"How troublesome..."
A sudden slash of sand struck without warning.
Orin had seen this move before.
Back then, he had relied purely on his brute strength to endure it.
Sakazuki's upper and lower halves slowly shifted apart, his gaze dropping down to where a mass of sand was gradually taking human form.
It was none other than Crocodile.
"Sakazuki, I'll use your head as the stepping stone to make my name known."
"Arrogant beyond belief!!!"
Sakazuki's expression darkened. The spot where his bisected body connected began to ooze searing magma, then slowly fused back together.
It wasn't just Crocodile who had such an ability.
Sakazuki was also a Logia-type Devil Fruit user.
"Now this is interesting. After all, you're a man who could trade blows with Orin—there's no way you'd be taken out that easily."
Sakazuki clenched his teeth. Hearing the name from the other's lips, he thought of the standing orders.
Though anger roiled in his chest, he still spoke:
"If you leave now, I can pretend I never saw you."
A mere Crocodile was no real concern.
But she was one of Orin's rare companions. Killing her could easily provoke a clash between Orin and the Marines—or even with the World Government itself.
The Fleet Admiral's orders were clear: unless absolutely necessary, do not attack.
"Leave now?"
Crocodile let out a laugh, as if she'd just heard a joke.
"I'm here to kill you!!!"
Her palm slowly turned to flowing sand, laced with Armament Haki. The blackened grains took the shape of a long blade and swung toward Sakazuki.
"Desert Spada!!!"
The streamlined sand blade extended further and further, slicing across with no intention of giving any face.
Seeing this, Sakazuki's anger flared. Crocodile was courting death.
Then there was no need to hold back any longer.
Clenching his fist, the magma swelled violently in an instant, carrying the explosive force of a volcanic eruption. He drove it straight into the oncoming black Desert Spada.
"Great Eruption!!!"
Boom—
The massive magma fist collided with the sand blade. The heat and destructive force gouged a crater into the warship's deck, forcing many Marines to leap into the sea to escape.
On the battlefield, Crocodile—hit head-on by the Great Eruption—staggered back several steps, looking momentarily stunned. She even had to roll to bleed off the momentum and stop herself.
Sakazuki, on the other hand, stood firm, glaring at her with fury.
She could hardly believe it.
How was this possible?
This was just a Vice Admiral who had once besieged Orin and nearly been taken down—how could she not beat him?
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Massive Sandstorm!!!"
Unwilling to accept it, she bit down so hard on her cigar it snapped in her mouth, spitting it away somewhere unseen. She raised her hand, unleashing a disaster-class sandstorm.
Orin had long since given his assessment of Crocodile's strength—she'd just happened not to be around to hear it.
Roughly speaking...
Stronger than the average Vice Admiral, but only by so much.
Her real advantage lay in her Logia fruit's intangibility and the troublesome nature of the Sand-Sand Fruit.
She could clash with almost anyone.
Both their attacks were large-scale, high-destructive "natural disaster" moves.
After only a few exchanges, the warship serving as their battlefield was declared beyond saving and sank beneath the waves.
Neither of them could touch the water—especially Crocodile. Sakazuki could at least cool his magma into volcanic rock and stand on the surface for a short while.
But Crocodile's sand lost control the moment it touched water.
So—
Transforming into a sandstorm, Crocodile flew toward a distant deserted island.
And Sakazuki?
With his ship destroyed and himself struck a few times, there was no way he could just slink away in shame.
Besides, he'd already made his move—what difference would a few more strikes make?
Boom—
Turning his body into blazing projectiles, Sakazuki used the blast force of a volcanic eruption to rocket toward Crocodile's direction.
Even if he didn't kill her, he was going to vent this rage!
And it was in this very battle that Crocodile learned a bit of chemistry—
What was known as...
Sand crystallization.
...
"What! That Crocodile got captured by the Marines?"
Hearing this intel, Sammi was visibly shocked.
Her first thought was—had the Marines gone insane?
To openly arrest one of Orin's companions—was the Marine force... no, was the World Government trying to start a war with the underworld?
It was too sudden!
But after listening further, she understood the whole story.
Basically, Crocodile had gone looking for trouble, lost to Sakazuki, and been taken into custody.
Who knew whether she truly couldn't escape, or was just too stubborn to try?
She'd been escorted all the way back to Marine Headquarters at Marineford. Word was, the warship had been destroyed, so they'd sailed back on a pirate ship instead.
"Reckless as always, that one..."
Sammi rubbed her forehead helplessly, deciding she'd try contacting the Marines.
Maybe she could use Orin's name to bail Crocodile out.
It should be doable.
If not...
If not, Crocodile might be making a trip to Impel Down's Level 6.
...
It wasn't just Sammi who was troubled—Marine Headquarters was also having a headache over this.
Marine Headquarters,
Marineford.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office—
Kong braced both hands on his desk, brows furrowed as he glanced at the stern-faced Sakazuki before him, then at Sengoku, Tsuru, and the others seated on the sofa to the side.
They remained silent, until Kong finally broke the stillness.
"Alright, she's already been caught and brought back. We can't just keep her here in Marineford forever—come up with a way to deal with this."
He turned his gaze to Sengoku, wearing his signature toad-shaped sunglasses—the man destined to succeed him as Fleet Admiral.
Sengoku's face was equally grave. Seeing Kong's look, a bad feeling crept into his heart.
Could it be...
"Sengoku, let's hear your opinion."
The man known as the "Strategist" of the Admirals inwardly groaned at the words.
"This..."
What a hot potato.
Keeping her was bad, but releasing her would humiliate the Marines.
If the rank-and-file officers and sailors learned that the Marines had been attacked by a pirate, then treated her politely and let her go, wouldn't that risk mutiny?
It would undermine morale!
But if they didn't release her...
Considering Orin's abilities and that little-known identity of his...
It was a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation.
As the group discussed possible measures—
"Beru beru beru..."
"Beru beru beru..."
A sharp Den Den Mushi ring cut through the room.
The Marine brass all froze.
"This is..."
"Everyone except Sengoku, step outside for now."
Though momentarily surprised, they saluted and withdrew.
Only Sengoku, being groomed as Fleet Admiral and about to assume the post, was allowed to remain.
Kong gave Sengoku a look, signaling for silence, then picked up the receiver.
On the Den Den Mushi's face appeared a cold, imperious visage, the voice lofty and commanding:
"Kong, we need to inform you—Orin's side has already begun making inquiries... about the matter of Sir Crocodile."