But he only paid attention to him briefly. The proud and capable Crocodile would naturally not pay attention to a pirate with a salary of 30 million, even if it was someone Kuro had personally mentioned. In the end, it was only 30 million, and Crocodile had never heard of him.
A small-time pirate might have some special qualities, but he wouldn't take him seriously. If he encountered one, he would kill him; if he didn't, it was just good luck.
He's not Rudolph. That guy went crazy arresting pirates on the route he controlled, which reduced the number of active pirates on that route. But Crocodile wouldn't be wrong about that. He occupies the middle section of the route, where most pirates pass through. And Mr. 1 and the hippos he recruited in the New World can take care of most of the pirates.
The main reason why we are not going to the New World now is that our forces have not been fully established, making it impossible for us to go there.
His power is still very weak, and sometimes he has to do things personally.
He still needed the position of Shichibukai, and he knew Kuro's temperament well. If he left so recklessly and hadn't stabilized the course of the sea, his position as Shichibukai might be in jeopardy.
Bang!
Suddenly, he felt a tremor around him, and the floor suddenly cracked open, spewing out several streams of water vapor that directly impacted the ceiling, turning the hall into a white mist and making it extremely hot.
"Um?"
Crocodile's gaze sharpened as the white mist surrounding him startled him. "Water..."
Steam contains water, but the presence of water prevents the Sand-Sand Fruit from becoming an element.
Steam?
Crocodile snorted coldly, opened his palm, and emitted a suction force. The moisture contained in the steam was quickly absorbed, and at the same time, the scene of white mist cleared up in an instant.
He can materialize, but that doesn't mean he can't absorb energy.
After absorbing all the moisture, Crocodile transformed into a cloud of sand and rushed out of the palace. As he looked around, he saw pillars of steam rising from the island, making the entire island shrouded in white mist, obscuring everything.
"Boss, what should we do?" Mr. 1 asked in a low voice.
"snort!"
Crocodile exhaled a puff of smoke, stretching his arms out towards the sky, "Cracked and withered!"
The moisture contained in the steam frantically gathered in Crocodile's palm as he reached out, dispersing and clarifying the white mist.
The Sand Fruit is not as simple as sand. Sand can be easily soaked and satisfied by water, but it represents 'withering'!
Withered things can never be satisfied with water.
Under the suction, the white mist dispersed, allowing Crocodile to see the scenery beyond the island.
Several more ships appeared at the port, and above the half of the green landscape, a man with steam rising from his lower body was watching him from high above.
Crocodile didn't recognize the man, but his first reaction was to immediately call him "Sam William?"
"Crocodile!"
William was also shocked when he saw Crocodile's lower body turn into sand.
The title 'King of the Desert' is absolutely true; he's actually a Logia-type user?!
"It really is you..."
Crocodile's face darkened. "I thought you would obediently escape unnoticed, but you actually came to fight me yourself? A mere 30 million pirate, just because you're a Logia-type, you think you can be so arrogant as to think you can defeat the Seven Warlords of the Sea and defeat me, Crocodile?"
Isn't this his purpose in coming here? Otherwise, why would he come here directly and launch an attack first? If he didn't know he was here, he wouldn't have been able to launch such an attack.
But why?!
Why would one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea choose me out of so many others? Did they think I was easy to bully?!
Is Crocodile already considered the weakest of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?!
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Thinking of this, Crocodile let out a loud and strange laugh, "This really makes me laugh in anger! A pirate with a mere 30 million taels of silver dares to come to me with such arrogance. Let me show you, our pirate ranks are completely different!"
He stretched out his hand, gathering a small sandstorm in his palm, and threw it forward, shouting, "Sandstorm!!"
The sandstorm expanded the moment it was thrown out, growing wildly due to the desert terrain, transforming into a desert tornado that flew towards William.
It's here!
William gritted his teeth and decided to use this to test his true strength!
William rushed down the stairs, his fists digging into the ground, staring at the approaching desert tornado, and exclaimed, "Superheated steam!!"
A huge column of steam rose from the ground, striking the center of the desert tornado and merging with it. The impact of the steam column offset the tornado's power, while the moisture it contained helped to resist the desert's dryness, quickly fusing them together before dissipating like foam.
"I did it!"
William's expression shifted, revealing a strong sense of confidence. He laughed heartily, "My guess was right! I did it! The Seven Warlords of the Sea are nothing special, none of them are anything special. It was all my illusion, my illusion!"
The fact that his attack was on par with Crocodile's instantly solidified William's already somewhat doubtful thoughts.
This is a Shichibukai!
It's Crocodile again!
Since he neutralized one of his attacks with his own, neither of them was using their full strength. If he was able to neutralize the attack in this way, then it's not a matter of his strength, nor is it a matter of his usual caution.
That's a problem with childhood trauma!
Crocodile is nothing special, and by the same token, Kuro is nothing special either!
What exactly has he been so cautious about all this time?!
He's wasted too much time. If he had started developing in the East Blue from the beginning, the East Blue would have been his base by now, and he might have become a great pirate.
But it's not too late to discover it now; there's still a chance to remedy the situation!
Whether Crocodile could defeat him was unknown, and he couldn't be sure, but his Observation Haki told him that Crocodile didn't seem like someone who could handle him. Having this much strength was enough, which meant that he already possessed the strength of a Shichibukai!
To Crocodile, these words were extremely offensive.
Are the Seven Warlords of the Sea really that great?
The fact that he's now looking for himself among the Seven Warlords of the Sea means he thinks he's nothing special!
"A pirate with a budget of 30 million who just came from the East Blue!"
Crocodile gritted his teeth and said, "Great! You're all so arrogant. I've decided, I'm going to kill you, I'm going to really kill you!!"
Thirty million?
William laughed confidently, "Once I defeat you, the number will be much more than this, Crocodile!"
"Shalan!"
"Superheated steam!!"
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