Laina knew Crocodile wouldn't go down so easily. Even if they couldn't finish him here, at the very least they had to protect Robin.
And he was right. Before the vial of water and dagger reached Crocodile, his body turned into sand, creating two hollow gaps to avoid them. At the same time, his hand transformed into a crimson-golden sand blade.
"You dare betray me!?"
Crocodile snarled, his sand blade vibrating at high speed with enough cutting force to slice through solid rock.
But before he could retaliate, the vial and dagger were suddenly caught by a pair of delicate hands—hands that sprouted from Crocodile's back. With a squeeze, the vial shattered, water splashing across his sandy form.
Robin had used her Hana Hana no Mi ability to manifest arms behind him!
Drenched, Crocodile was forced out of his elemental form, staggering before he stabilized himself. He turned just in time to see a slender hand driving a dagger toward the one part of his body that couldn't turn to sand.
"Futile trick!"
CLANG!
Crocodile's golden hook intercepted the dagger, and at the same time his swirling sand lashed out, shredding the manifested arms behind him.
"Ugh!"
Though her summoned arms were destroyed, the real Robin cried out in pain, bleeding as gashes appeared across her crossed arms.
That was the fatal flaw of the Hana Hana no Mi—any damage taken by her manifested parts was reflected on her true body.
"Die! Desert Spada!"
Crocodile roared, sending a narrow sand blade whipping toward Robin's shoulder. He avoided a killing strike—he still intended to use her to uncover the Ancient Weapon.
Robin's eyes widened. She couldn't dodge. A flash of unwillingness crossed her face—until a towering figure stepped between her and death.
Blue Oni raised his shield, tilting it at the last instant. The sand blade glanced off, dispersing into grains that scattered harmlessly to the side.
At the same time, Red Oni had already finished charging his strike. His grip twisted sharply as he hurled his spear, then immediately drew his greatsword and charged after it.
The spear shot forward like lightning. Crocodile thrust his hook to block, but the spinning force tore through his guard and continued its deadly path.
Worse still—the spear was rotating at incredible speed.
CLANG!
In a split-second reaction, Crocodile diverted the sand blade meant for Robin, redirecting it to deflect the spear. It veered just enough to miss, crashing into the distance with an explosive boom that shattered three massive pillars.
Feeling the deadly wind shear past his face, Crocodile's heart skipped. He retreated, dissolving into sand to escape Red Oni's charge.
"Troublesome pests!"
Landing atop a broken pillar, Crocodile glared down at them. Two opponents wielded Haki, with speed and strength that surpassed his own. Their techniques, too—their shield work, the spinning spear—revealed terrifying combat skill.
Crocodile crouched low, slamming a palm to the ground.
The earth shuddered.
"Sables Requiem!!"
Using his power, he expanded his desert, draining moisture from everything it touched. Stone crumbled, wood and soil shriveled, until half the underground hall became a barren wasteland of sand.
"Father!!"
Vivi cried out as Cobra was nearly engulfed by the spreading desolation.
Blue Oni and Red Oni grabbed the king and leapt clear. Robin also fled toward Luffy's side.
The enemy of my enemy is my ally.
They had saved her—at least for now, their goals aligned.
"Luffy! Water!"
Laina tossed him a small barrel. He'd prepared it in advance, knowing Crocodile's fatal weakness. He'd explained it to Luffy long ago.
"Thanks, Laina!"
Luffy grabbed the barrel and dumped it over his head, drenching his whole body. His eyes hardened as he charged straight for Crocodile.
Blue Oni and Red Oni put Cobra down and joined him.
The Sables Requiem spread no further—already, half the tomb had turned to desert. A thick layer of sand covered the ground, leaving only broken pillars jutting out like stumps.
"Sables!"
Crocodile's palm spun, conjuring a whirling tornado of sand that tore forward. The sandstorm cut down everything in its path, slicing pillars apart while halting their advance.
With nowhere to hide, the three braced themselves and forced their way through, their bodies enduring the storm's slicing winds.
But then—
A colossal sand pillar, nearly ten meters wide, slammed down from above with crushing force.
BOOM!!
Caught off guard, all three were hammered back into the raging sandstorm.
"Sandstorm Banquet!!"
Crocodile swept his arm. More giant sand pillars erupted upward, writhing like titanic serpents, their terrifying bulk crashing toward Luffy and the others.
"Damn it!"
Luffy sprang up, shielding his eyes. His legs coiled, then he launched forward, his fists stretching behind.
"Gomu Gomu no… STORM!!"
His fists rained down like a furious downpour, smashing apart sand serpents one after another.
But they reformed instantly, their bodies endlessly replenished by the desert floor. Luffy's punches only slowed them down.
So this is the power of a Logia!?
Laina's heart pounded. The sheer scale of Crocodile's abilities was staggering. Even the weight of the sand serpents alone was beyond what most could resist.
No wonder people mocked weaker Logias as "shames of their kind." This—this was the true terror.
BOOM!
Blue Oni and Red Oni smashed through serpents with their shields, carving a path.
Seizing the opening, Luffy leapt free. His fists snapped back, then rocketed forward.
"Gomu Gomu no… Bazooka!!"
"Quinta Espada!"
Crocodile raised his hand, summoning five thick sand walls, each several meters thick and flowing like liquid.
BANG! BANG!
Luffy's bazooka tore through three walls before losing force, his arms sinking into the fourth's shifting sands.
Crocodile sneered. With a thought, the remaining walls transformed into two massive crocodile heads that lunged at Luffy with gaping jaws.
But—
FWIP! FWIP!
Two spears whistled through the air. Red Oni conjured another bone spear, and both Oni hurled theirs together.
BOOM!
The projectiles pierced the crocodile heads, exploding them apart before streaking on toward Crocodile himself.
"Desert Glaive!!"
Crocodile crossed his hands, forming enormous sand blades that cleaved the spears aside.
With a slam of his palm, the desert floor erupted again—this time spawning hundreds of crocodiles, each the size of a man, their fanged maws snapping as they charged.
Laina's brow furrowed. Crocodile's strength was greater than he had imagined. Even with Blue Oni and Red Oni, they still couldn't get close.
His own ranged attacks—bullets, bone chain sword—were unreliable here.
His strongest move, Hakai: Baryon Strike, required charging, and if it failed once, Crocodile would never allow it again.
"Usopp. Find a good position. Look for an opening."
He had already given Usopp a custom-made gun loaded with seastone bullets. His sharpshooting wasn't meant only for slingshots.
"I got it, Laina."
Usopp nodded firmly, determination in his eyes, before slipping into the shadows to set up.
Meanwhile, in the center of the battlefield, Luffy and the Oni smashed through the wave of sand crocodiles. But as they looked up at Crocodile looming in the distance, Luffy's eyes narrowed with resolve.
"If I don't use that move… I'll never get close to him."