One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

Chapter 374 - CHAPTER 374 - Kizaru’s Shock

"No matter what, let's take him down first—Ame-no-Murakumo." Kizaru glanced at Rosen and instantly drew a light sword between his palms. Before he could attack, the enemy struck first.

"Huh? So fast…" Kizaru was astonished as he saw Rosen flashing repeatedly, closing in at extreme speed. This pace was several times faster than their last encounter.

Without hesitation, Kizaru swung the light sword toward Rosen, but it was blocked by Rosen's Sand-Sand Sword. Rosen unleashed full Haki and attacked with full force.

The strike pushed Kizaru back several steps.

"His strength has grown so much." Kizaru's palm tingled. Crocodile had become significantly stronger in such a short time? No matter how he looked at it, it seemed absurd.

True strength wasn't built overnight. It required rigorous training and countless battles. For Crocodile, already a Devil Fruit user, there should be no shortcut to such rapid growth. Yet, somehow, in such a brief period, his power had skyrocketed—unimaginably.

"I didn't expect the Marines to respond so quickly. But even you won't be able to stop me today." Rosen's encounter with an Admiral on the battlefield wasn't anticipated.

If it had been Akainu, he would have been satisfied, but facing Kizaru had little meaning. His hatred for Akainu was far greater.

"Then let's see about that. But I'm curious—what brings you here?" Kizaru, though shocked, showed no obvious expression, continuing to swing his light sword. Each strike carried enough power to shatter mountains.

Normally, a moderate effort would be enough to restrain or suppress Crocodile. But judging from that strike, Kizaru had to exert more power or risk being overwhelmed. No holding back was possible.

The two clashed, and between strikes, laser beams erupted, sand collided, and the surrounding area was instantly shattered. Ordinary Marines dared not approach.

"To think he can battle Kizaru head-on?!" A marine, entangled with pirates nearby, was stunned. The Marines' top strength was evenly matched with a former Shichibukai?

"Thirty Blooms." Robin watched the incoming Marines. While elite forces dared not enter the battle zone directly, ranged attacks were fine.

Hundreds of elite Marines sealed off her and the surrounding area.

"Take Nico Robin first," a Marine officer ordered a squad forward.

Robin crossed her hands and petals swirled. Hands sprouted from each approaching Marine.

"Careful, she's a Devil Fruit user."

The elite Marines tried to cut down her arms, but Robin activated her second ability.

"Dark Impact!" Tens of hands, three with palms outward, shimmered with black mist and faint lightning. The effect was terrifying and destructive.

"Retreat!"

Boom! Too late. Three shockwaves blasted from three directions, shaking the earth. The ground shattered, and screams filled the air…

In an instant, hundreds were heavily injured, most unable to rise, their condition dire.

"As expected, even a strong ability loses speed and impact when divided into multiple waves…" Robin followed Rosen's guidance, exploring this powerful ability.

"Damn pirate, die!" A severely injured Marine leapt toward Robin with a sword.

"Shh!" The slash cut through empty air, causing no damage.

"Impossible… a Logia?" The Marine's expression changed drastically. When did the Dawn Pirates gain another Logia?

"This isn't a Logia. Call it a Devil Form, a blend of illusion and reality. Though the intangible form resembles a Logia, it has a solid side. Watch…" Robin said lightly.

Her body transformed instantly. Her beauty vanished; she grew nearly five meters tall, muscles bulging, black wings sprouted from her back, horns on her head, and arms like dragon claws—terrifying.

Her appearance alone radiated immense intimidation.

"A cute Devil Form, huh?" Robin glanced at her hand, feeling the surging power. A simple swing compressed air at high speed, sending the Marine flying.

"Cute?" The Marines nearby stared in disbelief. This was a fearsome demon, not anything cute.

"Black Mist." Robin opened her demonic mouth. Black mist spread, covering a kilometer. Marines near it screamed and fled.

"Damn, what is this ability? The mist is even corroding metal! Poison?"

"This is… a monster!"

"Boss, I'll help you." Robin stepped forward rapidly, dispersing the mist and rushing toward Rosen.

"Bang!" Kizaru kicked Rosen's Sand-Sand Sword away and simultaneously fired several laser beams from his fingertips.

Rosen countered with Black Prison bullets, nullifying the attack.

"I didn't want to show off, but you're really annoying, Kizaru! Sand Domain!" Rosen raised his hands. The ground and nearby buildings instantly became swirling sand, hundreds of sand tornadoes erupting. Half of Marine Headquarters became a desert.

"What? Quicksand? Where did this desert come from?!"

"Sandstorm?! Get out of the way! A Logia!" Marines panicked.

"How… How is this possible? A Sand-Sand user shouldn't control this much sand. The ground is reinforced concrete. Even with Logia assimilation, this scale is impossible… Could it be awakening?!" Hundreds of towering tornadoes drew attention from everyone on the battlefield.

"Fufufu… They're making quite a ruckus."

"They've arrived," the Empress murmured, her eyes rippling.

"Ah… indeed hard to deal with." Aokiji sighed. He had wanted to leave the battle zone to deal with Rosen but was stopped by Sengoku.

The primary target remained Whitebeard. Kizaru could handle Crocodile efficiently. Assigning another Admiral to him would overestimate Crocodile and reduce their threat to Whitebeard, which couldn't happen now. Aokiji had to stay as the main force against Whitebeard's crew.

"Awakening? You think this is enough to defeat me? Unrealistic. No matter how grand the sound, it can't imbue Haki into something this massive. You understand that, right? Light-speed successive kicks!" Kizaru was slightly shocked. Awakening?

Golden legs struck at incredible speed, each kick producing explosive force and extreme heat. Rosen withstood them, but his internal organs were violently tossed.

A battle of equals was never easy, especially to win.

Sand awakening wasn't as obvious as other types, but it was rare and sometimes generated terrifying attack abilities. That instant that broke his defense must have been one. Kizaru fought while analyzing Rosen's abilities.

Rosen's awakening refined a skill honed from withered powers. While large-scale desert combat was Crocodile's specialty, it didn't matter.

Kizaru's Logia hadn't awakened, which caused minor inconveniences. Being a Logia, terrain had little impact, so he didn't understand why Crocodile exerted so much effort to turn flat land into a desert.

"Do you think I just made a small desert for no reason?" Rosen taunted, noticing Kizaru's hesitation.

(End of Chapter)

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