One Piece: Control Fruit

Having received Rono's promise, Serona nodded and asked, "So what do we do next?"

"No idea," Rono replied bluntly.

"..." I must've been possessed to agree to this, Serona grumbled internally.

"In any case, we should take out that annoying sniper first," Rono said, changing the subject.

"Do you have a plan?" Serona didn't have much hope in Rono. This sniper was even trickier than Deng—far more experienced. He hadn't sniped at Serona during the chaos of the fight but waited until Serona had completely let his guard down. If not for Rono's half-baked Observation Haki, Serona would already be enjoying a hot spring back at respawn.

"Simple. Just tell me where he's positioned," Rono said, flashing a bright smile.

"That much I do know. When he fired, he was on the second-highest red rooftop to the southeast," Serona replied with a frown. "But knowing how seasoned he is, he's probably already moved—at least changed position."

"Huh? Wait, how do you even know the second-highest rooftop is red?" Rono asked, confused.

"That's what you're focusing on, idiot?!" Serona snapped, still keeping a calm expression. But he still answered the question. "I saw it on the way here. More accurately, I memorized every place I passed."

"..." Watching Serona casually say something so ridiculously overpowered, Rono thought to himself that maybe he needed more brain supplements—though now it's all about walnut milk.

"So, what's the plan now, Rono?"

"Call me Captain!" Rono corrected him seriously. "We charge straight in!"

Before Serona could reply, Rono stepped out from cover—Bang! Almost as if he'd expected it, Rono tilted his head just in time to dodge.

"North!" Serena shouted.

Rono's leg muscles bulged, his skin shedding—Boom! In a flash, he vanished, leaving only a smoking crater behind.

Using the walls for support, Rono moved with incredible speed. In no time, he was beside the sniper. The sniper stopped fleeing, gripping his rifle in both hands, expressionless. "If not for faulty intel, my plan wouldn't have failed."

"You're right, Captain Hadaway. If I hadn't held something back, you probably would've killed me," Rono replied, no trace of his usual playfulness in his tone. Although he had guessed the sniper was Hadaway, seeing him in person still brought a tinge of disappointment.

Hadaway suddenly leaped backward—Bang Bang Bang!—three rapid shots. Rono couldn't dodge in time. Even with Observation Haki, his body couldn't react fast enough.

He narrowly avoided the bullets aimed at his head and chest, but his calf got hit—a hole pierced through his left leg, throwing off his balance. As he stumbled to the left, another burst—Bang Bang Bang!—this time aimed at his chest, head, and arm.

Rono's pupils dilated—Berserker Mode activated.

Defying the laws of physics, he twisted his body mid-fall. Crack! The already damaged muscles of his left leg gave way entirely, the bone snapping in two, splinters tearing through the muscle. Yet Rono's expression didn't change.

His right arm bulged with muscle as the skin disappeared. All his bone spikes retracted. Schlk!—the sound of bone piercing through his palm. Shhk!—the sound of a spike impaling Hadaway.

Rono now stood on one leg, body tilted. Below his right forearm, there was no flesh—only a thick, stark-white bone spike extending forward, its tip protruding from Hadaway's back. Rono gave a bloodthirsty grin. With a thought, the bone spike inside Hadaway inflated like a startled pufferfish, forming a deadly spiked ball—and twisted.

If not for Rono's freakish regeneration, he'd be a goner. No doctor could fix that—Hadaway's internal organs were shredded.

"AAAGH!!" Hadaway screamed, blood gushing from his mouth, along with fragments of his organs. His sniper rifle slipped from his weakening grip and fell to the ground. His breathing slowed… and stopped. Hadaway—dead.

Bang! Rono kicked off the ground, leaping away from where he'd just been standing. A surge of yellow sand slammed into his former position.

Rono grabbed his left leg and yanked, forcibly resetting the bone. His accelerated regeneration worked rapidly, healing him at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His right-hand bone spike retracted, and his forearm began regrowing. Right now, Rono was at his weakest point.

The yellow sand took the shape of a human figure. A pair of glossy black shoes stepped onto the floor. Yellow plaid shirt, brown trousers, gray-green overcoat, slicked-back hair, a golden hook for a left hand, a cigar between his lips, and a stitched scar running from the bridge of his nose across his cheek.

Crocodile!

Crocodile glanced at the dead Hadaway and then looked away.

"Kid, I gotta say—you've got a knack for combat. If you live long enough to grow stronger, the pirates in these seas are in trouble."

"…" Rono didn't respond. At this point, every second had to be used to recover his strength and heal his wounds.

"Well, well… you sure do heal fast~" Crocodile dissolved into the sand again and lunged toward Rono.

Rono's calf bone had already reconnected. He rolled clumsily but effectively out of the way, dodging Crocodile's attack.

Truth be told, Crocodile had fallen off. Ever since his defeat at the hands of Whitebeard, he'd focused solely on his Devil Fruit powers, almost completely neglecting physical training—and his Haki was in terrible shape. The fact that he was beaten by Luffy, fresh to the Grand Line—even with protagonist-level plot armor—shows it. If Crocodile had maintained stronger hand-to-hand skills or even just kept up his Observation Haki, Luffy likely wouldn't have laid a finger on him.

The moment Crocodile started talking, Rono had already begun calling for backup.

"System! Assist me now!" Rono's voice was calm but carried a tone of absolute command.

"Beep. Due to current circumstances, the system will temporarily activate Haki Enhancement."

"Enhance all Armament Haki." Rono had stockpiled some enhancement points on the ship, and after everything that had just happened, his total had risen to 37 points.

"Beep. Please wait… Enhancement complete. Current stats—Observation Haki: Level 0, Armament Haki: Level 3. Remaining enhancement points: 7." the system's mechanical voice announced.

"Tch. Ten points per level? Not sure if that'll be enough."

No time to think. Crocodile's next attack came—this time with his right hand. Rono didn't know why Crocodile wasn't using the more lethal hook, but his Berserker instincts screamed: Dodge—it's dangerous.

Just as he was about to evade, Rono's eyes turned red—"ROAR~~"—and his fully Armament Haki-coated left hand clashed directly with Crocodile.

Crocodile hadn't expected Rono to use Armament Haki and was caught off guard. He was forced to take two steps back to steady himself.

"We're just getting started!" Rono shouted as a bone whip, coated in Armament Haki, lashed toward Crocodile.

Sand scattered. Crocodile had transformed again—only his head retained human form as the rest of his body turned to sand to evade Rono's attack.