Alubarna,
The huge city that could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people was now deserted.
All the civilians had been evacuated to several oasis cities in the east, leaving only tens of thousands of elite royal soldiers, making the capital of Alabasta filled with a chilling atmosphere!
All the water that could be collected was stored in wooden barrels, hidden in most of the buildings, just waiting—
"They're here!"
In the center of Alubarna, in the grand Nefertari Royal Palace Square, Roman, sitting in a spider wheelchair, looked up towards the west. Although the others couldn't see the approaching figures with his 'Observation Haki,' the strange phenomenon in the sky was clear to see!
It was now afternoon, and the scorching sun was shining from the west.
But the sunlight was completely obscured by a golden yellow light coming from the west, like a long rainbow piercing the sun, vast and boundless. The entire sky was a hazy yellow, and the sun had turned into a dim, flickering remnant.
Before the people arrived, the entire western sky was already covered by a rolling sandstorm! The rumbling sound echoed through half the sky, and even the distant desert seemed to be swallowed by the golden yellow, sweeping towards Alubarna.
Connecting heaven and earth, it was like the end of the world!
The inexplicable pressure pouring down from the sky made all the remaining royal soldiers in Alubarna tremble. If they weren't using their weapons to brace themselves, they would have had difficulty even standing...
It was like a natural disaster, treating all living things as ants.
"Is this... Crocodile's full strength?"
Besides Roman in the wheelchair, the heavily injured Zoro and Usopp, after emergency treatment, were also standing in the square, along with the lightly injured Sanji and the busy Chopper.
—Overall, Luffy was the healthiest among them.
Facing the terrifying force of the entire desert coming at them, not only the Straw Hat crew but even the others were silent:
King Cobra, Princess Vivi, the two deputy captains of the royal guard: Pell the Falcon, Chaka the Jackal, and four elite bird-claw warriors of the royal army.
On the other side were the rebel leader Koza, the goggle-wearing Guy, the chubby girl Kame, the tall Farafura, and the chief of staff Eric, who had torn off his chest full of medals.
If divided by bounty levels on the sea, the lowest present was Vivi with a bounty of 10 million. The others were 'small experts' with bounties of 20 to 30 million, and the two Zoan ability users guarding Alabasta were 'experts' with bounties of 40 million. But:
Although they were all battle-hardened and determined, facing the power of heaven and earth before them, they asked themselves...
"Don't panic,"
A voice broke the silence of the palace square. Roman, sitting in the wheelchair, shook the feather fan in his hand to attract everyone's attention.
"Don't all look like dead people, acting like you're already in a coffin before the fight even starts."
"If we're not afraid, you have no reason to be afraid, right?"
Roman turned to look at Luffy beside him.
"Isn't that right, Captain?"
"Of course," Luffy stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, his face showing no fear. "I'm going to beat that Crocodile bastard!"
"Today!"
"Right here!"
...
"Heh,"
As Alabasta's strongest fighter, Pell the Falcon smiled at Vivi, who was protected by him and Chaka the Jackal.
"Princess, you've made some precious friends."
"Yes, I—"
"They're coming,"
The wind howled first, making everyone's clothes flap wildly, followed by a sweeping sandstorm that covered the sun, turning everything yellow, suffocating the sky, and shaking the earth!
"Give the order, Luffy."
"Usopp!!"
With Luffy's shout, Usopp immediately commanded dozens of the king's elite to slowly turn a cannon, aiming it at the approaching sandstorm.
If you're wondering what this is....
"Mr. Crocodile, you can enjoy your super bomb yourself."
Although Roman didn't know how this bomb achieved such power (claimed to have a five-kilometer range)... it didn't stop him from using it as the first strike. After all:
If it can't even kill a Zoan birdman, what's the point of claiming to destroy five kilometers...
Pell the Falcon: Thanks, I'm offended again.
"Fire!"
With Usopp's command—Roman's advice was to 'fire by feel,' so:
Boom!
First, a loud explosion, a straight line pierced through the sand, flying west at supersonic speed! In Roman's 'Observation Haki' detection, the huge shell cut through the sandstorm, heading towards:
A vague figure in the sand!
That figure was holding a tall white object...
Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whoa, my eyes!
Wait, no!
I'm using Observation Haki...
In an instant, everyone in Alubarna, even those who had been warned to close their eyes, saw the intense light piercing through their eyelids, leaving everyone with a red and white vision!
White, the explosion's light covering a kilometer radius.
Red, the strong light penetrating the eyelids.
This—
Bro, with such a powerful weapon, why look for Pluton? Make a few more, and you can go anywhere in the world! One could destroy Marineford, two could wipe out Mary Geoise...
But it's just a thought, this world is full of experts, and this bomb is only good for clearing small fry.
But I have to say, this bomb Crocodile got from somewhere is really powerful. The explosion was like a second 'sun' in the sky, blocking the overwhelming sandstorm.
Under the intense explosion, the rolling sandstorm scattered, and the fierce momentum accumulated over a thousand miles was halted, its power plummeting. But in the next moment, a shocking change occurred!
Like a thunderbolt turning night into day, yellow light exploded from a figure in the sky, and in the next moment, yellow-brown light filled the entire sky.
In the sky filled with yellow light, the ground, plants, buildings... were all covered in a layer of yellow-brown. In this domineering and cold light, the world was filled with an indescribable coldness and dryness! Everything seemed to age a thousand years in an instant, rapidly decaying into yellow sand.
...Brother, playing like this is no fun, starting with 'Awakening'?
"Crocodile,"
Even though the soldiers in the city were pouring water everywhere, the city was still gradually turning into a desert. Roman controlled the spider wheelchair to move forward.
"I'm here to negotiate, and the topic is:"
"Pluton!"
...
"Oh?"
With a cold and domineering voice, the yellowish-brown light in the sky dispersed, and Crocodile, with his black fur coat billowing, 'descended step by step'! As he stepped down, the flying yellow sand formed steps out of thin air, as if welcoming their king.
Behind Crocodile was Nico Robin in a white trench coat. Judging by her shocked expression, she probably didn't expect her 'boss' to look so godlike and demonic once he went all out.
As the two of them descended the golden steps, the people in the palace square went from being stunned to terrified, from terrified to desperate, and from desperate to resolute!
Fight? Even if it means splattering blood on the enemy...
"Speak, what do you know?"
"Tell me, and I'll leave you with an intact corpse!"
Crocodile, taking a puff of his cigar and flicking the ash, looked at Roman in the wheelchair and Luffy beside him. Although his expression remained unchanged, his mind was filled with doubts.
These two guys—
One was stabbed in the stomach, the other in the chest. How did they suddenly appear in front of him again? Do they have a master backing them...
"I know a lot, but since this is a negotiation, it should be mutual—"
"Don't think about stalling for time."
Crocodile waved his hand with Haki.
"I encountered a group of Marines on my way here. If you're counting on them—I've already dealt with them."
?
"May I ask, was it that smoker?"
Crocodile sneered.
"He ran fast, thinking I would be afraid of him just because he had a Marine badge?"
Ah, poor Smoker, everyone is showing off, and he's the only one getting beaten up.
"Alright, Mr. Crocodile."
Roman spread his hands. Since they had already discussed it, Roman was in charge of stalling. So Luffy was just on guard against Crocodile's possible sneak attack, which gave the heavily injured Roman the confidence to use words to buy time.
"But if you think we're only connected to the Marines, you're gravely mistaken,"
"The background of the Straw Hat crew would scare you to death. I advise you to be cautious..."
Seeing Crocodile's face getting darker and darker, ready to make a move, Roman suddenly smiled.
"But none of that matters to us."
?
"Because our captain is going to beat you up,"
Roman pointed his paper fan at Luffy beside him.
"Our captain said, even the Marine Fleet Admiral can't save you!"
Sengoku: Hit him hard, don't give me any face!
"You—"
Just as Crocodile, unable to suppress his anger, raised his hand, a drop of moisture in his palm made him pause.
Drip, drip, drip,
And then it turned into:
Rustle~~
Rain suddenly started pouring from the sky, covering the entire battlefield in a mist! Although the rain wasn't heavy, it represented:
"Dance! Powder!!"
The words were almost spat out one by one through gritted teeth. Soaked, Crocodile looked up, his fierce gaze sweeping over:
Nefertari Cobra!
"You hypocritical..."
"Don't slander us,"
Roman interrupted Crocodile, the rain falling on him slid off like dewdrops. With a layer of life paper covering him, he was no longer as afraid of water and fire as before.
"We're not the ones with Dance Powder, it's a ship called—" Roman grinned, showing his white teeth.
"The Baroque Gustav!"
"You'll be the one held accountable by the Marines and the World Government, Crocodile."
Crocodile looked at the young man in front of him, reading the message in his provocative gaze.
Hey, hey, hey, don't naively think that framing others is your exclusive right.
It seems you've been 'on land' for too long, Crocodile—
!!
How dare you, scoundrel!
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