A sharp crack echoed through the chaos.
Crocodile spat blood, his body flung like a ragdoll by the sheer force of Barrett's blow.
"Urgh..."
He tumbled across the ground, rolling until momentum finally abandoned him. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself on one hand and glared at Barrett in the distance.
"Cough... cough... Haki again... Damn it..."
Something dark flickered in his eyes—resentment, humiliation, rage all twisted together. With a shuddering breath, he forced himself upright, pain lancing through every nerve, then dissolved into swirling yellow sand, vanishing into the storm.
The sandstorm raged anew, even more violent than before, as it surged to engulf Barrett at its heart.
———
Sabaody Archipelago, perimeter of Grove 27.
Marines formed up in crisp ranks behind Sakazuki. The presence of the Navy brought a sense of uneasy order; onlookers who'd scattered before now began to creep back, curiosity overcoming fear.
Suddenly, a crushing wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Sakazuki, sweeping out in all directions.
His voice was cold and absolute: "Clear the area."
Snap—!
A thousand boots slammed together as nearly a thousand Marines shouted in perfect unison, "Yes, sir!"
They split into two wings, fanning out to encircle the massive red tree, each soldier spaced wide to form a loose but unbroken perimeter.
When the formation was set, Sakazuki gave Karol a nod to hold the outer ring, then strode straight into the storm, Enel at his side.
Karol drew Sakura Ju from his waist. With a flick, two arcing slashes of sword energy shot forward, carving deep trenches in the earth that ringed the red tree. Anyone with even a shred of sense or strength froze in place—none dared cross that line.
Karol chuckled softly, then sheathed his blade with a flourish.
———
At the heart of the sandstorm.
Crocodile summoned towering waves of sand, each nearly a hundred meters high, encircling Barrett in a living wall.
Barrett stood his ground, grinning savagely as the sand closed in.
High atop the wave, Crocodile's form solidified.
"Looking to die, are you?! Sables: Samsara!"
His voice was a venomous hiss as layer after layer of sand crashed down, converging on Barrett from every side. The pressure mounted, sand merging and grinding, forming a colossal, sky-piercing sand tornado.
Billions of tiny grains scoured Barrett's skin with blistering speed. For the first time, he felt it—a sting, a bite, the faintest hint of real pain. The sandstorm was actually scraping away at his Haki.
His grin only grew wilder. This was it. This was what he craved!
On the warship, only Sakazuki could still hurt him—and Sakazuki wasn't about to be his sparring partner all day. Barrett had hit a wall, forced to refine his Haki alone. But now, at last—real damage, real pain.
For a warrior like Barrett, this was bliss.
"Not enough! Not enough! Give me more!"
His crimson eyes seemed to pierce the storm, his voice—laced with Conqueror's Haki—blasting straight at Crocodile.
Atop the sand, Crocodile's face twisted. It wasn't just the sudden pressure of Haki—it was the contempt in Barrett's words.
"Heheheh... Fine, you want it? I'll give it to you! Sables: Pesado!"
Laughing through his fury, Crocodile unleashed a tidal wave of sand, burying Barrett at the center of a monstrous, spinning sand sphere, hundreds of meters tall and still shrinking, compressing, grinding, crushing.
Inside, the relentless pressure built. Sand, charged with his Devil Fruit power, gnawed at Barrett's flesh. He let his Oni Aura fade, skin instantly flayed raw, moisture sucked from his body until he was a shrunken shadow of himself—one third his original size, limbs trembling from the agony.
"Yeah... that's about right."
He exhaled, then in a flash, Oni Aura flooded back—his body surged with blue energy, muscles bulging, fist cocked and ready.
Outside, atop the sand, Crocodile felt a jolt of dread. The sand sphere had compressed to a hundred meters, but no further. He sensed he'd drained some water, but not nearly enough.
He hesitated, searching for a solution.
BOOM—!
The sand sphere exploded, sand blasting outward like a tidal wave. In that instant, a blue blur shot free.
Crocodile's eyes widened. "Wha—?!"
A massive blue hand clamped onto his face and slammed him into the ground.
THUD!
A crater several meters deep split the earth.
Barrett hauled Crocodile up by the head, glanced at the distant "Lawless Zone" monument, and—grinning—charged straight at it, using Crocodile as a battering ram to smash the stone to rubble.
He shook the battered man in his grip, confirming he was still alive, then started toward Sakazuki.
The jolt snapped Crocodile back to his senses. Summoning his last strength, he gathered sand on both sides, sending waves crashing toward them.
Barrett pulled back his left fist and lashed out. Blinding afterimages flashed as white shockwaves ripped through the air, blasting the sand waves apart in a series of thunderous explosions.
He glanced at the broken man in his grasp, seized a shoulder—
CRACK!
—snapped it, then stamped down.
CRACK!
Crocodile's shin broke with a sickening crunch.
Barrett's voice was cold, merciless. "Stay down."
The pain hit like a lightning bolt, snapping Crocodile fully awake. But with Barrett's hand clamped over his face, he couldn't even scream—just sweat and tremble, forcing himself to stay calm.
Dragged along the ground, Crocodile made one last desperate move. His right hand morphed into a sand blade, stabbing for Barrett's throat. At the same time, the ground beneath them became sand, spears shooting up toward Barrett from every angle.
Barrett snorted, instantly activating Oni Aura. His muscles bulged, and the sand blades and spears clanged harmlessly off his skin.
Crocodile switched from blade to palm, pressing directly onto one of Barrett's wounds, pouring every ounce of his Devil Fruit power into draining the man's water.
It was useless.
Barrett sneered, blue afterimages flickering.
CRACK—CRACK—
Two more sharp snaps. Crocodile's remaining limbs were wrenched and broken.
Moments later, Barrett dragged the limp, mangled body to the ruins where Sakazuki sat.
With a dull thud, he tossed Crocodile at his feet.
"Cough... cough... Marines..."
Crocodile struggled to raise his head, blood seeping from his eyes as he squinted at the Marine uniform before him.
Sakazuki picked up a cigar that had fallen from Crocodile's battered body. He smiled thinly—ah, a cigar.
He placed it between his lips, his fingertip flaring with magma to light it. He took a long drag.
"Fuu—"
A cloud of white smoke billowed out, covering Crocodile's face.
"Recognize me?"
Crocodile coughed violently, the smoke stinging his lungs.
"Cough, cough... damn it..."
His mind cleared a little. He looked up, pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
"Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral... Sakazuki!"
Sakazuki chuckled softly.
"Since you know me, I'll keep it short. You've heard about my methods. If I didn't kill you, there's a reason."
"I'm here to offer you a deal—a chance to be the Marines' dog. A chance to crawl back up. Play it right, and maybe you'll get your shot at Hale Nock again."
Of course Crocodile knew the infamous Sakazuki, but he couldn't help a bitter, mocking laugh.
"Hehehehe... Give me a chance? Be the Marines' dog? What a joke. Should I thank you, too?"
Sakazuki took another drag, his face half-hidden in smoke.
He raised his black boot.
BANG—
He stomped Crocodile's head into the dirt.
"Thank the government."
He lifted his foot again.
BANG—
"Thank the Marines."
And again.
BANG—
"For giving you this chance."
He ground his heel in for emphasis.
"And thank me most of all—for not killing you. Got it?"
As the words faded, Sakazuki unleashed a wave of Conqueror's Haki far beyond Admiral level, thick with murderous intent, pressing down on Crocodile like a mountain.
BOOM—!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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