One Piece: Starting with Breathing Techniques

Before Crocodile could rejoice, he was horrified to see cracks gradually appearing on his golden hook.

However, at the hook tip, there was not the bloody mess Crocodile had anticipated.

On the contrary, a chilling longsword suddenly appeared between the hook tip and the Kiro, the short distance seeming like an insurmountable chasm.

Seeing this, Crocodile's pupils dilated, and he suddenly realized a serious problem.

In the battle just now, Kiro, the swordsman, didn't even draw his sword!?

In other words, the opponent didn't even use their full strength!

"Sigh, I didn't expect that I would still have to draw my sword in the end."

Kiro sighed, and with a swift slash of his longsword, two giant sword energies immediately appeared, shattering Crocodile's Erosion Reincarnation.

The two sword energies continued their momentum, accompanied by a whistling sound as they pierced the air, before landing directly on Crocodile.

boom!

Crocodile was struck dumb, his vision went black, and a tremendous force came from in front of him.

He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, took two steps back, and knelt weakly on the ground.

Despite the dense Armament Haki covering his abdomen, two huge, crisscrossing wounds were still clearly visible, from which blood continued to gush out.

Although it wasn't a fatal wound, it was enough to render Crocodile powerless to resist.

[Defeat Crocodile, points +452]

The previous notification also popped up at the same time.

[Defeat Miss Two Finger, points +39]

Miss.1 has been defeated, points +82

[Defeat Alabasta Kingdom Guardians, Bel and Jaka, +52 points]

Seeing the several prompts that popped up on the panel, Kilo raised an eyebrow, quite satisfied.

The purpose of this trip has been largely achieved.

Crocodile's eyes widened, he coughed up blood, and felt increasingly weak all over.

But compared to the physical pain, the despair in his heart was even harder to accept.

"You...you haven't used your sword at all? Why?"

If Kilo can drive himself into a corner simply by relying on his physical strength, then if Kilo gets serious, can he last even a minute?

After losing to Whitebeard, Crocodile's morale was indeed not as high as before, but he never believed that he was inferior to others.

Even if they lose to those legendary great pirates, it's only because the other party's Devil Fruit is stronger and they have trained for a longer time.

But after witnessing Kiro's true strength, he only felt a sense of powerless despair.

Not only does the opponent lack Devil Fruit abilities, but they also possess strength far exceeding their own, and are even much younger than them.

What kind of monster is he?!

Upon hearing this, Kiro pondered for a moment before explaining:

"I want to test just how strong my physique has become."

"Furthermore, if we start fighting with a sword, I'm worried I won't be able to control my strength and might accidentally kill you."

Crocodile felt a surge of resentment upon hearing this, but he knew that what the other party said was true.

His eyes were filled with resentment, and he spoke in a hoarse voice:

"You're not going to kill me?"

"What exactly do you want?"

To be honest, even now, he doesn't know why Kiro came to St. Tin Island.

But they had just negotiated, and the other party didn't seem to be after money or power.

Besides these, could it be...?

"Wait, are you also here for the clues about Hades in Alabasta?!"

Crocodile suddenly realized something and stared intently at Kiro's expression.

As one of the three ancient weapons, Hades is definitely worth the effort for the other side to seek it out.

However, he did not see the covetous look he expected on Kiro's face.

Kiro shook his head, his tone flat. "No, I don't want Hades."

He can't exactly say that he came here for the points, can he?

Looking at Crocodile, he suddenly had an idea.

Crocodile, I'll give you two choices.

"Either we perish here in this desert, or we die here."

"Either take this pill and serve the revolutionary army behind me from now on, and I will not interfere with your Baroque Works except for necessary intelligence and orders."

Kiro opened his right hand, revealing a white pill in the center of his palm.

Examining the white pill, Crocodile frowned, somewhat puzzled. "What is this?"

"This is a poison I developed myself. It is extremely potent and will cause periodic outbreaks. I am the only one in the world with the antidote."

"Of course, you can try to detoxify, but I can't guarantee what will happen."

Kiro remained expressionless and began to explain the vitamin tablets in his hand to Crocodile.

Compared to a tangible poison, this invisible and intangible threat would make Crocodile even more wary.

Crocodile's face darkened, and after a moment of thought, he let out a cold laugh.

"It seems I have no choice, but how can you guarantee I won't betray you?"

"The threat of poison alone is not enough to make me serve him."

Upon hearing this, Kiro was not surprised, but rather smiled slightly and spoke in a teasing tone.

"Don't forget, I've now joined the Revolutionary Army."

"Furthermore, I also met a revolutionary army cadre named Ivankov."

"And Ivankov once told me that one of your secrets is..."

"Stop talking, I'm joining!"

Crocodile's expression changed drastically, and his tone became noticeably unnatural.

Upon closer observation, Kiro noticed a hint of shame and indignation on Crocodile's face.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't continue speaking.

There were rumors that Crocodile had undergone gender reassignment surgery with Ivankov, which is said to be why he has the appearance of a ruthless leader.

Judging from Crocodile's reaction just now...

Tsk, it seems the rumors are true!

……

On a distant hillside, Spandam lowered his head, staring intently at the two Kiro who had finished their battle not far away, his expression somewhat anxious.

Where are the CP0 leaders?

"We can't let Kiro get away!"

Suddenly, a strange fluctuation appeared beside him, and a threshold appeared in the air.

"They're here!"

Spandam's expression brightened as he looked at the door that had appeared out of nowhere, somewhat excited.

He had seen this method before; it was the power of the Door-Door Fruit, which allowed him to open doors anywhere and enter and exit freely, making it an extremely convenient means of transportation!

It seems the adults from CP0 have arrived!

As the door opened, four figures wearing strange masks and white suits filed out.

Upon seeing this, Spandam was taken aback and somewhat at a loss for what to do.

Wait a minute, didn't Charles Saint only mobilize two CP0s for himself?

Why are there four CP0s?

Seemingly sensing Spandam's doubts, one of the taller men offered a simple explanation:

"This is an order from the World Government."

"What happens next is none of your business. Stay here and await further instructions."

Before Spandane could reply, the four of them silently concealed themselves and gradually moved towards Kiro.