"Boom—!!!"
In an instant, destruction descended!!!
"Crackling!"
Black and red lightning crackled and exploded on Luffy's ten fingers, and the air vibrated wildly!
His ten fingers, covered in Armament Haki, rapidly contracted under the elasticity of the Rubber-Rubber Fruit!
This powerful rebound made each finger's thrust as swift as a laser!
This was no ordinary attack!
This was Luffy's original Move, a Fusion of Six Powers: Finger Pistol and the Rubber-Rubber Fruit, with an attack speed faster than lightning and a penetrating power that could easily pierce steel!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!"
In an instant, ten pillars of black and red lightning streaked across the sky, like the judgment spears of the God of Death.
With unparalleled speed, they tore through the air, blasting towards Crocodile!
At this moment, Crocodile knew—
He was finished!
He could clearly feel that Luffy's Move was even more powerful and deadly than his previous attacks!
This was not an ordinary Haki attack, but a finishing blow with extreme penetrating power!
If he was hit, he would instantly be pierced all over, like a tattered cloth full of holes, welcoming death!
He... couldn't escape!
Luffy's Observation Haki had completely locked onto him; he couldn't even turn into sand!
At this moment, Crocodile's mind raced. He thought of countless possibilities, how to escape, how to counterattack, how to find a glimmer of a chance to survive... but... there was none!
He was completely desperate!
He thought of his life, his past ambitions, the man he once wanted to defeat... Whitebeard!
The strongest man in the world, who also possessed Haoshoku, and who he had once challenged only to suffer a crushing defeat!
His life would actually end at the hands of two such monsters... Crocodile sighed deeply.
He suddenly realized that he no longer felt fear; in fact... there was a sense of relief.
"Heh heh... Hahahaha..."
A bitter smile played on his lips, but his eyes were unusually calm.
"If... I die at the hands of the future Pirate King..."
"Then it wouldn't tarnish my name, Crocodile, would it...?"
Crocodile even felt now that this Straw Hat Pirates could claim the title of Pirate King.
He gave up struggling, closed his eyes, and calmly awaited death!
"Boom!!!!!"
Just as Luffy's "Rubber Armament: Finger Pistol Machine Gun" was about to pierce through Crocodile—
An incomparably sharp, massive slash, carrying destructive Sword Qi, suddenly struck from afar!
"Rumble!!!"
Two terrifying forces collided head-on in mid-air, and the entire sky was instantly torn apart by black and red lightning!
"Crackling—!"
Lightning exploded, like thousands of thunderbolts intertwining in the air, each black and red lightning bolt carrying a destructive oppressive force.
Making everyone on the battlefield feel a terrifying might.
Crack! —
Although Luffy's ten fingers were fully unleashed, the power of this Sword Qi was equally astonishing; the clash of two formidable Haki actually stalemated for a moment!
However... "Boom!!"
Ultimately, Luffy's attack still suppressed the slash; the black and red lightning exploded in the air, and the Sword Qi was completely shattered!
But in that instant, Luffy's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he slowly retracted his hands, his eyes becoming more solemn than ever before.
He didn't notice the arrival of this sword at first; it was only when the Sword Qi approached that his Observation Haki detected this dangerous aura!
What did this mean?
It meant... the person who attacked was at least one step above him in the mastery of Observation Haki!
Who was this person?! How could he block his finishing blow?!
On the ground, the dying Crocodile's eyes widened as he watched the attack that should have killed him be severed, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
But soon... he just sighed softly, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
He no longer cared... If he died, he died; there was no meaning in living.
His ambition had been completely crushed by Luffy; he had completely given up, and everything happening now was simply not important to him.
"Heh... a busybody has arrived..."
He muttered softly, too lazy to even show anger on his face.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the battlefield, the Advanced agents of Baroque Works, those elites who had escaped Crocodile's ultimate Move, now had drastically changed expressions!
They had just desperately fled, and now seeing their boss saved, they immediately rushed over.
Surrounding Crocodile, checking his injuries.
"Boss... are you alright?!"
"Who was it that launched that attack just now?!"
They looked in horror at the distant sky; the figure who blocked Luffy's attack was rapidly approaching!
"...This guy is not simple!"
Zoro narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the rapidly approaching figure, his Battle Intent soaring in an instant!
He could feel it—the person who attacked was definitely a master swordsman, perhaps even a Great Swordsman!
"A Great Swordsman, huh... Heh heh... Finally, someone who can excite me has arrived..."
Zoro's lips curled slightly, and his hand gripping wado ichimonji unconsciously tightened; he was already eager to fight!
Sanji also only realized the horror of the attack the moment the Sword Qi approached, his heart shaking, and his face darkened:
"Tsk... This mysterious guy is not simple."
Zoro said nothing more, but the Battle Intent in his eyes had burned to its extreme!
The appearance of this person... excited him immensely!
And Lin Ning, standing by, although his Observation Haki was slightly stronger than Luffy's and Zoro's, only detected it a step earlier.
However—
Lin Ning showed no panic, instead, a slight smile played on his lips.
"Interesting, it seems this battle is far from over."
"That's good, the Straw Hat Pirates truly need stronger opponents to hone themselves."
"The enemies they've encountered so far... aren't enough."
Nami and Vivi were also stunned by this sudden turn of events, especially Vivi.
She had just been ready to see Luffy completely defeat Crocodile and then cry tears of joy, but she never expected the battle to change at the last moment!
"Who... who exactly is this?!"
Vivi's face changed; she couldn't believe that someone would help Crocodile at this moment!
Was this person an enemy or a friend?!
Just then—
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!"
The figure rapidly approached, flickering and soaring through the air, each step seemingly treading on the Void Realm!
"This Move is...?"
Luffy and the others instantly recognized the opponent's movement style, their eyes suddenly narrowing!
—This was none other than Moonwalk, one of the Marine's Six Powers!!!
"Marine...!!!"
The Straw Hat Pirates' hearts jolted!
The newcomer was actually a Marine?!
"A Marine would save Crocodile?!"
Nami gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with shock.
Zoro, however, stared intently at the figure, his fists slightly clenched, his Battle Intent growing even stronger!
A moment later, the figure finally descended onto the battlefield!