Crocodile raised his hand, and the power of erosion turned the rock above into yellow sand, opening a large hole in the plaza of the Marine base. He floated out from it.
Then he silently looked up at Kaido, gritting his teeth.
But Crocodile knew his place. The one qualified to speak boldly to Kaido was Red, not him.
So he simply clenched his teeth in silence.
Seeing Crocodile, Dragon was slightly taken aback and looked at Kaido in admiration.
What an extraordinary Observation Haki.
He hadn't even noticed Crocodile's presence.
"Redfield!"
Kaido looked at Redfield. "You've got an extra person here. As I thought, I should deal with you first!"
Redfield only smiled lightly. "Really? But Crocodile is no match for the Rebellious Dragon. Nico Robin will be taken."
"If I have to fight the leader of the Revolutionary Army," Crocodile said decisively, "then I choose to surrender."
Kaido laughed loudly. "Then the three of us will fight together! Only the final victor will have the right to take that woman!"
"Then, who will stop Crocodile?"
Dragon reminded, "Don't forget, Redfield has an extra person."
"..."
Kaido paused, already growing impatient. "Then I'll take care of that guy first."
"I won't just stand by."
Redfield said.
Kaido's words caught in his throat.
Wasn't this just going in circles again?
"Or," Dragon suggested, "we could join forces to push back the Cross Guild first?"
Otherwise, this would go on endlessly.
Let the two of the Cross Guild exit first, then settle the score with Kaido.
Crocodile was already sweating. "Hey, as the leader of the Revolutionary Army, suggesting cooperation with pirates… don't you think that's a bit embarrassing?"
If these two really joined forces, how could either of them hope to win?
"Let's do it this way!"
Kaido's eyes lit up.
He was, of course, an arrogant man.
But he was not inflexible.
In this situation, someone had to step up and break the stalemate.
He laughed loudly and lunged at Redfield, transforming back into human form as he fell.
"Threefold Descent: Draw to the Abyss!"
The massive spiked club, wrapped in dual-colored Haki, dragged long black lightning as it crashed down.
"Damn it!"
Redfield's expression shifted slightly, but all he could do was swing his sword in defense.
His sword was also wrapped in dual-colored Haki, uniquely tinged with a crimson hue.
The instant the spiked club collided with the umbrella sword, Haki-charged lightning exploded, and the clouds above split apart!
It was clear that since his last fight with Ian, Redfield had grown significantly stronger.
Or rather, he had finally returned to the level he was meant to be at.
"Guhuhuhuhu!"
Kaido noticed this and laughed loudly. "That's it! Come on, Red! It's time to fight!"
"Jundari: Dragon Army's Surge!"
Iron rods rained down relentlessly!
Redfield gritted his teeth, ignoring Crocodile for now, swinging his sword to counter!
As the two clashed, Dragon surged straight at Crocodile without hesitation.
Honestly, he had luck on his side, since Redfield was far stronger than Crocodile.
If Kaido, who chose to fight Redfield, got injured, he would be at a disadvantage in his upcoming battle with Dragon.
But since it was Kaido's own choice, Dragon had nothing more to say.
After all, he already had a plan.
The goal was simple: force the Cross Guild to retreat quickly.
A violent wind blew in Crocodile's face. He instinctively tried to turn into sand, but a spinning whirlwind of heavy punches was already upon him.
"Dragon Claw Fist!!"
Before he could even react, Crocodile was sent flying by the blow.
The difference in strength was just too great. Crocodile had nearly regained his peak form from the past.
But even so, compared to Dragon, he was still far weaker.
"Bastard!"
Redfield, who was in the middle of fighting Kaido, noticed what was happening here and couldn't help but curse in anger.
But he also knew this outcome was inevitable. How could that Crocodile guy possibly defeat Dragon?
"Daring to zone out in front of me? Thunder Eight Trigrams!!"
The iron staff came crashing forward, blasting Redfield, who instinctively raised his umbrella to block, flying backward.
Without any hesitation, Dragon and Kaido, who had sent their opponents flying, lunged again toward the two members of the Cross Guild.
Their goal was clear—force these two to exit the battlefield completely.
Redfield turned his head. Crocodile was now lying beside him.
Though he hadn't lost consciousness yet, his chest was completely caved in, and he kept coughing up blood. Trying to stand up now was impossible.
Lifting his head, Redfield looked at the two approaching figures.
If he didn't retreat immediately, he would likely die here.
Redfield couldn't help but sigh helplessly. Then, he grabbed Crocodile and launched him backward, turning without hesitation and leaving.
Dragon and Kaido stopped simultaneously.
Their eyes fixed intently on the direction Redfield had gone, their Observation Haki sensing his movements.
Only after confirming that Redfield and Crocodile had completely disappeared did the two of them turn to each other.
"Guhahahaha! The leader of the Revolutionary Army!"
Kaido laughed out loud. "The legendary rebellious dragon! I haven't fought you yet!"
But after a brief hesitation, Dragon said, "Perhaps… we don't need to fight."
"What?"
Kaido's brow immediately furrowed. "What are you implying?"
Dragon calmly replied, "If we were to fight with full force, this entire island would likely be destroyed."
"Besides, if Miss Robin fell into the hands of the government or other pirates, I would naturally worry. But if it's Ian… it's a different matter."
"Huh?"
Kaido's frown deepened, almost capable of pinching a mouse to death.
What the hell was this guy talking about?
Had that brat Ian had some past incident with him?
Kaido had no idea that the Beasts Pirates and the Revolutionary Army actually maintained a close cooperation.
At present, most of the Revolutionary Army's weapons and equipment were being procured directly from the Beasts Pirates.
While it wouldn't be accurate to call them inseparable allies, their cooperation was undeniably smooth.
Dragon had a very good impression of Ian.
"In any case, Mr. Kaido," Dragon looked at the man in front of him seriously and said, "Can I go back to Wano with you? I want to have a talk with Ian."
Strong.
Kaido was equally a monstrously strong opponent.
Defeating him head-on would be extremely difficult.
Even if he managed to win, taking Robin away wouldn't be easy.
If that's the case, then it's better to think of a different approach.
"Huh??"
Kaido showed a look of disdain.
What's with this guy?
**********
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