CHAPTER 143 - CROCODILE

Vivi's expression was utterly terrified! She had truly been discovered, and the information was so detailed. It had come to this... she seemed to have few choices left.

Vivi: "..."

Vivi: "I admit, I am Vivi. If you are Baroque Works, please immediately stop the destruction of Alabasta Kingdom!"

March 7th: "Oh dear, a misunderstanding. We are not Baroque Works, and we don't do bad things."

Emilia: "Miss Vivi, you don't need to be so wary; everyone in the group is a good person."

Seitenshi: "Perhaps try to trust us."

Vivi: "..."

Vivi: "You really aren't Baroque Works?"

Ren: "Aren't you trying to find the mastermind behind Baroque Works?"

Ren: "I'll tell you, your national hero is the boss of Baroque Works."

Vivi: "National hero? Shichibukai Crocodile?!"

Vivi covered her mouth. She couldn't believe such a thing. The hero who saved the country was actually the true culprit trying to destroy Alabasta! Would anyone really believe this if she told them?

*****

"Ding! Detected one of the Abnormal Doomsday factors around Vivi, enabling Doom Companion!"

[Doom Companion]: Five people

[Companion Time]: 1 day

[Companions]: Ren, Nami, Vivi, Tendou Kisara, Esdeath

[Companion Mission]: Eliminate the evil Transcendent Crocodile.

Silver Wolf: "This is too fast, Ren just revealed the mastermind, and the companion appeared."

Reinhardt: "Another new anomaly has appeared, Transcendent. Plunderer, Reborn, Transcendent... are these somehow connected?"

Ren: "Let's talk about that later, Vivi, the anomaly is around you."

However, no one replied.

Tendou Kisara: "It seems something's wrong on her end."

Esdeath: "Can we act? I can't wait!"

Ren: "Let's go."

"Pop!"

He took out weapons from Nami. Patting her soft flesh, golden light bloomed, and both simultaneously changed into white T-shirts and shorts.

Going to the desert, of course, it was more fitting to wear something cool and refreshing. And the T-shirts had the characters 'Love' and 'Affection' printed on them respectively, practically screaming 'couple'.

"Won't this be too high-profile?"

Nami knew about the relationship between Ren and Esdeath, and she was a bit worried it might cause conflict.

Ren chuckled softly: "What's high-profile about it? My woman is my woman, there's nothing to hide."

Her heart warmed, Nami softly hummed: "Mm."

"Let's go."

The two confirmed their companionship and disappeared simultaneously.

*****

"..."

Nojiko noticed the room had gone silent. Her dazed eyes peered through the crack in the door.

"..."

Both of them were gone!

As she stood up, supporting herself on the floor, she touched a puddle of water.

"..."

Her cheeks instantly flushed red. She must have drunk too much water... it must be that!

Comforting herself, Nojiko straightened her hot pants after standing up. She glanced at the room... truly, no one was there...

Pressing her lips together, she reached out, pushed the door open, and walked inside.

... ...

*****

Vivi was nervously looking at the Chat Group. She wanted to further confirm Crocodile's information.

Suddenly, sand swirled everywhere.

"Ugh!"

Vivi quickly closed her eyes, using her arms to shield her face from the blowing sand.

A moment later, feeling the sandstorm had stopped, she lowered her arms.

"!!!"

Her eyes trembled violently! The burly, sinister figure had already coalesced from the sandstorm.

Taller than Vivi, he wore a plaid shirt under a black fur coat, looking imposing. His hair was slicked back, a long scar ran across his face, he had an earring in his right ear, smoked a cigar, and his left hand, a golden hook, gleamed in the sunlight.

Sand Crocodile... Shichibukai!

Vivi's expression was one of horror, but she quickly hid it.

Bang!

Crocodile flicked his right hand. The woman in the black leather outfit in his hand was thrown onto the sand.

"Ha..."

The woman in the black leather outfit breathed painfully, blood flowing from her forehead and seeping into the yellow sand.

"Should I call you Miss Wednesday or Princess Vivi?"

Crocodile's eyes were gloomy, burning with rage. He was Crocodile, the Transcendent Crocodile!

"Shichibukai-sama, I don't know what you're talking about?"

Vivi forced a smile.

"It doesn't matter, your existence and Robin's will cease to be, both of you traitors."

Crocodile's expression was cold, his open right palm transforming into quicksand, surging towards Robin and Vivi on the ground.

*****

"Crocodile."

"Who?!"

Crocodile's hairs stood on end. His body transformed into yellow sand and flowed into the earth.

He reappeared hundreds of meters away, standing up again. In that instant, he felt the aura of death, and his body instinctively made him flee.

When he looked ahead again, a man and a woman were already standing there. His gaze locked onto the man; the threat came from him.

"Is he the enemy?"

Esdeath's clear, cold voice sounded beside Ren.

"He looks fierce," Tendou Kisara judged.

"..."

Crocodile frowned deeply; then two more people suddenly appeared.

Esdeath glanced at Ren and Nami's couple's outfits, said nothing more, and directly asked, "How strong is he?"

Ren sighed, bored, "He's trash to me. Nami, you alone are enough."

Nami, with her Rumble Rumble Fruit and Redemption Angel body, could easily handle a small Crocodile.

Esdeath's Demon's Extract was an A-level ability. After completing her world's Doom Companion, she had already upgraded it to Lv5, and she also mastered Haki and Six Styles. Dealing with Crocodile was completely effortless for her.

"I can fight too!"

Tendou Kisara lifted her chin, and a sword appeared in her hand.

Ren recognized it at a glance: "Zanpakuto?"

"That's right, this is the A-level ability I got from the roulette. It's already Lv3, and its true name is God Spear!"

"An A-level Zanpakuto?"

His own was S-rank, Tendou Kisara's was A. What was the reason for this?

However, God Spear seemed to be the Zanpakuto of Captain Gin Ichimaru of the Gotei 13's Third Division. Its ability was to freely extend and retract, changing its length. Tendou Kisara's Tendou-style swordsmanship was also excellent. Combined with God Spear's unexpectedness, it was a rather interesting combination.

"It seems you're all eager to fight. Then I'll leave this guy to you. Consider it practice."

Ren wasn't interested in a weakling like Crocodile.

"Finally, I can fight!"

Esdeath's long-awaited battle had finally arrived. As she spoke, her body already charged forward.

"Gray Horn Giant Ice!"

Giant ice suddenly descended from the sky.

Crocodile's pupils contracted: "A Devil Fruit user?"

His body reacted quickly, the yellow sand of the earth surged, and a great sand sword pierced out of the desert.

Crack!

The giant ice block was cut in half by the desert greatsword, splitting apart in the air.

"She's already started."

Nami was speechless; Esdeath truly was a battle maniac, her actions were too fast. Since Esdeath had started, it meant they wouldn't have much of a chance.

"No choice, that's just her personality." Ren spread his hands; after all, they were all his women, and he couldn't show favoritism. Fortunately, Nami wasn't someone who liked to contend.

"It seems I can't beat him either. I'll start a live stream." Tendou Kisara gracefully withdrew God Spear.

Watching the two of them battle, freezing the earth and sending sandstorms flying, she was quite self-aware of her own strength.

*****

[Ding! Tendou Kisara has started a live stream!]

[March 7th has joined the live stream room!]

... ...

March 7th: "This time, Esdeath is fighting!"

Bronya: "Isn't Ren going to make a move?"

Ren: "He's a weakling, too lazy to bother. Just satisfying Esdeath's desire for battle."

Bronya: "I see."

Rory Takakura: "I feel like they're so strong; one can control sand, one can control ice. How do they do that?"

Ren: "Crocodile ate a Logia Devil Fruit, the Sand-Sand Fruit, and Esdeath uses an Imperial Arm called Demon's Extract: Demon God Manifestation."

Rory Takakura: "Oh, oh."

Though she didn't quite understand.

Shinobu Kocho: "It's a Devil Fruit ability, like mine."

Silver Wolf: "The powers from other worlds are quite peculiar."

White Blood Cell: "Is this human combat? It's truly incredible."

Momonga: "No, humans don't fight like this. It's just that they are humans with abilities!"

Platelet: "So... so amazing!"

Reinhardt: "Ren-san, do you know what a Transcendent represents?"

Ren: "Yes, I already know."

He had already dominated Crocodile's memory and seen everything.

Ren: "Literally, someone who has transcended their past self."

Mikoto Suoh: "Future person?"

Ren: "Yes and no. Specifically, he is someone who traveled back in time from a certain period in the future to his current self, and whose memories have merged with the present."

What Ren saw in Crocodile's memory was that he came from the moment he was defeated by Luffy. It was different from a reborn person like Arlong, who is reborn after death.

March 7th: "So he wants to kill Vivi because he has memories of the future?"

Ren: "Exactly."

*****

Vivi: "Is all of this... true?"

Ren: "..."

Vivi, with a blank expression, opened her mouth, and Ren, with a comical expression, said, "Is it possible that I'm right beside you, and you can just talk to me directly?"

"Huh?"

Vivi then remembered that the real person seemed to be right beside her. Her face flushed: "Then... that, is all of this true?"

"It's true." Ren nodded, his gaze surveying Vivi. Or rather, Vivi dressed as Miss Wednesday.

"..."

Well, he found this style quite an eyesore, especially the spiral-shaped clothes.

"Wait a moment."

Ren's finger touched her circular clothes, transforming them into a pink, gold-decorated long dress.

In Vivi's stunned gaze, he untied her single ponytail, letting her hair fall loose. Several more decorations appeared in his hand, and he re-styled her hair.

Soon, a brand new Vivi emerged.

"Absolutely beautiful!" Ren was very satisfied with his handiwork; the new Vivi looked so much more pleasing to the eye.

"Magic?"

Nami looked at the transformed Vivi in surprise. A punk girl instantly turned into a radiant princess.

"It's strange, why would she dress like that when she's so pretty?" Tendou Kisara wondered.

Vivi didn't dare to look into Ren's eyes, explaining blushingly, "Th-that... I just needed to be disguised."

*****

"Ren, what about this person?"

Nami gestured to the very weak woman in black on the ground. The woman in black lifted her eyelids; she had been trying to reduce her presence through silence.

Unfortunately, that was impossible. Her mind was processing a lot of current information. That Vivi was the princess of Alabasta Kingdom. These suddenly appearing people seemed to belong to some organization. They dared to attack a Shichibukai! And she glimpsed the fierce battle in the distance, even seeing Crocodile completely on the defensive.

"Miss, do you need me to help you up?"

Ren extended his hand like a gentleman. The woman didn't hesitate, taking his hand and standing up.

Before she could even ask, Ren, with a half-smile, revealed her identity: "Demon Child, Nico Robin."

!!!

Robin's body trembled. She was discovered!

"Don't be nervous, I'm not interested in your identity."

Ren scrutinized the current Robin. Her figure was decent, but her skin and appearance were still far from what they would be two years later.

Robin wasn't sure if his words were true or false, maintaining her vigilance.

"Are you from the World Government? Or pirates?"

"Neither."

Ren replied simply, his gaze shifting towards Esdeath.

Crocodile, bleeding from the corner of his mouth, felt only endless humiliation; the ice pick embedded in his right leg had completely frozen his lower leg, preventing even elementalization.