On an island.
The Straw Clown Pirates now stood surrounded—five different pirate crews encircling them with weapons drawn and smug grins on their faces. Buggy's nose twitched in agitation. Luffy cracked his knuckles, ready to fight. The crew was tense.
But how did things come to this?
To find out, we need to rewind a few days.
It all began during a calm stretch of sea. The Straw Clown Pirates were sailing under blue skies when they spotted a small, battered vessel floating aimlessly. Upon closer inspection, they saw a lone girl slumped on the deck, looking weak and sunburned. A tattered parasol did little to shield her.
"Help…" she croaked, lifting her head slowly. "Please… help me…"
Buggy squinted at her. "Is this a trap?"
"Doesn't seems so. Look she is all alone." Mohji said.
Cabaji chimed, "Maybe there is a treasure on her ship."
Buggy's eyes lit up. "Alright boys, bring her aboard!"
As the crew secured her boat, one of the Straw Clown members narrowed his eyes. Something about the girl felt eerily familiar. A similar scenario had happened to him before—an abandoned ship, a lone girl, a plea for help. But he said nothing, keeping his suspicions to himself.
Once onboard, the girl was fed and given water. She looked genuinely grateful. "Thank you. I didn't think I'd make it."
After a moment of rest, she reached into her ragged bag and pulled out something wrapped in cloth. She handed it to Buggy.
"A treasure map?" Buggy's eyes lit up instantly.
"This leads to a hidden hoard of gold," the girl said. "My old crew found it years ago. But when we tried to claim it, other pirates ambushed us. I managed to escape… with the original map."
The entire crew leaned in, Buggy grinning from ear to ear. "Real gold?! And all ours?!"
Luffy pressed his face beside Buggy's to peek at the map. "Oooooh! TREASURE!"
The girl continued, "Be warned—those pirates still have copies. They'll be looking for it. They'll also be looking for me."
Buggy waved her concern off. "Let 'em come! No one steals treasure from Buggy the Clown!"
The girl then handed them an eternal pose. "This points to the island."
With excitement building, the Straw Clown Pirates set their course. For the next few days, they sailed with high spirits. Dreams of golden riches, legendary loot, and glittering glory filled their heads.
Eventually, they arrived at the island marked on the map.
As the Straw Clown Pirates pushed deeper into the jungle-covered island, none of them noticed that the girl who had led them ashore had quietly slipped away. While Buggy barked commands and Luffy bounded ahead enthusiastically, she was already vanishing into the foliage with practiced ease.
The girl moved quickly through a narrow, hidden path—one clearly known only to her. She darted under vines and over roots, moving with the grace of someone who had done this many times before. Eventually, she arrived at a clearing nestled behind a thick curtain of trees.
There, five men lounged in the shade, sharpening weapons or polishing guns. They looked up as she approached, all eyes narrowing.
"I found some prey," she said, panting slightly from her run.
"Where are they now?" asked the man in the middle, his voice calm and calculating.
"They've already passed the fork and are heading straight into the usual trap zone."
"How many?" said another, cracking his knuckles.
"Around twenty," she replied.
"That's a good-sized crew," muttered a third, adjusting his eyepatch.
The fourth man, smaller and wiry, grinned. "That also means their ship's big—and likely full of loot."
The girl shook her head. "Actually, they didn't leave much on the ship. They brought their valuables with them. Smart bunch."
"Tch. Annoying," said the second man.
"Still, it doesn't matter," said the first with a shrug. "Once we deal with them, we'll have everything anyway."
"What about their ship?" the third one asked.
"We'll take it afterward," the first man replied. "One step at a time."
"Alright then," the fourth guy stood, cracking his neck. "Let's move. We'll regroup with the others after we grab the loot."
The five of them stood and marched toward the forest, ready to spring their ambush.
Meanwhile, the Straw Clown Pirates were blissfully unaware of the trap closing in. They continued following the map through tangled roots and thick canopy, navigating through a path riddled with danger.
Without warning, an axe swung down from the trees, narrowly missing Luffy—who laughed like it was a game.
"Who designed this death course?!" Buggy screeched as arrows whizzed past his head.
Next, a massive stone ball rumbled toward them, forcing the entire crew to dive into the bushes.
But despite the danger, they pressed on, determined to reach the treasure.
Several grueling hours passed before they finally arrived at a strange sight—a wide, circular crater carved into the earth. At its center were several large treasure chests, stacked neatly as if waiting for them.
They all paused at the rim of the crater.
"This is… suspicious," Cabaji muttered.
Buggy nodded. "Yeah. We just walked through so many traps, and now treasure's lying here like a welcome gift?"
Luffy scratched his head. "Maybe they felt bad?"
No one bought that.
Still, the lure of treasure was too strong. Cautiously, the crew descended into the crater. They checked for traps, poked the ground, and scanned the surrounding trees—but surprisingly, nothing triggered.
Eventually, they reached the chests. Buggy was the first to pry one open. His jaw dropped.
"It's gold!" he yelled, voice echoing with greed. "Pure gold!"
The others rushed to open the rest. Dozens of glittering coins, gemstones, and ornaments gleamed under the sun. It was a fortune.
"This is it! We're rich!" Cabaji shouted.
"Jackpot!" Luffy grinned, throwing his arms in the air.
Then, from a nearby box, Luffy pulled something strange—a fruit with swirled skin and unnatural colors.
"Hey, check this out!"
The crew turned.
"A Devil Fruit," Buggy breathed, stunned.
They all stared, a hush falling over the Straw Clown Pirates as the realization dawned—this treasure hoard might be far more than they'd bargained for.
But the silence lasted only a moment.
Without hesitation, they dove into the piles of treasure, cracking open each chest in a frenzy of gold fever. Gold coins, bejeweled goblets, pearl necklaces, and glittering gems spilled out like a dream. The crew shouted and laughed with glee.
"We're rich! We really are rich!" Buggy cackled, tears of joy forming in his eyes as he tossed handfuls of gold into the air.
Cabaji danced with a crown on his head. "Long live Captain Buggy!"
Even Luffy was grinning, still fascinated by the weirdly patterned Devil Fruit in his hands.
Then—
"Hahahaha! Look at these rats dance!" a harsh voice rang out above them, cutting through their celebration like a knife.
All movement froze.
A long-bearded man appeared at the top edge of the crater, flanked by a group of grinning pirates brandishing weapons. "Caught like flies in a honey trap," he sneered.
Before the Straw Clowns could respond, another voice echoed from the opposite side.
"Well, well," said a cold-eyed man, stepping into view with a second pirate crew. "They're still stunned. Guess they haven't figured out those boxes are empty."
A third group arrived from another edge of the crater. This one was led by a tall, gaunt man with an eyepatch. "What a bunch of fools," he said in a deep, dry voice. "You think we'd leave real treasure just lying around?"
Moments later, maniacal laughter rang out as a fourth pirate crew stepped forward, their leader bearing a tattoo across half his face. "Klukluklu! It's been too long since we set a trap this juicy!"
And finally, a fifth group emerged. Their leader was bulky, with a barrel chest and arms like tree trunks. He folded his arms and peered down at the scene below—then blinked.
"Wait… didn't we leave those chests empty?" he asked, squinting.
The tall, gaunt leader frowned. "Of course we did."
"Then why the hell are those full of actual gold?" The bulky man jabbed a thick finger downward.
All five pirate crews leaned forward, eyes narrowing. Sure enough, the chests—ones they had planted as bait—were now overflowing with real treasure.
And then they saw it.
"The hell? That's a Devil Fruit!" the tattooed pirate shouted, pointing straight at Luffy, who was still casually spinning the fruit in his hand.
For a brief second, everyone stood frozen.
Then greed snapped them into motion like a thunderclap.
"Get them!" roared the bulky man. "Take the fruit!"
The other four leaders also moved in unison, like wolves circling prey. Their eyes were all locked onto one thing: the Devil Fruit in Luffy's hand.
"Get that fruit!"
"Don't let them escape!"
"Kill the clowns!" shouted another.
All five pirate crews surged forward, weapons raised, eyes burning with the desire to steal the treasure—and more importantly, the Devil Fruit.
"Crap, they're charging!" Buggy shouted, backing up.
"Hey, why do they look so angry?" Luffy blinked innocently, still holding the fruit.
"They're after the treasure, you idiot!" Cabaji yelled.
"No!" Buggy cried. "They're after my treasure!"
The Straw Clown Pirates scrambled into formation, quickly drawing their weapons, but they were outnumbered five to one and surrounded on all sides. Gold clattered underfoot as they braced for battle.
And somewhere up in the trees, the girl who lured them in watched with a smirk.
"Idiots," she whispered, turning away as chaos erupted below.
Inside the crater, Buggy's crew instantly found themselves the center of chaos. While the leaders lunged toward Luffy, the underlings targeted the rest of the Straw Clown Pirates, weapons flashing in the sunlight.
"Brat! Hand over the fruit!" roared the tall, gaunt pirate captain as he dove straight toward Luffy.
Luffy blinked, but reacted fast.
"Gomu Gomu no... Pistol!"
Boom!
The punch smacked the tall man square in the chest, sending him skidding backward across the dirt. But he quickly flipped up, mostly unharmed, cracking his neck.
Before Luffy could relax, another figure charged in from his blind side—the bulky pirate leader with fists like hammers. Instead of reaching for the fruit, he aimed a surprise punch at Luffy's midsection.
But—
Boom!
The bulky man was blasted sideways by a stretchy punch. Luffy looked surprised. He hadn't thrown that one.
"Huh? Gomu Gomu?" he mumbled, confused.
He turned and spotted Tensuro standing beside him, arm still extended like a coiled spring. A confident smirk crossed his face.
"You got Gomu Gomu powers too?!" Luffy exclaimed.
"You could say that," Tensuro replied.
Just then, a pirate swung a staff at Tensuro's back. It struck—but instead of causing pain, the staff bounced off with a comedic boing. Tensuro's rubber-like body absorbed the impact, and he retaliated with a whiplike punch that sent the attacker flying into a tree.
Luffy's eyes sparkled with curiosity for a moment—but then darkened into a serious frown. "Wait... I thought two people couldn't have the same Devil Fruit."
Tensuro shrugged, eyes still on the advancing captains. "Maybe mine's a little different."
Whatever the truth was, there wasn't time to dig deeper. The pirate leaders regrouped and rushed again, their greed overcoming their caution.
Tensuro cracked his knuckles. "Mind if I help?"
Luffy grinned. "Gladly."
Side by side, the two rubbery fighters charged forward. Fists flew like cannonballs. Their movements bounced and twisted, impossible to read, turning their bodies into living slingshots.
The pirate captains couldn't keep up. One after another, they were knocked flat—one caught a spring-loaded uppercut, another was launched skyward with a double punch. The battle turned into a chaotic brawl, and the duo carved through it like whirlwinds.
Meanwhile, on the outer rim of the crater, Buggy and his crew were dealing with the waves of enemy pirates.
Buggy grinned maniacally as he split his body into pieces, his hands flying in all directions. "You want my treasure? Come and get it, cowards!"
Cabaji whirled with his spinning sword technique, slicing through weapons and disarming enemies with precision.
Mohji, now able to shrink and grow at will thanks to his new ability, shrank to dodge attacks and expanded to strike with brutal force. Ritchie the lion fought beside him, clawing and tackling enemies with bestial fury.
Chopper transformed into his various forms, striking with both speed and power, holding the line alongside the others.
Despite being outnumbered, the Straw Clown Pirates fought with coordination, experience—and a good dose of weirdness.
Soon, groans and broken weapons littered the ground. The enemy pirates—a group of menacing hyenas a moment ago—were all beaten unconscious.
"We won!" Buggy shouted, a joyful grin splitting his face.
"Yeah!!" The rest joined the victorious roar.
Then, they dove back into the treasure chest with renewed fervor.
Their defeated enemies instantly forgotten.