Gojo was about to continue his assault now that he had made it clear to Crocodile that he could use Armament Haki. He genuinely wanted to see how Crocodile would respond—how exactly he would counter Haki-infused attacks. His posture remained relaxed, sword lowered slightly, eyes fixed forward, waiting.
Crocodile didn't hesitate.
In an instant, a sand sword formed in his hand, its shape sharp and jagged. He activated his technique—Desert Spada—and immediately, from beneath the ground where Gojo stood, a massive slash erupted upward. Sand exploded from the earth in a single, straight line, tearing through the ground with violent force, grains shrieking as they were launched skyward.
And yet, right in the middle of that straight line, Gojo was still standing.
He didn't move.
Seeing this, Crocodile narrowed his eyes. To him, it looked like Gojo was growing overconfident—relying too heavily on his Devil Fruit-like abilities, just as Crocodile himself had once done. But Crocodile didn't realize the truth. This wasn't overconfidence. This was Gojo's certainty—confidence rooted in his limitless abilities, and more importantly, in his understanding of the rules of this world. The rules that governed Devil Fruits themselves.
And just as Gojo had expected, it happened.
The erupting line of sand, even though it burst directly beneath where Gojo stood, never reached him. It stopped short, as if repelled by an unseen force. Not a single grain touched him. Gojo remained completely unharmed, standing still as the sand settled back down around him.
Without pause, Gojo moved.
He activated his technique—Limitless: Azure Event Horizon.
A blue glow enveloped his sword, vivid and intense, humming with restrained power. He swung it cleanly through the air, releasing a flying sword slash coated entirely in blue. The attack shot forward at incredible speed, slicing through the battlefield with a sharp, resonating howl.
Crocodile reacted instantly.
Standing in the path of the incoming slash, he took advantage of the sandy terrain beneath his feet. His body dispersed into sand, scattering apart in an instant, and with remarkable speed, he reformed several meters away—completely out of the flying slash's original path.
For a brief moment, it seemed like he had avoided it.
But Gojo was still smiling.
That confident smile never left his face, because Limitless: Azure Event Horizon had another function. The flying sword slash wasn't just an average flying sword slash—it was something he could control. As long as it remained coated in blue, it obeyed his will.
Immediately, Gojo shifted his control.
The flying sword slash changed direction mid-air, sliding sideways as if pulled by an invisible hand. It slammed directly into Crocodile before he could fully react.
His body was sucked directly into the flying sword slash as the blue energy disrupted his elemental form, tearing through his sand-based transformation. The force swallowed him whole, the blue glow engulfing his figure as the attack struck with full impact.
Gojo remained standing where he was, unmoving, watching calmly as the result of his technique unfolded.
Crocodile coughed up blood. Fresh blood splattered onto the sand as another severe injury tore across his upper body—from his left arm all the way to his right—a single, straight line carved into him. The intensity of the wound wasn't uniform; some sections burned deeper than others, and Crocodile could feel it clearly. This isn't a clean cut, he realized grimly.
Still coughing, he lifted his head and looked toward Gojo—the man who had given him his second serious injury today. Crocodile hadn't been hurt like this in a very long time, not since he had settled himself in the first half of the Grand Line, Paradise. And now, today of all days, he had been injured twice in a row… by the same person.
Crocodile narrowed his eyes and asked, "What type of ability was that?" His voice was rough, tinged with disbelief. "It definitely wasn't Haki. That was your Devil Fruit ability, right? It can interfere with my elementalization. How is that even possible?"
Gojo looked back at him calmly. "Everything is possible," he said simply. "That's how my Devil Fruit ability works."
Crocodile pressed further, irritation flashing across his face as he tried to pry the answer out of him. "What exactly does your ability do?"
Gojo stared at Crocodile as if he were looking at an idiot. "Why do you think I'd tell my Devil Fruit abilities so willingly to someone like you?" he replied. His gaze briefly swept the surroundings before returning to Crocodile. "Especially when there are so many people around here. Do you think I'm a fool or something?"
He continued without pause. "If my opponent can analyse my abilities through their own deduction skills, then that's a different matter. But I'm not going to announce my abilities to the world, saying, 'Oh, my ability can do this, my ability can do that.' I'm not invincible enough to do that."
Gojo's tone shifted slightly, confident but measured. "In the future, I will be. There'll come a time when I can openly announce what ability I have, and even if my opponent knows everything, they still won't be able to do anything about it." He tilted his head a little. "I mean, I could even do that right now against you. Even if I told you exactly what my ability is, you'd still be helpless—like a child standing in front of an adult."
Crocodile's jaw tightened as Gojo went on. "So yes, I could tell you," Gojo said. "But because of your elementalization ability—and because this entire place is basically your territory, a sea of sand—I fear you might be able to escape. And if that happens, I might not be able to kill you."
His eyes hardened. "That's why I won't tell you anything. If I were confident that I could kill you right here, right now, I would've happily explained my ability in detail and let you die in peace." A faint smile crossed his face. "I'm a good person, you know."
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