One Piece: King of the World-Chapter 459: Crocodile—Are You Afraid of Being a Fool?

On the same island, Crocodile walked alone through a dense forest.

Soon, he emerged from the trees and looked ahead.

There, amid the wreckage of a destroyed ship, Zoro was locked in battle with Shiryu of the Rain.

Both had sustained injuries, but the fight remained undecided. It looked like they would continue exchanging blows for a while.

In the distant sky, another fierce battle was raging—Enel and the Golden Lion, Shiki, clashed violently. Thunder roared as Enel's lightning crackled through the air, while the overwhelming power of the Lion-Lion Fruit distorted the battlefield.

Crocodile remained still, calmly removing the cigar from his mouth. He exhaled a slow puff of smoke and muttered to himself, "Seems like Enel doesn't need any help for now… But why hasn't Kaido shown up yet?"

In the sky not far away, Charlotte Linlin's ship hovered. Crocodile caught sight of it just as Hancock kicked it down from the air. A powerful and intense flame had erupted in that direction moments ago, most likely Ace had joined the fight, making his move.

Charlotte Linlin wasn't someone to be taken lightly, but with Hancock and Ace fighting her, the outcome was uncertain. Regardless, they should be able to hold her off for some time.

What? The Big Mom Pirates might have backup?

Well, doesn't Hancock and her side have support too? The Marines should be making their move by now.

Crocodile had no intention of getting involved just yet.

Despite the chaos, everything was still going according to plan.

From an overall perspective, their side held the advantage.

Among them, Enel was the key—after all, he was the one holding the Laugh Tale Eternal Pose. Fortunately, Enel was strong enough to fend for himself. No matter how powerful Shiki was, stealing something from Enel would require tremendous effort.

Whether he could even pull it off was another question entirely.

"The unpredictable Kaido… Let's see what happens," Crocodile thought, deciding to wait and observe whether Kaido would appear.

At that moment, a rustling sound came from the dense forest behind him.

Crocodile frowned slightly and turned to look.

After a moment, his expression became somewhat surprised.

"Why are you here?" Crocodile asked, his tone laced with skepticism.

Stepping out of the shadows was "Doflamingo."

Crocodile immediately understood what was going on. His voice was casual—almost as if he were speaking to Claudius.

A sly grin spread across Doflamingo's face. He chuckled wickedly, "Fufurfur… Don't be so cold, Crocodile. Can't we get along a little better?"

"If you keep talking to me in that annoying, disgusting tone, don't blame me for being rude," Crocodile said flatly, his eyes flashing with an unreadable glint.

Doflamingo laughed again and said, "So cold… My apologies, Crocodile. But if we got along better, wouldn't that make my dear cousin happy?"

A sharp glint flickered in Crocodile's eyes as he softly muttered, "Claudius?"

"Of course," Doflamingo nodded naturally and took a few steps closer.

Crocodile didn't move, but the moment Doflamingo entered a three-meter range, he struck.

A flash of yellow light—a razor-sharp sand blade—sliced directly toward Doflamingo's waist, aiming to cut him down without hesitation.

Doflamingo's eyes widened in shock. He instantly twisted his body backward, narrowly dodging the deadly strike. As he retreated, he put some distance between them and shouted in surprise, "Hey, what the hell?! You really trying to kill me?!"

"Hmph," Crocodile snorted coldly, offering no explanation. He raised his hand as golden sand swirled around him.

"Sables!" Crocodile muttered.

Doflamingo's expression changed. He cursed, "What the hell are you doing, you damn crocodile?!"

Frustration was evident in his voice, but Crocodile merely sneered. "You look like him, but you're not."

As Crocodile activated his ability, the ground beneath him rapidly dried up. The once lush forest withered instantly. Any trees that Doflamingo brushed against crumbled into dust—evidence of Crocodile's devastating power.

Upon hearing Crocodile's remark, Doflamingo's gaze darkened. He no longer hesitated. With a swift leap, he flipped through the air several times before landing safely at a distance, effortlessly evading Crocodile's swirling sand.

"Strange… My disguise was flawless. Whether in tone, mannerisms, or my knowledge of you, I shouldn't have been exposed so easily," Doflamingo muttered in an unfamiliar voice.

Crocodile clenched the cigar between his teeth, standing there like a true underworld king. The golden sand around him rippled ominously.

A wicked smirk played on his lips as he exhaled another puff of smoke. "Yeah… your disguise was perfect. If you're wondering how I saw through it, you can only blame your bad luck."

At first, Crocodile hadn't noticed anything off. Given the situation, it was reasonable to assume this was Claudius in disguise.

However, the moment "Doflamingo" spoke, something felt off.

Back on the island, Claudius had occasionally imitated Doflamingo to tease Crocodile. Crocodile had made it very clear that he found it annoying and after one particularly harsh warning, Claudius had stopped doing it altogether.

Yet now, this "Doflamingo" had used that same irritating tone.

That was Crocodile's first red flag.

So, he decided to test it. He casually dropped Claudius' name and sure enough, this "Doflamingo" hesitated before responding unnaturally.

That confirmed it.

This was a fake.

The real Doflamingo was currently in the Sabaody Archipelago. The one who had come with them was Claudius, disguised as Doflamingo.

If yet another "Doflamingo" appeared now…

It could only mean one thing—an enemy infiltrator.

Without hesitation, Crocodile struck, aiming to eliminate the impostor before they could act. But to his surprise, this faker wasn't just good at disguises, they were strong as well.

Now exposed, the fake "Doflamingo" finally dropped the act.

As the disguise melted away, a woman stood in its place.

She had sharp features and a sinister, wild expression.

"So it's you, huh? The filthy fox—Catarina Devon," Crocodile sneered. His voice dripped with contempt.

"Mhuhu… Ara~! Such terrible manners, Crocodile," Catarina Devon cackled mockingly.

Catarina Devon was one of the infamous criminals who had escaped from Impel Down during the Marineford War.

Afterward, she had thrown her lot in with the Golden Lion, Shiki.

Spotting Crocodile alone, she had stealthily followed him, contemplating her options. Among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, only Doflamingo and Bartholomew Kuma had yet to make a move.

Kuma was too enigmatic—there wasn't enough reliable information about him, making him a poor choice for impersonation. Additionally, he had no particular connection to Crocodile.

So, Catarina Devon chose Doflamingo, hoping to get close and catch Crocodile off guard with a surprise attack.

Yet, despite her seemingly flawless disguise, she had been exposed.

Why?

What kind of ridiculous "bad luck" was this?

How had Crocodile seen through her?

Truth be told, had she chosen to mimic Bartholomew Kuma instead, she might have actually fooled Crocodile.

But she chose Doflamingo…

Was it just that Doflamingo's presence was so unique that everyone wanted to imitate him?

Especially that arrogant way he walks…

(To be continued.)

***

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