"King of the Pirates?!"
Crocodile scoffed at Luffy's declaration, even after being twice brought to the brink of death. "Let me tell you, kid… the more you learn about this sea, the less likely you are to spout such childish nonsense."
Everyone said the same thing.
Once you understand the true nature of this sea, you won't be saying things like that.
Wise men choose their words carefully.
But what did that even mean?
"I'm… going to surpass you!"
Anyone could offer empty platitudes. But how many could genuinely claim they would achieve the grandest title on the sea? This wasn't something one declared with permission. These were words fueled by unwavering conviction.
"You've been beaten twice! Twice you've nearly died! You think a third fight will be any different?!"
"Got it…?"
"The poison hook."
Intent on ending this once and for all, Crocodile removed the golden hook from his left arm, revealing the poison-tipped barb concealed within. Scorpion venom. A single scratch would be fatal. There was no such thing as a dirty fight between pirates. The loser was simply weaker. Luffy, now without water, couldn't touch Crocodile. He was going to die.
Luffy, however, paid him no mind and charged.
"This time, I'll finish you off for good, Straw Hat!"
A single scratch from the poison hook would be the end – Crocodile thought, preparing to counter Luffy's attack. Then he noticed Luffy's blood-soaked fist. He realized his mistake a moment too late.
BAM!
Luffy's punch connected and sent him sprawling across the ground.
"What the–?! You coated your fist in blood?!"
"Blood hardens sand, doesn't it?"
The wound on Luffy's abdomen, inflicted by Crocodile in their first encounter, had reopened, and blood now dripped from it. While the injury itself required attention, for now, it served as a means to counter Crocodile's powers. Luffy must be exhausted, yet the fire in his eyes still burned. He still intended to fight.
Luffy charged again, but Crocodile brandished his poison hook, preventing him from getting too close. Luffy expertly dodged Crocodile's attempts to poison him, knowing a single touch would be fatal.
"Damn it… he's troublesome!" Luffy grunted, dodging another attack.
"Hah… Hah… Quite the predicament, isn't it? One touch from this, and it's lights out!" Crocodile taunted.
Any living being, poisoned, would die. While not necessarily dishonorable, using poison was undeniably troublesome. Crocodile couldn't help but curse his opponent's resilience.
Luffy abruptly stopped his charge and, with a swift spin, kicked Crocodile's temple. The poison hook wasn't Crocodile's only weapon. His desiccating right hand and sand-based attacks had pushed Luffy to his limits.
"Give up. This wasn't a fight for a rookie like you. You should have never gotten involved, all because of that foolish princess's pleas. You're going to die here."
If he had abandoned Vivi, none of this would have happened. Especially not for someone who claimed they wanted to be King of the Pirates. The sea was vast, and the journey was long. There was no point dying here.
"…You don't understand."
"What?"
Luffy, despite bleeding profusely and swaying on his feet, glared at Crocodile. He would always prioritize his friends' lives, even at the risk of his own. Vivi's abandonment would have ensured their safety, but that wasn't an option.
"They're my nakama! I won't let them die!"
Luffy charged while throwing a punch. Crocodile countered with his poison hook, grinning as he grazed Luffy's arm – but in that instant, Luffy grabbed Crocodile's arm and slammed it into the ground, snapping the poison-tipped barb. Then, using that as an anchor, he began pummelling Crocodile relentlessly.
"Gomu-Gomu noooo… Gatling!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Crocodile crashed into the palace wall. Luffy's relentless assault continued, breaking through the wall and sending Crocodile flying into the city. While the scorpion venom was undoubtedly taking its toll, it couldn't break Luffy's spirit.
Crocodile slammed into a house, coughing up blood as he knelt on the ground. He was still conscious, glaring at Luffy defiantly.
"You rookie…! You have no idea who you're dealing with!"
Both were at their limits. One more attack would decide the victor. Both shared the same thought and charged. Luffy, using the palace wall as a springboard, launched himself towards Crocodile. Crocodile transformed the ground into sand and conjured blades.
"Gomu-Gomu… Storm!"
"Desert… La Spada!"
Luffy spun and charged sideways, unleashing a barrage of punches. Crocodile fired four razor-sharp sand blades. Luffy, undeterred by the deadly projectiles, continued his assault. Their attacks collided head-on – and the sand blades, unable to pierce Luffy's fists, dissipated.
"Ooooooooooooooh!"
Luffy's fist connected, sending Crocodile flying through several houses and back towards the palace plaza. Unable to stand, Crocodile finally collapsed.
The victor: Monkey D. Luffy.
***
"Is that all? A pirate alliance? Pathetic. The commanders are nothing special."
Bullet, holding the unconscious Jack by the scruff of his neck, tossed him aside dismissively and turned his attention to the remaining pirates. Cracker was already down. While Jack, with his Ancient Zoan durability, had been surprisingly resilient, he was still no match for Bullet.
Bullet snorted in dissatisfaction, but there was no point dwelling on it. He glanced at the combined forces of Twilight, the Revolutionary Army, and the Marines, still battling the remaining Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates. Engaging them would mean making an enemy of Kanata. While he fully intended to surpass her eventually, for now, maintaining their alliance was more convenient. It saved him the trouble of acquiring supplies.
"Hey, small fry! Get these guys and get lost!"
He unleashed a wave of Haoshoku Haki that forced them to heed his words. He decided letting them retreat was more entertaining than killing them outright. With Jack and Cracker down, the alliance's defeat was all but certain. Baron Tamago had already begun organizing their retreat and was swiftly retrieving their fallen comrades.
"Glad they're gone, but… I would have preferred to finish them off here…" Bastille muttered.
Eliminating a Headliner and a Sweet Commander would have significantly weakened the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates. While Bastille hadn't been directly involved in the fight, he couldn't deny the potential benefits of their demise. They were undeniably troublesome opponents.
"…Humph."
"Well, looks like our prey was taken from us," Sabo said, approaching Lycoris.
Lycoris scowled, while Sabo seemed relieved that Alabasta had been spared further destruction. He was more concerned about Luffy, certain that his younger brother had been reckless. He could only hope Luffy was still alive.
As the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates retreated, sailing away from the shore, Bullet headed towards the harbor. Sabo called out to him.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Huh? I have no business here anymore. I'm returning to the New World. Tell Kanata that."
He had come solely because of Kaido. With Kaido absent, he saw no reason to stay. He seemed unfazed by the earlier battles, likely not even breaking a sweat. He boarded his whale-shaped submarine, the (Catapult), and vanished beneath the waves.
"What a busy man."
"Douglas Bullet… Should we consider him an ally of Kanata? It's difficult to tell from the outside."
"I don't know the details. Why don't you ask him yourself?" Lycoris replied.
While she knew Kanata provided Bullet with food, alcohol, and information about nearby pirates, Lycoris, as a resident combatant, wasn't involved in those dealings. Their relationship didn't seem particularly close, yet it had lasted for twenty years, longer than a simple alliance of convenience would suggest.
He was a man capable of fighting a Yonko head-on. Making an enemy of him would be a grave mistake for the Revolutionary Army, so Sabo hoped to avoid any conflict. He decided to simply classify him as "an ally as long as Kanata's around" and went to find Koala.
"I wonder how things are going on the other side."
While Lycoris had been forced to abandon her fight with Crocodile, he was still her target. If he was still alive, she intended to finish him off. She started walking towards the harbor, intending to requisition a boat.
***
A light rain began to fall, a gentle patter against the parched earth. Crocodile was defeated. The cannon strike targeting the plaza had been averted. The conflict was slowly drawing to a close. Amidst the chaos, one individual had regained consciousness and slipped away unnoticed.
"Hah… Hah…"
Capture by the Marines meant imprisonment in Impel Down. Capture by Twilight meant death. Neither option was appealing. He had to escape. His body ached, his every movement agony. He crawled along the street, dragging himself forward, when he saw someone standing ahead.
He didn't recognize them. He tried to slip past, but the figure called out to him.
"Wait."
"…hello."
If he claimed to be part of the rebel army, his presence here wouldn't be questioned. If the stranger offered assistance, he could simply refuse. He turned. It was an okama, Mr. 2 Bon Clay, leaning against a wall, clutching his side.
The stranger was an old man with white hair and sunglasses, a bag slung over his shoulder. What caught Mr. 2's attention wasn't the man's face, but the Twilight emblem on his clothes.
"You…!"
"Mr. 2 Bon Clay, I presume? User of the Mane Mane no Mi. I have no quarrel with you, but you're going to disappear here."
Mr. 2 wasn't a fool. While battered and bruised after his fight with Sanji, he wasn't about to surrender without a fight. He braced himself, but then…
"Huh?"
The old man, Junshi, had already closed the distance and lightly tapped Mr. 2's chest with his fist. Mr. 2 caught a glimpse of a bag placed on the ground nearby.
The touch was so light it was barely perceptible. There was no pain, only confusion. Mr. 2 raised his leg to kick, but Junshi effortlessly dodged. It was a swift, powerful kick, capable of injuring even Sanji, yet Junshi had evaded it without even flinching.
"What the–"
Mr. 2 coughed up blood. There were no external injuries, but Junshi's seemingly light tap had inflicted devastating internal damage. His heart was already ruptured. He knelt, glaring at Junshi, then, unable to resist any longer, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
The rain washed away the blood staining the ground. Junshi lifted the now silent body with one hand.
"The Mane Mane no Mi is taken care of. Now for Mr. 3 and his partner."
Lycoris had specifically requested the capture of Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek, rather than just their Devil Fruit.
While Junshi would have preferred the simpler task of extracting their abilities, he couldn't refuse a request from a promising young member of Twilight.
Usopp had mentioned their location while explaining the cannon's position, so Junshi decided to simply secure them and have a subordinate retrieve them later. He slung the wet bag over his shoulder and, unfazed by the rain, began walking. He had already arranged for his subordinates to collect the remaining Baroque Works agents, but he figured handing a few over to the Marines, perhaps for imprisonment in Impel Down, would maintain a semblance of balance. He continued walking, lost in thought, pondering the future.