Hearing Taro speak, Crocodile's expression darkened. He listened intently for a moment, and his face finally changed drastically. "What's going on? Why hasn't your Rebel Army stormed the royal capital yet?"
Crocodile roared angrily at Koza.
He finally realized something was wrong. It was impossible for hundreds of thousands of Rebel Army soldiers to storm the royal capital so quietly. But now... "You're the one behind this!" Crocodile was both shocked and enraged. He glared hatefully at Taro and gritted his teeth. "I should have killed you the first time I met you!"
"Hey, that's twice now!" Taro held up two fingers. "You've attacked me for no reason twice already, so don't blame me for ruining your plans!"
"It really is you!" Crocodile shouted in anger, yellow sand splashing around him. "Who exactly are you? A mere pirate, yet you dare to ruin my grand design!"
"Pah, Sand Crocodile," Taro spat disdainfully. "Don't forget that you're a pirate too. The title of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? Hmph, that's still just a pirate!"
Trash-talking was great; Taro could trade insults with him all day. It would be perfect if he could stall until Luffy arrived!
Unexpectedly, the taunt was too effective. Upon hearing Taro's words, Crocodile instantly transformed into a gust of sand, appeared in front of Taro, and reached out to grab his neck.
Taro ducked down and then launched himself backward, jumping over ten meters away to dodge the attack.
Since the fight had started, Taro didn't hold back. He flicked his blade upward diagonally, unleashing a "Mihawk Slash." The Sword Qi sliced through Crocodile's body and shattered the courtyard wall behind him into pieces.
The yellow sand reformed, and Crocodile reappeared. He raised his arm, "Sand Blade!"
Taro also used the "Sand Blade" technique to block his attack.
Neither could gain the upper hand for the moment. Crocodile stared at Taro, his brow furrowed, then he suddenly sneered. "You think you've won? There's less than half an hour left..."
"Mm-hmm," Taro hummed lazily. "I know. A big bomb at the top of the Clock Tower. I know."
"Who the hell are you?" Crocodile was as shocked as if he'd been struck by lightning. He glanced at Robin before looking back at Taro. "This was a secret mission I assigned; even Miss All-Sunday doesn't know about it. How do you know?"
Taro's reaction was calm. "There's an old saying: 'If you don't want people to know, don't do it.' Have you heard of it?"
Taro said this proverb in the Chinese language. Everyone present looked bewildered, except for Robin, who looked thoughtful.
"It means the best way to keep something a secret is to not do it in the first place. It seems you really haven't heard of it. What an illiterate!"
Taro continued to taunt Crocodile; he quite enjoyed this trash-talking phase.
"Koza, uh... and Vivi, go get the Kingdom Army and the Rebel Army to evacuate the royal capital. Get them far away; leave this to me!"
Taro instructed the two, then suddenly remembered a detail.
"By the way, there are many Baroque Works spies within the Kingdom Army and the Rebel Army. Watch out for them causing trouble; they have Baroque Works tattoos on their arms!"
Crocodile's eyes narrowed. "You even know about that? Little pirate, you truly surprise me!"
Sand Crocodile was beyond furious. He roared loudly, "You must die today!"
Watching Crocodile gradually go mad, Taro grew secretly wary. The moment the roar began, his body was already prepared.
To his surprise, while Crocodile said he would kill him, the man actually lunged toward Princess Vivi.
He grabbed Princess Vivi by the neck and held her aloft. "Hmph, what an annoying woman. If it weren't for you, how would this pirate have ended up here!"
Vivi struggled to speak, but with her throat constricted, she couldn't utter a single word.
"Crocodile, you're despicable!" Taro was both shocked and angry. "Let her go! If you want to fight, come at me!"
"From beginning to end, you people have been so ridiculous. Farewell, my Princess!"
Crocodile glanced at Taro, and then the arm holding Vivi turned into yellow sand. Without support, Vivi fell from the palace balcony. Having done this, Crocodile threw back his head and laughed wildly.
"Haha... haha... haha... urgh—" Crocodile's laughter was suddenly cut short as if someone had choked him.
A black dot suddenly appeared in the sky, growing larger as it approached, casting a massive Falcon shadow in the sunlight.
It was Pell! And Luffy on his back!
Pell rescued Vivi, and the protagonist's group assembled below the palace balcony! The moment for the final showdown had arrived!
Seeing Luffy finally appear, Taro's tense mind finally relaxed. He winked at Robin, gave her a smile, and then gave a thumbs-up.
Robin's gaze faltered slightly. Does this guy seem to know that I was the one who saved the Straw Hat?
Crocodile looked in shock at Luffy, who was carrying a water barrel and jumping onto the palace courtyard. "Why aren't you dead either?"
Luffy didn't catch the hidden meaning in Crocodile's words and punched him directly in the face. Crocodile confidently tried to turn into sand, but this time, he was sent flying and coughed up blood. Immediately after, Luffy grabbed his shoulders and slammed a "Gum-Gum Buzzsaw" headbutt into Crocodile's forehead.
Crocodile was sent flying once again, crashing to the ground.
While pouring water on his hands, Luffy said, "I lost to you last time, but it made me realize that once you encounter water, you can no longer turn into sand. I won't lose to you this time!"
The two began to fight until Luffy gulped down all the water from the barrel, transforming into "Water Luffy," only to start leaking because of the wound on his stomach.
Taro finally couldn't help it and burst out laughing. Immediately after, Robin also let out a chuckle.
Crocodile's face darkened, his features twisting slightly. Luffy noticed Taro then, and seeing him laughing, he yelled out.
"Why are you here too?"
Taro suppressed his laughter and waved his hand. "Don't mind me. I know your personality. Even though I have a grudge against this guy too, I won't interfere in your fight with him!"
"Oh, I see! Alright then, I won't hold it against you for laughing at me." Luffy gave his signature smile.
Taro nodded back with a smile.
Luffy spat out a water ball, soaking Crocodile's body. He stretched his arms back and shouted, "Gum-Gum Bazooka!" His palms retracted at high speed and then struck forward with momentum.
[Gum-Gum Bazooka learned successfully]
"Gah, cough!" Crocodile was hit in the chest by Luffy. He let out a wail as his body flew backward, smashing a sculpture in the courtyard before coming to a stop.
After a long while, he sat up from the ruins and said to Robin, "Nico Robin, take the King to examine the poneglyph first."
"I am very angry now!"
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