Finn slowly withdrew his fist, glanced at the reconstituted Crocodile in the distance, and said coolly, "Crocodile, kneel down and surrender."
Crocodile, momentarily stunned by Finn's audacity, then smiled with a mix of anger and disbelief. "You've mastered Armament Haki at such a young age. I admit, your talent is impressive. But relying solely on that won't make me surrender without a fight. How naïve!"
Unfazed, Finn responded calmly, "If you don't surrender, you'll be arrested, and the young master will beat you until you beg for mercy."
Direct confrontation was the only way to handle someone like Crocodile—talking was pointless.
"You want me to kneel and beg for mercy?" Crocodile stood up straight, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Let me see what gives you such confidence."
"Hehehehe…" Crocodile's body dissipated into sand, swirling into the air.
The sand formed a massive tornado around Finn, the wind intensifying rapidly.
"No! It's Crocodile's sandstorm!" Robin's face turned pale.
She remembered seeing Crocodile use this technique against a notorious pirate, stripping him of flesh and bone, leaving only a skeleton behind.
Crocodile's ability fully activated—a giant tornado encircled Finn, the wind accelerating ferociously.
"Young fool! Armament Haki can indeed counter a Logia user's solid form, but that assumes the Logia user is in direct combat. Now you can't even see where my body is. How will you attack me?" Crocodile's contemptuous laughter echoed through the storm.
Sand! Sand! Sand!
Small tornadoes broke off from the main storm, charging at Finn from all directions.
"Interesting! This is the first time I've seen such a technique," Finn thought, observing the small tornadoes surrounding him.
In the original comics, Crocodile hadn't used such a refined technique.
Crocodile sneered, "And it will be the last time you see me!"
The small tornadoes rushed at Finn with impressive speed.
Finn's Armament Haki flared up, enveloping his fist. With powerful punches, he shattered the small tornadoes one by one.
"You destroyed a tornado with a single punch. Aren't you proud?" Crocodile's sinister grin was barely visible through the storm.
Whish! Whish! Whish!
More small tornadoes attacked from every angle—front, left, right, back, top.
"So that's the strategy," Finn observed, his eyes tracking the tornadoes coming from every direction.
With a series of rapid, precise strikes, Finn smashed each tornado as it approached him.
Crocodile was taken aback. The attacks from the tornadoes, which were meant to be tricky, were all thwarted by Finn.
Crocodile, feeling a sharp pain from his broken tooth and growing frustration, spat out, "Let me see what you can do next, boy!"
Crocodile was determined to kill Finn, even if it meant exhausting himself.
The sandstorm accelerated, lifting debris, uprooting trees, and throwing various outdoor items into the air.
Robin's face was filled with dread as she witnessed Crocodile's full power. She grabbed Tashigi's arm anxiously. "Tashigi, will the young master be okay?"
Tashigi, initially confident, now appeared worried. Her eyes reflected concern, and she began to regret supporting Finn's decision to confront Crocodile.
"The young master will be fine! I believe in him!" Nami declared, her fists clenched tightly as she watched the storm with unwavering faith in Finn's abilities.
"Well done!" Finn shouted, pleased rather than concerned. He had been using Crocodile's attacks to practice and perfect his Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven technique.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Finn's palms, covered in Armament Haki, moved rapidly, creating a defensive shield that repelled the tornadoes.
Crocodile's confidence wavered as his attacks failed to penetrate Finn's defense. Realizing that his energy was depleting, he became increasingly desperate.
"Why aren't you attacking?" Finn asked, irritated by the lack of challenge. He had hoped to use Crocodile's assaults to further refine his technique.
Crocodile, frustrated and exhausted, yelled, "Stop playing games with me! I'm done!"
Crocodile, seething with anger, declared, "You're strong, but if you can't catch me, you can't win!"
Finn's expression grew colder. "What do you mean? You're not going to help others anymore?"
Crocodile, dismissing Finn's threat with a sneer, replied, "Do you think I'm scared of you? You can't even find me."
"Can't find you?" Finn's eyes gleamed. Though he couldn't distinguish elemental sand from ordinary sand, his Observation Haki was sensitive to the energy within.
With a swift Shave, Finn vanished and reappeared within the sandstorm, his fists covered in flowing Armament Haki.
"What!!!" Crocodile's frightened face appeared in the sand.
Boom! Boom!
The sandstorm abruptly stopped, and something crashed into the ground with tremendous force.
Rumbling ensued as the ground shook.
Amid the dust, Finn descended and landed decisively.
"No!" Crocodile screamed in despair as Finn's powerful blow rendered him unconscious.