Chapter 113: The Stunned Sand Crocodile

Fueled by absolute confidence in his own strength, Crocodile launched a charge toward the massive warship that could only be described as reckless. In an instant, his body dissolved into a swirling mass of golden sand, whipping up a peculiar sandstorm upon the surface of the sea. After circling the ship twice, the storm surged into the air, carried by the sea breeze, and came to rest above the deck of the Fearless Vanguard's saber.

Crocodile’s form gradually materialized from the grit, though parts of his body remained as dancing grains of sand, lifting him in mid-air. Having steadied himself, Crocodile glared downward with murderous intent, searching the expansive deck for the Knight of the East Blue. Garen was not hard to find; his brilliant, sun-drenched armor served as the perfect target.

"I see you."

With a cold snort, Crocodile did not hesitate to drive the ferocious sandstorm downward from the sky. Garen, however, was completely oblivious to his uninvited guest. He was entirely focused on a matter of great importance: serving as a sparring partner for Hawkeye Mihawk. This was a perilous task; if Garen failed to time his skills perfectly, he would be cleaved in two by the full force of Mihawk’s sword aura. Thus, Garen had to pour every ounce of his concentration into his work.

Garen had not spotted Crocodile, but Crocodile, who had been to the New World yet still failed to master Haki, fell victim to the same blindness: he lacked Observation Haki and was blinded by his own desperate urge to eliminate his enemy. Consequently, until the very last moment, he failed to notice the man with the black blade standing across from Garen on the distant deck, focusing all his energy on his attack against Garen.

As Crocodile’s violent offensive unfurled, the sand churning in the air accelerated its rotation. The harmless windblown dust rapidly intensified into a terrifying sandstorm, its roaring howl echoing across the entire vessel in an instant.

However, before the sound could reach Garen’s ears, the source of the noise was ruthlessly extinguished. A dense, tangible wave of sword aura swept across the sandstorm like a ship cutting through the waves, instantly shattering the solid vortex into scattered particles and completely dismantling Crocodile’s unformed attack.

Mihawk, nicknamed "Hawkeye," was naturally not as "blind" as Garen or Crocodile. He had noticed the malicious, floating Crocodile from the very beginning. Without hesitation, he delivered a warning strike to his fellow Warlord of the Sea who dared to interrupt his swordsmanship practice.

After his elemental form was shattered by that overbearing strike, a flicker of panic rose in Crocodile’s heart. Subconsciously, he blurted out a classic question:

"Who is it?!"

Then, Crocodile saw those eyes as sharp as a hawk’s and that iconic black blade. Mihawk slowly withdrew his dark sword, looking coldly at Crocodile, who was just beginning to reform from the scattered sand, and said:

"You are disturbing me."

"Mihawk?!"

Crocodile’s pupils contracted, his expression turning ghastly.

"Crocodile?!"

Garen, the second blind participant, finally realized who had been attacking him. Crocodile hovered in the air in a half-elemental state with a dark expression, while Garen stared up in astonishment at the great villain, the Desert King, who had suddenly appeared above his head. The scene was momentarily excruciatingly awkward.

Ultimately, it was Crocodile who broke the silence. He was, after all, a man of ambition; he showed neither shame for his underhanded sneak attack nor a hint of cowardice before the legendary Hawkeye Mihawk.

"Hawkeye Mihawk, it’s you?"

Crocodile’s voice carried only a trace of surprise, replaced mostly by the inscrutable depth of a crime lord. After all, he was a man who had once fought Whitebeard; why would he fear a Warlord whose strength sounded comparable to his own?

Mihawk swept his sharp, blade-like gaze over both Crocodile and Garen, saying in a low voice:

"Crocodile, this boy is of use to me right now."

"Whatever grievances you may have... with me here, you cannot kill him."

Hearing the undisguised threat in Mihawk’s words, Crocodile’s complexion, which had barely improved, immediately darkened again. Yet, there was truly nothing he could do against Mihawk. While they were both Warlords of the Sea, their individual strengths were not equal. For instance, Hawkeye Mihawk could occasionally engage in friendly sparring with the Yonko Red-Haired Shanks, while Crocodile had fled back from the New World in disgrace after a "friendly spar" with the Yonko Whitebeard.

"Hmph!"

Refusing to lose face even if he was outmatched, Crocodile could only respond with a cold, murderous snort. Mihawk paid him no further mind, turning his gaze back to the still-bewildered Garen and saying in a flat tone:

"Continue."

"Continue?"

Garen was still dazed, his curious and guarded gaze never once leaving Crocodile. Mihawk, always a man of few words, simply raised his black blade toward Garen in silence. Garen, now well-versed in his sparring duties, hurriedly raised his own greatsword, focusing all his attention on the Hawkeye’s next move.

Crocodile was left completely sidelined, and a sense of awkwardness welled up within him once more. However, Mihawk’s next action immediately seized Crocodile’s attention. Mihawk’s gaze grew increasingly resolute and focused, looking at Garen as if he were a mortal enemy he needed to fight to the death. His presence gradually steadied; he was like a piece of steel being forged in an invisible, raging fire, ultimately tempered by the rising heat into a sword of unbearable sharpness.

Suddenly, a surge of power erupted from Mihawk’s black blade, coating it in another layer of tangible, pitch-black material, deepening the color of the metal. Crocodile’s mouth twitched—he could clearly see that unlike the warning strike from moments ago, this blow was executed with full, unrestrained power. Crocodile knew that if this strike, imbued with advanced Armament Haki, were to land on him, he would almost certainly die on the spot.

Yet, Mihawk’s target was not him, but Garen—the man he had constantly looked down upon, who had crawled out of the backwater of the East Blue. Crocodile felt a sudden sense of relief, followed by an inexplicable wave of loss and astonishment.

Garen, meanwhile, had no time to consider Crocodile’s reaction. His own presence grew as steady as a rock, matching the intensity of Mihawk’s sword intent. Over these days, not only had Mihawk found the "strongest shield" to challenge his swordsmanship, but Garen had also benefited immensely from the training. Beyond the guidance Mihawk offered to this "fake swordsman" during their downtime, the experience of repeatedly blocking Mihawk’s attacks had honed his reflexes and sharpened his battle instincts.

Finally, Mihawk’s black blade descended. Unlike the massive, sea-parting power of his previous strikes, this sword aura was condensed and compact, yet it contained an utterly terrifying pressure. Crocodile felt a fleeting illusion that he would be sliced in two just by looking at it.

Yet, this terrifying sword intent vanished without a trace before Garen’s comparatively dull and lackluster greatsword.

"Still not enough..." Mihawk sighed softly, though the fighting spirit in his eyes burned brighter than ever. "There is nothing in this world that cannot be cut; it is simply that my blade is not yet strong enough!"

Garen stood as if nothing had happened, his breathing not even disturbed after receiving the strike. Crocodile watched, completely stunned. When he had first read the newspaper reports from the East Blue claiming that "Garen and Garp fought to a draw during training," he had dismissed it as a joke; after all, he was a man who had "escaped from Whitebeard," so how could he not see through Garen’s tricks?

But now... his gaze toward Garen grew filled with caution and a newfound sense of awe. At the same time, Crocodile thought to himself, *Those useless, freeloading informants at the agency definitely need to be taught a lesson.*