The sudden voice made Crocodile instinctively pause.
Before he could react, a figure came crashing down from the sky like a cannonball, slamming into the ground.
Boom!!
A massive cloud of dust erupted outward, and a huge crater suddenly formed, riddled with cracks.
At the center of the pit, the upper half of a person was completely embedded in the earth, with only two hairy legs twitching in midair.
Crocodile: ???
Daren covered his face in silence.
The next second—
"Damn it, Daren! I told you not to fly so fast!!"
Tokikake yanked his head out of the ground like pulling a green onion, spat out a mouthful of dirt, turned his head, and glared at Daren, face flushed red.
Daren replied helplessly,
"I did slow down."
"Damn it!"
Tokikake wiped the mud off his face, turned, and angrily pointed at Crocodile.
"You! It's you, isn't it!?"
"You actually dared to attack the Marines... Looks like you've got a death wish!"
Crocodile frowned and said coldly, "Who are you?"
"Glad you asked!!"
Tokikake jolted with excitement, hands on his hips, pointing a single finger at Crocodile as he laughed loudly,
"I'm a genius of Marine Headquarters! A leading figure of the Marines' 'Golden Generation'! I am Commodore Tokikake!!"
"Not interested."
Crocodile's eyes turned cold. The sandstorm swirling in his right palm suddenly compressed, then lashed out violently!
In an instant, a massive sand blade shot forth.
A sharp blast rang out. Wherever the sand blade passed, the ground and nearby buildings were sliced cleanly apart as it roared toward Tokikake.
"Desert Spada!"
"Damn pirate, attacking out of nowhere!?"
Tokikake cursed and, instead of retreating, charged straight toward the blade!
His arms instantly turned pitch-black with Armament Haki, and like a raging bull, Tokikake slammed head-on into the seemingly unstoppable Desert Spada!
Boom!!
A heavy explosion rang out. The towering sand blade slammed Tokikake backward with overwhelming force, dragging his flip-flops along the ground and carving out a groove over ten meters long.
He blocked it!
Crocodile's eyes narrowed.
This ugly-looking Marine... actually blocked one of his attacks?
"Hahaha! Bet you didn't see that coming!! I'm tougher than I look!!"
Armament Haki burst from Tokikake's arms, blasting the sand blade into a storm of yellow dust.
The next moment, his figure vanished on the spot.
Soru—one of the Rokushiki!
Daren's eyes lit up slightly.
Though Tokikake was short, his skill in close combat was quite impressive. The title of genius wasn't just talk.
From what Daren saw, this kid's strength had definitely reached the level of a Vice Admiral.
Since Tokikake had made his move, Daren wasn't in a rush. He lit a cigar and sat on a rock, watching the show unfold.
After all, in the original story, Crocodile's strength had always been something of a mystery.
When weak, he couldn't even beat Luffy. But when strong, he stole the MVP as a member of the losing side at the Summit War and could go toe-to-toe with anyone.
One thing was for sure—Crocodile, who was preparing to challenge Whitebeard at this point, had to be nearing his peak!
"Beast Kick!"
Just as Daren's eyes flickered, Tokikake's figure appeared right beside Crocodile in a flash.
Wearing flip-flops, his foot whipped up a fierce wind as it shot straight toward Crocodile's head with incredible force.
Crocodile glanced at him with a blank expression.
Bang!
His head burst into sand.
Tokikake's kick carried the force of a massive sword slash, carving a deep crack into the ground that stretched dozens of meters.
"Logia? Damn it!"
Tokikake's pupils shrank slightly.
Just then, Crocodile moved.
With fierce, swift steps, he lunged forward, his black fur coat billowing behind him. His entire right arm swelled and transformed into a crescent-shaped sand blade, slashing horizontally toward Tokikake!
"Tch! Isn't that the same move as before?"
Tokikake scoffed dismissively. Armament Haki coated both arms as he crossed them in front of his chest, preparing to block the attack like last time.
"Oh really?"
Crocodile's lips curled into a cold smile.
As soon as the sand blade touched Tokikake, instead of the usual explosive clash, it suddenly dispersed.
Tokikake's expression changed drastically.
"Barján!"
Shhhhk!
The sand blade connected with his body.
A bizarre sight unfolded.
Tokikake's body looked like a sponge being squeezed—moisture rapidly drained by the sand blade. His skin visibly shriveled, his eye sockets sunk in, and he looked like skin stretched over bone.
"Sables!"
With the hit landing, Crocodile gathered a massive sandstorm in his palm and hurled it forward.
The storm swelled and raged as it moved, swallowing Tokikake and flinging him through the air.
Tokikake's body was tossed violently midair before crashing down like a ragdoll, rolling a dozen times before landing at Daren's feet.
His eyes spun as he struggled to focus.
The first thing he saw was Daren's face.
Tokikake: …
Daren: …
"Knew you couldn't be counted on."
Daren sighed, giving Tokikake a disdainful look.
Tokikake's shriveled face flushed red with anger. Gritting his teeth, he snapped,
"That guy's too sneaky! I just let my guard down!"
Daren shook his head.
He could see it now.
Crocodile was clearly much stronger than Tokikake—not in raw Haki or physical strength, but in sheer combat experience.
Whether it was on-the-fly tactics or the precise timing of Devil Fruit abilities, Crocodile's sharp instincts and battlefield cunning far surpassed Tokikake's.
But that was understandable.
After all, Tokikake had grown up in the Headquarters, rarely facing real hardship or bloodshed. Compared to a pirate like Crocodile who grew through savage battles, his experience was sorely lacking.
Daren casually picked up a canteen and tossed it into Tokikake's arms.
"Leave the rest to me."
He slowly stood up.
Suddenly—
"Desert Grande Espada!"
Shhhk!!
A massive sword of compressed sand shot up from the ground, aiming straight for Daren's waist in a surprise attack!
Far off, Crocodile had transformed one hand into sand and merged it with the earth. He looked up and sneered coldly at Daren.
"Daren, watch out!!"
Tokikake's pupils shrank into pinpoints as he instinctively shouted.
But it was already too late.
An attack this fast couldn't be dodged or blocked in time!
With Crocodile's power, even a warship would've been split in two if it took a hit like this!
Tokikake's heart seized in shock.
Shhhhk!!
The massive sand blade slammed into Daren's abdomen!
Sparks exploded.
It was like slamming into diamond—sparks and shards of sand scattered wildly from the compressed yellow blade.
Then...
Crack!
The Desert Spada Grande... shattered.
Tokikake: …
Daren: ???
Crocodile stood frozen in disbelief.