"So I'm telling you, the original story is unreliable!"
Staring ahead at the hazy, sandstorm-ravaged scene, where yellow sand roared across the sky, Rojen murmured softly.
The Shichibukai Sand Crocodile, with a measly bounty of only 80 million, was defeated by Luffy with just a few punches and kicks. During that fight, Crocodile didn't even manage to unleash a single decent skill. Compared to the powerhouses Luffy would face later on, Crocodile seemed like a complete weakling, enough to make people seriously question the credibility of the Shichibukai's strength.
But now, seeing this Logia Devil Fruit User unleash his most powerful energy with his own eyes, Rojen couldn't help but tremble inwardly.
A vast sandstorm howled across the sky. In front of him and Jason, nothing could be seen except endless grains of sand; everything else had vanished.
"Hū hū hū!"
The raging wind roared, forming an immense sand tornado that surged toward them with overwhelming force.
"Captain, what do we do?!" Jason, also shaken by the scene, shouted loudly.
"Who knows?" Rojen muttered, eyes flickering as his mind rapidly calculated.
If it were just Crocodile alone, exploiting his fear of seawater would make beating him easy. But now, the sandstorm and tornado had completely hidden him from sight, they couldn't even locate where Crocodile was.
Even if they had water, in a sandstorm of this magnitude, what good would it do?
"No choice? Then let's run!"
Hearing the roaring wind around him, Jason grabbed the dazed Rojen and took off running.
"Hā hā hā hā! Did you see that? Witness my power! This is the power of a Logia Devil Fruit User, a power like that of a god!"
Up in the sky, a giant face made of sand, roughly 20 meters in diameter, formed and laughed loudly.
"Damn it, the anime lied! With power like this, Luffy should've died ten thousand times already!"
Watching the scene unfold, Rojen cursed inwardly but didn't seem especially afraid.
He followed Jason in a mad dash, with the sand tornado relentlessly chasing behind them.
Suddenly, Rojen stopped in his tracks.
"Tathagata Divine Palm!"
He slammed a palm backward, an immense golden palm manifested, Sanskrit characters filled the air, and a radiant palm descended fiercely onto the sand tornado. The blow scattered sand in all directions and slowed the tornado's momentum for a moment. But immediately afterward, it began swirling again, reconstituting itself.
The Tathagata Divine Palm had no effect.
"This isn't going to work. We have to find Crocodile. Otherwise, fighting against this endless sandstorm is a waste of time."
Eyes narrowing, Rojen's figure blurred, he teleported dozens of meters at a time, frantically searching for Crocodile's form.
But even after running several hundred meters, Crocodile's figure was nowhere to be seen. The yellow sand only grew thicker, and the sky darker.
Who would've thought that a Sand Crocodile, once so easily dealt with at sea, would now become such a pain to handle?
"Captain! I found him!" Just then, Jason's roar rang out.
Moments later, a thunderous explosion shook the area, pointing Rojen in the right direction.
Eyes narrowing, Rojen's body teleported again, racing toward the source of the sound.
BOOM!
With tremendous force, a single punch shattered the air, so powerful that it even produced a visible air cannon.
"DIE!"
Behind the punch was Jason's fierce, twisted face.
This punch had its power amplified by 100x! Even Marine Rear Admiral Kuzan couldn't take such a blow head-on, there was no way Crocodile could either.
With a thunderous crash, his body once again burst apart into countless grains of yellow sand.
The sand extended like a massive cloth, flowing and gathering, soon reforming into human shape.
"Its useless, big guy! Your attacks are worthless against me! This place is my domain!" Crocodile's gaze was icy as he waved his right hand.
The sand particles floating in the air rapidly condensed, forming a gleaming blade.
"Desert Spada!"
The massive sand blade slashed through the air, heading straight for Jason.
Jason's eyes burned with anger. He lifted his leg, ready to counter with a punch, but at that moment, the sand beneath his feet surged and bound him tightly once more.
"My power... is limitless!"
Crocodile's cold voice echoed.
Desert Spada came slicing down with force.
"CLANG!"
Suddenly, a longsword struck from the side, intercepting the Desert Spada. The two weapons collided and ground against each other, producing an unending screeching noise.
A distorted blur of motion appeared, it was Rojen.
"Captain, this guy's seriously tough!" Jason shouted.
After being suppressed twice in a row, Jason fully realized how strong their opponent was.
Up close, Crocodile didn't seem so threatening. But once he pulled away and began to utilize his full abilities, they were immediately at a disadvantage.
At the moment, Crocodile held the upper hand with control over the terrain and weather, his power had already surpassed its previous peak.
"I know!"
Rojen's eyes sharpened. He gripped his sword tightly, creak, power exploded, and with a sudden burst of strength, he knocked the Desert Spada flying.
He unhooked a water flask from his waist and tossed it to Jason.
"Pour it on yourself." Jason caught the flask and immediately understood.
"Yes! With water, I can kill him in one punch!" Shouting excitedly, Jason popped the lid off and began pouring water over his arm.
Seeing this, Crocodile's eyes narrowed, and he immediately backed away.
But as he moved, Rojen's gaze locked on him, and he sprang into action.
With Shunpo, a single blink-step brought him within one meter of Crocodile. He jumped, sword in hand, spinning like a bladed top in midair.
"Swish!"
This strike was as fast as lightning, slicing straight for Crocodile's neck.
Crocodile's face changed drastically. He retreated quickly and his body burst apart into sand.
"Shhh!"
The sword slashed through, hitting only a cloud of drifting sand.
Rojen's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward, his assault wasn't over yet.
One slash. Two slashes. Three. Sixteen. Thirty-six. Fifty-eight. Sixty-four... until finally, one hundred and eight slashes.
This flurry of sword strikes formed brilliant sword flowers, dazzling patterns that streaked through the void and slashed into the swirling sandstorm.
Immediately, the sand trying to reassemble into Crocodile's form shattered again, scattering to the wind.
Rojen's attacks came like a fine rain, relentless and blindingly fast. Alone, with just one sword, he forced Crocodile into a state where he couldn't even reform his body, trapped in permanent elementalization.
Finally, after several seconds, when Rojen's rhythm faltered ever so slightly, Crocodile seized the gap. His face twisted with shock and fear as he rapidly retreated, reconstituted his form, and gasped for breath.
When he looked at Rojen again, his eyes were filled with pure terror.
(End Of This Chapter)
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