NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Crocodile’s End!
Chapter 4: Crocodile’s End!
As Lucas laid to the ground, he saw his life flash before his eyes.
His life in his home world…
His friends, and family…
His meeting with the Strawhat pirates…
His first meal with them…
His left arm which carries the mark of their friendship...
‘Am I...gonna die now?’
Lucas thought to himself and wondered if it was not okay to die.
‘No...I can’t die yet...there are still...many things I want to experience! Many things I want to change! And many more...I want to meet!’
Suddenly, somewhere in his body, a warm flow started to emerge and spread throughout his body.
This change can only be felt by him and not everyone else.
‘This is...I see...so this is...my power…!’
As Lucas began to explore this newfound power, another figure appeared at the scene.
“Kohza!”
“...So it really is…”
Kohza looked at Lucas who laid dead at Crocodile’s feet and sighed.
“Lucas…”
Vivi heard him and can’t help but feel saddened again.
Robin also didn’t want to look at Lucas’ body, for fear she may feel something and expose herself.
“Heh, if it isn’t the leader of the rebellion, Kohza. It’s nice meeting you for the first time.”
“Crocodile-! You will pay for this!”
“Stop it! Kohza!”
“King…”
Kohza was about to charge at him but King Cobra stopped him.
“The only thing you can do is to leave here now...go back and save the lives of the people! As many as you can!”
“Within 30 minutes...the palace square will be blown up!”
Chaka uttered as he continued to lay on the ground.
“So you’re still not dead!”
Crocodile snorted and dealt another blow at him!
Vivi covered her eyes while Kohza gritted his teeth.
“...It’s too bad…”
“Huh?”
Crocodile frowned seeing Kohza’s reaction.
He had expected him to dash off and try to evacuate people but he actually did not move.
“...Lucas told me about your plan. And the location of the bomb.”
“!!!”
Kohza sneered at Crocodile.
“That bomb, we had long since pulled it away from here! Even if it detonates, it will only destroy the dessert!”
Then multiple figures appeared from behind Kohza!
Zoro...Nami...Sanji...Usopp...Chopper...!
“Lucas…”
“No…!”
“Bastard! You will pay for this!”
“Dammit! How dare you kill our friend!?”
“Lucas!”
Crocodile’s face started to twist. He was truly enraged now!
Never would he have thought that the insignificant insect he just killed to have known so much and continued to disrupt his plans even when he’s dead!
Vivi’s eyes started to pour tears again as she saw the crew.
“You guys…!”
After realizing what Kohza meant, her eyes turned towards Lucas who laid on the ground motionless and even more tears flowed.
“Lucas…!!!”
Just as everyone is about to fight, a loud voice came from above!
“CROCODILE!!!”
Riding on top of Pell who had changed into a bird…
“LUFFY!”
“The Strawhat guy!”
Crocodile’s face went black in anger!
This guy! This guy again!? Why is he still not dead!?
Pell landed in front of everybody along with Luffy carrying a water barrel behind his back.
“Weren’t your wounds mortal? How are you still alive?”
Crocodile frowned but Luffy ignored him and focused on the body lying down beneath Crocodile.
Seeing Lucas’ dried up corpse, Luffy’s face turned angry as he glared at Crocodile.
However, he didn’t charge at him just yet.
“Sorry, I lost to that guy once...so this time I can’t lose…”
Hearing him apologize like that, everyone else just smiled.
“Hurry up with it…”
“If you can’t win, who can!?”
Luffy’s eyes stared dead at Crocodile with resolution.
“I’ll finish it now...all of it!”
Saying this, he started to charge at Crocodile!
“Crooooccc!!!”
“No matter how many times you try, you guys can’t hit me!”
Crocodile sneered but Luffy still charged at him.
“So you want to be impaled again eh!?”
His body started to dissolved again but before he can do so, Luffy’s fist knocked on Crocodile’s face!
Still, he wasn’t finished!
His hands stretched and grabbed Crocodile’s shoulder as his body rotates.
“Gomu gomu no...Buzzsaw!”
The moment his feet left the ground, he performed a spinning kick at Crocodile’s face!
“Shishishi!”
King Cobra and Robin both looked at Luffy in surprise as they saw Crocodile hit the ground!
Luffy wasn’t satisfied yet!
“Stand up! I know your weakness now. That’s why you keep on taking the rain! You're scared of it! Water is your weakness! As long as I use this, I can beat you up! The show is just beginning!”
Crocodile sat up and laughed.
“What? Do you really think you can beat me? I am one of the Shichibukai! One of the seven gods of the sea!”
“Huh? You’re one of the seven gods? So what? Then I’ll be...the eight god!”
“...”
Nami and the rest can only facepalm as they heard this.
The fight soon continued with Luffy throwing punches here and there and developing new techniques!
“Enough! Sandstorm!”
Crocodile release a sandstorm that blew Luffy and his water barrel away!
“Water barrel!”
Luffy hurriedly caught on the barrel before he landed.
“Hahaha! You really are into this fight eh? If you lose your water barrel, you’re out of tricks! In that case, how are you different from last time?”
“...You're right. It wouldn’t be any different…”
Luffy frowned as he knew Crocodile was right.
“Then how about this! If it’s like this, I’m different from the last time!”
“...You’re not serious…”
Crocodile’s face twitched as he saw Luffy’s current form.
“Water Luffy! Burp.”
*Boing*
…
What Luffy did was...to drink all the water from the barrel! Revealing a fat bouncy Luffy!
Nami and the rest collapsed to the ground.
Its over...their captain is a huge idiot!
“Oh no! I’m leaking!”
Is this kid serious!?
“Damn, drank too much...I shouldn’t drink too much water.”
“Hahahaha!”
Robin couldn’t take it anymore and laughed.
Crocodile was even more pissed.
“You damned kid! What the hell are you joking about!?”
Luffy looked back at Crocodile and pumped his arms then spitting a ball of water towards Crocodile!
Now his whole body is drenched in water!
“Who’s kidding!? I’m always serious!”
Luffy’s arms stretched all the way back!
“Gomu gomu no….Rocket Punch!”
The insane force was enough to make Crocodile spit blood and be blown away, crashing at a small building behind him!
“How’s that? Crocodile?”
King Cobra could not believe his eyes.
“I can’t believe it…gh-!?”
“Right now’s not the time just to appreciate it, Mr. Cobra.”
Robin waved her hands and took off the nails stuck on King Cobra.
“You should hurry up and take me to...the place where ‘the true history’ is written.”
“!? Why do you want to see that thing? What’re you planning?”
“It doesn’t matter to you. Take me to that place.”
Robin then turned to Luffy and the others.
“Hahaha, your good luck ends here. No more time left for you.”
“Hurry up, Nico Robin! If you don’t want to turn dry too! I am freaking pissed!”
Crocodile stood up from the rubbles and shouted at Robin.
“As you wish.”
Robin immediately retreated away with King Cobra.
“You think we’ll let you get away!?”
“Father!”
Vivi and the others tried to stop her but with a single wave, numerous hands appeared beside their feets and hands, instantly binding them in place.
“Straw-hat, you listen. Every rock on this earth...will be destroyed!”
Crocodile exerted his power to the ground and the grass started to shrivel and die!
“The grass turned yellow!”
“The trees too!?”
“The surface of the ground got dry!”
Cracks started to appear on the ground and begun to collapse.
Seeing this, Luffy hurriedly shot more water towards Crocodile as he fell!
But Crocodile wasn’t someone who would fall for the same trick!
He moved his hand forward and...touch the water with his hand! The water immediately cried!
“He used his hands and absorbed it!?”
“You think you took away my ability, Water Luffy? Then you're wrong! You see, this hand can make anything dry without limits! Even trees, rocks, or dirt!”
The ground and everything around him started to turn to sand after being dried to the extreme!
“Turn everything back into sand!”
“Ah! My sandals too!?”
Luffy hurriedly shook off his sandals as it slowly turned into sand.
“Everything touched by my hand...will dry into sand!”
“EH!?”
Luffy, Nami, and the others all paled as they heard this!
“Mass Erosion!”
Luffy immediately grabbed everyone and jumped off the walls but was caught by Crocodile!
The others fell but with Pell with them, they managed to land safely.
Crocodile now had Luffy at his grasps. With his hand, he dried his body up just like Lucas!
But before be dried up, Luffy managed to shoot some water balls up in the air!
“This time, you lose again! Strawhat Luffy!”
Crocodile released his hand and caused the shriveled Luffy to fall to the ground.
“Time to go.”
Looking at the direction where Robin left, Crocodile dissipated into sand once more and flew away.
At this time, the water balls that Luffy shoot up managed to fall back to himself, immediately hydrating him!
“Puhaa! I thought I was dead for sure!”
“Luffy!”
The others immediately surrounded him.
“Where did that croc go!?”
“He went that way!”
“I am not letting you go easily! Let’s go!”
As Luffy and the rest ran after Crocodile, back at the palace, a man that once laid down the ground, thought to be dead...opened his eyes!
Lucas’ body started to expand. His previously shriveled corpse now looked completely normal!
He sat up and looked at his hands.
“I see...this power...was from that fruit I ate back home? I thought it tasted weird at that time…”
Just before he got to this world, he indeed ate a strange fruit in the fridge.
Mainly because there was nothing else to eat and he was too lazy to cook anything so he just ate it.
He doesn't really know why that fruit was there but he understood that it was the reason why he arrived here in the world of One Piece.
When he arrived here, he was already submerged in water...so if it was a devil fruit, then he should’ve drowned!
So what is it then?
Lucas watched as his own hand turned into water.
From what he remembers, there is no such thing as a Logia Water Devil Fruit. Such a thing shouldn’t exist since seawater is the devil fruit’s enemy!
How come he suddenly has it?
Lucas knows...this power...it was created to counter Crocodile’s sand power!
His power is to create powers that will counter anything that can cause harm to him!
This explains why he got healed after breaking his limits everytime. It was as if his body is supplying what he needs immediately!
Water counters Crocodile’s sand.
This created a new logia power in Lucas. The power of water!
“This isn’t all…”
Lucas touched the ground with his hand.
The previously dead leaves and trees suddenly shone and grew!
While Crocodile’s sand can decay everything to sand, Lucas’ water can...give life to them!
Lucas turned to the 4 Duck Claw Squad and thought for a bit before deciding to try it out as well.
Their bodies glowed a dim light and their breathing...was restored!
Still, they had remain unconscious due to their previous state.
“They should wake up in a few minutes…”
Lucas can’t really bring people back to life. These 4 were just severely wounded but they still had a small breath in them. It was enough for him to save them!
After he was done healing the 4, Lucas looked around and saw no one else was there.
“If they’re not here...they should be at the temple by now.”
Lucas wasn’t worried. He knows Luffy is there and is enough to deal with Crocodile.
What he needs to do now...is to save this country!
He raised his hand high up and shot a stream of water into the sky!
*Drip*
It started small...then it grew into a drizzle...then the rain started pouring!
At the same time, a figure shot out to the sky...Crocodile!
Luffy had done it! He defeated Crocodile!
“It’s over...though there was never a war this time...but nonetheless...everything...is over.”
Lucas looked over the city filled with people celebrating under the rain and smiled.
AN: The chapter title is a bit spoilery already but it doesn't really matter since I assume everyone reading this has already read One Piece and knew that this was bound to happen. And so, we are about to reach the conclusion of the 1st arc in this novel...what do you think about Lucas' power? Is it really as he says it is? Or is there something...more to it?
See you in the next chap!