I'm in One Piece, and I'm Luffy's childhood friend.

Luffy exhaled, "Because you haven't returned what you took."

"What did I steal? Money? Fame? Life? Or rainwater?"

Crocodile nonchalantly retorted, indicating that he had taken too much.

"It is the country."

Luffy replied seriously.

"The nation? Are you kidding me?!"

"The rebellion was thwarted, but the whereabouts of Hades remain unknown!!"

"This is all thanks to you!!!"

"You're asking me for the country now, this country!!!"

Crocodile, unable to contain his anger, roared menacingly.

Nation! Nation!!

You've completely ruined our plans! And now you're talking to me about the country?!

"When we first arrived on this island, the country she remembered was already gone!"

“Those cities swallowed by the desert, the oases, and the years without rain.”

"If this were still her country, she should be happier!!!"

After saying that, Luffy attacked again, taking a step forward and kicking out with a flying kick.

Crocodile was dismissive, having neither water nor brass knuckles on his feet. He nonchalantly raised his head and hooked his leg, only to be kicked squarely in the right cheek, sending him flying.

With his greasy hair disheveled and blood seeping from his nostrils and mouth, Crocodile gritted his teeth and glared at Luffy, thinking, "Impossible! There was no water, how could he still hit me?!"

But then Luffy took off his brass knuckles and threw them back to Bai Yun.

"Bai Yun, you're right, I can't rely on your help forever."

"protect yourself."

Bai Yun stood up and firmly grasped the brass knuckles. "Are you confident?"

"No!!"

"very good!!"

Bai Yun lay back down; his arm was gone, but he didn't fall down.

Robin's eyelids twitched slightly.

Without saying a word, Luffy punched Crocodile squarely in the face. Crocodile crashed into the wall, which instantly cracked and the cracks spread.

Crocodile braced himself on the ground and turned his head, still slightly unsteady.

Come to think of it, he's already gone through four rounds of this, plus this one.

Crocodile exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Luffy's fist dripping blood.

"Could it be... you... you want to use blood?!"

Luffy raised his blood-soaked fist. "Blood can also solidify sand, can't it?"

Chapter 168 I believe him

Luffy and Crocodile began their final battle beneath the Kingdom's Tomb.

The audience included Bai Yun, Robin, and King Cobra.

Weiwei and the others also gathered at the foot of the clock tower; the time had come to decide the winner.

........

Seeing Luffy throw the brass knuckles back to Hakuyun, he used blood to fight him.

Even Crocodile was amazed by Luffy's madness.

"Hoo... Ha... Hahahaha!!!"

"They've repeatedly obstructed me, even resorting to bloodshed to fight me! Hahaha."

"Then I'll show you what a real pirate is like."

Crocodile stood up and took off the golden hook, which contained another hook, or poison needle.

"I'll temporarily accept that you're a pirate. There's no turning back in a duel between pirates."

"The word 'fear' doesn't exist in our dictionary. If the square explodes, this place will collapse too."

"This is the last time!! Let's settle this once and for all!!!"

Crocodile acknowledged Luffy's courage.

The next second, the two rushed towards each other.

What he said was superfluous.

........

Beneath the clock tower.

"The gunner must be in a position where he can aim at the target."

"It also has to be big enough to hold a cannon, and it has to be in mid-air, yet invisible to people."

"It must be there. I've looked there countless times, but it's a blind spot. The gunner must be there..."

"In that clock tower!!!"

Vivi pointed to the clock tower and told Nami and the others her guess with absolute certainty.

The fact that Bell was shot while flying past proved that Vivi's guess was correct.

........

There are 1 minute and 30 seconds left before the bomb explodes.

Beneath the tomb.

Luffy punched Crocodile.

Crocodile used his elemental powers to dodge the attack, then aimed his venomous curved needle at Luffy's arm and struck.

Luffy immediately pulled his fist back with his other hand, narrowly avoiding the poison needle. With a bang, the poison needle hit the ground, causing the ground to corrode and emit white smoke.

After failing to land a single blow, the two men stared at each other, panting.

Luffy launched the first attack.

A punch came flying in.

Crocodile used his old method, raising his right hand, but Luffy unexpectedly bent his foot to block his fist.

Only his rubber body could do that so easily.

He twisted his body in mid-air and kicked Crocodile.

Crocodile dodged to the side, and the two glared at each other.

Crocodile raised his poison needles and slashed down, but Luffy stretched out his arm, grabbed a protrusion on the wall in front of him, and pulled back to avoid Crocodile's poison needles.

Crocodile's poison needle struck a huge boulder, causing it to evaporate and melt, demonstrating the intensity of the poison.

Crocodile turned to look at Luffy, and suddenly a gash appeared on his left forehead, oozing blood.

He dodged it, but not completely.

Blood flowed down his forehead to the corners of his mouth and chin, but Crocodile wasn't angry; instead, he smiled.

He understood that Luffy was wary of his poison needles and was too passive.

This time, he launched the first attack.

Unexpectedly, Luffy didn't dodge. The poison needle grazed Luffy's shoulder, and Luffy raised his leg and kicked Crocodile in the right cheek. Then, he grabbed the middle part of the hook, spun around, and hit Crocodile in the heel. The huge impact sent Crocodile flying.

Cobra was surprised by Luffy's bravery and wondered who he really was.

Bai Yun, meanwhile, stared at the bluish wound on Luffy's shoulder, which was emitting white steam.

At that moment, Robin handed Bai Yun a bottle of antidote from behind.

Bai Yun smiled slightly and took it casually.

"If it goes on for too long, the antidote will be useless."

Robin reminded.

Bai Yun looked at Luffy again and shook his head slightly. "It won't be long."

"I believe in him."

.......

Crocodile, though he had taken two hits and was still kneeling on the ground, had a smug expression on his face.

"The outcome is decided, and you will soon die from the poison."

Steam was rising from the wound, but Luffy seemed oblivious, still staring at Crocodile.

"You really... don't understand anything!!"

........

At the foot of the clock tower.

Vivi was waiting for Bell to arrive, but unfortunately he had already been shot.

Chapter 169 What's that long, flashing nose?

There was only one minute left before the explosion.

The clock tower is divided into two parts. The lower part is a long building with four floors.

The upper part consists of only a vertical building.

Just as Vivi and the others were discussing countermeasures down below, Sanji appeared from the third-floor balcony.

Then Zoro reappears at the junction of the upper and lower parts.