Rainbase, the city of dreams in the desert, inside a drink shop.
Smoker finished his last sip of alcohol, his heavy Jitte resting by the table, his brows deeply furrowed.
"Tashigi, the situation in this country is very wrong."
Tashigi, wearing glasses, immediately sat up straight. He was still wondering if he would meet that person if he encountered the Straw Hat Crew. "Mr. Smoker?"
"It's too much of a coincidence."
Smoker's gaze passed through the window, looking at the giant Crocodile building of Rain Dinners. "Drought, Rebel Army… it's like there's a hidden hand deliberately pushing all of this."
Tashigi pondered these words seriously. Just as he was about to speak, the door of the drink shop was suddenly pushed open roughly.
"It's so hot, it's so hot! Boss, bring me all your most expensive drinks!"
Buggy swaggered in, followed by a man with glasses and a strange hairstyle – none other than Mr.3, his newly allied partner.
Buggy then plopped down on a nearby seat, completely oblivious to Smoker, who had his back to him. Mr.3 adjusted his glasses, surveying his surroundings.
"If you ask me, we should sneak in while that guy's not around, there's definitely more treasure inside!" Buggy shouted, banging on the table.
Mr.3 sighed helplessly: "How many times have I told you, Crocodile is not to be trifled with, we need a plan…"
Just then, Smoker slowly turned around, white smoke wafting from the cigar in his mouth, his gaze fixed on Buggy.
"Buggy the Clown…?"
Time seemed to freeze for a second.
The expression on Buggy's face went from arrogant to startled, then to terrified, finally letting out a distorted scream: "W-w-w-why are you here!!!"
He didn't even have time to explain, he grabbed the still-dazed Mr.3, knocked over tables and chairs, and bolted out.
"Marine! It's that Smoker the Smoker!" Buggy yelled incoherently as he ran.
Mr.3 was dragged along, stumbling, his glasses askew: "Wait! Who is that guy? Why are we running?"
"He's a Marine from the East Blue! A madman who's been chasing me all the way from Loguetown to the Grand Line!" Buggy's voice was almost tearful, "If he catches me, I'm finished!"
Mr.3's eyes widened in shock, and he also kept running forward with Buggy. "Chasing from the East Blue to the Grand Line? How much hatred must there be!"
The two sprinted down the street, with Smoker slowly rising behind them.
"Tashigi, notify the troops to gather. At least we need to catch that Buggy." Smoker began to give orders, white smoke starting to emanate from him. "I'll go see what tricks these two idiots are up to."
"But Mr. Smoker, this is Crocodile's territory." Tashigi was a bit worried; he remembered the instructions from above not to interfere with this place arbitrarily.
"Just listen to me."
Smoker snorted coldly, "Pirates are always pirates, even if he is a Shichibukai, he is still a pirate."
In the midst of their conversation, Buggy and Mr.3 had already rushed to the entrance of Rain Dinners, then suddenly stopped, a cunning smile appearing on their faces.
"Wait… why are we running?"
He suddenly turned around, looking at Smoker who was hot on their heels, "Isn't there a ready-made umbrella right in front of us? As long as we let the Marine and Crocodile…"
Mr.3 listened to Buggy's crazy plan, somewhat shocked by this man's idea, "But Crocodile is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, acknowledged by the government."
"Just trust me, that guy is famous in the East Blue for only trusting himself. He definitely won't listen to those old men's orders. Let them fight each other!"
With that, he shoved open the ornate doors of Rain Dinners, the loud noise instantly silencing the entire casino for a moment.
Buggy leaped onto the nearest gambling table, leaving several dirty footprints on the expensive green felt. He waved his arms, yelling loudly at the astonished gamblers:
"Listen up, all of you! Where's that coward Crocodile? Tell him to come out!"
Chips scattered everywhere, gamblers retreated in panic, and a nearby waiter, startled, knocked over a glass of red wine, the dark red liquid spreading across the tablecloth.
"What! What's going on?"
"Security! Where's security??"
"Who are they? How did they get in?"
Amidst the chaotic whispers and exclamations, Buggy took a deep breath, then shouted towards the depths of the casino:
"Crocodile! Stop hiding, the Marine is here to catch you!!"
The sound echoed through the luxurious casino hall, and the crystal chandeliers on the ceiling trembled slightly with it.
Smoker, still in pursuit, had just stepped through the Rain Dinners entrance when he heard Buggy's nonsensical declaration, his brows furrowing even deeper: "What is this idiot babbling about?"
He scanned the chaotic casino, white smoke unconsciously starting to billow around him. A few security guards who tried to stop him were forced back with just a glance.
In this chaos, a well-dressed gentleman in a black suit elegantly made his way through the crowd. He stopped in front of Buggy and Mr.3, bowing slightly:
"Please come this way, this is the VIP passage."
Buggy, who had just been so imposing, paused for a moment, then smugly put his hands on his hips: "Shishishishisha! See that? That's my influence!"
Mr.3, hearing this, adjusted his glasses, a little overwhelmed, the eyes behind the lenses glinting with hope: "Is this… did he recognize me?"
Did the boss already know I was coming? Or… has my failure in Small Garden been forgiven? Is this a chance to atone for my mistakes!
This thought warmed his heart, instantly pushing aside his previous panic.
Then the two followed the guide through the corridor, arriving at a fork in the road. The left was marked VIP, and the right was marked Pirate.
"Are they idiots? Who designed a fork in the road like this?"
Mr.3 sneered, looking at the road sign, and walked towards the left without hesitation, "Of course it's VIP!"
Then they went around a long spiral staircase and finally stopped in front of a heavy door. Mr.3 took a deep breath, and with a mix of trepidation and anticipation, pushed open the door.
The sight inside instantly froze the two in place.
In the center of the room, there was an extravagantly long, luxurious table. Exquisite silver candelabras were placed on the tabletop, their flickering flames illuminating the tiny dust particles in the air.
And at the end of this long table, Crocodile was slumped in a high-backed chair, a thick cigar clamped between his fingers. The cigar smoke blurred the expression on his face. But even from a distance, one could feel the faint particles of sand emanating from him.
"It's all your fault! Luffy! Why did you have to go the pirate way when you came in!"
"It's not my fault, we are pirates, aren't we?"
Beside him, a huge rectangular iron cage was conspicuously visible, and imprisoned within it were the Straw Hat Crew: Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Vivi.
"Mr.3…"
Crocodile's voice was low, his golden hook gleaming coldly in the light, "You still have the guts to come back…"
Mr.3's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat as he recalled the scene in the casino just now: "Eh… wasn't I welcomed outside…?"
"Are you an idiot?" Crocodile said coldly, looking at his former subordinate who was still lost in fantasy.