Although both sides were composed of elite officers, the difference in strength between the War Pirates and Baroque Works was overwhelmingly obvious.
From the moment the battle began until now, only a short amount of time had passed, yet Robin and the others had already defeated nearly all of their respective opponents.
Watching the one-sided battle unfold, Kaito stood calmly at the casino entrance with his arms folded, a playful smile appearing on his face.
"Crocodile, it seems your subordinates aren't very impressive."
He slowly began walking toward his opponent.
"Come on."
"Let me see what you're capable of."
Unlike the relaxed Kaito, Crocodile's expression had long since lost its earlier composure.
As he watched one officer after another collapse, his face darkened considerably.
Trash.
His gaze swept across his fallen subordinates.
A murderous glint flashed through his eyes.
He truly hadn't expected the officers he had personally gathered to be such complete disappointments.
Not only had they failed to defeat their opponents—
They hadn't even managed to put up a respectable fight.
Their pathetic performance was so infuriating that Crocodile briefly considered killing them himself after dealing with Kaito.
"Since you're so eager to die..."
"I'll grant your wish."
His cold gaze shifted away from his useless subordinates and settled on the approaching Kaito.
The murderous intent in his eyes intensified immediately.
"Desert Spada!"
Without warning, yellow sand erupted from the ground behind Kaito.
The torrent of sand condensed into a gigantic sword that shot upward with terrifying speed, stabbing directly toward Kaito's back.
Whoosh!
The massive sand blade pierced straight through Kaito's body.
Or rather—
It pierced nothing more than an afterimage.
Like a flash of lightning, Kaito had already vanished from where he stood.
Not only had he effortlessly avoided the Desert Spada, but he had instantly crossed the distance separating them.
He appeared directly in front of Crocodile.
Boom!!
Kaito's right leg, coated in Armament Haki, lashed out like a bolt of lightning.
Crocodile's pupils contracted violently.
He hurriedly attempted to dodge.
Too late.
The kick landed squarely against him.
"Argh!!"
His scream echoed through the casino.
Wrapped in exploding sand, Crocodile was launched backward with overwhelming force.
He smashed through one casino wall after another before being blasted completely out of the building.
But the attack didn't stop there.
Even after leaving the casino, the terrifying momentum remained.
Crocodile continued hurtling uncontrollably through Rainbase.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!!
Buildings collapsed one after another as he smashed straight through them.
Only after flying several hundred meters did his body finally crash onto a street.
"What happened?"
"What was that explosion?"
"Why are all those buildings collapsing?"
"Wait... isn't that Lord Crocodile?"
"What happened to him?!"
The residents nearby stared in stunned disbelief at the trail of destruction cutting through the city.
The street where Crocodile finally landed was filled with pedestrians.
Seeing the normally dignified "hero" sprawled across the ground in a battered state, his clothes torn and blood staining his body, every one of them stood frozen in shock.
Back at the casino...
After sending Crocodile flying with a single kick, Kaito landed lightly on the ground.
Active elementalization...
But compared to Kuzan...
He's much slower.
Kaito casually glanced at the scattered rubble around him before smiling faintly.
Whether it was passive or active elementalization, turning the body into an element always required a brief process.
When Kaito had fought Kuzan, the Admiral had completed his elemental transformation almost instantly every single time Kaito attacked.
Crocodile, however, clearly lacked that level of speed.
Although he had attempted to activate his Logia transformation the moment Kaito attacked, he had only managed to complete part of it before the kick connected.
As a result, unlike Kuzan, Crocodile couldn't completely nullify the attack.
Only part of the damage had been dispersed.
The remaining force had struck his real body directly.
Whoosh!
After briefly evaluating the results of his attack, Kaito shifted his gaze toward the massive hole Crocodile had smashed through.
His figure blurred.
In the next instant, he shot through the opening and left the casino.
Following the line of destroyed buildings, he rapidly pursued Crocodile.
"Cough..."
On the street...
The badly battered Crocodile struggled to rise.
He had barely pushed himself halfway upright before a sharp pain shot through his body.
"Cough!"
A large mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.
Although active elementalization had reduced part of the damage, the remaining force of Kaito's kick had still left him seriously injured.
"...Impossible."
"I've actually ended up in such a miserable state."
Looking down at the blood staining the ground beneath him, Crocodile slowly clenched both fists.
His face twisted with anger.
"Hey."
A familiar voice suddenly drifted down from above.
"How about we fight somewhere else?"
"The people here seem to think you're some kind of hero... Crocodile."
The mocking tone instantly reached Crocodile's ears.
His expression changed.
Without hesitation, he jumped to his feet and looked toward the source of the voice.
Standing atop a nearby building was Kaito.
His arms remained folded across his chest.
A faint smile rested on his face as he looked down at Crocodile below.
"A hero..."
Hearing Kaito deliberately emphasize that word while wearing such an amused expression, Crocodile's fists tightened even further.
His face became increasingly ugly.
A hero...
When it came to driving away pirates who invaded Alabasta...
He really had acted like one.
But hidden behind that heroic image...
Was a conspiracy to steal an entire kingdom.
No.
Whether he was viewed as a hero or not wasn't truly important.
What mattered...
Was something else.
At some point—
Without even realizing it—
He had become immersed in playing the role of Alabasta's hero.
So immersed...
That he had gradually forgotten the one thing that mattered most to a pirate.
Strength.
For a pirate...
Personal strength had always been everything.
So what if he seized Alabasta?
So what if he obtained the Ancient Weapon, Pluton?
If he himself lacked sufficient power...
Then all of it would be meaningless.
Crocodile had never been a shortsighted man.
On the contrary, he was someone who had once witnessed the true peak of the world.
Perhaps his perspective had finally matured.
Or perhaps Kaito's mocking use of the word "hero" had awakened him.
Either way...
At that moment, Crocodile suddenly realized something.
Somewhere along the way...
He had strayed from the path.
He had become convinced that commanding a powerful army and obtaining an Ancient Weapon like Pluton were the keys to reaching the summit.
But he had forgotten that those things were merely tools.
The only thing that could truly carry someone to the top of the world...
Was their own strength.
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