I collect everything in the One Piece world.

"..."

Crocodile's confident smile froze instantly; he even doubted whether he had heard correctly.

She refused?! After he offered such a generous, practically free, fortune?! Hadn't she just clearly shown interest?

A surge of absurdity, bewilderment, and anger at being fooled churned within him.

He didn't understand! He simply couldn't understand! That pirate hunter named Morsen, who appeared out of nowhere, that lone wolf without even a fixed territory or faction, what made him so special?!

What makes him so irresistible that Robin, that "devil's son," suddenly so devoted to him?! And even this seemingly greedy and life-saving "lucky girl" is so "loyal" to him?!

Did he drug them?! Or have both women gone mad?!

Answer me! Why?!

Baccarat seemed oblivious to Crocodile's extremely grim expression; she even shrugged casually, as if stating a perfectly simple fact:

"To be honest, if it were a few days ago, I might have agreed to your terms."

Her tone carried a hint of nostalgia: "After all, the terms you offered were indeed very generous, and they sounded very tempting."

“I even feel like I was born to do this, but…”

She changed the subject, her eyes becoming serious and bright: "But right now, it seems more fun to be with that guy."

"Although he tricked me before, and charged exorbitant fees, but..."

She paused, as if she had thought of something, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up: "But I feel freer and more at ease with him."

"No need to worry about being used and then thrown away, no need to worry about being locked in this dark cage, you can buy whatever you want, and if you get into trouble... there's a tough guy to take the fall."

"This kind of life, although a bit too exciting, is not bad, hahaha."

The word "freedom," spoken by Bakala, carries a weight that is both light and heavy.

It is more precious than any wealth, status, or manpower, and more difficult to measure in terms of profit.

This is precisely what Crocodile could never give. In his eyes, everyone is a tool, and tools don't need freedom; they only need to be useful and obedient.

"Are you... playing a trick on me?!" Crocodile's face darkened completely, turning from stiff to contorted, with veins throbbing on his forehead.

What do these guys take him for? A toy to test their relationship?! To flirt with?!

He felt that his authority and wisdom had been insulted and challenged like never before.

First he was betrayed by Robin, and now even this woman he "condescended" to recruit dares to reject him so decisively, even using such a ridiculous excuse to fob him off?!

He! Crocodile! The renowned pirate! One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! The ruler of the rain-covered land! The hero of Alabasta!

How could he be outmatched by a naive and laughable pirate hunter who had only recently set sail?!

"Good, very good!" Crocodile laughed in fury, his smile ferocious and terrifying, filled with violent killing intent.

"Since you're so shameless and insist on being buried with that short-lived bastard, then you're of no value anymore!"

He suddenly stood up, his tall figure casting a terrifying shadow over the cage under the light.

He stared intently at Bakala, enunciating each word clearly: "Once I've dealt with that reckless bastard outside, I'll... leave you as a treat for my pet!"

Faced with Crocodile's blatant threat of death, Bakara was not afraid at all. Instead, she burst out laughing as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.

She even tilted her head back, revealing her long, fair neck, and looked back at Crocodile with an almost provocative, mocking gaze, saying in a light tone:

"Kill me? You think you can? Ha, you're not capable of that!"

Just kidding, her luck is pretty high right now. Anyone who dares to lay a hand on her, Crocodile might not get a good fall and die, but he definitely won't get away with it.

Only she knew the truth, but her confidence and arrogance made Robin, who was standing to the side, feel uneasy. He couldn't understand why Bakara was suddenly so "tough." Was Morsen coming? How did she know?

Crocodile was furious. He couldn't understand how this woman, who was powerless and even trapped in a Seastone cage, dared to speak to him like that! Was it a bluff? Or was it the madness of her dying moments?

"Ha! I'll show you what the price of arrogance is!" Crocodile no longer wanted to waste any more words on this reckless woman.

Once he catches Morsen, he will torture her to death bit by bit in front of her, and then feed her to the crocodiles!

"The price?" Bakara still held her head high, her smile undiminished, even with a leisurely air of watching a good show, and said with certainty, "I think you should take care of yourself first."

The moment she finished speaking.

Boom boom boom boom boom!!!

A series of huge explosions came from above without warning, causing the entire underground space to tremble slightly.

Crocodile's expression changed drastically. He abruptly turned his head towards the stairwell entrance. Something was wrong. Where did those cannons come from? The Navy dared to attack him?!

Before he could think about it...

Bang!!! Crack! Boom!!!

The door connecting the underground space to the outside world shattered with a loud crash, and huge metal fragments and stones shot inward like cannonballs, slamming heavily onto the stairs and the ground. Smoke and acrid gunpowder instantly filled the entire dungeon entrance.

Amidst the smoke and dust, a tall and sharp figure, exuding an aura of blood and fire, walked in from the broken doorway.

Smoke billowed behind him, and slivers of light streamed in through the hole he had created, outlining his clear silhouette.

His right hand, hanging limply, held two blood-stained, wide-open heads, their eyes still etched with terror and resentment.

The bald man on the left with a cold and hard face is none other than Mr. 1 Dazbonis!

The one on the right with the strange hairstyle and smudged, multicolored makeup is none other than Mr. 2 Bon Clay!

Mo Sen was covered in blood and dust, but he still looked like a drawn blade, sharp and menacing.

He stood atop the stairs, stepping on the scattered pebbles, his gaze piercing through the billowing smoke and dust, fixed firmly on Crocodile, who stood before the cage, his face ashen.

He casually tossed the two severed heads in his hands aside, and they rolled down the long staircase to Crocodile's feet.

Meeting Crocodile's incredulous and murderous gaze, Morsen's lips slowly curved into a smile:

"I heard you wanted to harm my crew?"

Chapter 53, War Begins! (Please read on!)

"Tsk tsk tsk, no wonder it's called 'Sand Crocodile'."

"Indeed, his name reflects his appearance; he looks like an animal, which is quite unique."

Mosen's gaze swept over Crocodile's gloomy face. His tone was light and calm, but his words were harsh and vicious, as if they were poisoned.

This blatant personal attack strangely calmed Crocodile, who was already on the verge of exploding.

The muscles on his face stopped twitching, but his eyes turned into an icy coldness.

All emotions were compressed and condensed, transforming into the purest and coldest killing intent.

He had already sentenced this arrogant pirate hunter in his mind to death, the kind of death that would be extremely cruel and brutal.

"What a bunch of trash." Crocodile didn't even glance at the two heads of his former trusted subordinates at his feet, as if they were just two piles of garbage.

He exhaled a thick puff of cigar smoke, kicked Mr. 1 and Mr. 2's heads away like balls, then reached up and took off the gorgeous coat from his back, casually throwing it on the ground.

Crocodile was only wearing a simple shirt and trousers, yet his aura was rising steadily. The air in the dungeon seemed to dry out, and the surrounding sand began to tremble slightly.

He stared at Mosen, his eyes devoid of any human emotion, only displaying the primal, predatory coldness and cruelty of a predator.

"I will rip your tongue out inch by inch, suck out every last drop of blood, and dry you into a perfect specimen." Crocodile's voice was deep and calm, yet more chilling than any roar.

"Then I'll hang it in the most prominent place in my office for permanent display. Let everyone see the consequences of provoking me, Crocodile."

The moment he finished speaking, Crocodile transformed into a swirling mass of yellow sand and vanished from the spot.

"They're here!" Mo Sen's pupils contracted slightly, and he activated his Observation Haki to its fullest extent, capturing the trajectory of the killing intent in the air!

Left side!

Without the slightest hesitation, Mosen twisted his waist sharply, pushed off with his feet, and darted to the right!

Swish!

A golden hook, carrying a dry, scorching heat, almost grazed his left cheek and neck, the sharp hook even reflecting Morsen's face.

Crocodile's body, formed from yellow sand, suddenly appeared in the air to Morsen's left the instant he dodged to the side.

The two locked eyes at extremely close range.

On one side was a cold, indifferent, and purely murderous intent, as if looking at a corpse.

On one side was a sharp, excited, and burning fighting spirit, like a hunter discovering a powerful prey.

Without a single wasted word, without even a moment's pause, their eyes met, sparking an invisible flame.

"Not bad," Crocodile's elemental face was expressionless, but his voice carried a hint of cat-and-mouse teasing. "However, in the desert, fighting against the forces of nature is far from enough!"

Before he finished speaking, the half of his body that had just condensed transformed back into a surging torrent of pale golden sand, rushing wildly from all directions toward Mo Sen, trying to devour, bury, and drain him in an instant!

Faced with the overwhelming sandstorm, Mo Sen was not panicked at all. Instead, he grinned, revealing his white teeth, and his eyes gleamed with eager anticipation.

"Really? Is this powerful enough?!"

The next second, just as Crocodile's sand waves were about to close in, Morsen's right fist was covered with a deep, solid, metallic black Armament Haki.

The fist tore through the air, carrying a savage and domineering momentum, and smashed down towards Crocodile's head!

That punch was fast, accurate, and ruthless! And the timing was perfect.

"What?!" Crocodile's indifferent expression froze instantly. He hadn't expected Morsen to not only react quickly but also master Armament Haki. His advantage as a Logia-type Devil Fruit user was instantly reduced by more than half.

boom! ! !

Mosen's fist, covered in Armament Haki, slammed solidly into Crocodile's cheek.

Crocodile grunted, his body flying backward uncontrollably, and the sand that had just gathered collapsed with a crash.

Although Morsen's Armament Haki wasn't enough to deliver the final blow, the pain and humiliation of being physically struck, a pain he hadn't felt in a long time, was enough to enrage this Shichibukai instantly.

After landing a successful punch, Mosen did not continue his attack. He knew very well that he had gained the advantage of surprise with that punch, and his primary goal now was to save the person.

"shave!"

Mo Sen's figure vanished from his spot in an instant and reappeared in front of the Sea Stone Cage!

"Drink!"

Mosen let out a low roar, his entire body surging with power, and his right fist, which he had just retracted, was once again covered in Armament Haki.

Snap! Clang!