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"Hey, Luffy, this is the spot, right?"
Inside the lavish casino, Nami pointed to a certain patch of floor and asked Luffy.
"Yup, I saw them," Luffy said casually, picking his nose like it was no big deal.
After they entered the casino and found all the rooms empty, Luffy had used his Observation Haki.
That's when he sensed a hidden chamber several meters below the ground.
At first, he was ready to just punch his way down—
But Nami stopped him.
"Leave it to me, Luffy."
"I've got a faster way."
Nami smiled confidently.
She was standing just to the side of where Luffy pointed, gently touching her Clima-Tact as she remembered something Bai Ye had once told her:
"I carved a magic array into your Clima-Tact. With the right moves, it can summon elemental energy."
"But the power and control you can get out of it still depends on you."
"Nami, you've always been sensitive to changes in the weather. That means you've got an exceptional ability to sense the elements."
"Don't be scared. Don't hold back. Remember—your weapon isn't the key. You are."
"Use your 'Chi' to sense and control the elements."
Nami looked up, her gaze seeming to pierce through the casino ceiling straight into the sky.
"Sense it with Chi, huh?"
She muttered to herself as she instinctively swung her Clima-Tact.
And with each swing, the Clima-Tact slowly started to change.
Crackle~
Tiny arcs of lightning began to dance along the staff.
At the same time, something strange started happening in the sky.
BOOM—!
Thunder rolled out of nowhere.
Dark clouds gathered in the blink of an eye, and even people dozens of miles away could feel it—
A massive, terrifying bolt of lightning was forming.
"I don't really know what 'Chi' is,"
Nami's eyes started to glow, her voice growing clearer, even a little excited—
"But I can see it pretty damn clearly!"
[Judgment of Thunder!!!]
Nami swung her Clima-Tact down hard!!!
BOOOOM!!!
A massive bolt of lightning tore through the clouds like a beast unleashed.
It slammed down in the direction Nami pointed—
With an unstoppable force!!!
That terrifying thunderbolt felt like a monstrous creature that could swallow everything in its path.
Whatever it touched—was shattered, destroyed!
The rooftop? Blown to bits!
The ground? Crushed like it was nothing!
Electricity crackled all around Nami, lightning flickering in her eyes like she was the storm.
Right now, she looked like a queen ruling over thunder—blazing and unstoppable!
"Luffy!!!" Nami shouted.
By now, the lightning had blasted a massive hole through the ground, tearing deeper and deeper.
"Leave it to me!!!"
Luffy had already jumped to the edge of the lightning-blasted crater.
Shouting, he pressed his straw hat down and leapt in!
Meanwhile, in the secret chamber, just as Crocodile finished saying—
"Destroying you all… what's that got to do with me?"
That one sentence hit like a knife to the heart, leaving the clueless people of Alabasta looking utterly hopeless.
But really, if you thought about it, it was obvious—Princess Vivi wouldn't dare stand up to Crocodile unless she had a plan.
Still, once people had already decided Crocodile was a hero, it was hard for them to change their minds.
Not that their fear would change anything anyway.
Because in moments like these, all it takes is one person to step up.
And that person… is what people call—a hero.
BOOM!!!
Finally!
Lightning tore through the darkness, blowing the secret chamber wide open!!!
And from the chaos came a boy's furious voice—
"Crocodile! I'm gonna blast you into next week!!!"
And just like that, the broadcast cut off.
Because the Den Den Mushi had heroically exploded.
But everyone in Alabasta had heard that voice.
Vivi clasped her hands over her chest, looking toward Rainbase:
"Luffy… and everyone else… please defeat Crocodile."
"Please… come back safe."
Meanwhile, in one of the palace rooms, Chopper was sitting by the giant cocoon.
His little legs dangled off the chair, swinging back and forth.
"Hey, Bai Ye, did you hear that?"
Chopper turned to the white cocoon.
"Luffy and the others… they're following your plan!"
"So wake up soon, okay?"
"Otherwise, Luffy's gonna cry like a baby again."
Inside the room, the little reindeer quietly wiped his own tears.
"Master?"
In a Taoist temple, Bai Ye followed his master around, pestering him.
"The Daoist scroll you gave me earlier—it's gone. Have you seen it?"
"How would I know?"
"Okay, but Master, about that Tai Chi technique you taught me… I kinda forgot it. Can you teach it again?"
"You useless brat! I'm trying to train. Don't bother me!"
"Hey—don't go, Master!"
"Yo! Little Straw Hat! You came to see me!"
Mr. 2 was probably the happiest person to see Luffy, striking a seductive pose to show his joy.
"Yeah, Bon-chan, I'm here!"
Luffy grinned and waved to Mr. 2, then turned to Robin. After thinking for a second, he said:
"Oh, you're that person from before."
"Bai Ye said you're a good person."
Hearing that, even someone as composed as Robin looked a little awkward.
Honestly, that kind of greeting was worse than not saying anything at all.
At that moment, Robin couldn't help but question—
Was it really a smart idea to bet her life on helping this guy?
"Straw Hat."
Right then, a voice echoed through the chamber, dripping with disdain and anger:
"So you're the punk causing all this trouble?"
On the surface, Baroque Works looked like a bounty hunter agency.
And as the boss, Crocodile always kept tabs on other pirates.
Straw Hat Luffy's bounty had already passed 200 million before entering the Grand Line.
Naturally, Crocodile took notice.
But that's all it was—just a passing interest.
Even that one-billion-berried "Exorcist" Bai Ye didn't make him worry.
To Crocodile, these no-name rookies hadn't even entered the Grand Line properly.
They had no idea how terrifying this sea really was.
But him—he was Crocodile.
He made it into the New World right after setting out, went toe-to-toe with the lunatic Bullet, and lived to tell the tale.
The Marines invited him to be a Warlord of the Sea.
He survived a duel with that man's sword.
And now what?
These nobodies dared challenge him?
Him?!
Crocodile's fury flared again:
"You think you can pick a fight with me, just 'cause you got into the Grand Line?!"
"You think you know who I am?!"
As he shouted, Crocodile's black coat billowed even without wind.
[Desert Sabre!]
His right arm suddenly transformed into a swirling mass of sand, shaping into a gleaming blade in the blink of an eye.
"I'm Crocodile, dammit!!!"
"....."