The Calm Belt is a place where no wind ever blows, making it impossible for standard sailboats to navigate. It serves as a massive lair for the world's most dangerous Sea Kings, and without special means of protection or movement, entering this sea is a death sentence.
At this moment, however, the Thousand Sunny and the crew's submarine were flying high above the mirror-like surface. Below them, a massive Sea King roared as it approached a floating wax plate on the water. Standing alone on the plate was Mr. 3. His arm had transformed into a wax machine gun, firing continuous pellets into the beast. Before long, the creature fell, and its blood stained the surrounding waters red.
"Pillar of Wax!" Mr. 3 shouted, releasing a surge of white wax that formed a massive column beneath the dead Sea King, hoisting its giant carcass toward the sky. High above, Brook drew his sword with a flash of steel, expertly carving the beast into manageable sections. Chopper, Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin quickly moved to bring the fresh meat onto the deck.
The entire process was seamless, showing a level of cooperation that usually only comes from years of practice. When power reaches a certain level, a crew doesn't need a plan to work in perfect harmony. Carl watched the activity from the sidelines; he, along with Zoro, Law, Sanji, and Marie, didn't feel the need to intervene in a simple hunt, even in the middle of the Calm Belt.
Luffy had wanted to join in, but Marie had kept him occupied by drawing intricate patterns on his skin while she leisurely sipped her tea. Down on his wax plate, Mr. 3 had also finished his work and sat down to enjoy a cup of Darjeeling. Since his strength had improved, he had become obsessed with maintaining an elegant and intelligent gentleman's persona, refusing to be seen as a man of mere brute force.
The scent of blood soon attracted more Sea Kings to the surface, where they began to devour the discarded remains. To these giants, Mr. 3 was as small as a fly and failed to pique their appetite.
"What a spectacular sight," Mr. 3 remarked before using Geppo to leap back onto the deck with ultimate grace.
"You're getting too good at that act, Mr. 3," Usopp complained. "You're turning a hunt into a formal dance".
"It is simply because I have become stronger, Usopp," Mr. 3 replied, proudly adjusting his glasses.
"Brother 3, more tea," Marie commanded. Though he sighed at her laziness, he immediately poured her a cup with a doting expression that made the others cringe.
Carl was impressed by Mr. 3's growth. The man was intelligent and had learned from the best, combining Cracker's hardness with Katakuri's fluidity. His wax was normally solid but softened with the heat of the candle on his head, allowing him to adapt to any combat situation.
The progress of the others was equally evident. Brook's effortless sword swings, which looked like child's play, had perfectly butchered the massive Sea King. Soon, Sanji finished cooking the meat, and Marie wiped the patterns off Luffy so he could eat.
Luffy fell upon the food like a starving ghost, devouring a mountain of meat in less than a minute. Fortunately, Sanji already had another pile ready.
"The Calm Belt is great! It's even better than Pork Island!" Luffy declared between mouthfuls.
The crew was momentarily silent, realizing Luffy had given the spring island they just left—rich with striped pigs—a new name. It was a fitting title, as the crew had nearly hunted the local pigs to extinction during their stay.
After flattening another mountain of meat, Luffy lay on the deck like a rubber ball. "Hey, 3, why did you pick such a small one? That won't even last us two days! Are you sure you can handle the big ones?".
The crew rolled their eyes at his endless appetite.
"Luffy, I could kill one ten times that size," Mr. 3 replied calmly. "But our ship can only hold so much meat. We can simply hunt again tomorrow".
"Hahaha! Then I'll do the hunting tomorrow!" Luffy laughed.
"You're the captain," someone replied. "But Marie only stopped you today because Nami needed quiet to draw her charts".
As the day wound down, Carl lay with his head on Robin's lap, clicking through his Devil Fruit radar. He wasn't sure if fruits could even be found in such a desolate place, but it was worth a look.
Beep! Beep!
The radar suddenly chirped, and the entire crew froze in excitement.
"Mr. Carl! Does that mean there's a Devil Fruit nearby?!" Nami asked, her eyes practically turning into Berries.
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