As Crocodile finished speaking, his hand suddenly moved downward.
In an instant, several sand blades shot towards Luffy and the others.
(#°Д°)!
Everyone was startled by the incoming sand blades and scrambled to escape.
But as the sand blades crossed them, they sliced through the wall behind, splitting it in two.
Since this place was a massive pool, once the wall cracked, a flood of water gushed in.
"Hahaha... You'll all be buried here!"
Crocodile laughed triumphantly, then his body transformed into sand and he flew toward the exit, quickly disappearing from sight.
"Run!!!"
...
After a while~
"Ahem!"
"That was so close, I nearly drowned!" Luffy turned over, still shaken.
The sand blades had destroyed multiple walls simultaneously, causing water to pour in rapidly until the entire room was filled.
As a Devil Fruit user, Crocodile had exploited the situation to his advantage.
If Zoro hadn't saved him, Luffy might have perished. After catching his breath, Luffy couldn't help but curse:
"Damn Crocodile!"
"What? Missing me already?"
Just as Luffy finished speaking, a voice made everyone jump to their feet.
They looked up to see Crocodile standing on a rooftop, looking down at them with a smirk.
"Your lives are quite resilient, aren't they?"
"Ha~ We won't fall until we take you down!" Luffy declared calmly, then closed his eyes.
Gradually, his right fist began to turn dark, indicating his use of Armament Haki.
"Rubber Pistol!"
Luffy's punch aimed straight at Crocodile, but Crocodile simply dodged the attack.
"Arc-shaped Sand Dune!"
(#°Д°)!
Seeing the attack coming, Luffy was alarmed and quickly used his Shave technique to evade.
As the attack hit the ground, it turned the area into a sand pit. Luffy patted his chest in relief.
But before he could fully relax, Crocodile's next attack was already upon them.
"Sandstorm!"
A swirling tornado of sand rushed towards them from Crocodile's direction.
It started small, but as it approached, it grew larger and more intense, reaching five or six meters in height.
Everyone was unable to escape and was caught up in the sandstorm, being swept towards the desert.
"Bang!"
"Ahem! This sand... it's uncomfortable!" Usopp coughed and said as he kneeled on the sand.
"Did Crocodile blow us all the way to the desert?" Sanji asked, standing up and surveying the surroundings.
"Yes, because I intend to use this place as your graveyard!"
"Desert Sunflower!"
Crocodile's voice sent shivers down everyone's spines as they felt the sand beneath them start to collapse.
"Get out of here!"
Sanji shouted, but it was too late. The sand beneath them turned into quicksand, pulling them downward like a whirlpool.
"Ah! What is this?!" Nami screamed as she tried to climb out, but her efforts were futile.
"Are we going to die if we get sucked in?" Chopper cried.
"It's definitely looking that way!" Usopp was also terrified.
"Hahaha..."
Seeing their plight, Crocodile laughed with satisfaction.
"You're about to become part of the sand sea's wreckage!" Crocodile then turned his gaze to Vivi.
"Princess Vivi, the rebels have reached Alubarna by now. What do you think will happen when I make them fight each other?"
"Hahaha... Goodbye!"
With that, Crocodile vanished into a gust of sand before their eyes.
"Crocodile!!!"
...
One day later~
Alubarna, the royal capital of Alabasta.
King Cobra sat on the throne, looking grave.
The rebel forces had gathered outside the capital and might strike at any moment. Cobra was at a loss.
To make matters worse, Crocodile was manipulating everything behind the scenes, aiming to overthrow the kingdom.
Suddenly, a guard rushed in.
"King, King!"
"What's wrong? What happened?" Cobra asked.
"The leader of the rebel army, Koza, requests an audience!"
"Huh?" Cobra stood up immediately. "Let him in quickly!"
Soon, a young man with glasses and yellow hair entered. He kept his eyes fixed on Cobra as he approached and stopped about ten meters away.
He stared at Cobra and said, "King, now that things have come to this, I want to ask you one last time—why are you doing this?"
Cobra shook his head. "I've never done that. I didn't understand before, but now I do! Vivi gave me this. You'll understand everything after reading it!"
"Vivi!" Koza's heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name. Vivi's voice and smile flashed in his mind.
Shaking off the thoughts, Koza took the letter from Cobra, opened it, and read it.
After a while, shock filled Koza's face, and sweat dripped from his brow.
"This, this is…"
...
Meanwhile, in a house in Alubarna, Crocodile and his senior Baroque Works members were gathered.
Crocodile's expression was dark as he tapped the table with frustration.
After a moment, he asked, "Any news on Mr. 2?"
"No, Boss. It seems he's vanished since you sent him to the Small Garden, without a trace!" Robin reported.
"Is that so?" Crocodile's eyes grew cold.
"In that case, if he returns, consider him a traitor. Deal with him accordingly!"
"Yes!" The subordinates responded in unison.
One of the women with blue wavy hair spoke up. "Without Mr. 2's abilities, it's challenging to impersonate the king and escalate the conflict between the king's army and the rebels."
"No need to worry. The rift between the king's army and the rebels is already enormous. The accumulated pain of these years won't be easy to erase."
"Find a few wealthy elders to impersonate the king's army and attack the rebels. It will achieve the same result without affecting our plans!"
"Your tasks are assigned. Now, let's prepare for the final touches." Crocodile stood up from his seat.
"Today, the Kingdom of Alabasta falls!"
-------------------------------
Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.