Crocodile lay sprawled on the ground, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
A violent gust of wind erupted, sweeping through the surroundings. A concentrated blast of Conqueror's Haki distorted reality itself.
The contemptuous words, the disdainful attitude—each one stoked the flames of hatred boiling in Crocodile's heart.
The fury inside him continued to surge.
Using his broken arms, he forcibly propped himself up.
The searing pain and humiliation robbed Crocodile of all reason.
With bloodshot eyes, he let out a roar:
"AAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Boom——
A burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded from his body!
But it was instantly crushed and snuffed out by Sakazuki's overwhelming Haki.
Sakazuki chuckled lightly.
"Interesting."
"But..."
He lifted his foot off Crocodile's head.
Then lightly pressed his black leather boot down on Crocodile's right hand, which was still supporting him.
Crack crack crack——
The brittle crunch of bones breaking echoed out.
The bones in Crocodile's right hand were ground to pieces.
The overwhelming Haki pressed down on Crocodile's spirit.
Slowly, his sanity returned.
The excruciating pain surged through his body. Using his uncrushed left hand, he pushed against the ground.
He yanked his right hand free and collapsed backward, slumping to the ground.
His bloodshot eyes glared at Sakazuki, panting heavily, filled with hatred.
Sakazuki let out a small laugh.
"Why resist?"
"Such a ridiculous sense of pride."
"Lying there on the ground is the best choice you could make."
"At least it spares you some pain."
"Isn't that right?"
Crocodile snorted, breathing hard, and gave a cold, bitter laugh.
Seeing this, Sakazuki spoke indifferently:
"Enel."
A crisp voice responded from nearby.
"Electro-smelting."
The golden accessories on Enel's wrist were instantly enveloped in lightning and melted down.
Four golden spikes emerged, coated with a pitch-black layer of Armament Haki.
Enel swung his hand forward.
The four golden spikes shot directly into Crocodile's limbs.
"20,000 Volts—Judgment!"
A burst of white light erupted from Crocodile's body. He collapsed completely.
His body convulsed violently, all motor control gone, his mind completely blank.
Sakazuki sat on a crate, puffing on a cigar. Beside him, Bullet stood with a wicked grin, watching the twitching figure on the ground.
No one knew how much time passed.
Sakazuki's cigar had burned down to the end.
He took a deep drag and flicked the stub to the ground.
"Huff—"
A cloud of white smoke billowed over Crocodile's face.
"Have you made up your mind yet?"
Crocodile let out a broken, raspy laugh:
"Heh... heh... heheheh..."
"Have you ever seen..."
"A king who's a lackey?"
Another wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him.
Sakazuki sighed.
"Fool."
"Not everyone with Conqueror's Haki is fit to be a king."
"If you're dead, what good is a crown?"
With that, he raised his right hand and pointed a finger at Crocodile.
Looks like he won't submit without a more painful lesson...
Whoosh——
Bang!!!
A lava-coated Shigan pierced Crocodile's left hand, blasting it apart.
Blood mist filled the air.
Ignoring Crocodile's terrified expression, Sakazuki said coldly:
"Last warning."
"If you talk back again, you'll be..."
"With no legs."
Crocodile was overcome with terror.
His newly awakened Conqueror's Haki was utterly shattered.
The loss of his left hand yanked him back into brutal reality.
Only by staying alive... could he have anything at all.
Suppressing his panic, he asked:
"What opportunity?"
Sakazuki smiled faintly.
"That's more like it."
"If you'd done this earlier, you wouldn't have lost your left hand."
Ignoring Crocodile's pained expression, he continued:
"The opportunity is related to the government's proposal about the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"You've been selected as one of the pilot candidates."
Crocodile took a few deep breaths.
"Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Sakazuki explained calmly:
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea is a system proposed by the government."
"They choose pirates with grudges against the New World emperors and strong potential."
"These pirates are granted the title of Warlord."
"With the government's support."
"That includes everything from strength to influence."
"They even gain legal plundering rights."
"The main goal is to help the Warlords grow rapidly..."
"To be used against the emperors of the New World."
"And they must answer the government's summons at any time."
"No excuses allowed."
Crocodile thought it over and quickly understood the government's intent.
"So it's mutual destruction, huh..."
"Heh heh..."
"Such a clever scheme."
"What's the extent of that so-called legal plundering?"
For the moment, Crocodile suppressed his fear. He was slightly tempted—the offer was far too appealing...
Sakazuki chuckled.
"The scope of legal plundering is limited to..."
"Plundering pirates."
Crocodile's eyes widened.
"You've got to be kidding!"
Boom——
Sakazuki stomped down with his black leather boot.
Grinding it forcefully:
"Good question."
"You hit the key point."
"But your tone."
"I don't like it."
He lifted his foot. Crocodile lay motionless on the ground.
But his faintly trembling body betrayed the storm in his heart.
Sakazuki spoke with detached calm:
"Legal plundering covers everything... except the Navy and nobles."
"You can plunder all of it."
"But."
"I won't allow it."
"Understand?"
"Don't overstep."
After a long silence, Crocodile slowly lifted his head.
His expression had returned to calm, emotionless.
"...Fine."
Sakazuki stood up.
"Good."
"Now that you understand."
"The government will send someone later to brief you on the details."
"Let me say it again."
"Do not overstep."
"This concludes the notification."
Bang——
He casually kicked Crocodile several meters away.
"Enel, call the government folks outside to come in and treat him."
Enel made a gesture.
"Roger!"
Zzz——
He turned into a bolt of lightning and vanished.
Zzz——
Then reappeared in another flash of light.
"Almost forgot."
He stretched his hand toward Crocodile lying in the distance.
With a flick of his fingers...
The four golden spikes were pulled out at once. Crocodile let out a muffled grunt.
His teeth nearly shattered from rage—but he still lay motionless, forcing himself to calm down...
Zzz——
Enel disappeared once again in a flash of lightning.
...
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 24 — the massive red tree.
Nightfall approached.
Sakazuki, Enel, and Bullet were seated outside a restaurant.
Empty plates piled up on the table.
The waitstaff kept bringing out more meat and alcohol.
Bullet, who had shriveled from dehydration earlier, slowly regained his bulk through food and drink.
Sakazuki leaned back with both arms resting atop the wide chair.
Looking to the right, he saw Karol walking over.
"How's he doing?"
Karol approached and shook his head with a wry smile.
"It's bad. The injuries are serious."
"Left hand is gone, most of his bones are shattered."
"When we reported it to HQ..."
"They almost threw him straight into prison."
"Luckily, he awakened Conqueror's Haki—that's the only reason he was kept alive."
Thinking of the arrogance of the Warlords in the original timeline, Sakazuki chuckled.
"Good. Let him suffer—it'll teach him a lesson."
"Otherwise they'd all act like they're above the law."
"Come on, eat."
Karol gave an "mm" and was just about to sit down.
But suddenly, all four people at the table turned their gaze to Sakazuki's right.
A little girl holding a ten-layer ice cream cone was running with her friends, when she tripped.
She tumbled straight toward Sakazuki.
Thud——
Sakazuki caught the girl.
But the ten-layer ice cream splattered all over him.
The little girl looked at the empty cone in her hand, then at Sakazuki's stern and fearsome face.
Tears welled up in her eyes. Her shoulders trembled as she held back sobs, not daring to cry aloud.
The surrounding people and her friends didn't dare to approach.
Sakazuki wiped the ice cream from his arm.
"Karol."
Karol chuckled softly.
He reached toward the side of his body where he carried Oto...
From his pouch.
He took out a thousand Belly and walked over to the girl.
Patting her head, Karol spoke gently:
"There, there~ Don't cry~"
"Go buy a couple of twenty-layer ones, okay~"
"Share them with your friends~"
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