One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

"Finger Gun: Air Burst!" A finger covered in black Haki instantly thrust toward Rosen's chest. With a loud bang, a powerful force surged through Rosen's body.

"Seems like it's not that impressive," Rosen muttered, his chest protected by armor made of golden sand. Although the Finger Gun was strong, it was clear that Eric's attack was more of a probing move.

As soon as he finished speaking, Rosen's Haki-covered fist shot out. Eric raised his arm to block, and the collision of their Haki-covered limbs caused the air around them to explode.

Eric took Rosen's punch head-on without retreating a single step. Rosen's eyes narrowed. Eric was stronger than Reise and excelled in close combat.

Before Rosen could think further, the air shook violently. Vice Admiral O'Neill's sharp sword slash tore through the air, heading straight for Rosen.

Having just endured attacks from both sides, Rosen didn't have the reaction speed to counterattack immediately. It was already impressive that he could fend off three powerful opponents—Reise, Ben, and Eric—in such a short time.

All Rosen could do was summon a sand barrier in front of him, but there wasn't enough time to reinforce it with golden sand. The sword slash tore through the barrier and struck Rosen, sending him flying over ten meters away.

"Pressure Cannon!" Kuma rapidly clapped his hands, sending a barrage of transparent, bear-shaped air pressure bombs that enveloped Rosen's entire area, even catching Reith and Eric in the crossfire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The compressed air bombs, shaped like bear paws, exploded upon impact, sending debris flying everywhere.

"Kuma?!" Eric and Reith frowned. While Kuma's attack was aimed at Rosen, it also affected them. Kuma didn't know Crocodile well, but he disliked the Marines even more.

Reluctantly, Eric and Reith had to retreat from the area, missing the best opportunity to attack Rosen.

"Sandstorm!" Facing the barrage of bear-shaped pressure bombs, Rosen unleashed a massive sandstorm. The bombs pierced through the sandstorm, creating several holes, but the delay gave Rosen enough time to use "Soru" to create distance.

Although Rosen hadn't sustained any serious injuries from the brief clashes, his expression was grim. The enemies were too numerous, and none of them were weak. If it were just one opponent, like Kuma or Eric, Rosen was confident he could gain the upper hand. But facing two at once was dangerous, and with four opponents—plus a Rear Admiral causing interference—this was going to be an intense battle.

This fight would be even tougher than facing Charles. In a life-or-death struggle, no one would adhere to the rules of a one-on-one duel, especially not CP0 agents, who were ruthless in achieving their goals.

"Bartholomew Kuma, O'Neill, you go first. I'll notify the Marines to form a perimeter to prevent their escape," Eric suddenly said, clearly sensing something amiss with Kuma's earlier attack.

Kuma frowned, and O'Neill's expression darkened. Meanwhile, Base Commander Reise launched another attack at Rosen, determined to avenge his earlier humiliation. "Tempest Kick: Gale Slash!"

In an instant, Reise unleashed a flurry of wide air slashes toward Rosen, following up with his weapon.

"Desert Spiral!" Rosen pressed his hand to the ground, accelerating the sandification of the terrain. The ground cracked, and a massive sandstorm over a hundred meters tall erupted, resembling a catastrophic tsunami.

The sand wave swallowed all the air slashes and continued to surge toward Reise. Reise looked up at the towering sandstorm, sensing the immense danger within. The sheer force of the sandstorm was overwhelming, and if it hit him, he wouldn't fare well. He quickly retreated.

"Ursus Shock!" Kuma finally relented, not wanting Eric to suspect anything. One mishap could be explained as an accident, but repeated incidents would raise suspicions. He decided to take the fight more seriously.

A massive air cannon, compressed into a small bear-shaped projectile, formed in his hands. Though it looked similar to his earlier attacks, the compression level was far greater. The tiny bear-shaped projectile, only a few centimeters in size, contained the compressed air of over two kilometers.

The bear-shaped projectile plunged into the sandstorm, and a deafening explosion followed. A transparent shockwave spread across a ten-kilometer radius, sweeping away countless monsters and Marines. The sandstorm was obliterated, and a rain of golden sand buried many unfortunate souls.

It was terrifying. Although the range of Kuma's attack wasn't as vast as it had been on Thriller Bark, it was still devastating. Marines below the rank of Vice Admiral, like Law and Pittas, watched the destructive collision with fear. Even the residual shockwaves threatened to tear them apart.

"Is he surrounded?!" Alice sensed the massive explosion nearby. The shockwaves had blown away several Marines, but they didn't affect her much. She looked at the figure surrounded by multiple enemies and felt a surge of anxiety. The elite Rear Admiral, along with the Marines, was keeping her occupied.

After the explosion, many Marines and monsters who had been knocked down by the shockwaves stood back up to fight. More of them surrounded Alice and the others. As the battle raged on, nearby zombies were drawn to the commotion, forcing the Marines to divert some forces to deal with them.

"Perfect opportunity! Soru: Thunder Shadow!" Eric seized the moment when Rosen was pushed back by the shockwave and unleashed his fastest Rokushiki technique, appearing behind Rosen in an instant.

Rosen looked up as O'Neill's sword slash came at him from the front. He could withstand it without serious injury, but Reise was also closing in using Moon Walk.

"You really think highly of me," Rosen muttered. All the golden sand around him swirled up, forming a protective barrier. In that moment, with all his enemies attacking simultaneously, he couldn't counterattack. Focusing on defense was his only option.

Eric, Reise, and the others were seasoned fighters. After Kuma's attack destroyed Rosen's sandstorm, they gave him no time to recover.

Sparks flew as Reise's sword struck the rotating sand barrier. The golden sand created immense resistance, and though his blade broke through the barrier, it stopped just short of Rosen's face. At that moment, O'Neill's sword slash hit the barrier, forcing Rosen to shrink the barrier's size to strengthen its defense.

Eric took advantage of the opening. He appeared behind Rosen and unleashed a flurry of Finger Gun attacks: "Finger Gun: Torrent!"

Countless black finger strikes pierced through Rosen's sand barrier, raining down on him like a storm. Even with some golden sand protecting him, Rosen suffered heavy blows. His internal organs were severely damaged, and he coughed up blood. In a fit of rage, he turned and punched Eric, sending him flying.

But as Rosen turned, Reise, Ben, and O'Neill didn't hold back. Their blades slashed at Rosen, causing blood to splatter. Kuma held another Ursus Shock in his hands. Though it wasn't as powerful as the previous one, he knew it could deal a devastating blow to Crocodile.

However, Kuma hesitated, glancing at the iron cages nearby before finally releasing the attack.

"Hey, you! Can't you use your ability to teleport me over there?!" Alice shouted, watching Rosen being knocked back. She was desperate. If Rosen fell, she and her people would be next. She couldn't let that happen.

(End of Chapter)

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