"Utterly foolish."
Crocodile sneered coldly. "Let me give you some advice, Straw Hat boy. I am a Sand Human, having eaten the Suna Suna no Mi. Your attacks cannot harm me no matter what. My level as a pirate and yours are simply not in the same league!"
Sha sha sha...
His arm turned to sand, and at the same time, he made a throwing motion. The arm that had become a sand-blade shot out an attack, then enlarged and released it.
A slash-like attack, crackling with a purple lightning-like aura, flew swiftly towards Luffy.
A glint of red light flashed in Luffy's pupils as he slowly walked forward, tilting his head to dodge the slash:
"Too slow."
Crocodile's expression darkened further.
The power of a Devil Fruit can be transformed into increasingly powerful fighting styles depending on the user's ingenuity and training level.
This is called Devil Fruit development.
Unlike those fools who simply use their abilities crudely, Crocodile, utilizing the properties of the Suna Suna no Mi, had developed various techniques.
But...
"You seem to have developed your Gomu Gomu no Mi quite well as well."
That earlier perception and this kind of evasion were impressive.
Was it a developed ability of the Gomu Gomu no Mi? Crocodile instinctively thought in that direction, even though there was another, simpler, more plausible possibility.
An ability he also possessed.
Observation Haki!
"What do you mean 'quite well'? It's outstanding. Could you stop being so stubborn?"
The moment the topic of Devil Fruit development came up, Luffy clearly got fired up.
Do you know what I've been through?
Training my Devil Fruit during the day is one thing, but having to train it all over again in my dreams at night?
Compared to his own various Gears, Crocodile's fruit abilities seemed nothing special in his eyes.
"You don't look all that impressive."
"Reckless bastard."
That single sentence from Luffy completely enraged Crocodile. His body turned entirely into sand, charging at Luffy like a sandstorm.
"What the hell does a brat like you understand about Logia types?! Physical attacks are useless against me."
Facing the surging sandstorm, Luffy appeared exceptionally calm.
Elemental intangibility?
This wasn't his first time seeing it.
Smoker had already told him how to fight Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
But.
"Sands doesn't look all that amazing either. Pretty average. Not as good as smoke, even."
Whoosh!
From within the sandstorm, Crocodile's true body suddenly coalesced. His golden hook, cutting through the air with a sharp sound, stabbed straight for Luffy's heart. This strike was vicious and tricky, filled with killing intent.
Yet Luffy's reaction was astonishingly fast.
His Observation Haki had long since captured the trajectory of Crocodile's attack. His body twisted at a nearly impossible angle, narrowly dodging the fatal hook. Simultaneously, his rubber arm lashed out like a whip, counter-attacking towards Crocodile's face.
"Such quick reflexes."
Crocodile was inwardly startled, hurriedly tilting his head to dodge and bringing his hook back to block.
Thud!
Luffy's fist collided with the golden hook, emitting a dull sound.
Luffy's speed was fast, and the power of his martial arts somewhat surprised Crocodile. He wasn't a martial arts specialist himself, but Luffy's skill was remarkably high for his age.
It didn't seem at all like what someone his age should possess.
He couldn't have started training from the womb, could he?
This time, Luffy deliberately didn't use Armament Haki immediately, wanting to personally feel the baseline strength of this Warlord of the Sea.
Just how strong were these so-called 'great pirates'?
The force of the collision is transmitted through. Luffy's eyebrows raised slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
The other's strength... didn't seem as formidable as he'd imagined?
At least, in terms of pure physical power, he felt he had the upper hand!
The Warlords of the Sea... this is it?
Luffy shook his wrist, looking at Crocodile's darkening expression, and spoke bluntly: "Is your strength really only at this level?"
The words struck a sore spot for Crocodile.
Ever since his defeat against Whitebeard and pinning his hopes on the Ancient Weapons, he had indeed neglected training his own physical combat skills and Haki, relying more on his fruit abilities and schemes.
But even if Whitebeard mocked him, he could retort. Being looked down upon by a rookie brat like this was a profound humiliation!
He bit down on his cigar, his expression gradually turning fierce.
The earlier boast about ending the fight in three minutes was forgotten. Crocodile wanted to toy with this guy to death!
Logia types were invincible. And this was a desert, his home turf.
Crocodile's body turned to sand again, attempting to use his elemental intangibility to wear Luffy down.
"Sharp-tongued brat.
I can afford countless mistakes, but you only need to show me one opening, and you're dead.
An initial bounty of 50 million Berries... the eyes of the fools at Marine Headquarters are still sharp, it seems. A pity. You could have had the chance to see the New World. But now, your journey ends here!"
Crocodile had already started to laugh.
An initial bounty of 50 million Berries was indeed good. A pity he'd met him. Otherwise, if he had the chance to reach the latter half of the Grand Line, he might have grown strong.
Sables, Desert Spada, Ground Secco... Crocodile manipulated the sand, launching various ranged attacks, keeping his distance and toying with Luffy.
Watching Luffy's attacks pass harmlessly through his sandy form again and again, a smug sneer reappeared on his face as he began to critique in a condescending, senior-like tone:
"Speed is passable. Strength is decent. Too bad you rely too much on your fruit ability. In the face of absolute power, these petty tricks are meaningless!"
Right then, Luffy suddenly grinned, showing his white teeth:
"Hey, Sand Croc. Back in Loguetown, I also met a Logia user. That guy was all smoky. Guess how I managed to hit him back then?"
Before the words faded, torrents of steam instantly erupted from around Luffy, his skin turning bright red.
Gear Second, activate!
"What?!"
Crocodile's pupils constricted. Luffy's speed skyrocketed, tearing through the sand curtain like red lightning, closing the distance instantly.
"Gomu Gomu no... Jet Pistol!"
This time, the fist Luffy threw was coated in a dense, black layer.
Armament Haki, hardening!
"Damn!" The alarm bells screamed in Crocodile's mind. He tried to fully elementize to dodge, but Luffy was too fast, too close!
Thwump!
The Haki-wrapped fist struck squarely, piercing through the abdomen that hadn't fully turned to sand.
No longer passing through a phantom—the impact of the punch landed with a clear, solid sound.
Guh-ah!
Crocodile was sent flying backwards, crashing heavily onto the sand and kicking up a cloud of dust.
He let out a pained groan, his body curling up like a shrimp, his eyes bulging as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The raging winds and sand around them suddenly stilled.
"Impossible! Ar-Armanent Haki?! How could you possibly know Haki?!"
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!