Naval Headquarters — atop the battlefield.
The uproar sparked by the Seraphim's debut had yet to subside.
"Look! Hawkeye Mihawk's son is incredible — he's holding his own against the Fairy Queen, Erza!"
"I'm telling you, that's not Mihawk's son at all! He's a human weapon created by Dr. Vegapunk!"
"Besides, Erza hasn't even gone all out yet…"
"Yeah, compared to the real Mihawk, there's still quite a gap."
"Wait—his weapon's broken, but Little Hawkeye's still fighting! Look—his whole body just turned into a blade! What the hell is going on?"
"There's no doubt — that's the power of a Devil Fruit! And the real user of that fruit is right here on this battlefield!"
"It's Crocodile's former subordinate — the bounty hunter Daz Bones from West Blue!"
"That's Daz Bones' Paramecia-type Dice-Dice Fruit ability! Dr. Vegapunk is a genius!"
"Little Hawkeye's inherited his father's swordsmanship and combined it with a Paramecia power — that's a perfect fusion!"
Shocked murmurs rippled across the battlefield.
Then —
"Hey, everyone, look over there!" someone suddenly shouted.
"Crocodile, Moria, and Doflamingo's clones — they've all awakened corresponding Devil Fruit abilities too!"
In the bay plaza below, where the three Straw Hat brothers were fighting, the chaos deepened.
Following the original course of events, the three Shichibukai Seraphs — those whose originals had tangled fates with the Straw Hat crew — appeared together and unleashed a joint assault on the brothers and their allies.
First to strike was the Seraph modelled after Crocodile.
The little Crocodile smirked, lips curling into an eerie grin.
He raised his hand — and the ground trembled violently.
Rumble…
Without warning, jagged blades shot up from the earth, gleaming like sharpened stone.
Robin, Nami, Vivi, and the three Straw Hat brothers were forced to retreat under the sudden onslaught.
"This ability… it doesn't seem like Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit," Vivi muttered, frowning.
"It's definitely not Logia," Robin confirmed calmly, analyzing the situation.
"But it feels oddly familiar — like I've seen this power before…" Nami said thoughtfully.
"It's Doflamingo's subordinate's power!" Sabo suddenly realized. "The Paramecia Stone-Stone Fruit — that's the ability of Pica, one of the top officers under Doflamingo!"
The power to merge with rock and manipulate it freely — the ability once wielded by the flamboyant stone giant Pica — now belonged to this clone.
Hearing Sabo's explanation, Robin, Nami, and the others finally understood.
Meanwhile, the real Crocodile's expression darkened the instant he saw the clone version of himself wielding the ability of Doflamingo's subordinate.
When Little Hawkeye had been shown using Daz Bones' ability earlier, Crocodile had felt rather smug — thinking it poetic that Mihawk's clone was, in a way, one of his "subordinates."
But now?
Fate had turned the tables.
While he once imagined Mihawk being dragged into his circle, the universe instead made him the mockery of Doflamingo's.
"Tch… damn karma."
"Even if it's not a Logia-type power, this one's still dangerous," Sabo said grimly, stepping forward. "I'll take care of this one—"
"No, please wait, Mr. Sabo!" Vivi interrupted firmly.
Her eyes shone with determination. "Let me handle this fight."
"If I were facing a true Logia user, I'd still be at a disadvantage… but this—this I can deal with."
Her resolve was unwavering. She stepped forward, ready to confront the imitation Crocodile head-on.
"Then I'll support you, Vivi," Robin said quietly. "Once you defeat that fake—then it'll be my turn."
Her gaze drifted toward the real Crocodile standing a short distance away, and her tone turned icy.
"—I'll take care of the original."
Crocodile's face darkened, veins twitching.
"That damned woman… Nico Robin!!!"
"Then I'm counting on you, Ting," Vivi said with a nod, her eyes sharp and focused.
...
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