In truth, it couldn't be said that Crocodile was weak.
At the very least, his mastery of the Sand-Sand Fruit remained exceptional.
The real problem was his lack of Haki.
Without Haki supporting his combat abilities, his overall fighting strength had been reduced dramatically.
In high-level battles, the importance of Haki was beyond question.
Against opponents weaker than himself—or those who also lacked Haki—Crocodile could still dominate with his Devil Fruit alone.
But against someone like Kaito...
His inability to use Haki placed him at an overwhelming disadvantage.
Although the battle had lasted only a short time, Kaito had already gained a fairly complete understanding of Crocodile's current strength through their exchange.
No need to waste any more time.
Let's end this.
The thought flashed through Kaito's mind in an instant.
At the same moment, the Armament Haki surrounding his body surged as he charged toward Crocodile immediately after destroying the Sand Doppelgänger.
The swirling quicksand beneath his feet posed no obstacle whatsoever.
Using Seeing the Dragon in the Field, Kaito moved with lightning-like speed.
Each step generated a powerful shockwave beneath his feet, allowing him to propel himself through the air much like Geppo.
In the blink of an eye—
He arrived directly in front of Crocodile, who still stood at the center of the quicksand vortex.
His leg swept outward.
Without Observation Haki, there was no way Crocodile could perceive Kaito's movements.
The kick landed squarely against the side of his head.
This time...
Kaito didn't hold back.
Well...
At least not as much as before.
Bang!!
Crocodile's body flew sideways before slamming violently into the surrounding sand.
The tremendous impact blasted a massive crater into the desert.
Having suffered a direct blow to the head, Crocodile immediately lost consciousness.
The moment his control disappeared, the Sand-Sand Fruit's power dispersed.
The rotating quicksand quickly settled back into an ordinary stretch of desert.
Kaito calmly walked over.
He bent down.
Grasping Crocodile by the head, he casually lifted him and began walking back toward Rainbase as though carrying ordinary luggage.
"Starting today..."
"You two are members of the War Pirates."
"Any objections?"
Back aboard the ship...
Kaito sat comfortably on a sofa placed on the deck, his posture relaxed and imposing.
Seated opposite him were Daz Bones and Bentham.
Both had already received treatment.
Numerous bandages wrapped around their bodies.
As Kaito spoke, not only did the two new prisoners react—
Robin, Lafayette, Zoro, Law, Smoker, Neferpitou, and everyone else on deck quietly examined them as well.
Just as Kaito had effortlessly defeated Crocodile...
Robin and the others had achieved equally decisive victories over the remaining officers of Baroque Works.
After Kaito returned to Rainbase carrying the unconscious Crocodile...
The rest had been simple.
The War Pirates gathered all of their captives and departed Rainbase.
Now...
They had returned safely to their ship anchored off the coast.
"This humble servant has always followed the way of the strong."
Bentham smiled despite the bandages wrapped around him.
Although his exaggerated mannerisms remained unchanged, he spoke sincerely.
"Since I've already lost to you..."
"It's only natural that I follow you from now on."
During his battle against Smoker, Bentham had been completely overwhelmed.
Without Haki, he had never stood a chance.
Naturally, he accepted Kaito's invitation without hesitation.
Daz Bones remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"...What about our Boss?"
"How is he?"
Among all of Crocodile's subordinates, Daz Bones was unquestionably the most loyal.
Even though he knew refusing Kaito's invitation might cost him his life...
The first thing he cared about was still Crocodile's condition.
"He's receiving treatment."
Kaito looked directly at Daz Bones.
"If nothing unexpected happens..."
"He'll probably join the War Pirates in the future as well."
Daz Bones visibly relaxed.
"As long as you can guarantee our Boss' safety..."
"...I'm willing to work for you."
His reply remained as calm and straightforward as ever.
"Very good."
Kaito nodded slightly before turning toward Lafayette.
"Lafayette."
"I'll leave the two of them in your care for now."
"No problem."
Lafayette rolled one of his wrists while looking at Daz Bones and Bentham with obvious interest.
"I'll make sure they're properly trained."
Since the captain had personally decided to recruit these two...
That alone proved they possessed excellent potential.
Of course...
Potential was only potential.
Turning talent into true strength still required proper training.
"Captain."
Law rested Kikoku casually across his shoulder.
"Where are we heading next?"
"Straight to Water Seven?"
Before Kaito could answer...
Robin gently touched her cheek and spoke first.
"I don't think so."
"The captain specifically asked me to purchase a permanent Log Pose for Little Garden."
Kaito looked around at everyone gathered on deck before nodding.
"That's right."
"Our next destination is Little Garden."
"There are two people there worth recruiting."
"And while we're there..."
"I'm planning to further improve the overall strength of our crew."
"Little Garden?"
Bentham blinked in surprise.
His adjustment to joining the War Pirates had been remarkably quick.
Perhaps he simply hadn't felt much resistance to the idea in the first place.
"I've heard of that island."
"Isn't it one of the prehistoric islands?"
Smoker immediately seemed to understand.
"So..."
"You want us to train against the prehistoric beasts there?"
Kaito smiled faintly.
"I'll explain the details later."
"For now..."
"Dismissed."
"I still need to familiarize myself with the two new abilities I've acquired."
He waved a hand before slowly rising from the sofa.
Two new abilities?
Didn't the captain only keep two this time?
I wonder which Devil Fruits he chose...
It's definitely something worth looking forward to.
Besides being able to control the rebirth of Devil Fruits...
The captain's Munch-Munch Fruit really is an incredible ability.
Robin and the others immediately understood what Kaito meant by "new abilities."
After all, during the battle against Baroque Works, they had deliberately shown mercy to every Devil Fruit user they encountered.
The reason had been simple.
To help their captain obtain new Devil Fruit abilities.
Likewise...
When they left Rainbase, the War Pirates hadn't brought back only Daz Bones and Bentham.
They had also taken the remaining Devil Fruit users from Baroque Works with them.
Now...
Only Daz Bones and Bentham had officially joined the crew.
As for the fate of everyone else...
The outcome was already obvious.
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