One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

The clash of fists was heard with a loud "bang!" as Iron Fist met exploding fists, instantly sending out a strong shockwave and filling the air with smoke. 

Bones' expression remained grim as he stood unharmed, while Mr. 5's fist was now a deep shade of red. 

"Too tough. My explosive powers can't cause any damage to Bones at all," Mr. 5 muttered dejectedly. His explosion attacks had no real effect on the iron-like figure of Bones. 

"Your explosions have a decent power, but my ability doesn't just make my body as hard as a blade, even my internal organs are as tough as steel. If necessary, I can further enhance my defense, but unless you concentrate your firepower into a single explosive attack, your blows would just be a nuisance," Bones said flatly. 

At this moment, he was merely defending himself with his hardened body without using his blade-like arms for attack. Still, it was enough to leave Mr. 5 at a loss. 

Rosen observed the two sparring. Both the explosive power of Mr. 5's Devil Fruit and the sharp cutting abilities of Bones were impressive. The explosive attacks, had they not been met with Bones' resistance, would have been lethal to most people. However, Bones was not only defensively strong but his offense was also formidable. If Bones had used his full blade-arm transformation during their close combat, MR.5 would've at least been injured. 

Bones' body was impervious to knives or bullets, and his limbs could turn into sharp blades, turning punches into stabbing strikes and kicks into slashing cuts. Initially, Zoro had been heavily suppressed by him until he unlocked the Iron Cutting technique, which was the only way he could defeat Mr. 1 Bones. 

"Now it's my turn to attack." Bones sank his feet into the ground and, with explosive speed, launched an attack on Mr. 5 his fist coiling with immense power. Mr. 5, taken by surprise, quickly inhaled deeply. 

"Shh~" The air was visibly sucked into his body, his abdomen rapidly shrinking, while his chest expanded like a balloon. It looked strange, but this world's physical constitution could easily handle it. 

"Ha!" Mr. 5 roared, and a fierce wind shot from his mouth, like a rushing current. 

"Boom!" The wind shot out like an arrow, heading straight for Bones, and exploded midair with a thunderous crash. 

"Slash!" Bones sensed the increased power in this attack and immediately stopped his offensive, assuming a defensive stance with both fists in front of him, standing still and bracing for the explosion. 

"Cough, cough..." Mr. 5 grinned when he saw the explosion engulf Bones. He hadn't expected this attack to be so powerful, but he felt an intense pain inside, coughing up blood from the corner of his mouth. 

This had never occurred to him before. He had always assumed his explosions would easily overpower anyone, but the more powerful moves, which could cause harm to his own body, had never crossed his mind. However, under the guidance of his boss and motivated by the desire for recognition, he had reluctantly tried it and realized that, while powerful, his physical constitution was still somewhat lacking. 

"Not bad," Bones said, brushing the dust from his chest. A red mark remained, a slight pain lingering, but it wasn't a significant injury. This happened even under his "human-slaying" defense, which was stronger than before, yet the attack still managed to leave a mark. 

"Keep training. You two take a break. After that, we'll have a match," Rosen said, eager to join in. 

"Ah, no way?!" Mr. 5 was startled, but Bones' eyes lit up with interest. 

"Don't worry. Real combat is the best way to train. Go all out," Rosen said seriously. 

In the small training area, explosions, metal clashing, and dust clouds filled the air as three types of Devil Fruit powers were on display. 

"Master Slash!" Bones charged forward, his palm taking the form of a tiger claw, with each finger turning into a sharp blade. If this tiger claw connected, it would easily tear away a chunk of flesh. 

"Desert Treasure Blade." Rosen's arm transformed into a hard sand blade as he raised it to block. There was a loud "bang" as the two forces collided, and the resulting gust of wind pushed MR.5 back a few steps. 

"Micro Dust Slash!" Bones changed his fingers into blades, crossing his hands in front of him and slashing downward with an "X" pattern. Rosen's eyes narrowed as he sensed a deadly slash approaching from a distance, like an invisible cutting blow. 

"Desert Barrier." Rosen raised his hand, summoning a wall of dense, solidified sand in front of him. In an instant, the slashing light flashed through, and the hardened sand barrier was shredded into a grid of small fragments. 

"Is that a remote slash?" Rosen asked, somewhat surprised. He had always assumed Bones was purely a close-combat fighter, but this attack proved otherwise. 

Rosen vaguely remembered that during Bones' fight with Zoro, he had used this technique to slice through buildings in midair. It made sense now—Bones indeed had the ability to perform aerial slashes. No wonder he had given Zoro such a hard time. 

"Yes, Boss, but it only works at close range. The power weakens significantly at a distance," Bones confirmed. 

"Good." It seemed that Bones not only had the potential to overcome most swordsmen, but he might also have the qualities of a sword master himself. 

"Mr. 5, what are you waiting for? I told you to attack together, yet you're waiting for Bones to finish before stepping in?" Rosen said, displeased. 

Although Mr. 5's Devil Fruit was also strong in close combat, his battle awareness was lacking. If he had launched an attack alongside Bones' strike, it would have pressured him more. Instead, it seemed like he was waiting for Bones to finish before attacking. 

"Yes, Boss," MR.5 said, finally snapping out of it, and joined the fray with his explosive fists and feet, now genuinely working to improve his combat abilities. 

Rosen refrained from using wide-area sand attacks, choosing instead to focus on precision and enhancing his close combat skills. 

The battle continued until the sun began to set, signaling the time for dinner. Rosen, still unsatisfied, stopped, while MR.5, exhausted, could barely stand. His stamina was nowhere near the level of either Rosen or Bones. 

Rosen could feel his own improvement from each battle. By constantly experimenting with different techniques and pushing through, his skill proficiency was slowly rising. While it was a gradual process, Rosen could see progress—his physical skills now stood at 303/1000, and his Devil Fruit powers at 604/1000. 

Unfortunately, despite defeating both Bones and Mr. 5 in battle, neither of them had a bounty over 100 million. Bones' strength was perhaps close to that level, though his bounty was only 75 million Berries, and Mr. 5's was a mere 1,000 Berries, making his power match his bounty. It seemed Crocodile was either allied with them or Bones wasn't quite strong enough to reach the 100 million mark. 

No matter the case, Crocodile had not yet completed his first mission from the strengthening system in his mind: defeating someone with a bounty over 100 million. If successful, his speed would double. Of course, this didn't mean his training was wasted; the better his foundation, the stronger he would become when the boost arrived. 

"Hey, I heard there was an accident with Boss last night. He's so scared now, he refuses to sleep in his room. Do you think there's really a ghost on the ship?" 

"I think it might be true. Didn't you hear Boss say he saw a small figure walking as if it was floating? He froze in place, then when he turned to run, someone hit him on the back of the head. It's still swollen. But maybe he just fell and doesn't want to admit it…" 

Two sailors, who were busy lowering the sails and anchoring the ship, whispered to each other. 

"Ghost?!" Rosen frowned. When did such rumors start spreading on the ship? What had happened these past few days? He had been so focused on his training that he hadn't noticed anything. 

(End of Chapter)