The sun hung low over the dunes as the Straw Hat Pirates finally departed Rainbase, the casino of deception behind them, the city of Alubarna ahead.
The tension was palpable.
Sanji, now freshly bathed and still fuming about Vihaan, adjusted his collar while carrying a cooler box full of leftovers he refused to let go to waste.
Zoro sat cross-legged in the boat, arms crossed, eyes closed. "This smells like war."
Usopp looked at the horizon, holding tightly onto his slingshot. "Do you think Vivi's okay with Vihaan and Nami?"
Chopper, riding beside Luffy, nodded. "Vihaan's strong. So is Nami."
Luffy stood tall at the helm of their small sand-powered skiff, wind ruffling his vest. His face was unusually serious.
Then, just as the group began to pick up speed across the endless desert—
A shadow passed overhead. A heavy, dry gust of wind surged around them.
Sand began to spiral.
From the swirling haze rose a tall figure—his golden hook gleaming in the sun, his coat flowing like royalty in ruin.
Crocodile.
The skiff skidded to a halt as the Warlord of the Sea stepped into their path.
"Leaving so soon?" Crocodile's voice slithered like a serpent. "I thought you'd put up more of a fight."
Luffy stepped forward, planting his feet firmly in the sand. His voice was low, serious.
"You're not getting past me."
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Luffy—"
Luffy turned to his crew with a small grin.
"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up later."
Usopp's jaw dropped. "WHAAAAT?! You're gonna fight that guy alone?!"
Sanji bit his lip. "Luffy, this ain't like fighting Arlong or Kuro…"
But Luffy didn't budge.
"This guy's different. He's dangerous. I felt it the second I saw him. That's why I need to take him on now."
Zoro looked at the warlord, then at Luffy. "Don't die."
Luffy grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Chopper tugged Usopp. "Let's trust him."
With hesitation but understanding, the crew pushed their skiff past the sandstorm, disappearing into the horizon—towards Alubarna, where Vivi, Vihaan, and Nami awaited.
The winds stilled.
Crocodile chuckled. "Bold move, Straw Hat. You're just a boy."
Luffy pulled his hat down slightly. "I'm gonna be Pirate King."
Crocodile's smirk vanished.
"Then I'll crush that dream here."
He raised his hand—and a cyclone of sand erupted from beneath Luffy's feet.
Luffy leapt up, twisting mid-air—"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"—and aimed straight at Crocodile's chest.
The fist hit.
But passed right through.
"Logia…" Luffy muttered.
Crocodile countered, his hook slicing through the sand and slashing toward Luffy, who barely dodged, crashing against a boulder.
"You'll learn, Straw Hat," Crocodile said coldly, "that not all fights are winnable. Especially in my kingdom."
Luffy stood up, blood at the edge of his mouth. "I don't care whose kingdom this is. I'll beat you down and help Vivi save hers!"
And with that, the desert exploded into chaos as sand met rubber—Luffy vs. Crocodile, the first clash of ideals, dreams, and devastation began.
The blistering sun bore down as Crocodile and Luffy stood facing each other in the empty dunes outside Rainbase.
The golden hook gleamed.
Luffy cracked his knuckles.
A small gust swirled past them—then…
"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"
Luffy sprang forward, arms stretched wide, fists charging with force. He slammed them toward Crocodile with full force—only for them to slice through a whirlwind of sand.
Crocodile reformed a few meters away, unfazed.
"I expected more."
With a flick of his hand, the ground cracked. Sand twisted unnaturally, forming a spike trap beneath Luffy's feet. He jumped—barely—only to see Crocodile already in the air.
"Desert Spada!"
A massive blade of sand erupted diagonally through the air. Luffy twisted mid-jump, the edge nicking his leg and drawing blood.
"Tch—!"
Luffy landed and instantly fired a "Gomu Gomu no Gatling!", fists flying in every direction, pummeling through Crocodile's sand body. But…
Nothing connected.
Crocodile's body turned completely to sand again, absorbing every blow.
"Futile effort. You can't touch me."
Suddenly, Crocodile vanished into a sand swirl—appearing right behind Luffy. He grabbed Luffy's arm and pressed his palm to it.
"Desert Encierro."
Luffy gasped.
His arm began drying up—shriveling as Crocodile sucked the moisture from it.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"
"My ability. I don't just control sand, Straw Hat. I control everything it touches. Moisture. Life. Hope."
Luffy bit his lip and twisted his arm out, rolling across the sand to escape.
His right arm now looked withered and bruised.
Crocodile now raised both hands. A massive spiral of sand rose from the ground—a mini sandstorm that swallowed the battlefield.
Luffy shielded his eyes as sand sliced his skin.
"Desert Girasole!"
Crocodile summoned a sand pit under Luffy's feet. It sucked him down. He barely stretched his arm to grab a rock and pull himself out—but Crocodile was already above him.
"You should've stayed buried."
"Desert La Spada!"
A spear of hardened sand shot from Crocodile's arm—impaling Luffy's shoulder.
"AARGHH—!!"
Luffy tumbled across the sand, holding his bleeding arm.
"I'm not done yet…"
"Gomu Gomu no Rifle!!"
Luffy spun his arm, twisting it into a compressed spiral and unleashed a massive punch, smashing Crocodile across the jaw, sending him reeling.
"You… little…" Crocodile staggered.
Luffy rushed again, drenched his fist in the last bit of water from his pouch and—
"Gomu Gomu no—"
But before he could finish, Crocodile disappeared again into the sandstorm.
Suddenly, a huge claw of sand erupted beneath Luffy.
"Ground Death!"
It wrapped around Luffy's lower body—crushing and draining him. His entire lower half began to dehydrate.
"AHH—!! I CAN'T—MOVE—"
Crocodile landed before him, now completely unbothered, holding his golden hook high.
"You're tenacious. But this kingdom belongs to me, and I don't have time to humor delusions."
"Sables!"
A concentrated blast of sand whipped Luffy into the air like a tornado and smashed him down hard.
He didn't move.
Blood stained the dunes.
Crocodile turned.
"Pathetic."
As he walked away, the sandstorm began to settle.
But another figure approached silently.
Long, black hair. A calm, mysterious aura.
"You're done playing, I see," said Miss All Sunday—Nico Robin.
"Yes," Crocodile muttered. "Dispose of the Straw Hat if he twitches again."
Robin looked at Luffy's unconscious body.
She crouched beside him.
"He's stronger than you expected, isn't he?"
Crocodile didn't answer.
Robin's eyes narrowed.
"This boy… will bring the storm."
She stood, silent.
The desert wind howled once again.
As the desert sun cast long, twisted shadows, Crocodile stood tall, eyes narrowed at Luffy's broken body in the sand.
"End him," he ordered coldly, his golden hook gleaming in the sunlight.
Robin tilted her head, her expression unreadable.
"As you wish," she replied smoothly.
Without another glance at the fallen Straw Hat, Crocodile turned and walked away, his cloak fluttering in the wind, swallowed by the sands of his so-called kingdom.
Silence followed.
Robin stood still for a long moment, her gaze fixed on the unconscious Luffy. His body was battered, bruised, and drying fast from Crocodile's ruthless dehydration ability.
Then, with a slow and graceful motion, Robin knelt beside him.
From within her robes, she pulled a small ceramic flask—a canteen of clean water she had kept hidden.
"You're reckless," she murmured, brushing dust off Luffy's face.
She tilted the flask gently, letting a few drops of water fall into his cracked lips. Luffy stirred slightly but didn't regain consciousness.
Robin tore a strip of cloth from her sleeve and dabbed his forehead, careful, almost maternal in her touch.
"You'll die if you keep rushing into battles without thinking," she whispered. "But maybe… that's what makes you dangerous."
Her fingers paused briefly on the rim of her hat as she glanced over her shoulder—ensuring Crocodile was gone.
Then she leaned in and whispered in Luffy's ear:
"His power crumbles… with water."
She stood, tall and elegant as ever, hiding the now-empty flask back inside her cloak.
"Don't disappoint me, Straw Hat."
Without another word, she vanished into the desert winds.
Luffy, barely breathing, clenched his hand weakly in the sand… a faint twitch of life and a new whisper of hope.