Whoosh!
The moment that familiar figure appeared before her again, Princess Vivi finally let out a long breath of relief.
Although the young man standing before her looked far too young, his presence alone gave her an overwhelming sense of security.
"Princess Vivi, stay behind me," Ryūjin said with a faint smile.
Vivi immediately guided Karoo behind him without hesitation.
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, who had been casually pursuing Vivi moments ago, instantly stopped in place. Their expressions turned serious as they stared at Ryūjin.
His appearance was too sudden, too confident, too composed.
It naturally made them cautious.
"Kid, Baroque Works is handling official business here. If you know what's good for you, get lost," Mr. 5 warned coldly while glaring at Ryūjin.
"Baroque Works? Sounds unimpressive," Ryūjin replied casually, sounding completely uninterested.
Clap!
The moment his hands came together, Magnet Release: Gold Dust activated instantly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
An enormous amount of golden sand burst from the ground like a volcanic eruption, transforming into a massive golden tide that surged toward Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.
Their expressions changed immediately.
"Damn it!"
The two tried to dodge at once.
Mr. 5 attempted to blast open a path using his Bomb-Bomb Fruit ability, but his explosions looked laughably weak before the overwhelming golden sandstorm.
Miss Valentine instantly reduced her weight and tried to float upward to escape.
It was useless.
She had barely risen into the air before the massive wave of gold sand slammed into her mercilessly and dragged her straight back down.
In less than a few seconds, the two elite Baroque Works agents completely disappeared beneath the endless sea of gold.
Not even a trace remained.
Princess Vivi stared at the scene in shock.
Just moments ago, those two had cornered her without giving her any chance to escape.
Now they were gone as if they had never existed.
"So strong..." Vivi muttered unconsciously, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Only now did she truly understand what kind of monster stood before her.
Anyone capable of openly opposing Crocodile was naturally no ordinary person.
The Sign-in System notification sounded inside Ryūjin's mind.
Ryūjin simply looked toward Vivi.
"Can we leave now, Princess Vivi?"
Since she had already agreed to travel with him, Vivi naturally had no objections.
However, after hesitating briefly, she spoke again.
"There's someone else I need to bring with us."
Ryūjin naturally knew who she meant.
"Fine."
"Please follow me."
Vivi quickly led the way through several intersections before arriving at an area covered in smoke and debris.
This was where Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine had attacked earlier.
It was also where Igaram had been injured.
When they arrived, Igaram was desperately clutching Zoro's clothes.
"I beg you, please save Princess Vivi. If anything happens to her, Alabasta is finished!"
"Save her?" Zoro replied with a deadpan expression. "Weren't you people trying to collect our bounty earlier?"
"Igaram!"
Vivi immediately ran over.
"Princess Vivi!"
Igaram's face instantly filled with joy and relief.
"You're safe!"
At the same time, Zoro noticed Ryūjin standing nearby.
His eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin?"
"Yo, Zoro," Ryūjin replied casually.
Both Vivi and Igaram froze.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin?"
"You're really Demon Eye Ryūjin?!"
The two stared at him in complete disbelief.
Ever since Ryūjin defeated Dracule Mihawk with a single strike, his name had shaken the entire Grand Line.
Even ordinary pirates knew who he was.
To Vivi and Igaram, Ryūjin was practically a legendary figure.
"No wonder his eyes were blood red..." Vivi muttered softly as realization finally hit her.
After learning Ryūjin's true identity, the confidence she had toward saving Alabasta rose dramatically.
Someone capable of defeating the world's strongest swordsman certainly had the qualifications to challenge Crocodile.
Vivi quickly explained Ryūjin's intentions to Igaram.
The captain of the royal guard immediately expressed endless gratitude.
"Alright, enough talking," Ryūjin said calmly.
His eyes transformed instantly into the Kamui Sharingan.
"Don't resist."
A spiraling space vortex appeared before them.
Before Vivi and Igaram could react, both were pulled directly into the Kamui dimension.
Zoro watched everything unfold in shock.
"So that's his ability..."
This was the first time he had witnessed Ryūjin transporting people through space itself.
"See you around, Zoro."
With that final greeting, Ryūjin disappeared into the vortex as well.
The next moment, another Kamui vortex appeared above Ryūjin's ship.
Ryūjin stepped out first.
Then Vivi and Igaram were released shortly afterward.
The two looked around in disbelief.
One second ago they were inland.
Now they stood aboard a ship in the middle of the sea.
Ryūjin's abilities were simply incomprehensible.
"Alright," Ryūjin said lazily while stretching slightly, "let's head to Alabasta."
The ship accelerated rapidly across the ocean.
With the enhanced speed provided by the "boatman," the vessel moved several times faster than ordinary pirate ships.
Only seven days later, they arrived at the Kingdom of Alabasta.
The moment Ryūjin stepped onto the island, his powerful Observation Haki spread outward instantly.
Within moments, he located Crocodile's position.
Meanwhile, inside a luxurious yet dimly lit room elsewhere in Alabasta, Crocodile sat lazily on a sofa with a cigar between his fingers.
The burning ember briefly illuminated the scar stretching across his face, adding even more ferocity to his appearance.
Standing behind him was Nico Robin.
"What did you say?" Crocodile asked coldly.
"That traitor was rescued?"
Robin nodded.
"The person who rescued her was Demon Eye Ryūjin."
"And now?"
"He took her away. We're still investigating where they went."
Crocodile narrowed his eyes slightly.
The timing was too suspicious.
The moment his identity was exposed, Demon Eye Ryūjin appeared and rescued the one person capable of revealing him.
Coincidence?
He did not believe in coincidences.
"Investigate him further," Crocodile ordered.
"Understood."
But before Robin could move, a cold voice suddenly echoed behind them.
"There's no need."
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Crocodile and Robin turned around simultaneously.
A spiraling space vortex distorted the air behind them.
Then Ryūjin stepped out calmly.
His scarlet eyes immediately drew both their attention.
"You're Demon Eye Ryūjin?" Crocodile asked in a low voice.
"Correct."
"What exactly do you want?"
Ryūjin casually raised two fingers.
"Two things."
"First, I'm here to beat you."
Crocodile's eyes darkened instantly.
Arrogant.
Far too arrogant.
Even if Ryūjin defeated Mihawk, Crocodile did not necessarily fear him.
Swordsmanship alone meant nothing against the powers of the Sand-Sand Fruit.
Without Haki, blades were worthless against him.
"And the second thing?" Crocodile asked coldly.
Ryūjin looked at him indifferently.
"I'm kicking you out of Alabasta."
Robin frowned slightly.
Even she felt Ryūjin's confidence bordered on insanity.
She knew better than most how terrifying Crocodile truly was.
"Hahahaha!"
Crocodile suddenly burst into laughter.
Then his expression instantly turned vicious.
"Desert La Spada!"
A massive sand blade formed instantly and sliced toward Ryūjin with terrifying force.
The ground split apart wherever the attack passed.
Ryūjin remained completely unfazed.
His eyes shifted instantly into the Rinnegan.
Then he slowly raised his hand.
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!
An overwhelming repulsive force erupted outward.
Crocodile's giant sand blade shattered instantly.
The next second, Crocodile himself was blown apart into countless grains of sand.
Robin's expression changed completely.
"What kind of power is this?!"
The entire building collapsed almost immediately.
Walls shattered.
The roof exploded apart.
Massive debris rained everywhere.
Robin quickly used the Hana Hana no Mi to sprout countless arms around herself to block the falling rubble.
When everything finally settled, the former headquarters had already become ruins.
Robin stared at Ryūjin with visible fear.
The shockwave from their clash alone had nearly overwhelmed her.
This man was absurdly powerful.
Rustle... rustle...
Sand gathered together nearby before reforming into Crocodile's body once again.
His face looked noticeably more serious now.
If he had not elementalized in time, that attack alone would have heavily injured him.
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews
(Leave a review/comment)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100
Power Stones.
◇ Read 100+ chapters ahead on P-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/_Zeph