Luffy also looked at the black pattern on the ground with confusion, but this wasn't something for him to dwell on.
"Is black paint the color of betrayal?"
Carl found the idea amusing, so he hopped off Luffy's back and stood on the black pattern. For a brief moment, a strange feeling surfaced in his heart—an urge to betray his companions.
However, Carl had a strong will and wasn't easily swayed.
"This doesn't seem like a Devil Fruit ability... It's more like some kind of superpower, similar to Jango's hypnosis technique. But at this level, it might work on ordinary people, but it's useless against the strong!"
As Carl was deep in thought, Miss Goldenweek appeared behind him, holding a palette and a brush in one hand while munching on a biscuit with the other. She seemed completely at ease.
Carl carefully observed this peculiar little girl.
She had a cute appearance, especially with her youthful looks, but her demeanor was more like an old lady on the verge of retirement. She preferred sipping tea and snacking leisurely rather than showing any enthusiasm for work.
Still, her ability was undeniably interesting.
Carl considered taking Miss Goldenweek and Mr. 3 aboard for now—studying Miss Goldenweek's power thoroughly before facing Crocodile.
As for Mr. 3, his only real use was as a master key!
Thinking ahead to the possible Summit War, Carl realized that unlocking Ace's Seastone handcuffs would be a major issue. Neither he nor Luffy could use Advanced Armament Haki yet, so breaking the cuffs wasn't an option.
Maybe it was worth keeping this "master key" around?
Carl felt conflicted. After all, the current Straw Hat crew was much stronger than before, so the event with Kuma wouldn't play out the same way again. If the Summit War happened, the entire crew would definitely head to Marineford.
That meant Luffy wouldn't go to Impel Down, meaning Mr. 3 wouldn't escape, and Ace's handcuffs would remain locked.
"Whatever, I'll deal with it later! Worst case, we'll take Ace and the handcuffs with us and figure something out once we're safe. I'm sure the Whitebeard Pirates have expert lockpickers. Let Whitebeard handle it!"
Carl brushed the issue aside.
Seeing that Miss Goldenweek was still calmly eating biscuits, Carl casually stepped out of the black pattern.
Without hesitation, he took one of Miss Goldenweek's biscuits and silently ate it.
Miss Goldenweek was startled and quickly tried painting on Carl's clothes, but no matter what color she used, he remained unaffected and continued eating.
Not long after, all the biscuits were gone.
"Hey, got any more cookies?" Carl asked.
"...Yes," Miss Goldenweek admitted with a sigh, accepting her defeat.
Her ability was useless here, and with her small frame, she definitely wasn't a match for Carl. Not to mention, there was a lion standing behind him—if she refused, she might be forced into some ridiculous situation.
But honestly, she wasn't that passionate about working anyway. If she got captured, then so be it.
She spread a cloth on the ground and set up some refreshments, settling down with Carl and Luffy for a break.
Carl spoke up, "Miss Goldenweek of Baroque Works—I know who you are. Since you've already found this place, why don't you stay with the Straw Hats for a few days? After we defeat Crocodile, we'll let you go."
Miss Goldenweek blinked in surprise. "Crocodile? You mean the Warlord of the Sea?"
"Oh, you don't even know your own boss is a Warlord? Well, yeah—Crocodile is the head of Baroque Works."
"...I see. Well, in that case, pour me a cup of tea."
"It's just tea. Pour it yourself," Carl retorted. "By the way, does this mean you're agreeing to my offer?"
"That won't work. Mr. 3 will be mad. Besides, you already have one of our members—Black Leg Sanji, with a bounty of 100 million berries."
"Mr. 3 getting mad? Doesn't matter—he's going to get captured anyway. And honestly, he's even more of a coward than you.
As for Sanji, he'll be fine. There's no point in using him as a threat.
Besides, it's not a bad deal, right? We won't mistreat you. Just think of it as a short vacation aboard the Straw Hats' ship."
Miss Goldenweek hesitated, clearly tempted.
She wasn't a fan of working, so getting some time to relax sounded pretty nice. And now, it seemed Mr. 3 had completely underestimated the Straw Hats.
This time, things were looking bad for Baroque Works.
"Still… when my vacation ends, I'll be out of a job," she muttered.
She might not like working, but she still needed money to survive.
Carl shrugged. "Not my problem. But with your ability, finding a new job shouldn't be hard, right? You can literally make people act like your favorite characters."
Miss Goldenweek paused, unsure how to respond. Carl seemed to understand her situation surprisingly well…
But resisting was pointless, so she might as well be a prisoner for a few days. Worst case, she'd just find another job later.
With that thought, Miss Goldenweek calmly sipped tea alongside Carl and Luffy, silently lighting a candle for Mr. 3 in her heart. As a Candleman, he was always the one lighting candles for others—this was the first time someone was lighting one for him.
Meanwhile, Mr. 3 was secretly observing Usopp and the others.
The battle between the two giants had just ended, and they were still lying on the ground, resting while chatting with Luffy. That meant they wouldn't be returning anytime soon.
Mr. 3 saw this as the perfect opportunity.
Without hesitation, he activated his Candle Wall, surrounding Usopp, Nami, and the others. The wax barrier began closing in, ready to seal them inside. Sneak attacks like this were exactly what Mr. 3 excelled at.
However, he completely misjudged their strength.
Mr. 3 assumed that since Black Leg Sanji, with his 100 million berry bounty, was powerful, then those with lower bounties must be weaklings.
That was his mistake.
"You're Mr. 3! You actually came after me again!" Vivi gritted her teeth.
"A Baroque Works agent? Princess Vivi, stay behind me!" Tashigi said, stepping forward.
Igaram immediately pulled out his saxophone and played a note—firing bullets straight at Mr. 3!
But Mr. 3 had anticipated this. He easily blocked the attack with his Candle Wall.
As the wax dome was about to seal them in, Usopp acted fast.
Using his giant slingshot, he fired a Firebird Star. The flaming projectile melted through the wax, allowing Nami and the others to escape.
But Mr. 3 wasn't discouraged. He quickly launched a set of Candle Shackles at Nami, catching her before she could react.
Just as he was about to celebrate, the shackles slipped right off her.
The Slip-Slip Fruit! It made her body too smooth for anything to stick—even locks!
"So that's it… a Devil Fruit ability," Mr. 3 muttered, adjusting his glasses, still unfazed.
At that moment, Jango suddenly hurled two spinning buzz saws straight at Mr. 3's neck.
Mr. 3 watched their trajectory, calmly tilting his head to avoid them. But before he could smirk—
He felt dizzy.
"Hypnosis! Dance of the Buzz Saw!"
Assuming Jango was just attacking with a saw was a huge mistake!
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