When Conqueror’s Haki is released, the user emanates a powerful pressure which spreads outward in all directions. If someone is significantly weaker than the user, they would be knocked unconscious. It has always been an excellent skill for clearing out small fry.
Especially after the version update, the emergence of Conqueror’s Haki Infusion has almost become the pinnacle ability of the strong.
When one first awakens Conqueror’s Haki, it indiscriminately attacks all living beings in the vicinity. However, with increased proficiency, the user can target specific individuals or groups within a crowd.
Yamato was already highly proficient in using Conqueror’s Haki, but faced with hundreds of thousands of kingdom soldiers and rebels, she truly had no idea how to precisely distinguish friend from foe.
So, she designated a certain range around herself as a “safe zone,” and applied her intimidation on only those people who were outside the zone.
The kingdom soldiers observing the battle from the high ground were affected even less, allowing them to still report on the situation.
Hundreds of thousands of people collapsing simultaneously—this was an eerie situation they had never anticipated.
Of course, for the guards inside the palace, the situation here was even more shocking than the battlefield outside. No matter how many years Crocodile had planned, Cobra still held a certain level of public support, and the palace guards still believed in their king.
Now, the chaos before them left them at a loss for what to do, causing them to stand dazed in the plaza for a moment.
However, his task was already complete. The battlefield report he brought was enough for the people here to understand what was happening outside.
“So, King Cobra, Princess Vivi, are you satisfied with this outcome? They will be unconscious for quite a while—this should be enough time for you to arrange the next steps. Would you say the 1,381,000,000 Berries were well spent?”
“Worth it…”
War itself is an exhausting and costly affair, let alone a civil strife within the kingdom. Beyond the casualties on both sides, the kingdom’s economic development would also suffer serious setbacks afterward. If spending over a billion Berries could resolve the issue this quickly, one could even say they saved a significant amount.
Moreover, this seemed to be the fastest way to end the fighting. Both the rebel army and the royal army had Baroque Works’ spies among them, making it extremely difficult to stop the battle through normal means. Now that both sides were unconscious, there was no need to fight anymore.
Of course, for Cobra, the most important thing was that this could spare his people from death and injuries.
“Our rule is simple—money in exchange for results. If you don’t mind, could you take me to see the Poneglyph? Yamato, I’ll leave things here to you—handle it however you like.”
Yamato had no interest in complicated history. Likewise, Robin had little interest in battle. Leaving Yamato to deal with Crocodile while she and Cobra studied the Poneglyph was the most time-efficient solution.
Yamato made a gesture to Robin, indicating that there was no problem. It seemed that she planned to follow the previous suggestion and ask other questions after everything was settled.
“Uh… I don’t really have any objections, but given the current situation… isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”
Cobra had no intention of breaking his promise. His original plan was to perish together with Crocodile, using the mechanisms within the underground chamber to bury him forever beneath Alabasta.
If Crocodile were to gain control of Alabasta, the citizens here would never know peace. This was the last thing Cobra could do as king.
As a royal family with a thousand-year legacy, it would be strange if there were no traps in the places where they kept their secrets.
But now, the situation has changed. This group of people had no interest in Alabasta, and their displayed strength far surpassed Crocodile’s.
More importantly, Cobra did not want to attract that monster, Kaido.
The secret of the Poneglyph had already been exposed. If things reached that point, not only would the Poneglyph be lost, but Alabasta would also have to endure another catastrophe. It was better to take this opportunity to resolve the issue now.
At the next Levely, he could even raise the issue of the Shichibukai oppressing the king of an affiliated nation while the Marines did nothing, forcing him to hire pirate mercenaries at great expense to handle the matter. This is why he agreed so readily.
Crocodile was extremely displeased with Robin ignoring him and blatantly treating him like a commodity. When he saw that she planned to release Cobra, yellow sand surged into the air.
“I’m telling you, don’t act like I don’t exist! Desert Spada!”
Crocodile’s right arm turned into sand as he raised it, gathering countless grains of sand into a fast-moving swirling mass, giving his Desert Spada immense cutting power.
The palace floor was split in half by the sand blade, and then with undiminished momentum, the sand blade continued toward Robin.
“Thunder Bagua!”
Boom!
Robin and Cobra remained completely unharmed, while Crocodile was sent flying by a single strike from Yamato, turning into a pile of scattered sand against the wall.
“So weak. Seriously, are you really a Shichibukai? Jinbe and Hancock are way stronger than you.”
Both Jinbe and Hancock had certain connections with the Beasts Pirates, which inevitably led to her sparring with them. Through those fights, Yamato gained a rough understanding of the strength level of the Shichibukai.
Later, during the battle with Hawk Eyes, she confirmed that her initial assessment was accurate. However, Crocodile’s performance made her question whether there was something wrong with the composition of the Shichibukai.
“Cough… Cough… You b*stard…”
The scattered sand that was Crocodile reformed, but his face was already half-covered in blood, making him look extremely sinister.
“How… How is this possible? Just one hit and…?”
Vivi’s mouth hung open in shock, struggling to believe what had just happened. She had spent so much time trying to figure out a way to defeat Crocodile, yet she still hadn’t found a solution.
Previously, Crocodile had been the embodiment of arrogance, but now, a single strike had reduced him to this state. What Vivi didn’t realize was that this was merely a probing attack—Yamato, in her human form, hadn’t even used much of her strength.
“Huh? You’re still here? Hurry up and leave this place with Robin. Be careful not to get caught up in the crossfire later.”
“Hey, hey! Even if you’re a pirate from the New World, show me some respect! When I was sailing the seas, you were just a little brat! Sables: Pesado!”
Yellow sand filled the sky, and a massive sandstorm gradually enveloped the entire palace. Even the sand outside was drawn over, converging towards the palace.
“I will find Pluton and become the king of the world. A woman—just a woman—how could you possibly stop—”
Boom!
Before Crocodile could finish speaking, Yamato had already broken through the sandstorm he created and smashed him with another strike of her kanabo.
Looking at Crocodile, whose eyes had rolled back in unconsciousness, Yamato patted her ear, shaking out the sand.
“The wind’s a bit strong. What did you just say? You want to become what king?”
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