Inside the massive Seastone cage.
BAM!
As Crocodile's voice faded, the heavy trapdoor overhead slammed shut with a thunderous boom, sealing off the last sliver of outside light. The atmosphere inside the cage turned dim and oppressive.
"Dammit... that bastard Crocodile! Using a trap like this!" Luffy snarled, scrambling up from the floor. Without a word, he lunged at the bars, grabbing them with both hands to tear them apart. "OPEN UP!!"
However, the moment his palms touched the cold metal—
"Ugh..." Luffy felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. His strength vanished instantly. His eyes rolled back, and he slid down the bars like a lump of soft clay, collapsing limply onto the floor.
"Hey! Straw Hat! What's wrong?" Smoker frowned and instinctively tried to turn into smoke to pass through the bars. But the second his mist touched the metal, the same thing happened.
"Cough... ugh!" Smoker grunted as his usually ironclad frame lost all support. He dropped to one knee, his jitte clattering to the floor. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. "What is this... I can't... find any strength... Is this Seastone?!"
"Guh-hahahaha!" Outside the cage, Crocodile let out a triumphant laugh. "Don't waste your energy." He exhaled a ring of smoke, looking down at the weakened ability-users with disdain. "This cage is made of Seastone. It emits the same energy as the sea. To Devil Fruit users, touching it makes them as helpless as a drowning man. This... is your hell."
Seastone, huh...
Viktor remained unaffected. As a non-ability user, his physical energy remained peaked. He walked to the bars, drew a pitch-black kunai, coated it in chakra, and slashed forcefully against the metal.
SCREECH!!
Sparks flew, but the bars didn't even show a white scratch. Instead, a chip broke off Viktor's high-carbon steel blade.
"Tch." Viktor sheathed the kunai, his brow arching slightly. "This hard... it looks like a physical breakout is out of the question."
"Oh?" Crocodile noticed the black-haired youth standing perfectly straight, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "You seem quite energetic, 'Guren.' It seems you really aren't an ability user. But don't bother; even that Pirate Hunter couldn't cut through this density."
Zoro, who was currently attempting to draw his sword, gritted his teeth but didn't retort. His instinct told him the man was right—this stuff was impossibly tough.
Just then, Vivi's voice echoed from the corridor. "Everyone!! I'm here!" Because she had been slower and knew the layout, she hadn't fallen into the trap.
"Vivi! Run!" Luffy called out weakly.
But on sand-covered home turf, Vivi had nowhere to run. "Desert Girasole!" With a casual wave, Crocodile's sand blades cut off her retreat. Then, a massive hand of sand reached out, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her into the air.
"Let her go!!" Nami and Usopp screamed in terror.
"A touching reunion, Princess." Crocodile held Vivi aloft, looking down at the group in the cage. He finally unveiled his "Utopia" plan: "Watch closely; this is the final act.
I've already arranged for my men to pose as the Royal Army and attack civilians, while simultaneously inciting the Rebels to launch their final assault."
His eyes burned with fanatical ambition. "The two armies will slaughter each other in Alubarna, and this country will perish in civil war.
I will step in as the 'hero' to take over and build my ideal kingdom! And... I will obtain the ancient weapon buried beneath this soil—Pluton!"
"Pluton?!" Smoker's pupils shrank. As a Marine, he knew exactly what that meant.
"You bastard!!" Luffy and Vivi roared, struggling with all their might. But against the Seastone and sheer power, their rage was futile.
"Enough talk." Crocodile checked his gold watch and pulled a key from his coat, dangling it before them. "This key is the only hope of opening this cage." He tossed it—not to them, but into the massive water tank below.
ROAR!! A giant Banana Crocodile lunged out, swallowing the key in one gulp.
"Guh-hahahaha! Sorry, it wasn't for you. In one hour, the room's intake valve will open, and water will fill this entire chamber. Enjoy the slow pleasure of drowning... farewell, Straw Hat Luffy."
BOOM! The heavy door shut behind him as he dragged Vivi away.
Silence fell, broken only by the sound of the crocodiles swimming and the low hum of the plumbing system beginning to operate. Despair began to spread. Nami slumped against the floor, hugging her knees. "It's over... we're all going to die here..." Usopp was a mess of tears. "I don't want to be crocodile food!!"
However...
"Don't start writing your wills just yet, everyone."
A calm voice broke the silence. Viktor leaned against the bars, arms crossed, showing no signs of panic. His gaze swept over everyone in the cage: "Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and even the smoke guy..." Viktor's lips curled into a slight smirk, his black eyes sharp. "We're missing two people."
"Eh?" The group blinked, then realized as they looked around.
"That's right!! Where are the shitty cook and Klay?!" Zoro exclaimed.
"Sanji!! Sanji's gone!!" Nami's eyes lit up with a spark of hope. From the moment they entered Rain Dinners, Sanji and Klay had been separated from the main group.
"That pervy cook might look unreliable usually..." Viktor said, looking at the closed door. "But in a crisis like this, he's a 'Wild Card'."
Puru puru puru... Puru puru puru...
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi that Crocodile had left on the table to mock them began to ring. Being close to the bars, Viktor reached out and snatched the receiver.
Click.
"Hello? Rain Dinners VIP room," Viktor said calmly.
On the other end came a lazy voice accompanied by the sound of a lighter. "Ah, did it go through? This is... 'Mr. Prince.'"
"Coo-caw! And I am Mr. King!"
"SANJI!! KLAY!!" Luffy and Usopp cheered as if they'd heard the voice of an angel.
Wham! Following a dull thud and a scream on the other end, Sanji's voice continued. "Shut up, you idiots. Listen, I've already led the 'Millions' fodder away.
And I just gave that sand crocodile a little prank call, pretending to be one of his men saying things have gone sideways outside."
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke on the other end and chuckled. "Now, that crocodile has been lured away by my 'Diverted Tiger' tactic. He's had to leave Rain Dinners to check on things. While he's gone..."
"Well done, Mr. Prince." Viktor gripped the receiver, looking at his partners. "The crocodile is gone, and the guards are in chaos. Our window is open."
Just as he spoke, the walls around them began to rattle—the sound of the mechanisms being triggered by their rescuers.
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