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Off the coast of Alabasta, a navy ship bearing the seagull emblem sliced through the waves, swiftly approaching.
"It's just news of Zyhark's crew appearing in Alabasta. What's got Crocodile so worked up?"
On the deck, Admiral Sengoku stood with arms crossed, his Justice cloak billowing gently.
With an urgent message to deliver to Zyhark from the Gorosei, Sengoku followed Crocodile to Alabasta. However, the impatient Crocodile and Daz Bonez had gone ahead.
Though Sengoku knew Crocodile had plans for Alabasta, he was unaware of the true nature of his disguise as a national hero.
"Admiral, we can see the outline of Alabasta's mainland!"
The lookout from the mast called out.
"Understood."
Recalling the attitude of the Shichibukai towards Zyhark's crew at the World Government meeting, a complicated expression crossed Sengoku's usually calm face.
He never expected that the typically cunning and profit-driven Shichibukai would agree with the Gorosei's decision…
In the desert outside the port city.
Realizing something was wrong, Crocodile quickly withdrew his now waterlogged right arm, retreating repeatedly.
His gaze towards the unscathed Aqua was filled with wariness and shock.
Besides the enormous amount of water in her body that was not human-like, what horrified him even more was that after absorbing her water, he felt…
An enforced sense of calm and peace, even to the point of feeling ashamed and remorseful for his deceitful means of seizing the kingdom! This was ridiculous; he was a pirate with ambitions of conquering the world using the ancient weapon, Pluton! 'This woman's water is like Tsuru's Wash-Wash Fruit, capable of purifying the mind?!'
Crocodile instinctively thought of Vice Admiral Tsuru, whom even Doflamingo feared.
He also recalled the sand inexplicably losing control during their fight, intensifying his sense of dread.
If his guess was correct, Aqua's ability was not just a simple counter to the Sand-Sand Fruit!
He absolutely couldn't touch this dangerous woman again! Cold sweat dripped from Crocodile's forehead as he made this judgment.
While he was stunned, a dazzling flame filled his vision.
"I've seen through your weakness, you damned hook!"
"Take this, Divine Punch!"
Although she didn't understand why Crocodile had retreated, Aqua had no intention of analyzing it, swinging her flaming fist at his face! With a muffled thud, the stunned Crocodile was sent flying by the powerful punch, crashing into a distant sandpit.
Sand flew, yellow grains swirling, reforming into Crocodile's shape.
His meticulously groomed hair was disheveled by the Divine Punch, with strands falling messily over his shadowed face.
Besides the disheveled hair, there were no obvious injuries on him.
The Divine Punch, imbued with divine energy, was especially effective against demons and undead but had a lesser effect on humans, comparable to a regular punch.
The punch's greatest effect was snapping Crocodile out of the purifying influence of the holy water, restoring his clarity.
"Don't be so arrogant, you strange creature from nowhere!"
Despite his words, Crocodile wisely kept his distance, using his Devil Fruit ability for a ranged attack.
He curled his left hand's fingers, creating a sandstorm more powerful than before.
"Heavy Sandstorm!"
Whoosh! The massive sandstorm stirred the desert sands, forming a natural disaster aimed at Aqua.
"You idiot, no matter how powerful, this attack is useless against me!"
Having experienced it once, Aqua used the same method, summoning a flood to mix with the sandstorm, turning it into harmless mud.
Feeling triumphant after neutralizing the attack, Aqua was about to mock Crocodile when a fast-moving sand spike broke through the mud, forming a sharp blade beneath her!
Crocodile, expressionless, withdrew his hand from the sand.
He knew the Heavy Sandstorm wouldn't harm Aqua, using it as a diversion.
The real attack was the enhanced Desert Spada hidden behind it!
"Great Sand Spada!"
Whoosh!
The nearly instantaneous sand blade struck the careless Aqua, sending her and her goddess staff flying.
She landed headfirst in the sand, her legs kicking twice.
"Ow, ow, ow! You dirty, sneaky hook! How dare you launch such a despicable sneak attack!"
Struggling out of the sand, Aqua's face was covered in grains, angrily pointing at Crocodile, forgetting her earlier sneak attack with the Divine Punch…
Seeing the unharmed Aqua after taking a solid hit, Crocodile's face twitched, finally feeling a bit defeated.
Not only was her ability bizarre and a perfect counter, but her physical defense was also unreasonable.
Where on earth did this monster come from?! Realizing Aqua was this troublesome, he considered Zyhark's crew: the powerful Thunder Demon Zyhark, the girl who repelled Admiral Akainu, and the enigmatic Emperor Engine King.
Crocodile now understood how foolish it was to think he could defeat them just because he had the advantage of terrain.
Their true strength was beyond his solo capability! Amid his shock and regret, Crocodile noticed a figure with bladed arms silently approaching Aqua from behind.
"Daz! What are you doing?!"
With his hair disheveled, Crocodile shouted at the figure, "This is my fight, don't interfere!!"
Despite his frustration, Crocodile wouldn't allow himself to need his subordinate's sneaky help to defeat a girl.
Regardless of winning or losing, it was about his dignity and pride as a veteran pirate! Yelled at, Aqua finally noticed the approaching Daz Bonez, quickly raising her arms defensively.
Daz stopped.
Reading his boss's resolve, he retracted his blade arms, apologizing, "My apologies, it was my fault."
At that moment, a massive shadow passed overhead, blocking the sun.
Yohohoho~ A skeletal figure in a black suit leaped down from the shadow, drawing a thin rapier that shimmered coldly.
Clang! Daz raised his bladed arm to block the descending strike.
"Mr. Daz Bonez, capable of turning any part of his body into a sharp blade, let me test my skills against you."
Brook, the skeleton, exerted force, clashing with Daz's blade.
"You're… the strange skeleton toy."
Daz's eyes narrowed, his voice cold, "Bounty: 888 berries."
"Damn! Don't highlight that cursed bounty, it makes my blood pressure rise!"
Brook was instantly defensive.
Nonetheless, he continued with his catchphrase, "Though I'm just a skeleton without blood, yohohoho~"
"A strange fellow indeed."
Daz frowned, puzzled by the odd… creature? Brook exerted more force, pushing Daz back several meters.
"That's settled, Aqua-sama. Leave this man to me."
"Not bad, Brook." Aqua gave him a thumbs-up.
"As a reward, can I see your…"
Thud! A Divine Punch landed on the skeleton's head, leaving a big bump.
In terms of impact, Brook was more like the undead.
As they bickered, the massive shadow landed, kicking up a sandstorm.
Kanna, King, and Meowth arrived at the battlefield, joining Aqua and Brook.
Seeing the playful skeleton and the fully assembled Zyhark crew, Crocodile's face turned dark.
The tide had completely turned against him.
"One after another, huh? Fine, I'll bury you all!!"
Realizing ordinary attacks were futile, the enraged Crocodile fully unleashed his power, merging with the desert sands.
Buzz! The vast desert trembled violently, winds howled, and sand flew.
The ground rose rapidly, forming a massive natural disaster like the tsunami in Water 7, exuding a sense of despair!
The nearly hundred-meter-high sand wave covered the sky, casting a massive shadow over the port city.
The residents, clueless about the situation, huddled in their homes in fear.
Outside, Crocodile, fully transformed into sand, appeared atop the sand wave.
"Ultimate Move: Desert Grand Crocodile!"
With a roar, the sand wave twisted, forming a giant sand crocodile the size of a small island, overshadowing everything!
Its power could annihilate the entire capital in an instant, absorbing all moisture as it moved. This was Crocodile's ultimate move in the desert!
"W-wait, why is it so urgent?"
Aqua looked up at the terrifying sand crocodile, her wise eyes flashing with panic.
Although her divine power had greatly increased, she needed time to summon a comparable tsunami, which wasn't available now.
Moreover, the violent sand crocodile was clearly not as easily handled as the previous sandstorms! "Those who disrupted my plans, you'll be annihilated along with this cursed city!!"
With Crocodile's control, the sand crocodile roared, charging to crush its enemies!
However, he underestimated Zyhark's crew.
Kanna stepped forward, her hands at her waist in a Kamehameha stance.
Compressed lightning formed a high-energy white light in her palms, sparking intensely.
"Destructive, Burst Gale Bomb!"
With a serious expression, Kanna pushed her palms forward, releasing a beam of lightning.
The released energy seemed to distort space!
Boom!!! The beam struck the sand crocodile's head, piercing through its massive body!
Under the terrifying heat, the sand evaporated instantly, disappearing!
Boom.
The colossal sand crocodile crumbled, falling apart. The sand scattered, falling back to the ground under gravity.
"This… How is this possible?!"
As Crocodile fell along with the collapsing sand, his mind was in turmoil. Though he had anticipated potential defeat, he never imagined his ultimate attack would be so effortlessly nullified by a small girl.
Upon hitting the ground, he was still in shock, unable to accept that his sand tsunami had been shattered by a single strike from Kanna.
Daz Bonez, struggling against Brook's relentless assault, was finally overwhelmed, collapsing to the ground in defeat.
With Crocodile's forces subdued, the battle was effectively over. Crocodile, lying in a deep pit, gazed blankly at the sky, realizing the overwhelming difference in strength between him and Zyhark's crew.
Zyhark approached the pit, looking down at the defeated Crocodile.
"You should now understand the gap between us, Crocodile."
Crocodile's eyes showed a glimmer of defiance, despite his situation. "Is this your victory speech? A loser has no right to speak. Do as you wish—kill me or otherwise."
His pride and dignity as a veteran pirate were the only things left intact. He had no intentions of pleading for his life.
"Do you know why I became a pirate, Crocodile?" Zyhark asked, his tone calm and probing.
Crocodile remained silent, staring at Zyhark with an expression that demanded an answer.
"I became a pirate to turn this world upside down," Zyhark declared, his voice firm and unwavering. "Join me, Crocodile. Help me change this world. Together, we can achieve far more than we could alone."
Crocodile's expression shifted slightly, showing a mixture of skepticism and curiosity. However, his silence continued.
"Think about it. We have a common goal: to challenge and change the world order. Isn't that why you sought the power of Pluton?"
Crocodile's eyes narrowed at the mention of the ancient weapon. He had to admit, Zyhark had a point. But his pride wouldn't let him show it easily.
Zyhark extended a hand toward Crocodile. "I'm not asking you to serve me. I'm offering a partnership. A chance to rewrite the world's fate. What do you say?"
Crocodile hesitated, staring at Zyhark's hand. The idea of joining forces with such a formidable crew was tempting, but his pride and mistrust made him reluctant.
Just then, a booming voice interrupted their conversation.
"Enough talk! Zyhark, Crocodile is a Shichibukai under the World Government. You don't have the authority to recruit him."
Both men turned to see Admiral Sengoku standing with arms crossed, having dropped Crocodile nearby. His presence was imposing, and the tension in the air grew palpable.
"Admiral Sengoku," Zyhark greeted, not showing any sign of backing down. "Here to save your ally?"
Sengoku's expression was stern. "Crocodile is under the protection of the World Government, regardless of his actions. And I'm here with an official proposition for you, Zyhark."
Sengoku's words caught everyone's attention. Even Crocodile, who was prepared for death, seemed curious.
"The World Government recognizes your strength and potential. We offer you a position among the Shichibukai," Sengoku announced, his voice carrying authority and conviction.
Zyhark's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly composed himself. "A Shichibukai? Despite our crimes?"
Sengoku nodded. "Despite your actions, the World Government sees the value in having you on our side. Consider it a strategic alliance."
Crocodile, still seated in the pit, scoffed. "So they're finally acknowledging your power, Zyhark."
Zyhark turned to his crew, who had gathered around. Their expressions ranged from surprise to intrigue.
"A Shichibukai… What do you all think?" Zyhark asked his crew, valuing their input.
Aqua, rubbing her head from the earlier fight, spoke first. "If it means we can move more freely and gather more followers for the Aqua Cult, I'm all for it!"
Kanna, still catching her breath, nodded. "I trust your judgment, Zyhark."
Brook, despite the bump on his head, added, "If it keeps us out of unnecessary battles and lets us focus on our goals, it's worth considering. Yohoho~"
King and Meowth also expressed their agreement, understanding the benefits of the offer.
Zyhark turned back to Sengoku, a determined look in his eyes. "Very well, Admiral. We accept the World Government's offer. Zyhark's crew will become the new Shichibukai."
Sengoku nodded approvingly. "Wise choice. The details will be finalized soon."
As Sengoku and his men moved to secure Crocodile, Zyhark's crew gathered, ready to embark on their next adventure.
In the end, the unexpected turn of events led to a new chapter in their journey, one that promised even greater challenges and opportunities.
With the World Government's recognition and their newfound position, Zyhark's crew set their sights on the future, ready to shake the world to its core.
(End of Chapter)