Chapter 107: The Despair of Sea Stone! The "Prince" Who Didn't Fall into the Net
Inside the massive Sea Stone cage.
Bang!
As Crocodile finished speaking, the heavy trapdoor overhead slammed shut with a thunderous boom, sealing off the last sliver of light from the outside world.
The light inside the cage became dim and oppressive.
"Damn it... that bastard Crocodile! To actually use a trap!"
Luffy scrambled up from the ground in a rage. Without a second thought, he rushed toward the bars, grabbing them with both hands, trying to pry them apart.
"Open up!!"
However, the moment his hands touched the bars...
"Ugh..."
Luffy felt as if he'd been struck by lightning; all the strength in his body was instantly drained away.
His eyes rolled back, and he slid down the bars like a lump of soft mud, collapsing limply onto the floor.
"Hey! Straw Hat! What's wrong with you?"
Seeing this, Smoker frowned and instinctively tried to elementalize to pass through the bars.
But when his smoke touched the bars, the same thing happened.
"Cough... ugh!"
Smoker let out a muffled groan. His usually upright posture instantly lost its support, and he fell to one knee.
The Jitte in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, and cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
"What's going on... I can't muster... any strength at all... Is this Sea Stone?!"
"Guhahahaha!"
Outside the cage, Crocodile watched his trapped prey and let out a triumphant, wild laugh.
"Don't waste your energy."
He blew out a smoke ring, his eyes looking contemptuously at the limp Ability Users.
"This cage is forged from 'Sea Stone'. This stone emits the same energy as the ocean.
"For Devil Fruit Ability Users, just touching it makes them as weak as a drowning man."
"This place... is your hell."
"Sea Stone, huh..."
Tatsuya was not affected at all.
As a non-Ability User, he still maintained his full physical strength.
Tatsuya walked up to the bars, drew a pitch-black Kunai with a reverse grip, coated it in Chakra, and slashed hard against the bars.
Screeech!!
Sparks flew everywhere.
However, not even a white mark was left on the bars. Instead, a notch was chipped out of the steel Kunai in Tatsuya's hand.
Tch.
Tatsuya put away the Kunai, his brow arching slightly.
"So hard... It seems impossible to get out by relying on physical destruction."
"Oh?"
Crocodile noticed the only black-haired youth standing straight, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"You seem quite energetic, 'Crimson Lotus'. It appears you really aren't an Ability User."
"But don't waste your breath. With this level of hardness, even that Pirate Hunter wouldn't be able to cut through it."
Zoro was currently trying to draw his sword. Hearing this, his face darkened and he gritted his teeth, but he didn't retort.
Because his intuition told him that this thing was indeed ridiculously hard.
Just then.
"Everyone!! I'm here!"
Vivi's voice came from the corridor.
Because she ran slower and was familiar with the terrain, she hadn't fallen into the trap.
"Vivi! Run!" Luffy shouted weakly.
However, on a home ground made entirely of sand, how could Vivi possibly escape?
"Desert Spada!"
With a casual wave of Crocodile's hand, a sand blade cut off Vivi's retreat.
Immediately after, a large sand-transformed hand reached out, easily grabbing Vivi by the neck and lifting her into the air.
"Let her go!!" Nami and Usopp screamed in terror.
"What a touching reunion, Princess."
Crocodile held Vivi, looking down at everyone in the cage from his superior position.
He finally revealed his insane plan, named 'Utopia', to these "dead men walking".
"Open your eyes and watch; this is the final moment."
"I have already arranged for my subordinates to masquerade as the Royal Army to attack civilians, while simultaneously inciting the Rebel Army to launch a final assault."
Crocodile's eyes glittered with fanatical ambition.
"The two armies will slaughter each other in Alubarna, and this country will be destroyed in the civil war. And I shall take over everything as a 'hero' and establish my own Utopia!"
"And... I shall obtain the Ancient Weapon sleeping beneath this country—'Pluton'!"
"Pluton?!" Smoker's pupils shrank. As a Marine, he knew full well what that implied.
"You bastard!!"
Luffy and Vivi roared in anger, struggling desperately.
But under the weight of absolute power and the suppression of the Sea Stone, their anger seemed so futile.
"Alright, enough talk."
Crocodile glanced at the gold watch on his wrist, pulled a key from his coat, and waved it in front of everyone.
"This key is the only hope of opening this cage."
"Catch."
He gave it a casual toss.
But the key wasn't thrown to the group; it was tossed directly into the massive pool beneath the floor.
Roar!!
A massive Bananagator opened its bloody maw and swallowed the key in one gulp.
"Guhahahaha! Sorry, it wasn't for you."
"In one hour, the water inlet for this room will open, and water will fill the entire chamber."
Crocodile turned around, carrying Vivi as he walked out.
"You can slowly enjoy the pleasure of drowning in this prolonged terror."
"Farewell, Straw Hat Luffy."
Boom!
The heavy door closed.
A deathly silence fell over the room, broken only by the sound of Crocodiles swimming in the pool and the 'humming' of the water pipes starting to operate.
Despair began to spread.
Nami slumped on the floor, clutching her knees. "It's over... we're all going to die here..."
Usopp was so scared that snot and tears were streaming down his face. "I don't want to be eaten by Crocodiles!!"
However.
"Don't be in such a hurry to write your wills, everyone."
A calm voice broke the silence.
Tatsuya leaned against the bars, arms crossed, showing no signs of panic.
His gaze swept over everyone in the cage.
"Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and that smoke guy..."
The corners of Tatsuya's mouth curled up slightly, and a light of wisdom flickered in his black eyes.
"We're missing two people."
"Eh?"
Everyone froze for a moment, then suddenly reacted, looking around.
"That's right!! Where are that perverted cook and Clay?!" Zoro said in surprise.
"Sanji!! Sanji is gone!!" A spark of hope reignited in Nami's eyes.
Since entering Rain Diners, Sanji and Clay had never been with the main group!
"That perverted cook usually looks unreliable..."
Tatsuya looked at the closed door and said with a smile:
"But at a critical moment like this, he's a real 'wild card'."
Purupurupurupuru... Purupurupurupuru...
Just then.
The Transponder Snail that Crocodile had intentionally left on the table to humiliate them suddenly began to ring.
Since it wasn't far from the bars, Tatsuya reached out and grabbed the receiver.
Click.
The call connected.
"Hello? This is the 'Rain Diners' VIP room," Tatsuya spoke calmly.
From the other end of the line came a familiar, lazy voice accompanied by the sound of a lighter igniting a cigarette.
"Ah, did it go through?"
"Uh... this is 'Mr. Prince'."
"Quack quack! I am Mr. King!"
"Sanji!! Clay!" Luffy and Usopp shouted excitedly, as if they had heard the voice of an angel.
Gah...
Accompanied by a dull thud and a scream, Sanji's voice continued.
"Shut up, you idiots."
"Listen up, I've already lured away those 'Millions' small fry outside."
"Also, I just gave that Sand Crocodile a prank call, pretending to be one of his subordinates saying something big happened outside."
On the other end of the line, Sanji blew out a smoke ring and chuckled.
"Now, that Crocodile has been tricked by my 'Luring the tiger from the mountain' tactic and has no choice but to leave Rain Diners to check the situation outside."
"While we have the chance..."
"Well done, Mr. Prince."
Hearing this, Tatsuya gripped the receiver and looked at his companions in the cage, a smile playing on his lips.
"The Crocodile has been lured away, and the guards are in chaos."
"The opportunity has come."
As soon as he finished speaking, a series of sounds echoed from the surrounding walls—the sound of mechanisms being activated.
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