One Piece : Strongest Vice-Captain Mr. 3!

Amazon Lily, the Calm Belt Sea Area.

"Mr. 3, we can only take you this far. If we go any further, we'll be discovered by the Navy's patrol boats."

On a small, specially designed vessel, an intelligence officer in a black cloak whispered this to Mr. 3.

Mr. 3 stood at the bow of the ship, gazing ahead. In the distance, he could faintly make out the outlines of Amazon Lily and the chain of Navy warships surrounding it.

"Alright, you all head back. As I instructed, prepare the waiting submarine beneath the island," he replied.

The waters around Amazon Lily, located in the Calm Belt, were filled with nests of giant sea kings. Navigating a submarine to the designated location without alerting the Navy on the surface was no small task.

But this wasn't something Mr. 3 needed to worry about.

As one of the top underground organizations that had risen again after Donquixote Doflamingo's downfall, if the Buggy Delivery Mercenary Corps couldn't handle this minor task, he would have to accept it.

"Understood. Please be careful, Mr. 3!" 

Despite the warning, there was little concern on the faces of the intelligence officers.

On the contrary, their eyes, hidden beneath their cloaks, sparkled with anticipation. They wanted to see what clever and ingenious methods the cunning Mr. 3, known throughout the Buggy Pirate Crew, would use to evade the Navy's blockade and sneak into Amazon Lily.

It's important to note that although there were ten-minute gaps in the Navy patrol boats' blockade, that small window was hardly enough to reach Amazon Lily without being discovered!

Mr. 3 waved his hand, saying nothing more. He jumped off the vessel and landed steadily on a small wooden boat that had been prepared below.

The wooden boat contained only a few simple items: two paddles, a single-barreled telescope, and a pile of gold.

The intelligence officers watched Mr. 3 with bated breath, afraid that they might miss his impressive maneuver if they blinked.

This was a perfect opportunity to learn!

He moved! 

Mr. 3 was making his move!

The few people stared wide-eyed, swallowing hard as they watched the slightly thin figure of Mr. 3 reflected in their eyes.

Sitting at the bow of the small wooden boat, he adjusted his sitting position, slowly raised his arm, and then…

He rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the oar, and began to row!

Splash, splash.

The little wooden boat moved forward at a speed akin to a turtle's crawl, slowly making its way toward the Navy's blockade.

"Wait, is Mr. 3 really planning to paddle right past the Navy in front of their faces?" 

One intelligence officer rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"It seems that Mr. 3 didn't regard the so-called Navy Headquarters' Captain at all. From the very start, he chose to charge right in!!"

"To take on the entire Navy Headquarters fleet alone—such audacity, such confidence! Is this what it means to be second in command of the Buggy Pirates, just behind Buggy himself?!"

"Mr. 3, I admit I judged too quickly based on appearances. I even thought someone as strong as you looked rather sleazy when you smiled!"

With a loud smack, he slapped himself across the face.

The other intelligence officers exchanged glances in shock.

After a long silence, once Mr. 3 was out of earshot, someone weakly chimed in, "Bro, I actually think Mr. 3 looks kind of sleazy when he smiles too…"

"I share the same opinion."

"I agree wholeheartedly."

"…"

Luckily, Mr. 3 was far away; otherwise, he'd surely give these guys a taste of his "Wax-Wax Flower" technique!

"If the intel is correct, after this patrol, the patrol boat should remain on the warship for about ten minutes for resupply."

As Mr. 3 slowly rowed the oar, he picked up the prepared monocular telescope, focusing intently on the distant Navy patrol boat.

The wooden boat pushed through the calm sea without making much noise.

If one were to lean over the edge of the boat to look down, they would clearly see that the bottom was covered with a thin layer of white wax, designed to muffle sound and mask any scent.

While the sea kings that inhabited this Calm Belt typically overlooked such a "small fry," the naturally cautious and steady Mr. 3 took every possible precaution.

Through the lens of the monocular, Mr. 3 quickly spotted the patrol ship responsible for the surrounding waters. It had completed its patrol and was now docked at a large warship in the distance.

"Now's the time!" 

He no longer held back and began to paddle furiously! 

Buzz! 

A light sound unique to Armament Haki resonated as he infused the paddle with it to achieve maximum speed!

Cough, cough, while it's called Armament Haki, it's really just at the novice level; at most, it made the paddles a bit more durable, allowing him to put in more effort.

Of course, Mr. 3's primary purpose for doing this was to train and adapt his Armament Haki.

To break through the Navy's blockade line at top speed, he still relied on the abilities of the Wax-Wax Fruit.

By thickening the bottom of the wooden boat with wax and continuously spraying a grayish-white viscous liquid… wax from the rear, he provided thrust to propel forward!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~ 

The wooden boat transformed from its earlier slow pace into a swift rush, cutting through the Navy's blockade line and speeding toward the distant Amazon Lily!

"Here we go, Mr. 3 is kicking it into gear!" 

"That's right, Mr. 3! This fearless charge is simply intoxicating!" 

"Go get them, Mr. 3! Smash those damn Navy scum to pieces!!"

On the offshore vessels, the intelligence personnel who had yet to depart felt their hearts race as they saw the wooden boat suddenly accelerate. Their blood boiled with excitement.

They imagined Mr. 3 unleashing a giant wax fist to smash the Navy warship and the patrol boats into smithereens! 

Unfortunately, Mr. 3's next actions would soon disappoint them.

After speeding past the Navy's blockade line by about a hundred meters, he deflated like a punctured balloon, slowing to a crawl, and then…

He turned around, slowly paddling back!

"Uh, what's Mr. 3 doing?" 

"No way, could it be that Mr. 3 got scared by the imposing Navy warship and is trying to escape?" 

"I feel this possibility is quite high, especially since he's wearing glasses. Maybe the prescription is strong, and he can't see clearly from a distance?"

"But if that's the case, it's going to be a disaster! There's no way we'll have enough time; the Navy will definitely find us!"

"What should we do? Should we go up and assist Mr. 3?"

The intelligence agents immediately lost their confidence. Someone turned to head for the ship to rescue Mr. 3.

This foolish action was quickly stopped by the leading intelligence officer, who knocked on his own head in frustration.

"Assist? What are you talking about! Mr. 3 just instructed us to leave. Can you bear the consequences of acting recklessly?!"

"Mr. 3 must have a deeper meaning behind this!"

After saying this, the head of the base picked up a telescope and carefully observed Mr. 3, who was slowly 'escaping back.'

When he turned his gaze to the ships that had set off again for patrol, his furrowed brow suddenly relaxed, and his eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "I see! I see! Oh my, so Mr. 3's intentions from the very beginning were aimed at this!"

"What terrifying insight and thought process! Is this the true power of the Buggy Pirates' officers?!!"

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