The Desert King's Wrath
He is the king of the desert! Although Sand Crocodile had suffered defeat at the hands of Whitebeard, his pride had never been broken.
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through Rainbase.
Crocodile frowned slightly and said, "Go and see what's going on."
"Yes, boss," Robin replied before turning to leave.
In the Rain Dinners Casino, chaos unfolded.
Nami stood with one hand on her hip, her Cloud Gun in the other, eyes blazing with fury. "Are you serious?! We won fair and square—why can't we take the money?!"
Beside her, Vivi stepped forward with determination. "That's right! Even a casino should follow its own rules. Let your boss come out!"
It all started when Vivi had mentioned the famous casino to Nami. Excited at the thought of winning big, Nami insisted they stop by before confronting Crocodile. With Bai Yu's Observation Haki detecting no immediate threats, he allowed it—only for Nami to turn one million Berry into nearly a billion within ten minutes. But when she tried to collect her winnings, the casino staff refused to pay.
"You can't take this money," the staff insisted.
Boom!
The wall exploded as Nami fired her Cloud Gun in anger.
"What's all this noise?!"
A man with a rock-star appearance approached, casually picking his nose as he surveyed the scene. After a quick glance, he snorted. "They're right—you can't take the money, so save the excuses!"
"Ha! Is that so?!"
Nami's fury ignited. When it came to Berry, she never backed down.
"Cloud Lock!"
Dozens of cloud chains shot toward the man.
Startled, Mr. 5 quickly flicked a booger toward the incoming clouds.
"Ugh… Gross!"
Nami instinctively withdrew her attack, disgusted.
"Cloud Wall!"
Before the booger could hit anyone, Bai Yu intervened, forming a cloud barrier to block the explosion. Kaya frowned slightly. "How can someone… fight like that?"
Too embarrassed to say the word "disgusting," she simply looked away.
Bai Yu, however, narrowed his eyes. The Exploding Fruit… What a waste of a good ability.
His mind raced with possibilities:
Sand-Sand Fruit + Exploding Fruit = Infinite Blast.
Random explosions, like billions of artillery shells.
If combined with Armament Haki… who could resist it?
Yet, the combination that intrigued Bai Yu most was:
Flower-Flower Fruit + Childlike Fruit = Absolute control.
Still, his ultimate goal remained:
Time + Space = True invincibility.
For now, though, he had more pressing matters.
Slash!
With a single swift stroke, Bai Yu's sword cut through the air, striking Mr. 5 and sending him crashing to the floor, seriously injured. But instead of killing him, Bai Yu teleported Mr. 5 directly into his Undead Prison.
The Exploding Fruit will come in handy someday.
"Have you seen enough, Robin?"
Robin, who had been observing from the stairwell, gasped in shock. Before she could flee, Bai Yu appeared before her in an instant.
"Run if you like," he said calmly.
Realizing escape was impossible, Robin forced a bitter smile. This speed… There's no chance.
Nami watched from a distance, smirking. "Vivi, look—he's using the same old routine. First, he threatens the beauty, then he acts all gentle and convincing until she ends up on the ship."
Kaya tilted her head. "Nami, you've misunderstood Brother Bai Yu. He's always very gentle."
Tashigi: "???"
Nojiko: "???"
Makino: "???"
Even Vivi nodded in agreement. "Bai Yu big brother is only cold because of the world's cruelty. Deep down, he's kind."
Nami: "???"
What is happening here?!
Sure enough, Bai Yu's eyes softened as he looked at Robin.
"You've been running since you were eight years old," he said gently. "Betrayed over and over again—your heart must have grown so cold."
He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"A woman like you… It breaks my heart."
Robin's breath caught in her throat as Bai Yu continued:
"Don't be afraid anymore. I'm here now—I'll protect you from everything. Even if the greatest darkness comes, I'll bring you back into the light."
Robin's eyes widened in disbelief. She had only seen that look in one other person's eyes—her mother's. But this… This was different.
How could he look at me like that?
We've never even met before…
Her instincts told her Bai Yu was sincere, yet years of betrayal had taught her not to trust anyone.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Slow applause echoed through the corridor. Bai Yu turned to see Crocodile descending the stairs, a cigar clenched between his teeth, eyes gleaming with contempt.
"Gahaha! What a performance!" Crocodile sneered. "You almost brought a tear to my eye. Go on—keep talking."
"Nami, get the others out of here. You don't want to get splashed with crocodile blood."
Nami nodded without hesitation, quickly leading the girls to safety. But not before she used her clouds to scoop up all the Berry in the room and store them in her ring.
Bai Yu locked eyes with Crocodile, his expression calm but resolute.
"Where should we fight—the desert?" Bai Yu asked casually. "I hear it's your home turf. You even said you wouldn't fear Whitebeard there. So if I beat you there, you won't have any excuses, right?"
Crocodile's face twisted in rage.
"Listen up," Bai Yu added, his voice cold and deliberate. "I'm taking Robin with me—and that means your dreams of finding Pluton are over."
Both Crocodile and Robin froze in shock.
How does he know about Pluton?!
But there was no time for questions—Crocodile's fury erupted like a sandstorm.
"Arc Moon Sand Dunes!"
A crescent-shaped blade of sand slashed through the air, aimed directly at Bai Yu. The attack was lethal—anyone cut by the sand blade would have all the moisture drained from their body, leaving them a withered husk.
Boom!
The attack struck nothing but air—Bai Yu and Robin had vanished.
"What the—?!" Crocodile spun around in confusion, searching the room.
But all he heard was Bai Yu's voice echoing from a distance:
"Come to the desert, little sh*t. Let's see what you've got."
"Very good… Very good!" Crocodile hissed through clenched teeth, cigar smoke curling around him like a sinister aura.
"The weak have no right to exist!" he roared.
"Gahahaha! It's time for the newcomers to witness the terror of the Desert King!"
"Feel the wrath of Crocodile!"
Crocodile's eyes burned with fury as he stormed toward the door.
"If I lose to you…"
"I'LL WRITE MY NAME UPSIDE DOWN!"
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