When you proclaim in front of Kaidou that you want to become a king, there's a certain chance it will trigger his passive ability. Most people are knocked down with just one strike and then subjected to his questioning.
[What kind of king do you want to become?]
If you can continue to answer, it means Kaidou's "teaching activity" was successful. If you can't answer, it means you have failed.
As Kaidou's daughter, Yamato has inherited this talent to some extent, and made Crocodile trigger this passive.
The entanglement of Haki wrapped around Jian the Seventh made Crocodile experience what pain meant once more.
Haki can touch the entity of a Logia-type, but it doesn't seal the opponent's ability. After the attack ends, the Logia-type ability user's body can still transform into elemental form.
Due to the Logia-type ability, Crocodile was like a slime in Yamato's hands. The impact from the two strikes made his internal organs churn.
"Hey, get up quickly, I held back. If you lose consciousness with just this, I really have to reassess the strength of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Rotom, help me record this, make it look good."
The reason for beating Crocodile was not just one; a conversation from years ago was one reason, and returning to Ghost Island was also Yamato's goal.
The Four Emperors, Navy, Seven Warlords of the Sea are called the three great forces of the Grand Line. Previously, she had many conflicts with the Navy, but they were all from the East Sea and held no reference value.
But the Seven Warlords of the Sea are different. Taking down one of them at least shows that she is not completely slacking off and she could brush it off with Kaidou.
But all of this has a premise: Crocodile cannot be too weak, or he would be as worthless as the Navy of the East Sea.
"You will... regret this!"
Swish!
The golden hook on his left hand got caught on Yamato's ankle. Seeing this childish trick, Yamato lost interest in Crocodile.
"Tch, I thought you were some powerful guy, but you turned out to be using such underhanded tactics. Did I actually knock you silly?"
She doesn't despise Crocodile for using such a hook as a weapon. According to Kaidou's teaching, in battle, anything from teeth to nails, biting to scratching, is part of the fight.
But the premise is, that the attack has to be useful. She felt that she had demonstrated her strength with the two strikes earlier, yet Crocodile continued to attack her with such ineffective means.
It seemed like it had poison too. Being a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, yet using such despicable and ineffective means to attack her made her doubt whether this person had long forgotten the meaning of strength.
Actually, with Yamato's power, even if she didn't defend and let Crocodile's poison invade her body, those toxins might not even be a match for her immune system.
"I heard that you roamed the New World before. Yet, you can't even use Haki now? If that's the case, that old man won't approve."
Casually kicking Crocodile away, Yamato put Jian the Seventh back into her pouch.
"Princess, and that king there, how do you plan to deal with him?"
"..."
Even though the truth was right in front of them, Vivi and Cobra found it hard to believe. The one who plagued Alabasta for many years, Crocodile, was taken down in one move and played with like a toy.
As Yamato's words reached his ears, Crocodile's mind flashed through scenes like a revolving lantern.
The battle with Bullet in his youth, the spirited confidence as a spectator during Roger's execution, the great ambitions at the start of the Great Pirate Era, the terror experienced when challenging Whitebeard, and the annoying face of Ivankov.
"What I can't get, you shall never... get either!"
Placing his right hand on the ground, Crocodile, as if having a final burst of life, unleashed a new technique in rage.
"Erosion Reincarnation!"
As a Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit ability user, Crocodile can transform any part of his body into sand, and his other ability is absorbing moisture.
His right hand can absorb the moisture of anything it touches. Wood will wither, rock will weather into sand, and humans will turn into dried husks.
As an early appearing Seven Warlords character, Crocodile is well-known for being equal in battles. He could fight against Bullet, and confront Whitebeard, yet lose to an unstoppable Luffy.
But among the Seven Warlords, he definitely has the biggest ambitions.
Yamato's tone of examining goods, her mockery of his strength, and her dismissive attitude all mercilessly humiliated him.
He couldn't accept that years of plotting failed because of a woman who appeared out of nowhere.
Haki to him was a familiar yet distant thing. He was clearly not a good student and didn't find what he lost in battle like his predecessor, the Golden Lion.
Even the legendary "Awakening Stick" couldn't awaken him directly, yet he still planned for a desperate fight.
His target now, was the entire palace!
"Guhahahaha... Die!"
The grass around his hand quickly withered, and the ground showed visible cracks. The palace walls also showed signs of collapsing. Due to geographical reasons, Alabasta's palace was built on a high land.
Crocodile intended to collapse this place directly and then bury everything completely. According to Cobra, that Poneglyph should be in the palace, as long as it all becomes sand, he could look for it slowly.
"It's useless. Even if your Supreme King can faint most people, it can't stop the bomb from detonating. Everything will be destroyed. On the sands, only I can be the ruler!"
Just as Crocodile wanted to amplify his ability to completely erode this place, he suddenly found that his Erosion Reincarnation failed.
The ground became extremely cold, and a fierce ice layer had frozen his hand, starting to climb upwards. Though he managed to break free, large chunks of flesh from his palm stayed on the ground.
He could absorb moisture from objects, but Yamato interrupted his ability with her ice. The modified Kyurem and the Power of the Okuchi no Makami created a protective film on the ground.
Before Crocodile could absorb the moisture, the extreme cold froze the blood in his palm. If he didn't break free, he would become an ice sculpture before he absorbed the moisture.
"It seems you misunderstood something, I'm asking the employers how to deal with you, not because I can't deal with you, Thundering Hakken!"
This time Yamato didn't hold back, effectively rendering Crocodile unconscious. She then took up her Rotom again.
"Moshi moshi, Ul-chan, Peque, stop playing for now.
Work hard and knock down everyone still standing nearby, then look for cannons or bombs or something."