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Suddenly, the desert beneath Jason's feet trembled and transformed into thick, massive pythons of sand that coiled swiftly up around his legs.
In just an instant, the swirling sand solidified and locked Jason in place.
"I'll make you understand just how serious the consequences are... for underestimating a Logia!"
Sand particles rapidly gathered, and Crocodile's figure swiftly materialized, becoming fully solid once more.
Shrouded in smoke and haze, he strode forward with heavy steps. With a flick of his right hand, the massive Desert Spada appeared again.
"Big brother Jason!"
In the distance, Trens' face changed dramatically as he witnessed the scene.
The sand current twisted into a thick rope and in a split second, it wound its way up to Jason's neck, his expression shifting with alarm.
The sand, usually soft and flowing, under Crocodile's control had become harder than steel. At that moment, Jason couldn't muster any strength to break free.
"This is bad!"
Even Rojen's face darkened upon seeing the scene.
But with nearly a kilometer between them, supporting Jason was no longer easy. In just those few moments, Jason had already fallen into dire straits.
"You all seem to keep forgetting, this is my home turf!"
"A crocodile in water is dangerous. But in the desert... a crocodile is far more ruthless and cruel!"
A calm voice whispered in Jason's ear, and the colossal Desert Spada slashed down, swinging directly at Jason's neck. His lower body remained tightly bound by the sand currents.
No one could have expected that this Sand Crocodile, who was merely a stepping stone for the protagonist in the original work, would possess such strange and overwhelming power in the desert!
"Break free!!"
With danger imminent, Jason's muscles bulged as he roared, his face contorted with fury.
The sand constricting him shuddered from the force, but more sand surged up instantly, binding him even tighter.
"Trens, use your gun!"
In this life-or-death moment, Rojen shouted.
"What?!"
Trens was too nervous to hear clearly.
"The gun! Shoot him in the head!!" Rojen yelled again.
Even the onlooking uncle, who had been silently observing the battle, was visibly nervous now.
This time, Trens heard it clearly. With a start, he immediately raised his semi-automatic rifle.
Aim. Calculate. Calm the heart. All of this happened in half a second.
The moment he raised the rifle, it was as if he had become a different person, calm, composed, with eyes shining bright like the starry sky.
His finger rested on the trigger, and his gaze turned razor sharp.
"Probability of hitting the target…"
"100 percent!"
That data flashed through his mind, and without any hesitation, Trens pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A low, muffled sound like a beast's roar echoed clearly through the open desert.
At the sound of the gunshot, Crocodile's heart jolted, and even Jason's body shivered.
At that moment, he was standing face-to-face with Crocodile, with his entire body below the neck buried in the sand. The massive Desert Spada was only three inches away from slicing his throat.
At the speed of that strike, it would be over in an instant.
But then,
The Desert Spada suddenly froze in place.
Jason closed his eyes.
A second earlier, he had seen it, Crocodile's head exploded, just as the gunshot rang out.
Clean and decisive. With immense force, one bullet had blasted Crocodile's head apart.
The sand scattered, and the power binding Jason instantly weakened. With a low roar, Jason exploded with strength, shattering the sand around him.
Immediately, he charged forward and drove a powerful punch into Crocodile's still-intact chest.
"Strength Boost, 100x! Break!!"
With a guttural roar, Jason resembled a tiger pouncing down a mountain, his aura fierce and unstoppable.
Boom!
Crocodile's body shuddered, and then burst into sand, scattering into the air.
The sand grains, drawn by some unseen force, quickly floated away. Three breaths later, they converged once more, reforming Crocodile's body.
"That kid…"
For the first time, Crocodile looked at Trens with a serious gaze.
Being stared at with such deadly eyes, and after what had just happened, Trens felt his whole body go weak. He gasped for breath, sweat pouring from his forehead.
"Are you okay?"
Seeing Trens in that state, Rojen instantly understood,
this had to be some kind of powerful secret gun technique.
Otherwise, how could an ordinary semi-automatic rifle hit with such precision and brute force from nearly a kilometer away?
"Next, you just rest up."
"Your shot only managed to disrupt him for a moment. Wounding him? That's impossible."
Rojen slowly stood up, leapt down from the camel cart, and poured a jug of water over the Rainbow Abyss (his weapon). Then, he hung the remaining water flask at his waist.
"Without water, there's no way to deal with him."
Muttering softly, Rojen took a large stride forward,
and with just a few flickers of movement, he had already vanished from Trens' sight.
"Water, huh..."
Gasping for air, Trens struggled to open his eyes.
"Crocodile, I originally planned to spare your life. After all, in my eyes, you may be ruthless, but not without a bottom line."
"But now… you've truly awakened my killing intent!"
Shunpo activated, in just two heartbeats, Rojen appeared beside Jason.
He glanced at the towering figure, noticing the sweat trickling down Jason's forehead.
Rojen's eyes narrowed slightly.
He could tell, Jason was feeling pressure from this opponent.
Especially in that earlier moment… if Trens hadn't interfered, Jason might already be a corpse.
"Rojen, Jason!"
Crocodile's pupils contracted as he coldly called out their names.
He stared at the two of them for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"If this were out at sea, I might be a little afraid of you two."
"But you've all forgotten… this is my domain!"
His eyes suddenly sharpened, filled with murderous intensity, and his face twisted into a vicious expression as he raised his massive hand.
"In this desert… I am God!"
Suddenly, Crocodile's body dissolved into grains of sand. Behind him, the desert surface roared violently, and all of it surged skyward.
In an instant, the area dozens of meters ahead of Rojen and Jason was swallowed in a sandstorm, with wild gales howling furiously.
"Die, all of you! This is my territory!"
"Once I slaughter you two, my bounty will instantly soar past a hundred million!"
Crocodile's voice echoed through the sands.
On the ground, countless grains of sand moved as if possessed, roaring loudly as they shot into the air, merging into thick, monstrous sand torrents.
In the blink of an eye, these torrents spread across a hundred-meter radius, completely enveloping Rojen and Jason within.
"Danger! Big brother Jason and Rojen are in danger!"
Watching the terrifying scene unfold before him, Trens grew intensely anxious.
(End Of This Chapter)