Chapter 3: No Mercy

Previously:

Luffy is defeated and mortally wounded by Crocodile. Crocodile then proceeds to destroy his straw hat, bury his friends alive, and slowly kill millions of people in a sandstorm.

Luffy's not very happy with that…

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Crocodile stared at his foe with wide-eyed astonishment. "I watched you die," he said finally. "I cut your heart open. How are you still alive?"

Luffy just gritted his teeth and pushed himself forward. His limbs weren't responding the way they normally did. It took everything he had just for simple movements. His body was weak.

Slowly, the shock wore off and the astonishment turned into laughter as Crocodile saw Luffy struggling to walk properly.

"You are literally too stupid to die," Crocodile realised, still laughing with deep breaths while watching Luffy stagger towards him slowly.

Luffy didn't respond. He could barely even hear Crocodile's taunts. The sound of his straining heart trying to pump what little blood he had left was deafening. His arms started to tremor uncontrollably, and he was blinking heavily through bloodshot eyes.

"This is the third time you've come back to life after I thought you were dead," Crocodile muttered with bemusement. "Next time, do I have to burn the body and scatter the ashes just to make sure?"

Luffy gulped loudly. His throat felt so dry it felt like sandpaper. It was hard to even gather enough breath to speak. Finally, he managed to gasp. "… My… friends…" he snarled. "What did you do with them?! "

"Oh, those weaklings?" Crocodile said dismissively. "I killed them all."

The Warlord seemed to hesitate. "Well, I think I killed them all," he confessed. "Although I do admit that I've been wrong about that a lot recently."

There was no sudden reaction from Luffy, but his hands clenched into fist so tightly that he half-expected his knuckles to protrude from his skin. A long, animalistic snarl scraped from Luffy's throat.

"I will… " he gasped weakly. Between the pain and the adrenaline, he could barely see properly anymore. His muscles were twitching so quickly it felt like his bones were being pulverised. It was hard for him to even find the words. "… will…"

Crocodile laughter increased. "You'll do what exactly?" Crocodile mocked. "You can barely even stand up straight. You have no water, hell - you don't even have any blood left. You won't even be able to touch me. There is absolutely nothing you can do anymore."

Crocodile just glared at Luffy, but there was a hint of admiration in his eyes. "And honestly?" Crocodile continued. "I have absolutely no desire to fight you. To kill you in this state it would be, well… shameful."

Luffy didn't outwardly respond. His body was weak and broken, but his eyes shone with an intensity that he had never felt.

Luffy had thought he knew what anger was. He had felt angry when he fought Arlong. He felt angry whenever someone touched his hat. He felt angry whenever he watched someone kind get hurt. Anger was like a fire in his blood; it was an emotion that pushed him forward even when it hurt. Anger was what drove forward when something precious was at stake.

But he had never felt this before. This wasn't anger; this was pure, undiluted, ice-cold fury.

He could feel it in his bones. It suppressed any other feeling, as if his body was being frozen from the inside. For all he was in pain, his mind felt clearer than it had ever been. He was fuelled by a disturbingly rational focus, as sharp as a blade. This was more than just rage; this was hatred with so much clarity and passion behind it, that Luffy might have felt scared if even he could feel anything at all.

For the first time in his life, Luffy felt absolute murderous intent.

This time, he wasn't going to beat his opponent. He wasn't going to send him flying.

This time, he was just going kill him.

Luffy glared at Crocodile with eyes that were already picturing the Warlord's cold, dead body. "I will end you."

Zoro was balancing on the edge of the unknown when suddenly he felt the breath return to his lungs. It was the most glorious thing he had ever felt. All he could do was breathe in the deep, beautiful oxygen, spitting out the sand that filled his mouth.

His head was spinning and his body was limp as strong hands pulled him out of the ground. The sand avalanched around him, but he could feel himself being lifted upwards.

Everything was so unfocused that overwhelmed him. Images, sounds and sensations all just flashed around him. He was completely delirious from lack of oxygen, and his body had been beaten so badly that all his strength was gone.

Still, as Zoro gasped in the precious air, a strange sense of calm started to fall over him. Even as he was pulled out of the ground into a loud chaos, all he could feel was a weirdly serene peace.

And then he heard a voice, one which cut through everything else and rang crystal clear. It was a woman's voice. His eyes started to focus, and finally Zoro managed to focus a face.

It was Tashigi. She was dirty, bloody and bruised, but there was no sign of weakness as she kept on pulling Zoro out of the sand, while shouting loudly for medical aid. Suddenly, Zoro was seeing the lieutenant for the first time, and he instantly realised that he had never seen anything more beautiful.

For once, her resemblance to Kuina never even crossed his mind.

Around him, more of his senses started to work. The street had been buried under tonnes of sand, but the place was crawling with Marines as they worked to desperately pull the Straw Hat pirates out.

"He's lost a lot of blood! Stab wound to the stomach!" Tashigi shouted loudly; her officer voice was clear and sharp. "Get a doctor over here!"

Vaguely, Zoro glimpsed half a dozen marines trying to evacuate Sanji, while Chopper was unconscious and lying completely still. Vivi and even more marines were digging desperately for Usopp, and through the corner of his eye Zoro spotted Nami as well.

Another woman was there, standing in the middle of it all. She was tall, slender, pretty, wearing a white cowboy hat and high-heeled boots. It took a few seconds for Zoro to recognise her as Miss All Sunday. Hands were sprouting out of the ground around her, helping to rescue Usopp and Nami at the same time.

"These are pirates!" one of the marines was shouting angrily. The Marines all looked weary and injured. "We shouldn't be helping them!"

For half a second, Tashigi locked eyes with Miss All Sunday, and Zoro sensed some tension between them. Still, Tashigi turned away and ordered firmly. "Just do it; or I'll have you court-martialled for insubordination," she threatened. "Now bring the medic over here."

Zoro was completely unable to move and barely conscious as he felt his body being wrapped in bandages. His wounds were cleaned and cauterised, but he barely even winced as hot knife sealed his flesh.

Slowly, Zoro managed to make out the other pirates being rescued and given the medical attention that they so urgently required. Around them, the sandstorm was still raging strong.

Zoro's voice was hoarse as eventually croaked. "Crocodile… where is he?"

A flash of worry flickered past Tashigi's face, and she turned to look at Miss All Sunday. The older woman was calm, or at least much better at hiding her emotions.

"Crocodile is being dealt with," she said simply.

On the palace wall, Crocodile was laughing again. He was too full of himself to recognise the dangerous glint in Luffy's eyes.

"You really don't change, do you?" Crocodile grinned. "Eager for death right up until the end. I would have hoped that having your heart cut open would have taught you something, at least."

Luffy didn't respond; he was completely still, not even blinking. Crocodile crossed his arms, deliberating carefully.

"Alright," the Warlord decided finally. "I'm offering you an once-in-a-lifetime free pass. More than you deserve, at least. Turn around and walk away now, and I'll let you go safely. Get out of the city, seek medical attention, and never cross me again."

Luffy's breaths were shallow and quick. His body wasn't trembling anymore though, but suddenly his hand was completely steady. It was the same steadiness of a dying man, perhaps.

When Luffy didn't move, Crocodile frowned and continued. "Did you hear me, straw hat?" Crocodile growled. "I don't offer mercy very often, so take it and be grateful. It's over; I've won, move on."

There was another moment's silence. Nobody moved. Crocodile sighed.

"I really don't want to kill you," he admitted finally. "You fought too well to die like this. If nothing else, I've come to respect your determination. You faced insurmountable odds, but you never backed down. It's been years since I've faced a foe like you, and I have no desire to ruin the experience."

Luffy didn't even twitch. His body was too injured. Crocodile might not be at his peak either, but Luffy was struggling just to stay alive. Luffy knew that he would never survive in a fair fight.

That's why this fight wasn't going to be fair.

Crocodile smiled softly. "No," he muttered. "You would never walk away, would you? I should never have expected anything different."

He adjusted the blade on his prosthetic hand absentmindedly. "I'm going to kill you now," Crocodile said finally. "I'm going to cut off your head, and I'm going to watch you die. I know that you will struggle to the very last breath, so I'm going to make it quick."

Crocodile started to walk towards Luffy, already starting to generate a miniature sandstorm in the palm of his hand. "It's a pity you're such a fool," Crocodile muttered regretfully.

Finally, Luffy spoke up, his voice quiet and dangerous.

"At least I know what colour sand is," he said slowly.

Suddenly, the Warlord paused. He hadn't expected that. "What?" Crocodile exclaimed, wondering briefly if Luffy had gone mad.

Luffy raised his head to meet Crocodile's gaze. "What colour is sand?"

Crocodile smirked. The boy had definitely gone mad. "Yellow, of course."

"Then why has the sandstorm turned green?"

That got the Warlord's attention. Suddenly, Crocodile was looking around him in surprise, but it was true. The swirling storm that covered the city was tainted with green streaks swishing through the air. Quickly, the green started to increase, until eventually the air around them was covered green. With a sinking dread, Crocodile realised that he recognised the colour.

"What did you do?!" Crocodile shouted with increasing panic.

"I didn't," Luffy said coldly. "You did."

The green was rising higher and higher into the sky, supported by the sandstorm. Crocodile knew that he needed to stop this sandstorm right now, but it was too late. Not even his powers could stop it now.

"You smuggled dance powder into Alubarna to frame the king," Luffy continued emotionlessly. It was amazing the clarity that death could give you. Once Luffy had regained his consciousness, suddenly he started to think and remember things that he never could before. "But the king refused to use it. That means there's a large amount of dance powder hidden in the palace somewhere, and you destroyed the palace."

Luffy's eyes were murderous. "All I had to do was keep you busy long enough; then your sandstorm would eventually sweep up the dance powder with it and spread it into the atmosphere."

The Warlord was momentarily speechless. He knew what that meant. Dance powder was lighter than sand; it rose upwards faster. It was finer than sand, and there was enough of it to dye the storm green. As soon as that much dance powder hit the upper atmosphere, there was only one thing that could possibly happen…

Within seconds, the sky started to cloud over as the green powder accelerated the formation of the water clouds. It wasn't long before the first rain drop hit the ground, followed quickly by the second.

Two seconds later, and suddenly the sky had burst open and unleashed a torrent of rain onto the city. It was a flash rainfall of biblical proportions, as rain drops the size of boulders came crashing down from the sky.

The sand never stood a chance. The rain overpowered the sandstorm, leaving Crocodile watching in shock as his whole plan literally washed away.

Luffy just glared him. There was no doubt or hesitation. The young pirate was like a completely different person.

With everything he had left, Luffy moved in a flash. There was instantly a knife in his hand. Crocodile had been expecting some heavily broadcasted and furious assault, but this was so quick and quiet it caught the Warlord completely by surprise.

Crocodile tried to use his powers reflexively, but there was no way his Logia abilities could work with so much water in the air. Within a second, Luffy was plunging the blade deep into Crocodile's chest.

Nico Robin had quite kindly donated the knife.

The rain covered everything. Luffy was drenched to the bone in seconds, but he didn't care. His blade was suddenly embedded into Crocodile's sternum, and he could feel the sickening crunch as the metal scraped against bone.

Crocodile gasped in shock. Blood was rushing out of him, leaving red puddles on the stone. Luffy's grip was completely steady, even as he kept on pushing the blade through Crocodile's body. He tore through muscle and bone without hesitation.

As Crocodile's breathing became deathly shallow, Luffy's voice was cold.

For what you've done; there is no forgiveness. No mercy," Luffy whispered quietly.

The Warlord's body stopped struggling, and limply fell to the ground. Luffy watched him drop, wondering briefly wondering whether he should feel anything, but he didn't.

"Nobody hurts my friends," Luffy said softly, dropping the knife on the ground. The determination and murderous intent slowly leaked out of him, leaving him feeling hollow and weak.

Luffy gently lay down on the walls, watching the rain sweep across Alubarna. There was still fighting in the main plaza, but it was slowly dying down. All the anger and hatred was being washed away, leaving nothing but the confused and the dead. All the soldiers, loyalist and rebels, were gradually beginning to wonder who and why they were fighting as the sand was cleared away.

After he had climbed out of the Tombs, Luffy had asked King Cobra to break open the storage and spread the dance powder onto the ground, while Robin had went to try and save his friends. There was a knot in Luffy's stomach that refused to ease when he thought about his crew.

The minutes past slowly, but the rain showed no signs of letting up. A lot of dance powder had been released. The desert kingdom of Alabasta might actually have its very first flash flood, but Luffy didn't care. Some things deserve to be washed away…

Almost absentmindedly, Luffy reached up to feel the gruesome wound across his chest. Robin had done what she could, but it would still leave a nasty scar. The rain was so heavy that the bandages were soaked through, and slowly Luffy felt himself losing consciousness again.

The boy gently dropped to the ground, watching the rain come pouring down. The last thing he saw was the still corpse of Crocodile, as the rain cleaned away the blood. The rain washed it all away…

It took the rest of the day for the fighting to finally end. The majority of the battle ended with the rain, but there were localised conflicts throughout the city until nightfall. It only really ended once everyone was too tired to continue.

The dead filled the streets. Many had died in the sandstorm, even more had died from the battle itself.

The Marines played a large part in bringing it under control. Tashigi set up medical stations for the wounded, and treat anybody, despite the side, that was still fighting as hostile. The straw hat pirates were treated by the Marines for most of the day, until what remained of the Palace Guard evacuated them to the palace to avoid any arrests.

The head guard Chaka found Luffy and the body of Crocodile by scent after the rain had cleared, and quickly took the young pirate back to the palace for urgent medical treatment. After inspecting his wounds, the palace medic, Ho, couldn't believe that the pirate was still alive.

By midnight, King Cobra was back on his throne, but his control was dubious at best. He met with the remaining leaders of the rebellion and explained the true nature of the rebellion and the influence of Crocodile and Baroque Works on the country. Igaram was there, with his witness, to collaborate the story. The rebel leaders had their taste of bloodshed and accepted the application.

Still, without the testimony of Kohza, then the whole explanation felt to many like a cover-up by the Royal Family. This led to the conspiracy theory that in fact Sir Crocodile had been murdered and used as scapegoat to explain away the failings of the king. Kohza himself was currently unconscious from severe blood loss, and there was no sign of him waking up.

It also wasn't lost on many that Cobra had been forced to use dance powder, the very substance that started the rebellion, in order to stop it. Even if the rebellion was officially over, it seemed clear that the king's rule would be challenged for a very long time.

There was no celebrating the end of the battle. Far too many had died.

Princess Vivi, once she had heard about Luffy's condition, had run to the palace and waited outside the medical room for hours. Nobody was sure whether Luffy would still make it sure, and the medic Ho had expressed doubt whether he would be able to stitch up a wound that severe.

Finally, a grim and tired Ho exited the chamber, his gloves still stained with blood.

"I have never seen such life force in a patient before," the doctor admitted, straightening his circular glasses with bloodied hands. "I was doubtful that he could survive, but the young man seems to refuse to die."

At once, a huge ball of tension was released from Vivi's shoulders. She practically collapsed from relief. "He'll be ok then?" Vivi asked insistently.

Ho nodded. "As far as I can tell, yes. I have stitched up his chest wound, performed several blood transfusions, and treated his other injuries. Right now, he just needs rest and recuperation."

"Can I see him?" Vivi begged. "I really need to see him?"

The doctor hesitated. "He will be unconscious for some time, princess. I don't want to disturb his recovery."

"Please?" Vivi pressed. She had been incredibly worried about Luffy, and the nightmares in the back of her head had been driving her insane. All Vivi wanted was just to see him again. "I promise I won't disturb him, I just…"

Her voice trailed off. The old man nodded kind-heartedly. "As you wish, princess. Please follow me."

As he opened the door, Ho suddenly looked uncertain. "There is one other thing you should know," he said hesitantly. "I understand that gentleman in question ate a Devil fruit?"

Vivi nodded with confusion. "Yes; the Gum Gum Fruit. He was a Rubber-man."

Ho cleared his throat. "The dynamics of Devil fruits are not particularly well understood," Ho confessed. "But it is known that once the user dies, the Devil fruit power leaves the body and is reincarnated into a fruit elsewhere."

The doctor continued uncertainly. "Now, it is possible (very rare, mind you!) for a person to reach such a state of near-death that the power actually leaves the body, and in such a case the power will not return when the user recovers."

The princess gasped. "You mean…?"

He nodded grimly. "Yes - the power of the Gum Gum Fruit is already gone," he explained. "Monkey D. Luffy is no longer a Rubber-man."