Chapter 71: Intelligence Error, Ignoring Information.

Thud,

The broken paper knife in his hand stabbed into the ground, and Roman, half-kneeling, tugged at the corner of his mouth and uttered a few words in despair.

"Armament Haki... Haki?"

Oda has misled me!

"Hmm, you have some knowledge."

Opposite him, Crocodile held a broken paper knife in his right hand, with blood dripping from his tiger's mouth. And this was Roman's only 'achievement' today.

"I acknowledge you as a mid-level strongman,"

Facing the injured Roman, Crocodile was not annoyed but showed an interested expression.

"Now, submit to me!"

"I can spare your life."

No threats, no intimidation, Crocodile's words carried absolute Haki and confidence! It almost made Roman's other knee buckle.

Ah, completely defeated...

Whether it was fruit development, hand-to-hand combat, or observation and armament...

He had done his best, there was nothing to argue about. Fortunately, the sand crocodile didn't seem to want to kill him...

Should he surrender?

Where there's life, there's hope,

A gentleman's revenge is never too late,

A real man can bend and stretch,

Feigning surrender is also...

In the battle, Roman had taken many attacks from the sand crocodile wrapped in Armament Haki, which had already left his limbs broken, internal organs ruptured, and deep wounds crisscrossing his skin.

If it weren't for his inhuman physique, he would have long been waiting for stitches in the morgue.

Admit it, Roman.

You have nothing to do with being a 'good person'!

No matter how many people die in Alabasta, you wouldn't bat an eye.

Even if Crocodile got the Pluton and bombarded the world, you would at most watch from the sidelines...

Clang,

The broken sword in his hand fell to the ground, making Crocodile raise an eyebrow.

"I refuse!"

"Heh,"

Using Observation Haki to 'foresee' the future, Crocodile was not surprised, he just took out the cigar he was holding and flicked the ash.

"An assassin,"

"Facing death, still wants to play the hero?"

"Hero?"

Roman struggled to stand up, supporting himself on his knees, and grinned.

"Don't get me wrong, I never thought of associating myself with the word 'hero', but:"

I really envy Luffy, always able to face everything with a cheerful attitude. If it were him, even if he fell into a pirate's den, he would still keep his true self, right?

I really envy Zoro, just keep getting stronger, just cut through everything in front of him, never retreat, never give up, moving towards the throne of the world's strongest.

I really envy Nami, a 10-year-old girl shouldering the lives of everyone in her hometown. How strong is that! If it were me, I would have long run away without a trace...

"Sorry, I've already boarded someone else's ship."

Covered in scars, Roman spread his arms and smiled at Crocodile.

"Although I'm not a good person, at least let me leave in style..."

Hmph,

Another fool bound by emotions.

Crocodile felt a wave of irritation, as if he saw his former self!

"I will fulfill your wish"

"Death Thorn Sand Spear!"

Splat—

With a light stomp from Crocodile, a thick sand spear suddenly shot up from the ground, piercing Roman instantly! He was hoisted high in the air, like a flag!

"This is the fate of those who dare to challenge me."

Crocodile's domineering words marked the end of this assassination, and he decisively turned to leave.

Robin, who had been watching the whole time, looked at the challenger hanging limply from the sand spear and shook her head regretfully.

What a pity, he had such a bright future ahead of him, why did he have to throw his life away at such a young age...

——————

——————

"Ahhh, it's so hot!"

As a rubber fruit user, Luffy had a natural 'weakness to fire'. The scorching sun in the desert hadn't turned him into a puddle of mush, and he was only able to hold on thanks to a small canteen of water strapped to his chest.

"After we beat that sand crocodile, you have to treat us to a feast until we're stuffed!"

Vivi nodded vigorously at Luffy's words.

"Of course, no—"

Smack,

"Nami, what's wrong?"

"Is it exhaustion—"

"Could it be heatstroke..."

Despite the concern from the Straw Hat crew, Nami, who had collapsed in the scorching desert, just shook her head while covering her mouth, letting her tears fall into the yellow sand and disappear instantly. In her hand, the book titled "The Thief's Ultimate Art" had opened on its own, revealing lines of text.

'Target: Crocodile, age 44, height 253cm, Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit user.'

'The target has the Logia passive skill 'Elementalization', making him immune to normal attacks. Under normal conditions, Armament Haki or Sea Stone weapons are required to counter it...'

'Known combat skills include: Sandstorm, forming a sandstorm in his hand that can be controlled in direction. The longer the storm exists, the stronger it becomes, and the sand blades it forms can easily cut through rock. Ordinary iron armor cannot block it...'

'Crescent Sand Dunes, enlarging his arm to form a crescent-shaped sand blade to slash enemies (only the sand blade touches the body, causing no harm). This terrifying move drains all moisture from those hit, leaving them as mummies. — Extremely dangerous, close combat should be avoided.'

'Desert Saber, a scimitar formed by highly compressed golden sand, can easily cut through metal, as sharp as any great sword. It is speculated to have other forms...'

'Using a large amount of water can suppress the target's elementalization, but it can be countered by the target's 'water absorption' ability. When using his right hand to absorb moisture, the target will have a brief pause, during which continuous suppressive attacks can prevent him from using the 'water absorption' ability...'

'When the opponent is overconfident, the above tactics can be attempted...'

'Note: The opponent has the strength of a swordsman! Contrary to intelligence, extremely dangerous with the Desert Saber! Close combat must be cautious...'

'Note: The opponent possesses Observation Haki! Contrary to intelligence, presumed to be advanced! Cancel all battle plans! Cancel...'

'Note: The opponent possesses Armament Haki, can grab during elementalization...'

'Note: The opponent has flight capability, speed far—'

The text in the book ended abruptly here. Beyond that, there was only a blank white space, leaving the Straw Hat crew in silence.

Although they weren't very clear about Roman's fruit ability, 

the increasingly sloppy handwriting and the shorter and shorter sentences clearly indicated one thing...

Crash,

As the pages turned automatically without wind, a line of words that no one knew when it was written appeared before them.

'Uh... if you see this... forget it, let's get to the point.

Given the current situation, there is actually a very simple solution: immediately notify the nearby Marine base, contact the World Government intelligence agency CP, and tell them that Crocodile is after 'Pluton'. You can even reveal that the 'manual' for Pluton—the Poneglyph stone tablet—is in Vivi's family tomb.

Trust me, a large number of experts, even Marine Admirals, will soon descend with justice, beating Crocodile to a pulp. All crises will vanish into thin air, congratulations, congratulations~~~

Of course:

The downside of this is that the World Government will then focus on Alabasta, and the consequences may not be much better than if Crocodile succeeds. However, if you insist on moving forward, I recommend using my method.

...Hmm, the days of sailing with you all have been the happiest time since I came to this world... so...

You bunch of weaklings who can't even beat me! Just do as I say!! Who do you think you are?? Children of destiny?? The protagonists of the world!!?? Or...

—Sorry, that's all I have to say.

Torkovich-Roman.

End'

"It seems Roman is already..."

Sanji silently threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped the freshly lit cigarette into the yellow sand.

"So what do we do next—"

He looked up at Luffy at the front of the group. This was inevitable, after all, the sea is full of dangers, and it's normal for people to die. It's not a fairy tale...

"Keep moving forward!!"

Luffy threw away the stick in his hand and pressed down on his straw hat.

"But..."

The information delivered at the cost of life clearly reminded them of the strength of the enemy they were about to face.

"I didn't hear anything!!!"

"I only know that I want to beat that bastard Crocodile!!!"

Luffy suddenly turned around, his face suppressing his anger.

"And Roman, daring to run off alone, I want to beat him too!!!"

Uh...

Are you planning to whip his corpse?

At a time when they should be very sad, Luffy's words left everyone unsure of how to react.

"Luffy is right,"

The first to react was Nami, who wiped her face with the back of her hand and was the first to cheer up.

"Roman will definitely be fine!"

She said, raising the "Thief's Extreme Art" in her hand, "Don't forget, this is something created by Roman's ability. As long as this book is still functioning normally, it means that Roman, the creator, is still alive and well."

!

"Yeah, as long as the creator of a Paramecia creation is not..."

Usopp covered his mouth and turned aside, not finishing the unpleasant sentence.

"Hmph,"

Zoro raised his eyebrows.

"Roman is not a man of such low caliber."

Although he said that, his hand gripping the hilt of the sword finally loosened slightly.

"Hey~~!"

In just a few words, Luffy had already run so far that he was just a tiny dot in the distance.

"Hurry up and catch up~~~!!"

"Let's go,"

"We're heading to Rainbase to take down Crocodile."

Rescue Roman.

Nami clutched the book tightly to her chest, not daring to imagine what would happen if it suddenly 'stopped working'...

——————

——————

PS: Hmm, this shouldn't be considered too harsh on the protagonist, right? Which manga protagonist hasn't faced defeat...

By the way, you can guess how Roman managed to escape death. —I hinted at it earlier.

 ----

You can read 30 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu