Chapter 53: Susano'o
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As the dust settled, Ian, in a blur of motion, lunged towards Crocodile, his right fist cocked back and aimed at the Warlord.
"Hmph!" Crocodile snorted, meeting Ian's fist with his own, unafraid. His fist instantly transformed into sand, expanding into a massive, monstrous sandy fist twice the size of Ian's, its sheer size radiating a palpable threat.
BOOM! The two fists collided with a thunderous roar. Ian's fist, fueled by explosive power, shattered the giant sand construct, revealing Crocodile's arm and fist beneath.
Crocodile's reptilian eyes flashed with a cold glint. He was about to activate his Devil Fruit power, attempting to drain the moisture from Ian's body, turning him into a desiccated husk.
But before his power could take hold, a surge of raw explosive force, interwoven with the crackling energy of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, coursed through his arm.
BOOM! Crocodile's arm exploded into a cloud of sand, scattering across the battlefield. His body was sent hurtling backward.
"Not bad. Even a Mythical Zoan with elemental abilities can't fully transform into their element like a Logia. That trick won't work on me."
Crocodile re-formed from the swirling sand a distance away, his shattered arm instantly regenerating. He regarded Ian with a calculating gaze.
Something felt off. Ian's fist, in addition to its electric power, packed a monstrous weight and explosive force. While physical strength could be honed through training, the sheer power behind that blow…
And the immense sword pressure that had actually managed to harm him, despite lacking Armament Haki, was perplexing.
The sand coalesced back into Crocodile's form. With a low growl, he slammed his hand onto the ground, unleashing the full force of his Suna Suna no Mi. "Desert… Spada!"
The earth buckled and rippled outwards from his touch. Soil, stone, everything in the path of his power crumbled and disintegrated into sand.
Ian wouldn't allow Crocodile to control the battlefield. Even enveloped in a sandstorm, he was confident his Armament Haki and Hierro could withstand Crocodile's moisture-draining power.
But fighting within a swirling vortex of sand was a sensory nightmare. He crouched low, his legs coiled like springs, amplifying his strength with the power of the Bomu Bomu no Mi. He activated both Sonido and Soru in a single explosive burst.
BOOM! The ground erupted beneath him, and in a blink, he had broken free from the hundred-meter wide sandstorm, hovering in mid-air with Geppo.
Crocodile, seeing Ian escape his attack, snorted, raising his hands. The sand swirled around him, forming a colossal sand blade. "Desert Spada!"
He swung the blade downwards with devastating force. The ground split open as if cleaved by a giant, razor-sharp edge, a chasm stretching dozens of meters across the battlefield.
Ian drew his Zanpakuto, pouring his spiritual pressure into the blade. He swung, unleashing a massive wave of green energy. The two attacks clashed in a blinding explosion of light and power.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The very air trembled with the force of their clash.
"Divine Retribution!" Ian thrust his right hand forward.
A massive beam of blue-white energy, crackling with electricity and explosive force, hurtled towards Crocodile.
Crocodile grunted, raising a hand. A wall of sand materialized, intercepting the energy beam. The sand shield shattered upon impact, but it had served its purpose.
"Gotcha!" A sonic boom ripped through the air as Ian, exploiting the opening, appeared behind Crocodile, a fist aimed at the Warlord's chest.
BOOM! Crocodile's body disintegrated into a shower of sand once more. But this time, he didn't immediately re-form. His scattered sand lay motionless on the ground.
That punch had been infused with Armament Haki, soul-crushing spiritual pressure, and the explosive force of the Bomu Bomu no Mi.
"Is he… dead?" Ian stared at the pile of sand, slowly being consumed by the swirling dust storm. It was a grave of Crocodile's own making.
A wave of uncertainty washed over him. Even with Armament Haki, spiritual pressure, and his explosive power, Crocodile was a Warlord, someone who had challenged Whitebeard. Could he truly have been defeated so easily?
"Boss!" Mr. 1, witnessing the scene, launched a desperate attack on Tashigi, hoping to break through and reach Crocodile. But he had underestimated her.
Her strength was on par with his own.
"Micro Dust - Rapid Speed!" Her feet morphed into razor-sharp blades, allowing her to glide across the battlefield like an ice skater.
Simultaneously, her palms and fingers transformed into blades, slashing and stabbing at Mr. 1 with relentless speed.
"Micro Dust - Destruction Slash!" Her arms crossed in front of her chest, forming an "X" as she slashed downwards with blinding speed. Her attack could cleave objects into countless tiny fragments, slicing through Mr. 1 and unleashing a radial wave of cutting force behind him.
"I won't let you interfere with Vice Admiral Ian!" Tashigi declared. Under Ian's tutelage, her swordsmanship had improved drastically. Combined with her pet and Devil Fruit abilities, she was more than capable of handling Mr. 1, a pirate with a bounty under 100 million berries.
Failing to do so would be a disgrace. She stomped on the ground repeatedly, generating powerful recoil that propelled her forward with explosive speed, a technique similar to Soru, disappearing from Mr. 1's sight.
She was no slower than him. Many Devil Fruit users could develop unique movement techniques using their powers, but Soru was a refined, honed technique, part of the Marines' Six Powers.
"Sleet Slash!" While she hadn't mastered Armament Haki yet, she had begun to grasp the principles of Rankyaku, another Six Powers technique. Gripping her renowned blade, Shigure, she unleashed a barrage of swift, powerful slashes towards Mr. 1.
BOOM! Meanwhile, the ground beneath Crocodile, already pulverized by his sand powers, cracked and splintered. The fissures spread outwards from Ian's position, then converged towards the center.
"Sand Giant!" Crocodile's roar shook the very air as he pushed his Devil Fruit power to its limits, summoning a swirling vortex of sand.
The sand coalesced in mid-air, forming a colossal warrior clad in samurai armor, wielding a forty-meter long sand blade. It looked down upon Ian, who appeared as insignificant as an ant before its immense form.
With a mighty swing, the giant sand blade cleaved downwards, embedding itself in the ground beside Ian, the razor-sharp edge inches from his face.
Yet, Ian showed no fear, not even flinching as he met the gaze of the sand giant and its creator. He hadn't moved an inch.
He knew Crocodile wouldn't be defeated so easily. After all, in other worlds, there were masters of sand manipulation capable of summoning colossal constructs. Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure in the Naruto universe, and Ajeel Ramal, one of the Spriggan 12, Zeref's elite guard in the Fairy Tail universe, both possessed the power to control sand and create massive sand avatars. Could Crocodile, a powerful pirate in his own right, be any less capable?
His "Desert Encierro" and other sand-based techniques mirrored their abilities. And if Enel and Gecko Moria possessed such powers, could Crocodile, a far more experienced and formidable opponent, be lacking?
Perhaps Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru could even summon ice, magma, and light giants, respectively.
Crocodile, a master of deception and manipulation, rarely revealed his true strength unless his life was in danger. This was a technique even Mr. 1 was unaware of.
"Well done, Black Wing Demon. I underestimated you. This is a form even the Marines have never witnessed. I only used it once before, during my battle with Whitebeard. But even this power was no match for his Quake-Quake Fruit."
Like the Susanoo in the Naruto universe, Crocodile stood within the giant's forehead, his mind controlling its every movement…
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Word Count [1357]
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To Be Continued..
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