As Ronan lifted Koza's headless corpse into the air with his ebony staff, the chaotic battlefield fell into an eerie, frozen silence.
Blood slid slowly along the dark grain of the staff, dripping onto the scorching sand with faint sizzling sounds.
That was the last warmth of the rebel leader—
And the sound of two million dreams shattering.
They stared blankly ahead.
Watching their once-proud leaders reduced to mangled corpses beneath Ronan's strikes.
Weapons slipped from trembling hands.
Clang.
Blades hit the sand, kicking up faint dust.
"Koza… is dead?"
A young rebel collapsed to his knees, eyes hollow.
To him—
Koza had been a savior.
A hero who would lead them to water.
But now—
That hero had died like a brittle twig in the hands of a single man.
Leaderless.
The tide of two million—
Collapsed into lifeless stillness.
The wind shifted.
Hot.
Unnatural.
"HAHAHAHA… what a disappointing farce."
A deep, hoarse, magnetic voice echoed from above.
Everyone looked up.
Atop the towering palace spire—
The swirling sands began to gather.
Spiraling.
Condensing.
Forming the figure of a tall man draped in a dark fur coat.
Crocodile.
President of Baroque Works.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
A lit cigar hung from his lips, smoke trailing behind him in the wind.
His golden hook gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
His gaze—
Looked down upon the devastation with utter disdain.
"A nameless pirate crew from the 'weakest sea'…"
"And you dare challenge me?"
He exhaled a ring of smoke, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Pathetic."
He glanced toward Cobra's corpse in the plaza and snorted.
"And that foolish king…"
"If you're a ruler, you should understand power."
"He chose death over revealing Pluton's location."
"That so-called responsibility… is nothing but a disgusting joke in the face of true power."
His voice echoed across the plaza.
Every survivor heard it.
"Since he refused… I'll simply do things my way."
"I'll blow this entire palace apart—along with the royal army and the rebels."
"Then I'll take this country for myself."
"Recruiting more pirates will be easy."
"I'll search this land at my leisure."
"As my power grows…"
"One day, I'll surpass even the World Government."
"This will become a nation of dreams."
"And you insects…"
"Will be nothing but bones beneath the sand."
He spread his arms.
The desert surged beneath him—
As if the entire kingdom was under his control.
"Tell me… why did you insignificant pirates come here to die?"
On the palace rooftop—
Luffy stood still.
The shadow of his hat covered his eyes.
But anyone who knew him—
Could feel it.
The anger.
"Just for your selfish goal…"
Luffy spoke at last.
His voice was calm—
Terrifyingly so.
"You're going to drag an entire country down with you?"
"Of course."
Crocodile stroked his golden hook, eyes cold.
"The lives of insects mean nothing."
"This world belongs to the strong."
"Is that so?"
Luffy raised his head.
Their gazes clashed—
And invisible killing intent rippled through the air.
"Then in someone else's eyes…"
"Aren't you just another insect waiting to be crushed?"
That sentence—
Pierced straight into Crocodile's deepest wound.
His defeat.
His lost arm.
His shattered ambition under Whitebeard.
His face darkened instantly.
The scar across his forehead twitched violently.
"You brat…"
"You don't know what true despair is."
"To me, pirates playing 'hero'…"
"Are nothing but dust."
He swept his cloak violently.
"Stopping this war changes nothing."
"My agents—Baroque Works' elite—"
"Are already hunting your precious companions."
"So tell me…"
"Will you die here in despair?"
"Or watch your friends be slaughtered first… before you join them?"
Luffy didn't react.
Not even slightly.
He simply glanced toward the battlefield below.
At the edge—
Three figures approached rapidly.
Mr. 1.
Tall. Massive.
His cold eyes locked onto Zoro.
Miss Doublefinger.
Elegant. Deadly.
She walked toward Ronan with feline grace, steel spikes flickering along her fingers and hair.
Mr. 2—Bon Clay.
Spinning in exaggerated movements.
His long legs carried strange, crushing force as he eyed Sanji with a twisted grin.
Crocodile laughed wildly.
"See that, brat?"
"Your friends are about to become fertilizer for this desert."
Luffy looked at them.
Then—
He smiled.
A smile of absolute trust.
"Those guys?"
"My crew…"
"Aren't that weak."
He stepped forward.
His body became a streak of dark red—
Shooting straight toward Crocodile.
"They'll handle the trash…"
"And I—"
His voice exploded like thunder.
"WILL CRUSH YOU RIGHT HERE!!!"
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