Chapter 592: Business or not?
...
Crocodile calmly took out an hourglass and threw it on the ground, laughing contemptuously.
"I don't have time to play with you slowly, so I'll just give you three minutes!"
"That's enough! I will definitely beat you up!"
Luffy said as he punched the other man in the head.
"Momo, Momo, move! Pistol!"
Crocodile stood there with his eyes closed, neither dodging nor evading.
"Wow!"
The fist hit Crocodile's head accurately, and it was instantly turned into a ball of sand.
"This is?"
Luffy looked surprised.
"Swish!"
The yellow sand condensed into the figure of Crocodile in front of Luffy again.
"Shh!"
The golden claw in his left hand quickly grabbed Luffy's neck.
"Gomo Gomo move! Seal!"
After Luffy dodged the hook, he kicked again, but Crocodile turned into yellow sand again and dispersed, easily deflecting the attack.
"Hehe, Straw Hat Luffy, if this is all you have, then stop struggling!"
Crocodile said with an arrogant expression.
"hateful!"
"Momomo, machine gun!"
"boom!"
"Bazooka! Tomahawk!"
"Bang bang bang!!"
Luffy, unwilling to believe in evil, used all kinds of moves to attack randomly.
However, Crocodile still stood there motionless. No matter how many times he was "broken", his body would quickly return to its original state, while Luffy was already exhausted and out of breath.
"Hahaha, listen carefully, Straw Hat Boy. No matter how long this attack lasts, it will not have any effect on me!"
Crocodile said with a smile.
"hateful!"
Luffy said with a serious expression.
Crocodile exhaled a puff of white smoke and laughed.
"Hehehe! You and I are not pirates of the same level!"
"Alright, the three minutes are up! I don't have time to play with you anymore! You and the land of Yuba will die together!"
"sandstorm!!"
Crocodile created a salon curl as soon as he raised his hand!
"Hey! What are you doing!?"
Luffy asked in surprise when he saw that the sand roll wasn't coming towards him.
"Haha, the wind in this season blows from the north to the south. This child will slowly grow and become bigger and bigger, and the wind speed will become faster and faster. In the end, it will become a super sandstorm that even I can't control and will completely destroy Yuba!!"
Crocodile calmly explained that burying the lives of an entire city of Yuba was as common to him as killing a chicken, and he did not feel any psychological pressure at all.
"Damn it! You bastard! This is a fight between us! What does it have to do with Uncle Dry and the others!!"
Thinking of the kind-hearted uncle who gave him the small bottle of water he had worked so hard to get, Luffy anxiously grabbed Crocodile's collar and questioned him.
"Stop it now, Crocodile!"
Crocodile's face gradually became gloomy, and the next second!
"Pfft!"
The golden hook pierced Luffy's body, and blood dripped into the desert.
"Who do you think you are? And who do you think I am?!"
Crocodile said indifferently.
"A rookie pirate like you who only knows how to brag! There are so many Grand Lines! Straw Hat Boy! Feel the feeling of life slowly slipping away in the desert. Goodbye!"
"boom!"
Crocodile casually threw the "corpse" on the hook to the ground, and then it turned into a ball of yellow sand and floated towards Arubana.
...
"Shashasha~"
The footsteps on the soft sand made a sound similar to the breeze blowing the leaves.
"Ah~ Hey, ah~ Hey~ Isn't this the pirate brother who is going to be the Pirate King? How did he get injured like this? He looks so pitiful. Do you have any last words that you want me to pass on to your friends? Hehehe."
Robin, who was wearing a white cowboy hat and carrying a cylindrical leather bag, chuckled.
"Water...water...I want to drink water and eat meat!"
Luffy, who was dying, spoke with difficulty.
"Okay, I'll remember that. If I have the chance to meet the green-haired swordsman and the talking reindeer again, I will tell them what you said. Don't worry."
"You...bang!"
Luffy's lips moved, but it was unknown what he said, and then he fainted completely.
...
Aruba
Inside the palace.
"Well, just tell me whether my watermelon is sweet or not?"
"Sweet! Sweet! Sir, this melon is really sweet! After years of drought, we haven't eaten such juicy fruit for a long time!"
"Hahaha, come on! Then eat more!"
In the hall, Gel took out a few watermelons, cut them open and shared them with several guards in the palace.
Cobra, Bell and Ikareem stood aside at a loss, the situation was urgent and Alabasta was in danger. They all felt that now was not the time to eat melons, but when they saw Gol and several soldiers eating with juice dripping from their mouths, they couldn't help swallowing their saliva.
...
"Your Majesty Cobra! The enemy is less than 50 miles away from Arubana, and their number exceeds 20!"
A soldier ran in with a panicked look and reported.
"20? I see. Go ahead and tell all the soldiers to get ready for battle."
Cobra waved and said.
"Yes! Your Majesty!"
"Hey! You! Don't go yet. You must be thirsty after running all the way back to report. Come! Eat a piece of watermelon before you go!"
The soldiers were about to retreat when Gel waved and shouted.
The soldier looked at the steaming watermelon on the table and felt even more thirsty. He stopped and looked at Cobra cautiously.
"Eat one piece before you go! You've worked hard, too."
Kobra nodded.
"Thank you, Your Majesty Cobra!"
The soldier was surprised.
"I'm treating you to melon, why are you thanking him? This is mine."
Gel was a little unhappy, but still handed over a large piece of watermelon.
"Ah, thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"
The soldier took the watermelon and thanked the owner repeatedly. Then he began to eat it in big mouthfuls with a happy expression on his face.
Cobra rubbed his brows and turned around to see Bell and Ikalem also joining in the fun.
"That's right. Things have come to this point. There's no point worrying. Just be positive. Maybe a miracle will happen. Even if not, the worst that can happen today is that you will fight to the death. So hurry up and eat more while you can. That way you'll have more strength to fight."
Gur persuaded.
"Lord Geer is right! We are ready to sacrifice our lives for our country! Only when we are well fed and well-watered can we kill more enemies!"
"Yes! This melon is so sweet!"
Everyone spoke incoherently while chewing on watermelon.
"Mr. Gol, as long as the people of Alabasta can live a better life, I don't care who becomes the king of this country!"
"Your Majesty Cobra! How can this be..."
Ikalem and Bell were both shocked to hear that Cobra was going to give up the throne. They were about to speak to dissuade him but were interrupted by Cobra.
Cobra continued sincerely.
"But! This Shichibukai Crocodile is an ambitious man who is willing to plunge the entire country into natural disasters and war for his own plans. Alabasta must not fall into his hands! Please help us for the sake of the millions of people in Alabasta!"
Ger narrowed his eyes, stared into his eyes for a while, then spoke.
"I am still the same as I was 20 years ago. I have no interest in ruling this country."
"Besides, I'm not good at fighting, and there's not even one person in your country who can fight. It's a bit unrealistic to rely on you to defeat Crocodile. And even if we stop the rebels without killing Crocodile, it's useless. We can't let you fight among yourselves. At worst, he can kill both of you himself! He can still achieve his goal."
"This... Is there really no way out? Is Alabasta really going to be destroyed?"
Everyone was in low spirits, and looked sad.
Ayusa, who was giving Gel a massage, was so nervous that she clamped Gel's trapezius muscles tightly with both hands.
"S~! Gently! Gently! Ayusa!"
Gel rubbed his shoulders.
"But don't be too desperate. Didn't your precious daughter find a group of helpers? Maybe they can really defeat Crocodile. You have to believe in young people and give them a chance."
"Swish!"
"Oh? You actually think I'll be defeated by a newbie who plays a pirate game like that? Hehehe!"
A low voice was heard, and then a ball of yellow sand gathered on the windowsill and slowly revealed a human shape.
Everyone's pupils trembled and their voices trembled.
"Seven Warlords of the Sea! Crocodile!!"
Looking at Crocodile, who was wearing an orange plaid long-sleeved shirt, a black fur coat, and holding a cigar in his crooked mouth, Gel asked.
"Hey you!"
“…Is it really unprofessional to dress like this?”
...