Crocodile, wielder of the Sand-Sand Fruit, ruled the desert as its self-proclaimed king. His mastery over sand rivaled that of Gaara from the Hidden Sand Village—a man who could turn the battlefield into his domain with a single motion.
As the president of Baroque Works, Crocodile's hidden goal was to uncover the ancient weapon Pluton, rumored to be buried somewhere in the sands of Alabasta. Years of careful scheming had left the kingdom's ruler, King Cobra, disgraced and isolated. The people had turned against their monarch, their hearts poisoned with doubt and despair. Civil war tore the once-glorious land apart.
But now, change was coming.
In Alubarna, Alabasta's capital, towering stone palaces and elegant spires lined the horizon. Once a city of splendor, now it was a warzone. The rebels clashed with the royal guard, while Luffy and his crew fought desperately against Crocodile's forces.
The leader of the rebellion, Koza, had finally learned the truth—thanks to Princess Vivi, his childhood friend. Realizing they had been deceived, Koza rallied his army to fight alongside the king in one final attempt to drive Crocodile out of Alabasta forever.
Explosions echoed through the streets. A cloud of dust rose into the sky, and distant roars shook the air. At the center of the chaos, two figures faced off—Monkey D. Luffy and Sir Crocodile.
From the highest balcony of the palace, King Cobra, Vivi, Nami, and Koza watched the duel unfold, tension etched across their faces. The fate of their kingdom rested on the outcome of that battle.
On the battlefield, Crocodile smirked. "Mugiwara, you're nowhere near my level. You should know that by now."
Luffy stood his ground, fists clenched tight. "I'll never forgive you for what you've done! You destroyed Vivi's home! I'm not letting you get away with that!"
"Gomu Gomu no… Gatling Gun!"
Luffy's arms blurred, launching a barrage of punches that cracked the air like gunfire. Dozens of fists rained toward Crocodile.
But the sand warlord didn't even flinch. The moment Luffy's fists struck, his body dissolved into a swirling mass of sand, falling harmlessly to the ground before reforming again.
"I'm a Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit user," Crocodile sneered. "Your punches can't touch me."
Then, with a flick of his wrist, his right arm turned into a swirling vortex of sand that coalesced into a massive blade. "It's time to end this."
The blade whipped forward like a storm.
Luffy's eyes widened. "Ah! That move again!" He flung his arms out, grabbing a nearby building and yanking himself away just in time.
BOOM!
The sand blade tore through the ground, carving a deep trench and splitting the cobblestones. Dust filled the air as buildings cracked under the force.
"You slippery little monkey," Crocodile growled, transforming into sand and soaring into the air after him.
"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"
Luffy braced himself atop the ruins, stretched his arms back, and launched forward like a spring, slamming both fists into Crocodile's chest.
Crocodile's body burst apart into grains of sand again, harmlessly scattering in the wind.
"Pointless," he said coldly as he reformed. With a casual motion, he swung his arm, sending a crescent-shaped sand slash tearing toward Luffy.
The attack sliced through the air like a blade of wind.
Luffy barely dodged by stretching his arm and flinging himself aside. The building behind him wasn't so lucky—it was severed cleanly in half, collapsing with a thunderous crash. Chunks of debris rained down across the street.
From the palace, Cobra's expression tightened. "Luffy doesn't have the upper hand… unless he can find a way to counter Crocodile's sand powers, he'll lose."
Vivi's voice trembled. "Father, that's impossible! Crocodile's body turns into sand! It's the unique elemental form of a Logia user!"
The king's guard, Chaka, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, allow me to assist him!"
Sanji crossed his arms, a faint smirk on his lips. "If help was all it took, we'd have jumped in already."
Zoro remained silent, but his eyes stayed fixed on the fight. Even he could tell—Luffy was at a severe disadvantage.
Another explosion rocked the city. Luffy's body flew through several walls before crashing into the street below, coughing up dust and blood.
Crocodile floated above, his expression unreadable. "Give it up, boy. Your will means nothing here."
But Luffy, stubborn as ever, slowly pushed himself up again.
Before Crocodile could finish him, a calm voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Excuse me, but does anyone here have an Eternal Pose to Gaya Island?"
Everyone froze. The sudden intrusion was so casual it almost felt unreal.
Cobra blinked. "An… Eternal Pose? To Gaya Island? Yes, we do, but—who's asking?"
He trailed off as he looked up—and his breath caught in his throat.
High above them, standing effortlessly in midair, was a lone figure. The wind tugged at his black coat as sunlight glinted off his silver hair. His calm eyes reflected the battlefield below, utterly unbothered by the chaos. He radiated a quiet, overwhelming power that made even the air seem to bend around him.
Kaito had arrived.
"Him, really?!" Usopp gasped.
Zoro and Sanji looked up at the same time, eyes narrowing in recognition.
Nami's reaction was… quite different, her eyes glistened. "Kaito! You're here! Did you come to save us?"
Kaito shook his head slightly, his voice calm. "No. I came for the Eternal Pose to Gaya Island. I heard Alabasta had one, so I came to ask."
His tone was flat—no hint of urgency, no sign that he cared about the raging battle beneath him.
Vivi blinked, confused. "Nami, is he your friend?"
"Yes!" Nami said eagerly, puffing up with pride. "He saved my hometown! You should've seen it—it was incredible!" She launched into an excited retelling of how Kaito had liberated her island, completely forgetting the danger surrounding them.
"Right! And his bounty is now one hundred million Berries!" she added, chest out and voice full of pride—as if it were her own bounty being praised.
"One hundred million?" Vivi's eyes widened, a spark of awe lighting up her expression. "Between him and Luffy… who's stronger?"
At that question, even Sanji and Zoro glanced at each other in silence. The wind carried Kaito's voice faintly from above... sharp and absolute.
"If you have what I need," he said, "I'll take it. The rest of this… doesn't concern me."
The air around him shimmered faintly with Conqueror's Haki, though he made no effort to release it fully. Even restrained, it was enough to make the weaker soldiers around the battlefield falter, their legs trembling as an instinctive fear gripped their hearts.
Below, Crocodile paused mid-motion, glancing upward. His expression tightened for the first time since the battle began. "That aura…" he murmured. "Who is this man?"
A faint smirk played at Kaito's lips as the sandstorm howled beneath him.
"Just a passerby," he said softly.
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Thanks for the Power stones...but it's still not enough for a bonus chapter
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