"You... you're just trying to scare me?"
"Little girl, on the seas, the captain's orders are everything."
Crocodile scoffed at Nami, who was glaring at him angrily, then turned to Ian and said calmly: "And my Armament Haki has always been this strong!"
However, there seemed to be a hint of smugness in his tone, and after speaking, he flicked the ash from his cigarette while asking expectantly: "Are you planning to become a pirate after all this?"
"Not yet, just making some preparations."
Ian shook his head, then immediately changed the subject while saying, "By the way, it's time to divide the spoils. Tell me, what do you need?"
"What do I need? Gold?"
Hearing Ian's answer, Crocodile seemed... Somewhat disappointed, he still took a puff of his cigar and said listlessly: "Whatever, do what you want!"
Looking at the city built of gold before him, he grinned: "If it were before, I would have killed you all and taken it all!"
"You can't kill me!"
This guy is really despicable!
Crocodile looked speechlessly at Ian, who showed him no respect whatsoever, snorted coldly, and flicked his cigar.
...
At this moment, Gan Fall and Ace also returned. "Great, there's even grilled fish!"
Ace sat down to the side, picked up the grilled skyfish, a specialty of Sky Island, that Ian had specially prepared, and began to eat heartily. "Mr. Ian's cooking is so delicious!"
"All done?"
Ian didn't seem to care; they had already finished eating, and the rest was for Ace and Gan Fall.
He glanced at Ace and asked, "Are you injured?"
"It's just a minor injury; a big meal will heal me in no time."
Ace said with a grin as he ate: "That God's Legion is pretty powerful."
"Ha, God's Legion?"
Before Ian could speak, Crocodile beside him scoffed, his tone laced with pleasure derived from another person's misfortune: "How laughable. I wonder if the World Government knows that there's actually a..."
"A guy who dares to call themselves Gods, won't they launch a Buster Call here?"
"Buster Call? What's that?"
"That's not important. Since you think the God's Legion is weak, I'll show you the God's Knights next time."
Seeing Ace's puzzled expression, Ian casually brushed him off before looking up at Gan Fall, who was hesitant and worried. "Don't worry, we won't do anything to Skypiea, and you will continue to manage it. Of course, the gold here belongs to us. Also, remember to sort out those messy rules that Enel imposed."
"Thank you."
Hearing Ian's assurance, Gan Fall finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Skypiea was now their territory, as long as they weren't lunatics like Enel, it was fine.
As for gold... It's less valuable to Skypiea than a blade of grass on land.
"Rest assured, I will manage Skypiea well!"
"Alright, enough of this boring conversation."
Listening to their exchange, Crocodile seemed to be growing impatient again. He turned to look at Enel, who was about to awaken. "What are we going to do with this guy?"
Before Crocodile could finish speaking and Ian could say anything...
"Damn bugs! I will make you pay!"
A furious roar instantly echoed throughout the surroundings.
Enel, restrained with Sea Prism Stone handcuffs specially brought by Ian, finally awoke.
However, after a roar, Enel opened his eyes and was startled to see the crowd gathered before him.
Upon seeing Crocodile, his eyes narrowed, blazing with rage. "You bastard, how dare you ambush me?"
"What do you mean by ambush? I appeared before you openly and honestly."
Crocodile, unfazed by Enel's roar, exhaled a smoke ring into Enel's face. "I just didn't expect you, such a fool, to not even dodge? Are you trying to use elementalization to dodge?"
"You!!!"
Hearing Crocodile's words, Enel's anger intensified. He glared at Crocodile, but feeling his exhaustion and inability to use divine power any longer, the anger in his eyes instantly turned into a hint of panic.
"What is this? Why do I feel so weak and unable to use my powers?"
"Sea Prism Stone, you ignorant fool!"
"No, I understand."
After being unable to use his powers, Enel realized something. His face darkened as he looked at Crocodile. "You are also a God. Only Gods can harm Gods. You can also use divine powers. Sand... You are the God of Sand!"
Crocodile: "..."
This sudden statement silenced everyone.
Especially Crocodile, now known as the God of Sand, trembled upon hearing Enel's words; he almost dropped his cigar, and stared blankly at Ian, who was laughing beside him and said, "Can I kill him?"
"Don't be so angry."
Seeing that Crocodile really wanted to kill Enel, Ian quickly suppressed his smile and offered some words of comfort, saying, "Crocodile, the God of Sand."
Crocodile: "..."
"Alright, alright, don't be so angry. Look, your face has changed color again."
Ian, seeing Crocodile's face alternating between black and blue, quickly repeated: "God of Sand..."
"If you say that awful title again…"
Crocodile took a deep breath, interrupting Ian, then he looked at him expressionlessly: "Don't blame me for being impolite."
"Oh, the God of Sand?"
Ace, seemingly oblivious to Crocodile's words, chuckled: "It's quite a nice name, Mr. Crocodile. Why don't you like it?"
Before he could finish speaking, a giant fist made of sand slammed into his stomach, sending him flying.
After crashing into a golden wall, Crocodile, his face grim, looked at Ace embedded in it, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and said, "You ask me why I don't like it? Do you understand it now, the son of the King of the Pirates?"
Ace: "..."
Hearing Crocodile's words, Ace, who had been pried out of the golden wall, fell silent, then scratched his head sheepishly and nodded: "I think I understand."
At this moment, Enel, having witnessed the scene just now, turned to Crocodile and said with certainty, "Controlling the power of sand, you truly are the God of Sand. No wonder you could harm me!"
"I'm not some God, you fool!"
"Impossible! Only a God can harm a God!"
Hearing Crocodile's reply, Enel still looked at Crocodile with unwavering determination.
"Otherwise, mortals could never harm me."
"Ridiculous, ignorant fool! With your strength, it's a real waste of this Devil Fruit. In the New World, those who can harm you are as numerous as grains of sand in the desert!"
"No, you're deceiving me. Mortals can never harm Gods. God of Sand, you don't need to deceive me anymore. I can cooperate with you. As long as you kill these mortals, I'll allow you to rule this place with me. I can even give you my divine kingdom!"
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