Chapter 35: The Mystery Of Dragon Slayer— The Thunder!

"Let's put an end to this. It's pointless to carry on with the fight. Our abilities alone cannot determine the victor."

Crocodile pretended to be calm and spoke in a deep voice.

Crocodile wanted to assert his dominance and show his strength. He believed that the other party should sense that he was not someone to be trifled with and had already made a concession by suggesting to end the struggle and acknowledge each other's abilities.

However, contrary to Crocodile's expectations, Su Yu showed no intention of backing down despite the steps he had taken.

"Are you so frightened that you wish to flee? I haven't even finished warming up yet!" Su Yu's playful remark exposed Crocodile's pretense directly.

"What did you say?!" Crocodile's fury erupted when his deception was exposed. "Don't forget, this is the desert, my domain. In this desert terrain, as a user of the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit, I am invincible. I am the king of the desert!" Crocodile stated with a restrained yet intimidating tone.

"If you're truly that confident, stop with the empty talk and show me the true worth of the so-called king of the desert!" Su Yu's patience ran thin, and he made up his mind to fight him.

"Since you're so insistent, don't regret it later..."

Crocodile's harsh words were cut short...

In the next moment, Crocodile's pupils contracted as he realized that Su Yu, who had been within his line of sight, had vanished without a trace. What followed was an unparalleled sense of imminent danger, as if a colossal dragon was observing him, casting a superior gaze from above.

"I've had enough of your ramblings!" Su Yu's voice, faint at first, suddenly exploded like thunder, resonating with authority and intensity.

Crocodile suddenly looked up, his eyes widening in astonishment. The fist, radiating brilliance brighter than the sun, grew larger in his pupils.

It felt as though a colossal dragon was roaring between the sky and the earth.

Boom!

A deafening rumble followed, as if the very sky was collapsing.

Previously, Crocodile believed he had understood the extent of Su Yu's lightning abilities. However, unbeknownst to him, Su Yu had merely showcased the most basic form of thunder and lightning magic.

What Su Yu unleashed now was the true Thunder Dragon Slayer Magic.

In comparison to ordinary lightning magic, its destructive power was several times more powerful.

"Oh my god, is this how strong the president really is?" Nami exclaimed, unable to contain her shock. She was speechless as she looked at the area of weathered rocks that had been almost completely flattened by Su Yu's powerful punch.

"President Su Yu, you're absolutely incredible!" Vivi exclaimed, her face flushed with excitement.

"The president made a move and managed to catch him barehanded. That arrogant guy must have been completely defeated!" Juvia laughed.

"Not... not yet!" Erza's gaze was fixed, and she noticed the wind and sand gradually gathering in a corner of the battlefield.

"Cough, cough, cough..." A painful cough echoed through the air.

The swirling sand began to solidify, taking on a recognizable form.

Shichibukai Crocodile was half-kneeling on the ground, his mouth spewing out blood accompanied by crackling electric arcs.

He had believed that he had almost unraveled the secrets of Su Yu's abilities. While Su Yu's thunder-based power might surpass his own in terms of sheer force, Ke Locke Dahl was confident in his advantage on the desert battlefield.

However...

After witnessing Su Yu's ferocious onslaught just now, Crocodile realized how mistaken he was. He had barely scratched the surface of this formidable opponent.

"What's wrong? Crocodile, is this all you've got?" Su Yu said sarcastically, his tone light.

"Am I pushing you to your limits with just a small attack? So, this is the extent of the so-called Shichibukai?" he continued.

"Snort!" Crocodile coldly snorted in response.

Su Yu's mockery and disdain ignited a deep anger within Crocodile.

He couldn't fathom how someone could dare to underestimate him to such an extent.

Especially when the other party was just a rookie kid who had recently entered the Grand Line.

For Crocodile, this was a profound sense of shame and humiliation.

"If your intention was to completely enrage me, then congratulations, you've succeeded. Now, I will show you the true meaning of hell!" Crocodile declared with a grim determination.

"Well, I'm truly curious to see this so-called hellish spectacle," Su Yu replied calmly, his hands casually placed behind his back. He patiently awaited Crocodile's ultimate attack.

"Don't get too comfortable, because soon you won't be laughing!" Crocodile gritted his teeth, his resolve hardened.

With a powerful slam of his hand onto the ground, Crocodile fully activated his Logia Sand-Sand Fruit ability. The impact of his power was immediately evident as the kilometer-long weathered rocks cracked and disintegrated at a visible speed.

Within a matter of seconds, all the rocks were reduced to gravel. Crocodile's body then transformed into sand elements, seamlessly blending with the desert terrain.

A deafening boom and rumble echoed through the desert as the earth shook violently. The vast expanse of desert seemed to come alive, its immense form undulating freely. The desert, in a way, resembled an ocean, with waves of sand replacing the water.

Crocodile, now imbued with the power of the Logia Sand-Sand Fruit, appeared as the ruler of the desert. Under his control, the endless expanse of yellow sand formed layer upon layer of sand waves. These waves grew in size, reaching heights of one meter, ten meters, fifty meters, and eventually towering up to a hundred meters.

The sight was utterly terrifying. This colossal volume of sand was capable of effortlessly burying a city and decimating an entire army.

"Now that we've reached this point, it's too late for regrets. Prepare yourself for the burial brought by the Lord of the Desert—Sandstorm, Grand Burial!" Crocodile's voice was cold and resolute.

"Heh, this is a move I haven't witnessed before. Since you've revealed your final trump card, I guess I should take things a bit more seriously." Su Yu responded with a hint of amusement.

A surge of golden thunder erupted from Su Yu's body, vast and boundless, resembling a sea of lightning.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Thunder!"