Lord of the Stars of the Grand Line

"Hahaha... You're such a freak, Luo Feng. It's not even fair to call someone like you a genius."

"In just one year, it has become this strong. I doubt anyone would believe it if I told them."

A person like Crocodile, no matter who he talks to, even his closest confidants, will always be a mix of truth and falsehood, and would never reveal his complete inner thoughts.

But now it's different. It's 100% real, as real as it gets, without a single bit of embellishment!

And his way of addressing Luo Feng quietly changed from Mr.1 to his real name...

Chapter Nine: The Sand Crocodile Who Lost His Faith

"You are strong too, Crocodile. You are a true Shichibukai."

"This competition is a draw, there's no winner or loser."

One shouldn't hit a smiling face, so the two started a simple round of mutual flattery.

Hearing this, Crocodile felt even more frustrated. A draw was just a nice way of putting it; anyone with eyes could tell what was really going on between the two of them at that moment.

Even if it were a draw, Luo Feng would still have the absolute upper hand.

One was spotless, the other was utterly disheveled!

"I have a question for you, crocodile."

"Do you even know how to use Armament Haki?"

This was a question that Luo Feng had had for many years, a question he had been curious about since his original world.

I've never seen Crocodile use Armament Haki, but under normal circumstances, how could he not!

More than twenty years have passed since a great pirate who became famous at sea in his early twenties and became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Moreover, he once went to the New World to challenge a legendary figure like Whitebeard and survived. How could such a person not possess Armament Haki?

Isn't that nonsense?

"You actually know about Armament Haki?"

Crocodile was startled, after all, this wasn't the New World, and Haki wasn't as common here.

After pondering for a while, he didn't hide anything this time and said, "Of course I will use it."

"But that was in the past. Many years ago, I challenged some old geezer and lost, and my body was seriously injured... His abilities have too many aftereffects..."

Sure enough!

This largely matches Luo Feng's guess; the "stinky old man" Crocodile mentioned must be Whitebeard.

He clearly remembered that in the original world of One Piece, two years later, Crocodile set sail again and went to the New World. When he saw Luffy's news, he said that his hidden injuries had been completely healed!

"Just because of this? Injuries can be treated, but does that mean we have to give up the opportunity to cultivate domineering aura?"

"You do not understand!"

Crocodile shook his head and said, "That old guy's ability will cause serious damage to the internal organs, and it's very difficult to treat."

"And this only accounts for half; the most important thing is..."

Crocodile only got halfway through his sentence.

But Luo Feng understood what he meant.

Has the belief been destroyed?

"Hahaha... All these years, because of these things, not only has my domineering aura stagnated, but my strength has also remained at this stage!"

Crocodile was quite emotional and unusually spoke at length.

Armament Haki relies not only on the physical body, but also on the combination with one's will and a strong belief; otherwise, it is impossible to cultivate it.

Crocodile lost both of these points.

No wonder this happened; now it all makes sense. A great pirate who should have been very strong was defeated by the newly formed protagonist crew in the original pirate world, becoming the first Shichibukai to be knocked down!

While we can't rule out the possibility that part of it was a plot device, this is the most important reason for the outcome!

Seeing Crocodile's somewhat distorted expression, Luo Feng made a startling remark, saying calmly, "I know what you're here for in this country."

“I know all about your plans and disguises in this country.”

"And the Baroque organization you established isn't a bounty hunter organization at all; it's just in name only!"

"Your real purpose should be to find clues about the ancient weapon—Pluto—here!"

As soon as Luo Feng finished speaking, Crocodile unleashed a terrifying killing intent that was made no attempt to conceal it!

He was shocked, wondering where Luo Feng had learned all this!

This information was known only to Crocodile and Robin; even his subordinates, Baroque Works' employees, regardless of rank, were unaware of it.

And now, this greenhorn who's only been with the company for a little over a year knows all of this, which is something he simply can't understand! He's furious.

If it weren't for the fact that they had just fought and the result was obvious—that he couldn't beat Luo Feng—he would have attacked the moment Luo Feng spoke!

These things must not be known to a second person. Otherwise, his plans, his years of scheming and plotting will all be in vain, and he himself will be expelled from the Seven Warlords of the Sea and subjected to a full-scale arrest by the Navy and the World Government!

Feeling the overwhelming killing intent, Luo Feng smiled instead.

"Hey, crocodile, tone down that murderous aura."

"I'm not interested in Hades, so don't worry about me competing with you for him. I'm also not interested in your schemes, and I won't interfere."

"Otherwise, would I need to tell you?"

"There's no such stupid way. I'll reap the rewards when you're about to succeed, or I'll expose you directly. That would be much simpler."

Upon hearing this, Crocodile's murderous aura subsided, but his expression remained somewhat gloomy.

This time, he couldn't laugh. His voice was hoarse as he asked, "You... how did you know all this?"

"Or perhaps you waited until now specifically to test my strength, and then told me all this. What's your purpose? Are you trying to threaten me?"

How I know is none of your business.

Luo Feng waved his hand and continued, "As for threatening you, it won't do me any good."

“If you hadn’t told me the truth just now, I wouldn’t have said any of this.”

"I just want to tell you that it's not worth spending all your time and energy searching for Hades or some external object."

Luo Feng proceeded step by step, beginning to unfold his plan.

Robin is someone he absolutely must have in this place; her abilities are too special, too unique.

In addition, Crocodile is also one of his targets.

Luo Feng didn't dislike this "50/50" figure in the pirate world; on the contrary, he had some affection for him.

In addition to his strength, if he can recover, he is actually a very powerful combat force. His intelligence is also often on point, making him a true schemer who will definitely play a significant role in the future.

Of course, this is on the premise that his strength can be restored; otherwise, having a burden is unnecessary.

That's why he's wasting his breath here trying to 'guide' Crocodile; whether he can get out of this situation is up to him.

"With so much time on your hands, why not try to heal your internal injuries, regain your lost faith, and restore your strength to its peak? Why waste it on something so vague and unrealistic?"

Luo Feng's expression was indifferent, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied.

"To be honest, Crocodile, I'm a little disappointed in you."

Chapter Ten: Old Sha: I'm doomed, I've been completely fooled.

Hearing Luo Feng's words, Crocodile's expression was somewhat uncertain.

"Of course I know, how could I not know? Over the years, I have tried every possible way to treat this stubborn hidden injury and used all the resources available, but I have never been able to eradicate it!"

Crocodile shouted frantically, "If I can't even heal my internal injuries, how am I supposed to regain my lost faith?"

"Without these things, I can't become the Pirate King. Only Pluton can, hahaha! That's a super ancient weapon. As long as I find it, I can do it!"

Another young addict to pornography, oh no, I mean, a middle-aged addict to pornography.

Luo Feng was speechless.

“Hidden injuries and beliefs are two different things. Some people will remain steadfast in their beliefs and will not lose their will even on the eve of losing their lives.”

"You only lost once and got a little hurt, and you can't even handle it? In the end, it's just that you're not mentally strong enough and can't accept defeat."

Luo Feng finally understood why Crocodile had become like this. Whitebeard, who defeated him, remained steadfast in his lifelong beliefs until his death.

But he only lost once, and he became like this. What a difference in mentality!

"And why do you think that obtaining Pluton will make you the Pirate King?"

"If you don't have enough strength, you'll lose whatever you get, no matter how good it is."

"Even if you do find Hades, can you protect him?"

“You know in your heart that even a Yonko like Kaido is envious of the Ancient Weapons and has been searching for them all along.”

"If you find it and the Four Emperors come knocking, are you sure you can defend it? You're not naively thinking that thing can kill the Four Emperors with a single shot, are you? Even if they can't withstand it, can't they at least dodge it? If your own strength isn't enough, what, do you think you can stop all the powerful beings at sea with just a weapon? If Hades was really that strong, why did he disappear into the tides of history?"

Hearing these words, Crocodile's face turned somewhat ugly; he couldn't refute them!

Because what Luo Feng said was all true. It was something that the Four Emperors were also looking for. If he were to compete for it, with his current strength, he was really overthinking it.

Moreover, the power of ancient weapons remains a mystery to this day. No one in the world knows the exact details, but most people would not believe that a single weapon could withstand the Four Emperors!

Even if they manage to block it, what about the world government?

If everyone attacks together, can we still stop them?

At this point, Crocodile's heart began to waver. What he had been so persistent about was nothing more than wishful thinking in his own imagination.

"You have a solution? Luo Feng, I don't think someone like you would say so much nonsense."

Luo Feng laughed, then squatted down, took a twig, and drew on the ground while saying, "Of course."

"Don't you want to know how my strength has increased so quickly in just one year?"

"A large part of the reason comes from the Devil Fruit's ability. It can add gravity to a person's body, allowing them to train in this state. Crocodile, you should know how efficient that is without me having to explain it."

"Logically, I should thank you for this, so I can help you add gravity to accelerate your cultivation."

With that, Luo Feng dropped the branch in his hand, stood up, and said, "Have you seen this before? The red one."

On the sand in front of him, a pattern appeared, a symbolic heart shape with inward-curling circles on it.