Chapter 97 Annihilation

Author: Xiao Yifeng

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

Pururururu... Pururururu...

The insistent ringing of the Den Den Mushi sliced through the silence of the room. Crocodile, annoyed by the interruption, picked up the receiver. It was Miss All Sunday. Her voice was as calm and measured as ever as she reported a disturbance in the port town—a clash between the Navy and a pirate crew.

She paused, then added a detail that made Crocodile's cigar smoke hang still in the air. The level of destruction, her agents reported, was immense. The kind of chaos left behind only by a man of an Admiral's caliber.

"An Admiral?" Crocodile mused aloud, his eyes narrowing. The news was… unexpected.

His plans were delicate, moving in the shadows. Toppling the Alabastan government and seizing the Ancient Weapon Pluton were acts of war against the world. He knew the Navy would come for him eventually, but not now. Not yet. He was certain his identity as the mastermind behind Baroque Works was still a secret. Only he and Robin knew the truth of his ambition. Vivi, the troublesome princess, had been dealt with by Mr. 3. There were no leaks.

Even if the World Government had suspicions, they would send investigators, not a top-tier weapon like an Admiral. Not for a preliminary probe. So where was the complication coming from?

BOOM!

His fist slammed into the table, the wood groaning under the force of his frustration. This was an unacceptable variable. He had spent years orchestrating this coup, and he was not powerful enough to confront an Admiral head-on. Not yet.

"Leave it," he commanded, his voice a low growl. "When Mr. 1 and the others reach Rainbase, bring them to me. The plan moves forward. We strike within three days."

He refused to acknowledge the seed of panic taking root in his gut. After so many years of dormancy, his ambitions were finally within reach, and he would not be derailed by unforeseen complications. His focus was singular: obtain Pluton. Nothing else mattered.

On the other end of the line, Robin acknowledged the order. "I understand, boss."

She hung up and stared at the note in her hand. The report was more specific than what she'd told Crocodile. The pirates were the Straw Hats. The naval force was likely led by a Vice Admiral. A small, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips as she held the corner of the paper to a candle flame.

As the note turned to ash, a silent thought crossed her mind. Straw Hat boy… Bai Ye… The enemy you face is far greater than Crocodile. But do not die on me.

-----

In the ruined streets of Alabasta's port, Vice Admiral Tokikake picked himself up from a crater more than ten meters from where he'd been standing moments before. The easy confidence he'd worn was gone, replaced by sheer, undiluted disbelief. He stared at the spot where the figure wreathed in a blood-red aura had just been, his mouth twitching. What in the hells had he stumbled upon? What was this monster?

Tokikake had been prepared for his opponent's power to increase, but this was something else entirely. When Bai Ye first entered his frenzied state, the Vice Admiral had been confident. He'd landed several clean hits, one deep enough to graze bone. But the man hadn't even flinched. He just kept coming, a crazed, predatory look in his eyes, his strength and aura escalating with every passing second.

BOOM!

Tokikake was sent flying again, smashing through the walls of several buildings before skidding to a halt. He forced himself to his feet, gripping his treasured katana—one of the 21 Great Grade Swords—and coated the blade in a thick layer of Armament Haki. He lunged, aiming a killing blow at the priest's exposed back.

CLANG!

The Vice Admiral's eyes widened in horror. It was impossible. Bai Ye had caught the blade. With his bare hand. A Haki-infused Great Grade Sword, stopped cold by flesh and blood.

Is there anyone in this world who can do that? Tokikake thought, his mind reeling in panic. Kaido, maybe. Big Mom, perhaps. But not this… not him!

Bai Ye, drenched in his own blood, tightened his grip on the priceless sword. A thin trickle of crimson slid down the polished steel, unnoticed by the horrified Marine. Slowly, Bai Ye lifted his head, a haunting, manic grin spreading across his face. His voice was a low, ghostly whisper that seemed to crawl up Tokikake's spine.

"Say goodbye to your precious sword."

He activated his technique—the Heavenly Furnace Refine Art. The blood-red aura around him intensified, surging from his hand and enveloping the blade. Tokikake gasped, "How?!" He could no longer feel his Haki on the weapon, the sword that had been his partner for decades, that had felled countless notorious pirates.

Before his very eyes, his katana began to glow, to warp, to melt. The molten steel flowed like liquid silver over Bai Ye's right hand, crawling up his arm and solidifying into a gleaming layer of armor. Bai Yeflexed his newly armored hand, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest.

"Well now. This isn't half bad."

Tokikake stared, dumbfounded, at the empty hilt in his hand. He shook his head, trying to deny the reality of what he'd just witnessed. But there was no time for disbelief. A silver-white fist was already hurtling toward him, growing larger in his vision. He instinctively hardened his body with Armament Haki and Tekkai, but it was useless.

BOOM!

The impact sent him flying once more. Bai Ye glanced at his fist, a mocking grin on his face. "To use mere iron against me… Who gave you the audacity?"

His smile faded as he felt the toll on his own body. He could feel his life force draining away. He glanced into the distance, calculating. It was time. Luffy and the others should be making their escape to the Going Merry. With that thought, his focus returned to the Vice Admiral, who was struggling to rise from the rubble.

"It's almost time," Bai Ye whispered to himself.

As Tokikake finally found his feet, he heard the Priest's voice boom across the ruins. "You will stay here forever!"

Bai Ye raised his armored hand to the sky. The silver plating shifted, the blood-red aura pulsing as it transformed again. A three-foot-long short sword materialized from his wrist. He roared, his voice shaking the very heavens.

"THUNDER!" The sky instantly darkened, a swirling vortex of black clouds gathering above. A bolt of lightning crashed down, striking the blade and enveloping it in silver currents.

"FIRE!" Sparks ignited along the crackling electricity.

"WIND!" A gale force wind erupted around the sword, fanning the sparks into flames.

Bai Ye stood as an avatar of destruction. Drenched in blood, his body covered in grievous wounds, he radiated an aura of pure, menacing power. In his hand, he held a storm of thunder, fire, and wind. His body began to crack, blood pouring from fresh wounds, but his expression was eerily calm.

"With this sword," he declared, his voice echoing like a thunderclap in Tokikake's ears, "I will erase everything in my path! Today, I invite you to meet your end!"

SLASH!

That day, a single sword strike of blinding light flashed across the port of Alabasta. It stretched for miles, splitting the very city in two.