Chapter 84: The Anger of the Weak, Chaotic Observations.
"Desert Spada!"
Although the rain suppressed Crocodile's large-scale abilities, and he couldn't even use his 'invincible' elemental form, it didn't mean he was powerless.
In fact, even without his Devil Fruit abilities, he still had the strength of an 80 million bounty!
Moreover, small-scale sand manipulation was still possible.
Swish—
A flash of the blade, transforming into a golden sand blade stretching for dozens of meters, slashed down! The target was Roman, sitting in a wheelchair, but:
"Hmph, bullying me because I'm injured?"
Splash,
Prepared, Roman didn't use his paper splitting 'elemental form,' but instead slapped his spider wheelchair. White paper fluttered, and large pieces of 'life paper' quickly reassembled, then nimbly dodged to the side.
Just like Mr. 1's 'Dice-Dice Fruit' easily developed 'Tekkai,' Roman's Paper-Paper Fruit allowed him to master 'Kami-e' after learning Observation Haki.
Although 'Kami-e' is called the invisible Rokushiki, and only CP9 members have been seen using it, it's not because 'Kami-e' is ineffective, but because people in this world prefer direct, hard-hitting combat.
Just like Roman entering 'paper form' to dodge Crocodile's attack earlier, it may not look impressive or Haki-like, but the result was unscathed. Then:
Thud, thud, thud, thud,
Amidst the dense sound of hooves, Roman, in the truest sense of 'leading the charge,' held a lance and charged at Crocodile! He fired the first shot of the battle.
"Paper Dance - Centaur Knight."
The upper body was a traditional 'white knight,' while the lower body was the four-legged form of a horse. Covered in thick paper armor, Roman charged with his lance while taunting.
"I can fight you even in a wheelchair!"
?!
Although Crocodile easily deflected Roman's charging lance with his golden hook, his actions:
The damage was minimal, but the provocation was extremely high.
"I'm going to cut you down—"
Soaking wet, Crocodile was almost driven mad with anger! He raised his golden desert scimitar, ready to strike Roman. But in that instant, he raised an eyebrow and, without turning his head, swung his right hand back, the golden scimitar clashing with several weapons.
"Gathering these ants together,"
"Are you planning to have them join your funeral?"
Blocking Crocodile's single blade were four elite soldiers of the king's army, known as the 'Bird Claws.' Each originally had a bounty of around 20 million, and now:
"Sorry, Roman."
"Please forgive our interference."
The four tall desert warriors, wielding desert-style long swords, giant axes, slashing knives, and scepters, pressed down on Crocodile's desert scimitar.
"We need this guy to understand the 'pain' of this country..."
A person can die from not drinking water for three days.
Three years of drought, bones scattered everywhere.
Crocodile's 'plan' had already caused over a million deaths! Correspondingly, there were a million shattered families.
To 'self-regulate,' humans resorted to mutual slaughter to drastically reduce water consumption...
"—and the 'anger' of this country!"
Crack, crack, crack!
The metal decorations on the four elite warriors' bodies shattered as their muscles bulged, leaving King Cobra and the two vice-captains stunned.
"You... could it be..."
"It's the 'Hero Water' that can unleash human potential, but after using it—"
They only had a few minutes of life left.
"It's enough, at least it gives us the strength to fight."
Swords, axes, and scepters whistled through the air with immense force! All four were born from the military, and battlefield coordination was instinctive! They managed to hold their own against Crocodile for a short time. No fancy techniques, no tricks, just pure strength and—anger!
"It's time for us to atone."
"For our sins, for the innocent lives lost..."
With Koza's words, the rebel army collectively took out a bottle of liquid from their pockets and drank it, then:
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Their muscles swelled, making the rebel leaders' faces look particularly fierce, but also granting them strength far beyond their usual.
"Crocodile, die!!"
As the elite warriors and rebel leaders launched their attack, Roman stepped back to face a new 'enemy.'
"Nico Robin."
Compared to Crocodile, this intellectual beauty in a white trench coat and cowboy hat didn't have the same earth-shattering presence, but her abilities were equally formidable:
The Flower-Flower Fruit, which allowed her to sprout her limbs like flowers anywhere.
This Devil Fruit gave her the ability to 'attack' her target with a thought, combined with her skilled joint techniques, making it easy to take down any humanoid creature! Unless their strength was overwhelming or their physique was special, like:
The Rubber Fruit.
"Six Wheel Flowers: Anchor Flower!"
Facing Roman, who had escaped from Crocodile's grasp, Robin wasted no time and launched her attack.
—Six arms sprouted from Roman's centaur knight form, grabbing his neck, arms, and legs, trying to bend his body backward and break his jaw! But—
"Paper Dance - Hard!"
Ahem, don't misunderstand, this is a very formal move. Roman instantly fused all the paper covering his body into one, achieving an immovable effect. Like a giant steel statue, so:
Seeing Robin's frown, it was clear her move had failed. —She couldn't bend him...
"Don't get excited, I mean you no harm."
As the arms on his body disappeared, Roman waved his hand.
"In fact, I don't even mean any harm to your boss, Crocodile—if it weren't for our captain insisting on beating him up."
!
However, Roman's words made the intellectual beauty opposite him even more nervous. Robin took a step back, her face wet with either cold sweat or rain.
"Are you with the government?"
...
"What are you talking about? I'm a pirate."
"If I were with the government, you might as well say our captain is a Marine..."
Wait!
Think about it:
If Luffy expressed a willingness to 'turn over a new leaf' and join the Marines, wouldn't Garp laugh himself awake? If Garp agreed, then Sengoku would agree, and with the Fleet Admiral's order, Luffy would instantly start as a junior officer, become a general in a year, and an admiral in three years... becoming the youngest admiral in history without any pressure.
"Ahem,"
Roman coughed guiltily and stood in front of Nico Robin.
"Anyway, just sit back and watch the show."
There's no choice, Roman and Luffy aren't afraid of Robin's abilities, but that doesn't mean others can ignore her attacks. Especially since Robin is fully capable of taking down the injured Straw Hat crew, the royal army, and the rebel army in one move, Roman couldn't allow her to show any signs of attacking.
Moreover, if she were even more ruthless, using the Flower Flower fruit to gouge eyes or attack the groin... only Armament Haki experts would dare to face Nico Robin head-on. Her Devil Fruit ability is too strong against humanoid creatures.
"This is your boss Crocodile's fight. If you insist on helping—"
Roman's eyelids drooped. At this time, Robin wasn't considered a 'comrade' yet.
"Then don't blame me for being rude!"
---
"Tsk, Nico Robin."
In the midst of the battle, Crocodile glanced at the intellectual beauty who was motionless while confronting Roman, becoming increasingly anxious!
Even if he defeated these obstacles and found the stone tablet recording Pluton's whereabouts, without Nico Robin's interpretation, Crocodile would only regret entering the treasure mountain empty-handed.
As for seizing the throne of Alabasta and then slowly conducting a carpet search, this backup plan was already declared over when he drove away the interfering Smoker, especially with that guy named Roman... maybe he really is backed by CP...
For a moment, Crocodile's mind was in turmoil. Although his Observation Haki was still functioning, with this mindset, 'predicting' anything was a pipe dream!
And at this moment, a long sword silently stabbed towards Crocodile's arm from the side of the tall rebel warrior Farafura! Although he immediately reacted to dodge, the red on the ultra-long sword clearly indicated:
Crocodile was injured!
And he was injured by a group of 'ants' he usually wouldn't even look at.
...
"You are courting death—!!!"
Sure enough, while confronting Nico Robin and watching the battlefield, a flash of understanding appeared in Roman's eyes.
Those who don't understand always think 'Observation Haki' is invincible, with 100% dodging. However, the reality is:
There's no such thing as an invincible ability!
Just look at the boss next door, who can perfectly predict the future, almost getting solo killed by the captain. Observation Haki, which can only predict attacks, is far from invincible. Moreover:
The essence of Observation Haki is to sharpen one's senses, allowing them to detect the presence and emotional changes of nearby beings, and to predict and avoid danger. But!
What if everyone around you is filled with killing intent towards you? What if they all simultaneously aim to kill you? In that case, the so-called 'Observation Haki' can at most distinguish who has the greater killing intent and whose moves are more dangerous... and it can easily be disrupted by the overwhelming amount of intense killing intent.
This is why duels between experts can last for days: because both sides' Observation Haki can predict the opponent's attacks, making it impossible to land a fatal blow. —Anyone familiar with combat knows that the damage caused by a defended attack and an unexpected one is vastly different.
But in a chaotic battle: refer to Whitebeard getting stabbed by Squard at Marineford. Who would dare say Whitebeard's Observation Haki wasn't strong? But his Observation Haki was all focused on guarding against Marine experts, and the intense killing intent and hostility from the numerous Marine experts made it impossible for the world's strongest man to distinguish them all. That's why he was stabbed through the chest by Squard!
So:
Roman had a reason for gathering these 'small experts' of Alabasta. Just the intense killing intent from everyone! It was enough to disrupt Crocodile's Observation Haki, preventing him from performing normally.
Not to mention the 'premonition' that requires a calm mind to use.
Good, with his most unbeatable elemental form suppressed, his Observation Haki was also restrained—
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