48

Tony's toes lightly touched the ground before he vanished from sight. His speed had doubled, leaving Crocodile barely enough time to react. In desperation, Crocodile raised his golden hook, not because he'd seen Tony's move, but because he'd guessed Tony would aim straight for his head.

Clang!

The clash rang out, and Crocodile felt a chill sweep through him. If he hadn't blocked that attack, he'd have been in serious trouble—perhaps even dead. It was no wonder the Marines had placed a 300 million bounty on Tony's head. This was no ordinary fighter—every strike was lethal.

Their weapons clashed with an ear-splitting sound, Tony's Zanpakuto meeting Crocodile's golden hook in a shower of sparks.

"Impressive. I doubt your Observation Haki is strong enough to fully read my movements," Tony taunted. "But somehow, you managed to block that. Quite an achievement!"

Crocodile ignored, knowing that he needed to focus if he had any chance of defeating this boy. Words would be meaningless in this fight.

"Desert Spada!"

Crocodile unleashed his full strength, transforming both arms into four massive sand blades that sliced toward Tony. These blades were sharper than his usual sand constructs, able to cleave even through thick stone walls.

Boom!

The giant sand swords sliced through the palace level, causing the upper layers of the castle to collapse. Massive stones began to rain down like a falling mountain, with fragments scattering in every direction.

"Bakudō #39: Enkosen (Round-Lock Fan)!"

With one hand, Tony summoned a large circular shield to block the four sand blades.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The shield absorbed the strikes, but it shattered after the fourth blow, successfully neutralizing Crocodile's assault. Tony, along with the debris, plummeted to the lower levels, sending up a massive cloud of dust.

"Guhahaha! Fire Master Tony, someday I'll defeat you! But for now, I'll let you live! The military and the Marines are already here."

"Don't get caught so soon, rookie king of the pirates!" Crocodile seized the chance to escape before the military and Marines arrived. He knew that continuing the fight would be pointless. With the king already out of his grasp, he would soon be a wanted criminal in this kingdom. Even if he defeated Tony, it would make no difference—his plans were in ruins.

While Crocodile hated to admit it, Tony's strength was clearly greater than his own. If he continued this fight, he risked dying here. Not willing to take that chance, Crocodile chose to retreat, setting his sights on the Grand Line.

Minutes later…

Boom! A flash of fire erupted as Tony emerged from the rubble, having used his powers to escape in elemental form. But Crocodile was already gone, and the area was now filled with Arabasta's royal guards, who pointed their weapons at Tony, mistaking him for the assassin who had targeted the king.

Tony sighed, his eyes narrowing slightly in frustration as he took in the situation.

"..."

Tony looked around at the thousands of Arabasta soldiers surrounding him, mentally cursing his luck.

"So, instead of chasing Crocodile, you're all after me? What's that supposed to mean?"

Glancing at the soldiers, he noticed their expressions were full of rage, like they wanted to tear him to pieces. Arabasta's king was clearly beloved by his people.

"Kill him! We can't let the assassin who targeted the king get away!"

"Yeah! Kill him on the spot!"

The soldiers' shouts echoed around him. Tony knew explaining would be pointless. At this moment, no matter what he said, they wouldn't believe him. Who would listen to an "assassin" emerging from the royal palace in the dead of night? Everything pointed to him as the culprit.

"That damn crocodile! He slipped away fast, and now the blame for trying to assassinate the king has fallen on me?" Tony thought bitterly.

"Alright, Arabasta soldiers, I get that you're being misled and maybe that's unfortunate. But if you're really going to attack me, I won't just sit back and take it."

He clenched his fists as flames ignited around his body. Though the soldiers hesitated slightly, they continued advancing, slowly tightening their encirclement. A fight was imminent.

"Everyone, stop right there!"

A powerful yet gentle voice suddenly rang out from the distance. Vivi, Nami, and Robin stood on the rooftop of a nearby building.

The soldiers halted and turned, surprised to see their own Princess Vivi calling out.

"It's Princess Vivi! She's safe—that's a relief."

"But why is she protecting this man who's supposedly the assassin?"

Confused, the soldiers hesitated, uncertain of what was going on. Vivi, desperate to stop a clash between Tony and the soldiers, raised her voice to clarify.

"Soldiers of Arabasta, I am Princess Nefertari Vivi of the Arabasta Kingdom!"

"Tonight's events—the assassins—are all part of Crocodile's scheme! He aims to control Arabasta, to kill the king and me. And the man standing here…he's my friend. He fought Crocodile to protect us, and that's what caused the collapse of the palace. Please understand, he is not your enemy!"

The soldiers looked shocked, exchanging murmurs among themselves.

"Our country's hero, Crocodile, is an assassin? That can't be!"

"But Crocodile has done so much for this kingdom… there has to be a mistake."

Hearing their princess, they were left uncertain, struggling to process this revelation. At that moment, a commanding voice broke through the murmurs, silencing the soldiers instantly.

Arabasta's king, Nefertari Cobra, stepped out from behind Vivi, leaning on Robin for support. During their escape, he had been injured by falling debris and moved with difficulty.

"Soldiers, lay down your weapons," the king's voice echoed with authority. "Everything Princess Vivi has said is true. Our so-called national hero is actually the head of the Baroque Works crime syndicate. We've all been deceived by his facade."

"If it weren't for this young man, both Vivi and I would have been killed by Crocodile."

Hearing these words from their beloved king, the soldiers quickly lowered their weapons and made a path for Tony to pass without further trouble. Tony released his fighting stance, sheathed his sword, and walked toward Nami and the others.

In the distance, the Marines were approaching.

~----------------------------------------------------------

T/N:

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