Mikita was indeed injured by the explosion.
Fortunately, she activated her Armament Haki at the same moment the explosion occurred, which protected her internal organs from severe damage, leaving only superficial wounds and burns.
WHOOSH!
Ignoring the pain, she charged toward Apoo.
However, due to her recent injuries, her speed and strength had decreased slightly, so she only managed to kick the long-armed musician away without inflicting a fatal wound.
...
Subsequently, the three Supernovas engaged in an intense battle with Mikita.
After ten minutes.
Basil Hawkins, who served as the main tank, had already lost five straw dolls to Mikita's long deadly legs.
Urouge the Monk was also frequently sent flying, crashing through buildings.
But as he endured the beatings, the passive effect of his Devil Fruit continuously absorbed the kinetic energy of her kicks.
With his energy fully charged, Urouge grinned, his muscles bulging unnaturally.
"INGA ZARASHI!"
The Monk transformed, his height increasing from 3 meters to around 10 meters, and his strength noticeably surged.
BOOM!
Each massive fist strike created a crater about 5 meters in diameter on the ground.
The uneven terrain made it difficult for Mikita to move and dodge effectively in her high heels.
Moreover, she constantly had to guard against Apoo.
Once his music ended, unavoidable attacks would follow.
SLASH!
BOOM!
Aside from being blasted by explosions, she had also suffered slashing wounds from Apoo's soundwaves, with fresh bloodstains on her arms and thighs as if she had been cut by invisible swords.
After taking two hits, Mikita finally figured out Apoo's attack pattern.
She simply needed to interrupt him with an attack before his music phrase ended.
Thus, Hawkins and Urouge had to do everything possible to hold Mikita back, acting as meat shields to give Apoo the chance to finish his tune.
Meanwhile, Mikita aimed to kick Urouge and Hawkins away before the music ended to disrupt Apoo's performance.
Of course, if Mikita failed to interrupt Apoo before his music concluded, she had to envelop her entire body in Armament Haki for defense.
She could defend, but she still ended up slightly injured each time.
After all, her Haki intensity was still insufficient to block everything completely.
Judging by the current situation, although Mikita was still technically suppressing the three of them alone, she found it difficult to break through their formation to reach Apoo.
So, she resorted to cursing her "ally."
"YOU IDIOT ZORO! If you have no sense of direction, don't even think about escorting anyone, alright?!"
She had now fallen into a battle of attrition.
If she couldn't take down Apoo, she'll have to rely on her stamina to outlast them.
However, she has to use Haki constantly while also dodging attacks, putting her at a clear disadvantage in a drawn-out fight against three captains.
Of course, Apoo, Hawkins, and Urouge were growing increasingly shocked as the fight continued.
Mikita's strength far exceeded their expectations.
What were those blackened hands and feet she used?
They could even cover her body to defend against explosive sound attacks.
Moreover, her speed was ridiculously fast, and the force of her strikes might be even more terrifying than Urouge's giant form.
'If someone this powerful wants to join the Straw Hat Pirates... how strong must the actual crew members be?'
Urouge and Hawkins were already regretting their alliance with Apoo.
A mere follower of the Straw Hat Pirates has pushed three Supernova Captains into a tough battle.
Anyone with a bit of common sense could guess that the gap in strength between them and the Straw Hat Pirates might be even larger than they imagined.
Not to mention that 'Demon God' Ray.
But now, it seemed there was no way to back down.
A ceasefire was impossible.
On the other side, Mikita had gone berserk after getting injured—what else could the three of them do but fight for their lives?
'Let's do this!'
...
Another ten minutes passed.
The entire Sabaody Archipelago had descended into chaos.
With the help of the Flying Fish Rider, the "Floating Artist Pirates," and the "Fire Tank Pirates," Luffy and the others had identified the group responsible for kidnapping Camie.
With a combined force of nearly 1,500 people scouring the island, their efficiency was high.
They quickly pinpointed the culprits: the Pet Shop/Auction House gang on Grove 1.
Besides running auctions, they sometimes sent their capable subordinates to specifically capture slaves.
Only businesses that control their supply sources can survive long-term—they can't always rely on external traffickers.
It seemed like a smart business move, but unfortunately, it was about to backfire today.
Because, with the help of the Riders, Luffy and the others had arrived at the only bridge leading to Grove 1, planning to question everyone passing by.
Coincidentally, the auction house worker carrying a large sack happened to arrive at the same time.
Luffy immediately intercepted him.
"Hey! Have you seen a man who kidnapped a mermaid?"
The man trembled, sweating profusely.
"I-I don't know! I'm just passing by! Oh... and what I'm carrying on my shoulder is a pig—I'm going to slaughter it later!"
After hearing this, Luffy used his Observation Haki to sense that the man was carrying a living creature and assumed he wasn't lying about the "pig" part.
Clapping his hands, Luffy nodded.
"I see! Then go ahead and do your work. Be careful when slaughtering the pig."
At that moment, Sanji arrived on the scene via sky-walk and immediately noticed something off about the man carrying the sack.
"Luffy! Why did you let him pass?!"
Luffy explained that the man said he wasn't carrying Camie but a pig.
Sanji nearly faints from frustration.
"Typical of you..."
WHOOSH!
Sanji accelerated, rushing in front of the man and knocking him out with a single kick.
BAM!
He then untied the sack, revealing Camie inside, gagged and bound.
"Miss Camie! Are you alright?!"
Rejuvenated, Camie was overjoyed, though her gaze at Luffy was filled with resentment.
"Luffy-sama... I am NOT a pig!"
Seeing the earlier scene, even someone as dense as Luffy realized he had mistakenly trusted a human trafficker.
He quickly apologized to Camie.
"Sorry, Camie!"
Then, Luffy glanced at the massive Auction House building behind him and pulled his straw hat down over his eyes.
"That human trafficker belongs to the Auction House... so let's go there."
Sanji agreed, lighting a cigarette.
"Anyone who bullied Miss Camie must pay the price."
Meanwhile, one by one, the scattered members of the Straw Hat Pirates were now heading toward the Auction House.
...
Back at Grove 30.
Mikita was already panting heavily, sweat streaming down her forehead and occasionally dripping onto the ground or her ruined high heels.
Her long, white-stocking-clad legs had turned translucent under the sweat's saturation.
Add to that the explosion before the fight, which had completely ruined her makeup and hairstyle.
It could be said that all the careful preparations she had made to meet Ray—her makeup and outfit—were utterly wasted.
The more Mikita thought about it, the angrier she became.
"Where the hell is that bastard Zoro?!"
"Even if he's directionally challenged, there has to be a limit! If he doesn't come back soon, I'm going to..."
"I'm going to..."
"I'm going to finish off all three of them myself! And he won't even get a taste of the action!"
After saying this, Mikita decided to hold back no longer.
Earlier, she had been protecting her clothes, but at this point, what image of a "beauty" was left to save?
As long as she used Armament Haki to protect herself, she could take down her opponents even if it meant getting injured.
"Hawkins! Your straw dolls must be running out, right? Then I'll take you out first!"
Mikita flashed an evil grin and charged without hesitation toward Hawkins, who was kneeling on one knee, exhausted.
But suddenly.
ZING!
A flash of blinding golden light appeared, moving faster than her, and arrived in front of Hawkins.
The newcomer wore a yellow-and-white striped suit with a "JUSTICE" cloak draped over his back.
Looking down at the kneeling Hawkins through tinted sunglasses, he spoke with deliberate flair.
"Basil Hawkins... the Magician with a 249 Million Berry bounty."
"Have you ever been... kicked by a speed of light?"
Hawkins' lips twitched.
'Why does that line sound familiar?'