One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

"Portgas D. Ace!!!"

At that moment, Crocodile looked like a malevolent spirit risen from the depths of hell, his face twisted with rage as he glared at Ace. His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh.

Pain.

Heart-wrenching pain coursed through him.

The plan he had been orchestrating for nearly two decades had been completely destroyed by the man standing before him. Not only had his escape and hope been shattered, but he would also never have another chance to get his hands on "Pluton." The title of Shichibukai would surely be stripped from him.

His dreams weren't just dashed—they were torn apart, leaving only humiliation in their wake.

He had always been the puppet master, pulling the strings from behind the scenes, manipulating everything. Alabasta? To Crocodile, it had always been nothing more than a toy. The people, the king—they were just tools under his control.

But then this man appeared, unraveling everything.

Not only had he ruined his plans and hopes, but he'd also outwitted him at every turn. The defeat wasn't just physical—it was mental. His strength, his intelligence, all of it had been ruthlessly mocked and bested.

Shame!

A shame he'd never felt before—not even from Whitebeard!

Blood trickled from the corners of Crocodile's mouth as he gritted his teeth, his body shaking with fury. The man before him had denied not only his twenty-year plan but also the dream he had been fighting for. This man had denied everything he stood for.

"Go to hell!"

Crocodile, eyes bloodshot with rage, slammed his right hand into the ground.

"Erosion of Reincarnation!"

Boom!

The ground trembled as the moisture from the surrounding sand was instantly drained, the desert withering away as Crocodile's power surged forth. The ability of the Sand-Sand Fruit unleashed its full fury.

Sand erupted everywhere, the air filled with a deadly, arid mist. The sky darkened as if the apocalypse had arrived.

As the storm of dust and sand consumed the battlefield, Crocodile's figure vanished into the chaos, merging with the very sand itself.

"Impressive. It seems you have not fallen that low, Crocodile," Ace muttered.

The battlefield had become Crocodile's domain. The swirling sands obscured his movements, making him difficult to perceive even with Observation Haki.

Ace's expression shifted, his eyes flashing with a sinister purple-black light.

And then—

Boom!

A torrent of purple-black lightning exploded from Ace's body, rippling through the air like a tangible force. The Conqueror's Haki manifested, bursting forth as streaks of black-purple energy that tore through the sky, scattering the sandstorm like dust blown away by a giant hand.

The dark clouds that had gathered overhead were ripped apart, revealing a massive hole in the sky as if the heavens themselves had been torn open.

Conqueror's Haki had been unleashed.

"Ahhhh!!!"

Crocodile's figure, which had become one with the sand, was exposed as the swirling dust dissipated. The black-purple lightning that danced through the air wrapped itself around him, forcing a roar of agony from Crocodile's throat. The pain wasn't just physical—it pierced his very soul.

With a deafening crash, Crocodile was slammed into the now-barren desert below, black-purple lightning still coursing through his body, making him convulse in pain. Each flicker of lightning sent a fresh wave of torment through him, but the terror in his heart far outweighed the physical agony.

"Conqueror's Haki..." Crocodile rasped, looking up at Ace with a mixture of disbelief and horror. "You... you have Conqueror's Haki?! And this way of using it…"

Cold sweat dripped down his face as he stared at Ace, fear flashing in his eyes.

"Conqueror's Haki... entanglement?!"

Crocodile's voice trembled as he spoke the name of the technique, his pupils shrinking in shock. His mind struggled to process what was happening. How could this be possible? How could Ace wield this kind of power? Only a few, those at the pinnacle of strength, were capable of using such a technique.

Memories of Whitebeard, the man he had once fought, flashed in Crocodile's mind. Only those of such caliber, like an emperor ruling over the New World, could command this kind of strength. So why… why did this power now stand before him?

"Conqueror's Haki... entanglement?" Robin, watching from afar, murmured, stunned by what she was witnessing. Never before had she seen Crocodile act this way—so completely consumed by fear.

Ace raised his hand, the same violent purple-black lightning dancing between his fingers, calm and controlled. "You've fought Whitebeard, haven't you? You know exactly what this is."

Crocodile stared at the lightning swirling around Ace's hand. There was no mistake. This was Conqueror's Haki entanglement—the power to dominate the battlefield and rule like an emperor. And yet, there was something even more terrifying than that realization.

Portgas D. Ace... seemed to control this power even more naturally than Whitebeard himself!

"What? Have you given up resisting after seeing my Conqueror's Haki, Crocodile?"

Ace's eyes narrowed as he looked down at Crocodile, who hadn't moved in a while, lying on the ground like a lifeless corpse.

"Snort."

"Haha."

"Hahaha…"

"Guhahahaha!!!"

Laughter slowly escaped Crocodile's lips, starting as a low chuckle before building into his signature booming laugh. This time, his laughter was deeper, more unrestrained than ever before.

As the laughter echoed, Crocodile seemed to regain strength, pushing himself up from the ground and standing, facing Ace.

"Portgas D. Ace... how old are you?" Crocodile asked, his question shocking Robin.

"Seventeen."

Ace answered calmly, without hesitation.

"Seventeen... Seventeen! Hahaha, hahahahaha!"

Crocodile muttered to himself before breaking into laughter again.

"Amazing! Portgas D. Ace!"

Under Ace's slightly narrowed gaze, Crocodile slowly raised his right hand, revealing a deep jet-black aura covering it.

"My Haki has returned," Crocodile murmured.

"At the age of seventeen, you've already attained such power. You will undoubtedly become the strongest in the future, right?!"

He locked eyes with Ace, then roared, "Tell me, Portgas D. Ace! Will you become the strongest?!"

Crocodile's voice grew louder, filled with a raw intensity.

"This era will be defined by shadows," Ace replied, understanding Crocodile's intent, a slight grin curling at the corners of his mouth—a grin laced with Haki's confidence.

"In this era, the general's title will be 'Flame Emperor,' hahahaha!"

Crocodile laughed again, this time until tears streamed down his face.

"Whitebeard! Do you hear this?! This era will belong to the Flame Emperor! It will be the age of Portgas D. Ace! The strongest man in the world? Just thinking about that title makes me sick!"

Crocodile could feel the return of his Haki, and with it, the deep-seated hatred and fear he once held toward Whitebeard melted away.

In that moment, Crocodile understood.

It wasn't just his reliance on "Pluton" that had driven his Haki away. It was also the deeply hidden fear—the fear of the man once hailed as the strongest in the world, Whitebeard.

That fear had caused his Haki to abandon him.

But now, his Haki had returned!

Whitebeard? The strongest man in the world?

This era will belong to Portgas D. Ace, not Whitebeard!

"Come, Portgas D. Ace! Show me how you will become the strongest!" Crocodile bellowed, laughing toward the sky. His face showed no more darkness—only pure, overwhelming Haki!

Boom!

Crocodile activated the full power of the Sand-Sand Fruit, combining it with Armament Haki to its ultimate form.

Countless grains of sand swirled and condensed, forming into a colossal sand blade before him, faintly enveloped in invisible power.

Armament Haki-Coating!

This was the strength that could coat a Logia Devil Fruit user with Armament Haki.

"This is my strongest attack, Portgas D. Ace! Let me see your power! Show me you're worthy of becoming the strongest!"

Crocodile shouted as his legs turned to sand, the massive sand blade in his hand aimed directly at Ace.

"The proof of being the strongest?" Ace murmured, his grin widening into a confident laugh.

"For someone like you, who once dared challenge the strongest—Sir Crocodile—I'll gladly show you."

Ace's laugh carried the weight of his Haki.

In this state, Crocodile was the Shichibukai, the warlord who had once dared to challenge Whitebeard himself.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, the laughter stopped, and Ace's eyes snapped into focus. He crossed his arms in front of him.

"Flame."

A quiet word slipped from Ace's mouth.

Boom! Fwoosh! Buzz!

A terrifying eruption of flames surged from Ace's body like an unending sea of fire, swirling into a massive vortex that enveloped him. The sheer heat of the flames distorted the atmosphere, causing waves of white smoke to rise from the ground Crocodile's sand had dried out.

"Not just Haki, but you've developed your Devil Fruit to this extent as well? Incredible!"

Instead of anger, Crocodile laughed with joy, his laughter full of Haki.

"Next, you'll die by my strongest attack. Are you ready, Crocodile?" Ace smiled at him from within the inferno.

"Come on, Portgas D. Ace!" Crocodile roared, half of his body turning to sand as he charged toward Ace, the massive sand blade cutting through the air with a terrifying whistle.

Buzz!

The air cracked with the force of the swing, a testament to how devastating the attack was. This was Crocodile at full power—the Crocodile who had once challenged Whitebeard.

Great Flame Commandment!!!

"Boom!"

Buzz! Buzz!

Ace's voice rang out, and the massive sea of fire collapsed inward, shrinking rapidly in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, all the flames vanished.

"What… what is this?!"

Robin stared at Ace in disbelief.

"Hiss… Crack!"

Ace's right arm began to glow with deep red cracks, like molten lava about to erupt. The sheer heat radiating from the cracks made Robin shudder just by looking at it.

"Desert Sword!"

Crocodile had reached Ace by now, his voice roaring with wilderness as he brought the massive sand blade down with all his might.

Clang!!!

In a moment that defied belief, Ace's right hand, glowing with molten cracks, grabbed the desert sword as though it were an ordinary toy.

"!!!"

Crocodile's mouth fell open, as though he wanted to say something.

Next moment!

"Flame Sword Burial," Ace said calmly.

Boom!!!

A surge of flames exploded from the cracks in Ace's arm, transforming into a massive blade of fire that shot into the sky.

The overwhelming heat shattered the air like glass, and in the face of this blazing terror, the entire world seemed ready to be consumed by flames.

This immense fire blade pierced the heavens, a symbol of Ace's power as the Flame Emperor, the strongest in the world.

Great Flame Commandment – Flame Sword Burial!!!

_________

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