Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

"Watch closely and learn carefully. This level of battle is not so common."

Raleigh clapped his hands, signaling his soldiers to watch the battle closely.

The naval soldiers who disembarked from the warship spontaneously formed a semi-open circle around the battleground after hearing Raleigh's order.

At the center of the circle are Barrett and Crocodile, facing off.

With the arrival of the naval soldiers, some of the bolder members of the public also wanted to join in the fun.

Raleigh did not simply drive away the onlookers who wanted to watch the spectacle.

They simply instructed the naval soldiers not to watch the battle from above the soldiers' height.

Once the encirclement was complete, Raleigh and Gion walked through the encirclement formed by the naval soldiers and went inside to take a look.

Amidst the swirling sandstorm, Barrett stood with his arms crossed, ignoring the erosion caused by the sand and dust in the air.

The fine sand particles struck Barrett's hard Armament Haki without causing any damage.

However, Barrett is not the kind of person who will stand by and do nothing.

His eyes were fixed on Crocodile's body, which was moving rapidly through the sandstorm, like a hawk eyeing its prey, ready to strike at any moment.

boom!

Amidst the sandstorm, something enormous coalesced and hurled itself towards Barrett's position.

Barrett leaped high into the air, dodging the attack.

The enormous fist turned into fine sand upon contact with the ground, turning everything beneath Barrett's feet into yellow sand.

Barrett's face looked rather grim as he stepped onto the soft sand.

His body couldn't generate any speed on the sand because it was too slippery.

Indeed, every pirate who makes a name for himself in the New World has his own unique characteristics.

Barrett's attack is definitely a strong point, but his methods for dealing with different enemies are actually quite limited.

"Unleash your full Conqueror's Haki!"

Barrett unleashed a powerful aura, combining his Conqueror's Haki with his own demonic energy. The immense pressure made it difficult for Crocodile to move the sand, which he had previously controlled with ease.

The sand that was originally suspended in the air suddenly fell down all at once.

Many of the soldiers and civilians watching the battle couldn't withstand the impact and fell asleep instantly.

Raleigh could only direct the remaining soldiers who hadn't fainted to evacuate them.

"You think you're the only one with Conqueror's Haki?!"

Crocodile roared almost through gritted teeth, and an aura similar to Barrett's suddenly erupted from his body. In the air, black and red lightning constantly rose and fell.

Crocodile's face was gloomy, while Barrett opposite him had a smile on his face, looking completely indifferent.

Crocodile took a deep breath, then once again manipulated countless grains of sand to fly into the air, accompanied by a gale, towards Barrett's figure.

The sandstorm blotted out the sun, swallowing up all the light in this area.

Barrett looked at the seemingly endless sandstorm without showing any fear. Instead, he remained motionless with a twisted smile.

"Rock and soil composite".

Barrett's kick was so light that the rocks beneath the soil quickly passed through the sand created by Crocodile, tightly enveloping Barrett's body.

Barrett's once robust body was instantly transformed into a statue, buried by the sandstorm.

Seeing Barrett lying motionless, buried under his sandstorm, Crocodile's face revealed anger and a chilling killing intent.

He knew that Barrett was deliberately not dodging in order to test the strength of his attack.

"Fool, you'll regret this! Buried in the desert."

Crocodile pressed his hands down hard.

Instantly, a powerful shockwave swept along the sand and gravel towards Barrett's location.

This is a move Crocodile often uses, and it has been incredibly effective for him ever since his debut!

No matter how powerful the enemy, once they are trapped in his sandstorm, they will be defeated by this move.

There was no way around it, because his move wasn't a one-time thing. As long as the enemy couldn't escape the sandstorm's range, they would be constantly squeezed by the sand and gravel. When they couldn't withstand the pressure, they would naturally be crushed to death by the sand and gravel.

However, Crocodile's dream is destined to be shattered today.

Barrett's figure, covered by layers of gravel, suddenly gave a mocking voice from deep within the gravel.

Crocodile, your desert massage is really good. If you ever get the chance, I suggest you open a massage parlor, because I feel really comfortable from your massage right now.

Hearing Barrett's mocking voice, Crocodile's face turned extremely gloomy.

If looks could kill, then Crocodile's gaze would have long since become sharp arrows, piercing through the sand and filling Barrett's body with them.

"Hmph, you have plenty of time to be stubborn now. Let's see who can hold out until the end!"

Crocodile's figure slowly blended into the yellow sand; his Devil Fruit power was at its most destructive when he merged with the sand.

Deep in the yellow sand, Barrett's figure remained motionless.

However, things are completely different now than before. Now, countless grains of sand are tightly adhering to the outer side of the rock-earth composite that Barrett created.

It wears down the outer shell made of rock and soil at extremely high speeds.

Barrett's expression slowly turned to excitement.

Because he realized that in this situation, he really didn't have a good solution for the time being, and the only way to break the deadlock was by force.

Crocodile moved his body to the very center of the yellow sand, where he was surrounded by heavy gravel all around him, making it difficult to move. At the same time, the sharp gravel was constantly damaging the soil and rock, trying to penetrate his body and cause harm.

"Great, great, this is the feeling!"

Crocodile now felt to Barrett like he was forging his body on a warship, carrying all sorts of heavy equipment.

Oh no, this feeling is actually better, because many areas that the Barrett forging couldn't reach are now being forged under pressure.

Crocodile, you piece of trash, is this all you're capable of?

"If you're such trash, then you're doomed to die today. But since we're both pirates, I'll grant you a quick death!"

Barrett opened his mouth and mocked sarcastically.

Crocodile's attacks are a form of training for him, but they are far from reaching the level he desires.

In order to put pressure on Crocodile, the usually taciturn Barret began to mock him. His scarlet eyes seemed to pierce through the rock armor and layers of sand, directly seeing Crocodile's figure.

Crocodile had just taken a breath when he was angered by Barrett's words.

What? You actually used me, Crocodile, as a training ground? What do you take me for?!

"I'll grant your wish to die!"

"Desert - The Great Funeral!"

Completely enraged by Barrett, Crocodile no longer cared about conserving his strength. He had only one thought: to kill Barrett or at least injure him!

Barrett suddenly felt a sense of oppression coming from all directions. The heavy pressure made his chest feel weak and he felt a little breathless.

The originally hard rock and soil shell was instantly crushed by the increased pressure of the gravel.

Although her body was constantly being damaged, Barrett's eyes were growing brighter and brighter—that's it! That's the feeling of being injured!

Barrett was laughing wildly as Crocodile desperately increased the weight and pressure of the sand, trying to crush Barrett directly into a meat patty in the sand.

If that's all you have, then I can proceed.

A chill flashed in Barrett's eyes; he sensed that Crocodile seemed to be nearing its limit.

However, this level of damage was not enough to cause Barrett fatal harm.

Barrett originally wanted to see where Crocodile's limits were, but now he thinks Crocodile is fine, there's still time later.

However, this was his first battle since joining Raleigh's crew, and he couldn't afford to get entangled with Crocodile any further.

If Barrett is looked down upon by Raleigh because of his lack of strength, he might as well be dead.

The burly body, enduring immense pressure and sharp sand, moved its limbs.

Although such a simple action caused skin damage from the friction of the yellow sand, Barrett didn't mind the minor injury at all.

The excruciating pain in his body actually made his mind clearer.

Observation Haki spread outwards from Barrett's body and quickly locked onto Crocodile, who was constantly increasing in weight.

"That's enough, I don't have time to play with you anymore!"

"Yellow Sand Armor!"

The surrounding yellow sand, stained with Barrett's blood, instantly adhered to Barrett's body under the influence of his power, forging a suit of earthen-yellow armor.

Crocodile, who had been trying his best to maintain the desert, suddenly changed his expression.

He hadn't expected that Barrett could transform the yellow sand he controlled under these circumstances.

Now, all the yellow sand closest to Barrett's body has been transformed into his armor by Barrett, causing Crocodile to hesitate for a moment.

!

A loud bang.

The previously condensed yellow sand suddenly surged into the sky in a column, followed by a figure rushing out from the depths of the sand and heading straight for Crocodile without looking back.

"Damn it, how can it be so fast!"

When Barrett emerged from the depths of the yellow sand, his sand armor had already fallen off, leaving only faint scars on his body.

Then, his figure vanished in an instant, appearing behind Crocodile.

"So fast!"

When Crocodile saw Barrett appear beside him, a fleeting thought of running away crossed his mind.

However, Barrett acted faster than he anticipated.

A steel hand covered in Armament Haki mercilessly grabbed Crocodile's head and slammed it hard into the ground.

Rumble!

Crocodile's head slammed into the ground, instantly creating a large crater several meters in diameter in the hard ground. Crocodile's forehead was covered in blood, and the huge impact threw him into a state of mental confusion. Barrett did not give Crocodile a chance to catch his breath; he lifted Crocodile's body up with one hand.

He then swung his arm around the building and hurled Crocodile's body into the distance.

A series of sounds of buildings being destroyed rang out again, and thick smoke rose from the damaged structures.

Crocodile had just endured two horrific attacks and was nearly dead.

However, he is indeed someone with the potential to become a strong person.

The injuries that would have killed anyone else would have left Crocodile conscious in just a few seconds.

Sensing the broken bones throughout his body, Crocodile's killing intent in his eyes was almost materializing.

"Wow, wow, wow! You've suffered such serious injuries, yet you're still conscious. Now I believe you have the potential to become a strong person."

Barrett waved his hand to disperse the smoke and appeared in front of Crocodile.

"rise."

Crocodile used the only remaining index and middle fingers of his right hand to make a gesture, activating his abilities.

Two streams of yellow sand somehow wrapped around Barrett's ankles, and two sand walls rose up on the spot, slapping towards Barrett in the middle.

Meanwhile, Crocodile's figure, concealed by the yellow sand, quickly left the pile of damaged buildings.

Damn, no wonder he's Old Sand; even this made him think of a way to escape.

Barrett's fists were struck in the ribs, and then he suddenly swung them to the sides, the powerful impact carrying a white blast of air as it slammed into the two sand walls.

!

Unsurprisingly, Barrett blasted through the two sand walls, but Crocodile had already vanished.

Barrett's cruel voice carried far through the building;

"Where are you going, little mouse?"

Upon hearing this, Crocodile coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with gloom.

"You wait until I get back, I'll definitely kill you next time!"

Having said that, Crocodile charged quickly towards the encirclement.

To leave the island, he needed to break through Barrett's encirclement and the navy's forces.

However, while Crocodile was still thinking, a shadow obscured the direction he was running.

"Um?"

Crocodile turned his head and was greeted by a huge hand.

boom!

Crocodile was once again slammed to the ground by Barrett, the violent impact to the back of his head almost causing him to roll his eyes back.

Immediately afterwards, Barrett's thick thigh kicked Crocodile's left leg.

Click!

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Crocodile's left calf was broken by Barrett's kick, after which Barrett released his grip on Crocodile.

The intense pain jolted Crocodile back to his senses, who was on the verge of unconsciousness. With his remaining hand, he manipulated sand to form a sand blade and stabbed at Barrett's calf. However, Barrett didn't take this attack seriously at all. Barrett simply covered the blade with Haki, rendering Crocodile's attack ineffective.

Da da da.

The sound of military boots pounding the ground came as Raleigh, accompanied by Gion, approached Crocodile. He looked down at Crocodile, who lay on the ground like a dead dog.

"Crocodile, now let's discuss the terms again. Do you agree to them this time?"

The smile on Raleigh's face seemed to indicate that he was saying something extremely good for Crocodile.

If you ignore Crocodile's battered and bruised body, the surrounding destroyed buildings, and Barrett's grimacing grin.

"Cough cough Navy" "I'd rather die—"

Before Crocodile could finish speaking, a clean military boot stomped on his head, burying it in the dirt.