"Are you kidding me?"
Crocodile's first reaction was that Gawain was deceiving him.
But when he turned to look at Robin, he found that the latter had the same shocked expression as himself.
He knew that what Gawain said was true.
Pluton is really in Wano Country.
Things seem to be getting simpler here.
Now he only has two steps to get Pluton and gain the power to compete with Whitebeard and Golden Lion:
Defeat Gawain in front of him and escape, and defeat the Beast Pirates at Wano Country.
But... if he have the fighting power to defeat Kaido, why would he be afraid of the aging Whitebeard?
"I..."
"So you understand?"
Gawain spoke indifferently, slowly pulling out the Guanze Masamune from his waist, his body filled with murderous intent: "To reach the top of this sea, there is only one way, and that is to defeat all the enemies in front of you!"
"Rocks are like this, Roger is like this, and even Whitebeard and Golden Lion, who were close to them, are like this: they rely on themselves instead of external things, and that is the biggest difference between you and them."
"It has always been you, not me, who has had it too easy!"
Crocodile's body trembled, and he took a step back.
Gawain seized the moment of Crocodile's hesitation and took action, slashing across Crocodile's chest…
Swish!
Blood splattered.
Crocodile flew backward instantly and smashed the wall cloth in the distance.
Even though he reacted in that instant, mobilized his Armament Haki, and protected his chest, he still couldn't block Gawain's attack.
Just one blow made him lose his fighting ability.
Swish!
Gawain wiped the blood off the sword, turned his head, looked at Cobra, and said. "It was your daughter who invited me here."
"Vivi?"
Cobra was stunned for a moment, then showed an extremely worried look: "How is Vivi?"
"She's fine. She's now outside with Koza to stabilize the situation."
Hearing this, Cobra finally breathed a sigh of relief. He struggled to stand up and then heard Gawain's voice. "If you can still move, take Robin out with you. I want this woman."
"Okay, then here..."
"There's no point in you staying."
"Um."
Cobra responded and walked in front of Robin.
Seeing that Robin was still breathing, Cobra hurriedly tore off his clothes, temporarily bandaged the wound, then picked up Robin with difficulty and walked away step by step along the corridor of the secret room.
It was not until Cobra's figure disappeared that Gawain turned his head to look in front of Crocodile. At this moment, he also clearly sees Crocodile's miserable condition.
The sword just now almost cut Crocodile's chest open. Through the wound on his chest, Gawain could even vaguely see a beating heart.
He is not far from death.
"Do you have any last words?"
"I really can't accept this!"
Crocodile sighed.
What emerged before his eyes was a scene in which he had once been as unstoppable and invincible as Gawain.
Only then did he realize that Gawain was right.
The one who has been living too smoothly all along has never been Gawain but himself. The so-called similarity is nothing but his wishful thinking.
"So, we have always been different. You, like Golden Lion and the others, are monsters born to stand on their own."
Now, Crocodile has lost everything.
Not only the Baroque Works that took nearly twenty years to run but even his dream of getting Pluton was shattered at this moment.
But this gave him an opportunity to re-examine himself.
At this moment, Crocodile finally understood why neither Whitebeard nor Golden Lion had ever regarded him as a real opponent.
Rooted in his inner self are weakness and hesitation; facing these strong and fearless people, his weakest side will be exposed.
"You say..."
"Would it have been different if I hadn't backed down?"
"If I could do it all over again, could I be one of the emperors, no, one of the people who reaches the top?"
Gawain responded calmly.
"Of course, you have to try to know something like that, but you don't have the chance."
"Hahahaha!"
A dry laugh came out of Crocodile's mouth.
Along with this laughter, the aura around him surged up, even causing red lightning in the void.
After twenty years, Crocodile once again feels the return of his fighting spirit, and it becomes more powerful than ever.
Crocodile struggled to stand up, but the large movement affected his chest injury, and the severe pain caused beads of sweat to ooze from his forehead.
But it still couldn't hinder his will at the moment. He straightened his waist, as straight as a sword drawn from its sheath.
"Of course, I have to try it to know!"
"Interesting."
Gawain immediately became interested: "Would you like to get on my boat?"
"What stupid things are you talking about?"
Crocodile's lips curled up: "I am the one who will become the king of the pirates!"
"That's right. What you did in Alabasta was too extreme. I can't tolerate you."
As the sound landed, Crocodile shouted: "Desert Rapier!"
The yellow sand surged, forming countless black blades, almost filling the entire secret room, and slashed toward Gawain in an instant!
"It's different!"
Gawain murmured.
Even without coming into contact with these swords, Gawain could tell.
Whether it is the Armament Haki covering it or Crocodile's control over the sand, it is far better than before.
Has he regained his spirit and become stronger?
No!
This is his original strength, enough to rival Douglas Bullet!
"It's too late."
"Even if you regain your former fighting spirit and your fighting power, your body is no longer strong enough to sustain high-intensity combat."
"What a pity."
Gawain sighed.
If Crocodile was still in his prime at this moment, he would indeed be a good opponent.
It can even provide good benefits to his Conqueror's Haki.
But he was seriously injured, and he could only exert 30% of his full fighting strength; any more would be risking his life.
"Thousand Swords Slash!"
Gawain raised his hand and swung his sword forward; the flying slash generated was so strong that it instantly blew away the swords in the secret room, and the remaining force did not decrease; it cut through the entire secret room open.
Boom!
After a loud explosion, clouds of dust and smoke spread around, and the entire secret room gradually collapsed, but Crocodile's figure had disappeared.
Gawain's brows slightly frowned: "Slipped away?"
"It's not that easy!"
He activated his Observation Haki, locked onto Crocodile's aura, then leaped out of the collapsed royal tomb and chased in the direction where Crocodile disappeared.
… … ...
A few minutes later, on the outskirts of Alabasta.
A figure slowly emerged from the endless yellow sand. It was Crocodile who had just escaped from the secret room.
After the previous round of outbursts, his injuries were even more serious, and now he couldn't even walk steadily.
"Fortunately, I managed to get away."
"Even if you can reach the top, it doesn't mean you have to be a reckless person."
"I…"
Crocodile stopped talking before he could finish his words.
Just when he raised his head, he saw a golden light rushing towards him from the distant sky.
"Hey..."
"Even god isn't on my side this time?"
Boom!
A laser beam landed next to Crocodile, causing a violent explosion. The impact force directly knocked Crocodile to the ground.
"Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile?"
"Ko~wa~i~ne~" (Scary.)
A few hours ago.
Somewhere in the paradise, several warships were speeding straight down towards Alabasta.
"No matter what, it's a bit difficult for me to just detain one of the Warlords."
"It's hard to explain it to the World Government."
"Besides, those guys are not only unruly but also as strong as monsters."
Kizaru sat on the deck, looking at the Den Den Mushi on his wrist, his face wrinkled into an embarrassed shape.
"Ah la la."
Aokiji's lazy voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi: "This is the old man's request."
"You know."
"The atmosphere in the Marine Headquarters has become increasingly weird recently because of the conflict between Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the old man."
"If it's not resolved, something serious will happen sooner or later. I have a feeling that this is the case."
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