You understand the nature of Logia powers, Crocodile," Kenji stated, flexing his fingers. "They are absolute in their element. Unfortunately for you, I'm the master of all elements, and the apex of all abilities."
Crocodile, enraged by the liberation of his primary foe, attacked first. "Don't get cocky! Sables!"
A massive, spinning vortex of razor-sharp sand shot toward Kenji, capable of grinding bone to powder in an instant.
Kenji didn't bother to dodge. He simply lifted his hand and copied the technique on the fly.
• Target: Sables (Sand Tornado Technique).
• Copying...
• Apex Enhancement Active...
• Resulting Ability: [Apex: Vacuum Annihilation Vortex] Acquired. (The ability to create a self-sustaining vacuum vortex that instantly strips all matter down to the atomic level).
Kenji unleashed his new power. Not sand, but an invisible, silent funnel of pure vacuum shot out from his palm. When the Vacuum Vortex met Crocodile's Sables, the results were instantaneous and catastrophic.
Crocodile's powerful sand vortex vanished into nothingness, not even a whisper of grit remaining. The Vacuum Vortex continued its path, punching a perfectly circular hole through the ceiling of the tomb and vanishing into the outside world.
Crocodile felt a sudden, profound chill. Not physical, but existential. His power—his pride—had been erased.
"Impossible!" Crocodile spat, fear momentarily overtaking his arrogance. He realized the threat was not merely equal to him, but transcendent. He transformed his right hand into the massive, crescent-shaped Ground Secco, aiming for an instant dessication attack.
"You can dry things out, Warlord," Kenji mused. "But I can copy your elemental power and make it infinitely stronger."
He focused his gaze on the Warlord.
[Apex: Absolute State Manipulation: Dessication]
This time, Kenji used the full, amplified power of the Sand-Sand Fruit concept, directed entirely at Crocodile. He wasn't just sucking the moisture out of Crocodile's body; he was enforcing the absolute lack of hydration on a molecular level.
Crocodile screamed—a choked, desperate sound. His form, already weakened by Luffy's previous attacks, shimmered. His Logia body began to dry and crack, not turning into sand, but into parched, brittle clay.
In seconds, the powerful Warlord, the master of the desert, collapsed into a crumpled, powerless statue of hardened, dessicated earth. He was alive, but utterly neutralized, his body a prisoner of its own dried-out state.
Luffy stared, his jaw slack. Robin watched, her usually serene face a mask of shock and wonder.
"I need to leave him alive for the Marines," Kenji said simply, dusting off his hands. "Someone else needs the credit for his defeat." He looked at Luffy. "Go finish your fight, Captain. He's all yours."