Crocodile was about to attack him, but Oliver moved first, delivering an electric shock that paralyzed him for a moment. He then spun and kicked him in the head, slamming him into part of the temple wall, causing even more of it to collapse.
"I don't have Luffy's strength, but I have other ways to hurt you," said Oliver as his gauntlets became covered in electricity.
Crocodile stood up, furious, and looked at Oliver, realizing he had nothing in his hands except those gauntlets.
'Where did that come from? I never saw it appear,' Crocodile thought while Oliver got ready to attack again.
"He should still be wet..."
Oliver charged again, trying to hit Crocodile before he could dry off—but by the time he reached him, Crocodile was already dry.
"Barján!"
Crocodile swung his right arm forward, leaving a crescent-shaped trail of sand behind. Oliver barely dodged it with Soru, crashing into a pillar after failing to find a clear escape path.
"Good thing I dodged it," said Oliver, getting up and thinking how close he came to ending up like a mummy.
"That technique is from the Marines. Are you a Marine deserter?" asked Crocodile. ''If he's an ex-Marine, maybe that's how he figured out how to hit me.''
"Who knows..." said Oliver, preparing to attack again.
He focused on Crocodile's hook, remembering it was poisonous.
'That hook poisons Luffy. If I can break it, that won't happen... though I'll be putting myself at risk.'
Oliver remembered his Poison Resistance, so he got his next water pouch ready to soak Crocodile again.
"You... even if you manage to hit me, there's no way you can defeat me. When the time comes, the bomb will explode and kill everyone—and I'll be the King of this country. Meanwhile, you and your crew won't even be remembered—just like your Captain," said Crocodile.
"A king? That's impossible. No pirate can become king of a country. Your goal is ridiculous," said Oliver, trying to figure out how to get close.
"Ridiculous? What would a worthless pirate know about my goal?" said Crocodile.
"Maybe I know a few things, Croco-boy," said Oliver with a grin.
Crocodile froze for a moment, slightly nervous.
"I remember meeting someone with an unforgettable hairstyle who told me a few things about someone called Croco-boy" said Oliver, trying to provoke him. ''Even if not all of it's true.''
"Ivankov!" Crocodile snapped, furious.
"Funny thing—he said you had a very unfriendly face, a bad temper, and a Logia-type Devil Fruit," said Oliver. "Ring any bells?"
Oliver took advantage of the moment, using Soru to try to land a punch on Crocodile—but his fist only hit sand.
"Already dry again?!" said Oliver in surprise.
"Don't get cocky, kid!"
Crocodile turned into sand and grabbed Oliver's face, starting to dehydrate him—but before he could continue, Oliver pulled out a second pouch of water and burst it, soaking them both.
Almost instantly, Oliver rehydrated himself and landed a punch to Crocodile's stomach, creating a concentrated shockwave that caused internal damage, making him cough up blood.
"You're the arrogant one!"
Oliver grabbed Crocodile's arm and twisted it, trying to disable it, but Crocodile punched him, knocking him to the ground.
'Damn! I forgot how strong he really is,' thought Oliver before Crocodile's hook slashed his face.
He managed to get away with Soru before the next strike could land.
'Not even Hardened Skin could resist that hook. What is it made of?' thought Oliver as he touched his face and felt the blood running.
"I'm done with this," said Crocodile as he grabbed his hook and removed a cover, revealing it to be coated in poison. "If Ivankov told you anything, it doesn't matter. This place will be your grave."
"Poison," said Oliver, watching the venom drip and melt the floor. "Scary."
'This kid is weird. From the start of this fight, he hasn't stopped smiling,' thought Crocodile, watching Oliver with unease.
'Talents really are broken,' thought Oliver, remembering the ones he bought. 'His right arm uses his Devil Fruit, and his left arm only attacks with the hook... Is that intentional, or does he not even realize it?'
Oliver was about to attack again to break the hook, but he heard footsteps behind him and stopped.
"Everything's coming down!" said Luffy, bursting through a rock.
"You!" shouted Crocodile when he saw Luffy alive.
"There you are, Crocodile!" yelled Luffy before noticing Oliver. "Oliver! You're here too?"
"Hi, Captain," said Oliver, greeting him without taking his eyes off Crocodile. "Were you able to recover from the battle?"
"I've got enough strength," said Luffy, despite all his injuries.
"Why are you still alive? Every time I kill you, you come back! Mugiwara!" screamed Crocodile in rage. "How many times do I have to kill you before you're satisfied?!"
"I'll keep fighting until this country can smile again!" yelled Luffy, charging at Crocodile.
Luffy jumped and kicked him in the face, slamming him into part of the temple.
'Crocodile is already badly injured. With the wound I gave him, he'll just keep bleeding. But Luffy isn't exactly in good shape either,' thought Oliver, watching his captain strike Crocodile again.
"Gomu Gomu no... Pistol!"
Luffy stretched his fist, trying to hit Crocodile, but Crocodile dodged and countered with his hook—forcing Luffy to twist his arm to avoid the poison.
Both were exhausted, but this had to be the final battle.
Luffy charged again to land another blow.
"Gomu Gomu no Bu...!"
Luffy was about to punch him in the face, but Crocodile raised his hand to dehydrate him—just before he could, Oliver struck, sending a gust of wind that destroyed Crocodile's hand, allowing Luffy to land a direct punch to the face, slamming him into another structure.
"Captain, let me handle Crocodile's attacks. You focus on attacking him," said Oliver, stepping up beside Luffy.
"Got it," said Luffy, already worn out from his previous battles with Crocodile.
"You really think just because there are two of you, you can beat me?" said Crocodile as he stood up, feeling how wounded he truly was.
Now both of them stood ready, side by side, prepared to take Crocodile down.