"Shhh—"
Consciousness rose from the abyss of darkness as Crocodile's eyes snapped open.
The first thing that entered his sight was Mr.1 lying not far away.
Daz Bonez… his most loyal, most powerful subordinate… dead?!
A chilling wave crawled up his spine straight into his brain, immediately followed by a volcanic eruption of rage.
Humiliation.
Unparalleled humiliation.
Memories came flooding back like a crashing tide.
That suffocating, oppressive aura that left him unable to resist, forced to kneel in disgrace.
That young Marine officer's indifferent, detached expression.
And that clean, decisive punch… the one that sent his consciousness spiraling into darkness.
He, Sir Crocodile, the man who once dared to challenge Whitebeard… one of the Shichibukai… the "Hero" of Alabasta…
And yet…
And yet he had been knocked flat to the ground… with a single punch… in front of all his subordinates!
"AAAAHHHH—!!!"
A silent roar exploded inside his chest, fury consuming the last shred of his rationality.
Dignity, plans, his future… everything—shattered in that kneel, crushed in that fall.
He would bury everyone here.
Every last one of these damn Marines.
And that man—the one who humiliated him—he would be dragged into the sands of death!
"Marines… all of you… go to hell!!!"
Crocodile's body suddenly disintegrated into sand, merging into the endless desert beneath his feet.
"RUMBLE—!!"
The entire desert began to quake violently!
Centered around Crocodile, hundreds of meters of golden sand churned and swirled, as if awakened to life.
The earth wailed. The sky trembled.
A towering tsunami of sand surged upward, its height instantly surpassing that of the distant Pyramid Casino, its colossal shadow engulfing the entire battlefield.
Sunlight vanished. Darkness fell over everything, painting an apocalyptic scene of pale yellow despair.
Within the raging wall of sand, countless screaming faces took form, their expressions twisted in agony.
Enormous hands, sculpted from swirling grains, clawed and thrashed wildly—seeming as though they would drag the entire world into an endless hell.
This was his strongest attack.
A do-or-die strike that wagered everything.
"Desert Funeral!!!"
...
King Cobra and Princess Vivi had just landed nearby when they witnessed the catastrophic sight unfolding before them. Their faces drained of all color.
"It's… over…"
Cobra's lips were dry and cracked, his eyes filled with despair.
This… this was the power of a god.
A disaster no one could resist.
But just as that apocalyptic force was about to descend, a calm voice pierced through the chaos, reaching every ear clearly.
"Crocodile…"
"Didn't I tell you to stay down?"
At the center of the battlefield, Rayne Hawke slowly raised his fists.
The next moment, his figure vanished.
In his place came the deafening roar of fists tearing through the air—a raging storm of relentless strikes!
"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG—!!!"
Hawke's silhouette became a streak of black lightning, unleashing an unending barrage of punches against the towering tsunami of sand!
Each strike carried condensed, jet-black force, rippling with pure, destructive power.
That force was overwhelming.
Absolute.
Unstoppable.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of strikes blasted into the oncoming sand tsunami, shattering its structure blow by blow.
"Crack—!!"
"Cra-crack—!!"
That world-ending tsunami of sand… was smashed apart.
"BOOM!!!"
Amidst the collapsing golden sand, a figure was blasted violently out from within the storm—launched by the sheer force of Hawke's strikes.
Crocodile's elementalized body was forcibly torn from the sea of sand!
"Whoooosh—!!!"
The once-suffocating tsunami lost all form and control, collapsing into a downpour of golden grains that rained powerlessly upon the battlefield.
Sunlight broke through once more, illuminating the desert below.
"You…"
Suspended in midair, Crocodile lifted his head, and the unbridled rage in his eyes had already been replaced by shock… and fear.
His strongest attack—his ultimate strike capable of burying an entire city under layers of sand—
It was destroyed.
Obliterated.
Blown apart… by this man.
This… this was impossible!
This was supposed to be the power of a Marine Rear Admiral?!
If all Marine Rear Admirals were this monstrous, then why would the Shichibukai even exist?!
The New World would have been flattened by the Marines long ago!
"SHHH—"
As his mind reeled, a black shadow flashed beside him.
Hawke's expression was cold, emotionless.
His jet-black, Haki-coated fist slammed squarely into Crocodile's chest.
"BANG!"
The devastating force bypassed his sand form entirely, striking his true body within.
"GUAAAH—!!!"
Crocodile plummeted from the sky like a fallen meteor, crashing heavily into the sand with an explosive impact that sent dust spiraling high into the air.
Hot blood and shredded organs spewed violently from his mouth. He felt his internal organs twist out of place from that single punch, the searing pain nearly dragging him into unconsciousness.
"Tap—"
Hawke landed lightly, his spotless white coat of Justice fluttering behind him.
Step by step, unhurried, he walked toward Crocodile.
Across the battlefield, every single Marine, every Baroque Works agent—even those locked in combat—instinctively froze, their gazes converging on the same figure.
Outside the battlefield, Cobra and Vivi held their breaths, hearts pounding wildly.
"Sir Crocodile."
Hawke's voice was calm, yet in the silence of the deadlocked battlefield, it resounded like the verdict of hell itself.
"Original bounty: 81,000,000 Belly. After becoming a Shichibukai, you exploited your government status to orchestrate rebellion within the Kingdom of Alabasta."
"You used 'Dance Powder,' manufacturing a three-year nationwide drought, leaving countless civilians to suffer and the land in ruin."
"You secretly founded the criminal organization 'Baroque Works,' incited rebellion, attempted to overthrow the kingdom, and sought to seize the Ancient Weapon—'Pluton.'"
Hawke stopped before him, towering above, his gaze cold and indifferent.
"Each of these crimes is punishable by death."
"I, Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, Rayne Hawke…"
"Hereby, in the name of Justice… sentence you to…"
Hawke slowly raised his right fist.
"…Death."
The word fell. The punch followed.
"BOOM!"
That Haki-clad fist pierced cleanly through Crocodile's chest.
"…"
In his pupils, the last traces of defiance and fear faded away, leaving only lifeless, ashen gray.
[Ding!]
A crisp system notification chimed in Hawke's mind.
[Killed former 81,000,000-Belly bounty Shichibukai — Sir Crocodile.]
[Justice Points gained: 8,100.]
[Killed Baroque Works chief commanders Mr.1, Mr.2, and all other primary officers.]
[Justice Points gained: 10,000.]
[First-time kill of a "Government-Approved Great Pirate" — Shichibukai. The world's criminals will be greatly deterred. Triggering bonus reward.]
[Justice Points gained: 30,000.]
[Total Justice Points earned this operation: 48,100.]
[Current remaining Justice Points: 102,168.]
"Oh… Justice Points broke one hundred thousand for the first time?!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo