In an instant, a power so immense and suffocating erupted from within Hashirama Senju.
Countless trees burst forth from the ground, growing at a terrifying speed and spreading in all directions.
These trees had massive trunks and dense foliage, surging outward like a raging green torrent, tearing through the vast sea of sand in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, where the desert had once stretched endlessly, a vibrant oasis now stood.
"This is insane—he changed the terrain in an instant." Luffy and the others were stunned speechless by the sight before them.
Luffy's mouth hung wide open, his eyes bulging. Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and the rest stood frozen in place. Hashirama Senju's technique, *Deep Forest Emergence*, had completely overturned their understanding of power.
Meanwhile, CP9 and the others in the distance were also watching the battlefield intently.
"Impossible!"
Crocodile's eyes widened as well, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
In the span of a heartbeat, Hashirama Senju had forcibly transformed this desert into a sprawling forest oasis.
Staring at the lush green oasis, Crocodile felt a surge of intense disgust and discomfort.
As the embodiment of the desert, his hatred for oases ran deep; that green, symbolizing life and hope, was like a thorn in his side, a constant irritation.
"Desert Inferno!" Crocodile poured all his power into his Sand-Sand Fruit ability.
Instantly, endless waves of sand surged from every direction, crashing toward the oasis with overwhelming force.
Layer upon layer of sand roared with deafening thunder, attempting to swallow the oasis whole and tear the obstructive trees from their roots.
Watching the trees being buried by the desert once more, a hint of smug satisfaction appeared on Crocodile's vicious face.
Yet that satisfaction lasted only a moment.
The next instant, Crocodile's smile froze on his face.
Countless massive trees burst forth from beneath the sand, tearing through the desert's cover with unstoppable force and spreading wildly in all directions.
The trees grew at an astonishing rate. In mere moments, the swirling sand and dust were pierced by the surging green tide, and the land once again became blanketed in green.
Crocodile stared in horror as Hashirama Senju slowly emerged within the dense forest.
In just a short span of time, nearly a third of this vast desert had been overtaken by trees.
Crocodile could clearly feel his control over the desert weakening under the influence of this oasis.
The sand that once obeyed his every command now seemed affected by this overwhelming life force, no longer as compliant.
"Damn it!" Crocodile snarled through gritted teeth.
So this was the terrifying power of the Fifth Emperor of the Sea?
But he was the proud Crocodile—he wouldn't surrender so easily.
He plunged both hands into the sand, mobilizing every grain around him, and roared: "Desert Spada!"
In an instant, a colossal sandstorm erupted from Crocodile's position, so powerful that it tore the surrounding trees from their roots.
The sand particles within the storm spun at high speed, grinding against one another and becoming razor-sharp.
These blades of sand surged wildly toward Hashirama's forest, shredding trees into fragments wherever they passed, scattering wood chips into the air.
Then Crocodile came up with another tactic.
He condensed the sand into countless long, whip-like tendrils, which slithered agilely through the forest and coiled tightly around the massive trunks.
At his command, the sand whips abruptly tightened, their immense force causing the trees to creak and groan. Many were torn from their roots and crashed to the ground.
But Hashirama's forest grew ceaselessly, new trees rapidly filling the gaps left by destruction.
Crocodile's brow furrowed. He realized simple destruction wouldn't solve the problem.
So he concentrated, compressing the sand into hard shields in front of him to fend off the occasional incoming branches.
At the same time, he once again drew on the desert's depths, creating a wider, more powerful quicksand storm.
Wherever the storm passed, the ground rapidly collapsed, forming massive sinkholes that swallowed the trees rooted within them, dragging them deeper and deeper.
"Not bad."
Hashirama Senju laughed heartily, a relaxed smile on his face.
A breeze brushed through his black hair, and he radiated an unshakable, commanding presence.
In contrast, Crocodile's face was dark and grim, his eyes burning with fury.
He clenched his teeth, each word dripping with venom: "I am the ruler of this desert. In the desert, I am invincible—even you…"
But before Crocodile could finish his sentence, Hashirama Senju suddenly clapped his hands together.
In an instant, a massive wooden dragon roared forth from deep within the desert.
This wooden dragon had an enormous body, coiling and writhing as it emanated a mysterious, overwhelming presence.
Its eyes glowed with eerie green light, its jaws wide open.
"That move again." Ace frowned slightly at the familiar wooden dragon, a trace of solemnity in his gaze.
Having fought Hashirama Senju before, he knew all too well how troublesome this technique was.
The wooden dragon was not only incredibly powerful, but it also possessed extraordinary agility and regenerative ability. Once it locked onto its target, it was like being trapped in a nightmare.
The dragon roared, charging and rolling wildly through the desert, sending clouds of sand flying wherever it went.
Its body carved deep trenches into the ground as it passed.
At the same time, even more massive trees erupted from underground, surrounding the wooden dragon like a surging green tide, hurtling toward Crocodile.
These trees had trunks as hard as iron, with sharp thorns covering their branches.
Seeing this, Crocodile poured all his strength into his attack.
His hands moved rapidly, unleashing countless razor-sharp sand blades that rained down on the wooden dragon and the surrounding trees.
The blades screeched through the air, clashing against the trees and kicking up clouds of sand and wood chips.
Yet the wooden dragon's regenerative power was far beyond expectation—the wounds from the sand blades healed almost instantly. The attacks were little more than an annoyance.
In the blink of an eye, the wooden dragon broke through the storm of sand blades, charging toward Crocodile like a black bolt of lightning.
"Bam!" The dragon lashed out with its tail. Crocodile felt an immense force bearing down on him, as if a mountain were crashing into him.
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