One Piece: Talent Copy System

Noir's lower body shimmered, his leg from the knee down transforming into solid light.

"You're probably wondering how I found you, right?"

He chuckled. "I have a certain… nameless Warlord to thank for that."

'A Warlord? Doflamingo!'

Crocodile's eyes widened, and he gritted his teeth.

Doflamingo must have felt threatened by his growing influence in the Underworld and had used Noir to eliminate him.

Crocodile clutched his chest, his voice laced with mockery. "Looks like he's using you as his attack dog…"

Noir shook his head, smiling. "Don't worry about that. After I'm done with you, I'll be paying him a visit."

His form blurred, leaving behind a trail of golden light, and in an instant, he was right in front of Crocodile.

A powerful kick, aimed squarely at Crocodile, expanded in his vision, followed by a wave of excruciating pain.

The instant the kick connected, a surge of chilling coldness seeped into his body.

Crocodile was sent reeling, his anger rising. He glared at Noir, his face, now bruised from the kick, contorted in fury.

"Cough, cough!"

The combination of the powerful kick and the freezing chill made Crocodile want to vomit blood.

He stared at Noir in disbelief. He couldn't afford to keep this monster alive!

With his ability to copy powers, Noir would only become more formidable as he encountered more powerful individuals at sea.

He should have risked everything to eliminate Noir in Alabasta. Now…

Noir, now possessing multiple top-tier abilities, had grown beyond Crocodile's ability to counter. There was no opening to exploit.

Noir approached Crocodile slowly, each step freezing the ground beneath his feet, a trail of icy mist emanating from his path.

"Without the desert to aid you, what tricks do you have left?"

Crocodile, enraged, formed countless sharp sand blades with his arms, unleashing them like a torrential downpour upon Noir.

He then dissolved his body into sand, attempting to flee at high speed.

He needed to escape Noir's expanding field of ice and reach the sand outside. Only then would he stand a chance.

Seeing Crocodile's desperate escape attempt, Noir's eyes flashed coldly. He mocked, "A futile effort. Can you outrun light?"

The storm of sand blades posed no threat to Noir.

With a flash of golden light, he moved, each movement freezing the air behind him, including the ineffective sand blades.

In an instant, he appeared above the pitifully fleeing sand. He raised his Haki-infused fist and slammed it down on Crocodile's physical form.

"Gaaah!"

Crocodile shrieked in pain, his sand form dispersing as he crashed to the ground.

'Damn it!'

'Even if he copied the abilities of Marine Admirals, he shouldn't be this strong!'

'And… that insidious brat hasn't even drawn his sword!'

Refusing to accept reality, Crocodile slammed his fist on the ice, his eyes bloodshot, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Noir stood over him, hands behind his back, a smile playing on his lips. "Do you think this is the same as last time?"

"I was already stronger than you during our last fight. You only survived because of the terrain. This time… things are different."

Noir crouched down, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "I've been constantly improving, while you've been stagnating."

"Shut up!" Crocodile roared, his face contorted with rage. "If you want to kill me, then do it!"

Noir covered his mouth, feigning surprise. "When did I say I was going to kill you?"

Crocodile narrowed his eyes, his voice low and dangerous. "What do you mean?"

"Besides wanting to beat you up and, you know, 'borrow' some money, I'm here for another reason."

Noir spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, then raised his hand and formed a small, enclosed ice dome above them, blocking out the light.

Before Crocodile could voice his outrage, Noir produced a strange, demonic-looking sword.

He raised the blade and swiftly slashed at the point where Crocodile's body connected with his shadow.

Crocodile's eyes rolled back, and he immediately lost consciousness, his already weakened body collapsing.

Noir gathered Crocodile's shadow, muttering to himself, "Almost forgot. People pass out when their shadows are taken…"

He then formed a dark, shadowy replica of Crocodile's form.

Next, he used his Kage Kage no Mi powers to stitch Crocodile and the shadow together.

This method never failed to impress. Remote assassination made easy…

Noir clapped his hands in satisfaction, then looked down at the unconscious Crocodile. After a moment's thought, he leaned close to his ear and whispered,

"Boss, Noir has emptied the casino's vault~"

"You bastard! NOIR—!"

As if jolted by a powerful electric shock, Crocodile sprang up from the floor, screaming in agony, his sand blades flailing wildly as if he were possessed.

But his outburst was short-lived. Noir swiftly subdued the nearly delirious Crocodile.

It took a while for Crocodile to finally emerge from his nightmare…

Noir mused thoughtfully, 'So the forced unconsciousness after shadow removal can be broken with external stimuli.'

'Definitely not because of what I just said!'

'Absolutely not!'

Crocodile's mental state was even more fragile, but at least he was lucid. He spoke in a low, defeated tone. "What did you do to me?"

Noir pointed to the ground. "I've replaced your shadow. I can kill you whenever I want."

Crocodile understood. "What do you want me to do in exchange for my shadow?"

Noir clapped his hands together, smiling. "Work for me. When I'm satisfied, I'll return your shadow."

Crocodile sat up, looking utterly defeated, a self-deprecating smirk on his lips. "How humiliating…"

Noir frowned, looking at Crocodile's dejected state, unsure of what to say.

He suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the man…

His plans to take over a kingdom had been thwarted by Noir, who had also taken Robin.

Actually, Noir had intended to invite Crocodile to join his crew on this visit.

But seeing Crocodile's burning hatred, he knew it was impossible, at least for now.

Crocodile had been scheming in Alabasta for years. To be recruited by Noir, his former saboteur, was out of the question.

However, using his shadow as leverage to control him from the shadows was a viable alternative. Recruiting a Warlord openly would attract unwanted attention.

As for the repeatedly wronged Crocodile, perhaps Noir would let him off easy financially. After he relinquished his Warlord title, he might try to recruit him again…