One Piece: Starting with Sign-in Naruto Character Cards

"The old fossils of Mary Geoise have ruled this world for far too long.

But I... I will surpass them and stand at the very pinnacle of this world."

Rikuya Kazama spoke with a calm, almost casual tone.

Had these words been heard by the wrong ears, they would've caused an uproar.

A pirate who had just broken out of prison and was now wanted globally... boldly declaring his intention to destroy the World Government? That would only make his situation even more dangerous.

And yet—Crocodile seemed genuinely shaken by his words.

"Crocodile, I hope you choose to join him.

This guy has a force within him... a force that will gradually bind us, make us willing to stay by his side."

At that moment, Douglas Bullet stepped up beside Rikuya, speaking with all seriousness.

Hearing this, Crocodile finally spoke.

"Let me lose fair and square. Otherwise, I can't accept this so easily."

It was clear—he still wanted a head-on fight with Rikuya.

"Hmph. Know your limits.

Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

Seeing Crocodile still unwilling to back down, Rikuya once again exhaled a thick cloud of mist.

"The same move won't work on me twice!

Desert Storm!"

Crocodile didn't hesitate. In an instant, he summoned another miniature sandstorm in his hand and hurled it forward.

The high-speed rotation of the sandstorm not only grew stronger but also dispersed the thick mist around them immediately.

That was when Rikuya appeared—charging straight at Crocodile without hesitation.

"Let's see what you've got left!

Desert Greatsword!"

Facing Rikuya, Crocodile unleashed his strongest attack yet.

His arm turned into a massive sand blade and he lunged forward, stabbing toward Rikuya's oncoming figure.

But Rikuya acted as though he didn't care, rushing toward the blade as if it were nothing.

The next moment, Crocodile's sand blade pierced straight through Rikuya's body.

Everyone watching was completely stunned.

But then, Crocodile's brows furrowed in confusion.

There's no way Rikuya would be dumb enough to run headfirst into an attack like that… right?

Sure enough, the "Rikuya" he had struck suddenly turned into a cloud of mist and vanished.

"Behind you."

A familiar voice sounded from behind him.

"Impossible…!"

Crocodile spun around in shock.

But before he could react, a soaking wet hand reached out and clamped around his throat.

"Got you."

Rikuya's right hand gripped Crocodile's neck tightly.

Because his hand was drenched, the moisture immediately soaked into Crocodile's skin—making it impossible for him to elementally transform that part of his body into sand.

"I've got limited patience. If you make one wrong move, you really might die here."

Rikuya growled coldly.

He had no intention of wasting any more time on Crocodile. On top of that, the effect of the body possession was almost over.

He had already spent 300,000 Reputation Points just to deal with this guy. He wasn't about to waste another possession use.

At this point, Crocodile finally understood the massive gap between him and Rikuya.

With a long sigh, he quietly said:

"Fine. I admit defeat."

As those words left his mouth, a system notification rang out:

Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've successfully defeated the enemy. You've been awarded 50,000 Reputation Points.

"Tch... Only 50,000?! I just lost 250,000 reputation for this!?

I should've just let Douglas Bullet take care of him from the start!"

Internally, Rikuya was bleeding.

He had assumed Crocodile would be worth at least 80,000 to 100,000 points. But it turned out the guy was only worth 50,000.

Then again... maybe that made sense. Crocodile at this stage wasn't especially strong.

Even though he had a Logia Devil Fruit, his weaknesses were glaringly obvious. Anyone with the right counter could easily shut him down.

After Crocodile admitted defeat, the entire casino fell into chaos.

Everyone stared at their fallen leader in utter disbelief.

Even the badly injured Daz Bonez could only lie there, helpless, watching everything unfold.

And this wasn't just any place—this was the mighty kingdom of Alabasta.

So the news of Crocodile's defeat quickly spread across the globe.

"What are you all standing around for?

Go check on that guy lying over there—just be careful, he might still be hot to the touch,"

Rikuya said casually to the onlookers.

Now that their boss had been defeated, none of the casino goons dared resist.

**"So... what now? You've beaten me.

According to the World Government's rules for the Seven Warlords, I've now been officially dismissed.

That means you're my successor—

but only if you and the government are willing to sit down and negotiate."**

Crocodile asked in a serious tone.

Now that he had accepted his temporary position under Rikuya, he needed to understand what Rikuya planned next.

---

Access more chapters at patreon.com/dzeref887