Chapter 102: A New Legend [5K]

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Siano seemed quite interested and leaned closer. "What ancient secret?"

Yes, closer, even closer.

Just give me a little more time to prepare.

Rustle... rustle...

This was a sound only Crocodile could hear; beneath his skin, it was as if countless grains of sand were flowing, condensing, and spinning—

"Do you think I operated in Alabasta for no reason? That nation is an ancient civilization with a thousand years of history, hiding an ancient weapon capable of destroying the world..."

Crocodile spoke while gasping, his voice growing weaker with each word.

Until Siano had to press his ear right against him to barely make out the words, the corner of Crocodile's mouth suddenly twisted into a sinister grin—

You've been fooled, kid!

"Sandstorm: Heavenly Pillar Rain!!!"

Boom!

Amidst the low shout, countless fine cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the sand crocodile's skin.

Golden sand grains erupted wildly from the fissures, and in that very instant, the entire body exploded!

This was no ordinary explosion, but a self-destructive attack that compressed his sand-transformed body to its absolute limit.

Countless sand grains wrapped in Armament Haki shot out like bullets, forming numerous shockwaves with terrifying penetrating power at point-blank range!

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

The dense sand grains struck Siano frantically, emitting a muffled sound like rain beating against banana leaves.

Every single grain unleashed terrifying impact force; even Siano was pushed backward, sliding over ten meters by the shock.

He raised his arms before him to defend, while his feet plowed two deep furrows into the sandy surface.

"Brother!"

"Captain!"

Shouts of alarm also rang out from the Falling Curtain.

Nami was the first to vault over the railing, intending to jump ashore.

But just as she swung one leg over, Siano's calm voice immediately rang out from the swirling yellow dust:

"Nothing's wrong, don't come over."

As the smoke and dust cleared, Siano's figure gradually became distinct.

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

Those terrifying sand bullets, capable of penetrating steel plates, had mostly left only dense clusters of red dots on his skin.

Only in a few areas where the impact was most concentrated—his chest, abdomen, and arms—was the flesh blurred and seeping with blood.

"Did I bleed?"

Siano spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, glanced down at his injuries, then looked up again. "Did you develop this move recently? It's finally getting interesting. Can you use it a few more times so I can experience it again?"

He grinned, laughing with complete disregard.

Though it was a harmless, incredibly affable smile, in Crocodile's eyes, it was as terrifying as a demon emerging from hell.

"Cough, cough-cough... truly boring..."

Crocodile struggled to roll over, lying face up on the sandy ground and gazing faintly at the night sky. His trembling fingers fished a cigar from the inner pocket of his coat, bit down on it, and took several tries before finally striking a flame.

After lighting it, he took a deep drag and exhaled a cloud of smoke mixed with blood froth, his blood-stained lips curling into a self-mocking arc:

"Even a move like this can't do anything to you? What kind of monster are you, exactly..."

At this moment, his body resembled a tattered sack, leaking everywhere, with sand constantly oozing out, while the aura around him grew increasingly feeble.

Siano took a glance.

It was clear that without timely treatment, Crocodile's life was nearly at its end.

"It seems you can't use it a second time."

Siano, somewhat disappointed, squatted down. "A self-destructive move, huh? Using it once is enough to take you down with you; 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're clearly meeting for the first time. Don't act as if you know me well."

Nonsense, of course I know you well.

If only the trading market could refresh to show episodes of the One Piece anime.

Siano would definitely play two episodes of Luffy in Gear 5 getting drenched and beating the crap out of him, just to see if the guy would faint from rage on the spot.

Speaking of which.

Although he had approached seemingly without defense just now, his vigilance had actually been maxed out.

The moment this guy suddenly adopted such a humble, submissive, and timid demeanor, it felt extremely off.

He was, after all, a hero of his generation on the seas.

He might be a bit incompetent lately, but he dared to make moves against Akainu and Whitebeard.

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

When things are abnormal, there must be a follow-up move.

Therefore, before the other party launched his self-destructive attack, Siano had already pushed Iron Body to its limit.

And at the instant the sand dust exploded, he had directly covered his body with a massive amount of Armament Haki.

Otherwise, there really would have been a slight possibility of the opponent turning the tables.

"Logically speaking, I could just leave now and let you perish here on your own."

Siano spoke. "But you lot have such tenacious vitality, one and all; I really can't give you even a sliver of a chance."

"Stop with that insincere nonsense and make your move." Crocodile narrowed his eyes. "If our positions were reversed, I certainly wouldn't go easy either."

"No rush; wait until you finish this cigarette."

"..." Crocodile paused, glanced at the cigar in his hand, and muttered, "... Thanks."

Siano waited quietly until the Sand Crocodile had nearly finished that cigar, then placed his right hand on the other's neck.

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

"Delusional."

Crocodile sneered. "I will remember this until my next life. I couldn't even accept being defeated by Whitebeard; how could I possibly forget the shame of being beaten senseless by a rookie?"

"However."

He stared at Siano, exhaled a final puff of smoke, and burst into unrestrained laughter:

"Hey, hey, hey, to think someone like you actually exists in the new generation? The more I think about it, the more absurd it seems. The future of these seas looks like it's going to get interesting. As for those old fossils in the New World who are used to lording over everyone, mark my words, they won't be having good days for much longer either!"

Siano raised an eyebrow and grinned broadly:

"Thanks for the recognition."

Crack—Crocodile's head was twisted to the side; his body, already weakened to the extreme, completely lost all signs of life.

After confirming the Sand Crocodile's death,

Siano clapped his hands and slowly rose to his feet.

The yellow sand gradually settled, and the crew members, who had been holding their breath for ages, one by one jumped down from the ship and gathered around.

"Brother! Are you okay?"

Nami dashed forward in a single stride, frantically rummaging through the medical kit held by Nojiko to pull out bandages and disinfectant alcohol.

But when she looked up, ready to treat his wounds, she suddenly froze—

Those flesh-and-blood-mangled wounds on Siano's body had now completely healed; under the moonlight, not even a single scar remained.

"Strange." Nami scratched her head, puzzled. "Did I just hallucinate and see things wrong...?"

"No, it wasn't a hallucination."

Smoker, cigar dangling from his mouth, stepped forward. Gazing at Siano's unscathed upper body, he remarked with emotion, "It's Life Return. The Captain's Life Return must have been cultivated to the absolute pinnacle. Among everyone I've ever seen, simply no one can compare... even several Marine Admirals fall short."

Siano rubbed the small heads of Nojiko and Nami, smiling without speaking.

In his heart, however, he rolled his eyes at the White Hunter, who was pretending to be the Navy's Encyclopedia.

What nonsense are you spouting?

A Marine Admiral's Life Return certainly couldn't achieve this level of effect.

Because this damn effect belongs to "Regeneration Technique"!

"Even the Marine Admirals can't compare?"

Nami, however, took it as truth and couldn't help but gasp in awe. "Then, Brother, just how strong are you now? You beat this Warlord so badly he couldn't fight back at all; can you really compare to a Marine Admiral now?"

"What are you thinking?"

Siano laughed helplessly, flicking Nami's forehead with a bent finger. "Do you really think your brother is omnipotent? You're still far off."

When he first set sail and left home, he hadn't really known his own measure.

But after experiencing battles against Onigumo and the Sand Crocodile in succession, he now had a relatively concrete assessment of his current strength.

If compared horizontally among the Warlords, he should belong to the absolute upper tier; most Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals were also not his match.

Yet he was still significantly weaker than those ace commanders in the New World Emperor crews, each possessing unique, supreme skills.

Compared to the Admirals and the Four Emperors, the gap was more than one level. Taking Teacher Kai as an example, if he threw himself into Wano Country, it was hard to say how many blows he could withstand.

There was still a long road to travel and break through before reaching the realm of those top-tier monsters.

The Curtain Fall officially dropped anchor and docked.

The bounty hunters who had been hiding nearby still dared not approach the port.

On the contrary, they had fled farther and farther away ever since the battle began; now, almost all of them had hidden behind that massive cactus mountain.

Very sensible; Siano had no intention of actively seeking trouble with them.

With both sides leaving each other undisturbed, it was actually quite peaceful.

On the sandy ground near the port, a bonfire was built; everyone sat on the ground around the warm flames, holding a brief summary meeting.

"Crocodile usually operates within the Kingdom of Alabasta, which is still some distance from here."

Siano, holding a cup of hot coffee, analyzed, "That means he received a request from Marine Headquarters at least a week ago to assist in hunting us down. The timing is very close to the Loguetown incident. It seems Marine Headquarters takes us quite seriously; they want to mobilize every available force to extinguish us as early as possible in Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line."

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

Zeff carried dishes out from the kitchen, placing them before everyone. After sitting cross-legged, he smiled and interjected, "When news of Crocodile's death from this incident gets back, it's going to give them quite a fright."

"Ha! Just imagining their shocked faces makes this old man find it amusing. If a Marine Vice Admiral won't do and a Warlord won't do, then in my view, if they're pushed to desperation, they might just directly dispatch a Marine Admiral to hunt us down!"

Smoker lifted his meal tray and, upon hearing this, shook his head slightly. "That's not necessarily so, Mr. Zeff."

"As the highest combat power of Headquarters, Marine Admirals are rather busy. They must constantly monitor the situation in the New World and always keep one stationed at Headquarters. Therefore, generally speaking, unless they can pinpoint a location with precision, they won't expend massive amounts of time leading a team to track pirates in Paradise."

"Speaking of which, does that mean we need to be more careful and low-key when we reach those bustling, crowded places in the future?"

Zeff pinched his chin and said, "Tsk. Otherwise, it's possible that by the time a Marine Admiral receives the news and comes knocking at our door, we'll still be strolling leisurely through some town."

"We certainly need to be vigilant when the time comes, but that matter is still far off. Our next stop, Little Garden, is a remote, uninhabited place; there's no need to worry too much."

Siano smiled, turned to Nami, and asked, "How is the Log Pose doing? Roughly how long until it accumulates enough magnetism?"

"Reporting, Brother! It's already one-fifth full; that's pretty fast!"

Nami quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and reported, "At this rate, if we rest and reorganize tonight, we should be ready to depart by tomorrow noon!"

"Tomorrow noon? That's roughly sixteen or seventeen hours, then?"

Siano nodded; this charging speed was indeed considered fast in the Grand Line.

On the islands of the Grand Line, the speed at which each one fills with magnetism varies.

The fastest batch might only need one or two hours, while for the slow ones, it's hard to say—often several days or even ten-plus days, with some lasting as long as several years.

"In any case, everyone get some good rest. Ah Yin slept during the day, so he'll take the night watch. Tomorrow morning, we'll restock on food and fresh water in this town, then set sail for the next stop!"

This was the final order he issued as captain before dismissing the meeting.

Naturally, no one had any objections.

Only Ah Yin tilted his head back and let out a mournful howl, wanting to cry but having no tears—Wait, Boss, does dozing off on the deck for a while at noon count as having slept enough?

Can't we raise another pet? I'm not even an adult yet; you can't just keep milking one beast of burden dry, can you?

But he didn't dare protest in front of his master, so he waited until Siano turned and walked away, then secretly pissed on his elongated shadow cast upon the sandy ground to express his dissatisfaction.

……

The night passed without incident.

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

As for the shop owners being scared out of their wits and not having returned yet?

That didn't matter; the members of the Curtain Fall Adventurer Troupe still adhered to principles.

Since they hadn't attacked us, they would pretend not to know about their identities as bounty hunters, conducting transactions just like with normal merchants, each slapping their banknotes onto the counter at the market price.

Meanwhile, while cleaning up the battlefield, Siano also conveniently sheared all the wool he could.

【You sacrificed Mr. 5's sunglasses, gaining 120 points】

【You sacrificed Miss Valentine's parasol, gaining 80 points】

【You sacrificed Crocodile's hook, gaining 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 merely fainted; after being shaken vigorously by Nami early in the morning, she finally slowly regained consciousness.

Upon seeing her partner's corpse, which looked like a mummy, this teenage lemon of a girl was so frightened she nearly fainted again.

She immediately curled up in Nami's arms and burst into loud, wailing sobs.

She kept saying she never wanted to be an agent again, that fighting and killing was terrifying, and that now she just wanted to return to her hometown and open her own little coffee shop, and so on.

This made Nami feel somewhat guilty; she comforted her with kind words, personally untied her and sent her away, and even shared some of the food and fresh water she had bought with her.

Siano watched all of this unfold.

Apart from sighing that his little sister's heart was still too naive and kind, he did not intervene.

This was an opponent Nami had defeated, so life or death should naturally be Nami's decision to make; he would not interfere.

Of course, the main reason was that Miss Valentine was simply too weak... Regardless of whether she was truly scared out of her wits and wanted to retire to her hometown, that pitiful amount of strength could hardly be considered a threat by any stretch.

That so-called Devil Fruit ability to press down with ten thousand kilograms was, in his eyes, at best just a flying dumbbell.

Why get so serious over a piece of gym equipment!

……

In the blink of an eye, it was already noon.

The Log Pose had fully charged with magnetism, and the Curtain Fall finally sailed out of Whiskey Shanfeng's harbor under the quiet gaze of countless eyes, heading toward the next stop.

Only after that ship became a tiny black dot on the horizon did the bounty hunters, who had been hiding behind Cactus Shanfeng, dare to emerge one after another.

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

A hunter wearing a cowboy hat collapsed onto the sandy ground, the telescope in his hand dropping with a clatter; only then did he realize his back was already soaked in cold sweat.

Inside the tavern, a few bold hunters were gathered around the bar, discussing in hushed tones.

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

A young hunter asked in a lowered voice.

"What do you think, you idiot!"

The big-bearded hunter beside him gulped down a mouthful of alcohol, his hand still trembling slightly:

"The entire harbor turned to sand... who else could it be but him? Someone's already found his corpse. Damn it, Laozi has been mixing in this place for over ten years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a scene like this."

He was not the only one.

Recalling that terrifyingly grand battle witnessed from afar under the moonlight last night,

many bounty hunters still felt a sense of disbelief, as if they hadn't yet awakened from a dream.

—That was the illustrious Warlord of the Sea, the renowned Crocodile!

And he just... died like that?

Even though he had displayed terrifying Devil Fruit abilities, even though nearly half of Whiskey Shanfeng had been turned to dust by him...

he still could not defeat Siano, the captain of the Curtain Fall Pirate Crew!

Then just how terrifying must the strength of this monstrous newcomer, who received a bounty exceeding one hundred million the moment he stepped into the Grand Line, actually be?

"Reporters from the newspapers should arrive here very soon; once the news spreads, Captain Siano's bounty will surely skyrocket again, won't it?"

The young hunter spoke with full admiration and envy, "To become famous across the seas while still in his teens... Even though I'm a hunter, if I could have such a high bounty and such great fame, I'd become a pirate immediately!"

"Scram, scram."

The big-bearded hunter kicked him irritably, then picked up his wine cup and couldn't help but click his tongue in emotion: "Damn it, actually speaking, this time it turns out we were the ones who got incredibly lucky."

"Not only did we survive without losing any arms or legs, but we also personally witnessed the rise of a new legend on the seas. When we're old and return to our hometowns, won't today's events be enough to brag about to the village children for the rest of our lives?"

A new legend, huh...

The other hunters looked out the window at the sea, vaguely recalling that excessively youthful face, and for a moment, they all unconsciously nodded in agreement.

(End of Chapter)