Chapter 1 : Opening Mr. 3!!

New World – Karai Bari Island, base of the Buggy Pirates.

In the surrounding seas, several marine warships spread out, forming an encirclement. 

Standing at the forefront of the leading warship was a burly man with his eyes shut tight.

This was Vice Admiral Stainless from Marine Headquarters. 

---

"From this moment on, the authority granted to the Seven Warlords of the Sea has been revoked. You are no longer affiliated with the World Government."

Stainless held a transponder snail in his hand, his eyes snapping open with intense killing intent. 

"In other words, Buggy—now you and your crew are nothing but ordinary pirates!!"

---

Inside the island's luxurious hall.

Buggy the Clown, draped in his extravagant red cloak, gnashed his teeth in fury.

"Damn it! You guys are too underhanded! How could you make such a decision without giving me a heads-up?!"

Buggy twisted his body, shouting across the coastline, "You just used me and now want to arrest me? You hypocrites with no sense of honor!"

"Getting played by Crocodile and Doflamingo was your fault in the first place! Even if you want to take your frustrations out on someone, you should know your limits with me!!"

Buggy's oversized cloak billowed, casting a deep shadow over the figures hiding behind him.

---

"The coastline is completely surrounded… What should we do now?" Beast Tamer Mohji grimaced, as if in pain. 

Beside him, Richie the lion shared the same wide-eyed expression, panic written all over his lion-like face. 

They knew their captain's capabilities all too well. 

Without the protection of the Warlord title… life from now on— 

They didn't even dare imagine it!

---

"Obviously, we're going to make a glorious last stand!!!"

Bathed in sunlight, Buggy stood with fearless determination.

With a furious roar, he activated the power of his Chop-Chop Fruit. His limbs split apart, and his massive red cloak flared as he rose into the air, unleashing a wild, overwhelming aura.

"Get your fighting spirit ready, you fools!!! (Voice cracks)"

---

Mohji, Alvida, Cabaji, and the rest of Buggy's old crew: (｀Д)!! 

Meanwhile, the newly joined pirates from Impel Down—the terrifying powerhouses of the New World—reacted completely differently. They raised their weapons high, brimming with battle lust. 

"OOOOOH!!! CAPTAIN BUGGY!!!" 

"Buggy! Buggy! Buggy! Buggy!!" 

In the midst of the roaring crowd, a man with oval-shaped goggles and a bizarre "3"-shaped hairstyle sighed quietly to himself. 

Of all the things that could've happened... I end up being Mr. 3, the Wax-Wax Fruit user? 

Since waking up in this world and seeing his reflection, Mr. 3 had been squatting in the corner of the hall, debating whether to smash his head into a pillar and try his luck at reincarnation. 

For crying out loud, if I had to be a side character, couldn't it at least have been someone cooler?! 

A square face, skinny arms, noodle legs, and this ridiculous 3-shaped braid—what kind of cursed design is this?! 

In the end, though, Mr. 3 gave up on the suicidal restart idea. 

For one thing, who knows if dying here would actually send him back to his original world. And more importantly, the thick pillars in the room looked like they'd hurt—a lot. 

He really didn't handle pain well. 

Might as well see how things play out first.

Up on the main platform, Buggy the Clown stood tall, listening to his subordinates—many of whom were stronger than him—cheer wildly. His expression was one of unshakable resolve. 

"Listen up, boys! It's time to show the world the terrifying power of the Buggy Pirates! If any of you are scared, just hide back here. I'll go wipe them out myself!" 

With that declaration, Buggy dramatically flung his crimson cloak behind him, locking eyes with the navy warships lining the coast. 

"Captain Buggy... even after losing your Warlord status, your first thought was to protect us!" 

Moved to tears, his crew looked at their captain as if he were the most noble of heroes. 

Moments later, those same faces hardened with determination. Weapons in hand, they formed a protective line in front of Buggy. 

"Let us handle this, Captain Buggy!" 

One particularly fearsome pirate—who once had a bounty exceeding 300 million berries—unsheathed his blade. As he did, a powerful wave of Armament Haki surged, coating the blade in pitch-black. 

"It's just a Vice Admiral. No big deal." 

"How could we let you disturb our king right from the start?!"

The man launched himself into action, leaping from the high platform and charging at the Navy warships along the shoreline with incredible speed.

Seeing this, the other crew members were instantly fired up. Their blood boiled with excitement as they followed behind him, rushing into battle without hesitation.

The previously cramped hall quickly became empty and desolate.

"Heh, a bunch of brainless fools. The Navy is obviously well-prepared this time. Only idiots would take them head-on!" 

From his perch, Buggy pulled back with a sly grin, turning toward his top officers, including Mohji. His expression was one of smug satisfaction, as if everything was going according to plan.

"While they keep the Navy busy, we'll sneak out through the hidden path behind the island, brothers," he whispered conspiratorially. 

Everyone nodded eagerly. 

"Yeah, yeah!!" 

Just as they were about to turn and flee, a muscular crewmate who had forgotten his weapon suddenly came back, only to witness the scene unfolding before his eyes.

"Captain Buggy, you…"

Buggy, mid-stride, froze. 

"Wha—?!" 

Panic surged through him, and his body instinctively split apart under his massive red cloak. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead. 

If these guys—monsters, every one of them—discovered that he was planning to ditch them and run away on his own… 

He'd be torn limb from limb for sure! 

"Captain Buggy, I never expected you to…"

The muscular man's face darkened, becoming gloomy and menacing.

Buggy and the others braced themselves, ready for the worst. Just as Buggy thought his cover was blown, the tough-looking subordinate's demeanor abruptly shifted. Tears gushed from his eyes like a dam had burst.

"Captain Buggy! I never imagined you trusted us this much! You didn't even bother to check the battlefield and entrusted the fate of the crew entirely to us!"

"Damn it! Is this the spirit and resolve of a true Pirate King's crewmate?! The rival of Red-Haired Shanks!"

"What kind of incredible leader have I been following all this time?!"

"Don't worry, Captain! I swear I won't betray this faith you've placed in me!!"

Under the stunned and bewildered gazes of everyone present, the burly man, wiping away his snot and tears, turned resolutely toward the front lines and charged into the heat of battle without hesitation.

Completely unaware, he had forgotten… his gun wasn't even drawn. 

"Ahahaha! Go ahead, cause as much chaos as you want!" 

On the verge of being exposed, Buggy immediately straightened his back, looking energized and full of spirit. 

Witnessing this grand mental projection of Buggy's self-sabotaging brainstorm firsthand, even Mr. 3, despite having read the original manga, couldn't help but blurt out a refined curse. 

"Holy crap!" 

What in the world?! 

Is this the legendary Buggy-sama, wielding a combination of Conqueror's luck and god-tier overthinking?! 

Truly terrifying! 

"Hm? Galdino, what's wrong with you? You've been acting weird since just now." 

It was only at that moment that Buggy, having snapped out of his thoughts, finally noticed Mr. 3's strange behavior. 

Hearing Buggy's words, the other crew members also turned to stare at Mr. 3, their eyes filled with similar confusion. 

"If Buggy hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed. Normally, in situations like this, shouldn't the two of you be plotting side-by-side on how to escape?" 

The first to speak was Alvida, the Sube Sube no Mi user, wielding her spiked club and flaunting her curvaceous figure. 

"Don't lump me together with this guy, dammit!" 

Wrapped in his signature red cloak, Buggy instantly jumped up to protest. "And for the record, I don't call it running away—it's a strategic retreat!" 

Alvida pinched the bridge of her nose and nodded repeatedly, clearly amused. "Yes, yes, of course." 

At that very moment, Mr. 3—who had been acting strangely throughout—suddenly tilted his head back. The corners of his mouth twitched as if he was having a stroke, and he let out a bizarre, distorted laugh. 

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is! Ahahaha! Now things are really starting to get interesting!" 

His eyes gleamed with an intense light, brimming with barely concealed excitement. 

Just moments ago, he had successfully bonded with a system, unlocking the essential cheat powers of a transmigrator! 

"Everyone, with the abolition of the Seven Warlords system, the world is about to plunge into chaos. I have a plan—would you care to hear it?" 

Mr. 3 adjusted his goggles with a serious expression, putting an end to his odd laughter. 

Beneath the glinting reflection of his glasses was a pair of sharp, intelligent eyes.

As Mr. 3 suddenly adopted a serious and solemn demeanor, Buggy and his crew exchanged uneasy glances. One looked at the other, each waiting for someone to speak first. But in the very next moment, they all shook their heads in perfect agreement. 

Their instincts screamed at them: whatever strange thing Mr. 3 was about to propose, especially after hearing the news about the abolition of the Warlords system, it was bound to be a huge trap! 

"No way!"

"What nonsense! We need to focus on escaping!" 

"Yeah, I'm with you on that."

"Roarrr!"