocodile's eyes glinted red with Haki, and his mouth curled into a sneer: "Got you now!"
His arm with the golden hook twisted and extended unnaturally, then snapped forward like a venomous snake—its tip swirling with menacing black Haki, stabbing toward the empty air behind him!
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