Chapter 35: My Codename Is 'Ryuji'!
Outside Elumalu.
"Phew... looks like a good harvest."
Eha led his Spot-Billed Duck, 'Dodolu,' as he dug up fresh Sand Sprouts from the desert floor.
These unique plants grew in the Alabasta desert, relying on groundwater and rain. They were delicious, difficult to harvest, and highly sought after by gourmets.
Eha's profession was 'Sand Sprout Merchant.'
"That rain from the 'Rain-Caller' really saved us," Eha sighed, tossing a sprout into the basket on Dodolu's back.
He had said this countless times recently.
People always remembered miracles.
He would never forget the sight of the 'Rain-Caller' walking out of the desert—that rain had, in a sense, saved his life and the lives of his wife and child.
"I just don't know why His Majesty won't admit he knows the Rain-Caller... even though I heard the man entered the palace."
Shhh... Shhh...
He lit his pipe, mumbling to himself.
Shhh... Shhh...
But after a few puffs, he felt something was wrong.
Shhh... Shhh...
He quickly realized what it was.
"...The sound of the sand... it's wrong."
Eha frowned.
As someone who walked the desert constantly, he knew the sands well.
The desert around Elumalu shifted every day due to wind or groundwater, but... since a moment ago, it seemed too active.
The 'shhh' sound of moving sand was becoming harsh, almost piercing.
"No, wait... the sky and wind in the west are wrong too."
Eha noticed more anomalies.
In the distance, the sky to the west of Elumalu seemed inexplicably dark.
He could see the sand in the west moving visibly, but he didn't feel any strong wind coming from that direction.
"Something's wrong..."
Eha decided to check. His house was nearby; for the sake of his family, he had to confirm the situation.
"Dodolu!"
"Quack!"
He mounted his duck and sped west.
"I remember that's the outskirts... someone opened a cafe there, right... Hm?"
He was still thinking as he rode.
And then...
"QUACK!"
After cresting a sand dune, his duck let out a startled cry. It slammed on the brakes, the sudden stop nearly throwing Eha off.
"Dodolu!? What are you..."
Eha's complaint died in his throat.
Because after cresting the dune, the scene before him was nothing short of horrifying.
From the sky, torrential rain was pouring down.
But the rain couldn't reach the ground. Before it could land, a massive 'Sand Curtain' rising from the earth blocked it completely, blotting out the sky.
This explained why the sky looked wrong. Even the sunlight was blocked by that colossal curtain of sand.
Thud! Thud!
Sounds echoed around him.
It was the sound of the 'Sand Curtain' absorbing the rain, turning into clumps of wet sand, and falling back to earth.
As these clumps fell, new sand rose to take their place, maintaining the barrier.
But this magnificent scene wasn't the most shocking part.
RUMBLE!
Aside from the Sand Curtain, the entire desert for hundreds of meters around was churning. Countless grains of golden sand formed giant waves, surging and rolling.
It no longer looked like a desert, but a storm-tossed ocean of sand.
On this sea of sand, everything was gone. The rock pillars, the shrubs, even the cafe Eha remembered... all gone.
That was why Dodolu had stopped.
One more step, and they would have become part of this 'desert.'
As a citizen of Alabasta, Eha was familiar with this sight.
Quicksand—Alabasta's most common and terrifying 'natural disaster.'
But the problem was...
"What... is... that..."
Eha's whisper was almost a delirious mumble.
Because he saw it—inside that churning sea of sand, there were two figures!
BOOM!
One figure's lower body had completely merged with the swirling sand.
His left hand was a golden hook. Every time he swung it, he whipped up sand waves that blotted out the sky, forming massive 'scimitars' of sand.
Wherever these blades passed, the desert was cleaved into deep chasms.
Looking closely, Eha realized that the center of this entire shifting desert... was this man!
Opposite him, the other figure was familiar to Eha.
The majestic Dragon Head Mask. It was the 'Rain-Caller.'
And this mysterious guest was also displaying impossible power.
He walked on the violent quicksand.
Beneath his feet, a thin layer of ice spread with every step. No matter how turbulent the sand, the moment it neared him, it froze solid, becoming a firm foothold.
Whenever Crocodile launched a 'Desert Spada,' massive ice shields would erupt around Ryuji to block it.
Witnessing this unbelievable scene, Eha began to doubt his earlier judgment.
Everything before him screamed a singular fact: this was not a 'natural disaster.' It was the work of these two men.
Their battle had literally changed the landscape.
"Are they... really human?"
Eha couldn't help but wonder.
Then, worry set in. Even though he knew nothing about fighting, he could tell.
On this battlefield, the man controlling the quicksand had the clear advantage. The 'Rain-Caller' seemed to be suppressed.
But for Eha... he didn't know why they were fighting, but he knew one thing.
"That Rain-Caller... is the hope of our country right now."
He murmured anxiously.
...
On the battlefield.
"Kid, I told you... you won't get another chance to touch me with water."
Crocodile's voice came through the flying sand, filled with arrogance.
SWISH!
As he spoke, another sharp 'Desert Spada' roared forth.
CLANG!
Ryuji waved his hand, summoning ice shields to block the blade. Before the sand could cut through, he leaped back, dodging the strike.
"So your definition of 'no chance' is just not letting me get close?"
Ryuji shook his head. "I thought a Warlord's strategy would be a bit more... domineering."
He pointed out exactly what Crocodile was doing.
Ever since realizing Ryuji knew his weakness and could 'manipulate moisture,' Crocodile had chosen to keep his distance, triggering this massive 'quicksand.'
Using this vast sea of sand, he attacked Ryuji from afar with his Sand-Sand Fruit abilities, never engaging in close combat.
"Strategies are only judged by whether they bring victory," Crocodile said calmly.
"Face and honor... those things only appear on tombstones."
As he spoke, he swiped his right hand. A giant hand made of sand rose from the sea, grabbing at Ryuji.
Vmmm!
Ryuji leaped, dodging the grasp.
Crocodile didn't care if he missed.
He was a Logia user of the Sand-Sand Fruit. Logia users represented 'Nature.' Their power was equivalent to a 'natural disaster.'
Paramecia and Zoan users consumed massive stamina to create large-scale destruction. But Logia users were different. They could generate their element from nothing. For them, wide-range attacks were easy.
Especially in their own 'natural environment,' the stamina cost to control existing elements was negligible.
This was why Logia was called the strongest class of Devil Fruits!
For Crocodile, controlling the sand from a distance to attack Ryuji was as natural as breathing. It cost him almost nothing.
"Your ability is a threat, but... there is a difference in the 'tier' of our powers."
He waved his hand again. Several sand blades flew out, forcing Ryuji to dodge once more.
"Victory... isn't it a bit early to say that?"
Ryuji laughed softly.
Under the mask, Roy was actually smiling.
In fact, Crocodile's choice played right into his hands.
If Crocodile didn't want close combat, Roy wanted it even less. His 'Ryuji' clone, due to limited fruit slots, didn't have any body-enhancing Zoan fruits equipped. His use of Rokushiki was mediocre at best.
If Crocodile forced a melee, Roy would actually be more wary.
But since Crocodile wanted a battle of abilities? Roy welcomed it.
And now...
"Time's up."
He whispered in his mind.
On the screen before his eyes:
[Logia · Sand-Sand Fruit. Analysis Complete: 100%]
This meant he no longer needed to conserve stamina.
So...
"I can let other things slide, but saying there's a gap in our fruit abilities... I can't pretend I didn't hear that!"
As he spoke, Ryuji landed.
He slowly raised his hand... and snapped his fingers!
And then, Crocodile watched in shock as a colossal object... erupted from beneath Ryuji's feet!
RUMBLE!
The earth shook. The ley lines groaned.
Accompanying the deep, heavy sound was a chill like the depths of winter.
A chill so intense it made Eha, watching from afar, shiver.
Then, he saw the Rain-Caller slowly rise into the air—or rather, he was being pushed up by what was beneath him.
It was a massive, crystalline structure.
Carrying bone-chilling cold, it broke through the sea of sand, rising from the ground in a land that belonged only to sand.
It was... an Iceberg!
[Ice-Ice Fruit: Frost Mountain]
"How... is that possible?"
The sight of something impossible in the desert made Crocodile's expression freeze.
This scene defied even the Warlord's understanding.
"This is a desert. There's almost no water here."
"Even Aokiji couldn't create an iceberg this huge in such a short time here—even a Logia user who can generate their element needs time to change the environment..."
His thought stopped abruptly. His body went rigid.
He spun around instantly, looking at his surroundings.
Amidst the swirling sand, there was something he had ignored.
Throughout the battle, it had been falling from the sky constantly—the clumps of wet sand that fell after his 'Sand Curtain' absorbed the rain.
Crocodile finally realized the danger.
"From the very beginning, he..."
His strategic mind instantly grasped the terrifying truth.
This was the opponent's real goal all along.
No wonder the rain kept falling even after he blocked it with the Sand Curtain.
Ryuji wasn't trying to get him wet. He was changing the moisture concentration of the entire battlefield.
"Crocodile..."
Ryuji's voice came from atop the towering iceberg.
His breathing was slightly heavy—clearly, using an ability on this scale was taxing even for him.
But...
"My codename in the organization... is 'Ryuji'!" (Dragon of the Hour)
As the words fell...
Crocodile saw the massive, majestic ice peak beneath Ryuji's feet... change again!
White steam appeared on the surface of the iceberg, shrouding it completely.
But even though the view was obscured, Crocodile could hear it.
Gurgle!
The sound of surging water.
[Magma-Magma Fruit: Molten Wave] (Modified)
No...
Gurgle!
BOOM!
ROAAAAAR!!!
The sound wasn't a trickle. It was...
A tidal wave!
"It's just a desert. If I can't summon wind, rain, and waves here... how am I qualified to use this codename!?"
☆☆☆
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