"Oh?"
Hearing this, Shano seemed quite interested and leaned in a little closer. "What ancient secret?"
Yeah, closer. Even closer.
Just give me a bit more time to prepare.
Rustle rustle...
Only Crocodile could hear this sound, as if countless grains of sand were flowing, gathering, and spinning beneath his skin—
"Do you think why I've been operating in Alabasta all this time? That country is an ancient civilization with a thousand years of history, hiding an ancient weapon capable of destroying the world..."
Crocodile spoke while gasping for breath, his voice growing weaker as he spoke.
It wasn't until Shano had to put his ear close that he could barely hear. Suddenly, a ferocious smile spread across Crocodile's mouth—
You've been tricked, kid!
"Sandstorm, Tenmaru Rain!!!"
Boom!
With a low shout, countless fine cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of Crocodile's sand-covered skin.
Golden grains of sand wildly sprayed out from the cracks, and in that instant, his entire body exploded!
This was no ordinary explosion; it was a self-destruct attack compressing the sand-transformed body to its limits.
Countless grains of sand coated with Armament Haki shot out like bullets, forming numerous terrifyingly powerful shockwaves at extremely close range!
Pfft pfft pfft pfft!
The dense sand pelted Shano like heavy rain hitting banana leaves.
Every grain burst with terrifying force, pushing Shano back over ten meters.
He raised his arms in front of him to block, his feet carving two deep trenches into the sandy ground.
"Brother!"
"Captain!"
Exclamations also came from the crew on the Draper Horn.
Nami was the first to climb over the railing, trying to jump to shore.
But just as she stepped over, Shano's calm voice came from the rising yellow sand:
"It's nothing. No need to come over."
As the dust cleared, Shano's figure gradually came into view.
His shirt was torn and ragged, so he tore it off and threw it aside, revealing a strong upper body.
Those sand bullets capable of piercing steel plates had mostly left only dense red dots on his skin.
Only a few areas—his chest, waist, and arms—had flesh badly bruised and bleeding.
"Bleeding, huh?"
Shano spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, looked down at his wounds, then looked up again.
"This your newest move? Finally getting interesting. Mind using it a few more times? I want to experience it."
He grinned, completely unfazed.
Though his smile looked friendly and harmless, to Crocodile's eyes, it was like a demon stepping out of hell.
"Cough, cough cough, boring..."
Crocodile struggled to roll onto his back, lying on the sand, staring faintly at the night sky.
His trembling fingers pulled a cigar from his coat pocket, bit it, and took several tries to light it.
Once lit, he took a deep drag, exhaling smoke mixed with blood foam.
A blood-stained corner of his mouth curled into a self-mocking smile:
"This kind of move, you're still unbeatable? What kind of monster are you, really..."
His body now like a broken sack, leaking everywhere, sand continuously flowing out, and his aura weakening further.
Shano glanced over.
It was clear: if Crocodile wasn't treated soon, his life would soon end.
"Looks like he can't use it a second time."
Shano sighed, squatting down.
"A self-destruct move, huh? Using it once basically takes you down. No wonder I've never seen you use it before."
"Before?"
Crocodile exhaled smoke and sneered.
"What nonsense, kid? This is our first meeting, don't act like you know me."
Obviously, Shano knew him well.
If only the trading market would sell One Piece anime episodes — he could show Crocodile the uncensored Nika fighting footage and see if he'd faint.
Anyway,
He seemed unguarded earlier, but his alertness was maxed out.
That sudden act of crawling and pleading looked off.
After all, Crocodile was a former sea kingpin.
Though weaker now, he dared to attack Akainu and Whitebeard.
There's no way he'd tremble like Koby just because he lost to Shano.
If something's off, there must be a hidden plan.
So before Crocodile's self-destruct, Shano pushed his iron pieces to the max.
And at the moment of the sand explosion, he covered his body with heavy Armament Haki.
Otherwise, it might've really turned against him.
"Normally, I could just leave and let you die here."
Shano said.
"But you guys all have too strong a will to live. I just can't give you a chance."
"Cut the fake sympathy and fight."
Crocodile squinted.
"If roles were reversed, I wouldn't hold back either."
"Not yet. Wait till you finish this cigar."
"..."
Crocodile froze, glancing at the cigar.
"...Thanks."
Shano waited quietly until Crocodile almost finished smoking, then placed his right hand on the other's neck.
"Waiting to go to hell, don't hold a grudge against me."
"Delusional."
Crocodile laughed coldly.
"I'll remember this till my next life. Even when beaten by Whitebeard, I couldn't accept it. How could I forget the shame of being beaten by a rookie?"
"But."
He stared at Shano, exhaled his last smoke, and laughed wildly:
"Hey hey hey, a rookie like you in the new generation? The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems. The future of this sea might get interesting. Those old, arrogant bigwigs in the New World? I don't think they have many good days left!"
Shano raised an eyebrow and grinned:
"Thanks for the compliment."
Click.
Crocodile's head twisted to the side, and his extremely weakened body lost all life.
...
After confirming Crocodile's death,
Shano clapped his hands and leisurely stood up.
The yellow sand slowly dispersed, and the crew, who had been holding their breath, jumped off the ship and gathered around.
"Brother! Are you okay?"
Nami rushed forward, frantically pulling bandages and alcohol from the medical box Nogiko was holding.
But as she looked up to treat the wounds, she suddenly froze—
The bloody wounds on Shano's body had already healed, and under the moonlight, there wasn't a single scar left.
"Weird."
Nami scratched her head.
"Did I just hallucinate or see things..."
"No, it's not a hallucination."
Smoker, with a cigar in his mouth, walked over and, looking at Shano's flawless upper body, said thoughtfully:
"Life Return. The captain's Life Return. Absolutely at the peak level. Among all the people I've seen, none can match it... not even several Admirals."
Shano rubbed Nogiko and Nami's little heads and smiled silently.
But inwardly, he rolled his eyes at the so-called Navy expert pretending to know everything.
What nonsense.
Even Navy Admirals can't do this.
Because this is the effect of "Regeneration Technique"!
"Not even Admirals can do it?"
Nami, however, took it seriously and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! Then, big bro, just how strong are you now? Even a Shichibukai couldn't fight back against you at all. Could it be that you're already strong enough to go up against a Marine Admiral?"
"What are you thinking about?"
Shano chuckled and flicked Nami's forehead with his finger. "You really think your brother is all-powerful? Not even close."
When he first left home and set out to sea, he didn't have a clear grasp of things.
But after going through battles with Spider and the Desert Crocodile, he now had a much clearer understanding of his own strength.
If compared among the Seven Warlords, he'd definitely be at the top tier. Most Vice Admirals of the Navy Headquarters wouldn't be his match either.
But compared to the first mates of the Emperor crews in the New World, who each possessed terrifying skills, he still clearly lagged behind.
And when it came to Admirals or the Four Emperors… well, that was a whole other level. Take Kaido-sensei for example—if he were thrown into Wano, it's hard to say how many hits he could even withstand.
There's still a long journey ahead before reaching the realm of those monsters at the top.
...
The Duskfall officially docked.
The bounty hunters hiding nearby still didn't dare approach the harbor.
In fact, they had already started retreating the moment the fight broke out. Now, most of them were hiding behind the giant cactus mountain in the distance.
Very sensible. Shano had no plans to go after them either.
It was peaceful enough with both sides staying out of each other's way.
A bonfire had been set up on the sandy ground near the harbor. Everyone sat around the warm flames, holding a short wrap-up meeting.
"Crocodile usually operates around the Alabasta Kingdom, which is still some distance from here."
Shano held a cup of hot coffee and analyzed, "Which means, he must have received the request to assist in hunting us down from Navy Headquarters at least a week ago. The timing is very close to the Loguetown incident. Seems like the Navy really sees us as a threat, trying to rally all forces to crush us here in Paradise."
"But the Captain's strength still exceeded their expectations."
Zeff brought over dishes from the kitchen and placed them before everyone. He sat cross-legged and grinned. "When news of Crocodile's death gets back to them, they're going to be in for quite a shock."
"Ha! Just imagining their shocked faces is funny enough for me. Vice Admirals failed, even a Warlord failed. If you ask me, they might get so desperate that they send an Admiral next!"
Smoker raised his tray and shook his head slightly at those words. "That's not necessarily the case, Zeff-san."
"Navy Admirals are the highest combat force of the headquarters. They're usually busy monitoring movements in the New World and one of them always has to stay stationed at HQ. So unless they get precise intel on our location, they normally wouldn't waste time leading a team to chase down pirates in Paradise."
"So what you're saying is, once we reach those big, busy towns packed with people, we'll have to keep a low profile?"
Zeff stroked his chin. "Tch, otherwise, the moment the Navy Admiral gets the news, he might show up while we're still sightseeing in the city."
"Yeah, we'll need to be cautious then. But that's still a while off. Our next stop is Little Garden, a deserted and isolated island. No need to worry too much there."
Shano smiled and turned to Nami. "How's the Log Pose looking? How long till it's fully charged?"
"Reporting to big bro! Already at one-fifth! Pretty fast, I'd say!"
Nami quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and reported eagerly. "At this rate, if we rest for the night, by noon tomorrow, we should be good to go!"
"Noon tomorrow… so around sixteen to seventeen hours left?"
Shano nodded. That recharge speed was considered fast for the Grand Line.
Each island on the Grand Line had different magnetic fields and recharge times.
Some of the fastest ones only needed an hour or two, while the slow ones could take days, weeks—even years.
"In any case, everyone get a good rest. Gin, since you slept during the day, you'll take the night watch. Tomorrow morning, we'll resupply with food and water in town, then set sail for our next destination!"
That was the final order Shano gave before ending the meeting, in his role as captain.
Everyone naturally had no objections.
Only Gin threw his head back and howled in grief—not fair, boss! Just a little nap on the deck and that counts as sleep?
Can't we get another pet or something? I'm still not even an adult! You can't just keep working this poor mutt to the bone!
But he didn't dare protest in front of the captain. Instead, he waited until Shano walked off, then sneakily peed in the sand behind him—his own little act of rebellion.
...
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, everyone split up to shop for food and water at the stores around town.
As for the shopkeepers being too scared to return?
Didn't matter. The Duskfall Adventuring Crew prided themselves on principles.
Since no one had attacked them, they turned a blind eye to the bounty hunter identities and shopped like normal customers, placing the correct amount of money on the counter.
Meanwhile, Shano was also tidying up the battlefield—and reaping the rewards.
[You sacrificed Mr. 5's sunglasses and gained 120 points]
[You sacrificed Miss Valentine's parasol and gained 80 points]
[You sacrificed Crocodile's hook and gained 2700 points]
[Remaining points: 44,000]
Crocodile and Mr. 5 were both unquestionably dead.
As for Miss Valentine, who'd almost been roasted alive, she'd only passed out. In the morning, after being shaken awake by Nami, she finally came to.
And upon seeing her partner's corpse wrapped like a mummy, the lemon-themed teenage girl nearly passed out again.
She collapsed into Nami's arms, bawling her eyes out.
Kept crying about how she never wanted to be an agent again, how all this fighting and killing was too scary, and how she just wanted to go home and open a little café of her own.
Even Nami felt a little guilty and did her best to comfort her. She untied her personally, sent her off, and even shared some of the food and water she'd bought.
Shano saw all of this.
Besides sighing at his sister's still-too-gentle heart, he didn't stop her.
This was Nami's defeated opponent—her kill to decide. He wouldn't interfere.
Of course, the main reason was that Miss Valentine was too weak… Whether she truly gave up or not, that laughable level of strength posed no threat.
Ten tons? Hundred tons? That fruit ability was, in his eyes, just a flying dumbbell.
No point taking a gym tool seriously!
...
Time flew by, and noon arrived.
The Log Pose was fully charged, and the Duskfall finally set sail again under countless stealthy gazes, leaving the port of Whiskey Peaks and heading toward the next stop.
Only when the ship became a small black dot on the sea horizon did the bounty hunters behind the cactus mountain finally dare to show themselves.
"They're gone… they're really gone now…"
A cowboy-hatted hunter collapsed in the sand, his binoculars dropping with a clatter. Only then did he realize his back was soaked in cold sweat.
In the tavern, a few bold hunters gathered quietly at the bar, whispering.
"Hey, that guy from last night… was he really Warlord Crocodile?"
A young hunter asked in a low voice.
"What do you think? Of course it was!"
The bearded hunter next to him downed a shot, hand still trembling.
"The whole port turned into sand… who else could it be? Someone even found his body! Damn, I've been in this business for over ten years, and I've never seen something like that."
He wasn't the only one.
Thinking back to the terrifying battle under the moonlight last night…
Many bounty hunters still felt like it had all been a dream.
That was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the infamous Crocodile!
And now he was… dead?
Even after unleashing his fearsome Devil Fruit powers, even after nearly turning half of Whiskey Peaks into sand…
He still couldn't beat that Duskfall crew's captain—Shano!
Just how terrifying was that young rookie, who had a bounty of over a hundred million the moment he entered the Grand Line?
"Reporters should be arriving soon. Once the news spreads, that Captain Shano's bounty is going to shoot up again."
The young hunter was full of awe and envy. "He's only a teenager and already shaking the whole sea… Honestly, even though I'm a hunter, if I could get that kind of bounty and fame, I'd turn pirate in a heartbeat!"
"Get outta here."
The bearded hunter gave him a kick and sighed while lifting his drink again. "Damn it… come to think of it, we actually got lucky this time."
"Not only did we survive without a scratch, we got to witness the rise of a new legend at sea. When we're old and back in our villages, today's story will be enough to brag about for a lifetime."
A new legend, huh…
The others gazed out at the ocean, the image of that shockingly young face surfacing in their minds again—and one by one, they silently nodded.