Rain poured hard over Rainbase, thick and unnatural — as if Crocodile himself willed the clouds to cry for him. Within the towering palace-casino hybrid of Rain Dinners, guards scrambled, systems locked down, and alarms continued to ring through stone walls.
In the lower chambers, the Straw Hat crew moved fast through narrow maintenance tunnels behind the prison blocks — led by one man.
Rex.
His coat was soaked, but his eyes burned sharp, flicking from corner to corner as he read the stone like a storybook.
Zoro followed close. "You sure this path won't cave in?"
"It might," Rex said calmly, ducking under a steam pipe. "But if it does, we're either buried… or just deeper underground."
"That's not comforting," Usopp mumbled, crawling after them.
Nami slid beside Vivi. "We're trusting him. Again."
Vivi looked ahead — and nodded.
"He hasn't let us down yet."
Elsewhere – Rain Dinners, Command Hall
Crocodile stood before a grand wall of Den Den Mushi monitors, watching the entire casino. His golden hook gleamed under the low light.
Miss All Sunday stood silently beside him.
"The rats escaped," Crocodile said, no anger in his tone. Just a smirk. "Better than expected."
"Do you want me to intervene?" she asked.
"No. Let them come." He turned slowly, coat dragging like a cape. "Especially that one. The one who doesn't speak much. I want to see what he does when all the odds are fake."
He tapped his hook on the glass.
"Let's see how he breaks when the rules bend."
Back in the Tunnels
[…Pressure sensors deactivated. Thermal traps looping. Manual override engaged. Pathways shifting. The entire building is realigning like a maze.]
Rex stopped.
"They're rotating the layout."
"What?!" Nami asked.
"Rotating the building?"
"No—shifting trap doors, tilting chambers, rerouting guard patrols," Rex said, hand on the wall. "They're not chasing us. They're herding us."
Vivi clenched her fist. "Crocodile knows where we are."
"Exactly," Rex said. "Which means… it's time we stop pretending we don't know where he is."
Command Shift – Strategic Inversion
Rex crouched beside a maintenance panel.
[…Blueprint memory stored. Reversing flow logic. Target: Crocodile's inner sanctum. Activate ghost route protocol. Time: 90 seconds.]
He pulled out a broken steel rod and began scraping symbols into the stone wall — old code markings, route symbols.
"What are you doing?" Sanji asked.
"Rewriting their sensors."
Zoro blinked. "You can do that?"
"I'm not going to beat Crocodile by punching through his army," Rex said. "I'm going to beat him at his own game."
He pressed the final mark.
The entire tunnel flickered.
Lights blinked.
And a door at the far end opened — a hidden one.
"Shortcut," Rex said. "Let's go."
Rain Dinners – Inner Chamber
Crocodile sat at a long table, sipping wine.
Rain poured beyond the stained-glass windows.
He didn't turn when the hidden door opened.
"Well," he said. "You found me faster than I expected."
The Straw Hats entered behind Rex — but they didn't attack.
They just stood.
Watching.
Listening.
"You think all this was about Alabasta?" Crocodile asked. "This is a proving ground. The world's already forgotten you. I'm just here to make it official."
Rex stepped forward slowly.
"No," he said. "You wanted to be the king of nothing. The savior of a desert you helped destroy."
Crocodile raised an eyebrow. "And what are you? The silent one? The ghost who walks behind the captain?"
Rex smiled.
"A shadow," he said. "That walks ahead of people like you."
Crocodile's smirk faltered.
Then he moved.
The Clash – Rex vs. Crocodile (First Phase)
Sand spiraled.
Crocodile's body twisted into a storm of grains, launching toward Rex with crushing force.
Rex stepped forward, eyes focused.
His foot shifted slightly.
Too early.
Too obvious.
Crocodile's hand burst through the sand behind Rex — from below — grabbing his shoulder.
"I've ended pirates stronger than you," Crocodile hissed.
"And they still died chasing someone else's dream."
Rex twisted, using Crocodile's own grip to pivot his body — slamming his elbow into Crocodile's face just as it began to reform.
The hook slashed across the air — but Rex ducked.
Sand flooded the chamber.
And still, he moved.
Precise.
Not overwhelming.
Not invincible.
Just unreadable.
Strategic Counter – Michael's Support
[…Logia body state confirmed. Weakness not revealed. Structural instability detected in moisture absorption rates. Observe left arm movement. Water imbalance signature: elevated.]
Rex's mind worked like a storm beneath calm eyes.
He didn't need to beat Crocodile now.
He just needed data.
He backed up, breathing evenly, cloak torn but stance unbroken.
"You're not a god," Rex said, voice cool. "You're a man who got lucky. And you're about to run out."
Crocodile narrowed his eyes. "You think clever talk wins wars?"
"No," Rex said. "But it buys enough time for a real plan."
Luffy stepped forward beside him.
"You ready?" he asked Rex.
Rex smirked.
"I was buying your stage."