Crocodile looked up at Robin, now protected behind Sabo. "No wonder you dared to betray me. So you found yourself a new backer."
The snow inside the hall vanished in moments, completely absorbed by the sand. This was the desert. It was his domain.
Sabo's expression grew serious as the blizzard he created was neutralized far too quickly.
Crocodile spoke indifferently, "State your name, brat."
Sabo ignored him. Without even turning his head, he said, "Ms. Robin, you should go. I'll hold him off."
Crocodile's face darkened further at being ignored.
Boom!
A massive wave of sand surged in from the entrance, sealing it shut as the passage collapsed.
Crocodile remained expressionless. "Insolent fools. Then you can both stay here."
A small sand vortex formed in his right hand. With a flick, he hurled it forward, and it expanded rapidly, twisting into a massive storm meant to tear them apart.
Sabo's heart sank slightly, but he did not panic. His arms transformed into swirling snow.
"Then try it."
Two long dragons of snow shot out from his arms, crossing as they charged toward the sandstorm.
Boom!
Sand and snow collided and expanded violently, the shockwave nearly bringing the underground ruins crashing down.
Crocodile maintained a calm expression as he controlled the sand, rapidly absorbing the snow while also pulling more sand from outside. It gathered above the ruins, sealing everything tightly.
His goal was simple. No one but him would leave this place alive.
This was the desert. Nature itself was on his side.
Sabo, on the other hand, could only create snow using his own stamina. The scorching environment suppressed his power. After just one clash, he was already at a disadvantage.
Still, he quickly realized something. "Water… so that's your weakness."
As if detonating himself, his body burst apart and erupted into a massive blizzard. This time, the snow wasn't cold enough. In the extreme heat, much of it melted into water midair and crashed down onto the sand in a heavy wave.
For a brief moment, the flow of sand was halted.
Snow suddenly surged beneath Robin and Cobra's feet, wrapping around them and pulling them together. Sabo's right arm spun into a mass of snow, aiming toward the collapsed passage.
"Blizzard Dragon King!!!"
A massive snow dragon, formed from compressed snow, shot forward with two snowballs in its mouth and slammed into the blocked entrance.
Crocodile snorted and flicked his hand toward it.
Boom!
The ruins trembled.
From above the passage, countless sand spikes burst out and pinned the giant snow dragon onto the steps. A blade formed from sand fell at the dragon's head and severed it instantly.
Robin and Cobra tumbled out of the snowballs. Nearby sand twisted like living ropes and lashed toward them.
Sabo vanished.
In an instant, he reappeared from the snowball the two had fallen from, his form condensing. His dragon claw struck through the air, and the incoming sand ropes shattered as if crushed by an invisible force, exploding apart.
Robin, just freed, did not relax. Instead, her pupils shrank. "Behind you!!!"
Behind Sabo, Crocodile had appeared without a sound, his body half turned into sand. His left golden hook, coated in black Armament Haki and glowing with a poisonous purple hue, stabbed toward Sabo.
Boom!
A thunderous crash erupted at the entrance of the ruins.
Crack!
Crack!
Two distinct sounds of bones breaking rang out.
Both Crocodile and Sabo's chests caved in, their ribs nearly shattered as they were blasted backward, crashing into the massive Poneglyph deep inside the hall. The impact forced blood from their mouths.
A faint blue afterimage flickered like an illusion, then vanished.
The sudden turn stunned Robin and Cobra.
The sand on the ground began to move again, forming soft bindings that gently restrained the former.
Soter appeared. "Please don't move, miss."
Robin turned to look, her heart turning cold. A Marine admiral candidate, "Murashi," Soter.
After speaking to her, he looked at Cobra. "Hmm… Are you alright, sir?"
Cobra came back to his senses and gave a bitter smile. These past few minutes had been more intense than anything in his entire life. But it was already too late.
He had been nailed in the palace and brought here. He had lost too much blood. The earlier shock had forced him awake for a moment, but now the dizziness returned. He knew he was about to die.
Looking at the Marine uniform, he took a deep breath and forced himself to stay conscious. "Mr. Marine… can you go to the palace and save my daughter? She's still young. She shouldn't die…"
Soter nodded. "Then you can rest easy. The lady beside you rescued her before leaving. The one who led the attack on the palace seems to know your daughter. Her life is not in danger."
A faint smile appeared on Cobra's face. "Koza… that boy…"
With his final worry gone, his gaze began to fade.
"Tha…nk you…"
The last king of Alabasta leaned against the wall and quietly lost all signs of life.
Soter reached out and gently closed his eyes, then placed his body properly. After that, he controlled the sand and brought Robin down toward the main hall.
She took a deep breath. Realizing she could not break free, she stopped struggling and chose to watch what the Marines intended to do.
Inside the hall, near the Poneglyph, Bullet held one person in each hand by the throat and lifted them up coldly.
That gaze, as if looking at the dead, filled Crocodile with deep fear.
That man…
A nightmare from years ago resurfaced in his mind. Now, he could not even react. In an instant, he had been severely injured and pushed to the brink of death.
'Damn it!!! Why were the Marines involved?!'
Crocodile's pupils shrank to the limit as cold sweat poured down his face, his mind racing for any way to escape.
Beside him, Sabo, who was also being held by the throat, was thinking just as fast.
Marine Grand Admiral, Bullet… a man whose status was second only to Sakazuki.
According to the Revolutionary Army's intelligence, his strength was unfathomable. Someone capable of fighting an Emperor alone…
In their current condition, escape was almost impossible.
'Damn it… what now…'
Bullet paid no attention to their thoughts. His hands tightened slightly.
"Stay still."
The powerful Armament Haki coating his hands made it clear. With just a bit more force, both of them would lose their heads instantly. Neither dared to move.
In front of the Poneglyph, Carlo had appeared there at some point through teleportation.
After reading the contents of the stone, his expression turned strange, and he let out a faint sigh. "I didn't expect Pluton to be there. Really…"
His gaze shifted to Crocodile, and he shook his head.
More than twenty years of planning, only to end in a result that was almost impossible to overcome…
Held by the throat, Crocodile heard the mention of Pluton and struggled violently, twisting his head toward the voice.
Seeing his reaction, Bullet's lips curved slightly. He loosened his grip just enough to let him turn.
With bloodshot eyes and blood at the corner of his mouth, Crocodile rasped, "Whe… where…"
Carlo replied, "You won't get it."
At this point, there was nothing else left in Crocodile's mind. The location of Pluton had become an obsession, something close to madness.
"Where is it!!! Where is it!!!"
He roared like a beast.
Carlo looked at Crocodile calmly. "What's recorded on this Poneglyph is indeed the location of Pluton. But where it is buried… is somewhere you will never reach."
He sighed again, his tone carrying a trace of pity.
"Pluton is buried deep beneath the magma under Wano Country. And whose territory is Wano… you should know."
The madness in Crocodile's eyes froze instantly, replaced by disbelief.
It felt like a cruel joke of fate. Defeated once by an Emperor, he had spent twenty years chasing Pluton, only to learn it lay beneath the stronghold of another Emperor.
What kind of despair was this…
Crocodile's will collapsed completely.
"Impossible… Impossible… IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
He struggled violently, trying to activate his power as the surrounding sand began to riot.
Watching him lose control, Carlo shook his head.
Pfft!
The Devil Fruit extractor pierced straight through Crocodile's heart.
Crack!
At the same time, Bullet tightened his grip and crushed his neck.
Inside the extractor, a new Devil Fruit quickly formed.
Once it was complete, Bullet casually tossed Crocodile's lifeless body aside, his face still frozen in unwillingness.
At the entrance, Robin, who had been brought down by Soter, stood there in shock.
Someone else… could read the Poneglyph? How was that possible?!
As she stood there stunned, Carlo spoke.
But it was not his usual voice. It was the voice of someone long dead.
"Long time no see. Robin…"
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