A proud posture, cold eyes, and words filled with confidence and a sense of Haki made Jason blink on instinct.
"Are you mentally ill or something?" The honest and straightforward Jason blurted this out bluntly.
'And really, wasn't it strange?' The very first thing the guy said was, "Be my subordinate!"
In Jason's simple and rough mind, people who talked like that were definitely those chuuni types who had watched too many chuuni movies as kids.
The captain's gaze sharpened, clear anger flashing in his eyes. He slowly raised his hand. Sand began to gather swiftly in his palm, and in the blink of an eye, it had formed into a small-scale sandstorm.
"A Logia!"
Seeing this scene, Jason, who had once heard Rojen mention it, instantly recognized it and couldn't help but take a step back.
He still vividly remembered the last time he ran into Kuzan. Even though Jason was confident in his own strength, against those strange types of attacks, where a single touch could freeze him, there was nothing he could do.
Logia-type Devil Fruits were immune to physical attacks. His fists were completely useless against them.
"I'm a Logia user, wielder of the Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit). Follow me, and in the New World, the second half of the Grand Line, we'll carve out a place of our own."
The captain didn't rush to attack. His tone remained calm.
He had formed his pirate crew, but he lacked any real powerhouses. He was an ambitious man, and ambition needed strength to back it up. Aside from his own power, he needed some reliable tools as well.
The man before him had taken out his crewmates in such a short time , clearly a powerhouse. Having someone like him as a subordinate seemed like a great choice.
"You're definitely sick!"
To his surprise, the big guy standing across from him threw out another blunt line , this time sounding even more certain.
"Since I, Crocodile, first set sail, I've encountered people who feared me, respected me, and even admired me... but I must say this—"
"You're the first guy I've met who makes me not want to attack… and yet still really want to kill."
Crocodile took a bold step forward, the sandstorm in his hand intensifying.
In the blink of an eye, a quarter of the ship's deck was covered in sand, floating eerily in the air, as if under someone's control, completely defying gravity.
Jason's pupils shrank. Knowing how dangerous Logia-types were, he bent his knees slightly, and the next second, an explosive burst of power erupted from him. His figure twisted and vanished from where he stood.
"Power Burst!"
"Boom!"
Not even a second passed before the deck right in front of Crocodile shattered, and the floating sand scattered in every direction with a sharp "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh," as though struck by an invisible force.
A tall, muscular figure appeared on deck, Jason launched a powerful punch.
"I don't care what kind of Logia you are, get lost!"
Jason had thrown a similar explosive punch when facing Kuzan once.
"Crack! Boom!"
Even the air shattered from the sheer force of his punch, and in the blink of an eye, it reached Crocodile.
Crocodile blinked, slightly surprised.
"You've got some strength, I'll give you that."
But even as Jason's fist stopped just an inch from his face, his expression remained calm.
"Screw your strength!"
Jason was completely enraged by the overwhelming air of pretentiousness from this guy.
"Power Amplification, 50x!"
With a low growl, Jason's already muscular arm grew even bulkier.
"Boom!!"
His fist smashed hard into Crocodile's face , and under the horrified gazes of the nearby pirates, Crocodile's head instantly exploded into pieces.
"Oh my God!"
Someone covered their mouth, eyes wide in shock.
If you weren't watching up close, you couldn't begin to comprehend the brutality of what had just happened.
A man's head had been completely blown apart by a single punch.
But strangely, despite the explosion, there was no blood, no brains, none of the gore one would expect.
Just sand.
Only shattered sand particles floated in the air.
Crocodile's tall figure still stood there. Above his neck was nothing but a swirling mass of drifting sand.
"But your attacks are useless against me."
A deep voice finally rang out as the sand began to swirl and shift, first forming a mouth, then a nose, then eyes. In mere moments, his entire head had been reshaped.
Crocodile once again stood fully formed in front of Jason.
"Just as I thought…"
Jason's pupils narrowed as he locked eyes with the man before him.
Just like his fight with Kuzan, this Crocodile guy was completely immune to his physical attacks.
"When I fought that brat Kuzan, he turned me into an ice cube. Who knows what kind of powers this guy has!"
Remaining on guard, Jason took a step back.
But then, as he was observing Crocodile, Jason's expression froze slightly.
"Wait… is he bleeding?"
Looking closely, Jason noticed a faint trace of red beneath Crocodile's nostril.
"Huh?"
Crocodile seemed to notice it too. He reached up and wiped under his nose.
Looking down at his hand, his eyes darkened.
Blood. It was real blood. And along with the dripping blood came a wave of dull pain—numbness giving way to a throbbing ache.
"I'm… injured?"
In the blink of an eye, Crocodile understood.
"How is that possible?"
An expression of disbelief crossed his face as he snapped his gaze back toward Jason.
At the same time, Jason was also staring with confusion in his eyes.
"I actually hurt him?"
He raised both hands and stared at them, scrutinizing carefully, but couldn't notice anything different compared to the time he fought Kuzan.
"What's going on?"
Both men stood there, locked in a tense and puzzled stare, neither of them making another move.
Off to the side, the watching pirates exchanged nervous glances.
Their captain had never been wounded before. That godlike Logia ability was supposed to be untouchable by ordinary means and none of them had ever seen anyone capable of landing a hit on him.
But now, someone had managed to injure him!
Just then, a figure suddenly flashed into view, appearing at the edge of the ship.
With a faint smile on his face, the figure squatted lightly on the railing. He glanced at the gathered pirates and spoke softly.
"Logia Devil Fruits are powerful, yes… but they still share the same weaknesses as any other Devil Fruit."
Though he didn't raise his voice, the statement instantly drew the attention of every pirate present.
"That is, seawater and seastone!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Crocodile's pupils shrank sharply.
In that moment, he understood exactly why he had been injured.
The big guy in front of him, his body was damp, his fists were wet. Not much, but enough. It was seawater.
"So that's it… my hands had seawater on them!"
Jason came to a sudden realization. He'd been annoyed by the dampness earlier and had wiped his hands on his clothes.
"Good thing I didn't wipe them clean!"
(End Of This Chapter)
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