"Heh… cough cough…"
Crocodile, with his neck trapped in the grasp of the Flower-Flower Fruit ability, tried to take a deep breath.
But the arm wrapped in Armament Haki held his throat tight, letting out only a painful, stifled cough.
His dust-covered head lifted slightly, and his weary eyes met Luffy's deep, piercing gaze.
"Heh heh…"
Luffy let out a soft laugh, watching the once-ruthless Crocodile frozen in disbelief and dared not make a sound.
The world seemed to fall silent in that instant.
After a long moment, Luffy sighed.
"Sigh…"
He waved his hand, dispersing the energy gathered in his palm, speaking with a hint of resignation:
"Ah, whatever… this is really boring…"
He knew that forcing Crocodile to obey would only yield the corpse of a strong male.
A true man of the sea lived with life and death on his own terms.
Either live freely and boldly, or die regretting only that it wasn't spectacular.
That was the charm of men of the ocean, their stubbornness was strangely endearing.
As Luffy spoke, Robin's arms dropped immediately, and the extra limbs that had emerged from Crocodile dissolved into petals, floating gently before vanishing into the air.
Plop…
Regaining his freedom, Crocodile flipped backward, increasing the distance between himself and Luffy's crew.
But he staggered as though gravely injured, nearly falling to his knees.
Once steady, he lifted his head, staring at Luffy with that same terrifying smile, anger flashing across his face:
"What… do you mean!?"
In all his years roaming the world, Crocodile had never been so insulted.
First, he was effortlessly defeated, and then released at their whim.
It was as if they were saying: "No matter how you struggle, you'll never escape my hand."
Defeat was not new to him. He had failed before.
But to be defeated so completely… so directly… this was a first.
Luffy didn't answer Crocodile. Smiling, he walked over to Vivi, who was still in shock, and said:
"Problem solved!"
"Ah… oh!"
Vivi, lost in awe, didn't even notice him approaching.
Even though she knew the strength of Luffy's crew, seeing Crocodile, the man who had nearly driven her to despair, defeated so easily was almost incomprehensible.
To the eyes of the strong, what are ordinary people even worth…?
It felt like an entirely different species.
"Cough… cough!"
Crocodile, seriously wounded, coughed up more blood, his gaze fixed on Luffy's group.
After that brief clash, he finally understood: the Starry Sky Pirates were no ordinary Warlord-level crew.
Even his fight with Whitebeard hadn't left him in such a state.
Though Whitebeard hadn't gone all out, the Starry Sky captain hadn't even moved.
In other words, the Starry Sky Pirates might already be on the level of a Yonko.
But…
A gleam of calculation lit up Crocodile's shadowed eyes.
A future ruler capable of dominating the New World was still wandering in the first half of the Grand Line, even arriving in Arabasta, a kingdom of special importance.
Their ambitions… must be enormous.
A strategist by nature, Crocodile's mind raced with possibilities.
In the world of schemers, everyone hides one, or more, plots behind them.
After some thought, he realized: any information he could gather, others likely could as well.
If there's anything worth the attention of a strong person in this fragile kingdom…
The answer was obvious.
There was only one truth.
Hidden within Arabasta was the legendary Ancient Weapon: Pluton!
This explained why they had arrived here, and why they hadn't killed him.
Their intel must be incomplete; they needed something from his mouth.
Otherwise, it made no sense for such powerful people to do something so trivial.
As for Luffy's words about helping Vivi reclaim her country? Crocodile didn't believe a single word.
Anyone who could become a Warlord for the World Government had their own motives.
At least, his life had been spared.
Seeing Vivi's dazed expression, Luffy's Observation Haki seemed to hear her thoughts.
Somehow, a strange sense of emptiness filled his chest.
Too weak…
The Warlords of the Sea, they were too weak!
Even Crocodile, not the strongest among them, represented one of the highest-level combatants in the world.
Those stronger than him could be counted on one hand.
The title didn't come from nothing.
Without real strength, how could one challenge the world?
Have we really become this strong?
The rapid growth of his companions, the training room's stat boosts, the strange equipment buffs…
Even Luffy himself hadn't realized just how powerful they had become in such a short time.
Zoro, nearly capable of killing the world's greatest swordsman.
Sanji, absorbing everything with the Bug-like powers of the Devil Fruit, converting it to his own strength.
Usopp, who could defeat gods when serious.
Their very presence shook the world.
Robin, multiplying endlessly. Nami, controlling the sky. Brook, wielding deathly force. Koby, restraining darkness.
Only Chopper, the newest member, hadn't yet reached true strength, but that was only a matter of time.
And Luffy, the culmination of his crew's powers, wielding the explosive Haki of life and death.
Now, the Starry Sky Pirates were a single step away from invincibility.
Just one step, and the world would notice.
The pirate world suddenly felt… dull.
Who knew how strong the Yonko or Admirals could really be?
He hoped they'd bring some tension back, make the world feel fun again.
Lost in thought, Luffy was interrupted by the sound of careful, deliberate footsteps.
Marine Captain Smoker and his subordinate Tashigi approached, their faces a mix of fear and hesitation.
After a long pause, still unable to speak, Luffy finally addressed them, calm as ever:
"What's the matter?"
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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