One Piece: Starting with Sign-in Naruto Character Cards

Everyone present was an adult—they all knew the roulette wheel meant nothing. In this world, strength was everything.

So when Crocodile lunged forward, Rikuya Kazama easily sidestepped with a body flicker technique.

In the very next instant, Crocodile's poisoned hook slashed down and tore the roulette wheel apart!

"Hey, now that's not fair. The game hasn't even been decided yet," Rikuya said calmly as he dodged to the side.

"Hmph, it's already been decided. You've lost today!"

Crocodile snorted coldly and extended his right hand.

The next moment, a sandstorm began to swirl rapidly in his palm!

"Hmph, parlor tricks like this? You dare show off in front of me? Third Gate of the Eight Inner Gates—Gate of Life—Open!"

As green energy began to surge from Rikuya's entire body, the sandstorm in Crocodile's hand spun violently.

"Die! Desert Storm!"

Crocodile didn't wait for Rikuya to strike. He flung the fully formed sandstorm with astonishing speed.

The high-speed, roaring storm howled toward Rikuya, blowing away everything in its path.

Debris was sent flying, and many onlookers couldn't even keep their eyes open.

Crocodile could not only control the sandstorm's direction, but its strength also grew the farther it traveled.

At close range, it could grind rock into dust and even bring down buildings—its destructive power was terrifying.

But even so, when the sandstorm came hurtling toward him, Rikuya let out a powerful shout—then charged directly into the storm.

This reckless move shocked everyone present.

Especially Douglas Bullet—he had once fought Crocodile and knew just how dangerous the man could be.

Seeing Rikuya charge directly into such a deadly attack made his heart tighten with concern.

And when Crocodile saw Rikuya dive into the storm with no defenses at all, a sinister grin crept onto his face.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Rikuya burst out of the high-speed sandstorm, completely unscathed!

What's more, the green glow around his body was even brighter than before.

Crocodile's expression hardened, and he raised his right hand, attempting to grab Rikuya by the throat.

But Rikuya, now in a high-speed charge, was too fast for him to catch.

As he dashed in close, Rikuya planted one hand on the ground and launched a swift kick straight toward Crocodile's chin.

His speed was so fast that Crocodile had no time to react.

But just as Rikuya thought he had landed a clean hit, his foot passed right through—as if he had kicked empty air!

In the next instant, Crocodile's entire face dissolved into a cloud of fine sand.

"Elementalization!" Douglas Bullet muttered, frowning deeply.

In the world of pirates, only powerful Armament Haki could hurt those capable of turning into elements.

Douglas's own Armament Haki was more than sufficient—but he didn't know if Rikuya possessed any at all.

From what he had seen so far, Rikuya had shown no signs of Devil Fruit powers—let alone Haki.

Rikuya himself hadn't expected that attack to fail. While he knew Logia users could turn into elements, he thought that moving fast enough might let him land a hit before the transformation.

But clearly, it hadn't worked.

Before Rikuya could retreat, the sand reformed around Crocodile's neck, reconstructing his head in an instant.

"Heh, so you don't have Armament Haki, huh? Then you're done for!

Crescent Sand Dune!"

Crocodile sneered as his arm suddenly expanded, forming a massive, crescent-shaped sand blade.

Rikuya's eyes widened.

He knew this attack well—if it touched someone, it would suck all the moisture from their body, turning them into a dried-out mummy.

As the sand blade slashed toward him, Rikuya was already too close to use his body flicker technique again.

So he instinctively ducked low, just narrowly dodging the attack—thanks to the speed granted by the Third Gate of the Eight Inner Gates.

But the dodge left him wide open.

In the very next moment, Crocodile followed up with a brutal kick to Rikuya's waist.

BAM!

Rikuya's body was launched out of the casino's hall, crashing hard onto the sand outside.

For a moment, the crowd froze—then erupted in cheers.

Meanwhile, Douglas Bullet immediately rushed to Rikuya's side.

"Captain Rikuya! Are you alright? Let me handle this! My Armament Haki is more than enough to deal with him!" Bullet said seriously.

Crocodile also appeared beside them in the blink of an eye.

"You brat… just because you caused a little stir in Impel Down, don't start thinking you're some big shot. Not even Douglas Bullet can save you today!"

But to everyone's surprise, Rikuya didn't let Bullet step in.

He pushed him away, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth—and smiled.

His strange reaction left everyone confused.

"Captain...?" Bullet started to speak, but Rikuya held up a hand, signaling him to remain silent.

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