Crocodile got a really bad feeling when he saw Ray's sword light up.
That weird blue energy just screamed danger.
But then he remembered, 'Hey, this is my domain,' and his confidence came flooding back.
"You really think you can break out of my turf?" he yelled.
"Sand Maiden!"
The sand all around Ray rose up like a giant, spiked coffin, ready to slam shut and turn him into a shish kebab.
But just as it was about to close,R ay just said, "Azure Dragon Break."
A violent explosion of demonic power erupted from his sword.
Azure dragons tore through the sky and under the sand, scorching and pulverizing everything in a two-kilometer radius.
Crocodile, who was merged with the sand, basically became a giant target.
No matter where he moved his "real" body, he couldn't escape the massive AOE destruction.
Ray's attack completely shattered his arrogant "domain."
When the sand settled, Crocodile was revealed, kneeling and covered in blood.
"You... how...?" he stammered.
Ray didn't bother answering.
He transformed into a sphere of demonic light, closed the kilometer gap in an instant, and swung his sword.
Crocodile, still wounded, barely managed to split his body to dodge, but he was too slow now.
Every dodge just got him cut again.
"Bastard!" Crocodile roared, using his last bit of strength.
"Desert Diamond Treasure Blade!"
He hardened his hand and clashed with Ray, the force sending him flying back.
He used the distance to scream his trump card.
"I have 200,000 hostages! If you keep attacking, I can kill them all in 1.5 seconds! You can't kill me that fast! Are you sure you want to continue, Ray?!"
He hated using such a cheap tactic after his big mental breakthrough, but he wanted to survive.
He knew he could merge with the fresh sand beneath his feet, stall for that 1.5 seconds, and transfer his power to kill the rebels.
This was the terrifying part of his awakening: his survival skills were on a whole new level.
But Ray didn't even slow down. He just kept charging.
'Now' Crocodile panicked.
"You bastard! Don't you care about civilian lives?! Fine! If I die, I'm taking them with me!"
He merged into the sand and sent his power transferring to his clones...
...Only to find the sandpit empty.
The hostages were gone.
Crocodile froze.
He finally understood why Ray wasn't scared.
'Was Luffy's entire fight... just a distraction?! When did this info leak?! ...NICO ROBIN! I'LL KILL YOU!'
As Crocodile howled at the sky, Ray hit him with another Azure Dragon Break.
The despairing Warlord finally passed out.
Ray just picked him up by the collar and flew off toward Alubarna.
…
Now, Ray had arrived at the negotiation site (which was now a battlefield), still carrying the unconscious Crocodile.
He saw Zoro, Nami, and the others fighting the remaining Baroque Works officers.
He took out a flask, casually sat down on Crocodile's back, and started watching the show.
The battle lines were drawn.
Nami's fight with Miss Doublefinger (Paula) was intense.
Thanks to Ray's training, Nami was actually holding her own in close combat, blocking, swinging, and thrusting.
(She kind of looked like a certain monkey king.)
She was so good, in fact, that if Paula hadn't been able to turn her chest into spikes, Nami's staff would have... well, flattened her "proud tits."
Paula was getting furious at Nami's dirty tactics.
"You little brat! Why do you keep aiming for private areas?! Have you no decency?!"
Nami just smirked.
"Those things keep turning into spikes. It's not like any man would want to touch them anyway. What's the harm in breaking them?"
"You vicious little thief-cat! Just wait till I catch you—I'll turn you into a pincushion!"
"Let me show you what real viciousness looks like!" Nami snapped back.
Meanwhile, the weird weather bubbles Nami had been secretly releasing were starting to form a trap.
Sanji, who was supposed to be guarding the King, was watching Nami's fight, looking both love-struck and incredibly distressed.
…
Elsewhere, Usopp and Chopper were getting their butts kicked by Miss Merry Christmas (a Mole-woman) and Mr. 4 (a giant, slow guy with a gun that was also a dachshund that fired explosive baseballs).
Miss Merry Christmas would dig tunnels, and Mr. 4 would pop up like a whack-a-mole to smack explosive balls at them.
Thanks to Ray's training, Usopp was good at dodging, but they couldn't hit their opponents.
Chopper, meanwhile, had swallowed a Rumble Ball and was in Brain Point, trying to figure out their weakness.
…
Ray wasn't too worried about those two fights.
His main concern was Zoro.
Zoro was up against Mr. 1, Daz Bones, the guy who can turn his whole body into steel blades.
That wasn't the only problem—Zoro had Haki, he could cut steel.
The real problem was that this steel man, Daz Bones, also somehow knew Haki.
Zoro was in serious trouble.
Ray's expression was grave.
Him being here had changed things.
Zoro had learned Armament Haki way too early.
The upside? He could cut steel.
The downside? He was fighting a guy made of steel... who also knew Armament Haki.
This meant Zoro's Haki-slashes were basically useless.
To win, Zoro had to break through to that next level today – the "breath" of steel, that mystical realm where you can cut anything (or nothing) at will.
It was a specialized form of Observation Haki, and you couldn't just learn it; you had to get it.
Now, it all depended on Zoro.
Ray's main worry?
'Since Zoro can already cut steel with Haki, has he lost the hunger to master it?'
Zoro had three paths:
Just get super strong and overpower everything with Haki (even diamond).
Master the "breath of all things" (understand diamond, cut diamond).
Do both.
Ray, naturally, had chosen option three.
'I hope you're greedy enough, Zoro,' he murmured, watching the fight.
…
Zoro was struggling.
He hadn't expected some Baroque Works lackey to know Haki.
This was supposed to be easy!
He'd landed multiple Haki-slashes, and they'd done nothing.
Meanwhile, every time Mr. 1 hit him, he was bleeding.
Good thing Ray's training had sharpened his instincts, or he'd be dead already.
'But this can't go on forever.'
Ignoring the new gashes on his chest, Zoro focused.
A confident grin spread across his face. "You picked the wrong opponent."
Daz Bones was unimpressed. "Do you not see the situation? At this rate, you'll be dead in ten minutes."
He was right.
They'd been fighting for ten minutes.
Zoro was a bloody mess; Mr. 1 was barely scratched. In another ten, Zoro would be out of stamina.
But did Zoro care? Not at all.
He only had one thought: Break through.
So, he charged again. "Two-Sword Style: Rhino Return!"
Clang!
Useless.
Another wound opened on his chest.
And yet... Zoro was smiling.
Sensing that shift in his mentality, Ray nodded.
'The best time to sense the breath of all things is when you're on the brink of death. He's been here before... against Mihawk.'
…
Meanwhile, Nami and Miss Doublefinger were still going at it.
Nami was actually appreciating Ray's training; his staff techniques were perfect for both offense and defense.
But she wasn't a close-combat fighter.
A smirk curled her lips.
"Ready to experience my viciousness, Thorn Lady?"
Miss Doublefinger suddenly sensed danger.
The air felt... weird. Humid.
She instinctively leaped at Nami, but it was too late.
"Thunder Weather!"
Bolts of lightning lanced down from the hidden clouds, zapping Paula mid-air.
"GYAAAAAH—!"
Her blue curls instantly frizzed into a charred afro. Confident in her win, Nami turned to leave.
But then—a twist!
Using some hidden strength, Paula sprang up, her hands transformed into thorn-hammers, aiming right for Nami's back.
"NAMI-SWAN, LOOK OUT!" Sanji screamed, sprinting towards her, but he was too far.
Ray, watching from the distance, gathered his power, ready to step in...
But he stopped.
Nami had already reacted.
"Weather Spear—Thrust!"
At the last second, Nami spun and drove the spear-tip of her Clima-Tact straight into Paula's chest, then kicked her away.
But she wasn't done.
"You dare sneak attack me?! Guess you didn't get enough lightning!"
"Thunder Weather!"
But Nami forgot one crucial thing: the Weather Spear was basically a giant lightning rod.
"GYAH—!" (That was Paula.)
"ARGH—!" (That was Sanji, who had just arrived.)
"Eeep—!" (That was Nami.)
Smoking, and now sporting her own afro, Nami threw the spear on the ground and shrieked at the sky.
"USOPP! WHAT KIND OF CRAPPY INVENTION IS THIS?!"
…
Usopp couldn't hear her; his eardrums were ringing.
What happened?
He and Chopper had been dodging explosive baseballs for ten minutes.
Finally, they found the weakness: all the tunnels were connected.
So, Chopper scampered over to the Dog-Gun and threw sand in its nose.
As it sneezed, Chopper aimed its mouth into a tunnel.
Meanwhile, Usopp loaded his slingshot with "metabolic bombs" (harvested from Gem) and fired them deep into the tunnels.
The result? Massive, underground chain-explosions.
The mole-woman and the baseball-guy learned the meaning of "firepower supremacy" as they were blasted into unconsciousness.
Usopp and Chopper, however, were left with ringing ears as collateral damage.
…
Now, only one fight was left.
Near-death Zoro vs. 99% HP Daz Bones.