"Navy Queen, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to my humble abode?"
Crocodile turned his chair around, while Nico Robin naturally dared not appear and watched from the shadows.
For some reason, she felt that the visitor had ill intentions!
Nico Robin's current bounty was 80 million, so for her to openly appear before the Marine would be a provocation!
He, Crocodile, was no fool!
"Crocodile, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you. Are you interested?"
Looking at Crocodile, who had his hair slicked back, Esdeath couldn't help but recall something.
A rumor that circulated in her previous world claimed that Crocodile was originally a woman and that Ivankov had helped him change his gender.
She just wondered if it was true?
"Haha-haha, I have no interest in cooperating with the Marine."
He took out a cigar, put it in his mouth, and lit it, puffing away without the slightest fear of Esdeath's identity.
"As for you being the strongest in the world right now, I remain skeptical…"
"Whitebeard may be old, but he's not someone a little girl can just replace!"
As someone who had contended with Whitebeard and been active in the New World, Crocodile simply couldn't believe that the woman in front of him could defeat Whitebeard!
That old man was a monster!
"Is that so?"
"So, we can't reach an agreement?"
"The Five-Five Man!"
Raising an eyebrow, she looked at Crocodile and uttered a nickname that made him extremely unhappy.
Contending with Whitebeard in his youth, fighting Bullet to a draw, being defeated by Luffy, and then his chaotic performance at the Marineford War later on.
No matter how you looked at it, Crocodile lived up to his nickname, the Five-Five Man.
"What do you mean?"
The Five-Five Man?
When did he get such a nickname?
"Literally!"
Instead of answering Crocodile's confusion, she spoke again: "Nico, Crocodile, I heard you used to be a woman…"
Bang!
The golden hook instantly collided with Esdeath's unsheathed Hyōrinmaru!
"There's a limit to jokes, Esdeath!"
Crocodile, with a gloomy expression, glared at Esdeath. When did such news spread? He had never heard of it!
"I am a pure man!"
Clang!
After deflecting Esdeath's Hyōrinmaru, Crocodile turned away, no longer bothering with Esdeath.
"Though I don't know where you heard it, there's no doubt it's just a rumor!"
His tone relaxed, no longer as flustered as before. Only Ivankov knew his secret!
That guy couldn't possibly reveal his secret, or he would surely kill him!
And Esdeath had basically confirmed that this news was purely a rumor, but the so-called secret seemed to be somewhat related to women.
But…
"Since there's nothing to discuss, can I at least ask for one person?"
"Although I don't know what your secret specifically is, I know who knows your secret."
Having no other choice, Esdeath had to resort to a desperate measure. After all, Pluton was hers, and Nico Robin could only be hers.
Crocodile could go play in the sand!
"Are you threatening me?"
Crocodile narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Esdeath with a watchful gaze.
The surrounding environment slowly began to change, the ground gradually turning to sand, as if it would shatter at any moment.
Whoosh!
A wave of ice swept through!
The office became a world of ice, with dirt and rocks directly encased in ice.
"This isn't a threat, but a notification!"
Crossing her legs, Esdeath sat on a throne formed of ice.
If it were the young Crocodile, perhaps Esdeath would have had a bit of a desire to fight, but the current Crocodile…
He had already been ruined, just like Moriah…
"You!"
Crocodile, secretly trying to manipulate the sand again, found that he had lost all connection with it.
And the ice beneath his feet was like steel!
"In that case, let's have a proper discussion!"
His entire body turned into sand, smashing through the ice-encased wall, and Esdeath immediately followed.
Crocodile didn't want his years of hard work to go to waste, choosing to fight in the wilderness, and Esdeath's goal was the same!
The two faced each other in the desert!
Crocodile's intact arm instantly transformed into sand, and he roared.
"Desert Spada!"
"Armament!"
She extended her long leg, Armament Haki covering it from ankle to thigh, and directly kicked out against the Desert Spada, which could cleave the ground.
Boom!
For a moment, sand flew into the air.
The ground was cleaved open, extending to Esdeath's feet, where a circular pit appeared!
"Haki!"
Indeed, even if he didn't consider Esdeath the strongest, the level of her Haki alone indicated that she was not weak!
Soru!
Esdeath instantly appeared above Crocodile.
"Nani!"
He had clearly activated Observation Haki, so why hadn't he seen her movements at all? It was as if she had appeared out of thin air above his head!
"Lie down!"
Haoshoku coiled around her leg, and then she kicked down!
Facing the long leg entwined with Haoshoku and Armed Color, Crocodile had no way to dodge. Esdeath's first move was a killing blow.
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
Violent explosions and collapsing sounds rang out. Crocodile felt as if he was facing Whitebeard and his Tremor-Tremor Fruit at that moment.
He couldn't hold on for even a second and was instantly embedded in the ground!
Then, the ground was swept by the impact, cracking inch by inch!
Dust flew everywhere!
Instantly, a hundred-meter pit appeared in the wilderness!
Blood flowed from Crocodile's mouth, his arm was disfigured, and his golden poison hook was cracked and had fallen to the ground.
His eyes were filled with disbelief!
He had been defeated in one blow, without even the power to retaliate!
Although there was an element of underestimation, that one blow just now was as terrifying as facing Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
Had he regressed to this extent!
Haoshoku entwined, plus Armament Haki entwined!
He lay spread-eagled in the center of the pit, with quicksand continuously pouring in from all around.
"You lost!"
"Indeed! I admit I lost, but I don't understand why a strong person like you would need to find me?"
Crocodile, whose entire body except for his eyeballs was still able to move, looked at Esdeath with a questioning gaze.
"I need Nico Robin…"
After a brief reply, Esdeath's back disappeared from Crocodile's sight. In her perception, Crocodile probably had no chance of survival.
"So that's it!"
Crocodile, gradually submerged by the quicksand, did not struggle. He seemed to have thought of something and burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! World Government!"
"You're finished!"
After saying that, Crocodile was buried by the quicksand.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"