Chat Group For The Dead : Start From One Piece

On the Outskirts of Whitebeard Pirates' Territory

Crocodile was so confident in his calculations that he firmly believed Lucas wouldn't dare retaliate against him. There were simply too many forces involved in the coordinated attacks on the Whitebeard Pirates' territories today, enough that even the World Government had taken notice.

In Crocodile's mind, if Lucas sought revenge, he would risk alarming every faction participating in the raid. With everyone feeling threatened, it wouldn't be impossible for them to form an alliance against him.

Right now, Lucas was already at odds with the Beasts Pirates and under attack from the Big Mom Pirates, both of whom were Four Emperors. Facing two Pirate Emperors simultaneously left Lucas vulnerable. As long as he wasn't a complete fool, he wouldn't risk provoking silver medalists like Crocodile and his ilk.

Sure, these silver medalists weren't strong enough to defeat Lucas individually. But if they banded together to support the Big Mom Pirates or Beasts Pirates, it wouldn't be impossible to bring Lucas down.

This was Crocodile's strategy—and it mirrored the thinking of most factions participating in today's looting of the Whitebeard Pirates' territories.

But reality had a way of shattering expectations.

Suddenly, a booming voice rang out across the sky.

"Crocodile, To think I would see you here!"

From above, a Shadow Clone of Lucas plummeted from the sky, landing with a thunderous crash on Crocodile's pirate ship.

An invisible Conqueror's Haki surged out, crackling through the air as it transformed into jagged purple lightning, sweeping across the deck. The pirates who had been rushing onto the island froze mid-stride, their bodies trembling as if a massive sledgehammer had slammed into their skulls.

Within seconds, the overwhelming Conqueror's Haki had its effect. The pirates brought by Crocodile collapsed like dominos, hitting the deck with loud thuds, their eyes rolling back in unconsciousness.

"Lucas?"

Daz Bonez, Agent No. 1, stared at Lucas with wide, cautious eyes. His body tensed, instinctively stepping in front of Crocodile, ready to defend his boss.

"Step aside."

Crocodile extended an arm and shoved Daz aside, his face a mask of indifference as he locked eyes with Lucas.

A sneer tugged at Crocodile's lips. "Looks like my luck isn't so great after all."

According to Crocodile's earlier predictions, Lucas wouldn't have retaliated after the raids had concluded. But if Lucas caught them in the act—like he had now—there was nothing left to say. Crocodile knew his careful plans had unraveled. The foundational assumption he'd built his strategy on had changed, and with that, all his subsequent calculations were now worthless.

"It's not that you have bad luck," Lucas said, his tone light but laced with menace. "You just have bad judgment."

"You really thought you could provoke me with your strength? What were you thinking?"

With a casual sigh, Lucas's body suddenly exploded into a cloud of white smoke.

"What?!"

Crocodile and Daz tensed, eyes darting to the swirling smoke where Lucas had just stood.

"What's he playing at?" Crocodile muttered, momentarily baffled.

"What's that?" Daz pointed to the deck, where a pitch-black mark had been left behind in Lucas's place.

Brush!

The instant the Shadow Clone left the Flying Thunder God mark, Lucas's real body surged through space, instantly teleporting to the marked spot.

"Now, let's get back to our conversation—you've got a terrible mind, Crocodile."

Lucas's voice was calm, almost mocking.

"Go to hell!"

Crocodile didn't wait another second. Without another word, he attacked.

Flicking his hand, Crocodile activated his Logia Sand-Sand Fruit ability. A massive scimitar-shaped blade of sand formed mid-air and slashed towards Lucas.

"Desert Spada!"

This technique wasn't just for slicing. It carried the unique drying properties of the Sand-Sand Fruit, designed to absorb moisture from its target, turning flesh into withered husks.

But against Lucas? It was completely useless.

With a flick of his wrist, Lucas's fist shot forward, coated in Armament Haki. The blackened knuckles smashed into the Desert Sword, shattering it into a spray of harmless sand.

"My turn."

Lucas's smile didn't reach his eyes.

In a blink, his body disappeared and reappeared beside Crocodile. Before Crocodile could react, Lucas's Haki-infused fist landed squarely in his abdomen.

BOOM!

Crocodile's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't elementalize to dodge the blow—not with Lucas's top-tier Armament Haki negating his Logia defenses. The punch sent a violent shockwave through his body, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"So weak," Lucas muttered with disappointment. "If I limit the number of Shadow Clones to less than ten, I could probably let them handle you."

Crocodile crumpled to the deck, coughing up blood, his vision swimming.

"President!"

Seeing his boss in such dire straits, Daz sprang into action. Activating his Dice-Dice Fruit powers, his body transformed into gleaming, razor-sharp blades. He launched himself at Lucas, slashing with deadly precision.

"A blade?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. With a swift motion, he unsheathed Shusui, the famed black sword. One clean slash sent Daz flying back, his bladed body deeply wounded, unable to muster any further resistance.

"Daz!"

Crocodile's bloodshot eyes locked onto his fallen comrade. Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to stand, his body trembling with both rage and pain.

With a snarl, he gathered a swirling dust tornado in his palm, hurling it at Lucas with all his remaining strength.

"Sandstorm!"

The spinning vortex of sand surged forward, growing to the height of a four-story building as it roared towards Lucas, threatening to engulf him whole.

But Lucas merely sneered.

Raising his hand, he punched the air with pinpoint precision.

BOOM!

The air shattered under the force of Lucas's attack, the devastating power of the Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit) tearing through the sandstorm. The residual shockwave didn't just disperse Crocodile's attack—it ripped through Crocodile himself, his body disintegrating into grains of sand before collapsing like a broken marionette.

Lucas's fist glowed faintly as he activated Advanced Armament Haki—Emission, the technique allowing his Haki to explode outward upon contact, extending its destructive force even beyond physical blows.

Lucas stared down at the pile of sand that was once Crocodile. Without hesitation, he appeared in front of it, his body radiating with Armament Haki. The blackened energy seeped into the grains of sand, ensuring complete destruction.

But the sand began to tremble and swirl, slowly reforming into a battered and bruised Crocodile. Lucas hadn't finished him off immediately—not because he couldn't, but because Crocodile's past connections with Whitebeard were still somewhat unclear. It was worth understanding the dynamics before making any rash decisions.

In the Chat Group

Pirate King Roger: "Who is this kid? Slicked-back hair, gold earrings, big cigar… he looks like some kind of big shot!"

Golden Lion Shiki groaned. "Roger, your attention to the weirdest details never fails to amaze me."

Pirate King Roger: "I'm just wondering if he can dance!"

Golden Lion Shiki: "Dance? I don't know, but I do know he definitely won't have a son who doesn't recognize him!"

The group burst into laughter.

Lucas: "That's Crocodile, a former member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. He witnessed Roger's execution and was one of the first supernovas to emerge after the Great Pirate Era began."

Pirate King Roger: "Really? He witnessed my execution? No wonder he looks like he's trying so hard. But why isn't he a Warlord anymore?"

Golden Lion Shiki snickered.

Golden Lion Shiki: "If I remember it right, he was defeated by a Marine Captain, so he got stripped of his Warlord title. Ridiculous, right? Absolutely ridiculous! This is the kind of 'supernova' Roger inspired to go to sea—a bunch of star-chasers with no strength or brains."

Fire Fist Ace chimed in, his tone serious.

Fire Fist Ace: "No, that's not exactly true. The one who really defeated him wasn't a Marine Captain. It was my brother—Straw Hat Luffy."

Golden Lion Shiki: "NANI? Impossible!"

Lucas: "Unfortunately, it's true. Crocodile tried to become a hero in Alabasta while secretly aiming to acquire Pluton, one of the Three Ancient Weapons."

Pirate King Roger: "Alabasta? Pluton? How did he even hear about that?"

Lucas: "I don't know the exact details, but from what I've gathered, the information he got was incomplete. That's why he wanted to decipher the Poneglyph hidden in Alabasta. He got lucky and found Nico Robin, the last survivor of Ohara—the only woman capable of interpreting the ancient texts."

Golden Lion Shiki asked impatiently,

Golden Lion Shiki: "Did he succeed?"

Shiki had his own experiences with Ancient Weapons, so his interest in the subject was understandable.

Fire Fist Ace: "You can tell just by looking at him—he obviously failed. If he'd actually acquired an Ancient Weapon, he'd be out there trying to rule the world by now."

Golden Lion Shiki: "That's right! But wait—you're saying his failure was all because of Straw Hat Luffy? Alabasta's at the front of the Grand Line. Are you seriously telling me Luffy, who'd just entered the Grand Line, managed to defeat a Warlord of the Sea?"

Lucas: "You can't pin Crocodile's failure entirely on Luffy. Crocodile is a schemer—he spent over ten years plotting to take over Alabasta."

Senju Hashirama chuckled.

Senju Hashirama: "Ten years? That's impressive. He's really patient."

Pirate King Roger: "Pfft, ten years? That's nothing! Shiki over here lurked for over twenty years for his plans. Of course… they both failed."

Golden Lion Shiki: "Shut up, all of you!"

Lucas: "Shiki's a little pissed off, huh? But honestly, doesn't it make you wonder? How does someone like Roger, who has no patience, no strategy, and no ambition, end up succeeding, while people like you—with patience, strategy, and ambition—end up failing?"

Golden Lion Shiki: "…"

Pirate King Roger: "Hahaha, well said! You really hit the nail on the head there, Lucas!"

Whitebeard: "Gurarararara! I almost feel bad for Shiki. Roger, you're so mean!"

Gold Thief Woonan: "Now that you mention it, the group leader's right. Thinking about it like this, Shiki's really got it rough."

Golden Lion Shiki: "…"

Pirate King Roger: "Shiki, did you manage to stand up today?"

Whitebeard: "Shiki has no feet. You're asking him to stand? Roger, you're just cruel."

Pirate King Roger: "Oh, right. His feet got cut off in Impel Down, didn't they? Poor Shiki can't stand—he can only float."

Lucas: @Pirate King Roger, "Didn't Shiki lose his feet because of you? You heartless bastard."

Pirate King Roger: "…Wait, why am I suddenly the villain here? No, let's get back to talking about Crocodile!"

Golden Lion Shiki, tired of the roasting, changed the subject.

Golden Lion Shiki: "Yeah, let's move on. So Crocodile lurked in Alabasta for over ten years. Then what?"

Lucas: "To seize control of the country, Crocodile first portrayed himself as a hero. He fought off pirates as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and gained the trust of Alabasta's people."

Sword God Ryoma chimed in thoughtfully.

Sword God Ryuma: "Using pirates to fight pirates… The World Government sure knows how to play its games. But honestly, if Crocodile didn't have ulterior motives, this system wouldn't be too bad."

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