One Piece : Strongest Vice-Captain Mr. 3!

With the addition of the Navy's secret weapon, Seraphim, the battle at Karai Bari Island quickly took a turn for the worse. The Marines swiftly took control of the outer beach and began advancing steadily toward the interior where Buggy was located.

The situation became critical. Powerful figures, who were so feared by even Vice Admiral Stainless that he had to resort to deception to turn them against each other, could no longer stay hidden. They appeared one by one, joining the fray.

However, even this group of ruthless pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million couldn't do much against Seraphim, the ultimate weapon. 

They could only delay the Navy's progress, managing to slow them down and keep them confined to the deeper forest areas near the beach.

In response, and also to speed up the defeat of Buggy the Clown, Navy elite officers at the Captain level emerged from the ranks and fought directly against the pirate leaders.

With the help of the Seraphim weapons, they gained a significant advantage, advancing toward Buggy's stronghold at a pace of several meters per minute.

At this point, all high-level combatants on both sides, aside from the commanders, had engaged in the battle, pushing the confrontation between Buggy Pirates and the Navy's Vice Admiral fleet into a full-blown, heated phase that would decide the outcome of the war.

While the battle raged at Karai Bari Island, in an unknown sea area, a certain Wax Fruit user was still on his way by boat.

"This is so strange... We both have Conqueror's Haki, but why is the gap so huge?" 

Mr. 3 lay on a soft bed, staring blankly at the moon hanging high in the night sky, unable to comprehend.

When his Conqueror's Haki clashed with Hancock's, resulting in bursts of dark red lightning, he had been thrilled beyond words. 

This was a scene that countless fans dreamed of!

Although Mr. 3 knew he stood no chance against Hancock, who had honed her Haki for countless years, he never imagined... 

That he would barely last three seconds before being crushed by her overwhelming presence, unable to move, collapsing to the floor like a slug, and only after a long while, mustering enough strength to crawl back to his room!

It was then that Mr. 3 realized—Hancock had never truly used the full power of her Conqueror's Haki during their previous encounter at the Amazon Lily's palace!

Perhaps, back then, Hancock hadn't even taken him seriously before awakening her Conqueror's Haki.

Of course, the main reason Hancock had gone all-out this time was due to Mr. 3's rapid mastery of the Conqueror's Haki in just half a day, which deeply provoked her arrogant and prideful nature. She was eager to prove her superiority with overwhelming strength!

"Pirate Empress, huh? She's just a spoiled brat in the end!"

Thinking back to the mocking smile that Hancock had given him when she left, Mr. 3 gritted his teeth in anger: "You were just picking on me when I was still a rookie, but wait until I get stronger... I'll crush you, and I'll make sure to stare down at you from a higher position."

Then, in his mind, he added: "And I'll be sure to give you the middle finger too!"

Well, even he himself didn't realize that this habit of secretly keeping a little notebook didn't exactly qualify as mature...

In the midst of this quiet frustration, Mr. 3 fell into a deep sleep and drifted off to dreamland.

The gentle waves rocked the two merchant ships, one large and one small. The slight swaying felt like lying in a comfortable cradle as a child, making it even harder to stay awake.

The cool sea breeze blew across the large sails, transforming into natural power that propelled the ships toward Karai Bali Island. Before they knew it, they had already left the windless zone.

Perhaps the nearby pirates had caught wind of the situation, for the rest of the night passed without any more incidents like the earlier one when Jade, the large swordsman, boarded to rob the ship.

Time quietly slipped away in this rare peaceful night.

As the darkness of the night gradually faded, a glow—like the flames of stars burning—began to shine from the horizon, signaling the arrival of a new day.

"Mr. 3, we can already see the outline of Karai Bari Island ahead. Should you get up now?"

Mr. 3, immersed in a pleasant dream of punching admirals and kicking the Four Emperors, was abruptly awakened by a gentle knock on his door.

Had they arrived?

His groggy mind just began to clear when, with a loud "bang," the door was kicked open by a long, beautiful leg.

Already dressed in her battle qipao, Hancock grabbed the timid underling who had come to deliver the message and forcefully threw him out of the cabin.

"Mr. 3, you mentioned that Karai Bari Island is up ahead. I need you to come with us and check the environment. If everything's fine, we can rest for a bit before heading out to find the clown, Buggy."

She spoke without changing her expression, walking into the room and standing by Mr. 3's bed as she got straight to business.

"As for the fighting, I'm no expert, so after the survey, I'll stay on the island to handle the tedious matters of settling the residents."

Granny Nyon, holding her snake staff, followed closely behind, casually finding a chair to sit down on.

"I, along with Marigold and the battle members of the Kuja Pirates, will naturally follow my sister and head to Karai Bari Island with you, Mr. 3!"

The snake sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold, also walked in, followed by a group of female warriors from the Kuja Pirates.

This left Mr. 3 utterly stunned. Well, well! Look at this! It's as if they've turned this place into a conference room!

They really don't consider me an outsider at all!

Staring at the room now packed with women all eyeing him, Mr. 3 suddenly shot upright, his drowsiness completely vanishing in an instant.

The fogginess of sleep was wiped away in a heartbeat!

"Well, I get it... so..." 

"Could you at least let me get dressed first?"

If it weren't for the fear that his hair, when activated with his powers, would set the entire bed on fire, Mr. 3 would have wished for a hole to suddenly appear beneath him, like a candle could melt into the ground.

This was the kind of awkwardness that made even his own mother embarrassed—it was too much!

To be fair, it wasn't entirely his fault he overslept. Between a whole day of sailing, sneaking into Amazon Lily, recruiting Hancock, and all the other never-ending tasks, he'd also undergone a grueling seven-day, sleepless training session in Rayleigh-sensei's Haki class.

Although when awake he could still appear energetic, the moment he fell asleep, the overwhelming fatigue would rush in, devouring his mind and spirit without him even realizing it...

...

From the island inspection to arranging personnel, comforting the people, returning to the merchant ship, and finally setting sail for Karai Bari Island, Mr. 3 didn't waste much time.

Or more accurately, he intentionally simplified all of his previous plans.

Because in between, he had received a secret communication from Buggy's exclusive snail phone.

The message was brief, only four words: "Three! Danger! Urgent rescue!"

Then, a violent explosion drowned out the rest of the message.

It seemed like things on Buggy's side were about to collapse...

Mr. 3 was feeling anxious. He didn't want to go through all the trouble of recruiting Hancock only to find Buggy Pirates lying in ruins!

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