Reborn as crocodile before Luffy arrival, Run away with Robin

He also challenged the old man. While this wouldn't cause any trouble with Crocodile, he remarked that recognizing him was out of the question. At most, he was now just a stranger he happened to meet.

As a pirate, Ace remained highly interested in the strong, especially those with Logia fruit abilities. However, he was currently pursuing Blackbeard and had no immediate plans to engage Crocodile.

If Crocodile recalled correctly, Ace at this point was not only more destructive in ability than himself, but should also have already mastered Haki. This was detailed in the official novel recounting Ace's life, where he honed his Haki during a fierce battle with Vice Admiral Draw.

The exact timeline of Ace's Haki mastery was unclear to Crocodile, but this journey marked Ace's final one, indicating he must have had some proficiency with Haki. His potential with Haki had been evident since childhood.

Thus, from every angle, the current Ace was far stronger than Crocodile. Before joining Whitebeard, he had turned down the Shichibukai offer, and his official bounty stood at 550 million berries.

However, in terms of combat, in this desert terrain, Crocodile was confident in handling any situation with his own abilities. Whether to escape or fight, it posed no problem. With the geographical advantage and the sometimes complex battle conditions, victory wasn't entirely out of reach.

But observing Ace's demeanor, Crocodile decided against making a move.

Nevertheless, Crocodile was eager to test himself. The earlier skirmish with the young pirate had been unsatisfying. Even if he couldn't defeat Ace now, at least in the desert, no one could stop him. If they sparred, Crocodile believed Ace wouldn't kill him. At least, in Crocodile's estimation, Ace wasn't that merciless.

Sooner or later, Crocodile knew he would face opponents of this caliber. It was better to gain experience now. If he survived, he foresaw facing Yonko-level adversaries with bounties of four or five billion.

"Portgas D. Ace, care to spar?" Crocodile proposed.

"It seems you're eager for a fight," Ace replied, adjusting his hat casually.

In truth, Ace was also curious about Crocodile's strength. After all, battling formidable opponents was how he grew stronger. Earlier, he felt there were other priorities, but if Crocodile was suggesting it, things were different now.

He had no reason to decline, for his own sake and for Whitebeard's reputation that he carried.

"Desert Spada!" Without hesitation, Crocodile unleashed his attack. Knowing Ace's strength from the outset, holding back wasn't an option.

A tornado of sand swirled in the palm of Crocodile's right hand, infused with more power from the Suna Suna no Mi. The sand grew turbulent as Crocodile hurled it forth, forming a sweeping vortex aimed towards Ace.

Performed in the desert, the attack appeared larger and more potent, with the sandstorm covering a wider area.

"Fire Fist!" Ace's expression turned serious as he witnessed the approaching tornado. He couldn't afford to be careless against a Shichibukai. Flames erupted from his right hand, distorting the dry air around him into a shimmering heatwave.

With a thunderous roar, the massive fire fist surged forward with formidable force. The intense heat and scorching wind made Crocodile distinctly uncomfortable.

Peng! Sand and flames collided, causing a monumental explosion of two natural disaster-level abilities. Fragments of flame and sand scattered with incredible force. Thankfully, this was a deserted area; in a populated area, such a clash would have leveled buildings and injured countless innocent bystanders.

This was why those with Logia abilities were often compared to natural disasters.

"Desert Spada." Crocodile pressed his palm to the ground, instantly collapsing the earth beneath Ace's feet to create an invisible sand pit.

But Ace reacted swiftly. Just before the sand pit formed, he sensed the danger. Flames erupted under his feet, propelling him into the air in an instant, where he burned fiercely, enabling him to hover temporarily.

"Desert Spada." Seizing the moment, Crocodile swung an arc-shaped blade of sand. While not highly lethal, this blade could instantly absorb most of the body's water upon contact, rendering most combatants ineffective.

"Flame Commandment!" Ace, seasoned in battle, remained airborne, and a pillar of flame trailed his movements, crashing down to fill the sand pit. The overflow of flames spread like a wave. Crocodile swept his hand, dispersing the arc-shaped sand dunes, yet the flames persisted unabated.

"Desert Barrier." Backing away swiftly, Crocodile raised his right hand, conjuring a solid wall of sand to intercept the surging flames. The intense heat caused the sand wall to shatter instantly.

Sand scattered as flames rained down upon Crocodile, who rolled the sand up to smother the flames.

"Firefly!" Ace landed and poured flames into the sand pit, transforming it into a blazing inferno. Standing atop the flames, he swiftly maneuvered, shooting flaming bullets from his fingertips as he moved.

The flaming bullets streaked through the air, inflicting high-temperature burns.

"Elementalization." Crocodile had already transformed into sand, allowing the flames to pass harmlessly through his body. Even without Haki to neutralize natural elements, his preemptive elementalization ensured he remained unscathed.

Here's a revised version with improved clarity and correct terminology:

Although it was uncertain whether Ace could imbue Haki into his flames, caution was paramount.

Suddenly, Crocodile wondered if his sand could restrain Ace's flames. If not, he questioned how Haki could prevail in this battle.

Logically, flames don't ignite sand, and sand can extinguish flames to some extent, giving Crocodile a slight advantage in fruit abilities.

However, if strength and physical endurance didn't measure up, this advantage would be negligible. Similar to Aokiji's Hie Hie no Mi, with sufficient mastery, freezing magma was possible. Hence, the dynamics of mutual growth and restraint were not absolute.

For now, Crocodile realized his sand ability held a slight upper hand, a factor he hadn't fully considered before.

"Desert La Spada!" Crocodile swiftly mobilized the desert sand nearby, conjuring four tornado sandstorms around Ace.

Ace smiled faintly at the sight. His entire body transformed into swirling flames, and he pressed his hands against the ground: "Great Flame Commandment!"

Boom! A towering pillar of flame engulfed Ace, shooting into the sky. The wave of fire spread outward, colliding fiercely with the tornado sandstorms in a thunderous explosion.

This was the crucial moment.

"Desert Spada!" Drawing on his extensive combat experience, Crocodile acted swiftly. The sand beneath Ace's feet surged up into a massive cross-cutting sword, sweeping towards Ace.

"Armament Haki." Originally sharp enough to cleave through boulders, the desert sword clashed with Ace, sparking upon contact.

Haki? Crocodile was taken aback.

"Mirror Flame!" Ace suddenly unleashed a torrent of flames from one arm, striking Crocodile with a powerful blast. Crocodile hurriedly manipulated nearby sand to form a sturdy barrier, but it shattered instantly under the force of the attack.

With a resounding explosion, Crocodile braced himself as the impact hit head-on. Fortunately, his powers halved the damage. Despite having elementalized beforehand, Crocodile couldn't deny feeling the burning sensation on his body.

While sand could extinguish fire, fire could also superheat sand. Although it didn't cause significant damage, it demonstrated that even without a complete understanding of each other's Haki abilities, direct confrontation could still yield impactful results.

Ace's speed surged as he closed in for close combat. In an instant, he stood before Crocodile, who keenly sensed the disparity in their physical prowess. His shortcomings in physical skills were starkly apparent—it wasn't a battle but a defensive struggle or outright beating.

Moreover, had his enhanced attributes been altered?

Recognizing the disparity, Crocodile dispelled all sand defenses and calmly conceded, "I concede."

Ace's assault abruptly ceased.