Alabasta, the capital city, Alubarna.
Sanji and Zoro weaved through the palace grounds, searching for the Baroque Works members, the masterminds behind the war.
Usopp was perched atop the clock tower, observing the battle from his high vantage point.
Vivi and Nami stood on the giant bird formed by Pell, anxiously watching the rebel army and the royal army clash.
"Zoro, there's a Baroque Works member 30 meters northeast of you!" Usopp's voice came through the wireless earpiece (Usopp's invention).
"Got it! Northeast, huh!" He then moved southwest without the slightest hesitation.
"Cheek meat!" Sanji sprinted towards his target, knocking them out with a kick! He lit a cigarette, then yelled at Zoro, who was looking around with his sword drawn, "You lost idiot, moss-head!"
"Damn it, you're with the rebel army, aren't you?" A blood-soaked royal guard, longsword in hand, lunged at Sanji!
"Bang!" The royal guard flew backward, unconscious on the ground! Upon closer inspection, it was Zoro, standing where the royal guard had been, his sword 'Yuki no Oto' reversed in his hand, facing Sanji: "Less talk, perverted cook, curly brows!"
The two then began to fight each other, arguing while they searched! They were masters of getting things done while having fun!
However, Vivi, high above, couldn't be happy at all; she truly felt powerless… At this moment, on the street leading to the palace graveyard,
Robin was escorting Cobra forward.
"Nico Robin, is that your real name?"
"So what? It's none of your business!" Robin said indifferently.
"Twenty years ago, that was the name of a girl who shocked the world! Why is that girl here?" Cobra voiced his confusion.
"Just lead the way. Take me to where the Poneglyph is located." Robin was growing impatient!
"Hmm?" Robin suddenly stopped and looked ahead. "I didn't expect to run into you here! Marines!"
Indeed, the people standing in the distance were the Marines led by Tashigi.
"So, can you move aside?"
"I can't. I've heard everything that's happened in Alubarna from the fallen Marines! Who do you think he is?" Tashigi pointed at Cobra, speaking with righteous indignation.
"Who knows? It doesn't matter who he is! I hate government officials the most! If you keep refusing to move…"
"We have no intention of moving at all!!!"
"Then I'll just have to kill you!" Robin crossed her arms. "Thirty Fleur!"
Except for Tashigi, all the Marines had their necks choked by arms that sprouted from their shoulders!
"A Devil Fruit user!?"
"Didn't I say I was in a hurry? Don't make me angry!" With that, some of the Marines fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth!
"Chief Petty Officer, this woman is Nico Robin! There's no mistake, Captain Smoker ordered me to find her wanted poster! This woman is the bounty hunter who caused a worldwide stir 20 years ago! I remember the reports at the time, the incident where six Marine warships were sunk, but the one who did it was just an eight-year-old girl! The government classified her as a Class 1 dangerous individual! Her bounty is as high as 79 million Berries!!" an older Marine explained.
"You're so long-winded, it's annoying! Are you going to move or die?!" The old Marine's words clearly touched a nerve with Robin!
'The number of people seems to have no effect on her!' Tashigi waved her hand. "You, go stop the kingdom's rebellion!"
…A long time later, only three people remained on this street!
"Alright, quickly release that person!" Tashigi held her swords with both hands, adopting a combat stance!
But in an instant, multiple arms grew on Tashigi's body, subduing her immediately!
At the same time, the battle in the plaza had reached a fever pitch. The royal army and the rebel army, manipulated by Crocodile's schemes, were locked in a deadly struggle. Swords clashed, cannons roared, and bodies and blood covered the ground. The battlefield was as brutal as a slaughterhouse! The Marines' arrival changed nothing; they could only assist the royal army, attacking the citizens of this country, as well as the pirates hidden among them!
…Alabasta Desert region.
Luffy's fist once again passed through Crocodile's body, and once again he was blown away!
"Bang!" Luffy climbed out of the sand pit again.
"Desert Spada!"
A sand blade sliced through the air.
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
A punch was thrown.
Ultimately, Luffy flew backward, another penetrating cut added to his body!
"Hmph… Hmph! You're like a cockroach, you just won't die!" Crocodile placed his right hand on his chest, panting heavily! He had recovered a lot; standing on the desert, he had an endless supply of power!
It was a pity that Luffy's punch had caused too much damage to Crocodile; his current strength was less than a third of his peak (Crocodile before the patch).
If it weren't for his Logia ability, he would have died long ago!
However, looking at Luffy's miserable state, he felt it was worth it! He just thought Luffy was an idiot. At first, he would dodge the "Desert Spada," forcing Crocodile to disperse it. But later, he completely became a reckless brute, taking Crocodile's "Desert Spada" head-on without regard for the consequences! This led to the current situation: Crocodile was no longer at his peak, and Luffy was also severely injured!
Luffy's body was covered in blood, but whether it was due to being in the desert or some butterfly effect, Luffy couldn't touch Crocodile with his blood!
However, Luffy was waiting for an opportunity. How do you deal with an opponent infinitely stronger than you?
The protagonist's aura is one thing, but more importantly, it's timing. If Luffy hadn't severely injured Crocodile at the beginning, he would probably be dead by now! So the best way to deal with Crocodile was to unleash a massive attack to severely injure or even instantly kill him!
Luffy looked at his stats panel.
Armament Haki: 29.9 (Beginner)
It hadn't increased in a long time. At first, he wanted to use Crocodile to farm points, but afterward, his physical condition worried him! So he prepared for a big move, but Crocodile seemed to have developed a psychological shadow of him. No matter how foolish Luffy acted, Crocodile kept his distance, afraid of being ambushed!
And the longer the delay, the more disadvantageous it would be for him! Luffy knew Crocodile was recovering from his injuries, and he knew his own body!
He had to be fast!!!
"Hahahaha, I don't have time to fight you anymore! Pluton is my goal, prepare to die!" Crocodile didn't want to continue. Although he still wanted to stay in the desert to recover, Pluton wouldn't wait for him. Anyway, no one else would be able to stop him now, the Straw Hat kid was only one after all!
"Sandstorm!" A small sandstorm appeared in Crocodile's hand, then with a fierce swing, the sandstorm grew with the wind, becoming a storm large enough to destroy all of Alubarna!
"Damn it!" Luffy looked at the sandstorm in despair. The desert gave Crocodile too much power! His body couldn't withstand it at all!
Looking closely, Crocodile's figure was nowhere to be seen! There was only this sandstorm that seemed capable of destroying everything!
"Damn it, can I only submit to fate? Damn it!" The reason Luffy didn't fight as he did in the original story, besides worrying about the butterfly effect, was that he didn't want to be controlled by fate, to become a puppet lying flat! He had a premonition that if he truly laid flat, he wouldn't reach the same heights as in the original story!
He wanted to be self-reliant, and he wanted to fight, but the reality was that he had lost, lost to Crocodile's world-destroying sandstorm. His very survival could only be left to fate! He was unwilling, but also helpless!
Luffy clenched his fists, crossed them over his chest, took a deep breath, and black, ink-like Armament Haki covered both his arms. His heels dug deep into the sand, and finally, the sandstorm destroyed everything!
Luffy lay on the sand, his eyes unfocused, muttering, "I survived!"
His consciousness entered the system space, where a bucket of water was particularly conspicuous. That's right, he still had water, but it was life-saving water!!
PS: Crocodile's combat power at different periods:
Just joined the Seven Warlords – Emperor's First Mate level
Storyline Crocodile – Average Vice Admiral level
Desert Crocodile – Elite Vice Admiral level
Marineford Crocodile – Elite Vice Admiral level
Cross Guild Crocodile two years later – Average Admiral level
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