HST: Chapter 41/42

Chapter 41: Strange Laugh
In front of the Poneglyph.

"Everything recorded here is the history of Alabasta. There is no mention of Pluton."

Robin looked straight at Crocodile and spoke calmly.

"Say that again!"

Crocodile glared at her, his expression dark.

He couldn't understand the Poneglyph.

But he knew that the carving on the Poneglyph dated back to before Alabasta, so how could it record the kingdom's history?

Was she treating him like a fool?

If Robin weren't the only one who could decipher the Poneglyph, he would've drawn his sword and killed her on the spot.

"I said there is no information about Pluton."

Robin remained composed and repeated herself right in his face.

Of course, she was lying. It clearly stated that Pluton was hidden in Wano Country.

But she didn't want such a deadly weapon falling into the hands of someone as cruel as Crocodile, so she lied.

Looking at Crocodile's furious expression, Robin felt a flicker of satisfaction.

The five-year plan to seize the kingdom, the Baroque Works that he painstakingly built—it had all been destroyed by Caelan.

He had finally gotten close to clues about Pluton, and even the translator who had worked with him for years dared to betray him.

Crocodile clenched his fists, on the verge of snapping.

Off to the side, Cobra was stunned. He had thought Crocodile was about to succeed, but it turned out someone even stronger had been hiding in the shadows.

Cobra looked at Robin curiously. This woman also had a story.

"If this only concerns Alabasta's history, then you're useless to me."

Crocodile stared coldly at Robin, his face grim.

Unfortunately for him, Robin didn't look afraid at all. She stayed calm throughout.

Even if she knew where Pluton was, she would never tell him.

To him now, Robin really was useless.

Crocodile clenched his fists and was about to end Robin's life.

Watching Crocodile's movements, Robin closed her eyes, filled with regret.

It was unfortunate she still hadn't found the Poneglyph that recorded the Void Century, and she couldn't fulfill Ohara's final wish.

It was unfortunate she couldn't live on for Saul and her mother.

"Dereshi, Dereshi, shi, shi, shi."

At the end of her life, Robin chose to recall Saul's laughter.

Seeing Robin's strange smile, Crocodile was so angry.

Even facing death, she still wanted to mock him?

Crocodile struck out, aiming to kill Robin with one blow.

Just as his fist was about to hit her, a giant sword flew over.

Boom!

The enormous sword carried massive force, instantly knocking Crocodile away and slamming him into the wall.

"Looks like I got here just in time."

Caelan walked into the funeral hall with Vivi in his arms.

"It's Vivi and Warrior Caelan!"

Cobra's eyes lit up and he immediately brightened.

"Dad! I'm so glad you're still alive!"

Vivi jumped down from Caelan and rushed to Cobra, beaming with joy.

Robin stared at Caelan in a daze, feeling somewhat grateful.

Sure enough, even if she had prepared herself to die, surviving still felt better.

"What, you're rushing to die too?!"

Crocodile got up from the wall with a twisted grin.

Caelan had ruined his plans time and time again, completely shattering everything he'd worked for.

Now, he even dared to interfere when Crocodile was about to deal with a traitor. He couldn't tolerate it anymore.

"Not really. I just saw how lonely you looked and thought I'd help you reunite with your subordinates."

Caelan spoke with a straight face, as if he truly meant it.

"..."

Crocodile's face twitched, and the grin on his face quickly turned gloomy.

The next moment, he could no longer suppress his fury and let out a furious roar.

"What a joke!"

"Do you even know who you're facing!!!"

"I'm Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!!!"

Crocodile bent his right hand into a claw and slashed toward Caelan with force.

But Caelan didn't dodge or move. He let the attack land directly.

Seeing Caelan act so arrogantly, Crocodile grinned viciously.

He had already imagined the sight of Caelan's stomach being ripped open.

Swish!

Crocodile's claws tore through Caelan's clothes, leaving several bloody gashes on his body.

"How is this possible?!"

Crocodile stared at Caelan in disbelief.

That attack had been full of rage and was one of his strongest moves.

Back when he pretended to be a hero in Alabasta, this single claw had been enough to kill pirates.

But now, it only left superficial wounds on Caelan's body.

Was his physical strength just that overwhelming?

"You're strong, I'll give you that."

Caelan felt the sting of the wound and smiled.

That kind of power really deserved to be taken seriously.

But then Caelan glanced around the unstable funeral hall and decided to take the battle elsewhere.

If the place collapsed during the fight, he'd be fine, but Vivi and the others would be in real danger.

"I'd rather not be buried underground. Let's fight somewhere more open."

"Armament Haki, coat!"

Caelan's right hand turned black as he backhanded and grabbed Crocodile's right arm.

"Haki?!"

Crocodile's pupils shrank, immediately sensing something was wrong.

Swish!

While Crocodile was still shocked, Caelan dragged him out of the burial hall and into the desert outside the palace.

Before leaving, Caelan didn't forget to pick up his giant sword.

"You actually know how to use Haki?!"

Crocodile snapped out of it, broke free from Caelan's grip with ease, and stared at him in disbelief.

Back in the New World, Haki users were everywhere. If you didn't know at least one or two types of Haki, you weren't even qualified to call yourself a pirate.

But in the first half of the Grand Line, especially near the starting point, Haki was a rarity.

Yet Caelan had completely upended his expectations.

Not only did he know Haki, but his control was also incredibly refined.

"What? You don't?"

Caelan looked at Crocodile, the corners of his mouth lifting.

"You…!"

Crocodile's expression turned ugly.

Of course he knew about Haki. But he hadn't trained it much and was still at the beginner level.

After failing to challenge Whitebeard, he retreated to the first half of the Grand Line.

There were no enemies here that required Haki to defeat. With just the powers of the Sand-Sand Fruit, he could dominate.

So without any real training, his Haki had never developed.

Now, compared to Caelan's Haki, his own seemed worthless.

To be upstaged by a rookie in the Grand Line infuriated Crocodile.

It was true, Crocodile hadn't expected someone new to the Grand Line to be capable of using Haki.

But he wasn't afraid. Back in the New World, he had defeated plenty of powerful opponents who could use Haki.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 42: Noble Phantasm

Crocodile's face twisted in fury, his sinister gaze locked onto Caelan.

His entire body was trembling with anger.

Extreme anger.

The power he had built up over many years was destroyed by the bastard in front of him, leaving him completely isolated.

The Pluton he had planned for so long, the title of Shichibukai he had painstakingly earned, all were buried at Caelan's hands.

A rookie who had just entered the Grand Line had crushed everything he had and even looked down on him!

The fury and humiliation in Crocodile's heart erupted like a volcano.

"Go to hell!"

Crocodile roared, pressing his right hand firmly to the ground.

"Erosion Cycle!"

The full power of the Sand-Sand Fruit was unleashed!

In the next moment.

The water veins deep beneath the desert, along with the moisture in the air, were all sucked dry by Crocodile's right hand.

The desert, already barren, was now completely lifeless.

Boom!

Deadly sandstorms surged into the sky.

The sand blotted out the sun, turning the battlefield into a desolate wasteland covered in a dim, deathly yellow hue.

The ground cracked apart. Stones, plants, animals, all living things, were eroded by the sandstorm and soon disintegrated into sand.

"Now what?"

Crocodile's voice came from within the storm, full of pride.

He had obviously turned into sand and merged with the storm.

He wanted to see fear in Caelan's eyes, but unfortunately, he did not.

"It's fine. It's just like taking a shower."

In the violent, raging sandstorm, Caelan spoke calmly.

With Armament Haki coating his entire body, the sand could not erode him for now.

"Still putting up a front. How long can your Haki last?"

Crocodile was not discouraged, remaining full of confidence.

If mere Haki could resist his strongest move, he would not have become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Under the cycle of erosion, many powerful Haki users had been exhausted to death in the sands.

In Crocodile's eyes, the power of his Devil Fruit was not necessarily weaker than those with overwhelming Haki.

"It can probably last ten days."

Caelan said calmly.

His endurance was ranked at B+, the same level as his strength.

This level of consumption was nothing to him.

"Stop boasting and just wait quietly for death!"

Crocodile laughed disdainfully.

He simply thought Caelan was bluffing.

In the New World, pirates with bounties of hundreds of millions could barely last ten minutes under his Erosion Cycle.

There was no way Caelan could last ten days.

"Although I'd love to open your eyes, I have no interest in wasting time with you."

Caelan didn't want to drag this out. It was too boring to prolong the fight.

The only trouble was that his current Observation Haki wasn't sharp enough to accurately locate Crocodile within the storm.

But if he couldn't pinpoint him, then he would simply cover the entire area with an attack!

"Next, you'll die under my strongest move."

"Get ready, Crocodile!"

Caelan smiled brightly, raising the giant sword in his hand.

"I may already be a corpse, but my sins are eternal."

"And so, I shall consign my body and soul to the seat of oblivion that drifts in Hades."

"My great foe and pitiful fellow, dance along with my mad rush."

"Noble Phantasm, Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads!"

Massive power and magical energy surged through his body, gathering into the giant sword and dispersing the surrounding sand.

In mythology, Heracles slew the Hydra's nine heads simultaneously with a bow and arrow.

Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads was an extension of that.

This Noble Phantasm was not limited to a specific weapon. It could be used with bows, swords, spears, axes, or shields.

Once unleashed, nine simultaneous strongest attacks would burst forth, powerful enough to alter the terrain.

"What!?"

Crocodile sensed the immense surge of energy from Caelan and was visibly shaken.

Even though he had elementalized into sand, a chilling fear crept into him.

The next moment, with a world-shattering momentum, a gigantic slash erupted from Caelan's sword, cloaked in a thin layer of Armament Haki.

The slash split into nine, attacking indiscriminately.

In the sky, beneath the ground, and throughout the surrounding area.

Within a one-kilometer radius, everything visible was enveloped by the attack.

The yellow sand that once covered the sun dissipated in an instant under the overwhelming slashes.

Subconsciously, Crocodile's sand-form instinctively retreated.

He tried to flee, trying to keep his distance and escape the strike.

"Haha, futile."

Sensing Crocodile's position, Caelan sneered.

This was a technique designed to slay a Hydra. It covered an entire city, how could it be so easily avoided?

In Crocodile's horrified eyes, a slash struck him.

"How is this possible!?"

Crocodile exclaimed loudly.

Even though he was over a thousand meters away from Caelan, he still couldn't escape. The attack hadn't lost any power.

The irresistible strength left him no hope of victory.

The elementalized Crocodile couldn't defend against a slash imbued with Armament Haki.

The next moment, his elemental form was forcibly restored to human form.

Crocodile's body was covered in wounds. His internal organs and bones were severely damaged, and he lay on the ground coughing up blood.

The power of Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads gradually faded.

But the battlefield had undergone a complete transformation.

The once-flat desert had become a giant basin, and the loose sand, compressed under immense force, had melted into crystal-like glass upon cooling.

The crystal basin sparkled under the sun, silently telling the world how fierce the battle had been.

Caelan walked over and silently looked down at Crocodile.

At this moment, Crocodile was gravely injured, his breath weak, with none of his former grandeur.

Crocodile stared at Caelan in shock.

If it weren't for his strong physique and partial immunity through elemental transformation, he would already be dead.

He had never seen such destructive power, such terrifying swordsmanship.

Even back when he had challenged Whitebeard years ago, facing the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Crocodile hadn't felt such horror.

No chance to dodge, no chance to resist. It was truly the strongest blow.

The forces he had built over years were shattered. His years of planning were turned to dust. His final hopes all crumbled before Caelan.

A wave of desolation and frustration washed over him, finally draining him of all fight.

"Hahahahahah. It was all futile, huh?"

Crocodile laughed bitterly, using all his strength to speak.

Just entering the Grand Line, and already possessing such terrifying power. Was the sea about to welcome a new emperor?

Crocodile thought of Whitebeard, whom he had once challenged. Now, the title of the world's strongest might soon have a new contender.

"Caelan, don't get defeated by anyone else before I challenge you again next time!"

Crocodile looked at Caelan and said firmly.

He was Crocodile, and he would definitely make a comeback.

"Oh, sure. After you get out of Impel Down."

Caelan replied calmly, not taking Crocodile's words seriously.

In front of him, a temporary defeat meant a permanent defeat.

(To be continued.)