Naruto: Copy System#619+620: Either Get Lost, or Die—The Fall of Crocodile

Crocodile arrived, bringing the agents of Baroque Works with him. Of course, he hadn't brought the entire organization—only his most elite senior agents.

The weaker ones would be completely useless, if a real fight broke out, they'd only get in the way.

"So, they're here."

Crocodile stared at Shin and the members of the Kuja Pirates from a distance. Steeling himself against the immense pressure rolling off them, he forced a slick, artificial smile and walked forward.

“Captain Shin. Didn’t realize you were paying a visit. You could have at least sent a postcard.”

“Oh?”

Shin asked, his tone flat and unimpressed. “Are you saying I should have called ahead?”

Though Shin’s words were spoken calmly, they hit Crocodile with the force of a tidal wave, a heavy pressure that made it hard to breathe.

“Of course not... I wouldn't dream of questioning you, Captain Shin.”

No matter how arrogant he was, Crocodile knew he had to swallow every last drop of his pride right now and grovel.

“Crocodile! You’re the one who stirred up the rebellion in the Alabasta Kingdom, aren’t you?” Vivi demanded, her voice shaking with rage.

“Kuahahaha, Princess Vivi, I don’t think you have any right to speak here,” Crocodile laughed, his tone dripping with contempt.

He could be meek in front of Shin, but he didn't have to show this little princess a shred of respect.

“Who the hell gave you permission to act so tough around here?” Hancock cut in, her eyes flashing with annoyance.

A guy like Crocodile didn’t have the right to be so smug in front of them.

Before he could even process her words, she drew her blade and slashed. The attack passed straight through him—if he hadn’t reflexively turned his body to sand, he’d be dead right now, cut clean in two.

“Right, I almost forgot. You’re a Logia user,” Hancock remarked, only now remembering his Devil Fruit ability as his sandy form reformed.

“...” Crocodile scrambled back, his heart pounding in his chest. That was too damn close.

If Hancock had used Armament Haki, he knew he would’ve been finished.

“Don’t move,” Crocodile snapped, not at them, but at his own men standing behind him.

He couldn’t afford to get on Shin’s bad side. If things really went south, they’d all be wiped out in an instant.

The power gap was just too massive to ignore.

His most loyal agent, Mr. 1—a man who could turn any part of his body into a blade thanks to the Dice-Dice Fruit—froze in place. His real name was Daz Bonez.

“Captain Shin, I mean you no harm,” Crocodile said, turning his attention back to Shin.

“Tch. If you did, you’d already be dead,” Hancock scoffed.

Crocodile's face darkened, but he kept his mouth shut.

He was a master at masking his emotions, quickly forcing his expression back to neutral. Not that it mattered—if Shin wanted to, he could read Crocodile's mind like a children's book.

“What, you got a problem with that?” Hancock pointed Ame no Habakiri at him, looking like she was one second away from slicing him to ribbons.

Crocodile was practically choking on his own pride.

It was the first time he'd ever backed down like this. The shame ate at him from the inside. He found himself powerless to speak, forcing himself to bite his tongue.

He knew she meant every word. One smart remark, and she'd end him without hesitation.

————

After a tense silence, Crocodile finally looked at Shin. “Captain Shin, I believe we can work together.”

“Work on what??” Shin asked, glancing at him with a completely bored expression.

“Pluton. I’m sure a man like you has heard of the three legendary Ancient Weapons, right?” Crocodile gritted his teeth and laid his cards on the table. He knew he’d probably never find Pluton on his own.

Without someone to read the Poneglyphs, it was impossible.

His plan? Use Shin to find Pluton, then find a way to snatch it for himself.

Yeah, he had balls...

Plotting to steal from Shin Uzumaki was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.

"Heh, of course I have." Shin's expression turned odd.

Crocodile saw the look and took it for shock, completely missing the real meaning behind it. The rest of the crew exchanged amused glances.

Pluton? They knew it better than anyone—they were basically sailing on it. Their ship had been built straight from the original blueprints, after all.

“I’ve already found clues to its location. Why don’t we find it together? We could rule the world,” Crocodile said, a mad glint in his eyes. His ambition was sky-high, even if his strength wasn’t.

“Rule the world? I’m not interested.” Why would Shin need some ancient weapon to do that?

“Crocodile, I’m giving you two choices. Either you get the hell out of the Alabasta Kingdom... or you die.”

————

Shin had no time for Crocodile’s bullshit. The choices were simple.

Crocodile’s face fell. He asked, “Captain Shin, can’t we... discuss this?”

“You think you're in a position to negotiate with me? Crocodile, you really don't know your place, do you?" Shin looked at him with pure disdain.

He had zero respect for this clown.

All ego, no substance to back it up. If the guy wasn't such an arrogant prick, he wouldn't have gotten his ass kicked by some rookie like Luffy in the original story.

Sure, plot armor played a part, but Crocodile's massive ego was what screwed him over.

“I know you’re powerful, Captain Shin, but don’t think you can just push me around—” Crocodile said, his voice laced with a threat.

"Are you threatening me?"

Shin asked, genuinely amazed by the guy's balls. Did this idiot really not grasp how outclassed he was?

"Shin, stop wasting time on this nobody. Just put him out of his misery." Hancock had run out of patience ages ago. This pathetic worm still had the nerve to act tough in front of Shin?

Who the fuck did he think he was?

<><><><><><><><>

The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Compared to Shin’s casual demeanor, Crocodile was on edge. He was trapped. If he backed down now, he’d lose face in front of his men—and more importantly, he’d lose any chance of getting his hands on that super-weapon, Pluton.

But if he fought... he was dead. Simple as that.

"<Desert Spada!>"

After a split second of hesitation, Crocodile’s eyes sharpened. He lunged, his arm transforming into a blade of hardened sand, slashing toward Shin.

“BE CAREFUL!” Vivi shouted, her warning coming a beat too late.

But she was the only one who needed to worry. Shin and the powerful women around him had seen the attack coming a mile away.

Just as Hancock was about to make her move, Momousagi stepped forward, drawing her own sword. With a speed that defied logic, she met Crocodile’s sand blade head-on.

A black aura clung to Momousagi’s blade—an energy that felt like it could shatter anything it touched.

The moment her sword made contact with the sand blade, the attack completely disintegrated. Crocodile’s entire arm vanished.

Momousagi had eaten the Destruction Fruit—and after years of developing its power, she had become a terrifying force.

Her ability wasn’t about wide-scale devastation like the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, it was about single-target annihilation. The fruit's power allowed her to break down anything she touched, whether living or inanimate.

“...” Crocodile stared in disbelief.

Even if his sand blade was destroyed, his arm shouldn't have just disappeared.

What the hell just happened? He didn’t know that Momousagi’s Destruction Fruit attacked things at their very foundation.

It was one of the few abilities that could hit a Logia user's real body without the need for Armament Haki.

“Dammit! Kill them all!”

Losing an arm sent Crocodile into a blind rage. He ordered his men to attack.

“<Myriad Thunder!>”

Olvia created a storm cloud above them, and a thousand bolts of lightning rained down. Everyone except Crocodile was instantly vaporized. As a Logia user, he was harder to kill with just lightning.

Crocodile's face twisted with rage.

His crew—all dead. He'd spent years building this empire, and it had been wiped out in seconds.

————

“Your crew is a bit disappointing, Crocodile. Looks like you’ll need a new one. Too bad you won’t get the chance,” Shin said calmly.

“<Sables!>”

Crocodile roared, slamming his remaining hand on the ground. It was his strongest wide-area attack—capable of sucking the moisture out of the earth and anyone standing on it, turning them into dried husks.

But before he could even fully activate it, he was sent flying by a single sword strike.

The impact left his body feeling like it was collapsing. He quickly coated himself in Armament Haki to stabilize himself.

Momousagi’s fruit wasn’t invincible—Haki could counter it.

Crocodile was a Warlord who had spent time in the New World, of course he knew Armament Haki. If he didn’t, he’d be a complete joke.

Sent flying, he lost all will to fight. He turned and ran.

“Not exactly playing by the book, are you? I thought you were going to fight to the death. You’re surprisingly quick to run.” Shin remarked, watching him flee.

Shin didn’t chase him, but he wasn’t about to let him get away either. He didn’t have to. Momousagi was already on his tail.

Using the Six Powers’ Shave technique, she closed the distance in an instant. Crocodile was fast, but he was no match for her.

“This is a desert. Can’t you just turn into sand and escape underground?” Shin wondered aloud.

Looks like Crocodile really was an idiot. Or maybe he was just too panicked to think straight.

“DIE.”

Momousagi’s voice was cold. She slashed, leaving Crocodile no room to dodge. She had infused her attack with the power of her Destruction Fruit.

The very air seemed to tear as her blade shot forward, striking Crocodile in a flash. The power gap was too immense, he couldn’t even react.

His body began to crumble, his eyes filled with disbelief and regret as he collapsed. But it was too late. He was dead, killed by a single strike from Momousagi.

Not even a body was left behind. A pitiful end.

After finishing him off, Momousagi returned to Shin’s side.

————

“Captain, Crocodile has been killed.”

“Momousagi, it looks like your strength has improved a lot lately,” Shin said with a small smile. She had gotten stronger.

Killing Crocodile in one blow was impressive. Even Hancock, after all his training, was only at about that level.

“Without your guidance, Captain, and the Devil Fruit you gave me, I wouldn't have improved so quickly,” Momousagi replied.

“Speaking of Devil Fruits, you should be thanking Shirahoshi. She’s the one who found the Destruction Fruit in the sea,” Shin said, glancing at the mermaid princess.

Shirahoshi just smiled shyly and waved her hands, not wanting to take any credit.

“Indeed.” Momousagi was fond of Shirahoshi.

Everyone on the crew was, including Shin. Her kind nature was infectious. If Shirahoshi hadn’t asked him to help Vivi, Shin probably wouldn’t have bothered.

“Crocodile is finally dead. Our kingdom is safe,” Vivi said, tears of joy streaming down her face.

“It’s not that simple. The mastermind might be dead, but your country is still in the middle of a rebellion,” Shin reminded her, stating the harsh reality.

Vivi fell silent.

She wanted to ask Shin for help, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Honestly, the rebels aren't that big of a threat. Your kingdom should be able to handle them on its own," Shin said.

If Alabasta couldn't even crush its own rebellion, then they were completely worthless and not worth helping.