Although Law was defeated by Crocodile in the previous battle, Crocodile himself did not emerge completely unscathed. Law was a user of Armament Haki and was well-versed in its power, allowing him to bypass the Logia's elemental body even without the use of water.
In a strict sense, one could only say that Crocodile held a slight edge, and that Law's mastery of Armament Haki was not yet complete.
Gwoo...
Suddenly, a pale blue, round, membrane-like barrier appeared inside the hall where Crocodile was located, having passed through the doorway.
This sight caused the expression of Crocodile, who was sitting on a sofa recovering from his injuries, to harden.
He knew it. It was the ability of that brat from before.
Sure enough, in the next second, a shadow emerged from within the membrane at the doorway. It was Law.
Bandages were still wrapped around his right forearm, an injury sustained during the earlier fight with Crocodile.
"In such a hurry to die?"
Crocodile abruptly stood up, his body instantly turning into sand. The swirling particles filled the air of the hall, causing Law to frown.
"Don't misunderstand, Crocodile. While I'd love to take you out, I'm only here to deliver a message."
As ash fell from the cigar in Crocodile's mouth, he asked in a deep voice, "A message?"
"The Devil Fruit you recently acquired is something my superior, Alucard, desires. He now orders you to deliver the item to the New World."
Ignoring Crocodile's now darkening face, Law continued, "Well, as for what happens if you refuse, I don't know the exact outcome, but you're welcome to try."
"Desert Spada!"
In a fit of rage, Crocodile swung his left hand upward and then violently slashed downward, unleashing a vertical, crescent-shaped blade of sand. It carved a deep trench in the floor and sped straight toward Law.
"ROOM!"
Law pointed his left hand down, and the air intensely rotated. He vanished from his original spot. Crocodile's attack tore through the doorway and didn't stop until it had traveled an unknown distance.
Crocodile couldn't stop Law from escaping. He could only watch helplessly through the large hole he had just blasted in the doorway as Law used the power of the Ope Ope no Mi to flee.
"If you refuse, I don't know the exact outcome, but you're welcome to try."
Law's words echoed in Crocodile's ears. A vein pulsed near his temple. Suddenly, he viciously slashed the ground with his hook, carving a massive fissure into the floor tiles.
Over a dozen hours later, night fell. Near the docking spot of the Polar Tang on the coast, Bepo, Shachi, and others were gathered around a bonfire. Various grilled fish were roasting nearby; a favorite food of Law and Bepo, even though they had collected plenty of provisions in the town.
The Heart Pirates now numbered over ten people, and one major disappointment was the lack of female crew members.
"Ah... I don't care about anything else, I just want a beautiful woman in the crew!" complained Penguin while eating curry.
"Why don't you just find a woman from Amazon Lily?" a middle-aged man with a bizarre, upside-down handlebar mustache retorted.
"You new guys don't know about our previous experience sneaking onto Amazon Lily! They almost shot us full of holes like a beehive! How could we possibly go invite them?" Penguin bristled.
"Let's drop this topic for now. We won't find any new crew members, let alone a woman, by staying here."
Shachi turned to Law, who was sitting on a rock platform and biting into a grilled fish, and asked, "Captain, how long are we staying in this desert kingdom?"
Law's eyes were cold as he fiercely tore off a piece of fish meat. He answered with grim reluctance, "Until I beat Crocodile for good."
"Oh nooo..."
A chorus of complaints arose.
They had all witnessed the previous fight. While the gap between Law and Crocodile wasn't enormous, they were certainly not on the same level, at least not for the next six months.
Did this mean they would be stuck in this desolate place for half a year?!
No way!
Shhh, shh, shh...
Suddenly, the light, rhythmic sound of footsteps approached. Everyone stopped eating and looked in the direction of the sound.
A beautiful, charming woman with long, pure black hair was walking toward them.
She wore a wide-brimmed hat and a pure white overcoat. Beneath the coat was a shirt-vest barely larger than a brassiere, paired with pure white ultra-short shorts and long boots, perfectly accentuating her tall, full figure.
"Oh!! A female crew member!"
Penguin, looking as though he'd lost his parents, rushed forward, practically ready to kiss her boots. "Would you like to join our pirate crew?"
The woman smiled and gently raised her hand. Suddenly, a hand sprouted from Penguin's right shoulder, forcefully pulling his face to the side. The woman chuckled, "I apologize, but could you please not get so close?"
Everyone who witnessed the bizarre scene quickly snapped out of their admiration for her beauty. Law immediately tossed aside his grilled fish and said coldly, "A Devil Fruit user?"
"Please don't point such a dangerous object at me."
Robin's eyes swept over the katana in Law's hand. She extended her other hand from inside her white overcoat, and in her palm was a small box. "This is the item you wanted."
"Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself," Robin chuckled lightly. "I am Miss All Sunday, and Crocodile is my direct superior."
Law looked at Robin with a frigid stare, activating his power to instantaneously transfer the box into his hand. He opened it.
The fruit was completely golden and shaped like a grapefruit, with straight lines for its markings.
It matched the image provided by Dr. Indigo. The Swap-Swap Fruit, a top-tier Paramecia-type Fruit, just like his own Ope Ope no Mi.
Closing the box, the corner of Law's mouth curled up. "Even the Sand-Crocodile has to back down when faced with the name Alucard, huh?"
"Heh heh, perhaps so," Robin replied with a mysterious smile.
"Uh, Miss All Sunday, would you consider joining our pirate crew? We're the premier crew under the Immortal Pirates," Penguin asked fearlessly, having recovered from the impact of the Flower-Flower Fruit.
"Oh?"
Robin looked at Penguin with a half-smile. "But I saw in the newspapers that the most famous ones are the Golden Hair Pirates[1], the Kuja Pirates, and the Trash Disposal Unit... I hadn't even heard the name 'Heart Pirates' until I ran into you in the last fight."
The Heart Pirates seems to have suffered 10,000 points of damage...
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[1] Changing Ivalis' epithet from Blond to Golden-Haired
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