"Desert Spada!"
With a sweep of his arm, Crocodile unleashed three crescent blades of sand toward Roldy.
It was a basic attack—far too ordinary to threaten him.
Roldy didn't move.
He didn't even bother using Armament Haki.
He simply stood there and tanked the strike with nothing but the strength of his body.
The sand blades shattered upon impact, scattering into the air.
Crocodile's eyes widened.
Not a single wound.
Not even a red mark.
"Your Devil Fruit development isn't bad. Your speed's decent. But your power… is lacking."
Roldy evaluated him casually, as though appraising a recruit.
"Shut up! Don't mock me!"
Crocodile roared.
His lower body dissolved into sand as he rose into the air. A compact sandstorm formed in his palm.
"Sables!"
The moment he hurled it, the miniature cyclone expanded violently. Anyone caught within it would be shredded without mercy.
He had absolute confidence in this technique.
But Roldy still stood unmoving.
The raging wind couldn't even shift him a single step.
Crocodile's composure began to crack.
"The gap between worlds shouldn't be this wide!"
A curved blade of sand formed in his hand.
This time, it was coated in Armament Haki—jet black and gleaming.
In a flash, Crocodile appeared behind Roldy.
"Desert La Spada!"
"Die!"
The blade stabbed toward Roldy's neck.
But instead of slicing into flesh—
It felt like striking indestructible steel.
Roldy's neck was coated in Armament Haki far denser than Crocodile's. The difference wasn't incremental—it was overwhelming.
Under Crocodile's strain, his hardened sand blade cracked—
And shattered.
Roldy's Armament Haki had long surpassed ordinary advanced levels. Beyond possessing internal destruction properties, it boasted terrifying density.
The difference between them was like wood versus diamond.
"Didn't you just say you were going to challenge Whitebeard?"
Roldy's voice was calm, almost amused.
"You've made a little name for yourself in the New World and already think you can touch the sky?"
Despite his massive frame, Roldy moved so fast that even Crocodile's Observation Haki couldn't track him.
A hand clamped down on Crocodile's head.
Armament Haki surged, nullifying any attempt at elemental escape.
Roldy lifted him effortlessly.
Pressure increased.
Bones creaked.
"Y-you bastard…"
Even in agony, Crocodile's glare remained vicious.
"Wake up, kid. With your current strength, lasting three exchanges against Whitebeard would be a miracle."
Roldy wasn't exaggerating.
In raw combat ability, Crocodile wouldn't even defeat Sheen.
"Don't look down on me!"
Suddenly—
A violent aura erupted from Crocodile's body.
The air seemed to tremble.
The color of the space itself subtly shifted.
For the first time, Roldy's playful expression changed.
"…Conqueror's Haki?"
He stared at the young pirate in his grip.
That power wasn't something just anyone could possess.
So this brat—
Had the disposition of a king?
"Interesting. Conqueror's Haki users are rare enough… and among women, even rarer."
Roldy spoke plainly.
Crocodile reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Shut up! Shut your damn mouth!"
The composure he maintained so carefully had been pierced.
"Why hide it? For a woman to possess this kind of power is impressive."
Roldy had noticed the irregularities the moment he grabbed Crocodile earlier.
His perception was simply that sharp.
Yes.
Purely observation.
Nothing else.
"Damn you! I said shut up!"
With a sudden burst of strength, Crocodile tore free from Roldy's grip.
Roldy hadn't used his full strength, but even so—
That was impressive.
"I don't need some 'woman's identity.' I don't need anyone's pitying looks!"
"I am Crocodile!"
"My name will stand at the summit of the world!"
He vanished in a blur and reappeared behind Roldy.
His left hand pressed against Roldy's neck.
The Devil Fruit power activated.
"Dry!"
"Turn into a corpse!"
He attempted to drain every drop of moisture from Roldy's body.
It was one of his proudest techniques.
Silence.
Then—
"You done?"
Roldy frowned.
Crocodile's eyes shook.
"Why… why aren't you drying out?!"
His ultimate method had failed.
Completely.
"Brat."
Roldy's tone grew firm.
"Haki transcends all."
"In the face of overwhelming Armament Haki, your Devil Fruit ability means nothing."
He grabbed Crocodile's arm and slammed him into the ground.
The impact shattered the palace floor.
This time—
Crocodile did not rise.
He stared blankly at the ceiling.
Mind empty.
By Roldy's usual standards, anyone who attacked him would not leave alive.
But this time—
A different thought surfaced in his mind.
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