One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

"??" Robin was stunned. What was going on? Why did Crocodile seem so worried, even a bit helpless? That shouldn't be the case. After all, Princess Vivi wasn't an important character with powerful strength, so she shouldn't really be something Crocodile was concerned about. 

However, what Crocodile said next made Robin's heart sink with dread. 

"Letting Princess Vivi trace my identity… Robin, you must have had a big part in that, right?" 

Rosen remembered it clearly. Back then, Vivi had managed to track down the Baroque Works, and it was Robin who had guided her all along. The reason was obvious—although Robin worked for Crocodile, she couldn't fully dedicate herself to someone so cruel. Deep inside, she still harbored some light, even after witnessing the destruction of her homeland and enduring years of pursuit. She was still seeking the Poneglyphs, never abandoning her original purpose. This kindness was the only thing keeping her humanity intact. 

But right now, she didn't trust anyone. After so many betrayals and years of fleeing, she had grown used to this way of life. 

"I..." Robin's heart panicked. She almost activated her power but suppressed the urge. 

"Don't worry," Crocodile said calmly, "I don't intend to harm you. I know my actions haven't been easy to trust. After all, in your eyes, I'm just a ruthless, capricious person who's confident to the point of arrogance..." Crocodile was criticizing himself, or at least that's how he saw it. 

For Rosen, saying these words was no trouble. 

"Then what does the Boss plan to do?" Robin's surprise quickly gave way to calmness, though she couldn't make sense of things. If it were the old Crocodile, he would never have overlooked Robin's little schemes. While he wouldn't kill her immediately, he definitely wouldn't just let it slide. 

Things could get worse from here. 

"What plan?" Rosen asked, equally puzzled. Confronting Luffy didn't seem necessary. They had no personal conflicts, and if there was any, it was Crocodile's, not his. After all, Rosen was Rosen, not Crocodile. 

"We leave..." Rosen hadn't finished his sentence when suddenly Robin activated her powers. Numerous arms sprouted from her back, and just as she was about to strike, she threw a cup of water in Rosen's face. 

The water splashed right onto his head, and an arm wrapped around his neck with immense force, attempting to twist it. Rosen felt his hair stand on end. Was Robin trying to kill him? 

It wasn't a surprise, but why was she acting so early? Things weren't following the script at all. 

What Robin didn't know was that Crocodile's odd behavior today had filled Rosen with a sense of unease. To prevent Crocodile from making a desperate move, it might be better to take a gamble. Even though this would make the search for the Poneglyphs harder, it was still preferable to the possibility of being tortured or killed by Crocodile. 

At this point, they had almost confirmed the location of the Poneglyphs. 

"Fatal attack detected. Activating support system. Human body enhancement system activated. Developing the human body's ultimate potential.

Newbie benefit: one free enhancement of the human body. The next enhancement requires defeating a strong opponent." 

A message suddenly appeared in Rosen's mind. For a moment, he froze, then he was overcome with excitement. 

[Benefits received: 

Human body enhancement attributes: 

Name: Crocodile (Rosen) 

Abilities: Sand-Sand Fruit (unawakened, intermediate, proficiency: 600/1000) 

Martial Arts: Intermediate (proficiency: 300/1000) 

Haki: None (proficiency: 0/100) 

Swordsmanship: Beginner (proficiency: 100/300) 

Enhancement count: 1 

Effect: Defense X2, Experience Pack X1 

Next enhancement condition: Defeat a strong opponent with a bounty of over 100 million Berries. 

Reward: Speed X2 ]

A rather simplistic body attribute screen appeared in Rosen's consciousness. As the enhancement system activated, Rosen's mind absorbed a lot of battle experience, and he felt his body was instantly transformed. Every muscle seemed to be strengthened. 

His defense doubled. Although this wasn't an all-around boost, the enhanced defense meant Robin couldn't twist his neck anymore. 

Indeed, Robin tried with all her might to twist Rosen's head, but it didn't even budge. Was Crocodile really this strong? Robin was shocked, but quickly realized what was happening. She drew a knife to stab Rosen. 

Rosen reached out and grabbed Robin's wrist. The speed of her attack seemed slow in his eyes. With a loud crack, he knocked the knife from her hand. He wiped the water off his face and calmly observed his body. 

That surprise attack had really startled him. He hadn't expected Robin to strike so suddenly. After knocking the knife away, he turned into his sand element state, causing Robin's arms to disappear like petals. Since the surprise attack failed, any subsequent actions would be futile. The power gap between them was too large. 

Robin didn't panic or beg for mercy. She simply stared coldly at Crocodile, her earlier warmth now gone. Since the mask was off, she had mentally prepared herself. 

However, Rosen didn't pay attention to her for the moment. Instead, he focused on the enhancement system in his mind, analyzing the data he had received. 

His Fruit ability was intermediate, his martial arts were also at an intermediate level but below average, he had no Haki, and his swordsmanship was basic. The proficiency levels made sense to him and were easy to understand. 

Crocodile's main strength came from his Devil Fruit ability, and while his martial arts weren't bad, his physical conditioning had declined over the years, especially after losing a hand. He was likely weaker than when he was younger. This all made sense. 

As for Haki, Rosen guessed that once he awakened it and reached a proficiency level of 100, he would have entered the basic stage. His swordsmanship seemed to be minimal, and once he trained, he could improve. It seemed that after refining his skills, reaching a high level would be about the same as attaining the strength of a Marine Admiral. However, this was just his current speculation. 

Given his current strength evaluation, he was about at the level of a Shichibukai, but not yet top-tier. He could probably hold his own for a while, but in an all-out fight, he likely wouldn't stand a chance against true top-level powerhouses. 

In the pirate world, Crocodile's current strength likely wouldn't be able to compete even with a commander from one of the Four Emperors. A Shichibukai who couldn't use Haki was not really a match for anyone strong. In the early stages, Crocodile could intimidate others, but in the later stages, the powerhouses were too numerous—Four Emperors, Admiral-level Marines, the top Shichibukai, and CP0. 

Taking into account the number of powerful figures during the Wano Country arc, even the two who could face off against the Beast Pirates' top commanders, were only middle-tier there. Someone like him, a Shichibukai-level fighter, was nothing in comparison to them. 

Rosen realized that his strength was rather awkward. He wasn't weak, but compared to top-tier fighters, he was insignificant. 

Considering all the factors, Crocodile's power at this point couldn't match the level of strength needed to face the true giants of the world. 

(End of Chapter)