Starting with Kengan beating up the Pirate King

Chapter 39 The Clothes of Fire

general.

This is Guan Yi's assessment of Crocodile's strength after knocking him away three times.

In the world of One Piece, Crocodile can be described as a guy whose fighting strength is a mystery. He was defeated by the rookie Luffy, but he fought against Mihawk and Akainu in the Marineford War, and could almost be rated as the MVP of the Marineford War.

If it weren't for the fact that the initial settings were incomplete, from a real-world perspective, the only thing that could influence Crocodile would be his will.

Just as Gecko Moria was once a powerful figure who rivaled Kaido, Crocodile was also extremely strong at one time. However, the blow of losing to Whitebeard made him somewhat dejected, and he leaned towards a cunning and scheming type, plotting against Pluton, which greatly reduced his strength.

He was later defeated by Luffy, but he gained enlightenment in Impel Down and returned to his peak.

Regardless, Crocodile is definitely not at his peak right now. He's stronger than Smoker, but not by more than two levels.

However, Guan Yi has become much stronger in the months since he defeated Smoker!

They can fight, and they can win!

With the activation of the Red Man Style martial arts, or rather, Observation Haki, Guan Yi easily caught Crocodile's attack amidst the swirling yellow sand.

His figure moved like a nimble bird, dodging the incoming sandstorms, and amidst the flashing flames, he continued to close in on Crocodile.

"puff--"

Crocodile, having risen again, spat out a mouthful of blood, his body contorted in the heatwave from the desert and flames, like a merciless sand sculpture.

Kid, you've completely enraged me.

Then I'll play along with you properly. I don't mind having one more skeleton buried in the sand!
He raised his gilded claws, and the boundless sea of ​​sand beneath his feet responded, transforming into five colossal pythons that swallowed the sky, carrying a deathly stillness that could bury everything, and enveloped Guan Yi like a tidal wave.

"Desert sunflower!"

This was a sandstorm powerful enough to grind steel into powder, yet Guan Yi still did not retreat.

His body undulated slightly, the intense steam rising like clouds and mist, and Guan Yi was like a giant dragon coiled in the clouds and mist, waving his claws forward.

Flaming Dragon Form - Two Dragons Playing!
buzz-

As he waved his hands, the two fiery dragons intertwined and surged forward, merging into one the instant they touched the sand serpent! A sea of ​​fire erupted, and both the fire dragons and the sand serpent collapsed into walls of fire and sand. There was no loud crashing sound, only the chilling sizzling sound of burning!
Crackling sounds filled the air as the extreme heat gradually melted the sand grains into bright red, glassy crystals, which then fell like a sudden rain, striking the earth.

Guan Yi's figure once again broke through this magnificent spectacle, flashing in front of Crocodile and unleashing an iron fist wrapped in Armament Haki at him!

Crocodile was prepared for this.

Are they going to use this trick again?

He let out a cold laugh, and his entire body suddenly disintegrated, merging into the sand. The next moment, the ground beneath Guan Yi's feet instantly transformed into a bottomless quicksand hell, and a gigantic sand hand, with an all-consuming gravity, reached for his ankle!

All that could be grasped was a glimmer of light.

Guan Yi had already elementalized, flashing into the air to reassemble, and when Crocodile made his move, he unleashed a fierce downward-fiery punch!
boom--

The cylindrical pillar of fire struck the yellow sand, then erupted devastatingly. The sea of ​​sand was pushed aside by the terrifying force, forming fiery sand waves that surged in all directions. Along the way, much of it crystallized into glass-like particles, solidifying into a crystal-clear track that altered the terrain within a radius of hundreds of meters!

When the flames died down and the sand sea calmed down, a sand dune rift tens of meters deep had been blasted out below Guan Yi. Crocodile, who had been forced out of the sand sea, stood in a corner, looking disheveled.

'This bastard's strength is ridiculously powerful. A man like him shouldn't be unknown on the high seas; even in a monster-infested New World, he should have a place!'

Crocodile ripped off the charred corner of his clothes, his face grim. Unaware that Guan Yi was after him, he felt only bad luck. Having been humiliated three times, he had no intention of exchanging words with Guan Yi anymore. His gaze was deep as he calculated how to achieve victory.

'Although he's an elemental user, this guy seems to prefer hand-to-hand combat, attacking me with Armament Haki. Close combat, huh?'

Crocodile glanced at his golden claws, where venomous stingers were embedded. Hitting an opponent capable of elemental transformation would be troublesome, but with a lucky chance, even a mere glancing blow would be enough to drain him dry!

Having finalized the battle plan, Crocodile noticed that Kaneki had landed in a strange posture.

He stood with his legs apart and slightly bent, his hands clasped together in fists under his hips. Flames spread between his hands, gradually drifting out and enveloping his body in tiny specks.

What kind of move is that?!

Crocodile was unaware of the danger, but he sensed it. His right hand silently transformed into quicksand, rushing forward at incredible speed, and turning into a sand blade that swiftly slashed diagonally from the ground towards Guan Yi.

Desert Greatsword! This is an enhanced version of the Desert Blade, one of Crocodile's strongest attacks. But just as it was about to sever Guan Yi, a wall of fire suddenly rose up, burning and neutralizing the sand blade.

The moment the sand blades dissipated, the wall of fire collapsed as well. But unlike the previous flames, which were like rootless fires, burning brilliantly before scattering into the world, this time the flames, after blocking the sand blades, acted like loyal guardians, coiling back and tightly binding themselves around Guan Yi's body!

Cloak of Fire!
A flowing, crimson, magnificent suit of armor gradually took shape around Guan Yi. On the armor, dark red fire patterns pulsated like blood vessels, radiating a heart-palpitating heat!
This is a brand new use of the Flame-Flame Fruit, inspired by the compressed air from the Sirius Fist and developed by Guan Yi over three months!
He is not yet able to compress the flames into a terrifying state like a plasma sphere, but his control is sufficient to compress the flames around him.

After being highly compressed, the flames reached an astonishing temperature, coiling around his body and greatly enhancing Guan Yi's defensive and destructive capabilities, making him his strongest form at this moment.

I actually wanted to call it 'Sunset Prison Robe', but with this little bit of warmth, I was too embarrassed to go for it.

Still have to practice.

He clenched his fist and looked at Crocodile again. As if being stared at by the Lord of Fire, Crocodile felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of Guan Yi.

Tch, what flashy but impractical moves! Watch me blow out your flames!
He summoned a whirlwind from his newly formed right hand and hurled it toward Guan Yi. The small whirlwind instantly transformed into a massive sandstorm upon landing, carrying a cataclysmic force as it swept toward Guan Yi.

Sandstorm!

Guan Yi calmed his mind and stood in the Three-Body Stance.

Fire Cloak - Advance Crushing Fist!

hum-

There was no deafening explosion, only an extreme white light piercing through the heavens and earth. The beam of flames condensed to the extreme on the surface of the body shot out like a blade piercing through fragile silk, instantly piercing and tearing through the mighty sandstorm, evaporating it into nothingness!
Crocodile's eyes had barely revealed his shock when the blazing white fire fist struck him. He instinctively transformed his body into elemental form and was blasted into a shower of sand!
"Wow--"

The extreme heat forced Crocodile back into physical form from his elemental state. He looked terrible, vomited blood, and felt as if his internal organs had been burned.

Before he could catch his breath, Guan Yi, clad in crimson armor, descended upon him with intense heat and unleashed a second crushing punch!

bang——

Crocodile raised his metal claws, imbued them with Armament Haki, and stabbed them fiercely at Guan Yi.

However, the moment his poisoned golden claws touched Guan Yi's fist, they were melted into molten gold, and the poison evaporated completely!

boom--

The powerful force struck Crocodile as if he had been hit by a meteorite. He was sent flying backward and crashed into the newly formed sand dune behind him, leaving a scorched ravine a hundred meters long!

"Cough—Damn it! Damn it!"

He roared as he got up and charged at Guan Yi.

……

"Huh...huh..."

On the other side, Robin was running wildly.

As early as when Crocodile was knocked away by Guan Yi for the third time, she sensed that something was wrong and that her new boss, or rather her future boss, might be going to die at a record-breaking speed.

Regardless, with her extensive experience in surviving at sea, she knew that running away was the right thing to do.

'The roaring sound seems to be gradually stopping.' Just as she ran back to the edge of the city, she noticed that the roaring sound behind her seemed to have stopped for several seconds.

Who's winning?
“Madam, abandoning your companions and running away is not a good thing.” The next moment, a voice behind her gave her the answer.

Robin froze, slowly turning around to see his soon-to-be boss, charred black and no longer the imposing figure he once was, being held in Guan Yi's arms, unconscious.

A mere Shichibukai has been defeated? There's no escape; against a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, a sneak attack is probably useless. She thought to herself, slowly raising her hands and trying to speak in a light tone, "Ah? A companion? He's not."

Like you, I was also invited by him to join his Baroque studio today. The only difference is that you rejected him outright, while I'm still considering whether to become his subordinate.

"Is that so?" Guan Yi asked knowingly.

“That’s it.” Robin smiled. “Do you need me to provide evidence of his crimes? After all, he is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea recognized by the World Government. It’s a bit unreasonable to beat him up like this for no reason.”

(End of this chapter)