"The royal capital is under control. Raymond and Colson have been captured alive. How's it going on your end?" Robin put down the Den Den Mushi after receiving Hathaway's call, who had just finished a pursuit across half of the Andia Kingdom.
Raymond and Colson had been taken alive. They could be executed later, but for now, they might hold value—so Rosen would decide their fate.
At that moment, Alice had already taken command of the royal troops who had surrendered. Hearing Robin's report, she finally relaxed a little. "The news has spread. Princess Xia is on her way to the capital. The other fortresses have ceased their attacks, and the army is converging here. The war is effectively over. The only uncertainty now is how the remaining nobles will react."
"Good. That just leaves one loose end to tie up. The only person left who can expose our true identities with any credibility is Tesoro. Set up the artillery—he may be strong, but our firepower isn't weak. We can coordinate with the boss to take him down," Robin said as she planned the next moves to ensure the situation continued turning in their favor.
"Understood." Alice raised her hand, and troops began assembling from all sides—over fifty thousand in total. They had external reinforcements to rely on as well.
Cannon lines were established, and Seastone net launchers were prepared. Even without Rosen, this army of fifty thousand could pose a real threat to Tesoro.
"Don't interfere," Rosen's voice came through suddenly. His body was already pushed beyond its limits. Defeating a fighter of admiral-level strength—even if Tesoro wasn't the strongest among them—was no easy task.
But Rosen refused to let anyone intervene. Whether or not he could win wasn't the point anymore. Just continuing to fight at this level might trigger the awakening of his Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit). He couldn't allow anything to disturb that.
"Damn you! You looking down on me?! You think you're some kind of god? Come at me—all of you! I said all of you!!" Tesoro finally realized the king's faction had been completely eradicated. He should have noticed earlier—but hadn't.
Now, Rosen was deliberately holding back the others. That humiliation stung Tesoro's pride more than any wound. He would rather die fighting everyone than be pitied.
Victory should be taken by any means necessary—and Crocodile's restraint felt like a silent insult.
"To deal with you, I'm enough," Rosen said, steam rising from his battered body. Even the sand swirling around him glowed red-hot. He was covered in wounds—he hadn't fought such an even match in a long time.
Tesoro was in no better shape. His golden body was cracked and bleeding, his eyes burning with fury.
"Is that so? You think I need my giant golden form to fight seriously? Keep thinking that—and you'll die miserably," Tesoro said coldly.
Rosen was surprised. Tesoro's earlier berserk rage had been genuine, not an act. Yet at this moment, he'd calmed himself completely—a dangerous sign.
What did he mean by that? Did he still have another trump card?
"Golden Ocean." As Tesoro spoke, waves of gold spiraled around him. Rosen expected another giant form and summoned a tornado of sand beneath him, attempting to mix impurities into the gold to weaken its precision and power.
But before the sandstorm could fully rise, Tesoro stopped gathering gold. Instead, a ten-meter-tall golden warrior shot out of the storm—small, but incredibly fast—and threw a golden explosive punch.
"Not a giant? But the power's the same—compressed, focused… A combat form for one-on-one fights?" Rosen thought as his counterpunch met Tesoro's. The impact sent him flying.
The strength was equal to Tesoro's giant form—but now focused and controlled. It was the perfect stance for dueling a single opponent.
He'd abandoned all other targets and devoted everything to Rosen alone.
Unlike his battle with Luffy—when he'd wanted to crush everyone at once—this time Tesoro sought a decisive duel. The golden giant form had been for intimidation; this was for killing.
"Once I deal with you, the rest are nothing but trash," Tesoro said flatly. He could have escaped, but refused. He still didn't believe he could lose.
This was his last stand—a final, desperate burst of power. The longer it went on, the worse it would be for him. His "home field" had already been shattered.
Golden flames burned from his eyes as beams of destructive light shot out. Golden infernos and molten fists exploded with every swing.
"The logic checks out—but I won't lose. No—I can't afford to lose," Rosen roared, pushing every ounce of strength his body had left.
He dodged what he could and destroyed what he couldn't. Gradually, he closed the distance—and close combat erupted once again.
Hell Desert Prison—broken.
Black Inferno Barrage—blocked.
Hell Void—devoured.
Sand Erosion—neutralized by Tesoro's awakened gold.
Death Slash—his sand blade hadn't even pierced the armor.
A duel between two admiral-level fighters—it was nearly impossible to decide the victor.
After exhausting every technique he could think of, Rosen's body, will, and spirit all reached their limit. It was that same mysterious sensation he'd felt the first time he used Sand Severance Slash—limit, then breakthrough.
And then—eruption.
"What—the hell is this?!" Tesoro's eyes widened as their fists collided again. His supposedly indestructible golden armor shattered instantly.
"Devil Fruit… Awakening!" A flood of information surged through Rosen's mind.
"Collapse, huh? I thought it would be more like 'sandification,' but the effect's similar enough," Rosen growled as his Conqueror's Haki, sand powers, and life force erupted together in a violent storm.
The golden battlefield cracked apart, dissolving into sand.
"You… awakened too? Impossible!" Tesoro was horrified. Awakening wasn't something achievable by sheer strength—it required extraordinary circumstance and luck. He himself had reached it only through rare coincidence.
But Crocodile—had awakened mid-battle?
Even if he had hidden his power, how could a sand awakening destroy his golden domain so effortlessly? His defenses crumbled instantly, as though they didn't exist at all. Anything that touched Rosen's power simply disintegrated.
"You hesitated—what a shame," Rosen sneered and threw another punch. Tesoro instinctively leapt back. In the face of an unknown awakened power, keeping distance was the only sensible choice.
(End of Chapter)