Chaos at Arabasta 8

Crocodile POV - Blue Star, Grand Line, Sandy Island, Rainbase - 20 GAP

After leaving the basement and Nico Robin behind me, I continue my search for the main targets of my simmering fury, the suspected traitorous spies Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, and the bastard who attacked my casino and ousted my plan to the Marines putting years of hard work and plans into the trash bin making so that I would be once again hunted down by the Marine as an enemy of the World Government, something that truly pisses me off.

As I search through this whole structure, I continue to clean all the hallways and hall in my sight by using my sand to absorb all the liquids from the trees, plants, vines, flowers, and roots, dehydrating them until they become dried husks and turns into simple dust with a simple touch, while also dealing with the annoying aphrodisiac pollen spread by the flowers.

From time to time, I also encountered a slight form of resistance in the shape of some strangely deformed Treemen, but just like all the other plants, they were quickly turned into simple, powerless empty husks with a single Barján, they are more a worthless nuisance instead of threat.

But what makes my mood even worse is that until now, I didn't see even a trace of any of my other Officer Agents or even something close to a hint that a fight took place, which makes me think that they were either subjugated by that damned aphrodisiac pollen and those weak wooden puppets maybe even by those bastards Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, or even worse, they choose to flee or betray me at the first signal of danger, but then I force myself to calm down as I realize that it is possible that some of them were simply outside the building while this attack happened and that now have a problem getting close considering that the marine likely has this place surrounded while the ones in the building are simply like me hunting down the one behind this attack.

At the same time, my mind starts to wander thinking about how would the Officer Agents fare in such a situation, 'Nico Robin already showed me that with enough wits it isn't so hard to avoid being affected by that damned pollen and as such, I'm pretty sure that both Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger are still safe, as they are surely capable enough to react in time and deal with in the correct manner, after all, both of them more than earned their current ranks, they are indeed the best agents under my command with a ton of experience and talent. Then there is Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, as much as I dislike his flamboyant attitude, I have to admit that he knows what he is doing, and while fond of singing and dancing, he is also an accomplished martial artist, even though his real threat does not come from his fighting ability. His actual threat level comes from his skills in deception and tricking his enemies through his Devil Fruit Powers combined with his acting skills to trick his enemies into doing what he pleases. Such an agile mind would easily come up with a solution.'

Then my mood becomes somber as I think about the next pairing, 'Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek are the next ones... that little girl has a quite rare ability but if you take that away she is pretty much helpless plus her young age also doesn't give her any advantage, if she was alone when the attack happened that it is very likely that she was quickly overwhelmed by the pollen and has likely lost her mind in the raging lust, trying to relieve herself or getting fucked by the nearest cock. But if she is together with Mr. 3 like they usually are, then they both should be safe, as Mr. 3's mind is his greatest asset, and considering the fact that he is quite a cowardly individual, at the first sign of danger he would for sure react in the most adequate way possible to keep himself safe, and his Devil Fruit Powers also give him all the versatility he needs to follow through his plans. So at the very least Mr. 3 would for sure be safe, and it is highly possible that Miss Goldenweek is with him.' 

But at this point, a frown forms on my face as I think about the last pairings, 'But the problem are clearly Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas, for sure those two stayed together but it won't be of much help because while Mr. 4 is extremely good in a fight, as his pure physical strength is very fearsome, after all, swinging around that 4 tons bat as easily as he does isn't something that anyone can do... but he is also as dumb as a box of broken condoms, and the only reason he is even able to work as a bounty hunter successfully is that his partner, Miss Merry Christmas, does all the thinking for him without her he is basically useless. Meanwhile, Miss Merry Christmas isn't all that strong, or even that smart for the matter, and more importantly, her Devil Fruit is useless in this specific situation.' 

The reason for that is that Miss Meery Chirstmass ate the Mogu Mogu no Mi (Mole Mole Fruit) a Zoan-type Devil Fruit that allows her to transform into a mole or a mole-human hybrid which usually would have been good enough to deal with the pollen as they could have simply escaped underground to avoid the pollen, the problem is that this casino is basically built on a platform floating on water, there is no "ground" to dig into for them to escape as she would have found herself in the Bananawani infested waters, basically a dead end for a Devil Fruit User like her and a slow swimmer like Mr. 4. 

While my mind continues to wander about such a topic as I carelessly remove all the invading plants, from another hallway, I suddenly stop moving as something catches my attention and makes me snap out of that thoughtful state.

What caught my attention was a strange house-like wheeled box made fully of a solid white substance that I could immediately recognize as candle wax, moreover even if it is clearly a simple cover to protect oneself from the hostile environment, I also noticed that the structure is unnecessary detailed and ornate.

Such simple details instantly make me realize that the one behind such a strange structure is nonother than Mr. 3, one of my Officer Agents, who just like I thought, was able to protect himself from the effect of that nasty aphrodisiac pollen using his Devil Fruit Power to his fullest advantage.

Soon after my deforestation of the hallway, the wheeled house quickly started to move toward me until it stopped just a few meters away from me, then without any pause, the door of the house was slammed open and from it, Mr. 3 jumped out while exclaiming, "Boss!! Thank god, I knew that only you could get rid of all those nasty plants!" while Miss Goldenweek meekly follows behind him and simply nods to show that she agrees with Mr. 3's words before she warily looks at the surroundings.

Then without any hesitation on his part, Mr. 3 starts his report, "Boss, I still don't know what is going on or the reason behind this, but I'm sure that the person behind this attack is a Devil Fruit User and quite the powerful one at that. From what I have been able to observe, seeing the expansive range, and its application, it is mostly guaranteed that the Devil Fruit in question is a Logia Type." 

After that, he starts to explain, "The holder of this Logia Type Devil Fruit can create, control, and likely transform into plants, but I noticed that those plants are mostly parts of a very specific type of ecosystem, namely those plants that make up a forest. I have seen many of them, trees, as well as flowers, vines, grass, moss, etc., all of them are the kind that can only be found in forests. I also noticed that the plants spawned by this ability can be grown rapidly and made to move around freely, seemingly being not limited by the rigidity and stiffness that some plants, like trees, normally possess. In addition, the user can generate large quantities of plants to unleash overwhelming, large-scale attacks, like the one we have just experienced. Additionally, I think I have seen one of those plants rapidly absorb any liquid from a person leaving them as shriveled husks, and soon after that that person changed into some kind of wood monster... of this last one, I admit I'm not too sure as I was very far away when it happened, and the trees blocked my sight, but I'm the kind of guy who prefer to prepare for the worst and hope for the best... Anyway, all these little details seem to point out that our enemy is a Logia Type Devil Fruit User with a plant, most likely forest-based powers."

Hearing his analysis, I can't help but smirk a little while thinking, 'As expected from the sharpest mind among the Officer Agents, he was able to analyze all of that just by staying hidden in that wax box and observing his surroundings and came out with almost the same conclusion as I did using my vast experience... but I have to admit that I didn't know that those plants were capable of absorbing liquid too... what a funny coincidence...'

At the same time, I also confirm his theory and tell him what is happening, "You are right. But that isn't what you have to worry about at the moment. That damned Devil Fruit User isn't the only one attacking us. You see, we also have a traitor among our ranks who is working with that bastard." which makes Mr. 3 immediately mutter as his mind quickly comes up with a suspect just like Nico Robin did a few minutes ago, "Mr. 5... or maybe even Miss Valentine..." 

Hearing that I simply nod and continue, "And what is worse is that the two of them also reported my Utopia Operation to the Marine! So while those pieces of shit are messing around inside this building, the outside is being surrounded by marines as we speak!"

I ignore his face which is marred with dread and order, "I will take care of the one behind this attack. Your job is now to gather together the other Officer Agents, head outside, and find the best way to deal with those annoying Marines once and for all! Then after we get rid of them we will head to Alubarna and kidnap King Nefertari Cobra to force him to tell us the location of the Ponegylph." 

Then I raise the large hook made from a tough gold alloy in place of my left hand and point it at him as I threaten him, "It is useless to tell you what will happen if you fail me, right? Go, now!"

Making Mr. 3 reply, "Y-Yes, sir!" before he and Miss Goldenweek scramble away, but then I yell, "Just as a reminder, you guys will be safe from that pollen as long as you don't inhale it." and in response, Mr. 3 quickly produces some wax and forms a simple ball made of almost transparent wax to envelope himself and Miss Goldenweek, which starts to quickly roll away.

After Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek are out of my sight, I decide to continue with my search and so, I advance toward the end of this hallway, reaching a huge hall that, if my memory doesn't fail me should have been one of the biggest halls used for private parties and other more important events, of course, before stepping into the hall, I once again made sure to destroy and kill any invading vegetal life and taking care of the usual nasty aphrodisiac pollen in it using my sand.

Once done, I step into the now clean but still devasted hall, and seeing the scene in front of me, I can't help but click my tongue while cursing out loud as I remember just how much time and resources I wasted building this place which is now totally useless thanks to those bastard who ousted my plan, "Fuck! 4 Years and more of 5.000.000.000 Belly gone to shit and just because of that fucking traitor and that worthless Forest bastard!! When I find them I'm going to make them regret the fact that they came out of their mother's cunts!!" 

While I'm saying that, I casually survey the hall, but nothing within catches my attention, meaning that once again there isn't any trace of my Officer Agents, the suspected traitors, and neither the Forest Logia Type Devil Fruit user.

Seeing that I click my tongue for the umpteenth time, before I start to look at the various entrances of this hall to choose one among them as my next destination, all of them are the same, basically blocked by the dense, pollen-filled forest that has grown all over this casino.

But just as I'm about to randomly choose one, I quickly turn my head in a specific direction as I hear the sounds of someone moving through as he or she cuts down any plants, vines, or trees standing in his way, and the sound is getting closer and closer which means that whoever it is, it is clear that he or she is about to arrive in this hall. 

Realizing that I decided to wait for this individual to arrive while thinking, 'After wasting so much time, maybe I finally found one of my targets!'

The reason for thinking that is quite simple and direct, I'm pretty sure that only two people are capable of moving through the dense forest areas while cutting down every obstacle standing in their way, one is Mr. 1 who with the powers granted by his Devil Fruit, the Supa Supa no Mi (Dice Dice Fruit), and his enormous experience is a very likely option, while the other one can only be that traitorous Mr. 5, and for very obvious reasons, after all, it is very likely that if he is truly an accomplice of the Forest Logia Type Devil Fruit user, then he would be already prepared to deal with this situation, and I clearly remember the many weapons strapped on his back, many of which would allow him to cut down eventual obstacles just like Mr. 1. 

Soon, from the other side of the doorway, I'm keeping my eyes on, I see someone calmly walking out, he is a young warrior-like man with long tied blonde hair, cold purple eyes, and a small confident smile on his chiseled face, he has a very tall and imposing body, full of well-defined muscles, with many different weapons strapped on his back, and wields a huge double-headed axe in his hands. 

The way he is dressed reminds me of the Giant Warriors of Elbaf, his upper body is mostly bare, and the only things on it are a pair of belts that form an "X" over his chest and hold a short purple cape over his shoulders, over both his wrist he wears brown leather bracers, a fur belt, and white trousers partially covered by a purple tunic-like skirt, as I suspected he is the newly assigned Mr. 5. 

At the same time, I also notice that he isn't wearing any kind of mask but despite that, he is still able to walk through the dense, aphrodisiac pollen-infested forest unaffected, another detail that marks him as the most likely accomplice of the bastard behind the failure of my plans. 

Right behind him, I see there is a tall young woman with short blond hair and bright green eyes, wearing a yellow and orange hat, as well as a yellow dress with a lemon-like pattern, lemon earrings, white high-heeled shoes, and carrying bright green parasol with blue stripes, a torn piece of her dress is warped around her face protecting her from the pollen, she is of course, his partner Miss Valentine.

Mr. 5 instantly notices my presence and with an annoying smirk on his face he raises his hand and greets me while saying, "Yo, boss! This is quite the bad situation we have found ourselves in. We all got played very w-" but before he could finish what he is saying, I can't hold back my fury anymore, especially seeing that annoying smirk on his damned face. 

So, I interrupt him and yell, "After betraying me you still have the galls to smirk in my presence!? Die! Desert Spada!!"

At the same time, I form my right hand into a loose blade of fast-moving sand, and then stab it into the ground, extending it along the ground like a torpedo, splitting anything in its path, including the very ground itself, through extreme and focused erosion created by the sand blade, which is strong enough to slice that bastard in half.

But to my surprise, Mr. 5 reacts very quickly, with still the same smirk on his face, he calmly grabs Miss Valentine by her arm and pulls her toward himself, at the same time, he takes a few steps to the side and easily dodges my Desert Spada with little to no effort. 

Seeing the ease with which he performs such action, I can't help but narrow my eyes as I notice that he basically moved a few moments before I even released my attack, a feat I have seen many times before, but which is way too rare to see in the first half of the Grand Line.

To confirm my suspicion, I don't hesitate to attack him with another Desert Spada, but once more, he is able to easily walk away from the attack by moving a few instant before I actually attack. 

Seeing that, I can't help but click my tongue while thinking, 'Damn, just as I thought, he is for sure using Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) to sense my intentions and predict my actions and attacks before they happen. This means that it is also very likely that he can use Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) too, which will allow him to enhance his offenses and defenses and even be able to use it to hit and harm me even when I use the intangibility granted by the Suna Suna no Mi (Sand Sand Fruit)! This means I have to be careful against him, I can lower my guard! I never thought I would encounter a Haki user in the first half of the Grand Line... this makes him even more suspicious! What is his true identity?'

While I'm thinking that, Miss Valentine lets out a surprised scream as her mind finally catches up with what is going on, at the same time, Mr. 5 maintains the same annoying smirk on his face as he says, "So you choose to attack me without even listening to what I have to say, huh? Well, it doesn't matter all that much, I have already got everything I needed from the Baroque Works, and now that its utility has run its course I can easily throw it away in the trash can like a used tissue... This means that I also don't need you anymore, you can die!"

Soon after he said that, Mr. 5 figure disappeared from my sigh, and trusting my instincts and years of experience fighting both marines and pirates alike, without any hesitation I morphed my lower body into jets of flowing sand and flew away from my current position just in time to see the figure of Mr. 5 appear as he swings his double-headed axe just where I was standing a few moments ago.

Despite his attack missing, I notice that Mr. 5 maintains the same damned confided smirk on his face as he looks up at me and comments, "Good job... It seems that you are barely able to react to that level of speed. I admit it is quite an impressive feat, even considering the fact that I'm still taking it easy... the fact that you survived that is still surprising..."

At the same time, I feel a strange discomfort coming from my torso, and on instinct, I use my right hand to touch my chest, and instantly I feel a wet sensation on my palm, curious I take a look and see that there is blood on my palm, my blood.

Realizing that I unconsciously look down at my chest and quickly notice a long, shallow, diagonal cut running across my chest from my left shoulder to my right hip.

Seeing that, I grind my teeth as I mutter, "You bastard...!!" as I realize that I wasn't fast enough and that Mr. 5, no, that this man called Age was still able to leave a shallow cut on me.

In response, Age simply grins while saying, "You know, it is quite hard to learn and use Haki, especially if you have no one teaching you. But despite that, I was still able to learn the basics on my own and I'm quite happy to see that even at their most basic level, both Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) and Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) are still useful enough to be effective against someone like you... especially with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) as I still need to focus for some time to actually use it, that is the main reason why you are still alive..."

At this point, I realize that I have to take this fight even more seriously, and more importantly, that I have to maintain my distance as with his Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) a close-range fight is too dangerous.

Coming to that conclusion, I continue to fly around the hall, and at the same time, I form my right arm into loose sand then I yell, "Desert la Spada!!" forming several solid blades of sand with fan-shaped edges which quickly head toward Age to attack him from all possible directions.

This is an altered version of Desert Spada in which I form solid, sharp objects out of sand, basically forming homing weapons out of them, these weapons move at the same speed of Desert Spada, but while Desert Spada is a linear attack that forms a long underground blade of sand that slices everything its path, this one is more agile and capable of chasing after my target no matter where he or she tries to escape as it moves through the air.

Just as the blades of sand are about to reach him, Age swings his axe around at astonishing speed, destroying all the solid blades, shattering them back into sand which lands on the ground all around him.

Usually, I would be enraged that another one of my attacks miserably failed, but this isn't the case, as this time, the failure of this attack is actually within my plans, and so, without any hesitation, I raise my right arms and call out, "Desert Grande Espada!" 

Instantly, from the sand around Age, dozen of rising sand blades erupt from the ground with greater speed than all my previous attacks, this is in fact my fastest attack, one that usually is very hard to dodge even if one has a strong Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki).

But once again, Age dodges my technique with quite a bit of ease, reacting with inhuman speed by jumping high in the air, luckily I already prepared myself for this kind of eventuality and so while I launched my Desert Grande Espada, I also gathered a swirling mass of extremely dense sand in my hand. 

Then, as soon as Age is standing defenseless in mid-air unable to move, seeing this chance, I yell, "Sables: Pesado!!" and hurl the swirling mass of extremely dense sand in my hand at him, and finally, my attack lands causing a massive shock wave upon impact, one so strong that my surrounding starts to break down and collapse as Age is sent flying outside the casino by the power of this technique.