One Piece: Starting From Picking Up Red-Haired's Arm

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Xiano seemed quite intrigued and leaned in closer. "What ancient secret?"

Yes, closer, just a bit more.

Just give me a little more time to prepare.

Rustle, rustle...

This was a sound only Crocodile could hear. Beneath his skin, it felt as though countless grains of sand were flowing, condensing, and swirling—

"Do you think I've been active in Alabasta for no reason? That country is an ancient civilization with a thousand years of history, hiding an ancient weapon capable of destroying the world…"

Crocodile spoke while gasping for breath, his voice growing weaker and weaker.

By the time Xiano had to lean his ear close to hear, Crocodile's lips suddenly twisted into a sinister grin—

You've fallen for it, kid!

"Sandstorm, Heavenly Rain!!!"

Boom!

With a low shout, countless fine cracks appeared on the surface of Crocodile's skin.

Golden sand grains erupted violently from the cracks, and in that instant, his entire body exploded!

This was no ordinary explosion—it was a self-destructive attack, compressing his sand-transformed body to its limit.

Countless sand grains, infused with Armament Haki, shot out like bullets, forming terrifying shockwaves with immense penetrating power at such close range!

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The dense sand grains relentlessly struck Xiano's body, producing muffled sounds like rain hitting banana leaves.

Each grain of sand unleashed a terrifying impact, forcing even Xiano to slide backward over ten meters.

He raised his arms to shield himself, his feet carving deep trenches into the sand.

"Bro!"

"Captain!"

Shouts of alarm came from the Sunset.

Nami was the first to vault over the railing, ready to leap ashore.

But as soon as she swung one leg over, Xiano's calm voice emerged from the swirling yellow sand:

"It's nothing. Don't come over."

As the dust settled, Xiano's figure gradually became clear.

His shirt was riddled with holes, so he casually tore it off and tossed it aside, revealing his muscular upper body.

Those terrifying sand bullets, capable of piercing steel, had mostly left only dense red marks on his skin.

Only his chest, abdomen, and arms—areas that had taken the brunt of the impact—were bloodied and mangled.

"Did I bleed?"

Xiano spat out a mouthful of blood and glanced down at his injuries before looking up again. "Is this your latest move? Finally, something interesting. Can you use it a few more times? I'd like to experience it again."

He grinned, completely unfazed.

Though his smile seemed harmless and friendly, to Crocodile, it was as terrifying as a demon emerging from hell.

"Cough, cough… how boring…"

Crocodile struggled to roll over, lying on his back in the sand. He gazed up at the night sky, trembling fingers fumbling in his coat pocket for a cigar. He bit down on it and struggled several times before finally lighting it.

After taking a deep drag, he exhaled a cloud of smoke mixed with blood, his blood-stained lips curling into a self-mocking smile:

"Even a move like that… can't take you down? What kind of monster are you, really…"

At this moment, his body was like a tattered sack, leaking sand from everywhere, and his aura was growing weaker and weaker.

Xiano glanced at him.

It was clear that if Crocodile didn't receive timely treatment, his life would soon come to an end.

"Looks like you can't use it a second time," Xiano said with some disappointment, squatting down. "A self-destructive move, huh? One use is enough to take you out. No wonder I've never seen you use it before."

"Before?"

Crocodile exhaled a puff of smoke and sneered, "What nonsense are you spouting, kid? We've only just met. Don't act like you know me."

Of course, he knew him well.

If only the trading market could stream episodes of Pirate King.

Xiano would have loved to play a couple of episodes of Luffy's water-soaked beatdown right in front of him, just to see if Crocodile would faint from anger.

That said.

Although Xiano had approached him seemingly without caution, he had been on high alert the entire time.

The way Crocodile had suddenly acted submissive and timid earlier had felt incredibly off.

After all, he was a notorious figure on the seas.

Sure, he might not be the strongest, but he had dared to take on Akainu and Whitebeard.

How could he possibly be trembling in fear like Koby just because he had lost to Xiano?

When something seems out of place, there's always a hidden move.

So, before Crocodile could launch his self-destructive attack, Xiano had already pushed his Iron Body to its limit.

And the moment the sand exploded, he had covered his body with a thick layer of Armament Haki.

Otherwise, there was a real chance Crocodile could have turned the tables.

"Logically speaking, I could just leave you here to die," Xiano said. "But you guys are all so tenacious. I really can't give you even the slightest chance."

"Cut the hypocritical talk and just do it," Crocodile narrowed his eyes. "If our positions were reversed, I wouldn't hesitate either."

"No rush. Finish that cigar first."

"..." Crocodile paused, glancing at the cigar in his hand. "...Thanks."

Xiano waited quietly until Crocodile had almost finished the cigar, then placed his right hand on the man's neck.

"Once you're in hell, don't hold a grudge against me."

"Wishful thinking."

Crocodile sneered, "I'll remember this for lifetimes. I couldn't even accept being defeated by Whitebeard. How could I forget the humiliation of being beaten by a rookie?"

"But," he stared at Xiano, exhaling his last puff of smoke, and burst into wild laughter, "Hey, hey, hey! The new generation has someone like you? The more I think about it, the crazier it gets. The future of this sea is going to get interesting. Those old-timers in the New World who've been sitting comfortably for too long—I don't think they'll have it easy for much longer!"

Xiano raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Thanks for the recognition."

Crack. Crocodile's head was twisted to the side, and his already critically weakened body finally lost all signs of life.

...

After confirming Crocodile's death, Xiano clapped his hands and slowly stood up.

The sand gradually settled, and the crew members, who had been holding their breath, jumped off the ship and gathered around.

"Bro! Are you okay?"

Nami rushed forward in a flash, frantically rummaging through the medical kit Nojiko was carrying to find bandages and disinfectant alcohol.

But when she looked up to tend to the wounds, she was suddenly stunned—

The bloody wounds on Xiano's body had already completely healed. Under the moonlight, not even a single scar remained.

"Strange," Nami scratched her head in confusion. "Was I hallucinating earlier…?"

"No, it's not a hallucination."

Smoker stepped forward, a cigar dangling from his mouth, and gazed at Xiano's unscathed upper body with admiration. "It's Life Return. The Captain's Life Return has undoubtedly reached the pinnacle of mastery. Among the people I've seen, no one can compare… Not even the Navy Admirals can match it."

Xiano rubbed Nojiko and Nami's heads, smiling without a word.

In his heart, however, he rolled his eyes at the self-proclaimed Navy expert, White Hunter.

What nonsense.

The Navy Admirals' Life Return certainly couldn't achieve this level.

Because this was the effect of the Regeneration Art!

"Even the Navy Admirals can't compare?"

Nami, believing it to be true, couldn't help but exclaim, "Bro, just how strong are you now? This Warlord of the Sea couldn't even fight back against you. Can you really match up to the Navy Admirals?"

"What are you thinking?"

Xiano chuckled, flicking Nami's forehead with his finger. "Do you really think your brother is invincible? Far from it."

When he first set sail and left home, he didn't have a clear sense of his own strength.

But after battling Vice Admiral Onigumo and Crocodile, he had a more concrete understanding of his current abilities.

If compared horizontally among the Warlords of the Sea, he would undoubtedly rank at the top. Most Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals were no match for him.

However, he was significantly weaker than the top-tier commanders of the Four Emperors' crews in the New World, each of whom possessed extraordinary skills.

Compared to the Admirals and the Four Emperors, he was still far behind. Take Kay-sensei, for example—if he were thrown into Wano Country, it was hard to say how many blows he could withstand.

There was still a long road ahead before he could reach the realm of those top-tier monsters.

…

The latest novel is first published on 69shu!

The Sunset officially dropped anchor and docked.

The bounty hunters hiding nearby still didn't dare approach the port.

In fact, they had fled further away during the battle, and now almost all of them were hiding behind the massive cactus mountain.

They were quite sensible, and Xiano had no intention of seeking trouble with them.

This mutual non-interference brought a sense of peace.

A bonfire was lit on the sandy ground near the port, and everyone sat around the warm flames, holding a brief debriefing session.

"Crocodile usually operates in the Alabasta Kingdom, which is still quite a distance from here," Xiano analyzed, holding a cup of hot coffee. "This means that at least a week ago, he received a request from the Naval Headquarters to assist in hunting us down. The timing is very close to the events in Loguetown. It seems the Naval Headquarters takes us very seriously, wanting to mobilize all their strength to crush us in the first half of Paradise."

"But the Captain's strength ultimately exceeded their expectations."

Zeff brought out dish after dish from the kitchen, placing them in front of everyone before sitting cross-legged with a smile. "Once the news of Crocodile's death spreads, it's going to shock them, don't you think?"

"Ha! Just imagining their stunned faces is enough to amuse me. Neither the Navy Vice Admiral nor the Warlord of the Sea could handle it. If they get desperate enough, they might even send a Navy Admiral after us!"

Smoker picked up his plate and shook his head slightly. "That's not necessarily the case, Mr. Zeff."

"Navy Admirals, as the highest combat force of the headquarters, are quite busy. They have to keep an eye on the movements in the New World and always leave one stationed at the headquarters. So, unless they can pinpoint our exact location, they won't waste much time leading a pursuit against Pirates in Paradise."

"So, does that mean we should be more cautious and low-key when we reach those bustling, crowded places?"

Zeff stroked his chin. "Tsk, otherwise, by the time a Navy Admiral gets the news and comes knocking, we might still be wandering around town."

"We'll definitely need to be more vigilant then, but that's still a ways off. Our next stop, Little Garden, is a remote and desolate place, so there's no need to worry too much."

Xiano chuckled and turned to Nami. "How's the Log Pose doing? How long until it's fully charged?"

"Reporting, big bro! It's already one-fifth charged, which is pretty fast!" Nami quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and reported. "At this rate, if we rest and regroup tonight, we should be ready to set off by noon tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow at noon, so that's about sixteen or seventeen hours?"

Xiano nodded. This charging speed was indeed fast for the Grand Line.

In the Grand Line, the time it takes for each island to fully charge the Log Pose varies greatly.

The fastest ones might only take an hour or two, while the slower ones could take days, weeks, or even years.

"Anyway, everyone should get some good rest. Agin slept during the day, so he'll take the night watch. Tomorrow morning, we'll stock up on food and fresh water in this town, and then we'll set sail for our next destination!"

This was the final order he gave as the Captain before dismissing the meeting.

Naturally, no one had any objections.

Only Agin let out a mournful howl, on the verge of tears—Wait, boss, taking a nap on the deck at noon counts as sleeping? Can't we get another pet? I'm not even an adult yet, you can't keep exploiting the same laborer, can you?

But he didn't dare protest in front of his master, so he waited until Xiano had walked away and then secretly relieved himself on his elongated shadow in the sand as a sign of discontent.

…

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, everyone split up to visit several shops in town to buy food and fresh water.

As for the shop owners who were too terrified to return?

That didn't matter. The members of the Falling Stars Adventure Crew were quite principled.

Since they hadn't attacked us, we'd pretend not to know about their bounty hunter identities and treat them like normal merchants, paying the market price by slapping the cash on the counter.

Meanwhile, Xiano had also finished looting the battlefield.

[You sacrificed Mr.5's sunglasses and gained 120 Points.]

[You sacrificed Miss Valentine's parasol and gained 80 Points.]

[You sacrificed Crocodile's hook and gained 2700 Points.]

[Remaining Points: 44000]

Crocodile and Mr.5 were both dead beyond any doubt.

As for Miss Valentine, who had nearly been burned to a crisp, she had only fainted. In the morning, after being shaken awake by Nami, she finally came to.

Upon seeing her partner's mummified corpse, the teenage lemon-haired girl was so terrified that she almost fainted again.

She immediately curled up in Nami's arms and burst into tears.

She kept saying she never wanted to be a spy again, that all the fighting and killing were too terrifying, and that she just wanted to return to her hometown and open her own little café.

Nami, feeling somewhat guilty, comforted her with kind words, personally untied her, and even gave her some of the food and fresh water she had bought.

Xiano watched all of this unfold.

Aside from lamenting his sister's overly naive and kind heart, he didn't intervene.

This was Nami's defeated opponent, so naturally, Nami should decide her fate. He wouldn't interfere.

Of course, the main reason was that Miss Valentine was too weak... Whether she was genuinely scared into retiring to her hometown or not, her laughable strength posed no threat.

Her Devil Fruit ability, which allowed her to exert a pressure of 100,000 kilograms, was, in his eyes, nothing more than a flying dumbbell.

Why bother taking a piece of gym equipment seriously?

...

In the blink of an eye, it was noon.

The Log Pose had fully charged its magnetic field, and the Sunset finally sailed out of Whiskey Peak's harbor under the watchful eyes of many, heading toward the next destination.

It wasn't until the ship became a tiny black dot on the horizon that the bounty hunters hiding behind Cactus Mountain dared to emerge.

"They're gone... they're really gone this time..."

A hunter wearing a cowboy hat slumped onto the sandy ground, his telescope clattering to the floor. Only then did he realize his back was drenched in cold sweat.

Inside the tavern, a few brave hunters were gathered around the bar, whispering among themselves.

"Hey, was that really Warlord of the Sea Crocodile last night?"

A young hunter asked in a hushed voice.

"What do you think? Of course it was!"

A bearded hunter beside him gulped down a mouthful of liquor, his hand still trembling:

"The entire harbor turned to sand... who else could it be? Someone already found his body. Damn it, I've been here for over a decade, and this is the first time I've seen something like this."

And it wasn't just him.

Recalling the terrifying battle they had witnessed from afar under the moonlight last night, many bounty hunters still felt a sense of disbelief, as if they were trapped in a dream.

—That was Crocodile, one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, a man of great renown!

And yet, he died just like that?

Even after displaying his terrifying Devil Fruit ability, even after nearly turning half of Whiskey Peak into dust...

He still couldn't defeat Xiano, the Captain of the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates!

Just how terrifying was the strength of this monstrous rookie who had already been given a bounty of over a hundred million berries upon entering the Grand Line?

"The newspaper reporters will probably arrive here soon. Once the news spreads, Captain Xiano's bounty is going to skyrocket again, isn't it?"

The young hunter was filled with admiration and envy, "To become famous on the seas at just over ten years old... Even though I'm a hunter, if I could have such a high bounty and such great fame, I'd be willing to become a Pirate right away!"

"Go on, get out of here."

The bearded hunter gave him a kick in annoyance, but as he picked up his glass, he couldn't help but marvel, "Damn it, actually, when you think about it, we were really lucky this time."

"Not only did we survive without losing any limbs, but we also witnessed the rise of a new legend on the seas. When we grow old and return to our village, today's events will be enough to brag about to the kids for a lifetime, won't they?"

A new legend...

The other hunters looked out at the sea through the window, vaguely recalling that excessively young face, and for a moment, they all couldn't help but nod in agreement.

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