Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 236 The Defeated Sand Crocodile

The sound of slow, rhythmic footsteps approached. Uchiha Touyu, seated in a chair, turned to look at the newcomer and spoke calmly:

"You're too slow, sand crocodile."

At this moment, most of the gamblers and waiters in the casino had already run away, leaving only a few cowardly guys who had fainted from fright. The once bustling casino looked like a mess, causing the man who came out of the secret room to frown.

A black overcoat, a scar running across his entire face, an arm with a gold hook, a cigar, and a slicked-back hairstyle—this look, resembling a blend of a mafia boss and a pirate, is none other than the current Shichibukai, Crocodile.

Upon hearing Uchiha Tobi's condescending tone, Crocodile's forehead veins bulged, and he snapped the cigar in his mouth, letting out a cold laugh:

"Hahahaha... Kid, it's you who came to my turf to cause trouble?!"

"Your laughter is quite normal, really nothing special. No wonder you asked such a pointless question."

Uchiha Tou raised an eyebrow, gave an irrelevant answer, and drew the Third Generation Kitetsu from his waist, instantly releasing a chilling and tragic aura.

Crocodile felt a chill run down his spine, and small goosebumps rose on his skin. He squinted at Uchiha Touyu, his golden hook poised to strike.

Now Shaklock finally understood how the other party had knocked out and scared away the people in the casino. This pure and unparalleled killing intent and aura could actually unleash power comparable to Conqueror's Haki. He wondered just how many people this young man had killed.

However, even though he was extremely wary, Shaklockfar couldn't afford to lose face and prestige, so he still spoke with an arrogant expression:

"Ha, utterly meaningless? Indeed... Since you dare to cause trouble at my casino, be prepared to be turned into a dried-up corpse!!"

"The Desert Diamond Sword!"

The fine yellow sand coalesced into a giant Vajra sword, gleaming with a golden luster, and cleaved directly at Uchiha Touyu.

Uchiha Touyu's blade flashed as well. He didn't shout out loud, and his sword strike was far less powerful than Shakurok Falcon's. However, the Desert Vajra Blade that was originally aimed at Uchiha Touyu disintegrated halfway through the attack and was cut in two.

Shaklockfar's chest instantly crumbled into yellow sand, yet faint traces of blood still seeped from it. Once his body reformed, a long knife wound could be seen on his chest.

"Armament Haki... I didn't expect that you had already mastered Haki to this level in just the first half of the Grand Line."

The sand crocodile reached out and gently wiped the wound on his chest. Just now, Uchiha Touka's attack not only shattered the Desert Vajra Blade, but also nearly cleaved him in two.

If Shakrock hadn't been a seasoned veteran, and if his remaining Observation Haki hadn't kicked in at the critical moment, he would probably have been killed in a single strike.

Even though Saklokfar eventually reacted and actively used his elemental form to dodge, he was still a little slow, which resulted in him being injured.

(Wait, this wound is only a few centimeters deep, so why is there no sign of the bleeding stopping? Is the opponent's weapon special, or is it some other technique?)

Shackles frowned, his expression turning even uglier. While his physical abilities weren't on par with monsters like Luffy, he'd still managed to storm the New World and escape unscathed, so his physique couldn't be too bad.

Basically, most pirates who have been to the New World know something about returning life. They can control the muscles and blood vessels to stop bleeding, even if a wound doesn't heal quickly, instead of being unable to stop the bleeding no matter what.

Sensing the abnormality of his wound, Shaklockfar felt a slight anxiety and abandoned any further probing attacks. He transformed into a terrifying sandstorm.

"Heavyweight Sandstorm!!"

With a deafening roar, the casino in Shackleford was completely blown apart, and a terrifying sandstorm surged out like a tornado, wreaking havoc throughout the city.

Then a crimson crescent moon shone through the sandstorm, cleaving it in two. The sandstorm, now powerless, gradually subsided, and in the center of the endless sandstorm, Shaklockfar, now with another wound on his body, was revealed.

"Armament Haki being unleashed... even a flying slash can be imbued with Armament Haki. I underestimated you, kid. What's your name?"

"Heh, still calling me brat? The ocean's waves push the old ones aside, and the old ones die on the beach. This old one, please remember this: my name is Uchiha Touyu."

The crocodile's pupils contracted, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke:

"How arrogant! You think you can really beat me just because you have a slight advantage now? The cruelty that the older generation of pirates experienced is unimaginable to you."

"You'd better stop the bleeding before you start talking tough to me."

Uchiha Touyu rolled his eyes, no longer in the mood to argue with Shakurokfal. He flashed and moved away for the first time.

So fast! The moment Shakrockfar saw Uchiha Touya disappear, he immediately activated his elemental transformation. Even so, he still felt a chill down his back as his coat was cut in two.

"Tsk, the toughest talk, the most cowardly fighting, is this the style of you old-generation pirates?"

"Damn it...you forced me to do this! Corrosion of Reincarnation!"

Shaklockfar pressed one hand to the ground, and immediately, endless yellow sand spread out from the ground he touched.

This move is a wide-range attack unique to the Sand-Sand Fruit. Upon contact with the ground, it absorbs the moisture from the ground and any creatures or objects it touches, and gradually spreads outwards, turning everything into yellow sand. Whether it is living or dead, even rocks and buildings will be completely sandified.

If given a choice, Shaklockfar would certainly not want to use this move in his own city. The spreading erosion cycle could turn the entire Rain Banquet, or even the Rain City, into yellow sand. It can be said that the city and reputation he has built up over the years would be completely destroyed by this move.

However, Shaklockfar is now in danger of losing his own life, so he naturally doesn't care about the so-called city and reputation. At worst, he can kill everyone after he kills this bastard in front of him, and then no one will know that he destroyed the city and killed everyone!

It has to be said that Crocodile and Doflamingo, as the most similar Shichibukai, have similar personalities and ideas.

The only question is, can this move really deal with Uchiha Touyu?

Shaklockfar, raising his head to look at his opponent, suddenly froze with a look of terror on his face, his previously ferocious smile turning into one of fear:

"How is this possible? How did you... manage to do that?"

In the endless yellow sand, Uchiha Hiyu slowly walked over. Not only did he not sink into the desert, but his muscles were also full, moist and shiny, without any signs of dehydration, let alone being drained into dry sand.

"It's probably because my Armament Haki is a bit special, it can be directly integrated with my blood. After the Armament Haki and blood are integrated, your Sand-Sand Fruit seems to have no effect on me."

With a smile on his face, Uchiha Touyu said calmly that there were some benefits to the long-term fusion of Armament Haki and Blood Nerve Power. Armament Haki could now be fused with the blood in Uchiha Touyu's body, and when used, it could not only increase external defense, but also greatly increase internal defense.

Haki inherently has the ability to resist Devil Fruit powers. Although Uchiha Tou's Haki level cannot be said to be the pinnacle, he was able to easily resist the Sand-Sand Fruit's most dangerous ability to drain moisture by fusing it with the blood in his body.

"Damn it! Die! Desert Greatsword! Ugh, cough cough cough..."

With his attacks proving ineffective, Shakuro Fardon was thrown into a state of impotent rage. He unleashed a Desert Greatsword attack, but Uchiha Touyu retaliated with a slash, sending Shakuro flying. The Shakuro crashed into a semi-desert building behind him and was buried inside.

A moment later, the building ruins gradually turned into sand, and Shaklockfar, clutching his chest, stood up again:

"Damn it... why are you bothering me? Are you some newbie pirate trying to make a name for yourself?"

"Tsk, sorry, I'm not a pirate."

Uchiha Touyu glanced at Shacroft, whose face was full of confusion, and decided to let him die knowing the truth:

"As the head of Baroque Works, you should know about Princess Vivi, who is an undercover agent within your ranks!"

Shaklockfar's eyes flickered, revealing a look of surprise:

"Are you a powerful figure sent by the Alabasta royal family?"

"No, I am a powerful warrior sought out by Princess Vivi!"

"What exactly did that woman give you? Whatever she gave you, I can give you double. You should know that Alabasta is now in my grasp. Neither that princess nor that useless king can control this country anymore!"

"You talk as if you can control this country. As the King of Alabasta, even if Cobra is in dire straits, as long as he holds the moral high ground and has military support, he can still easily rule this country!"

"Are you prepared to support his military action? What conditions has he offered you?"

"Princess Vivi is now my fiancée."

Shaklock Fardon was speechless. This condition was tantamount to giving Alabasta away for free, and the Crocodile was indeed incapable of doing such a thing.

"So now that you understand everything, set off on your journey!"

"You little brat, you think you can get your hands on me?!"

As it turned out, Uchiha Touyu had Shakuro Fall completely under his control. Despite Shakuro's struggles and his mastery of the Sand-Sand Fruit and Poison Hook to the extreme, and even his reawakening of some of his dual-color Haki during the intense battle, he was ultimately defeated by Uchiha Touyu after half an hour.

The once rain-drenched city has now been completely transformed into a desert ruin. What was just a bustling and lively market is now just a place where the howling wind, carrying yellow sand, crackles through the ruins.

Occasionally, groans and cries could be heard from various places; these were the sounds of the lucky survivors who had barely escaped with their lives from the aftermath of the battle.

Uchiha Touyu shook his head as he swept his Observation Haki across the land. The original Rain City had at least tens of thousands of people, but now there were probably less than a few thousand survivors left.

Not everyone died. A small number were swept away by the aftermath of the battle, while most simply fled the city and entered the desert. It's unknown how many people will ultimately escape. The desert is not an easy place to cross.

Regardless of the final outcome, Crocodile's reputation in Alabasta is ruined. After all, the vast majority of the aftermath of the battle was caused by Crocodile, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. He killed at least 1 to 8 ordinary people.

Moreover, once the so-called Seven Warlords of the Sea are defeated, they will lose all their deterrent power, and the World Government and the Navy will simply abandon them. In addition, Shakuro Fall himself is not exactly clean, and with the Alabasta royal family helping to testify, Uchiha Tou isn't worried about attracting the hostility of the World Government.

Drawing his Third Generation Kitetsu, and looking at the dying Shakurokfal lying on the ground, Uchiha Touya casually cleaved the sandy ground in two.

That direction led to the original underground chamber of the casino. Uchiha Touyu remembered that there should be a lot of Seastone items there. Sure enough, after the ground cracked open, he found a lot of Seastone handcuffs and even a Seastone prison.

Put Seastone handcuffs on Shakurokfal. He's a living Devil Fruit user. Uchiha Touyu doesn't really want to kill him yet, otherwise, he wouldn't know where to put the soul of the Sand-Sand Fruit.

……

Just as Uchiha Touyu was achieving a great victory, the Baroque Works employees who had been summoned had also been won over by Robin and Princess Vivi.

Unfortunately, most Baroque Works employees don't know who their boss is; they only know Robin as their boss's secretary. So, whatever Robin says goes.

Moreover... the average member isn't necessarily very loyal to Baroque Works. After all, even the boss has become occult and never shows up. It would be strange to expect the employees of Baroque Works to actually believe the promises the studio makes.

Ultimately, the relationship between the agents of Baroque Works and the entire organization is simply that you pay me and I do the work. It's just that Baroque Works pays a lot of money and has a ruthless tradition of hunting down traitors, which is why it has managed to maintain its facade.

Even so, these agents are still ruthless when it comes to betrayal. For example, Mr. 9, Princess Vivi's partner, was just a regular friend of Princess Vivi, but when Baroque Works was going to deal with Princess Vivi, he turned against her without hesitation.

While the simple-minded characters in the One Piece world do value companions and friendship more, it also shows that they don't actually care much about Baroque Works.

(End of this chapter)