CLAP
CLAP
CLAP
A series of claps and footsteps broke the tension in the casino. Everyone, including Sukuna, turned toward the darkness from which the sound came.
From the shadows emerged a tall man with a broad chest, sturdy shoulders, and a thick neck. His pale skin contrasted with his black hair that fell to the nape of his neck, and he dressed like an Italian mafia magnate.
Sukuna, Igaram, Pell, Sebas, and Vivi knew instantly, upon seeing the man, that it was Crocodile, one of the Seven Warriors of the Sea. The others, although they had never seen him, sensed that he was the man Vivi spoke of, the one their Captain had to defeat.
"I didn't expect you to dare come, Sukuna the Assassin. I thought you were just talking nonsense," said Crocodile, clapping slowly as he walked through the lobby, his Cuban cigar smoking.
Seeing his prey approaching, Sukuna released Vivi, who fell to her knees, clutching her neck to catch her breath.
Nami rushed to her side and helped her up.
"Are you okay, Vivi?" Nami asked, concerned, holding her firmly.
"Thanks... Nami," Vivi whispered, still a little dizzy. "Um... I'm sorry I was so... well, you know."
Nami smiled sweetly and sighed, gently squeezing her shoulder. "It's okay, Vivi. Don't worry, I'll talk to Sukuna and speak up for you, but try not to say too much."
Vivi nodded, her eyes reflecting gratitude and relief, but inside she still remembered Sukuna´s words, so, just as Nami had told her, she decided not to provoke him.
"You're... a good friend, Nami," she said with a small, bitter smile.
"And you too, Princess," Nami replied, returning her smile. "Stay alert; this place isn't safe yet, and you still owe me fifteen million, understand?"
...
Vivi, hearing Nami's words, didn't know what to say, so she simply nodded mechanically.
Sukuna, hearing Crocodile's arrogant voice, smiled mockingly. Seeing this guy Crocodile's face, so arrogant as if he hadn't fled the Grand Line like a dog, irritated him deeply.
"What? You think your Shichibukai title scares me?" Sukuna replied sneeringly.
Crocodile stared at him with a cold gaze. The next moment, a faint smile appeared on his face upon hearing Sukuna´s words.
"Very arrogant for someone who just arrived on the Grand Line," Crocodile replied, taking a deep drag on his cigar.
STEP
STOP
Crocodile stopped a few steps from Sukuna, looked at him indifferently, and continued, "Your strength is truly impressive," Crocodile said with a slight smile. "I'll give you the opportunity to join Baroque Works. What do you think?"
When Crocodile heard the derogatory comments about his Shichibukai title, he didn't care much and instead invited Sukuna to join his side. After all, his goal had never been to be a Shichibukai forever, so he didn't mind Sukuna mocking his title.
After all, that title was simply a means to an end: getting closer to the Ancient Weapon Pluton, which, he had heard, was located in Alabasta. That's why he decided to take over the country, and being a Shichibukai facilitated this objective. His goal was clear: to become the Pirate King.
All the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place. He already knew Pluton was somewhere in Alabasta; finding him was only a matter of time and relatively easy. After all, he had the "Devil's Child," Nico Robin, under his command, capable of translating historical texts.
Once he obtained the Ancient Weapon Pluton, with the power of a single shot capable of destroying an island, neither the Marines, nor the Four Emperors, nor the World Government could stop him from becoming the Pirate King upon seeing such power. Everything was going smoothly.
"Hahaha, but I've killed so many of your men, doesn't that bother you?!" Sukuna replied dismissively.
"Humph," Crocodile snorted indifferently. "There are so many guys like them in this world that they're not even worth mentioning."
"Then join me." "Once my plan in Arabasta succeeds… no, wait, this will definitely succeed," Crocodile corrected, taking a long drag on his cigar, and continued.
"Make the right decision today, and in the future you'll be glad you followed me." Crocodile raised his hands, and the golden hook cast a terrifying gleam in the luxurious casino. His eyes blazed with confidence and a terrifying ambition.
Hearing Crocodile's words, Sukuna grinned even wider, his face dripping with mockery. The next instant, he couldn't contain himself any longer and burst into laughter, clutching his forehead.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Seeing that Sukuna wasn't taking him seriously, Crocodile's face turned cold, and he asked, "What's so funny, kid?"
"Hahaha, of course I'm laughing at the absurdity of your plan!" said Sukuna, wiping away the tear that threatened to spill from the corner of his eye.
Hearing this, Crocodile flew into a rage. After all, Sukuna hadn't shown him any respect, even though he'd always offered olive branches. He was about to attack when Sukuna´s next words paralyzed him.
"That wonderful plan you talk so much about, and in which you place so much hope," said Sukuna, staring intently at Crocodile, "simply consists of obtaining the ancient weapon Plutón and then using its power to deter the World Government and all the pirates in the world, right?"
...
Crocodile's mind went blank for a few moments, but he still managed to speak unconsciously. "You... how do you know about my plan... about... about... Pluto?" Crocodile frowned, his eyes wide with surprise. "Wait a minute, how do you know about Pluto? That's something a newcomer shouldn't know," Crocodile asked, his face grim.
"Who is this guy? Is his reason for coming to Alabasta also related to the Ancient Weapon Plutón? What on earth is going on here?" A flood of questions raced through Crocodile's mind as he tried to understand the situation.
Bee glanced at him and asked curiously, "Ancient Weapons, do you know what those are?"
"I don't know much, I only heard about them in a book from the West Blue. According to that book, legend says they are ancient weapons capable of destroying the world," Sebas Tian explained seriously. "The names of these weapons are Uranus, Neptune, and Plutón." Sebas paused, looked at Sukuna, and continued:
"What's amazing here is that Lord Sukuna knows about these Ancient Weapons. You know, back in the day, getting that book cost me a fortune. According to the person who sold it to me, it came from an island that contained all the world's knowledge, which mysteriously disappeared. It's truly impressive that Lord Sukuna knows about this."
"Destroy the world… that's an exaggeration," José murmured, somewhat incredulous.
"No one knows for sure if these weapons can destroy the world or if it's just an exaggeration to scare children at night," Sebas added. "After all, no one has ever seen one. They've always been thought to be just legends. But if Lord Sukuna, a powerful being, also knows about Plutón, perhaps the three Ancient Weapons do exist."
Bumblebee, visibly excited, began to fantasize after hearing Sebas.
"If we find this ancient weapon, even if it can't destroy the world like you say, it must be incredibly powerful if it has such a reputation… Imagine if I devoured it with my ability! I'd become the ultimate Bee… hehehe… hehehe… If Thunderbolt and the others saw me like this, they'd be speechless!"
Bee couldn't help but burst out laughing, imagining his power amplified to the maximum. At that moment, everyone looked at Bee as if he were an idiot.
"Bee, have you gone mad?" Carmen asked, unable to stand his idiotic expression.
"Teacher, don't forget that Bee is a motorcycle, so he doesn't have a brain," Leo replied, in a serious but amused tone. "The circuits in whatever he has in his head probably fried from daydreaming so much."
…
Sukuna wasn't paying attention to Bee's antics; his gaze was fixed on Crocodile. At that moment, his mocking expression disappeared, replaced by a somber one. "Bastard, do you really want me to be your subordinate? Do you think you're worthy? And that Ancient Weapon crap, what a shitty joke!"
"Plutón or whatever it is, I don't care if it exists or not. I'm not interested in that garbage."
"Shut your mouth!" Before Sukuna could finish speaking, Crocodile interrupted him furiously. Sukuna´s face darkened even further. "Stop lying, you bastard. That's the Ancient Weapon Plutón, which has the power to destroy the world." "How could anyone not want it?" Crocodile ignored Sukuna´s grim expression and didn't believe him at all when he said he wasn't interested in Pluto.
"Heh, bastard! It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not. Since you want Ancient Weapons so badly and you own a casino, let's make a bet!" Sukuna suggested, barely containing his fury.
"What's the bet?" Crocodile frowned, not understanding Sukuna´s intentions. However, Crocodile had complete confidence in his strength. Except for his defeat against Whitebeard, he had never lost to anyone. Even the battle with Barrett ended in a draw.
Therefore, Crocodile didn't care about the tricks Sukuna was plotting. In his opinion, he could easily subdue a newcomer who had never been to the New World with his own strength, so he didn't take Sukuna seriously.
"As long as you can hurt me, even if you only manage to draw a single drop of my blood, I'll tell you everything I know about Pluto..." Sukuna said with a terrifying smile, his eyes gleaming as he watched Crocodile's face grow darker and darker. This only made Sukuna want to mock Crocodile even more.
"Wait, wait, let's raise the stakes... I can also tell you where Poseidon, the King of the Sea, is. What do you think? Aren't you excited?"
HAHAHAHA
...
"Princess Vivi..." Pell whispered, looking at the young princess with navy-blue hair in confusion and bewilderment. "Isn't this Sukuna the Assassin a bit arrogant? After all, he is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Yes... Princess, you can't let your guard down in battle," Igaram added. Even though he had seen Sukuna´s strength at Whisky Peak, he was still nervous. "Even a lion would use its full strength against a mere rabbit. This is a battle that affects all of Arabasta."
Vivi watched silently, saying nothing, keeping her thoughts hidden from everyone.
Suddenly!
Crocodile took a deep drag on his cigar, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke before letting out a cold, restrained laugh.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Kid... for someone who's never been to the New World, you're really... arrogant!" Crocodile paused for a moment, and the next instant his face and aura were filled with murderous intent. "But being arrogant takes skill!"
"HAHAHAHA, you bastard! Seriously, seeing your disgusting face and how arrogant you act just because you ran away like a dog from the New World and were adopted by the World Government makes me sick. Right now, I've never wanted to kill someone so badly," Sukuna replied, unleashing his own murderous intent.
Upon hearing Sukuna reveal his greatest shame, Crocodile became utterly furious, to the point that the veins in his forehead bulged and writhed with rage.
"Fine."
"Very well."
"It's been a long time since I've encountered someone as arrogant as you. I don't know how you know what happened years ago, but that doesn't matter. Once I've defeated you and slowly tortured you to extract the secrets of the Ancient Weapons, I'll sever your limbs and leave you to die slowly in the desert."
DESERT SWORD
Swooosh!
Crocodile's arm transformed into sand, which he shook, unleashing a colossal slash that sliced through everything as if it were butter.
Seeing the enormous slash approaching, Sukuna smiled with excitement, grabbed his black haori, and with a swift movement, threw it to Nami, who caught it.
SORU
Swiish!
Sukuna vanished, leaving behind a faint afterimage; the slash that had been directed at him slammed into the wall behind him, splitting it in two.
Like a flash near Crocodile, Sukuna´s figure appeared in the air, using the cursed energy that powered his body to amplify the power of his attacks. Sukuna viciously kicked Crocodile's head.
Crocodile, still with his arm outstretched and transformed into sand, didn't move at all to stop Sukuna´s attack.
Bang!
Sukuna´s kick struck with such force that the casino tables exploded into pieces. Immediately afterward, Crocodile's head exploded in a cloud of sand.
The lower half of Crocodile's headless body turned to sand, and with a swift movement, it tried to grab Sukuna's head to mummify him.
Seeing this, Sukuna vanished and reappeared far away from Crocodile.
"Tch, how boring," Sukuna muttered as he watched Crocodile's head begin to condense again.