Pirates: Seeing My Proficiency, I Became a Legend

In the middle of the desert, Dongze faced off against Crocodile.

"Heh! Kid! You're just wasting your energy! I'm a Logia user!" Crocodile sneered.

"In just a moment, I'll turn you into a dried-up corpse!"

Seeing that Ze's terrifying sword strike had just been nullified, Crocodile's nerves, which had been taut with tension, suddenly relaxed. He glanced arrogantly at Dongze in the distance.

"Mr. Dongze!"

From afar, Nico Robin had already arrived, having followed the battle closely. Witnessing the astonishing sword strike, she felt a pang of concern.

Devil Fruit users with Logia-type abilities could transform into their respective elements, making them nearly impervious to physical attacks—something Robin had read about in books. She once dismissed it as exaggerated rumor, but now, seeing it firsthand, she felt not only awe but also a deep unease.

Dongze's gaze shifted slightly. He chuckled, deciding to adjust his strategy.

He knew that his proficiency increased not only by enduring attacks but also by delivering them—especially against Logia users, those beings who embodied the very forces of nature.

His arms once again became shrouded in Armament Haki, and Wang Chen, his sword, gleamed with the same dark aura. Then, his eyes flicked toward the proficiency panel:

Observation Haki (Awakened): 325,000 / 1,000,000

Armament Haki (Awakened): 335,000 / 1,000,000

Conqueror's Haki (Awakened): 8,500 / 1,000,000

Dongze smirked.

"I hope you can dodge every time, Crocodile. Try not to die too quickly."

The moment he finished speaking, he activated Shave (Soru), vanishing and reappearing just a meter in front of Crocodile.

Eight powerful slashes, each more than ten meters wide, tore through the air, their sheer force radiating a domineering presence.

Crocodile barely had time to react before he was slashed into dust.

Yet, a few meters away, he reformed his body—but this time, his eyes held unmistakable fear.

That attack just now had grazed death itself.

Dongze's speed was monstrous—so fast that Crocodile had to focus with every ounce of his willpower just to track his movements. If he hadn't maintained his elemental form from the moment he finished speaking, that last strike would have ended him.

"Damn it! Where did this brat learn these techniques?! He's a complete freak! One misstep, and I'm dead!"

The feeling was identical to when he faced Whitebeard's overwhelming power—like walking a tightrope thousands of meters above the ground, one wrong step leading to certain doom.

Dongze said nothing. He vanished again.

Without hesitation, Crocodile instinctively shifted into his sand form.

WHOOSH!

Another sword strike erupted, carving through the desert in a full-moon arc. The resulting shockwave flattened sand dunes within a ten-mile radius.

Crocodile felt his scalp tingle.

"This lunatic…!"

Then came Flying Immortal.

A dazzling display of sword energy filled the air, cascading like flower petals. In that instant, Crocodile nearly called out for his father.

And then—One Sword to Divide the World.

This was a straight thrust, swift and deadly. Unlike famed katana techniques, Wang Chen wasn't just a blade—it was an extension of Dongze's will, delivering lightning-fast energy slashes.

The sheer pressure made Crocodile lose his grip on the cigar he had clenched in his teeth for years. His heart pounded wildly.

Then—Sit and Forget with Light!

Lightsabers filled the sky, encircling him from all directions.

For two agonizing minutes, Crocodile endured relentless strikes, his body growing numb.

Robin, watching the battle unfold, was left utterly stunned.

Back when she had seen Dongze split a ship in half with a single swing at sea, or slice open the sky in the desert, she had been impressed. But now? She was terrified.

Even the legendary Buster Call she had once witnessed as a child wasn't this overwhelming.

She had read stories of powerful warriors capable of destroying mountains with a single punch, or annihilating entire islands in an instant. Back then, she thought it was just folklore.

Now, she knew the truth.

But the battle wasn't over.

Crocodile—now like a frightened animal—refused to revert to his physical form.

At first, he had considered using Ground Death or Erosion Reincarnation to turn the tables on Dongze. But now? He had abandoned that idea completely.

One mistake meant death.

The proof? His robe—gone. His golden hook—gone.

He nearly wet himself thinking about it.

For the first time, Crocodile understood why Dongze had been so fearlessly aggressive from the start.

"…Hey, kid. I take back what I said earlier. Can you stop?"

Dongze, unfazed, unleashed another strike.

Seeing the numbers on his proficiency panel steadily rising, there was no way he would stop now.

"Hey! Brat! Don't push your luck!"

Another slash.

Crocodile was shredded into sand once more.

"You little bastard! I told you—I'm a Logia user! You can't hit me! What's the point of all this? Are you insane?!"

At this point, Crocodile was beyond frustrated.

No one else was around. He couldn't even run.

Even if he burrowed underground, Dongze's attacks would reach him. Every sword strike carried Armament Haki—if he wasn't fully transformed in advance, he'd be cut down instantly.

As time passed, the sun set in the west and rose in the east.

Robin had grown numb to the spectacle.

As for Crocodile? He was on the verge of losing his mind.

By the end, he had started outright cursing.

"You crazy bastard! I already said STOP! Are you mentally ill?!"

"Damn it, I'm a Logia! Why are you still trying?! You're just wasting energy!"

"I swear, you're not human! You're a goddamn monster!"

"…Brother! Can we stop fighting?!"

"Fine! I give up!"

"I'll join you! Just stop already!"

Crocodile had faced Whitebeard before, but even then, the humiliation hadn't been this severe.

Whitebeard had been merciless but swift—one attack and it was over.

Dongze? He was relentless. Every strike forced Crocodile to the brink of death. Every moment stretched his nerves to their absolute limits.

After a full day and night of this, he was completely broken.

Then, a voice rang in his ears—

"Who said I can't kill you?"

Before he could even react, a burning pain tore through his body. A deep wound stretched from his right shoulder to his left abdomen.

"…Did I just get cut?"

He can slash through elementalization…?

"You son of a—YOU COULD KILL ME THIS WHOLE TIME?! WHY DID I EVEN BOTHER HIDING?! I—"

Crocodile, the great Warlord of the Sea, finally lost consciousness.

Even then, his body instinctively remained in its sand form.

Robin, watching from a distance, could only twitch at the sight.

Dongze finally sheathed Wang Chen and walked over to Robin.

His panel had changed again:

Observation Haki (Awakened): 395,000 / 1,000,000

Armament Haki (Awakened): 405,000 / 1,000,000

Conqueror's Haki (Awakened): 8,500 / 1,000,000

Erosion Sword Intent: 400,000 / 1,000,000

A satisfied nod.

A single fight had earned him nearly 100,000 Haki points and unlocked a new skill:

Meditation (Beginner): 10 / 1,000

Truly a massive gain.

(Sand Crocodile: I don't ever want to see you again.)