"Old Man…"
Vivi tried to stop Rosen.
But Rosen had already flown higher and higher, quickly disappearing into the night.
Vivi was crying, tears streaming down her face. She had only spent a few days with Rosen, so why would he go to such lengths for her?
Drip—drop—
Vivi kept looking up at the sky. Just then, the night sky suddenly burst forth with a light like a small Sun.
This was followed by a deafening roar.
At this moment, the fighting in Alubarna City stopped. Both the Royal Army and the rebels looked up at the sky, watching the extremely dazzling light high above.
The entire Alubarna City became as bright as day, and the ground trembled slightly.
Vivi's tears fell like a kite with a broken string, blurring her vision.
"Hey…why are you crying?"
Someone patted Vivi's shoulder. Vivi turned her head, looking at the unharmed Rosen in surprise.
"Old Man, you're alright?"
"I'm old. If I were young, I wouldn't get tired even after a few more rounds."
Just then, it started to rain in the sky.
The drizzling rain fell among the fighting crowd.
"It's raining…"
"It's raining…"
The rebels and the Royal Army stopped fighting once again.
Everyone was excited by the sudden rain.
This rebellion, in the final analysis, was caused by the lack of rain.
Now that it was raining, the rebellion naturally dissipated.
Only the Straw Hat were still fighting the Baroque Works executives.
In front of a palace gate, Nami's hands and feet were now pierced with a dozen holes, and her body was covered in blood.
Pola was elusive and incredibly difficult to deal with.
After Pola mastered the silent killing technique, her strength underwent a qualitative leap.
Just then, rain fell on Nami's face.
Nami touched the water on her cheek, a smile appearing on her face.
She held her Clima-Tact and pointed it at Pola.
"There's rain tonight, please be careful of lightning."
"Playing tricks!"
Rumble—
A bolt of lightning struck down. Nami immediately swung her Clima-Tact, drawing the thunder.
Lightning Release: Thunder Cloud!
This move was a simplified version of Lightning Release: Kirin.
Currently, Nami was not yet capable of taming natural lightning.
Lightning Release: Kirin required a strong physique to withstand the violent energy of natural lightning.
Nami clearly did not have such a strong physique.
So, at Rosen's suggestion, Nami personally crafted the Clima-Tact.
Using the Clima-Tact to control lightning, as Nami danced, the violent lightning completely filled the Clima-Tact with energy.
Nami suddenly slammed the Clima-Tact onto the ground.
Lightning burst forth, and the accumulated water on the ground became the best conductive medium.
Pola's scalp tingled. She wanted to escape, but there was accumulated water everywhere nearby, leaving her nowhere to run.
Zzzzt—
The violent lightning instantly electrocuted Pola, leaving her crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Her original wavy hair had now become an explosive bird's nest.
On the other side, Zoro and Daz were still fighting intensely.
Zoro and Daz were evenly matched, a true clash of talents.
Their swordsmanship was almost identical.
Daz, moreover, had pushed his silent killing technique to the extreme.
If Zoro hadn't had Observation Haki, he would have probably been sliced to pieces by Daz long ago.
And Daz's most troublesome aspect was his body, which was impervious to swords and bullets.
Zoro's Armament Haki could not yet flow, so he couldn't cover his blade.
To defeat Daz, he had to be able to cut steel.
With Daz's repeated assaults, Zoro's mind, in this desperate situation, became even more resolute.
Three Sword Style: 36 Pound Phoenix!
Finally, Zoro unleashed the strongest strike of his life.
Daz's chest was cut open. With a look of shock and unwillingness, he finally fell into a pool of blood.
There weren't too many ups and downs for Usopp and Chopper.
Their opponents also brought them considerable trouble.
The combination of BuBbe and Drophy dug countless mole holes in the ground, allowing their attacks to appear out of nowhere, without warning, behind Usopp and Chopper.
However, Usopp awakened Observation Haki at a critical moment, defeating BuBbe and Drophy.
Just then, the ground in the central plaza collapsed.
Luffy and Crocodile's battle had caused the ground to collapse. The two jumped out of the collapsed hole and continued fighting as if no one else was around.
Compared to the original timeline, where Crocodile was brutally defeated.
In this confrontation, both Luffy and Crocodile displayed combat power far exceeding their counterparts in that period.
Crocodile looked at Luffy, panting.
Luffy was also covered in wounds, but his spirit remained robust.
"Straw Hat, it seems I truly underestimated you." Crocodile had to admit.
If it weren't for Rosen's month-long special training, he would probably be beaten into a pig's head by Luffy by now.
"So, are you going to surrender?"
"Heh heh… I'm a Shichibukai! Desert King Crocodile!" Crocodile roared, "You're forcing my hand!"
In fact, Crocodile had already awakened his Bloodline Limit, Magnet Release, under Rosen's guidance!
When Rosen developed Light Release, it took him several years.
But Crocodile had an Innate advantage; he was a Sand-Sand Fruit user.
His ability was already closely related to Magnet Release.
This was also why he was able to awaken his Bloodline Limit within a month.
Crocodile floated up, raising both hands above his head.
Magnet Release: Heavy Kill Explosion!
The sand on the ground gathered like a trickling stream above Crocodile's head.
A super-giant sand ball with a diameter of thirty meters formed.
Luffy inhaled deeply, his upper body swelling up. Then, Luffy gathered the air in his right arm, transforming it into a giant arm.
"Gum-Gum Giant Pistol!!"
Under Crocodile's control, the giant sand ball violently smashed towards Luffy.
This sand ball was not meant for smashing people; it contained terrifying energy. Even though it was a newly developed skill, its power could at least level an entire city block.
Luffy seemed to sense the danger of the giant sand ball. Before the giant sand ball fell, his Giant Pistol collided with it.
Boom—
Terrifying energy instantly erupted, leveling buildings within a hundred-meter radius in an instant.
This energy impact also struck Rosen and Crocodile, sending both of them flying. They both ultimately fell to the ground, unconscious.
Rosen watched this scene, unconsciously pursing his lips.
He hadn't expected Crocodile to be able to fight Luffy to this extent.
However, this defense of Alubarna also came to an end with Crocodile's unconsciousness.
…
Crocodile woke up from his unconsciousness.
He immediately remembered his defeat at Luffy's hands.
This left him somewhat disappointed, as he had, after all, undergone a month of special training with Rosen.
He had initially thought that even against a Four Emperors, he might not lose.
Now, losing to an unknown rookie severely hurt his pride.
"Where is this?" Crocodile sat up and looked at his surroundings. This wasn't a prison, and he wasn't restrained.
Just then, Daz, with bandages wrapped around his chest, walked in from outside: "Boss, you're awake."
"Did you rescue me?"
"No, it was White-Haired Ghost." Daz said, "He said your performance disappointed him. He hopes that the next time you meet, you will at least have the strength of an Admiral. If you can't do that, then he will break your legs."
"That damn old man, who asked him to be so nosy." Crocodile said he was nosy, but he felt a strange sense of gratitude in his heart.
"Boss, what do we do next?"
"What about Pola and Nico Robin?"
"Pola's injuries are the most severe. Although White-Haired Ghost treated her, she will need at least a month before she can get out of bed. Nico Robin… she was captured by the Royal Family."
"Find a place to recover from our injuries first, then set sail," Crocodile said.
"What about our plan?"
"There's no chance anymore." Crocodile shook his head, "Besides, in the past, I relied too much on schemes and tricks, to the point where I neglected my own Cultivation. A strong person can only grow through battle."
…
The rebellion in Alabasta Kingdom finally subsided.
The leader of the rebels was Vivi's childhood friend, so after Vivi explained everything clearly, the rebel leader completely surrendered.
The palace was now bustling with activity.
Luffy and the others, after waking up, began to feast.
Smoker, meanwhile, led the Marine, attempting to enter the palace to arrest Luffy and the others.
But Cobra could not possibly let the Marine take away their country's benefactors, so he personally led people to block Smoker, refusing to hand over Luffy and the others.
Rosen pinched Luffy's cheek, stretching Luffy's skin to three meters long: "You still have the nerve to smile? Everyone else won, only you lost."
Luffy's face showed a hint of frustration. Yes, everyone else won, only he lost.
"Starting today, you will diligently cultivation Armament Haki. If you can't cover your entire body, you're not allowed to have supper."
"Can we start tomorrow?"
"No!"
Zoro stood up at this moment, saying with a serious expression: "Old Man, I want extra training too."
After this battle, he also deeply realized the importance of Armament Haki.
If he hadn't had a Breakthrough on the battlefield this time, reaching the steel-cutting Rank, he would have been the one to lose.
It must be said that, apart from powerful enemies like Hawkeye who were beyond his Rank, Daz was the strongest enemy Zoro had ever encountered.
"I want extra training too," Sanji said.
He had been utterly defeated by Bon Clay this time.
Although Bon Clay's trickery, transforming into Nami, certainly played a part in making him unable to fight back.
But it couldn't be denied that Bon Clay's strength was indeed very strong.
And their journey in Alabasta Kingdom was also coming to an end.
Vivi ultimately did not board the Going Merry, even though she was a crew member recognized by everyone.
However, she was, after all, the princess of Alabasta. If she boarded the Going Merry, it would mean going against the World Government.
And at this moment, an uninvited guest arrived on the Going Merry.
Nico Robin appeared on the deck.
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