Kong Tai withdrew his gaze, staring at the giant's belly, and his body vanished.
"Where did he go... where did he go?"
Crocodile's pupils widened, staring outside, at the spot where Kong Tai had stood. A hint of panic flickered in the depths of his blood-red eyes.
He knew what that was.
That was the silver-haired man's renowned ultimate skill, "Teleportation," also known as "Spatial Movement."
In the eyes of countless influential figures, Kong Tai's terror wasn't his swordsmanship, akin to a great swordsman, but his elusive teleportation.
"What are you looking for?"
Kong Tai's figure materialized in front of the giant's belly.
He stared at the sand wall before him, his lips curling into a mocking smile. "Are you going to come out yourself, or should I come in and drag you out?"
Crocodile stared, Kong Tai now practically standing before him, his pupils contracting to an extreme point.
Silence, utter silence.
"What? Not coming out? Then I'm coming in!"
Kong Tai stared at Crocodile, his eyes filled with mockery.
He stepped into the void, his spatial domain unfolding. As he moved forward, an opening automatically appeared in the giant's belly, allowing Kong Tai to enter with ease.
"He can even control the Sand God created by that fruit ability."
The moment Kong Tai's domain unfolded, Crocodile felt he had lost control of the part of the Sand God's belly.
It felt as if a piece of the giant's belly had been suddenly cut off, and as Kong Tai advanced, the cut area was gradually expanding.
"I can't wait any longer. Even if I can't escape, I can't just wait here to die."
Crocodile stared at Kong Tai outside, his body sinking rapidly. He wanted to return to the desert, to fight for that last sliver of hope.
He... didn't want to die yet.
This guy was a monster, a monster more powerful than Whitebeard. He had never felt as powerless and panicked facing peak Whitebeard as he did facing Kong Tai.
"Huh! You're still trying to run, huh!"
Kong Tai stopped, his gaze dropping. He quickly drew Zan Ko, his armament Haki, shimmering with a pink glow, instantly wrapping around the blade.
He swung at the giant before him, slash, slash, two times.
Two equally massive crescent-shaped slashes quickly cut through the giant's belly.
The giant's upper body flew upwards with a "boom," while its lower half remained in place. Only a section in the middle was left suspended in the air.
"Highest level of armament Haki."
Crocodile's body was trapped within the middle section of the giant's body. While he could withstand Guina's armament Haki slashes with his body, he dared not take Kong Tai's slashes.
Firstly, he lacked Observation Haki, so he couldn't elementalize in advance. Unless he elementalized his entire body from the start, but even then, his body could still be hit by Kong Tai's armament Haki slashes, albeit with reduced damage.
But even with reduced damage, he couldn't withstand Kong Tai's highest-level armament Haki slashes with his body.
Thus, out of necessity, he could only stop here, waiting for Kong Tai's arrival.
He knew...
He couldn't escape.
In the dark sand pile, a beam of light descended from the sky, and the entire circular sand pile was instantly split in two.
Crocodile watched the slash narrowly miss his body, his hairs standing on end.
He felt the aura of death from that slash.
Although not fatal, he truly sensed it.
While Kong Tai's slashes weren't as powerful as Hawkeye's, they were still something his physical body couldn't face.
"Well! Didn't I ask you to come out obediently? Why didn't you listen! Now look! You've been caught by me, and I won't let you off so easily!"
Along with the playful voice came Kong Tai's figure.
Outside the cut surface of the split sand pile, Kong Tai appeared silently. He stared at the golden-yellow, human-shaped quicksand embedded in the sand pile, mockingly saying, "Crocodile, what do you think I should do with you?"
"Do as you please!"
Crocodile stared at Kong Tai, the bloodshot veins in his eyes gradually disappearing, his pupils regaining clarity.
He had resigned himself to his fate. It wasn't that he didn't want to resist, but that he couldn't.
From the moment Kong Tai stood before him, he realized he couldn't move any part of his body except his head, not even his elementalized body.
He felt as if there was a vast space surrounding him, and the owner of that space was Kong Tai.
"You've been hiding your capabilities for quite a while, managing to control space."
Crocodile stared at Kong Tai and calmly asked, "Hey, kid, can I have a cigarette?"
He didn't want to beg for mercy, as it would only make him more pathetic in front of this junior, Kong Tai, and achieve nothing.
Besides, he was a renowned pirate in this world, and begging for mercy was something he truly couldn't do.
"A cigarette?"
Kong Tai looked at Crocodile, his lips curving into a smile. "Hahahahaha!! Want to smoke? Go smoke in hell!"
His movements ceased. Kong Tai unhooked the wine gourd from his waist, took a swig, and then said to Crocodile.
"Actually, the main reason I came here was to verify something, something about you."
"What is it?"
Crocodile wasn't angered by Kong Tai's refusal to let him smoke.
He was a dead man walking, and he didn't want to dwell on other things.
All he wanted to know now was...
"Silver-haired."
"Hmm!"
Crocodile looked up, meeting Kong Tai's eyes, and calmly asked, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Speak."
Kong Tai looked at Crocodile, a hint of curiosity on his face.
"What exactly is your goal? I don't believe that you, a pirate, came to this island just to defeat me and save this country."
He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then looked up and said to Kong Tai, "And you even took Robin from me. 'Nico Robin.' Don't tell me you don't know who that woman is."
"Mm! I know."
Kong Tai nodded, then asked, "And then?"
"And then, *gur*, hahahahaha!!!"
Crocodile stared at Kong Tai and suddenly burst into laughter. "You, you know Robin too! Then your goal must be the same as mine! Hahahahaha!!!"
"Mm!"
Kong Tai nodded and said to Crocodile, "Your reasoning is sound. If I didn't know my own purpose, I would really have been guessed by you!"
"Your purpose?"
Crocodile's laughter ceased. He stared at Kong Tai, a look of confusion on his face.
"That's right!"
Kong Tai looked at Crocodile, his mouth opening to reveal a row of white teeth. "I'm not here for Poneglyphs, nor for ancient weapons, and certainly not to conquer the world!"
"Uh! Uh! Uh!!"
The more Kong Tai spoke, the wider Crocodile's eyes became. By the end, he was roaring with laughter.
"Still saying you don't have the same goal as me? You're fooling ghosts! *Gur*, hahahahaha!! Then tell me, what is your purpose?"
Kong Tai's smile faded. He stared into Crocodile's eyes and said coldly, "I said, I came to be a hero, to uphold justice in my heart. I said I came for a drink from an old man in a tavern in Alabasta. I said, I came so that the people of this country could freely enjoy the beautiful rain. Do you... believe me?"
"Uh!"
Crocodile's laughter disappeared. He stared at Kong Tai as if he were looking at a lunatic.
"You're serious."
"Mm!"
Kong Tai nodded. "Never more serious."
Seeing Kong Tai's affirmative reply, anger surfaced on Crocodile's calm face. If he were to be killed by a pirate, he could face it calmly. But to be killed by a fake pirate, a pirate with justice in his heart, a pirate dreaming of being a hero – this was something he could not tolerate.
He tilted his head forward and roared at Kong Tai, "You, you, do you even know what a pirate is!"
"Pirates aren't just children playing pretend games!"
"If you want to enact your justice, why don't you join the Marines!"
"You, you, for such a ridiculous reason, you've ruined my dream."
"You've ruined my dream, kid..."
"..."
Seeing that Crocodile had finished roaring, Kong Tai finally spoke, "Finished roaring? If so, then it's time for your journey. I hope in your next life, you'll be a good person."
"Uh!!"
Crocodile stared at Kong Tai, his body struggling violently, but it was useless. He couldn't even move his head now. He could only stare with wide, angry, and unwilling eyes at Kong Tai.
Of course, deep within his pupils, there was a trace of barely perceptible panic and fear.
No one could be fearless of death. No matter how bravely they spoke, when that moment truly arrived, they would still be flustered and afraid.
"Don't worry, it'll be quick. No pain, no itch."
Kong Tai lowered his head, slowly drew Zan Ko, and then held it horizontally before him.
He had one more purpose: to see if this guy was truly susceptible to water.
Kong Tai raised the wine gourd in his left hand, took a gulp, but didn't swallow. Instead, he lowered his head and sprayed it towards Zan Ko held before him.
*Puff!*
A fine mist filled the air, and the blade of Zan Ko was instantly covered in water droplets.
"Not enough!"
Kong Tai stared at Zan Ko, then controlled his spatial domain to gather the wine that had drifted around and enveloped Zan Ko in it.
He raised his head, stared at Crocodile's neck, a cold glint in his eyes, and then, without hesitation, turned the blade and swiftly swung it at Crocodile.
*Puff!*
The wine on Zan Ko's surface was quickly stained red with blood.
Crocodile's body convulsed, and his elementalization was instantly released, returning him to his original form.
A bloodline was continuously bleeding from his neck.
Kong Tai stared at Crocodile's neck, then his gaze moved upward, meeting his gradually dimming eyes.
He swung his right hand downward, flicking away the water, and also the blood, from the blade.
*Clang!*
Then he sheathed his sword and vanished from the spot.
As the giant's body fell, a sigh echoed through the air.
"Alas! So you really were restrained by water."