Grand-Line Level

Large sound effect “ゴオオオオオオ” echoes over a distant view of a grand desert city with palm trees. An hourglass panel shows sand falling with “サラ サラ…”. In the main scene, Crocodile stands with his back to the viewer, hook raised, facing Luffy who stands ready in the dunes. Speech bubbles read: “Straw-Hat Luffy…”, “Why don’t we put an end to these games,” and “I’ve been fighting you seriously!”

Luffy clenches his fists in frustration, thinking “I can’t hit him at all… He keeps turning into sand…” and muttering “Dammit…”. Crocodile lunges forward with a clawed hand, declaring “Are pirates in completely different leagues…! You and I…”. He then unleashes a massive sand slash attack labeled “DESERT SPADA! (Desert Sword)”, sending Luffy flying backward through the air amid swirling sand and impact lines.

Luffy is struck hard by the Desert Spada, eyes wide in shock with “!I” as rocks and debris fly. The powerful slash sends him tumbling violently through the air with a large “AGHHH!”. Crocodile smirks and comments, “Nicely spotted… Had you been hit by that attack, you’d be saying a lot more than ‘ouch’…”. Luffy lands dazed with swirling eyes and a dazed expression.

The desert floor violently cracks apart beneath Luffy. "THE DESERT SPLIT OPEN!" Luffy crouches in shock as the ground yawns open. "WHAT THE...I" A massive scar-faced man with stitched skin and long black hair looms in close-up, smirking. "Unlike those fools who're satisfied merely by having a devil fruit power, I've honed my powers to perfection...! Devil fruit powers can be extremely strong in battle. Depending on how you use it and how long you've trained with it." He raises his hand and declares, "I'll make you soon regret ever going up against me!" The sand erupts upward in a spiraling column. "DESERT GIRASOLE! (Desert Sunflower)"

A colossal swirling sand vortex erupts, sucking everything toward its center with immense force. Luffy is pulled off his feet and drawn into the maelstrom. "THE SAND IS... SUCKING ME IN!" he yells, arms flailing. "GAHHHH!" "SLIDE..." "W-WHAT'S GOING ON!I" he cries in panic as the sand swallows him deeper.

Crocodile stands tall, explaining, "The sand is being sucked into the groundwater below, which I can sense with my powers... Have you ever heard of a quicksandI It's quite a convenient desert grave, requiring no casket." Luffy struggles desperately in the sinking sand. "GONNA BE BURIED BY SOME STUPID SAND!" he shouts, huffing. "I'M NOT... There's not a single person in this world who can best me in a desert battle." Crocodile grins. Luffy stretches his arm back. "GOMU GOMU-" Crocodile retorts, "YOU LITTLE..." as the attack launches.

Luffy rockets upward with a double-fisted strike. "BAZOOKA!" Crocodile is blasted backward. "Then I'll catch you instead!" Luffy yells, arms raised. "If I can't hit you..." He stretches both arms wide and shouts, "GOMU GOMU NET!" as a massive net of rubber limbs expands to ensnare his opponent.

Crocodile stares coldly and says, "You never learn, do you... It's all futile." Luffy's massive Gomu Gomu whip leg arcs through the air toward him. Crocodile reacts with "!!!I" as the strike connects. In the lower panels Luffy shouts "GOMU GOMU..." and unleashes a powerful whip attack that smashes into Crocodile, sending debris flying. Crocodile grunts "Again...I" while a small figure below yells "Ahh!" as the impact shakes the area.

Luffy's spinning leg strike continues, labeled "BARCHAN!" as it hurls Crocodile through the air. Crocodile counters with a powerful upward kick that sends Luffy flying backward with a pained "UGH!" Crocodile stands with arms crossed, unfazed. Luffy crashes down, eyes wide in shock, clutching his right arm and crying out "MY... MY ARM!" as the limb begins to wither.

Luffy screams "MY ARM!" as his right arm shrivels and dries out. Crocodile smirks and explains, "That'll give you a true taste of the desert... As sand, I sucked up all the moisture in your arm. Perhaps I'll have you die by sucking all the moisture out from your entire body." Luffy grits his teeth, "DAMMIT! THIS ISN'T GOOD..." Crocodile watches calmly while Luffy's arm becomes mummified. In the final panels Crocodile narrows his eyes as Luffy reacts with alarm.

Luffy flexes his left arm with a determined "NGHH!" while gulping desperately from a barrel of water. A small figure hands him the barrel, saying "TAKE THIS WITH YOU, LUFFY. This is the water that the dried-up gramps in Yuba spent all night digging up! And he told me." Luffy shouts "IT'S NOT PATHETIC!" Crocodile sneers "Pathetic." Luffy then stretches his arm back and declares "GOMU GOMU..." as he prepares another attack, yelling that Yuba would never be defeated by mere sand.

Luffy's massive head fills the panel as he lunges forward with a wild grin, teeth bared, hands clawing the air while shouting "CHOMP CHOMP!" Impact lines explode around him. In the next tier, Crocodile looms over the pinned Straw Hat captain, face twisted in fury as he roars, "ENOUGH WITH YOUR IDIOTIC GAMES!" Luffy grunts "NGH-" from the crushing grip. Crocodile's stitched face fills the bottom panels, eyes blazing as he snarls, "DIE...! ALONG WITH THAT STUBBORN LAND OF YUBA!" and "I FINISH YOU OFF FOR GOOD." Luffy coughs violently, blood flecking his lips: "IT'S TIME... COUGH! UGH!"

Crocodile stands with arms crossed, cloak whipping as he activates his power: "SABLES (Sandstorm)". Luffy's eyes bulge in shock, tongue out, exclaiming "HuhI 3 minutes have passed." A colossal sand vortex erupts across the page with massive motion lines and debris, Luffy yelling "WHOA!" Crocodile smirks in close-up, "Ahh, the sand's perfectly dry..." while Luffy is slammed down, grunting "UGH...!" amid heavy impact SFX.

Citizens of Rainbase panic as a massive sandstorm swirls in the distance. A man shouts, "LOOK! THERE'S A SANDSTORM TO THE EAST!" Another yells, "WAIT! THE WIND'S BLOWING SOUTH SO IT SHOULD MISS US!" and "EVERYBODY EVACUATE NOW!" A sign reads "Rainbase". Vivi spots a familiar figure and gasps, "Capt. Smoker! Is that..." Outside the city, the group stares at the horizon where the sandstorm rages; someone cries, "A sandstorm just sprung up near Rainbase...!" Vivi asks, "Vivi, what's wrong!I"

Nami's close-up shows sweat and determination as she declares, "It must be him...!" The Straw Hats react in a row of worried panels: Chopper, Usopp, Nami whispering "Luffy...", Sanji, and Zoro with eyes closed. A vast desert spread shows Luffy standing alone before a towering sand vortex. An unseen voice warns, "Listen well, Straw-Hat Luffy. The prevailing winds here usually blow North to South." It continues, "So if a little sand-storm were to start here and head South while growing larger and larger from the prevailing winds," and asks, "Where do you think it'll hit when it's grown into a monstrous sandstormI" Luffy stares silently at the approaching threat.

Crocodile's scarred face fills a panel as he answers coldly, "Yuba, of course." Luffy's eyes widen in shock, shouting "It travels South...!I" The fight erupts violently. Luffy is hurled backward amid massive impact lines and debris as Crocodile declares, "Look, it's already begun to travel South...! THE DRIED-UP GRAMPS HAS GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR FIGHT!" Luffy roars back, "STOP! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!I" Crocodile presses the assault, yelling "I SAID STOP!" and "STOP IT!" while Luffy counters desperately, "UGH!" and "YOU BASTARD! STOP THIS AT ONCE!" The clash sends both fighters reeling with heavy motion lines and dust clouds.

Luffy and Crocodile clash face-to-face. Luffy yells "RIGHT NOW!" and "I SAID-" while Crocodile snarls "STOP THE STORM!" and "QUIT YOUR BULLCRAP!" Crocodile continues, "Once this sandstorm grows, it'll become so strong that not even I'll be able to stop it. Kuhaha... Your efforts are futile." The massive sandstorm swirls violently in the distance, approaching a desert town with buildings and palm trees. A lone figure slumps with the sound effect "SLUMP..." Close-ups show dripping liquid and a large curved object with impact marks.

Crocodile's close-up reveals a menacing glare as he asks, "DO YOU THINK I AM...I JUST WHO," while towering over a smaller silhouette. He continues, "WHO ONLY KNOW HOW TO RUN THEIR MOUTHS," and "THERE'RE COUNTLESS ROOKIES LIKE YOU," with heavy sound effects "ゴオオオオオ" and "ト゛タ゛ト゛..." The final wide panel shows a desert landscape with a dome structure and swirling sand as Crocodile states, "OUT HERE IN THE GRAND LINE..."

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