He let out a roar, "Desert Inferno."
At his command, a terrifying sandstorm erupted instantly. Gale-force winds whipped up the sand, forming massive spiraling sandstorms that seemed as if they would devour the entire world.
Ace's smile vanished in an instant, his expression turning grave.
"This guy's insane," he thought to himself, but he had to admit the man's strength was formidable.
"Fire Fist." He threw another punch, and the blazing flames collided with the billowing sand, producing a deafening roar.
Sand and flames expanded continuously, and the terrifying shockwave radiated outward from the two combatants, sending the surrounding sand and rocks flying.
Seeing this, Luffy and the others immediately turned and fled.
They knew full well that they couldn't participate in a fight of this caliber; one misstep and they'd be caught in it, crushed to pieces.
Meanwhile, on a distant dune, Rob Lucci and his group had also appeared quietly.
They watched Crocodile and Fire Fist Ace clashing fiercely, their expressions filled with gravity.
"The Whitebeard Pirates? Could they be making a move?" one of the CP9 members muttered.
"This small Alabasta is home to so many strong individuals."
Rob Lucci murmured, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield.
Suddenly, he spotted Straw Hat Luffy fleeing in the distance, and an inexplicable discomfort stirred within him. It was as if this guy was fated to cause trouble for him; the strange feeling irritated him.
But he merely looked away and continued to focus intently on the fierce battle.
"Haha, you're pretty strong," Fire Fist Ace laughed, a confident smile on his face, looking quite relaxed.
Crocodile, infuriated by his attitude, grew even more enraged.
"Desert Spada." Crocodile's hands moved swiftly, forming countless sharp sand blades that he shot toward Ace.
"Flame Commandment: Fire Pillar!" Ace was not to be outdone, his hands moving rapidly.
With his movements, countless streams of flame shot from his palms, and massive fire pillars erupted from the ground, surging toward Crocodile.
Wherever they passed, the air warped from the intense heat, and the sand on the ground instantly melted, forming patches of glassy material.
However, Crocodile merely smirked coldly.
"Useless. The desert is my domain."
As soon as he finished speaking, he plunged his hands into the sand, then jerked them upward with a violent shudder.
"Sandstorm!"
The entire desert seemed to be churned by an invisible giant hand; countless grains of sand were swept up by the howling wind, forming colossal spiraling sandstorms.
These sandstorms intertwined into a vast sea of sand that blotted out the sky, surging madly toward Ace's fire pillars.
Their attacks collided instantly, producing a deafening roar.
In this fierce exchange, Crocodile, leveraging his absolute control over the desert, managed to slightly overpower Ace in his home terrain.
Not far away, the Straw Hat crew watched this astonishing battle with wide eyes.
Luffy's mouth hung open, his eyes shimmering with awe, his hands clenching unconsciously.
Zoro frowned deeply, while Nami gripped her hat tightly, her face filled with terror. "This is too scary..."
Usopp covered his eyes with both hands, his body occasionally trembling with fear.
Sanji, a cigarette dangling from his lips, stared at the battlefield in shock, his hand trembling slightly, ash falling unnoticed.
On a dune, Spandam's face was twisted with rage, veins bulging on his forehead. "That Crocodile is a madman!"
The careful plans Spandam had made were now shattered by the chaotic situation before him.
He had intended to use the authority of the Five Elders to leverage Crocodile's vast intelligence network to gather information on Hashirama Senju, so he could report back to them.
But now, with Crocodile tied up by Fire Fist Ace, his plans had fallen through.
"If I fail this mission, how can I get promoted? Saturn Saint will never forgive me!"
The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became, his face growing pale with fear, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
Beside him, Rob Lucci seemed oblivious, his eyes fixed on Ace and Crocodile on the battlefield, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
In the presence of these two powerful fighters, he clearly recognized that his own strength was still far from sufficient, and a deep yearning welled up inside him – "I need to get stronger."
On the battlefield, Crocodile continued to press Ace. His signature black coat billowed wildly as his arrogant laughter echoed across the desert. "So this is the strength of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander? Not impressive."
Howling winds carried razor-sharp sand blades, crashing toward Ace like relentless waves.
In the desert, his home turf, Crocodile seemed to merge with the sand, drawing endless power from the ground beneath his feet, fueling his attacks and amplifying his presence.
Ace's expression grew increasingly grim. Crocodile before him, in this desert, was like a force of nature.
"Hahaha, in this desert, even Whitebeard, Hashirama Senju, and the Marine Admirals can't do a thing to me!"
Crocodile's laughter grew more arrogant. He spread his arms wide and roared skyward, the entire desert seeming to come alive under his command.
Dunes shifted at his will, sandstorms raged at his bidding.
In a hidden corner far away, Nico Robin watched silently. Her expression darkened, a trace of concern in her eyes.
The overwhelming power Crocodile displayed far exceeded her expectations. It seemed freeing herself from this man's control would not be easy.
Hearing Crocodile disrespect Whitebeard, Ace could no longer contain his rage.
His eyes burned with fury, and the flames around him churned violently.
"You will pay for your arrogance!" he roared, preparing to unleash his full power to teach Crocodile a lesson.
Deep within the desert, in a hidden cave, Blackbeard lay concealed.
A glint of cunning shone in his eyes, a sinister smile on his face.
Ace had not been wrong; Blackbeard had indeed recently arrived in Alabasta.
He had been hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment.
"Aha ha, quite the spectacle," he chuckled to himself, using Observation Haki to perceive everything happening outside with perfect clarity.
The terrifying scene of Ace and Crocodile's battle unfolded as if before his very eyes.
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