"Long time no see, Francis Allen."
Crocodile smirked around his cigar. A hint of gloom lurked in his eyes, and the golden hook in his hand gleamed with a cold, sharp light.
At first glance, Allen couldn't help but be surprised, but his expression quickly shifted to one of deep interest.
"To think you're still alive. What a surprise."
"It's quite ironic, really. Thanks to the Marines arriving just in time, otherwise I would have died in that underground tomb in Alabasta long ago."
Crocodile's voice was low, laced with mockery and a cold, murderous intent. With his right palm facing upward and his fingers slightly curled, a cluster of sand spun like a top in his hand.
Back then, when the battle ended and the underground tomb collapsed, he had been on the brink of death. Even his heart and pulse had stopped.
Yet, by sheer luck, he hadn't been crushed by the collapsing boulders. He was resuscitated by the Marines who arrived shortly after Allen and the others had left.
Later, he was escorted to Enies Lobby to stand trial for his crimes, and then sent through the Gates of Justice to be locked up in the Great Underwater Prison.
He was supposed to spend the rest of his life there, but he ended up being freed by Ivankov, who was wreaking havoc in Impel Down alongside the Straw Hat kid.
"Perhaps fate intended for me to live a little longer to see what this turbulent world will become. But before that..."
Crocodile paused, the killing intent in his eyes suddenly erupting. He pulled his elbow back and roared,
"You can go to hell first!!"
"Sables: Fang!!"
Crocodile thrust his arm forward fiercely. The miniature sandstorm in his palm rapidly expanded and blasted toward Allen!
Boom!!
The massive sandstorm surged forward at breakneck speed, tearing the ground apart in its wake!
Facing an attack that would be akin to a natural disaster for ordinary people, Allen simply stood his ground with a look of disdain.
"If you hadn't been so careless back then, the battle might not have ended so easily. But now..."
Bang!!
As he spoke, Allen stepped out with his right foot and stomped heavily, cracking the stone floor. He sank into a half-squat, pulling his arms to his waist and tensing his muscles.
Allowing the sandstorm to swallow his entire body, the grit inside slashed at him like countless blades. Yet, with a resolute gaze and Haki protecting his body, Allen stood as immovable as a mountain!
"You have fallen behind the times, Crocodile!"
"Stop acting so full of yourself!"
A low shout echoed from within the sandstorm as a massive amount of yellow sand coalesced into Crocodile's upper body. He charged forward with a furious expression!
Allen puffed out his chest, leaning back slightly as his ribcage expanded.
The specialized glands of the Ember Dragon secreted a massive amount of chemical fluids, pooling and mixing into a high-temperature viscous liquid comparable to magma.
"Ember Dragon's Breath!!"
Allen let out an explosive shout as a pillar of crimson magma violently erupted from his mouth!
"What?!"
Seeing this, the diving Crocodile's expression changed drastically.
His memories of Allen were still stuck on him only using physical combat. He completely hadn't expected Allen to pull a move like this, and he hurriedly dodged to the side in a panic.
The next second.
That pillar of scorching magma breath instantly slammed into Crocodile, nearly swallowing half of his body!
Boom!!
The terrifying magma violently burst outward, splattering in all directions. Drops landed on the stone tiles, slowly corroding and melting them away.
Crocodile was sent flying backward for dozens of meters. He crashed into the ground and tumbled wretchedly several times before finally coming to a halt.
Severe burn marks covered nearly half of his body, and wisps of smoke rose from his almost thoroughly cooked skin.
"This bastard...! Did he actually become a Devil Fruit user?"
Crocodile gritted his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He propped himself up on one hand, half-kneeling on the ground, and glared over viciously.
That high-temperature viscous liquid, comparable to magma, might not solidify sand like water did, but it could still suppress the elementalization of the Sand-Sand Fruit to a certain extent.
Even without mastering Emission, Allen still possessed ranged attacks to deal with Crocodile.
If they got into close quarters, Crocodile would only be subjected to a brutal, one-sided beating by Allen.
The two had already put some distance between them. In front of Allen, Crocodile's resistance was merely the difference between being defeated in three moves or ten.
Rumble!!
At that moment, a massive commotion suddenly erupted from the distant battlefield.
Allen turned his head to look, only to see an incredibly gigantic figure appear on the battlefield. The figure had twin horns on his head, long red hair, and a face like a demon.
Even in the midst of the white-hot, fierce battle, many Marines halted their movements due to his appearance, looking up in shock at that impossibly massive figure.
"So huge...!"
"Could it be... an Ancient Giant?!"
"It's the descendant of Oars the Continent-Puller! Little Oars Jr.!"
With that terrifying size and horrifying appearance, many Marines recognized his identity at a single glance.
"The bloodline of the demon who shook the world 500 years ago..."
Seeing the other party appear, the corners of Allen's mouth curled upward, his gaze filling with eagerness to fight.
"Ace!!"
Boom!!
"Just wait! I'm coming to save you right now!!"
Boom!! Boom!!
Little Oars Jr.'s booming roar echoed throughout the entire bay. Wielding a massive broadsword, he swept across the battlefield. Wherever the blade reached, figures were sent flying as he marched unstoppably toward the Execution Platform Plaza.
Seeing this scene, the pirates of Whitebeard's faction grew collectively excited. Raising their swords, they charged alongside him, their momentum becoming even more fanatical.
However, several Division Commanders, including Marco, frowned solemnly, a hint of worry showing in their eyes.
"Now is not a good time to show up."
"Little Oars..."
"So we really couldn't keep an eye on him, huh."
At the bow of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's eyes faintly revealed a trace of concern.
Although this deviated from Marco's plan, war was ever-changing, and no one could predict what would happen.
For instance, the Straw Hat kid descending with a massive number of Impel Down prisoners, or Little Oars Jr. being unable to hold back and stepping onto the battlefield.
"Since things have come to this..."
Thud!
Whitebeard heavily stomped the butt of Murakumogiri onto the deck of the bow and shouted loudly,
"Everyone! Charge the execution platform from all directions!"
"Ohhh!!"
"Kill them!!"
Hearing the command, the Division Commanders and the captains of the subordinate pirate fleets immediately understood. They quickly led their subordinates to scatter and launch a charge.
After all, Little Oars Jr.'s size was simply too massive; on a battlefield like this, he was nothing but a walking target.
If the other Division Commanders didn't share the frontal pressure, Little Oars Jr. would draw concentrated fire and be besieged in no time.
Soon, under the multi-pronged assault of the Division Commanders and the various captains of the pirate fleets, the Marine officers stationed at the Execution Platform Plaza were forced to scatter and intercept them.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Little Oars Jr.'s movements became even more brutal. Enduring the bombardment of artillery shells, he took massive strides toward the plaza.
However, even with others sharing the pressure, the overall strength of the Marine Headquarters still held a greater advantage.
Seeing that Little Oars Jr. was about to reach the front of the plaza, two Giant Vice Admirals immediately leaped down into the bay.
Bang!! Bang!!
The Giant Vice Admirals' feet landed heavily on the ice, causing a tremor in the surrounding area. Carrying a serrated broadsword and a double-bladed battleaxe on their respective shoulders, they blocked Little Oars Jr.'s path from the left and right, shouting in deep voices,
"This is as far as you go! Don't even think about taking another step forward!"
"From here on out, we will be your opponents!"