Chapter 222 Tom and Jerry
Sig carried a wine bottle on him, prepared specifically for Crocodile beforehand.
The weakness of Sand-Sand Fruit users was that after being soaked with water, they couldn't elementalize. Even without using Haki, one could touch the Devil Fruit user's body.
Now, Sig had only one thought in his mind.
"I, the Mountain Bandit King, am an ancient legend, using a wine bottle to suppress the Four Emperors. It's time to put on a show."
Sig reached out, intending to grab the wine bottle at his waist.
But at the last moment, his hand stopped.
He hesitated.
Jiang Ziya's ability was extremely powerful, but its limitations were also significant. It was only occasionally useful for cutting down Sea Kings without hands or who couldn't clap.
There were very few strong individuals like Crocodile with a missing hand in this world.
One of the Four Emperors, thanks to Sig, now had both arms intact.
This was an extremely rare opportunity.
Wouldn't it be too wasteful to finish off Crocodile so quickly?
Sig's hand trembled slightly.
He suddenly changed his mind.
With Jiang Ziya's swordsmanship, he couldn't possibly die. Crocodile posed no threat at all.
Why not... first have a good time with Crocodile? Experience the feeling of fighting a strong opponent?
After all, if he ended the battle casually, he didn't know when he would have another chance to make a move.
With that thought, Sig's eyes hardened.
He stood still, no longer panicked, and looked at Crocodile with a playful gaze.
At this moment, the yellow sand surged once more, and Crocodile swooped down like a sharp arrow, his golden hook growing larger and larger in Sig's vision.
Sig didn't panic at all; instead, he laughed loudly.
Facing the diving Crocodile, Sig's expression remained calm. He simply swung his sword casually.
The sword light from this strike instantly engulfed Crocodile's entire body.
Bang!
Like a sudden clap of thunder, Crocodile's body exploded into a cloud of yellow sand, reforming into a human shape dozens of meters away. He frowned and looked at Sig.
Sig's sword currently wasn't imbued with Armament Haki and couldn't hit his physical body.
However, the sheer force of the sword energy was enough to easily tear apart his sand blades and dismantle his attacks.
That destructive power could repel the yellow sand, preventing Crocodile from getting close.
Although he was completely unharmed, it seemed that he had no way to deal with the current Sig?
"Sand Crocodile, you're still too naive."
Seeing this scene, Sig's heart was set. He raised his chin slightly, looking down at Crocodile.
"So what if my Haki is exhausted?"
"So what if I'm at the end of my rope?"
"Even without Armament Haki, you're not worthy of being my enemy."
As he spoke, Sig took a step towards Crocodile.
With each step, Sig raised his sword slightly and casually swung it.
The sound of air being torn apart continued, and bright sword lights surged like angry waves.
"Desert Spada!"
Crocodile's face darkened, and a thick wall of yellow sand rose from the ground in front of him.
But the moment the giant wall rose, it was effortlessly torn apart by Sig's sword light, crumbling into pieces.
Another wound, cutting across his waist, appeared on his body.
"Desert Grande Espada!"
"Sables!"
Crocodile's face gradually grew grim. He repeatedly tried to use yellow sand to form large swords, shields, and other objects to block Sig's attacks, but they were all torn apart.
Although he remained unharmed, his face felt burning hot.
Sig was completely suppressing him!
Whether it was offense or defense, Crocodile's efforts were useless against Sig's sword.
This meant that the difference in strength between them far exceeded his imagination.
If he weren't a Logia Devil Fruit user, unable to be hit physically, Sig could kill him with a single sword strike.
This one-sided battle also left the onlookers in the distance dumbfounded.
Sig's sword energy was as endless as the vast ocean, showing no signs of exhaustion. Crocodile couldn't block Sig's attacks at all.
This was a completely crushing battle.
It was like a cat playing with a mouse.
Sig was the cat, casually swinging his sword, and Crocodile, the mouse, couldn't resist, only enduring the blows.
"Too strong!"
"After splitting the storm with a single sword strike, Sig still possesses such formidable strength?"
"Crocodile just said that Sig exhausted his Haki and was at the end of his rope, but where does he look like he's at the end of his rope?"
Hearing the discussions in the distance, Sig's expression remained calm and composed, maintaining the demeanor of a strong individual.
But inwardly, he was reveling in it.
This was different from his previous trembling pretense of being a big shot.
Now, Sig truly possessed the means to easily defeat Crocodile, so he wasn't panicking at all, personally experiencing the feeling of being an unparalleled powerhouse.
There was still time left on the Tom Cat card, so he wasn't in a hurry.
Meanwhile, his Conqueror's Haki was still pounding, pumping blood throughout his body at high speed.
However, the frequency of the beating was much lower than before.
Sig wasn't particularly afraid at the moment, yet his Conqueror's Haki was still awakened.
This gave Sig a sudden realization.
Conqueror's Haki was essentially the sound of a heartbeat.
Therefore, to activate King's Conqueror's Haki, fear wasn't necessarily required.
One's heart rate could increase when excited, during strenuous exercise, or while watching a thrilling movie.
For example, in this current battle, it wasn't fear that was driving his Conqueror's Haki, but tension and excitement.
This made Sig's reaction speed and physical strength surpass his usual state.
Of course, for King's Conqueror's Haki, fear was the greatest driving force, capable of pushing it to its limits.
If the previous, true Conqueror's Haki could reach Gear 2nd or 3rd, then the current Conqueror's Haki could probably reach Gear 1.5.
....
Sig's expression remained unchanged as he calmly displayed his swordsmanship.
However, Crocodile's heart gradually filled with anxiety.
This was far different from what he had expected!
Although Sig had exhausted his Haki and couldn't harm him temporarily, this was only temporary!
Haki was like physical strength; it could be consumed in battle and recovered through rest.
For a strong individual like Sig, he only needed to rest for a while to recover some of his Armament Haki and truly hit his physical body.
At that time, Crocodile would face certain death!
Crocodile's face darkened, and he changed his tactics. He stopped trying to block Sig's attacks and instead transformed his entire body into sand, flying up like a cannonball towards Robin, who was far behind Sig.