Boom!
It was as if the island itself was dying—collapsing, crumbling, decaying.
Bricks, walls, trees—all of them turning to sand bit by bit.
The area being swallowed up by sand was spreading fast.
But even more attention-grabbing than the crumbling land was the bizarre transformation of Moria.
"Hey hey hey! He's taller than a giant now!"
"What is Moria?!"
"Is that from a Devil Fruit?"
"..."
"Is this the power of a Logia-type?"
At the edge of the battlefield, Lafitte leapt into the air to avoid the sweeping sandstorm.
His right leg had thinned in an instant—just brushing against the sand had drained the moisture right out of him.
The whirling sand surged like it had a will of its own.
It surged—straight for Moria.
Yet the man at the center of the battlefield, Moria himself, stood unshaken.
In fact, he looked like he was about to laugh. Everything was going exactly as he'd anticipated with that brilliant mind of his.
Sure, he was nowhere near Kaido's level in raw power or durability.
But with the enhancement from his perfectly controlled Shadow Fruit...
Plus the layer of Armament Haki covering him...
He could hold off Crocodile's eroding power—at least for a while.
That was exactly why he dared to play the bait.
"Heh heh heh! Not bad power... but not enough!!"
Moria's voice boomed, heavy and deep.
His legs—thick as tree trunks—slammed into the ground, stabilizing the shifting sands beneath him.
The entire island quaked from the impact.
The incoming wave of sand was blown apart.
Then he charged forward like a moving mountain, barreling straight toward Crocodile.
"Fool. Playing bait won't save you."
Crocodile narrowed his eyes as he spat his disdain.
He had expected something unusual from Moria's bloated form...
Sure, his defenses had skyrocketed...
But that didn't change the fact that Moria still couldn't land a hit on him.
Besides, the battlefield itself was slowly turning into his domain.
In a drawn-out fight, Crocodile would inevitably win.
With that thought, Crocodile extended his arms.
From the sands at Moria's flanks, four enormous blades rose up, slashing downward with the force to split even a giant in two.
"I told you... that won't work on me!"
Moria didn't even flinch. The shadow beneath him surged upward.
Like loyal guards, they intercepted all four attacks.
Boom!
A burst of sand exploded outward.
In the next instant, Moria burst out, completely unscathed—his speed not slowed in the slightest.
He lunged, raising his massive blade, aiming it directly at Crocodile.
But his shadow... vanished into the smoke.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
The giant blade struck the sand, tearing open a massive scar across the battlefield.
The shockwave demolished several buildings in the distance.
All the watching factions exchanged looks.
They swallowed hard and took another step back—instinctively widening the gap between themselves and the battlefield.
...
"Is your brain made of muscle? Idiot!"
Crocodile's body slowly reformed, frowning at Moria.
At that range, he had already liquefied into sand in advance.
That kind of attack was useless against him.
Still... something felt off.
"Heh heh heh, you're not wrong. So how about this?!"
Moria didn't bother arguing. He tightened his grip on the massive blade.
Power surged into it, enough to split an island—and Armament Haki began to flow across the weapon.
Crocodile's brow twitched. Alarms blared in his mind.
A wall of sand rose around him like a tidal wave.
In Moria's mind, the memory of his duel with the daimyōs of Wano came flooding back.
The Haki on his blade flowed and surged.
The massive shockwave of sword energy tore through the distance in a blink.
BOOM!
The sand wall shattered instantly, clouds of dust billowing out across the battlefield.
And the shockwave didn't stop—it carved another deep trench into the earth beyond.
The spectators stood stunned.
Could anyone even survive that kind of attack?
...
Then suddenly—shouts came from the port.
"A ship's leaving!"
"It's Moria's ship!"
"No way! Stop them!"
...
Moria, having unleashed the massive slash, had already turned away.
His massive legs—dozens of meters long—were pounding toward the shore at full speed.
"Heh heh heh heh, later, Crocodile!"
This was his brilliant battle plan!
Unless Crocodile could outlast him or land a perfect fatal blow with overwhelming speed, defeating a Logia-type like him would be a grueling stalemate.
But Robin was already in his hands.
There was no reason to keep fighting.
"Damn it!!"
From a distance, Crocodile snapped back to his senses, his face stormy.
He and Moria shared the same goal. There was no way Moria would leave unless it was accomplished.
The realization that he'd been played sent a fury through Crocodile's prideful heart.
His body dissolved into sand.
A storm surged from his hands and raced toward the retreating Moria.
...
Moria scowled at the crowd blocking his path.
"Hey hey hey, get outta my way, dammit!"
His massive arms swung the giant sword side to side.
Those too slow to dodge were ground into pulp.
The lucky ones—only sliced clean in half with a scream.
Some, barely clinging to life, dragged their entrails across the dirt trying to crawl away.
Within moments, Moria had cleared his path—ushering every obstacle into their second chance at life... or death.
But that delay had given Crocodile time to catch up.
The sandstorm engulfed Moria.
At the same moment, Crocodile's right hand turned into a massive sand blade and slashed toward Moria's throat.
"Leave the girl—NOW!!!"
He didn't say it out loud, but the thought was clear.
After all, Nico Robin was wanted by the World Government—and Crocodile was still a Warlord of the Sea.
He needed to keep up appearances.
"Heh heh heh~ Who're you talking about? There's no one on my ship that answers to you!"
Understanding what Crocodile really meant, Moria let out a laugh.
He was starting to get what the Boss meant when he talked about finding joy in chaos.
As the sand hit his body—
He activated his ability.
To Crocodile's utter horror—
Moria's flesh became shadow.
BOOM!
The sand blade struck the shadow—and it exploded into a swarm of bats that scattered into the sky.
"Later, Crocodile!"
Back aboard his ship, Moria even gave him a cheerful wave.
"Damn it!!!"
Crocodile's rage exploded as he watched from the shore.
His only chance of surpassing Whitebeard was right there—and it was slipping away.
How many people could survive this kind of humiliation?
A tidal wave of sand surged forth as he chased after the colossal ship.
"Heh heh heh, you're really not thinking straight now!"
Seeing the state Crocodile was in, Moria laughed even harder.
He swung his massive sword into the sea, kicking up a surge of water toward the incoming sand.
Boom!
Sand and water collided—hardening, clumping, and falling harmlessly into the sea.
"You're not getting away, Gecko Moria!!!"
With his attack neutralized, Crocodile shifted course, landed on his ride, and gave chase once again.
-----------
Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg