"Is that sandstorm over there… the work of Crocodile's ability?"
"And such powerful Haki… just who could it be?"
From the overwhelming surge of Haki emanating from the far distance, the middle-aged man seemed to sense an indomitable, fearless spirit. His eyes, previously shut, cracked open slightly, a flicker of astonishment passing through his clouded, pale gaze.
He stood still for a few seconds, suppressing the curiosity and doubt stirring within him. Ignoring the gusts of wind and swirling sand blowing toward him, he continued to probe the ground with his blind cane, slowly moving forward.
The air settled, the fiery glow faded, and the sky full of yellow sand gradually drifted back to the earth.
Will walked leisurely across the soft sand, a gentle breeze stirring the ground and kicking up a few grains. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and turned his head toward the spot he had just attacked.
There, the sand had been scorched by the intense heat of his flames, transforming into irregular, cloudy crystalline structures resembling glass. Noticing these crude, translucent formations, Will paid them little mind. Instead, he abruptly raised his voice and shouted, "Crocodile, stop hiding. I know you're still out there. Come out already."
As his voice carried through the air, mere seconds passed before the surrounding sand began to stir. Countless grains floated upward, as if manipulated by an unseen force, slowly converging toward a single point. Eventually, the sand coalesced, reforming into the figure of Crocodile, who had vanished moments before.
He looked utterly disheveled. His hair hung limply, his forehead glistened with sweat, his eyelids drooped heavily, and a smear of blood lingered at the corner of his mouth. His entire body appeared withered, his once-imposing frame now noticeably gaunt.
"Madman Will…" Crocodile, relying on sheer willpower and the last dregs of his strength, forced himself to stand. Glaring at the man who had defeated him head-on, he growled through gritted teeth, "Why… why is your strength so overwhelming?!"
"Hm?" Will raised an eyebrow, his tone casual and matter-of-fact. "Why? Because I was born with divine strength, that's all."
"Damn it…" Crocodile's face darkened, his teeth grinding as he spat, "You… bas—"
But before he could finish, his strength gave out. Unable to hold himself up any longer, he collapsed to one knee, his heavy eyelids slowly shutting as he slumped sideways onto the sand.
Will observed him, his expression unreadable. He stepped closer, gazing down at Crocodile's now-pale face. A thought stirred in his mind: "Stealing a kingdom's throne, chasing after the Poneglyphs, searching for the ancient weapon Pluton… Crocodile, your obsession with external power has only eroded your own will."
"You ate the Sand-Sand Fruit, a Logia-type Devil Fruit, yet you never bothered to truly develop its potential. How could you possibly unlock your true strength and grow stronger like that?"
With this in mind, Will spoke coldly, his face devoid of emotion. "Mere grains of sand, not even half my worth."
With that, he paid no further heed to whether Crocodile lived or died. Turning on his heel, he began walking back the way he came.
Through his Observation Haki, he could sense Crocodile's life force fading rapidly. It wouldn't be long before the man quietly perished in this desolate desert.
Will walked back unhurriedly, his mind replaying the recent battle. Then, a realization struck him: Crocodile hadn't used Armament Haki even once. There were, however, clear signs he had relied on Observation Haki. Given Will's attack and movement speed, there was no way Crocodile could have dodged without it.
"Could that guy… really not know Armament Haki?" Will mused. "Or was he deliberately avoiding it, worried that using Armament Haki would interfere with his Devil Fruit powers?"
He vaguely recalled that Ivankov of the Revolutionary Army had once claimed to hold some leverage over Crocodile. Ivankov, who had eaten the Horm-Horm Fruit, possessed the peculiar ability to alter people's genders, including his own. Then there was the fact that Crocodile had once been defeated by Whitebeard but was never taken in as one of his "sons." And on Whitebeard's ship, all the division commanders were men—no daughters.
"Eh, whatever. It's not worth thinking about," Will muttered, shaking off the tangled thoughts. With a flicker of his body, he vanished from the spot, speeding toward the gambling city of Rainbase.
Hours after Will left the battlefield, a desert lizard cautiously emerged from the sands in the distance. It surveyed its surroundings before its eyes locked onto a figure lying far off. Its gaze lit up, and it scurried toward the body with its four legs. As it drew closer, it accidentally stepped onto the outstretched palm of the figure.
The lizard froze instantly, its body stiffening. Its skin began to shrivel inward, and within moments, it had turned into a desiccated corpse, drained of all moisture.
Meanwhile, as Will raced across the sands, he suddenly sensed something and came to an abrupt halt. "Hm?" His eyes widened in surprise as he looked ahead. "Another powerhouse?!"
In the hazy swirl of distant sand and wind, a tall figure was slowly approaching. Curiosity flickered in Will's eyes, and he resumed walking forward.
As the distance between them closed, Will got a clear look at the man. A middle-aged figure dressed in a light purple kimono, wooden geta clogs on his feet, a beard on his face, and two distinctive scars across his eyes. Combined with the blind cane in his hand and his towering stature, Will instantly recognized him, a spark of astonishment in his heart.
"Fujitora… no, right now, he's just Issho."
"Fujitora" was the title the man would later earn after being promoted to Marine Admiral through the World Military Draft. His real name was Issho.
Will hadn't expected to encounter him here. He didn't know much about Issho's past, so he couldn't fathom why the man would appear in this place. Then a thought struck him: Issho was known to be an avid gambler, and after becoming an Admiral, he had pushed to abolish the Seven Warlords system.
"Could this guy have been hiding out in Rainbase?" Will wondered. "Did he follow me after noticing my fight with Crocodile?"
It was a plausible theory, and for now, it was the only one that made sense. As he watched the middle-aged man stop a short distance away, Will's lips curled into a slight grin. He called out first, "Hey, friend, who are you?"
The man didn't hesitate to respond, his deep voice carrying sincerity. "This old man is called Issho. May I ask how I should address you?"
Will answered without reservation. "I'm Will. Aster Will."
"Will…" Issho's expression shifted as if the name had jogged a memory. Then, with a hint of surprise, he asked, "Could you be that Will? The madman who liberated all the slaves in the Bridge Kingdom in the East Blue and threw a heavy punch at the Celestial Dragons?!"
"Huh? Yeah, that's me," Will replied, raising an eyebrow and nodding slightly. Curiosity piqued, he added, "But you seem to be blind. How do you know about all that?"
Issho didn't seem fazed by the question. With a sincere expression, he explained, "Though my eyes are blind, my ears are quite sharp. As for your exploits, I learned of them by chance—through listening and asking others about the latest news in the papers. I assure you, Mr. Will, I wasn't prying intentionally."
"I see," Will said, nodding in understanding. He saw no reason for Issho to lie about something like this.
Issho, meanwhile, was quietly astonished. He hadn't expected the man with such overwhelming Haki, who had fought so fiercely against Crocodile, to be the infamous Madman Will, a wanted man by the World Government.
Questions swirled in Issho's mind. Why had Will come to Alabasta? Was he here solely to challenge Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords? Or was his purpose grander—to save this nation and its suffering people? Unable to reach a definitive conclusion, curiosity stirred within him.
Will, however, wasn't concerned with what Issho was thinking. The thought of facing someone with the strength of a Marine Admiral ignited an irrepressible battle lust in his eyes. "Issho, since you're here, and I've just warmed up, how about it? Let's have a good fight!"
"Eh?" Issho's brows lifted in surprise, caught off guard by the suggestion. Thinking Will had misunderstood his intentions, he quickly began to explain, "Mr. Will, I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding. I followed you because—"
"It doesn't matter, Issho!" Will cut him off, his voice booming as a thrilled grin spread across his face. "Whatever you're here for, we can talk about it after the fight!"
With that, his muscles tensed, and he slammed his legs into the ground with a resounding boom. The sand beneath him collapsed, and he launched forward in a blur of motion, charging straight toward Issho.
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