The golden light from the clock tower hadn't just restored memories; it had momentarily blinded the Senior Editor's surveillance. But as the glow faded, a deep, rumbling vibration shook the very foundation of Alubarna. The sand beneath the palace didn't just swirl—it began to 'pixelate' into sharp, jagged spikes of obsidian glass.
From the heart of the sandstorm, Sir Crocodile emerged. He didn't look like a defeated man. His eyes were glowing with a terrifying crimson 'Admin' light, and his hook was dripping with a black, oily substance—Pure Eraser Ink.
"You've played your little games, Scholar," Crocodile's voice was a distorted roar that echoed across the plaza. "You saved the city, but you've forgotten one thing: I am the Root Administrator of this arc. If I can't erase their history... I'll just delete their existence in real-time!"
Crocodile slammed his hook into the ground. [Ability: Ground Death – System Override.]
The palace floor didn't just turn to sand; it began to vanish into a white void. The soldiers, the buildings, even the air itself was being 'Unwritten'.
"Luffy! Get back!" Amine screamed, trying to draw a 'Safety Layer', but his golden stylus was flickering. His 'Creative Stamina' was at 2%. "He's forcing a Hard Reset! Anything he touches is being moved to the 'Trash Bin'!"
Luffy stood his ground, his clothes torn and his body covered in deep cuts. But the blood dripping from his knuckles wasn't just red—it was glowing with a faint, white digital pulse.
"Amine," Luffy said, his voice surprisingly calm. "You said I'm the one who decides the story, right?"
"Yes, but Luffy, you can't touch him! He's made of 'Admin Sand'!"
Luffy looked at his bloody hands. "He's sand. And sand gets messy when it's wet. Even if the water is gone... I've still got my blood."
Luffy lunged forward, not with a rubber attack, but with a Logic-Defying leap. He didn't use the ground to jump; he stepped on the 'Error Messages' floating in the air.
"Gomu Gomu no... CLASH!"
Luffy's bloody fist slammed into Crocodile's face. Because the blood carried Luffy's 'Main Character Will', it acted as a Universal Patch. It bypassed Crocodile's Admin Firewalls. The Sand King's face didn't just bruise—it glitched. For the first time, Crocodile felt true, physical pain.
"You... you're bleeding into my code!" Crocodile shrieked, his body flickering between sand and static. "You're corrupting the Admin!"