These six copies looked like demons crawling right out of hell, giving off an aura of total destruction as they attacked all at once.
Dragon claws, as sharp as swords, shined coldly.
Each swing kicked up sharp, slicing gusts of wind; meanwhile, sand blades, as thick as a blizzard, swallowed the Tobi Roppo in an overwhelming barrage.
For a moment, the Tobi Roppo found themselves completely trapped in a deadly net woven from Dragon claws and razor-sharp sand.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Ulti roared furiously when she saw the trap.
Her already wild face twisted into an even uglier sneer.
She unleashed her signature move—the Ulti-Mortar.
Leaping high into the air, she shot forward like a cannonball.
Her massive head charged with unstoppable momentum as she slammed right into one of Crocodile's sand clones.
However, to her total shock, her headbutt passed straight through the sand without doing any real damage to Crocodile at all.
And right at that exact moment, a Dragon tail whipped out from a blind spot, smashing into her waist like a steel whip.
"Gah!" Ulti screamed, spitting out a mouthful of blood as she was sent flying for dozens of meters like a broken toy, crashing heavily into the dirt and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Seeing this, Black Maria panicked and quickly threw up her spiderweb defense.
Her long fingers danced rapidly as thick strings of sticky spider silk shot from her hands, instantly forming a massive web wall right in front of her.
However, those incredibly tough spider threads were instantly shredded to pieces the second they touched the sandstorm.
They tore apart as easily as cheap string in a hurricane—completely useless.
"How is this possible...?" For the very first time, a look of pure panic appeared on Black Maria's normally beautiful face.
Her eyes showed a flash of fear and total disbelief, looking as if she simply could not accept what was happening right in front of her.
In a panic, she raised her flaming wheel weapon to block, desperately trying to fend off Crocodile's attack.
Yet, the power of Crocodile's Haki-coated Dragon claw was simply too much.
With just a single, heavy blow, he sent her reeling backward.
Her high heels carved two deep trenches into the dirt as she slid back several meters before barely managing to catch her balance.
Seeing how bad the situation was getting, Sasaki roared.
His long sword shined with a cold light as he swung it hard right at Crocodile.
His slash was sharp and fierce, easily capable of tearing through the air.
The blade cleanly sliced right through one of the clones, but before he could even feel relieved, more sand quickly gathered back together.
As if they had a mind of their own, the sand grains rapidly pulled together, reforming into a solid, heavy shield.
"Useless." Crocodile's true body suddenly stepped out from the swirling sand right behind him.
His voice was freezing cold, sounding like a curse from the pits of hell.
His Dragon claw shot out like lightning, aimed straight for Sasaki's back.
Sasaki felt a terrible chill run down his spine and frantically twisted his body to dodge.
Although he barely avoided a fatal blow, Crocodile's Dragon claw still tore a deep, bloody cut right through his shoulder.
Blood instantly soaked his clothes, and the burning pain made him gasp sharply.
"Bastard!" Sasaki bellowed.
His muscles swelled instantly as he transformed into his tough Triceratops Hybrid form.
His heavy sword swung around, slashing fiercely toward Crocodile's neck.
However, his attack only shattered a cloud of loose sand—the real Crocodile had already transformed into his Sand Dragon form and shot up into the air.
The Sand Dragon circled and danced through the sky like an agile, slippery snake, making it impossible to pin him down.
Seeing an opening, Page One seized the chance to launch a surprise attack.
He shifted into his massive Spinosaurus form and lunged right at Crocodile with his jaws wide open.
But before he could even get close, Crocodile's Dragon mouth suddenly snapped open.
"Sand Dragon Breath!"
With Crocodile's furious roar, a boiling, sand-colored laser blasted from his mouth.
The energy beam, looking like a scorching flame packed with enough power to wipe out anything it touched, blasted Page One straight down into the dirt.
Instantly, a massive crater exploded in the ground, burying the Spinosaurus deep beneath the earth—his fate completely unknown.
"Pay-Pay!!!" Ulti immediately rushed toward the smoking crater.
Seeing this, X Drake knew he could not just stand around and watch anymore.
He roared and transformed into his massive Allosaurus form.
His giant body swelled with muscle, his tough dinosaur scales shining with a hard, metallic finish.
He tried to break through the sandstorm, desperately searching for an opening to escape.
Yet, the ground beneath his heavy feet suddenly collapsed into a quicksand whirlpool.
It acted like a massive black hole, endlessly sucking everything around it straight down into the earth.
"Where do you think you are going?" Crocodile's voice echoed from all directions at once, sounding like a ghost haunting the battlefield.
Countless hands made of sand shot out from the whirlpool, wrapping around Drake's legs like thick snakes and binding him tightly in place.
Drake struggled wildly, but he could not break free from the heavy sand no matter how hard he pulled.
The battlefield had now completely become Crocodile's personal playground.
The power of the Sand Dragon and his brutal sandstorms mixed perfectly together, forming a deadly, inescapable trap.
Trapped inside this sandy hell, the Tobi Roppo's proud teamwork was completely shattered.
Each of them was totally exhausted just trying to deal with his tricky, unpredictable attacks.
Their proud, arrogant attitudes were long gone.
"Damn it..." Black Maria wiped the blood from her lips, her heart pounding with heavy shock.
She stared wide-eyed at the unbeatable monster floating in front of her, completely amazed by his power.
She finally understood that this man was no longer the same Warlord from years ago.
This level of mastery over two Devil Fruits was completely unheard of—they had absolutely no chance of stopping him.
Crocodile hovered right in the center of the sand tornado, his face totally relaxed and bored.
This brutal battle was nothing more than an easy game to him.
He slowly pulled out a fresh cigar, placed it between his teeth, and lit it with a quick spark.
Through the swirling smoke, he looked down with pure disrespect at the five beaten, bloody pirates below him, his eyes completely full of mockery.
"What's wrong? Is this all the elite officers of the Beasts Pirates are capable of?" Crocodile's voice dripped with sarcasm.
As he spoke, he slowly raised his Dragon claw.
Following his movement, the sand and rocks within a full kilometer began to tremble violently.
"Warm-up is over..." Crocodile said coldly.
The heavy power of the Sand Dragon and the ripping winds of the sandstorm began to gather right in the palm of his hand, twisting and mixing together to form a terrifying ball of energy.
The sphere of energy gave off a blinding light, looking like a tiny sun that was impossible to look at directly.
"Time to send you on your way." Crocodile's voice was icy and totally final.
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