This time, he clearly saw what had happened.
When his opponent vanished, a translucent barrier appeared around him—like an inverted dome covering the ground.
The strange scene disappeared quickly. If not for his sharp senses, he would've thought it an illusion.
And Creed's body had vanished at the very instant the barrier appeared.
There was only one explanation—he was a Devil Fruit user!
Not teleportation, but spatial exchange.
As the wielder of the Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit), Crocodile was especially sensitive to changes in the earth. He had distinctly felt a stone under his feet disappear—while Creed appeared exactly where the stone had been.
His eyes grew solemn. He hadn't expected his opponent to also be a fruit user.
"You're right." Creed smiled. He had indeed used the Ope Ope no Mi (Operation Fruit), summoning a ROOM in an instant to perform a spatial swap.
"ROOM!!"
A small whirlwind formed in Creed's palm, then spread outward into a dome thirty meters across.
After much training, his control over the Ope Ope no Mi had grown precise. But position-swapping still consumed a great deal of stamina and focus.
"Now then—be careful!"
He shot forward.
"Sabaku Ryū!! (Desert Dragon!!)"
Several sand-dragons roared toward him, but Creed cut them apart in a storm of steel.
Crocodile armored himself in sand, dodging a crescent slash.
Creed pressed close, forcing him into melee.
Clash! Clash!
Blades and sand met again and again.
"Same no Arashi!! (Sandstorm!!)"
"Suna no Shinsoku!! (Sand Erosion!!) "
"Suna no Yari!! (Sand Spear!!)"
Crocodile tried to maintain distance, launching sand attacks whenever possible.
But Creed's sword intent surged skyward, colliding with Crocodile's waves of sand in a storm of Haki.
Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) clashed violently, ringing across the desert like clashing steel.
The battle grew fiercer, bloodier—until both men's stamina dwindled.
Creed once again attempted a position swap, but Crocodile's full-power Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) caught it. He was now on guard against every feint.
Their Armament Haki slammed against each other in relentless bursts. It was now a contest of endurance.
Clang!!
Another strike detonated in a shockwave, blasting sand outward.
Creed's eyes gleamed—he spotted an opening. His form vanished, reappearing behind Crocodile.
"ROOM!!"
"Kōhō Shujutsutō!! (High-Frequency Scalpel!!)"
Zzzt! Sparks crawled along his blade—then slashed.
Slice!!
Crocodile's entire arm was severed.
His face twisted in shock—then confusion. No pain, no blood… but his arm wouldn't reattach.
"What kind of fruit power…?!"
Creed smirked. The High-Frequency Scalpel prevented reattachment for two minutes, even with Logia regeneration.
Crocodile's expression grew grim. Their Haki reserves were low, and with an arm missing, he had no chance in melee.
But even so, he refused to retreat. He was the man who had once challenged Whitebeard!
He slammed his palm to the ground.
Rumble!!
The desert itself trembled—no, came alive. Waves of sand surged like a raging sea, towering high before crashing down toward Creed like an apocalyptic tide.
Creed stood tall, face calm. Both sides were nearly drained—this was the final clash.
He stepped forward, sword in hand, body straight as an unyielding blade. His killing intent soared, overwhelming.
"The most vicious is the demon, the most insidious is humanity… but the most domineering and fierce is—Shura."
"This strike… Rinne: Shuradō!! (Samsara: Path of Shura!!)"
His eyes snapped open—BOOM!!
Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) erupted.
His gaze was that of a supreme overlord—unyielding, awe-inspiring, impossible to meet head-on.
He swung.
The slash was overwhelming, black and tyrannical, dazzling as if the world itself bowed to its brilliance.
The heavens trembled. The desert roared.
BOOM!!!
The endless tide of sand shattered like glass under his strike. The raging tsunami reversed, collapsing under the wave of sword energy.
The desert split open, sand driven back like a plow tearing through the earth—before surging back as an overwhelming counterwave, hammering Crocodile head-on.
The desert erupted in chaos, like unseen hands were reshaping the land itself.
For half a minute, the storm raged.
When silence finally fell, Creed stood tall, blade in hand.
Crocodile staggered out of the dunes, bloodied and broken, breathing ragged.
He stared at Creed. "You've won. You… you bear Haoshoku Haki as well. The aura of a king."
Then he laughed hoarsely. "A king… could such a man really serve under others?"
His body collapsed, unconscious.
Ding! "Congratulations to the host for obtaining [Purple Mystery Chest]!"
Ding! "Congratulations for defeating 3/3 SS or higher-ranked enemies. SSS-level extraction conditions unlocked!"
Ding! "Reward: [Tri-Color Chest]!"
…
(End of Chapter)
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