Kane looked at the shattered hook, his mood improving slightly.
But Crocodile's face had turned deathly pale.
This—
Was his third defeat.
The first time had been against Whitebeard.
And the other two times
Had both been at the hands of the Marine before him.
The most humiliating part—
Was that he had been defeated twice in a single day.
And both times—
Utterly crushed.
Kane, on the other hand, didn't think much of defeating a Warlord.
The gap between Warlords was enormous.
More importantly—
Crocodile at this stage had declined too much.
He relied far too heavily on his Devil Fruit ability.
"…Wait."
"Aren't I relying on mine too?"
"Whatever—why even think about that?"
Crocodile would only truly regain his strength—
After the Summit War of Marineford.
But this time—
If Kane captured Portgas D. Ace—
And Whitebeard paid up—
Then that war might not even happen.
Of course—
That had nothing to do with Kane.
Following the "plot" didn't matter to him.
Making money from it—
That was what truly mattered.
"Alright, little crocodile."
"Anything else to say?"
Kane asked.
"You'll regret this."
Crocodile replied coldly.
"You've gotten naïve."
"Oh right—where are your subordinates?"
Kane's thoughts were simple.
If he was going to arrest them—
He might as well do it thoroughly.
No need to catch everyone—
But the core members couldn't be let go.
Crocodile didn't answer.
Instead—
He sneered.
"You seem a bit stubborn."
A cold glint flashed in Kane's eyes.
His foot slammed down onto Crocodile's chest.
Crocodile spat out another mouthful of blood—
But still said nothing.
At his level—
Death wasn't something to fear.
"Whatever."
"Doesn't matter if you don't talk."
"I roughly know anyway."
"They won't escape."
"Buru Buru Buru—"
Suddenly—
A Den Den Mushi rang.
Kane frowned.
Very few people—
Knew his private number.
Still stepping on Crocodile—
He pulled out the Den Den Mushi and answered.
The next moment—
A familiar voice came through.
"Moshi moshi… Kane?"
"I say, Sengoku—"
"Have you been calling me a bit too often lately?"
Kane said helplessly.
"You've got the nerve to say that?!"
"It's you causing trouble everywhere!"
"Otherwise, do you think I *want* to call you, you bastard?!"
"How am I causing trouble?"
Kane replied.
"Let me ask you—"
"You're in Alabasta right now, aren't you?"
Kane paused.
"Yeah."
"Then tell me—"
"Did you fight Crocodile?!"
Kane glanced at the man beneath his foot.
Crocodile had opened his eyes—
A faint hope appearing.
"More or less."
"You idiot!"
"Do you even know he's a Warlord?!"
"Why would you clash with him?!"
Kane frowned, annoyed.
"Sengoku—what kind of question is that?"
"You know how arrogant that guy is?"
"He injured my subordinates right in front of me—"
"And even attacked me first."
"You're asking me to endure that?"
"Since when does the Navy have to tolerate the Warlords?"
"Even as a Warlord—"
"He's still a pirate."
"And a piece of trash at that."
Sengoku fell silent.
He already knew the general situation.
He just couldn't help venting.
"So tell me—"
"Was I supposed to just stand there and take it?"
As Fleet Admiral—
He couldn't really blame Kane for this.
His tone softened slightly.
"Fine, I understand."
"I'll handle it."
"Just keep a low profile, alright?"
"Stop causing trouble."
"That's not fair."
"People are the ones picking fights with me."
Sengoku clearly had no interest in arguing further.
"When are you coming back?"
Kane's eyes flickered.
"What, those five old men looking for me again?"
"Don't talk nonsense."
"I'm just asking."
"Heh… seems they value me quite a bit."
Sengoku fell silent again.
"Alright, got it."
"I'll head back after I finish things in Alabasta."
Sengoku immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Wait—Kane."
"What do you mean 'finish things'?"
"What are you doing over there now?!"
"Relax, it's nothing big."
" was just about to tell you."
"I'd like to relax—"
"But you never give me peace of mind!"
"What is it this time?!"
"Simple."
"I'm stripping that trash Crocodile—"
"Of his title as one of the Seven Warlords."
Sengoku froze.
"…Kane."
"Are you joking?"
"Have you lost your mind?!"
"Just because of that—"
"You think you can remove a Warlord?!"
In his eyes—
Kane was being completely reckless.
If it were that easy—
He wouldn't have needed to personally call.
"Sengoku."
"Can you let me finish first?"
"…Go on."
"In Alabasta—"
"I discovered a major issue."
"That trash Crocodile—"
Has completely violated the rules of the Warlords."
"He's trying to overthrow the entire kingdom."
"He even used the banned substance—Dance Powder."
"To incite rebellion among the people."
"The unrest across Alabasta—"
as all orchestrated by him."
"For three years—"
There's been no rain."
"Countless civilians have died."
"And you're telling me—"
We should keep someone like that as a Warlord?"
"Frankly—"
Stripping his title is the least of what he deserves."
Sengoku fell silent.
Clearly—
Kane's words had shaken him deeply.
Meanwhile—
Crocodile, pinned beneath Kane's foot—
Burned with rage as he was repeatedly called trash.
He struggled violently.
But the next moment—
Kane's foot came crashing down again.
This time—
There was no restraint.
The impact—
Caved in the floor of the entire hall.
Crocodile's eyes widened.
Blood gushed from his mouth.
His chest visibly collapsed—
His aura rapidly weakening.
This strike—
Had completely destroyed his ability to resist.
"I'm talking business here—"
"And you're still moving?"
Kane said, displeased, lifting his foot again.
But the massive commotion—
Caught Sengoku's attention.
"What's going on over there?!"
"Nothing."
"I've already subdued Crocodile."
"I just got a bit fired up earlier…"
Before Kane could finish—
Sengoku's voice exploded again.
"WHAT?!"
"Kane—"
"Did you just say you subdued Crocodile?!"
His voice rose several octaves.
Kane had already moved the Den Den Mushi away from his ear.
"Yeah."
"What's the problem?"
"Kane—"
"You've gone too far!"
"Do you have any idea—"
"What kind of consequences this will bring?!"
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