Previously, the ability Kroll displayed seemed to be merely the manipulation of sand, but now, based on what Ron was seeing, Kroll's ability appeared to be similar to that of the wax user—both of them were transforming into a specific substance, a Nen ability style found within the faction of the Mingbo Republic, where the user transforms into a particular element or material such as flame, frost, wax, sand, and others.
This resemblance brought certain images to Ron's mind. In the world known as "One Piece," there existed something called Devil Fruits, which were divided into three types: Logia, Zoan, and Paramecia. Flame, frost, sand—these elements closely resembled the traits of Logia-type Devil Fruits.
It was possible to use elemental countermeasures.
Ron had experience facing such enemies. Back when he was still only a B-rank Nen user, in the Kurta Clan's secluded territory, he had fought an A-rank Nen user who transformed into frost. Even then, his Nen beast Natsu had managed to restrain the opponent somewhat using flame.
"What restrains sand?"
And within Sumas's space, there happened to be a lot of water available.
Misty's figure was being forced to retreat. The muscular man charged at her with aggressive momentum, clearly intending to press the advantage and pursue her while she was on the back foot.
"She's already reached her limit."
Observing Misty's condition, Ron's figure flickered and appeared beside her in an instant.
A stone was held in Ron's hand, though it wasn't an ordinary stone. As he injected aura into it, he snapped his wrist, and the stone shot violently toward the muscular man.
His pupils contracted as he immediately dodged.
"Misty, leave this opponent to me."
The muscular man kept his eyes locked on Ron.
"Who are you people? Why have you come to sabotage our plan?"
While Ron had previously hidden his presence, the moment he made a move, the muscular man sensed it—Ron was a peer-level existence, even stronger than Misty. His aura was so strong that even the muscular man felt a sense of dread. Still, he was not someone who would surrender just because of a strong aura; after all, aura intensity was only part of it. The outcome of a fight depended on many factors, and he had confidence in his own strength.
"Weren't you the ones who commissioned us?"
"So from what you're saying now, we're not the kind of people you wanted to invite? Then if we decide to leave now, would you stop us?"
The muscular man's expression stiffened.
"You can't leave anymore."
"Because we've seen what you've done?"
Ron said, "Using the legend of the Desert Bandit King's treasure as a pretext, and money as bait, you lured thousands into this desert, but what you were after was our lives. Such actions violate the rules established by the V5. Is this how Mingbo conducts itself?"
The muscular man stared coldly at Ron.
"I don't know what you're talking about. We're not from the Mingbo Republic. We left a long time ago. This has nothing to do with them."
"The fact that you say this only confirms my suspicion," Ron replied. "This means Kroll's supposed betrayal of the Mingbo Republic was just a ruse. In truth, the Mingbo Republic just wants to use you to get things done."
"Believe what you want."
The muscular man still refused to admit anything.
This made Ron even more certain of his judgment. The muscular man was well aware of this effect, but still couldn't admit anything.
When Ron asked the question, the man had only two options. One was to deny it, which would strengthen Ron's suspicion. The other was to admit it, which might lead Ron to doubt whether the man was trying to frame the Mingbo Republic.
However, both options carried risk. If this matter were ever exposed to the public, and the muscular man's words were recorded, then the former could still be denied by the Mingbo Republic, allowing them to feign ignorance and escape consequence—no matter how others suspected them. But if the latter were chosen, it would give others far more ground to build accusations, even though the Republic could still deny involvement. It would simply be a lot more troublesome.
The muscular man was now fully entangled by Ron.
Meanwhile, Misty joined the others on the battlefield. Together with Ponzu, Nina, and Ruco, they launched a coordinated assault on the large man, quickly overwhelming him.
The wax-user's expression darkened, and he moved toward the large man's position, conjuring wax in various forms. Because his main focus was no longer on Shizuku, Blinky's suppression effect was no longer as strong, allowing him to rescue the large man from defeat.
The muscular man no longer responded to Ron and instead focused all his attention on attacking him.
At that moment, the sky suddenly darkened.
Ron looked back and saw that, in addition to the wall on the western side, massive walls were also rising to the south and north, formed by a mixture of sand and corpses, towering several dozen meters high.
The sand on the eastern side was also beginning to shift under Kroll's control. It appeared that Kroll intended to turn this entire area into a prison—one that no one could escape.
The height of the walls kept increasing, and they were extending inward, forming an encirclement. If Kroll's plan succeeded, the entire region would be sealed in by the sand structure, leaving no gaps for escape, like a giant lid clamping down over the desert.
The muscular man noticed this development and became more anxious, his attacks growing increasingly fierce, as if afraid Ron would notice the change in situation and abandon his companions to escape alone. As a result, he launched an all-out offensive against Ron.
"Blame your bad luck."
"Of all times to come here, you had to choose now."
"Lord Kroll's plan is about to be completed."
"None of you are leaving."
Ron did not clash with the muscular man's attacks head-on but fought while gradually retreating. His expression appeared serious, and after a brief silence, he asked,
"If your plan is already near completion, then can you tell me your true objective? What are you trying to accomplish with all of this planning and setup?"
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