The night after Robin left, Rainbase, Alabasta's city of dreams, was free from the comforting effects of rain or other disturbances.
In the heart of the city, at the massive casino building—the Rain Dinners—a discussion was underway about the plan to seize Alabasta.
Behind the Rain Dinners, in a small alley filled with miscellaneous items, Mr.3 was hiding behind a wall.
He pushed up his glasses, which had slipped down his forehead, and nervously watched the inconspicuous staff entrance of the Rain Dinners.
Just moments ago, he had personally seen the Mr.1 pair, Mr.2, the Mr.4 pair, and Ms. All Sunday enter.
Cold sweat began to soak his shirt.
"Damn it... how should I even begin?" he muttered to himself, his mind racing through various excuses.
"Should I just fall to my knees and beg? Say, 'Boss, although I failed at Small Garden and let Straw Hat and the princess escape, I will surely redeem myself.'"
He started imagining the tragic fate that might befall him, so much so that he didn't even notice the footsteps gradually approaching from behind him.
Suddenly, a prominent red nose peeked out from beside his shoulder, accompanied by a voice full of mockery:
"Hey, you candle head! What are you doing here, sneaking around??"
"Waaahhh!"
Mr.3 jumped in fright, almost springing off the ground, and spun around.
Buggy the Clown stood there, hands on his hips, looking at him triumphantly, with the Beast Tamer Mohji, Cabaji, and a lion standing beside him.
Buggy looked at Mr.3's shaken appearance and let out his signature laugh: "Hahahahahahahaha! Look at your idiotic face! You're not trying to sneak in and steal something, are you? I, your great self, see everything clearly!"
Mr.3 was both startled and angry, fumbling to adjust his glasses, "Who... who are you?! Don't disturb me while I'm on official business!"
He secretly cursed in his heart, wondering where this idiotic pirate crew came from and hoping they wouldn't ruin his important plans!
Buggy leaned closer, with an "I know everything" expression, and lowered his voice:
"Official business? Isn't it just sneaking in to steal something? Seeing you still trembling here, I, your great self, will be kind enough to teach you!"
He turned and gestured to Mohji with his chin, "Mohji! Show him what professional stealth looks like!"
Mohji immediately understood and gestured to the lion, Richie.
Richie let out a roar, stood on its hind legs, covered its eyes tightly with its front paws, and remained motionless.
Buggy turned back, pointing at Richie with a hint of sarcasm, "See? That's perfect camouflage! You should learn from it."
Mr.3 looked at the scene before him and Buggy's smug face.
His mind was utterly collapsing, countless complaints stuck in his throat.
These... where did these idiots come from?!
Buggy, however, found this bespectacled candle head very interesting; the flames on his hair could even help light his Buggy Cannon at crucial moments.
So, he got an idea and, without a word, began to sling his arm around Mr.3's shoulder, in a familiar manner:
"Seeing how pathetic you are, hiding here and not daring to go in, I, your great self, will be magnanimous and take you in to see for yourself! But if we find treasure, you have to give me seventy percent! Shu hahahahahahaha!"
Mr.3 instinctively wanted to break free, but then he reconsidered. He was alone right now, and facing his enraged boss alone would surely lead to disaster.
This guy seemed stupid; perhaps he could be a crucial scapegoat for their meeting?
And with this conspicuous red-nosed clown around, he might effectively distract the boss, giving himself a chance to explain... After a moment of thought, Mr.3 forcibly suppressed the disgust and unease in his heart, pushed up his glasses, and put on a shrewd expression:
"...I can take you in, but the situation inside is complex. Too many people would only make things worse. I can only take one person in at most."
He looked at Buggy, using a taunt, "You, do you dare?"
"Huh?!" Buggy's eyebrows shot up. "Is there anything I, your great self, don't dare to do?! Minions!"
He waved a hand at Mohji and Cabaji, "You two wait outside. Watch me go in and haul out all the treasure!"
Thus, an extremely unreliable alliance was formed.
Mr.3, with the swaggering Buggy, cautiously pushed open the staff entrance door and slipped inside.
The opulence inside the casino briefly disoriented them, but Mr.3 still relied on his intuition to lead Buggy through the noisy casino hall, finding the hidden passage to the VIP area.
The passage was carpeted thickly, muffling most sounds, and the atmosphere instantly became oppressive.
They tiptoed forward, and just as they approached a slightly ajar door, a deep, oppressive voice emanated from within. It was Crocodile!
"...Then, the Utopia Plan will officially commence tomorrow," Crocodile's voice was devoid of emotion, yet it instantly made Mr.3's hair stand on end outside the door.
"There must be no mistakes. As long as we take Alabasta and seize that power, we can begin to develop a grander plan."
Immediately after, Crocodile seemed to remember something and asked, "Mr.2, have you found Mr.3?"
Mr.2, sitting by the table, thought about the task he had been assigned, but he hadn't encountered him at all along the way. "Reporting, Boss."
"I didn't see any sign of Mr.3 on my way here, but I was rescued by an interesting pirate crew."
"Pirates?"
"Yes, yes~"
Mr.2's voice carried a hint of boastfulness as he recalled his experience on the going merry, "It was a pirate crew with a Mugiwara flag. They were quite interesting."
"What?!"
Crocodile's voice suddenly rose, filled with undisguised fury. Even through the door, Mr.3 could imagine his grim expression at that moment.
"Straw Hat?! That Mr.3... he dared to lie to me! He said the mission was complete!!"
At this, the entire room fell into a brief silence.
Several seconds later, Crocodile finally said with a dark face, "If I ever see that guy, I will definitely kill him."
Hearing this, Mr.3's face instantly turned pale, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
It's over, completely over!
His greatest fear had come true!
He dared not linger any longer, grabbing Buggy, who was still perking up his ears, wanting to hear more information, and urgently said, "Quick... quick, let's go! We've been discovered!"
Buggy still looked bewildered: "What? That guy mentioned Straw Hat. I still wanted to hear..."
Mr.3 was almost in tears, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "The one inside... is Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! If he finds us, both of us will die!!"
"Shichibukai?!" The arrogant look on Buggy's face instantly vanished, replaced by the same pale expression as Mr.3.
He loved treasure, but he knew to stay far away from true monsters.
"Ah hahahahaha!"
Buggy suddenly let out a very low laugh, "It seems... it seems I'm not very suitable for a visit today! Let's go!"
Before he finished speaking, he ran even faster than Mr.3, dragging the still-not-fully-reacted Mr.3, and fled wildly back the way they came, their speed now many times faster than when they snuck in.
Meanwhile, inside the slightly ajar door behind them, the conversation continued.
Mr.2 seemed to remember something and added, "Oh, right! Besides Straw Hat, I also saw a black-haired samurai at the time, but he was quite distinctive, with only one arm."
A few seconds later, Crocodile's deep voice resonated as he recalled the passerby he had encountered during his act in Alubarna, and then maniacal laughter began to fill the room.
"A black-haired samurai, you say..."
"Hahahahahahaha!"