Free Web NovelChapter 45: Chapter 45
Chapter 45
The center of the battlefield rang out with another loud clang.
The dust cloud was instantly blown away by the shockwave.
Crocodile blocked the incoming sword with his golden hook.
Both fighters then retreated, creating some distance between them.
This intense exchange had already lasted quite a while.
Crocodile was breathing heavily, a smear of red on his arm. He looked much more disheveled than at the start, and his stamina had been greatly depleted.
On Rorschach’s side, his breathing was steady and his expression calm. His clothes didn’t have a single speck of dust. The difference in their strength was obvious.
"What a monster of a rookie. I never thought the seas would birth someone like you," Crocodile said with a grave face. Their clash had made him realize just how powerful the young man in front of him was. If they kept dragging this out, he had no chance of winning.
But the opponent’s combat experience and Haki proficiency were both formidable. His Observation Haki was also well-trained — every attack had been dodged perfectly.
Besides wide-area techniques, Crocodile couldn’t think of any other way to overcome the boy in front of him.
"Thanks for the compliment. Want to reconsider what I said earlier?" Rorschach replied with a relaxed smile.
"You want me to work under a rookie like you? Impossible! Who the hell do you think I am?!" Crocodile roared.
"Hahaha, the seas have never cared about who came first. Only strength matters! If I’m strong enough, what’s wrong with joining me?"
"Heh heh, arrogant brat. Come talk to me after you’ve made a name for yourself in the second half of the Grand Line. Your strength isn’t bad, but dragging those women around with you won’t be enough to survive in this sea full of monsters."
As he spoke, Crocodile transformed his arm into a sand blade once again and slashed toward Rorschach.
"Desert Diamond Sword!"
Facing the incoming sand blade, Rorschach’s lips curled slightly. His body slowly rose into the air. freёwebnovel.com
"Lion Majesty: Imperial Earth Roll!"
Several lion heads made of sand formed, charging one after another toward Crocodile.
The sand blade shattered under the lions’ impact, and Crocodile was swallowed by them. The ground shook violently.
"Hehe, Crocodile, stop hiding. Sand attacks won’t work on you, right?" Rorschach said arrogantly from the sky. His attitude had completely changed from earlier.
Crocodile’s figure reformed from the sand.
"Float-Float Fruit! Damn it, it’s that old bastard’s fruit! The death report came out not long ago, and now his ability has already appeared."
"What the hell is your relationship with that guy?!" Crocodile roared with a dark expression.
"Hehe, if you can take this next move, I’ll tell you," Rorschach said. He didn’t answer the question. His twin blades began gathering Haki as his aura steadily rose.
Below, Crocodile sensed the overwhelming power in that aura and gritted his teeth. He didn’t retreat.
His arm transformed into a massive sand sword.
"Die!"
"Desert Great Sword!"
A gigantic sand sword rose from the ground, its tip aimed straight at Rorschach’s body.
"Hehe, perfect timing!"
"Slash Wave: Purgatory!"
The same powerful move he had once used against Naguri was unleashed again.
Two enormous sword waves shot forward, black-blue energy crackling with lightning.
"Your president is about to lose," Nami said with a playful look as she watched Crocodile clash with Rorschach. She had seen this technique before.
Even Naguri had called it a move capable of destroying a small island. While that might have been exaggerated, its power was undeniable.
It probably wouldn’t cause catastrophic damage to Alabasta, but this area definitely couldn’t withstand it.
As for Crocodile, who was facing it head-on, whether he could survive was questionable. After all, not everyone had Naguri’s level of Haki.
"Looks like Mr. Rorschach really is the stronger one," Robin said, watching the massive desert sword slowly crumble under Rorschach’s sword waves.
At this moment, Crocodile was pouring every ounce of his strength into constantly repairing the damaged sand sword.
He was desperately trying to block Rorschach’s sword waves.
"What a joke! There’s no way I’m going to die in a place like this to a brat like you!" Crocodile roared, his aura flaring as he raised his arm and kept pouring sand upward.
But this was just his final struggle.
The sword waves continued pressing downward, tearing apart the sand sword bit by bit until they slammed straight into the ground.
BOOM—
A deafening roar shook the area. The earth looked like it had been sliced into four pieces, with two massive slash marks carved into it.
The shockwave continued to rage.
Karina had no choice but to activate her defensive barrier to avoid getting covered in dust.
"It’s over," Nami said calmly as she watched the scene.
Rorschach exhaled and slowly descended to the center of the sword waves after the dust settled.
Crocodile had two huge gashes across his body. Blood poured out, staining the sand beneath him red.
Even breathing was difficult for him now.
"A former great pirate who got lost in his past glory and stopped training himself. How unsightly," Rorschach said with a sigh as he looked at the fallen Crocodile.
"Cough... cough... shut up, brat. Since you won, take my head," Crocodile said, still coughing up blood. Despite his dire state, his stubborn, unyielding attitude made Rorschach respect him a little more.
"Hehe, not interested," Rorschach said as he sheathed his swords.
"What do you mean?! Didn’t you come here to kill me?" Crocodile asked with great difficulty.
"Yes and no. I mainly came to test your strength. But it looks like being a Warlord isn’t that impressive," Rorschach said casually, waving his hand.
"Damn you, brat! If you don’t kill me now, I’ll make you regret it one day. I’ll defeat you eventually!" Crocodile used the last of his strength to turn his head and shout.
"Hehe, come talk to me when you evolve to version 3.0. You’re too weak right now," Rorschach said, waving without looking back.
"Damn it! This brat...!" Crocodile cursed. He wanted to stand up and fight another three hundred rounds, but his body told him he had already reached his limit.
Rorschach returned to Nami and the others. He casually said to Robin,
"Your president has been defeated. I’ve already taken him too. He said he’ll take good care of Robin-chan from now on~"
Robin smiled slightly but didn’t call him out. Crocodile would never say something like that.
"Then please take good care of me, Captain Rorschach," Robin said.
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