Boom!
A scorching hot wind erupted without warning, its center at Crocodile's exact location.
A violent shockwave blasted backward, destroying everything in its path. The towering superstructure behind him disintegrated in less than a second—completely obliterated.
Gone too was Crocodile, who just moments ago had worn a look of absolute disdain.
Everyone around stared in stunned silence, jaws slack and eyes wide. Not a single soul moved, their minds still catching up with what had just happened.
Everyone except Leo.
He remained calm, his expression unreadable.
Robin, standing not far from Crocodile's previous location, felt her pupils contract. Goosebumps crawled up her arms, and cold sweat seeped from her pores despite the desert heat.
Though she had long since numbed herself to thoughts of life and death, in that moment, she felt something she hadn't felt in a long time—raw, overwhelming fear.
"Did that... really just work?" Vivi murmured from where she lay sprawled across the ground, disbelief thick in her voice.
She hadn't expected the item Leo gave her to be that powerful. She had only used a fraction of its power, yet half of Yuyan had been vaporized in an instant.
The recoil alone had hurled her backward more than ten meters. Her arm—the one that had held the revolver—was twisted unnaturally. Broken.
"Good job, Vivi!" Luffy shouted, finally recovering from his shock.
The others exchanged excited glances, their hearts racing with adrenaline. They had truly believed that Crocodile was finished.
But before their joy could even take root—
"Well now... that was unexpected."
"I actually took a hit like that."
A menacing voice echoed through the sand-laden air.
Grains of sand began to swirl and rise, condensing mid-air until a human figure reformed—Crocodile.
He was a wreck.
The blast had nearly killed him. Only a last-second reaction—jamming his hook into the ground to anchor himself while his body shifted into sand—had saved his life.
But he wasn't unscathed.
He stood there, battered and bleeding, his clothes shredded, and crimson liquid leaking through the remains of his outfit. Most noticeably, his iconic hook was gone. Only a mangled stump remained where his left hand used to be.
"You lot want death? Fine. I'll give it to you." His voice was laced with venom.
Vivi's eyes widened in fear as he stepped forward. But she clenched her jaw, pushing aside the pain in her broken arm. With trembling fingers, she grabbed the revolver with her left hand.
"I'm not afraid of you anymore!" she shouted defiantly. "Come on! I won't give in!"
Crocodile sneered, raising his right arm. It morphed into a jagged, massive blade made of sand.
"Desert Sword!"
With a thunderous sound, the sand blade slashed downward.
Giant arcs of sand rained from the sky like deadly scythes. Even solid rock would have been cleaved in half by such force.
The air itself howled from the dry, slicing winds. A long fissure ripped through the ground where Vivi had just stood. The sheer force of the blow created a polished, mirror-like trench that reflected the chaos around them.
But she wasn't there.
Vivi had rolled away just in time, gritting her teeth against the pain. She forced herself upright, lifting the revolver again with trembling hands.
A single bullet loaded—engraved with mysterious glowing patterns—was fired.
Bang!
The bullet screamed through the air and struck Crocodile's head.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then—
BOOM!
The bullet detonated inside him.
A searing explosion engulfed Crocodile, heat radiating outward in a blinding flash before contracting again like a collapsing star. The ground beneath him melted into glass, and everything within five meters was reduced to ash.
The silence that followed was deafening.
"Is he dead...?" Usopp whispered, swallowing hard. He scanned the devastation with wide eyes.
But just as the words left his mouth—
"Behind you!"
Crocodile reappeared, his body reforming behind Vivi in an instant. His hand slashed out like a guillotine.
"Gun!"
Luffy's shout rang out.
A rubber arm whipped through the air, slamming into Crocodile's face and blasting him into sand once more.
Luffy appeared in front of Vivi, grabbed her without hesitation, and hurled her toward the group behind them.
Vivi landed safely in Nami's arms. The navigator held her tightly, her eyes scanning Vivi's injuries in panic.
Zoro and Sanji rushed forward to support Luffy, while Usopp stood back, readying his slingshot for ranged cover.
Meanwhile, Leo walked over to Robin, who stood slightly apart from the others. He sat down on a battered sofa nearby and gave her a meaningful look.
He had done all he could for now. He wasn't exactly a doctor—he could wrap a wound and stop bleeding, but setting bones? That was best left to Chopper. What if he messed up and the bones healed crooked?
Bang!
Nami's fist smashed into Leo's head.
"You idiot! What are you doing sitting around flirting at a time like this?!"
She pointed accusingly at Vivi, who was still clearly injured. "Can't you see she needs help?!"
Leo blinked, stunned, and touched the spot on his head. His pupils shook with disbelief.
Was he just hit... again?
"Change!"
Poof!
With a burst of smoke, Leo's form vanished—replaced by a small, familiar orange cat that tumbled through the air and landed near Vivi.
Everyone but Luffy and Zoro gasped in horror.
Transforming a person into a cat?
That was beyond comprehension. Too absurd. Too terrifying.
"Meow! Meow meow meow!"
Nami—the orange cat now—let out a series of miserable cries.
Her face twisted into a look of determination, and she leapt at Leo with her claws extended. His smug grin only infuriated her more.
This was the second time he'd done this to her.
This time, she was going to scratch his stupid face off.
Closer... closer...!
Her tiny paws trembled with rage and anticipation. She could already imagine Leo's horrified expression as she taught him a furry lesson.
But just as she was about to make contact—
A pale, slender finger grasped the back of her neck and lifted her up effortlessly.
"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow.
Her voice was cold, but a hint of amusement flickered in her eyes.
Robin held Nami up like a naughty kitten, gently patting her head before placing her back on the ground.
Nami looked up at her, dazed.
That smile...
It was the same one Leo wore when he tricked her.
"N-No... that's not it!"
Leo, back in his human form, scratched his cheek and gave Robin a sly look.
"Why? Interested in her?" he asked, glancing between Robin and the flustered cat-Nami.
It seemed that girls in this world were defenseless against cute things.
Before Robin could reply—
"Desert Sunflower!"
Crocodile's furious roar echoed across the battlefield, interrupting their moment.
Pinned down by Luffy and the others, he unleashed a massive area attack.
The stone beneath their feet began to shift and ripple, transforming into sand. It mixed with the lake's moisture, becoming a gigantic whirlpool of quicksand that began pulling everyone under.
"Time to go!" Crocodile shouted, his body morphing once again into sand as he surged forward—this time sweeping Robin up in his wake.
Leo instinctively raised his right hand to stop them, gathering magical energy.
But in that exact moment—
Scratch!
Nami pounced and raked her claws across his face.
His concentration broke. The surging magic fizzled out.
By the time he blinked through the pain, both Crocodile and Robin had vanished.
Leo could only sigh.
Another missed opportunity.
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