Damn it!
Crocodile, tossed to the ground repeatedly, finally couldn't contain himself any longer and couldn't help but curse inwardly. Although his Logia's elemental characteristics prevented him from suffering serious injuries, the repeated throws were nonetheless demeaning and highly insulting!
The sensation of being casually thrashed about like a rag left Crocodile feeling utterly powerless. How could this Marine kid's Armament Haki be so robust? It had actually withstood his Desert Spada!
Suddenly, a layer of pitch-black Armament Haki enveloped Crocodile's neck. Atlas was also momentarily taken aback, sensing that the grip in his hand had become slightly more resistant.
Phew~
A breeze swept through, and as Atlas stood in bewilderment, the Crocodile in his grasp suddenly vanished, leaving only some yellow sand trickling slowly through his fingers.
"Hey! Marine brat! Are you attempting to sever ties with the Shichibukai on behalf of the Marines?"
Crocodile's form reassembled not far from Atlas, and his drooping eyelids opened a fraction. He appeared to be angrily questioning Atlas. In his view, the earlier disturbance in Arabasta was inconsequential. There was no evidence and no justification for Atlas to apprehend him.
Initially, Crocodile had intended to trap all the Marines, Atlas included, in this desert indefinitely. After all, Atlas was just a Marine captain. Even if the World Government learned of it, there was a high probability they wouldn't trouble him. Little did he expect to encounter such a formidable adversary. Faced with difficulties, he had to invoke the World Government to exert pressure. After all, he hadn't secured Pluton yet, so losing his status as a Shichibukai was out of the question.
"I'm quite disappointed in you, Sand Crocodile. It appears Whitebeard has beaten all the energy out of you. Even your Haki is so weak!"
Atlas observed the clown-like Crocodile, shaking his head. He remarked that despite the present Sand Crocodile being much stronger than he would be over ten years later, the relentless beatings by Whitebeard had shattered his self-confidence. This led him to embark on a quest for the legendary Ancient Weapon Pluton, causing even his proficiency with Armament Haki to dwindle. It's no wonder that in later years, he couldn't employ Haki forcefully and his physical abilities became nearly useless.
"Kid! Stop underestimating others! Who do you think you are!"
Atlas's words appeared to strike a nerve with Crocodile, and his face took on an unusually ferocious expression. However, he didn't let anger cloud his judgment. Secretly devising an escape strategy in his mind, he subtly activated the devil fruit ability in his hand.
"How pitiful!"
Atlas remained indifferent to Crocodile's anger and continued to lay bare his vulnerabilities mercilessly. Every subtle move was naturally picked up by Atlas's Haki.
But Atlas didn't stop him, he was going to use his absolute strength to completely defeat this guy!
Sables
A small sandstorm swiftly materialized in Crocodile's hands and was promptly hurled toward Atlas. As the tornado whirled rapidly, the adjacent yellow sand hastened to adhere to it.
In mere moments, the sandstorm expanded rapidly, nearly obscuring Atlas's vision! The colossal twisting force left massive gashes in the ground!
On the side, Crocodile appeared to seize this opportunity to escape. It must be acknowledged that the environment of Arabasta was essentially a battlefield tailored for individuals with Sand-Sand Fruit abilities. The environmental advantage could be seen as invisibly enhancing Crocodile's strength.
"I'm done playing with you, Crocodile!"
Atlas wouldn't allow this guy to slip away from his gaze so easily. His stature suddenly contracted, forcibly compressing his 2.8-meter height to 2 meters. The black and red Armament Haki grew darker, and the rich Haki seemed almost on the verge of spreading out, as if donning a perfectly fitted armor. The ideal inverted triangle was prominently displayed, showcasing smooth yet not overly bulging muscles like a creation of the gods. Mysterious patterns traced across his body, and two black lines extended from the corners of his eyes to his neck.
Seimei Kikan Kami-e Bukotsuna karada (Life Return Paper Arts Martial Body)
Crocodile gazed at Atlas in this stance with a degree of horror. Even from a distance, he could sense an immense feeling of oppression, and the powerful aura continually assaulted his visual nerves!
Soru!
The muscles in Atlas's legs abruptly expanded, creating a bottomless pit in the already yielding desert ground. In this form, Atlas's speed was incredibly formidable, even when employing the most ordinary form of Soru.
With tremendous strength and defense, Atlas traversed the burgeoning sandstorm with an invincible demeanor.
Before Crocodile could react, a cascade of fists descended upon him like raindrops. Hindered by his partial Haki, he couldn't distinctly perceive Atlas's movements and elude them by employing his elemental abilities.
Thus, he could only endure the onslaught of attacks from Atlas! As for his feeble Armament Haki, it was destroyed by Atlas almost instantaneously!
Phew~
After a while, Atlas surveyed the barely human-shaped Crocodile sprawled on the ground and took a deep breath. He shook his sore arms, then squatted down and wiped the unconscious Crocodile, whose eyes had turned white, with a bloodline on his face.
"What a troublesome ordeal!"
Atlas reluctantly lifted one of Crocodile's legs from the ground and dragged him straight toward the direction where the warship was docked. He didn't bother to exert much force; after all, the battle had just concluded.
"Mr. Captain! This is..."
Luke gazed at the unconscious Crocodile with some hesitation. They could clearly witness the battle from a distance just now. The natural disaster-like scene truly instilled fear in them. In reality, Crocodile refrained from using his Logia's distinctive large-scale AOE because he knew it would have little impact on Atlas.
"Sigh~ Our Mr. Shichibukai..."
In truth, Atlas comprehended Lu Silan's unspoken thoughts and doubts. After all, strictly speaking, they lacked conclusive evidence for this operation, and the Shichibukai wasn't strictly an agency under the Marines. If Crocodile were arrested in this manner, it would pose a significant challenge for Sengoku, and the World Government might not concur.
However, Atlas left these matters to Sengoku. His responsibility was to fulfill the task assigned to him. He also trusted that the Marines would support him in facing any criticism from the World Government.
Meanwhile in Marineford
"Ahchooo....!"
Sengoku sneezed inexplicably while sitting in the headquarters office. This left Sengoku slightly puzzled. How could he catch a cold with his physical condition? Could it be that Garp was talking about him again?
Forget it, don't dwell on it anymore. Sengoku resumed reading the official document in his hand.
…
"Luke, do we have any seastone handcuffs on the ship? Come and secure our Mr. Sand Crocodile. After all, he is a formidable Logia ability user."
Atlas instructed Luke with a somewhat stern tone.
"Ah? Yes, yes, Vice Admiral Jonathan specially prepared them for us before departure." After Luke mentioned that, he hurried into the storage room and began searching.
"Did you prepare them specially? That's really...haha."
Atlas suddenly recalled the meaningful look in Jonathan's eyes earlier and couldn't help but chuckle.
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