Crocodile, blasted apart into a mass of sand on the ground, slowly reformed again, his expression twisted with fury. To be struck down by a mere girl—this was the greatest humiliation of his life.
Before he could fully recover, countless black bats swarmed through the air. Moria's massive shadow loomed, and soon after, streaks of lightning crackled as Enel appeared, his cold eyes fixed on Crocodile. That the sand crocodile dared flee during the forming of his thunderclouds, dragging both Kuma and Moria into the fight, had made him seethe with irritation.
"Hey-hee-hee! Crocodile, stop struggling already! Why don't you just join the Arlong Pirates?" Moria screeched with a twisted laugh. Seeing the proud desert tyrant in such a state oddly filled him with joy. After all, Enel had beaten him to a pulp earlier—now it was Crocodile's turn to suffer under Enel and Kuma. Even Moria himself wanted to land a few blows.
"Hmph! Do you think I'm like you?" Crocodile sneered coldly at Moria. He would never bow to anyone. Not even to the Four Emperors, let alone some upstart like Arlong.
"You bastard, you're asking for death!" Moria roared. "Shadow Spear!" A massive spear of darkness shot forward, piercing Crocodile straight through the chest. But the attack hit nothing—his body dissolved into sand and reformed off to the side.
"Hey-hee-hee! You may dodge my strikes, but let's see how you fare against those two monsters," Moria cackled. Once Enel and Kuma went all out, Crocodile's arrogance wouldn't last long.
"This is the desert. If I want to leave, none of you can stop me," Crocodile said coldly, cigar clenched between his teeth. Escaping underground like a coward was humiliating, yes, but against this group, retreat was his only option. Especially with an even more terrifying figure yet to appear.
"Is that so? If you run, I'll chase," Enel smirked. His Mantra could cover an immense range. Did Crocodile really think he could escape their hunt?
"What an insufferable face," Crocodile muttered with disgust at Enel's lifeless, fish-like eyes.
"These two creeps are alike," Bonney muttered under her breath, watching them both. "The same arrogant tone, the same dead-fish eyes that look down on everything. No wonder they both make me want to punch them."
"I've already informed Marine Headquarters. Let's see how long you last in Alabasta," Crocodile lied smoothly. In truth, he hadn't yet contacted Sengoku, but intimidation was still a weapon.
"Yahaha! Perfect. I was just hoping to test myself against those Admirals," Enel laughed, unleashing a massive pillar of lightning as thick as a tree trunk straight at Crocodile, his own form flashing forward in a surge of electricity.
"Tch!" Crocodile dissolved into sand just in time, burrowing deep into the desert below to escape. Let them try to catch him now.
"After him!" Enel barked sharply, streaking after the trail of sand. The crocodile had abandoned flight, retreating underground instead. But hiding beneath the desert like a rat wouldn't save him—he wouldn't escape the Arlong Pirates' hunt.
"Hey-hee-hee! The cat-and-mouse game begins," Moria cackled, transforming into a swarm of bats as he followed Enel's lead, trusting the lightning man's vast observation haki.
"Kuma! We've got to chase too—we can't let him get away!" Bonney shouted urgently. Taking down a Warlord of the Sea was their ticket to tomorrow's headlines and higher bounties.
"This could get tricky," Kuma murmured, but scooped Bonney up and vanished in a blur, instantly giving chase.
Moments later, a giant dragon soared across the desert sky, its colossal wings beating as it too joined the pursuit.
"A lion fights even a rabbit with full force, but these fools keep dragging things out," Arlong growled, displeased. His style was simple—against logia users like Caesar or Enel, he always struck to end the battle in one blow, giving them no time to counter. He'd have to drill that lesson into Kuma and Enel: sometimes, you had to finish the enemy in a single strike before they even realized what happened.
···
Meanwhile, in Marineford and Mary Geoise, Crocodile didn't need to send word—their spies had already reported everything.
"The Arlong Pirates are attacking Warlord Crocodile!" Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face darkened. This Souta Kiryuu truly never stayed quiet. First the Flower–San War in the West Blue, then the grand declaration in Loguetown, dragging the Marines and World Government into chaos—and now Alabasta. And hadn't it been enough that they had already absorbed Moria? Was he planning to target every Warlord one by one?
The Warlord system was already unstable. They hadn't even filled all the seats yet—just recently they'd contacted a possible replacement, the so-called 'Whitebeard Jr.' A monster of a man, supposedly strong. But if Crocodile fell before he could be installed, the Warlords would be weakened again, and the entire system would look like a farce. Another slap in the World Government's face.
"Aokiji is near St. Poplar, not too far from Alabasta," Vice Admiral Tsuru said gravely. "But one Admiral alone might not be enough. Arlong is different now—he's mastered Conqueror's Haki infusion. With Kuma, Enel, and Moria backing him, even one Admiral could be overwhelmed. Maybe even two."
"And don't forget the worst problem of all," she continued. "The Arlong Pirates' ship can fly. Between Kuma's Paw-Paw powers and Arlong's dragon form, they can vanish before anyone pins them down."
"Alabasta is one of the World Government's most vital allies, a founding kingdom of the Twenty. We cannot allow the Arlong Pirates to remain there," Sengoku declared firmly. He immediately sent word to the Holy Knights, then ordered Aokiji to move at once. Garp was dispatched as well, while even Akainu was given orders to sail.
With Sengoku and Kizaru still at Marineford, the base was secure against threats like Shiki or even the Arlong Pirates themselves. As for the Holy Knights, only half would move out. Ever since Arlong had exposed Im's existence, the atmosphere in Mary Geoise had grown tense. They couldn't afford to leave the Holy Land unguarded—not when something unthinkable might happen at any time.