Jango's circular saw attack was combined with hypnosis—if you wanted to dodge, you had to look at the spinning saw. And without Observation Haki, avoiding it was nearly impossible.
However, even under hypnosis, Mr. 3 instinctively created a Candle Wall to shield himself.
Usopp, still in the air, immediately fired a Gunpowder Star, melting the wax barrier. At the same time, Nami charged forward with her iron staff and struck Mr. 3 down in a single hit.
"This is Mr. 3 from Baroque Works? He's ranked pretty high, but why is he so weak?" Nami asked, puzzled.
It wasn't that he was weak—it was that they were too strong!
Vivi wanted to say something, but after thinking it over, she let it go.
Regardless of the reason, taking down Mr. 3 weakened Crocodile's forces, which was definitely a good thing.
Not long after, Brogy returned, followed by Luffy and Dorry.
Luffy was naturally thrilled to see his crew again. When he heard that they had defeated Mr. 3, he didn't think much of it—after all, he knew how strong his friends were.
Usopp, Nami, and Jango all had Devil Fruit abilities, and after training under Carl for so long, their strength had improved significantly.
So in Luffy's mind, it was only natural. "The so-called weakling group handling some minor problems? No big deal!"
With food and drinks ready, Luffy wasn't about to overthink things. There was a giant dinosaur, which meant plenty of meat, and he couldn't wait to dig in.
In the middle of the feast, Carl arrived, riding on Luffy.
Sitting in front of him was a small girl—Miss Goldenweek. Behind him, Sanji was slumped over, while a giant sword propped up a tied-up plesiosaur.
"Mr. Carl! Sanji! You're here!" Everyone greeted them with smiles.
"Miss Goldenweek?! Why is Mr. 3's partner with Mr. Carl?" Vivi's expression changed slightly.
Carl patted Miss Goldenweek's head and explained, "I caught this little troublemaker, and she led me to Sanji. Turns out he was locked inside a candle prison. Oh, and I also found a permanent Log Pose to Alabasta—so we can leave right away!"
Vivi and Igaram were overjoyed at the news.
With civil war tearing their kingdom apart, they were desperate to return. And with a permanent Log Pose, they could set sail for Alabasta immediately, without having to wait for the regular Log Pose to reset.
Nami glanced at her Log Pose and asked, "By the way, how long would it take for this one to set?"
Dorry and Brogy answered in unison, "One year!"
"Huh?! One year?!!!"
Everyone was stunned. They were lucky to have found the permanent Log Pose—otherwise, they might have been stranded here for a whole year.
Even though a year wasn't that long, Alabasta's civil war wouldn't wait. If they returned a year later, Crocodile would have already taken the throne!
Afterward, the crew exchanged their experiences.
When Sanji heard that the so-called "weakling trio" had defeated Mr. 3, he felt utterly humiliated.
He was the only one in the Straw Hat crew who had been captured—what a disgrace!
Then, when the crew learned that Luffy had eaten a Devil Fruit, they were even more excited. They immediately started shouting for him to show off his ability.
Luffy couldn't refuse, so he transformed into a massive lion. His enormous form towered over even the two giants, and when he roared, the sheer force of it created a powerful hurricane.
Mr. 3, who had just regained consciousness, took one look at Luffy and fainted again.
Miss Goldenweek remained calm on the surface, but inwardly, she was extremely relieved that she had surrendered without resistance.
The Straw Hats were left speechless. Luffy, on the other hand, couldn't resist climbing onto Luffy's head, eager to experience the view from such a great height.
Meanwhile, Usopp, Nami, and Jango—the so-called weak trio—were having mixed feelings.
Luffy, who used to be at the bottom in terms of strength, had completely turned the tables thanks to his Devil Fruit ability. Now, they were the weakest in the crew.
With Luffy's sudden leap in power, the only way for them to keep up was to train harder—learning the Six Powers, mastering their Devil Fruits, and awakening Haki.
The pressure was immense!
"By the way, where's Zoro?" Luffy suddenly asked.
"Oh, probably still hunting… or lost in the forest," Sanji replied, sounding frustrated.
He had been competing with that damn moss-head in a hunting contest, but then he got caught by Baroque Works. Now, not only had he lost to the weak trio, but he was probably losing to Zoro too.
Twice.
Unacceptable!
Sanji couldn't sit still anymore—he immediately ran off into the forest to resume the competition.
Meanwhile, Carl was having a discussion with the two giants.
"Little guy, you mean you want to see the legendary move of our giants—Elbaf's Spear?" Dorry and Brogy were surprised.
"Yep! I've admired Elbaf's Spear for a long time!" Carl admitted with a laugh. "When I said I wanted to see it, what I really meant was—I want to try and learn it in secret, hahahaha!"
"Stealing? Kiakiakia! Kabababa! If you can steal it, you're amazing! So why not let us demonstrate it for you?"
The two giants laughed heartily, then stood up, raising their massive weapons.
They turned toward a distant point in the forest, lifting their sword and axe high. A powerful aura radiated from them—so overwhelming that everyone except Luffy and Carl felt a chill run down their spines.
"The Spear of Elbaf! Hakoku!"
With a mighty swing, they unleashed two colossal shockwaves. The air trembled violently as the attack surged forward, cutting a deep path through the towering trees and blasting them several miles away.
Everyone was speechless, jaws practically hitting the ground.
Luffy and Carl were equally stunned.
"This really is a giant's special technique… Without sheer, overwhelming power, it's impossible to unleash something like that!"
"As expected of giants! That was incredible!"
A voice suddenly rang out—Zoro had arrived, dragging behind him a massive dinosaur, its sheer size comparable to a small hill.
His face, however, showed not exhaustion but excitement.
Clearly, the giants' technique had fired him up.
"Zoro, great timing! You almost missed an amazing sight," Carl said with a grin. "So? Did you gain anything from watching the giants' attack?"
The corners of Zoro's mouth curled into a smirk.
"Power… and control over power. It can be swordsmanship, or it can be something else entirely. But I feel like I grasped something. I just need to think it through." His eyes gleamed with determination. "But I think I can steal it!"
Carl nodded approvingly.
Zoro's talent for swordsmanship truly was exceptional.
Tashigi, however, gripped her sword tightly. She had been completely overwhelmed by the sheer force of the attack, unable to grasp anything beyond shock. That was the difference between her and Roronoa Zoro.
Zoro turned to Carl and asked with a confident grin, "Mr. Carl, what do you think?"
Dorry and Brogy glanced at Zoro skeptically, clearly doubting his claim. Then, they shifted their gazes to Carl.
To them, Carl looked completely harmless—but there was something about him that felt unfathomable.
Carl pondered for a moment, then said, "Why don't I give it a try?"
Huh? Try? He already learned it?!
Everyone looked at Carl in disbelief.
But he offered no explanation.
Instead, he turned toward the forest, gripping the hilt of his black blade and slowly drawing it.
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