INSTINCT

A massive explosion of fire erupts from the giant wax structure, sending thick smoke and flames into the air. Luffy and Karoo are seen running away from the intense blaze. Mr. 5 stands nearby, holding his flintlock pistol, calmly watching the fire. The wax structure, which previously trapped Zoro, Nami, and Vivi, is melting rapidly from the intense heat. The silhouettes of Zoro, Nami, and Vivi can be seen inside the melting wax. Large sound effects indicate a loud boom and roaring fire. The heat is so intense that the wax is turning into liquid, freeing the trapped characters.

Luffy looks back over his shoulder at the massive fire, yelling, "WHOA, WILL THE GUYS BE ALRIGHT WITH SUCH A BIG FIRE!?" Karoo runs frantically beside him, sweating and crying out, "GLUB" and "HOT! HOT!" Behind them, Mr. 3 is furious. The topknot of his hair is aflame, and he chases after them in a rage. He screams, "AHH! HOW DARE YOU DESTROY MY CANDLE SERVICE SET...!" Karoo continues to sprint, quacking loudly. Mr. 3 runs after them, yelling, "AS IF I'D LET YOU GET AWAY!" The chase continues through the jungle as Luffy and Karoo try to escape the angry Baroque Works agent.

Miss Valentine floats down from the sky, holding her umbrella. She yells, "YOU'VE DONE IT NOW!" She plummets toward the ground at high speed, shouting her attack name, "10,000 KG GUILLOTINE!" Mr. 5 watches her descent, saying, "HOW DARE THEY...!" Miss Valentine grins sadistically, declaring, "PLAY TIME'S OVER!" She lands heavily on Usopp, who is pinned to the ground and groans in pain. She threatens him, "I'LL CRUSH YOUR NECK INTO PIECES!" Usopp struggles under her immense weight, unable to free himself from her crushing attack.

Suddenly, Miss Valentine is struck by a fast-moving projectile and screams "GYAAAA!" as she is knocked away from Usopp. She looks shocked, exclaiming "WHA!?" Usopp lies on the ground, battered but relieved, saying, "HEY, YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL YOU'RE EVEN ALIVE." From the remains of the melting wax structure, Zoro, Nami, and Vivi emerge. Zoro is holding his swords, complaining, "WASN'T THERE A BETTER WAY TO SAVE US?" Nami wipes sweat from her face, adding, "IT'S SO HOT HERE." The three of them are covered in soot but have successfully escaped the deadly wax trap thanks to the fire.

Vivi and Nami stand amidst the smoke and melted wax, covered in soot but safe. Vivi coughs and says, "COUGH, COUGH! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT... WE'RE ACTUALLY STILL ALIVE." Nami smiles and replies, "I GUESS... THANKS." Mr. 5 aims his gun at them, looking annoyed. "HMPH, SO YOU'VE MELTED THE WAX, HAVE YOU NOW!? WHAT A PAIN... I CAN'T HAVE YOU MESS UP OUR MISSION ANY MORE THAN THIS!" Usopp suddenly calls out, "MR. 5!" He aims his slingshot at Mr. 5, declaring, "CERTAIN KILL! GUNPOWDER STAR!" Usopp is ready to defend his friends from the explosive Baroque Works agent.

Usopp fires his slingshot, shouting, "GOT'CHA." Mr. 5 easily catches the projectile in his mouth and swallows it. He mocks Usopp, "IDIOT! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SHOW YOU THAT USING GUNPOWDER IS USELESS AGAINST A HUMAN-BOMB!?" Suddenly, Mr. 5's expression changes to shock. He starts sweating profusely, his veins bulging, and he looks like he is in extreme pain. Usopp grins widely and reveals, "SORRY, BUT I JUST TOLD A LITTLE WHITE LIE. THAT WASN'T GUNPOWDER... IT WAS MY SPECIAL TABASCO STAR!" The spicy trick catches Mr. 5 completely off guard, turning his own power against him.

Mr. 5 screams in agony, breathing a massive plume of fire from his mouth due to the spicy Tabasco. "HAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAAT! AGHHHHHHHH!" Usopp laughs hysterically, "DAHAHAHAHA! I'VE PERSONALLY TESTED JUST HOW EFFECTIVE IT CAN BE!" Mr. 5, furious and coughing, glares at Usopp. "YOU DAMN PIRATES... HACK! HACK! I'LL BLOW YOU UP INTO SMITHEREENS WITH MY 'FULL BODY EXPLOSION!'" Usopp panics and runs away screaming, "GYAAAAAAA!" Mr. 5 chases him, yelling, "NOT EVEN YOUR BONES WILL BE LEFT WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU!" Zoro suddenly steps into Mr. 5's path, drawing his swords. "YAKI, ONI..." Zoro prepares to strike down the enraged agent.

Zoro unleashes a powerful attack, his swords engulfed in flames from the nearby fire. He slashes through Mr. 5 with incredible speed and precision, shouting "GIRI!" (Flaming Demon Slash). The fiery strike cuts across Mr. 5's chest, sending him flying backward in a massive burst of flames and smoke. The impact of the flaming swords is devastating, completely overpowering the explosive agent and leaving a trail of fire in the air.

Zoro lands gracefully, holding his flaming swords. He smirks and says, "HMM, FLAMING SWORDS AREN'T TOO SHABBY EITHER..." Vivi calls out to him, "ZORO!" Zoro looks back over his shoulder, smiling. "HEY... THE IMPORTANT THING IS WE'RE STILL ALIVE." In the background, Mr. 5 crashes heavily to the ground, completely defeated and smoking from the attack. The rest of the crew watches in relief as Zoro successfully takes down one of their main attackers, securing their safety for the moment.

Usopp looks up in awe, saying, "MASTER..." The giant Brogy, who was previously pinned down by the wax, sits up and smiles, chuckling, "FUFU... YES..." Brogy looks down at Zoro, Nami, Vivi, and Usopp, who are gathered near him. He says, "NOW THEN, ONLY 2 ENEMIES LEFT." The giant warrior has recovered from his injuries and the wax trap, ready to support his new friends in finishing off the remaining Baroque Works agents.

Karoo sprints through the dense jungle foliage, quacking loudly. Luffy rides on his back, looking determined. "BIRD! WE CAN'T LET THEM GET AWAY NO MATTER WHAT!" Karoo continues to run. Luffy grits his teeth, looking angry. "RUINING A DUEL, ISN'T WHAT A REAL MAN DOES!" Luffy is furious that Mr. 3 interfered with the honorable duel between the giants, Dorry and Brogy, and is determined to make him pay for his cowardly actions.

Mr. 3's laughter echoes through the jungle, "FUHA-HAHAHA!" Luffy looks surprised and stops. He finds himself in a clearing filled with dozens of wax clones of Mr. 3. The real Mr. 3's voice says, "SO YOU'RE FINALLY HERE. WELCOME TO MY DORU DORU MANSION!" Luffy stares at the multitude of identical figures, asking, "WHAT'S THIS...!?" The clones are perfectly detailed, making it impossible to tell which one is the real Mr. 3, creating a confusing and dangerous trap for Luffy.

The numerous wax clones of Mr. 3 stand motionless in the clearing. Voices echo from them: "WHERE THE REAL ME IS, I WONDER...?" "CAN YOU FIGURE OUT," Karoo gulps nervously. Luffy looks around, confused by the illusion. Mr. 3 laughs again, "FUHAHAHAHA! IT SEEMS YOU'VE MET THE WRONG MATCH. WE ARE BAROQUE WORK'S MOST CUNNING DUO! A SIMPLE-MINDED IDIOT WHO ONLY RELIES ON INSTINCT AND BRUTE-FORCE, WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO CATCH US..." Mr. 3 is confident that his deceptive tactics will easily outsmart Luffy's straightforward fighting style.

Mr. 3 grins confidently from among his clones. "FUHAHAHAHA! SO STEP RIGHT IN! I CARRY OUT ALL THE MISSIONS ASSIGNED TO ME TO PERFECTION... I AM MR. 3...! THE INSTANT YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON ME... I'LL STAB YOUR HEART WITH A SINGLE STRIKE!" Luffy winds up his leg for an attack, shouting, "GOMU GOMU..." Somewhere in the crowd, the real Mr. 3 readies a dagger, chuckling, "FUHAHAHAHA..." He waits for Luffy to make a mistake, ready to strike a lethal blow from the shadows.

Luffy unleashes his attack, kicking one specific Mr. 3 figure squarely in the face. "STAMP!" The impact is massive. The struck figure is the real Mr. 3, who spits blood and is sent flying backward. He looks completely shocked, stammering, "HOW... DID YOU... KNOW..." Luffy's attack bypasses all the wax clones and hits the true target with pinpoint accuracy, shattering Mr. 3's confidence and his deceptive strategy in a single blow.

Mr. 3 crashes to the ground, his glasses broken, completely defeated. Luffy stands tall, looking serious, and simply answers, "INSTINCT." Nearby, Miss Goldenweek screams in panic, "KYAAAAAA!" Karoo quacks at her. Realizing she is the only one left, Miss Goldenweek turns and sneaks away into the jungle, muttering "SNEAK SNEAK..." Luffy's raw instinct proved superior to Mr. 3's cunning tricks, bringing an end to the battle and sending the remaining agent fleeing in terror.

The scene shifts to a quiet spot in the jungle. Sanji is sitting at a table, casually drinking tea. He suddenly realizes, "NAMI AND THE OTHERS MIGHT BE WAITING FOR ME TO RESCUE THEM! AH! WAIT A SECOND...! NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR ME TO BE FASHIONABLY ENJOYING TEA!" Suddenly, a Den Den Mushi starts ringing nearby. "PURURURURU...." Sanji looks over, confused. "HUH?" He walks over to a small box where the ringing is coming from. "AH, DAMN IT. I WONDER WHY THERE'S A NICE RELAXING RETREAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS JUNGLE?" He picks up the receiver, unaware of who is calling.

Sanji answers the Den Den Mushi, speaking casually. "HELLO, THIS IS THE SHITTY RESTAURANT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A RESERVATION?" He notices the snail has a '3' on its shell and wears glasses, resembling Mr. 3. "OH, IT'S A DENDEN-MUSHI!" A stern voice comes through the receiver. "REPORTS...? AREN'T YOU A LITTLE LATE WITH YOUR REPORTS...? DON'T PLAY AROUND, YOU IMBECILE." Sanji asks, "UHH... AND WHOM MIGHT THIS BE?" The voice replies ominously, "IT'S ME. MR. 0..." The chapter ends on this tense cliffhanger as Sanji unknowingly speaks to the mysterious leader of Baroque Works.

No description for this page.

No description for this page.