From the ruins of the collapsed stone pillar, streams of yellow sand flew out through the crevices, gathering atop the rubble to slowly form the figure of Crocodile.
"...Armament Haki, huh? I see. That's a bit unexpected."
With a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, Crocodile looked down at Allen with a contemptuous gaze and sneered.
"So, what is your purpose here? Are you trying to challenge a Warlord of the Sea to gain fame like those foolish rookies? Or are you just a meddler trying to save this country?"
Crocodile's tone was mocking. Even though he had been caught off guard and sent flying by a punch just moments ago, he still didn't take Allen seriously.
Every year, pirates flooded into the Grand Line in endless droves; there was never a shortage of rookies who enjoyed a brief, fleeting moment of glory.
But after all these years, the Warlords of the Sea remained the Warlords of the Sea. As for those rookies, apart from one named Ace, the rest had long since sunk silently to the bottom of the ocean.
In his eyes, the Allen standing before him was just another one of those nobodies.
"Forget it, your reasons don't matter. Since you managed to make it here, as a sign of my acknowledgment..."
Crocodile's expression turned sarcastic as his lower body transformed into flying sand, diving down from the top of the ruins.
"I'll let this underground tomb serve as your final resting place!"
Raising his right arm, he spewed out a massive amount of loose sand, condensing it into a giant, ten-meter-long sand blade that he swung down viciously!
"Desert Spada!!"
Bang!
The sand blade slashed into the floor, leaving a straight, ten-meter-long gash. However, to Allen, such a linear attack looked like it was moving in slow motion. He easily dodged it with a sidestep.
"You should save this grave for yourself!"
The corners of Allen's mouth curled up slightly. He leaped forward, charging head-on, and right in front of Crocodile, his figure suddenly vanished from the spot.
Swish!
The next moment, Allen instantly appeared in front of Crocodile, unleashing a ferocious whip kick!
Bam!!
Facing this violent strike, Crocodile raised his golden hook with his left hand to block, but the heavy force kicked him back over ten meters, his feet plowing two deep trenches into the floor.
*What is with this terrifying strength...?!*
Crocodile was secretly alarmed. Not waiting for Allen to pursue, his entire arm dispersed into a cloud of sand. With a fierce wave and a loud shout, countless crescent-shaped sand blades shot out!
"Desert La Spada!!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Shaori・Paper Art!!"
Allen's gaze sharpened. Pushing off the ground, he dashed forward right into the dense barrage of incoming sand blades. His body swayed and dodged rapidly in the air, fluttering like a willow leaf.
Every single sand blade grazed past him by a hair's breadth, striking the floor and carving out a series of slash marks.
Paper Art was a technique he had learned during his battle with Drake. After fusing it with the Shaori technique, he could execute it even in mid-air by riding the air currents generated by the flying projectiles.
After passing through the storm of sand blades, Allen landed gracefully. Tapping his toes against the ground in rapid succession, he burst forth with extreme speed, blinking right in front of Crocodile in the blink of an eye.
Reacting instantly, Crocodile raised his left hand and slashed down with his golden hook, but Allen simply kicked it away. Then, carrying the momentum, Allen brought his heel crashing down viciously!
Bam!!
The heavy force slammed into his shoulder, causing Crocodile to buckle at the waist and nearly collapse. Fortunately, he caught himself in time with his right hand. Gritting his teeth, he looked up, glaring at Allen with eyes full of gloom.
"Bastard...!"
Allen smirked and swung his leg, aiming a kick right at his face. However, beneath his feet, a mass of yellow sand suddenly burst from the ground!
Boom!!
"Desert Grande Espada!!"
Crocodile roared, using his grounded hand to control and condense the yellow sand into a massive greatsword that thrust upward from below!
Bang!!
Startled, Allen immediately curled his body, bringing both arms together in front of his chest to block. His body was sent flying backward by the fierce upward thrust of the giant sand sword.
Even with Armament Haki coating them, his arms were still slashed open, leaving two shocking gashes. It was a testament to the sheer power of the attack.
Allen stared intently at Crocodile with a solemn gaze. Before his feet could even touch the ground, his opponent raised a hand, conjuring a massive sand python three meters thick.
"Desert Python!!"
Crocodile shouted loudly, manipulating the sand python to pursue fiercely. It opened its gaping maw, revealing hideous fangs as it bit down viciously!
Allen flipped and landed back on the ground, his eyes locked onto the sand python. Just as the fangs snapped down, he quickly thrust his arms out—one high, one low—forcefully propping open the python's upper and lower jaws.
Bam!!
Under Crocodile's control, the immensely heavy sand python pushed forward fiercely. Allen gritted his teeth and resisted, the floor shattering beneath his feet as he was pushed back, until his back slammed heavily against a stone pillar.
Right at that moment, the sand inside the giant python's mouth began to flow. Under Allen's astonished gaze, the sand rapidly condensed into Crocodile's figure!
"Die!"
Crocodile's face was cold and sinister. A miniature sandstorm swirled in the palm of his hand. Thrusting his arm forward, he planted a solid palm strike right onto Allen's chest!
"Sables Pesado!!"
Boom!!
The sandstorm erupted instantly! It swallowed Allen's entire body in a flash, snapping the stone pillar behind him and sweeping away countless boulders with devastating force!
Crash!—Crash!—Crash!
The horizontal sandstorm was like the roar of the desert itself, destroying three of the stone pillars supporting the underground tomb in quick succession. Countless massive rocks collapsed from the ceiling above.
Sunlight poured into the tomb through the holes in the ceiling, dispelling the shadows and instantly brightening the surroundings.
From amidst the swirling dust and smoke, Allen's figure slowly walked out. His clothes were torn with countless rips, revealing tough muscles and numerous scratches seeping with blood.
*Taking Sables Pesado head-on should have pulverized even solid rock. Is this guy's body harder than stone?*
Watching Allen walk out as if nothing had happened, Crocodile's expression couldn't help but grow a bit more serious.
Riiiip—!
Allen tore off his ruined shirt and tossed it aside, exposing his lean, muscular torso covered in wounds. He stared earnestly at Crocodile, clenching his fists until his knuckles cracked.
"As expected of a Warlord of the Sea, you really aren't someone who can be defeated easily. However..."
"If this is all you've got, then you might as well vacate your seat as a Warlord today!"
Allen curled his lips into a fierce grin, bent his knees slightly, and then pushed off with explosive force!
Bang!
A crater was stomped into the floor, cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb. Allen suddenly vanished from his spot, his figure shooting forward like a fired cannonball!
Arriving in front of Crocodile, he pulled his arm back to gather power and stomped his foot heavily!
Bam!
A vicious glint shone in Allen's eyes. Power transferred from the ground up through his body, channeling straight into his Haki-clad fist. His arm whipped out explosively like a long lash!
"Mach One・Sonic Punch!!"
"Heavy Sand!!"
Faced with this ferocious attack, Crocodile hurriedly raised his hand, spewing out a massive amount of sand to form a heavy, thick sand wall in front of him for defense.
The next instant.
BOOM!!!
The punch broke the sound barrier, creating a sonic boom! Crashing down with the force of a thunderbolt, it instantly blasted a massive hole through the thick sand wall!
A terrifying shockwave blasted outward in all directions. Crocodile's eyes widened and his pupils shrank in shock as he instinctively tried to jump back.
But Allen's movements were a step faster. His arm pierced through the gap in the sand wall, driving a fierce punch straight into Crocodile's abdomen!
Bam!!
"Blergh—!"
Crocodile's face twisted in agony. His body bowed like a shrimp as he spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground. He was sent flying backward, his feet violently scraping against the floor until his back smashed heavily into a stone wall!
Crash!!
The wall collapsed with a loud rumble, sending rubble flying as dust and smoke rapidly spread in all directions.
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