Yamato looked left and right. She didn't see anything except some rats playing each other.
On her way, she didn't meet any trap or dead-end. Her journey was too smooth giving her doubtfulness.
Also, she felt someone was watching her.
Yamato didn't want to play hide and seek with them so she deliberately entered an obvious trap room.
After stepping into the room, the stone door closed behind her.
From the roof, gas and poisonous mist started to fill the isolated room.
"So classic." Yamato spotted a snail hiding in a wall.
She approached the wall and touched it.
"Sea stone and unknown material. I see."
Not only gas and mist pumped into the room, but seawater also started to pump into the room.
"This is a torture room. No wonder I see it's familiar strangely."
Yamato unsheathed the swords and raised them towards the wall.
Crocodile looked at Yamato from behind the snail. He revealed a strange smile.
"Useless. That wall is created by Dr. Vegapunk. I invested in buying it long ago and it played its role very well. It's worth the money that I spent."
"Oden 2 style swords."
Yamato adjusted her posture. After finishing the preparation, she released a powerful cross-slash towards the wall.
The collision was fierce. It left a mark on the wall.
Yamato looked at it with wide eyes. There was nothing that she couldn't cut before.
Besides, this wall gave her some irksome feelings.
From her eyes, this wall didn't have any special but her instinct told her differently.
She held her jaw and coughed violently.
After being done with coughing, she raised her hands to inspect a liquid on her hands. As she expected, the liquid on her hands was blood.
Things got worse for her. Her vision started to distort. Everything in her eyes turned upside down.
She collapsed to the ground with her palm on the ground.
"Even a rising fame star can't endure it." Crocodile ignited another cigar to celebrate his consecutive success.
His subordinates observed from behind and released a sigh of relief.
They thought if this failed, they had to face her directly. Now, there was no need for them to do that.
Yamato completely collapsed to the ground with her face facing the ground.
"Utter boredom. How can I see your despair if you do that." Crocodile complained.
The sea water pumped into the room reaching Yamato's face but Yamato didn't move at all.
This scene concreted their belief that Yamato was eliminated by the poisonous mist.
No matter how strong a person was, the feeling of suffocation was very uncomfortable.
"Guahaha. Let's celebrate our victory." Crocodile laughed out loud and ordered his subordinates to bring more food and wine.
Watching the room gradually filled with water was a thrilling experience for them. They were looking forward to every moment.
Yamato still lay down and did nothing.
Only when the room filled with water while Yamato didn't do anything that Crocodile believe he was a winner.
"I expected more from you. And now, you disappoint me."
To be more sure, he waited for more than 2 hours.
2 hours and 30 minutes later
"Okay. Drain the water in the room. I want to confirm her status with my hand."
"Yes, sir. Boss."
The water in the room started to drain revealing a wet Yamato laying on the ground.
A secret door was opened revealing Crocodile and his subordinates.
"Look at here. What we got. A defeated rising pirate." Crocodile's mouth curled up into a smirk.
He lightly touched the surface of the wall. His strength was depleted at the fast race. As if the wall was sucking his strength.
He approached Yamato's body with a cup of wine.
Stopping a few feet before Yamato,
Suddenly, his instinct kicked in and gave a warning.
However, he stubbornly approached without any care of his biological warning.
A killing intention exuded from Yamato. It went past him. For a short moment, Crocodile could see him become a skeleton.
Feeling danger, he took a couple of steps back.
His sweat ran down from his head profoundly.
"What the" Crocodile bit the cigar into halves.
His hands were trembling unconditionally. His body was shouting at him to stay away.
"You guys check her condition." he gave a command while maintaining his breath.
"We" Crocodile's subordinates all exclaimed.
"Yes. You are"
"Okay. Let me do it." Babe volunteered. He approached Yamato without fear.
Reaching a safe distance, he drew his bat to poke Yamato. He gently poked Yamato.
After a few pokes, Yamato didn't show any reaction.
"Report Boss. She doesn't show any sign of life."
"You do it so soft. You must do this." Drophy approached and stomped at Yamato's spine.
After a few kicks, Drophy turned and revealed a big smile and a broken leg.
"You see. She doesn't move at all. Be ease. Boss."
"Hmph. Maybe I am too vigilant." Crocodile approached Yamato again.
He threw the cigar aside and looked down at Yamato.
"A dead person shouldn't inflict a fear."
He raised his hook high.
"A dead person should behave like a corpse."
His hook slammed down and aimed towards Yamato's head.
Just as he was about to triumph, Yamato opened her eyes widely and stared at Crocodile.
Crocodile caught this small movement and slammed his hook faster.
However, she disappeared right under his hook.
When he raised his hook, his hook had already been split into 2 parts.
"I can see your hesitation in your eyes. Can you tell me? Why do you miss that golden chance to finish me?"
"You. Impossible. You should be dead." Zala shouted
"I did. You guys did very well that I managed to see my father on the other side." Yamato unsheathed her swords. Suddenly, a rustling wind appeared out of nowhere.
Wind shouldn't appear in the depth of the dungeon.
"Thank you guys that I can face my father again with my strength."
The violent wind repelled everyone surrounding her.
Crocodile bit his lip to endure every gush of wind shot at him.
The wall that Crocodile thought Yamato couldn't destroy was destroyed right in front of his eyes.
He wanted to curse at Yamato for fooling him all the time.
When the wind calmed down, he opened his eyes and saw his subordinates that he invited were scattered haphazardly. The ceiling was destroyed and greeted the rain in the sky.
Crocodile didn't like water since it solidified his body.
Yamato was bathed in the rainwater. She pointed her sword at Crocodile.
"I had heard your fame. Long ago, you were a famous pirate for challenging Whitebeard. I highly praise your guts for facing one of the Emperors. Please advise me if I am wrong."
Yamato's words were a compliment. There was no bad intention behind it.
But for Crocodile, mentioning his defeat meant an insult.
His veins bulged out on his forehead. He was pissed off by this newbie and he wanted to teach Yamato a blood lesson.
On his hand, a small sand tornado formed.
"Of course, I am willing to kindly advise you." Crocodile exuded killing intention.
"As a newbie, you should be well aware of your position." He slung a tornado.
From a small sand tornado, it became bigger.
Yamato slashed the sandstorm with her sword.
The storm was dispelled with one swing. Crocodile furrowed his brows.
To stop the natural disaster with physical strength, that person must be a master of the sword.
The only person he knew could do that was Mihawk.
Although his sandstorm wasn't strong, it couldn't be easily dispelled.
Yamato charged at Crocodile.
Seeing this, Crocodile responded by hacking his hook.
A Conqueror Haki was released by Yamato. His action was stopped in the middle for 0.1 seconds.
That short moment was more than enough for Yamato to land a hit on Crocodile.
A shallow cut was carved on his chest.
He gnashed his teeth and stretched his arm towards Yamato.
As long as his hand touched Yamato, he could suck water from her body.
A strange aura that was exuded from Yamato approached and went past him.
In his brain, he could see his hand was sliced off by Yamato.
Seeing this moment, he retrieved his hand.
He made a safe distance to re-analyze the entire situation.
"What the hell just happened," he mumbled.
He could see the scenario where he became a skeleton or his hand was sliced off.
Right now, his hand couldn't move.
"Confused, right." Yamato could see through Crocodile's thoughts.
"That is my Haki technique. It's the advanced version of Observation Haki." Yamato explained and added. "Your hand will be normal after a few seconds."
Just as Yamato said, he could feel his hand back.
"Haki is a technique that everyone must know to go to the New World. In New World, not only do I face a master of Haki, but I also face many Devil Fruit eaters. To solve that problem, I master Haki and make an advanced version. Like this."
Yamato hardened her hands with Armament Haki. A black thing covered her hands. And then, it returned to normal.
"What you see is another way of Armament Haki."
Yamato demonstrated by punching the wall. She only punched the surface of the wall but there was a small hole penetrated the wall.
"Tell me. With this, can I become top of top in New World" Yamato kindly asked.
"You can. But upside down." Crocodile didn't like the way she showed off.
His body became many tiny sands and it moved towards Yamato.
"Show yourself" Yamato released Conqueror Haki.
Crocodile's body started to form in the middle way.
He was surprised that his natural form was dispelled by Conqueror Haki.
His surprise didn't last long as Yamato was standing in front of him.
"No sword style." Yamato punched him sending him towards a pile of debris.
Crocodile flew towards the debris with his bloody head.
Although he was stunned by Yamato's attack, he was conscious enough to turn his body into sand.
Many tiny sands slammed into the pile of debris.
From the debris, he stepped out and wiped the blood on his mouth.
"What's wrong? I can't feel your killing intention anymore."
Crocodile formed a small sandstorm on his palm and slammed it towards the ground.
"Sand storm."
A storm of sand appeared and swept everything in the room.
"You know this won't work on me." Yamato hacked the storm. It was dispelled.
"I have mastered a …" Yamato explained but stopped in the middle.
There was a big hole where Crocodile was.
"Crap. He escaped." Scratching her head, Yamato laughed out loud to hide her embarrassing moment.
"But you guys can't" Turning back, Yamato caught the sight of Crocodile's subordinates trying to escape silently.
"Blade hand" Daz Bones turned his hands into blades and charged at Yamato.
A white line appeared like lightning. Daz Bones's arms were chipped and started to bleed.
"You should coat your arms with Haki if you don't want your hands lost." Yamato kindly reminded him.
The rest of them were freaked out and knelt in front of Yamato begging a mercy.
"Please, forgive us." All of them said except Daz Bones.
"Good. Here are sea stone handcuffs. Cuff yourself with it." Yamato threw many handcuffs to the ground.
They hesitated but still accomplished Yamato's command.
From the shadow, Nico Robin was observing Yamato.
It was a wise move for her to not appear from the beginning. She tried to think of a way to take advantage of Yamato.
"You. Behind the corner. Show yourself." Yamato talked towards a stone pillar.
From the pillar, Nico Robin stepped out with hands raising high.
"Nico Robin" All of them blurted out.
"Are they your friends?"
"No. I don't know them." Nico Robin calmly said.
"Oh." Yamato looked back and forwards trying to see the truth.
Meanwhile
Crocodile limped his wounded body through the tunnel.
He couldn't move in a proper straight line due to his heavy wounds. He had to lean his body against the wall so that he could move.
"This defeat. I won't forget." Crocodile gnashed his teeth in frustration.
His efforts were wasted.
Years of protecting this country from pirates and dethroning the current king.
"What have I done to receive this treatment?" he shouted out loud. He didn't expect anyone would answer his question.
However.
"That's because you are a small villain and the villain is destined to fail." An answer rang out.
Crocodile turned back and looked towards a dark alley behind his back.
Stepping out of the shadow, Furina appeared.
"You know. Like every story, villains always lose and justice wins."
"Huh. Who are you? Marine or CP. Or World Government."
"None of it. I am me, Furina. I am not a Marine, CP, or World Government. I know it's common that Marine is justice and pirate is evil."
Furina made eye contact.
"However, I don't think so. I strongly believe that everything has two sides. One bad and one good."
Furina pointed at Crocodile and said.
"Like you. You are trying to take the king's position from this country. However, you are also unconsciously helping citizens. Since you stationed at this place, I didn't see any vicious pirates wandering around this country."
"What nonsense. I did it because of my selfishness." Crocodile answered since the girl before him wasn't a threat.
"Maybe. Everyone has their own selfishness. Even the hero in the story is selfish. I haven't seen anyone without selfishness so far."
"Out of my eye's sight or else, don't ask why sea water is salty" Crocodile threatened.
"Okay. I will go away." Furina turned and was ready to leave.
Suddenly.
"Wait. How can you get down here? This place is supposed to be a secret."
"And judging your direction. It's the path leading to Poneglyph"
"You know. Sometimes. You shouldn't ask too many questions."
"Sand slices." Crocodile hurled many slashes of sand toward Furina.
Suddenly, a turtle jumped out and blocked the attack.
"I know you are reaching your period but can you please calm down and hear me out? I beg you."
"No"
Although Crocodile was wounded, he wasn't disabled.
He exuded killing intention towards Furina.
A loud sound rang out. He kicked off the ground and flew towards Furina.