One Piece : Strongest Vice-Captain Mr. 3!

New World, Buggy the Clown's Main Base, Karai Bari Island.

The fierce flames illuminated the entire island, with towering firelight spreading across the sky, blocking out the darkness of the night.

Thick smoke billowed up, and the continuous roar of artillery echoed through the seas. The heavy and violent shockwaves made the entire island tremble.

Countless birds, startled from their sleep, panicked and soared into the air, fleeing toward safer places.

Of course, most of them were roasted by the intense flames.

At the center of the artillery explosions, the coastline of Karai Bari Island.

Under the command of Rear Admiral Stainless, countless elite marines, armed with sharp blades and guns, leaped off their warships and launched the third assault.

Engaged in a deadly battle with them were, without a doubt, the pirates of the Buggy the Clown Pirate Crew.

Although they were vastly outnumbered by the Marines, most of them were fierce pirates who had followed Buggy since the Impel Down escape. Their strength was formidable, easily taking on multiple foes at once.

Like the previous two assaults, the battle was still at a standstill.

"Damn Buggy the Clown, how many more powerful subordinates does he have…?"

On a nearby naval ship, Rear Admiral Stainless stood at the bow, wearing his justice cloak, his right hand resting on his sword hilt, gazing grimly at the battle on the beach.

After several moments of hesitation, as the commander of the operation to capture the Buggy Pirate Crew, he summoned his young aide and gave an important order.

"Prepare to activate the Seraphim special weapon. After this charge, regardless of the outcome, we will deploy it fully and ensure we capture the elusive Buggy the Clown before dawn."

The young aide was momentarily stunned.

"Huh? But sir, the Seraphim holds significant strategic value. In the original plan, it was supposed to be used against their strongest captain, Buggy the Clown. Isn't it too early to deploy it now?"

Apart from being the aide, he was also the person most familiar with the Seraphim weapon aboard the entire ship and the one most capable of operating it.

So, he didn't quite understand Rear Admiral Stainless' decision.

"The purpose of this charge is to weaken the overall combat effectiveness of the Buggy Pirates, but it's also to let the naïve new recruits witness the cruelty of war."

Without turning his head, Stainless spoke in a deep voice, "However, the strength of Buggy Pirates is beyond what I anticipated. If we continue fighting like this, not only will we fail to weaken their forces, but all the new recruits we've painstakingly trained will be lost here."

"The island occupied by these pirates is not the final destination for their young blood. In comparison, what is the mere Seraphim?" 

The aide followed Stainless' gaze, only to see the battlefield lit up with constant gunfire. Medics were frequently seen dragging heavily wounded newcomers back to the warship for emergency treatment. 

The restless blood inside him urged him to join the fray and cut down those damned pirates. 

But reason continually held him back. The Seraphim still needed to be activated, and the mission from the command center wasn't complete. He had to remain absolutely calm! 

"But what about when we face Buggy the Clown and his powerful subordinates?" The aide asked, worried. 

"Don't worry. My katana was specifically kept sheathed for that time. What kind of superior would stay cowardly behind, watching the subordinates charge forward?" 

"When the time comes, I will move out myself!" 

Stainless' response was casual and simple. 

But to the aide's ears, it was filled with ultimate resolve and confidence! 

"Understood, Vice Admiral! I'll prepare the Seraphim activation right away!" 

The aide didn't say anything more, saluted, and rushed back to the special command center to activate the Seraphim. 

Once his figure disappeared from the ship's bow, a trace of concern and doubt appeared on Stainless' otherwise determined face. 

"This is strange. According to Buggy's absolute selfishness, when his subordinates blocked the first charge, shouldn't he have secretly packed up and run away?" 

"Why is he so determined to hold onto this Karai Bari Island? Even now, he remains at the headquarters with no signs of fleeing?" 

Stainless was puzzled. 

Most of Buggy's crew were criminals who had escaped from Impel Down, making their identities difficult to identify. 

So, long before Buggy became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Navy Headquarters had secretly sent spies to infiltrate his pirate crew, waiting for the right moment. 

Although the spy's position in the crew was low, they could deliver a fatal blow to Buggy at a critical moment. 

In a situation like this, as long as Buggy and his core officers show any sign of abandoning their subordinates to escape on their own, the spy will immediately reveal their plans, shattering the crew's trust in Buggy the Clown from within.

This internal strife, combined with a full-scale naval assault, would allow the Marines to easily capture Buggy the Clown without any effort!

This was Stainless's entire plan—devious and flawless, one might say—if not for the incident involving Mr. 3.

"It seems the problem must lie with Mr. 3, who slipped away earlier…" A faint sense of unease crept into Stainless's mind. Even he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

"If only I hadn't let Mr. 3 escape when the spy first delivered the information, thinking it would be better to avoid alarming anyone. Now, look at this uncontrollable variable we've created!"

It turned out that Mr. 3's secret escape hadn't evaded the Marines' surveillance!

This made perfect sense, after all. Even a rookie like Koby knew to fully block off Amazon Lily and prevent anyone from escaping.

How could a seasoned Marine Vice-Admiral not understand this logic?

Although Stainless knew that Mr. 3 alone wouldn't cause much of a stir, the more he thought about it, the more unsettling the thought of Mr. 3 became.

And that, in part, was why Stainless decided to use the Seraphim early.

He needed a swift resolution and to capture Buggy the Clown as soon as possible!!

Before long, the third Marine assault on the island was nearing its end.

Once again, they failed to capture the beachhead, and at the command of their superior, the Marines could only retreat, their heads down in defeat, as the pirates' cheers rang out behind them.

"Hahaha! The Marine Headquarters is nothing special! We didn't even need Captain Buggy to take action; we beat them to a pulp on our own!" 

"Pathetic fools, I bet they were so scared they ran back to their ship to change their diapers! Hahaha, is this all the Marine Headquarters is capable of?"

"Ahahahaha!"

The pirates, weapons in hand, stood at the edge of the shore, loudly jeering.

Deep within the heart of Kali Bali Island, Buggy the Clown sat proudly at the top.

After hearing reports from his subordinates about their significant advantage on the front lines, he couldn't help but grin. For a moment, he felt quite confident.

"Hmph, tell the men not to get too cocky just because of a few small victories. If they can't help themselves…" 

Suddenly, Buggy activated his powers, and his arms and legs exploded outward, stretching his large red robe to an enormous size.

"Then laugh as much as you want, cause chaos as much as you like! After all, behind you, you have me—a powerful monster who has fought with Red-Haired Shanks multiple times without ever losing! Hahahaha!!"

A sharp, maniacal laugh echoed through the hall.

Below, the crew members were fired up, their admiration and respect flowing like an endless tide.

"Captain Buggy! You are our god!!"

"Buggy! Buggy! Buggy!!"

These enthusiastic young pirate fans would never have imagined that, in the mind of their all-powerful Captain Buggy, this was what he was really thinking:

"Heh, heh-heh, I can't believe these guys are actually this strong. Just picking one of them would probably be enough to knock me out cold. Guess I'm really lucky, huh?"

Behind Buggy's massive figure, Alvida, Mohji, Cabaji, and the lion Richie were all huddled in a corner, their faces filled with worry, all syncing with anxiety.

"Hey, hey, do you really think this is okay? Something just feels off to me…" Alvida whispered quietly.

"I feel the same way. My eyelids have been twitching non-stop… like something bad is about to happen," Mohji said, his voice trembling.

Woof! Woof!

Richie, the lion, growled softly in agreement.

The unicycle performer Cabaji scolded them with a frown, "Stop talking nonsense. Your bad luck hasn't changed since the old days… nothing good ever comes from you jinxing us…"

Before he could finish his sentence, a member of the pirate crew rushed into the hall, a look of panic and fear on his face.

"Captain Buggy! Something's wrong! A terrifying monster suddenly appeared from a naval ship, and our brothers at the front… they were wiped out in just a few seconds! The entire front line has been annihilated!!"

At this, Buggy, who had been basking in his crew's praise, froze. His triumphant expression turned to shock as he processed the news.

"Annihilated? They actually managed to wipe out all those marines that quickly? Well, that's impressive, but… wait a minute! Wait, what?!"

As the realization hit him, Buggy stammered, his eyes bulging out of their sockets in disbelief. He was frozen in fear, now looking like a mere mortal.

"You're saying… those unbelievably strong pirates… were… instantly killed?!"

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