Pirate: I have a Hollow living inside me

Has he become so weak?

They couldn't even manage to inflict the slightest injury on the other person...

"There's no need to make that face. Compared to being defeated by someone else, being defeated by me would not disgrace your reputation as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

Rocks dodged to the edge of the sandpit and looked down at Crocodile: "I am, after all, the future world's greatest swordsman!"

"Ha... The man who wanted to become the world's greatest swordsman ended up defeating me with his fists."

Crocodile was powerless to resist.

He remained calm in the face of his defeat: "That's not the style of a swordsman who aims to be the world's best..."

“There’s no other way, the sword is broken, I can only use my fists. Besides, you’d die too quickly if I used a sword, I still need to use you as a test…”

Lox shrugged.

Just as he swung the Elbaf Spear of the Kingdom, his sword did indeed break again.

That means I can only use my fists.

Anyway, he's good at using his fists...

Moreover, Rocks also needs to try Crocodile; it's not easy to hold back with a sword.

Those with special abilities are invaluable resources...

"Try it..."

Crocodile frowned, but quickly relaxed; he was powerless to do anything more.

After coughing up another mouthful of blood, Crocodile looked up at the sky and murmured, "The East Blue... it really is a place that cannot be ignored. It always seems to produce some unexpected powerhouses..."

"Was it really a mistake to quit the Grand Line? It made me so weak that I can't even beat a newbie."

"If you stay with a flock of sheep for too long, will you turn into a sheep yourself? Ha..."

Do you regret it?

Not at all!

I'm just amazed at how weak I am now, unable to even beat a mere newbie.

Although this newcomer is very strong...

Perhaps when you decide to seek help from external forces, your spirit and will have already been weakened.

That's why we've ended up in this situation...

Lox said calmly, "It's too late to realize this now. I will not let the enemy live."

He's not a rubber sun god who'll show leniency to his enemies.

He would show no mercy to anyone he deemed an enemy.

No matter who the other party is or what their identity is!

"I have no intention of begging for mercy from you. When I stepped into this sea, I was already prepared to be killed one day."

Crocodile scoffed.

He was not a hegemon, but a tyrant.

A tycoon will not deny his defeat.

However, he still felt resentful that he had been defeated by a newcomer who was just starting out.

He took a deep breath and said coldly, "I hope you won't be defeated by someone so quickly, otherwise I'll lose face, Black-haired Swordsman..."

Chapter 96: The Successful Acquisition of the Sandy Fruit, and the Confused Robin...

"Don't worry, that won't happen."

After saying this, Rocks flicked his finger, and a phantom bullet pierced Crocodile's heart...

"Hehehe, that's for the best!"

As his life began its countdown, Crocodile burst into laughter as if in a final burst of energy.

Amidst the laughter, he breathed his last...

One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile Crocodile, died at the hands of Rocks.

This battle was easier and went more smoothly than Rocks had imagined...

"Come on, I'll be more careful this time. The Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit is quite a powerful fruit..."

Looking at Crocodile, who was now lifeless, Rocks let out a breath.

Reaching out into the void, he grasped an invisible object that had detached from Crocodile's body.

Then he slammed it down on the tropical fruit he had just retrieved from the ship.

Rocks moved very lightly, as if he were doing some kind of precise work.

He's even more serious than when he fought Crocodile earlier...

'Om! '

As Rocks moved, the invisible object he had been holding gradually merged with the fruit in his hand.

The shape of the fruit also began to change.

Spiral patterns appeared, and it gradually turned into a grayish-brown, cactus-like devil fruit!

Natural, crunchy fruit!

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

A good ten seconds passed, and the Devil Fruit in his hand did not collapse or shatter, remaining in its perfect shape.

This delighted Rocks: "It's done!"

To be honest, even Lox didn't expect things to go so smoothly.

I realized I had been too rough; I shouldn't have just forced it all into the fruit.

We must proceed slowly, orderly, and gradually; we cannot act blindly or arbitrarily…

In short, slow and steady wins the race!

Looking at the sandy fruit in his hand, a smug smile gradually spread across Lox's face: "Hehehe! I really am a god! The god of the new age!"

"That's how God is; He can always do things that others can't easily do!"

Regardless of whether the Devil Fruit could be used by him, Rocks was happy just because of its value.

Even a single ordinary Devil Fruit is worth 100 million Berries, yet it's still priceless and unavailable.

It wouldn't be a problem for a Logia-type Devil Fruit to multiply several times over.

With this kind of ability, Rocks will definitely become a very wealthy man in the future.

While we can't compare to the World Government or Tesoro, who are such big spenders, we certainly won't lack for money...

Rocks could never have too many of these things, like Bailey!

……

The fighting here is quite intense.

Naturally, it attracted the attention of many people in the rainy city more than ten kilometers away.

After the commotion subsided, someone started walking this way...

Looking at the mess, many people gasped in shock.

What exactly happened here?

It's unbelievable that such a mark would be left...

Among them were members of the World Economic News newspaper's branch office stationed in Alabasta.

As journalists, they have a very keen "sense of smell".

As soon as they heard the commotion, they rushed over here...

One of the middle-aged men with curly hair looked at his companion and asked, "Was the footage from just now captured on camera?"

The person replied, "Yes, I took a picture, but with all the yellow sand, the photo isn't very clear..."

"Let me see."

The middle-aged man with curly hair glanced at the photos he had taken.

Although blurry, you can still see Crocodile fighting someone...

"That's enough, as long as I can see it clearly!"

The curly-haired man took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "This is big news!"

"Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, has been defeated by a complete newcomer! If this news gets back to headquarters, I'll definitely get a promotion and a raise!"

"A black-haired swordsman! This newcomer actually possesses such terrifying strength, it's simply unbelievable!"

"I need to pay more attention to his news from now on; this guy is definitely a newsmaker!"

The photo didn't capture Rocks, but he had just seen him through the binoculars.

I recognized Rocks at first glance.

The "Black-Haired Swordsman," who recently rose to fame, is a terrifying criminal who broke the East Blue's record with his first bounty.

It's impossible for someone who works in journalism not to know such a person.

That's why I feel so excited.

How long has it been since the "Loguetown incident"?

The black-haired swordsman has once again caused such a commotion.

That was Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and he was defeated by the opponent!

Without a doubt.

Once this news gets out, it will once again ignite the entire ocean...

"Sir, come here quickly! I've found Crocodile's body..."

"What? Quick, take a picture!"

The staff at the World Economic News were excited and cheering, already imagining the sensation this news would cause once it spread…

Some residents of the Rainlands who also arrived here froze on the spot after seeing Crocodile's body.

His face showed fear and apprehension...

"Lord Crocodile...is dead!?"

"Who on earth dared to kill our Alabasta hero!"

"Find the murderer quickly and avenge Lord Crocodile!"

"Are you stupid? Even Lord Crocodile couldn't defeat the murderer, how could we possibly take revenge? Report this immediately and notify the Navy. We absolutely cannot let such a vicious criminal escape!!"

"I then informed the naval branch base stationed at the port of Tamarisk about this..."

"..."

Crocodile is a "hero" of Alabasta and enjoys extremely high prestige in the country.

Seeing that the other party had been killed naturally aroused anger and panic among many people.

The first decision was made to report the matter to the royal family and the Alabasta-based navy...

The death of a Shichibukai, especially one who was also a national hero of his country, is a very significant event for Alabasta...

It was during these moments when the group of people were either happy, excited, angry, or sad.

No one noticed that an arm suddenly grew out of a rock nearby.

There's also an eye and an ear growing on this arm...

Not far away.

Using his ability to observe and listen to what was happening on the other side, Robin, sitting on the tortoise shell, fell into a long silence: "..."