One Piece: Power-Power Fruit

Chapter 368 The Frozen Sea

Chapter 368: The Frozen Sea

"Hahahahaha..."

"Damn it! Get out of my way, all of you! You all dare to challenge me just because you're skilled in Observation Haki and Armament Haki? Can't you even be human?"

On the deck of the Liberty, S. Crocodile angrily vented his frustration on a group of menacing figures.

When everyone learned that Shakrokdar's bounty was a staggering 1.5 billion, they all challenged him, eager to defeat someone with such a high bounty.

Crocodile, however, was extremely unwilling, simply because these guys were all proficient in Observation Haki and Armament Haki—wasn't this blatant bullying? Although Crocodile's Armament Haki was still awakening, he lost his temper in the face of this shameless group.

"Hey, hahaha! Old Sha! Don't worry! We'll be very gentle! We won't let you suffer too much, just grant your brothers' wish!"

Bartolomeo, with a mischievous look on his face, approached Crocodile as he spoke.

Not only Bartolomeo, but also Didac and Baku who were flanking from the side, and even the white cat Mumu and Dick were all itching to join in. Everyone wanted to experience what it felt like to beat up someone with a bounty of one billion Berries.

"Hehehe! Captain! Good luck to you! There's really nothing I can do to help you!"

At this moment, Dazbonis decisively left the bizarre battle, hiding far away to watch Crocodile being gradually surrounded.

"Damn it! Who do you think I am? I am the Desert Emperor, Shah Crocodile..."

boom!boom!boom……

The moment Crocodile unleashed his powerful aura, the people surrounding him, who had been itching to attack, swarmed forward. Before he could even activate his elemental transformation, several pairs of black fists had already descended upon him.

"Hey ha ha ha ha ha! Old Crocodile! Old Crocodile! You have such a high bounty, but you don't have the strength to match it. Should we say you're lucky or unlucky?"

Slade, who was watching from the sidelines, burst into laughter upon seeing this scene, spilling some of his drink in the process.

"Hehehe..."

Sitting on a deck bench, Mu Chong merely smiled at the scene, saying nothing. Perhaps after such a friendly welcome, Lao Sha's desire to become stronger would only grow stronger.

The one-sided battle on deck lasted for a while, ending in a complete defeat for Crocodile. The moment the battle ended, everyone else left laughing, leaving only Crocodile lying flat on the deck, his eyes blazing with fury.

"I'm going to kill you all! One day I'll beat you to a pulp! You bastards!"

Crocodile's angry groans went unheard; everyone's attention was now focused on the white mist that had suddenly risen ahead.

"Huh? Ouch! Why do I suddenly feel so cold? Is it going to snow on this clear day?"

Bartolomeo frowned, looking up at the blue sky and white clouds, but felt a deep chill, which became increasingly pronounced as the Liberty advanced.

"Hey! Slade! Where did this cold air come from?! It doesn't look like winter at all!"

Belinda rubbed her hands together, her face also full of doubt, and shouted at Slad, "As the navigator of the Freedom, you should know something!"

"Ok?"

By this time, Slad had also realized something was wrong, because according to his perception, the weather in this sea area didn't seem like it was going to experience a cold wave.

Swish!

While Slade was pondering, he leaped into the air and landed directly on the observation deck of the Liberty. His Cloud-Cloud Fruit powers activated, and his Observation Haki surged forth.

At this moment, Enel on the deck also released his Observation Haki, instantly covering the entire surrounding sea area. As the Observation Haki enveloped him, the expression on Enel's face began to change visibly.

"captain……"

The scene that appeared in Enel's Observation Haki was a frozen sea, a small island, and a group of people confronting each other, one of whom possessed an exceptionally powerful aura.

Seeing this, Enel immediately turned to look at Mu Chong beside him, and their eyes met.

"Hehehe! Despite our best efforts, it seems we've still managed to catch up!"

Seeing Enel's questioning gaze, Mu Chong's lips curled into a slight smile as he slowly spoke.

boom!

"Captain! There's an island ahead, and the sea in one direction is covered by ice. The chilling air is emanating from the ice!"

Just then, Slad jumped down from the observation platform, landing next to Mu Chong and Enel, and immediately explained the reason for the sudden cold.

"Hmm? Ice layer?"

Slade's words caused everyone on the deck to look puzzled. Why would such a cold layer of ice suddenly appear on the otherwise calm sea?

"Phew! It can't be that much of a coincidence..."

At this moment, Crocodile, having recovered, exhaled a deep puff of smoke, a solemn expression on his face, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

As a former Shichibukai and a veteran pirate on this vast sea, Crocodile immediately thought of a certain figure upon hearing Slard's description—a figure at the pinnacle of the seas' fighting power.

"Hahaha! Ladies and gentlemen! The answer to this sudden change in the Freedom's course is right before our eyes. Let's go! Come with me to welcome the Freedom's new crew!"

Ignoring the changes in everyone's expressions, Mu Chong simply laughed and said something before slowly walking to the bow of the Freedom, his eyes fixed on the island that was gradually appearing ahead, a slight smile playing on his lips.

As Mu Chong finished speaking, Slard and Enel exchanged a glance, both showing expressions of understanding. Crocodile's expression, initially grave, slowly softened into a calm one, finally culminating in a smile.

The others on deck excitedly began preparing to disembark, but Caroline, standing in the crowd, had a complex look in her beautiful eyes.

Meanwhile, on an island not far ahead of the Liberty, a group of people were engaged in a tense standoff.

One of the groups was none other than the Straw Hat crew, whom Mu Chong and his friends had been chasing. They were in dire straits, their eyes filled with terror as they stared intently at the person surrounded by them.

This man was tall, nearly three meters high, wearing a white suit vest and a dark blue shirt, white trousers, curly hair, and an eye patch on his forehead.

The man was staring intently at the Straw Hat crew, a chill emanating from him, indicating that a battle was currently raging between the two factions on the island.

“I came here just to see Nico Robin and you. I still think you should just die here! Although the government isn't paying enough attention to you right now, a closer look at your pasts will reveal that you're all very principled! Although there aren't many of you, the number of dangerous individuals gathered together, at your current rate of growth, will only make things more and more troublesome in the future…”

The person sitting on the ground faced the Straw Hat crew with an icy expression. He spoke slowly, but every word filled them with terror.