Babanuki, of course, knows how to use Haki.
Before following Ian, he was already a key figure in the Beasts Pirates.
After joining Ian, he even learned the Six Styles.
His Haki may not be the strongest, but for the moment, it's more than enough.
As long as he can make contact with Crocodile's elementalized body, that will be enough.
Then, his terrifying strength will solve everything.
His massive fist slammed into a mass of yellow sand.
From the scattered sand, Babanuki's punch blasted out a figure!
Who else could it be but the previously arrogant Crocodile?
The man spat out blood, his body almost twisted from the punch, immediately plummeting like a cannonball, kicking up a storm of dust in the desert behind him.
"Roarrrrr!"
Babanuki landed heavily, like a true gorilla, excitedly pounding his chest and letting out rapid roars.
"Boss Babanuki humiliated a Warlord of the Sea! Boss Babanuki is invincible!"
The surrounding pirates cheered.
That's a Warlord of the Sea!
A genuine, powerful pirate.
And now, he was blasted away with a single punch by Boss Babanuki!
This is the strength of our Beasts Pirates, the Golden Dragon!
"Truly incredible."
Even Dorry and the others couldn't help but exclaim, "Such incredible power!"
Babanuki's strength at this moment earned their full recognition.
Not far away, in a large hole in the desert,
Crocodile slowly sat up.
"Ugh—"
He suddenly spat out blood.
Crimson blood fell onto the dry, arid sands, almost immediately being devoured, leaving behind only a faint scarlet trace.
Crocodile looked up with a dark expression, gazing at the roaring giant beast in the distance.
Veins bulged from his forehead, one by one.
What a joke!
This is just some nameless small fry from the sea!!
And here I am, being pushed to this extent?
My bones… so many have been broken by that unexpected punch.
It was careless to elementalize in front of a person who could use Armament Haki.
"Desert Blade!"
In an angry roar, Crocodile flew up again. He swung his right hand, and four giant blades of yellow sand, much larger than before, immediately tore through the desert, racing towards Babanuki.
But...
"Heh heh!"
A smirk appeared on Babanuki's face as he swung his right leg, shouting, "Tempest Kick!"
If this were his true form, he wouldn't have been able to use this technique effectively, nor would he have been able to unleash much power with it.
But things were different now.
So what if the technique was rough?
He would just make up for it with brute strength!
The enormous slash descended like a crescent moon from the sky, sweeping across in an instant, directly shredding Crocodile's sand blade, still unstoppable as it barreled toward Crocodile.
Crocodile's body was instantly torn in half.
It was just a pity that Babanuki still couldn't add Haki to his outward slash, otherwise, Crocodile wouldn't have dared to take this hit head-on.
"Damn it!"
Crocodile was beyond furious.
Not to mention Ian the Skyfire, even his world-renowned officers hadn't been seen and a nameless fish managed to force him to this extent.
In Crocodile's heart, besides rage, another emotion started to emerge.
Had he fallen so far?
Had his strength diminished over the long years of hiding his power?
"Raaaaaargh! Let me crush you, Sand Crocodile!"
Babanuki launched into the air, then plummeted down toward Crocodile like a meteor.
Crocodile took a deep breath, and the next moment, he turned into yellow sand and merged into the desert below.
Boom!
The giant beast's iron fist crashed down, creating a massive hole several hundred meters wide in the surrounding area.
But...
"Huh?"
Babanuki looked around in confusion, "Where did that guy go?"
His Armament Haki was in disarray, and he was even more unfamiliar with Observation Haki.
"Desert Sunflower!"
A low shout came from deep beneath the ground.
Then Babanuki suddenly realized that the already soft sand beneath his feet began to collapse. Unknowingly, he had found himself in the center of quicksand, and the sinking sand was dragging him down.
"Raaaaaargh! Stop looking down on me!"
Babanuki howled, "Moon Walk!"
With his massive size, using Moon Walk wasn't easy.
But relying on the explosive force of his legs, he shot up into the sky, escaping the quicksand's grip and leaping into the air.
At the same time, Babanuki swung his legs wildly, launching slashes that rained down, tearing up the quicksand area in chaos.
Finally, he landed heavily on the ground not far away.
"Come out! Crocodile!"
Babanuki roared in fury. "If you're not even a match for me, how dare you target Lord Ian?"
In the distance, amidst the yellow sand, Crocodile slowly emerged.
His teeth clenched, and the meticulously styled slicked-back hair was now completely disheveled.
How long has it been?
How long has it been since someone has forced him into such a desperate situation?
Damn it!
These bastards all deserve to die!
Crocodile slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Erosion Reincarnation!"
The withered power instantly activated.
In an instant, the entire desert trembled, and all the yellow sand began to boil.
"What?"
Babanuki suddenly realized that the ground beneath his feet was rapidly collapsing, as if the entire desert was turning into quicksand!
Is this the power of the Logia-type?
The attack range is truly absurd!
He quickly ran backward, thinking he'd be safe by the river.
Could this guy possibly swallow an entire massive river as well?
But...
"Heavy Sandstorm!"
Crocodile flicked his right hand, sending a small desert tornado flying from his palm.
The moment it hit the ground, this small tornado grew to an earth-shattering size.
Countless grains of yellow sand were drawn into it, causing it to swell even larger.
"Eh!"
Babanuki's nose was about to explode in shock.
How did a tornado, big enough to destroy everything, appear in the blink of an eye, charging toward him?
"Gu hahahaha! Get torn to pieces!"
Crocodile laughed maniacally.
His powers were invincible in the desert!
If left unchecked, this sandstorm could easily grow to the point of destroying a city!
"Tempest Kick!"
Babanuki unleashed his only long-range move.
But it was meaningless. The powerful vacuum wave tore through the tornado, but in the blink of an eye, the tornado had already repaired itself.
However, at that moment.
"Leave it to us! After all, we promised Ian we'd guard the ship!"
A bold laugh came from behind.
Babanuki turned around.
There, standing at the ship's edge, were two giants, each raising their weapon.
Dorry's great sword and Brogy's giant axe had both been fully repaired. After swallowing and spitting them out, they were restored to their original sharpness and durability.
At that moment, invisible waves of energy swirled around the two massive weapons.
"Gahahahaha! It's been a long time since I used this move!"
"Hehehehe! Brogy, don't fall behind!"
The two giants swung their giant blades simultaneously.
"Divine Departure!!"
Light!
A spiral column of light roared out in an instant.
Just passing by, the terrifying wind pressure blew Babanuki away.
And the yellow sand tornado, directly facing the spiral shockwave, was torn apart, vanishing into nothingness.
A massive trench was carved in the desert, stretching deep into the unknown distance.
Babanuki, covered in dust, got up and couldn't help but swallow at the sight in front of him.
One move created a canyon?
This was the power of the captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates from back then!
It was terrifying!
"Where did Crocodile go?"
After the amazement, Babanuki recalled the important matter.
Why couldn't he find any trace of Crocodile?
Where had that guy gone?
Crocodile had escaped.
Although it was humiliating, he indeed chose to retreat.
He realized that neither of the two giants nor that gorilla were opponents he could easily defeat.
Fighting them at the same time is like asking for death.
**********
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