"Demon/Devil Child?" Kuina looked up, cautiously glancing at Hathaway, feeling that the title was incredibly fitting.
She then turned her head to Crocodile. It wasn't the first time she'd heard of him; Nero and Hathaway always spoke of him with disdain.
But... was he really that brave?
Kuina swallowed, quietly taking two steps back.
Hathaway's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. "Demon/Devil Child" was her nickname from when she and Nero adventured with Roger, like a piece of her dark past.
Having grown up in the palace as Nero's companion since childhood, Hathaway had always been quite resistant to such things. If it weren't for Nero, she probably would never have encountered them in her entire life.
"A stray dog from the New World, yet still quite bold in speech. 81 million is probably rock bottom among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, isn't it?" Hathaway's words were sharp, immediately poking at Crocodile's sore spot.
"You really dare to speak like that? Nero's lapdog!"
The golden hook twitched, and Crocodile's face was even darker than Hathaway's.
But Demon/Devil Child Hathaway's bounty was indeed much higher than his. Although his bounty didn't equate to his strength, he couldn't refute it at this moment.
"Are you waiting to negotiate in that state? You're really showing off your stray dog demeanor to the fullest!"
Hathaway's offensive power was maxed out, calling him a stray dog repeatedly, leaving Crocodile no face at all.
Old Croc was a man of dignity after all. With Hathaway saying such things, how could he possibly endure it?
"Outside, there's no room here!" A vein pulsed on his forehead. Without waiting for Hathaway's response, Crocodile's body transformed into a swirl of sand and vanished from the spot.
"Hey, Hathaway, are you going to fight that guy?"
Kuina asked doubtfully. Hathaway's provocation today was too obvious; even she could tell something was off.
"Sigh, His Majesty said before that he wanted to teach this guy a little lesson. Now, only I can do it on his behalf."
Hathaway's expression was normal. She didn't like fighting, but at the moment, no one else present could consistently win against Crocodile.
"Then you two wait here for a moment. I'll be right back."
As her voice faded, Hathaway's figure also disappeared from the spot, leaving two figures, one large and one small, looking at each other in bewilderment.
On the other side, Crocodile arrived in the desert outside Rainbase. He would, of course, make good use of the terrain advantage.
He certainly didn't want to fight Hathaway, but Nico Robin was someone he absolutely couldn't let go of.
After all, he was a fierce man who had once tried to assassinate Whitebeard. Crocodile was not lacking in courage.
Moreover, this battle was mostly a test. He naturally saw Hathaway's persistence, and the goal of the fight was still to understand the attitude of the master behind this maid.
If Nero was determined to be his enemy, then he would just have to fight to the death... His eyes narrowed slightly as Hathaway appeared before him.
"Crescent-shaped Sand Dune!"
This time, there was no idle talk; Crocodile decisively attacked. His arm turned into sand, elongating and enlarging, forming a crescent-shaped sand blade that slashed towards Hathaway.
Boom—
The attack kicked up a cloud of dust, making Crocodile click his tongue: "As expected, it's not that simple, is it?"
The sand blade was violently broken in the middle. When he retracted it, it was noticeably a good half shorter, and sand slowly fell off. Crocodile turned his head, staring at Hathaway's two hands.
"Dual guns? That's a rare weapon in the New World!"
A sniper? Crocodile's eyes didn't linger long on the two guns, one long and one short.
Then, control of distance would be the most important aspect of this battle. Judging from the short gun, she shouldn't be completely without close-combat ability.
However, with the terrain advantage and the current distance, I only need to finish this quickly, and I will be the winner!
Crocodile's legs bent slightly. Suddenly, his expression became serious, and his body quickly elementalized, drifting to the side.
The next instant, a black-gold energy blast grazed his face, exploding like cannon fire in the desert.
"Are you spacing out? Or has being a Logia user in this first half, called Paradise, given you too much unwarranted confidence?"
Hathaway raised her long gun with one hand and tilted her head. She genuinely felt that this guy had really bullied too many weak opponents; he dared to space out in a high-stakes battle.
If she had been serious with that last attack, she might have taken him out in one go. But Hathaway couldn't be sure; how could a guy who made a name for himself in the New World be so weak?
"Armament Haki?" The terrified Crocodile wiped the bloodstain from his cheek with an unperturbed expression, leisurely explaining.
This guy... why does he seem so pretentious?
Adjusting her aim, a fatal threat once again enveloped Crocodile's heart. Tentative attacks were no longer effective.
"Sandstorm!"
The sand tornado in his hand visibly grew larger. A small-scale sandstorm swirled up, reducing visibility and making sight almost useless.
"This is the terrain advantage! Just get buried in the sand, and don't say I'm despicable, hahahaha!"
Crocodile's arrogant voice came through, making Hathaway freeze.
In her Observation Haki, Crocodile's body was clearly visible, secretly releasing some skill on the ground.
Did this guy not even learn Haki when he challenged Whitebeard? Such a question arose in her mind.
After Hathaway used Moonwalk to step into the sky, Crocodile's moves immediately followed.
"Desert Sunflower!"
The place she had been standing turned into a quicksand pit. Hathaway was a little speechless, raising her gun, ready to end this somewhat absurd battle.
"Got him!"
Hathaway's pupils sharply contracted. In her Observation Haki, Crocodile's figure disappeared and then reappeared in front of her.
The golden poison hook swung out, and Crocodile's slicked-back hair was a bit disheveled: "Even for a first-rate sniper, close combat is an unavoidable weakness, isn't it?"
Black-purple venom condensed on the hook. He suddenly noticed that Hathaway in front of him was actually showing a strange smile.
The short gun directly smashed into the hook, her hand striking upwards with a punch to Crocodile's chin, then quickly changing to an elbow strike to send him flying back by his chest.
This set of smooth, small combos left Crocodile stiff in mid-air. Hathaway raised her gun, and in an instant, three bullets shot out, creating three holes in his body.
The two then landed one after another. Hathaway performed a beautiful gun flourish with both hands: "I never said I was a sniper. You must have heard of Gun-fu, right?"
"This extended gun is just to enhance my long-range attacks. I'm actually more skilled in close combat."
...Crocodile, who specialized in long-range attacks, completely lost the desire to speak.
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