One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

"Surviving is one thing, but the situation isn't looking good. The recovery of Activity X2 is still slow, and I have no idea what's happening above. Could they all be dead…" In the dark pit, Rosen lay bloodied on the ground, unable to move for the moment. 

When he killed Reiser, the double 400 million mission was completed as promised, which was the only reason he survived the combined attacks of Kuma and Eric.

Eric and Kuma weren't wrong in their judgment—it was just that Rosen had suddenly grown stronger at the brink of death. His strength doubled, and his defense quadrupled, resulting in an overall eightfold increase. 

However, the attacks that had already landed didn't change, nor did his body instantly recover just because his strength and defense had improved. Attacks that hit would still cause damage. No matter how strong his body was, it was still flesh.

Even with eight times the defense, or even ten times, such powerful attacks would leave him severely injured. Only by instantly boosting his defense by ten or twenty times could he completely ignore such attacks and remain unscathed. 

Thinking about this, Rosen deeply realized how exaggerated the physical abilities of Kaido, hailed as the strongest creature, truly were. Bullets and blades couldn't harm him, and even suicide was difficult. Captured multiple times, no one could kill him. It was unclear if the sea could drown him, but for a monster of his level, not needing to breathe wouldn't be surprising. 

Rosen hadn't yet sensed the full extent of his increased strength. He had to wait for Vitality to restore his body to a point where he could move. Fortunately, the more severe his injuries, the more active the light particles became. Soon, he would be able to move again, though he still didn't know the situation above. 

When the 400 million mission was completed, the system issued two new tasks: one with a 600 million bounty and an Vitality X4 reward, and another with a 400 million bounty and a Speed X4 reward. Both were reset tasks.

The bounties being at different levels meant Rosen would have to defeat two strong opponents separately, unlike the previous 400 million mission where the bounties were the same, and he only needed to defeat one strong opponent of that level. 

More importantly, there were no new missions. Rosen quickly understood that the fundamental aspects of human potential were limited to speed, strength, defense, and vitality. From now on, the system's tasks would be based on these fundamentals. 

Rosen also noticed that as his proficiency increased, further progress became increasingly difficult. The closer he got to Admiral-level strength, the more he felt the immense gap. Even with his current proficiency, he still felt a step away from Admiral-level strength—a huge threshold or bottleneck. 

However, without an Admiral to spar with, it was hard to say if he already possessed top-tier combat strength. 

Whoosh!

A sound of something crawling on the wall. 

"Who's there?" Rosen immediately called out. If Eric or Kuma came down to check before his body fully recovered, he'd be in trouble. Even with his strength doubled, facing two strong opponents while uninjured wouldn't be easy.

Only by completing a speed reset task and achieving a full attribute boost could Rosen feel confident enough to face them both without fear. At that point, he might truly reach Admiral-level strength. 

After all, while his strength and attack power had increased, their speeds were still on par, making it hard to land direct hits. Still, Rosen's current defense was terrifying, as evidenced by his survival after taking their combined attacks.

If either of them fought him alone, unless Rosen stood still and let them attack, killing him at full strength would be nearly impossible. 

"Uncle, I knew you were still alive! I knew I wasn't mistaken." A small figure slid down the wall and, just before hitting the ground, flipped and landed steadily beside Rosen. 

"Natalie, how's the situation above?" Rosen was still weak, barely able to sense any movement with his Haki. Seeing Natalie, he was surprised.

He hadn't expected anyone to come down to check if he was dead. If Eric had such a habit, they wouldn't have had so much trouble later. 

Rosen didn't know that even if Eric had such a habit, with Hathaway's appearance earlier, he wouldn't have had time to check. 

"Queen Hathaway has brought reinforcements. We'll definitely win. Right now, above…" Natalie briefly explained the situation above. 

"It seems things have gotten more complicated. Eric and Kuma are tough opponents. Even if Queen Hathaway is strong, can she handle both at once?" Rosen thought to himself.

He believed that once fully recovered, he wouldn't be weaker than Queen Hathaway. But with his current injuries, even with Vitality X2, recovery wouldn't be instant. 

"You're injured too. Come closer. These light particles can heal wounds…" Though the pit was dark, with the opening above now the size of a fist, Rosen could still smell blood—coming from Natalie. She didn't seem to notice, carrying a small pouch at her waist for emergency medical supplies. 

Becoming a doctor had once been her dream, which was why she wanted to bandage Rosen's wounds. She took out some disinfectant and gauze and approached Rosen. 

"Again? Fine, just make sure it's secure this time. It's better than nothing, but don't go too far. I'll be able to move soon…" Rosen watched as Natalie knelt down with the gauze. 

"Hmph, last time I just forgot. Natalie's really good at this," she pouted, tending to Rosen's wounds without issue. Rosen had only been teasing her earlier. 

While Rosen recovered, the battle above had been raging for a long time. The fight between Hathaway, Eric, and Kuma had reached a fever pitch. The Marines and the Lantis forces were locked in a brutal struggle, with heavy casualties. The Marines were even starting to retreat. 

The Marines' resolve paled in comparison to the Landis fighters, and their numbers were weaker. While they could blockade the sea, that was only possible with sufficient forces and when the Landis forces didn't have too many ships crossing. As the defending side, they relied on their commanders and Rear Admirals to coordinate and deploy more forces. 

Now, fighting on Lantis Island, with the loss of a top Rear Admiral and a severe lack of troops, the Marines were showing signs of defeat. 

In the top-tier battle, Eric and Kuma were slowly gaining the upper hand. Even if Queen Halsey was strong, fighting two opponents of nearly equal strength was no easy feat. 

"Kill them all! Damn Lantis people, stay away from me!" Ganoss and a group of Marines protecting him huddled near a hill by the fissure. Beside him stood three Pacifistas, nearly complete models made of special metal, capable of firing destructive laser beams from their palms and mouths. 

However, their command systems weren't precise enough, sometimes causing friendly fire. Still, they were perfect for self-defense. Ganoss stood there, thinking carefully. He hadn't followed Eric's initial order to deploy the Pacifistas into battle because, in his eyes, his life and the search for immortality were paramount. 

But with the Marines faltering, he had no choice but to order two of the Pacifistas into battle, keeping one by his side. 

"What's going on? Isn't that guy fighting Queen Hathaway ? Why are there more here? Are they twins?" A Lantis soldier stared at the Pacifistas, confused. 

Twins weren't scary, but if they had the same strength and there were multiple of them, the battle would change entirely. 

(End of Chapter)

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