Hearing Captain Buggy's lazy bragging,
Swordshadow Flowyear sucked in a sharp breath, eyes shining with worship.
"Captain Buggy, please accept my kneecaps—sir, you're my idol for life!"
Buggy had been scolding Mohji and Cabaji for not following him to "face" the Red Hair Pirates, but that flattery smoothed his mood at once.
"Who are you? What are you doing in the Buggy Pirates?"
Before Swordshadow could answer, a underling explained he'd come to join.
Buggy's eyes narrowed. In the next instant, his right hand flew off, a dagger in its grip, stabbing straight for Swordshadow's chest.
Buggy watched him like a hawk, ready for a sudden counter.
But the kid… didn't move.
The floating dagger halted a hair's breadth from Swordshadow. Buggy's upper body drifted off the chair toward him.
"Why didn't you dodge?"
(Because I froze, obviously!) Swordshadow screamed internally. Out loud, he bowed lower, face full of fear and fawning.
"Lord Buggy, I'm here to serve. If you wish to kill or spare me, it's entirely your will!"
That hit Buggy right in the ego. He grinned, nodding rapidly.
"Look at Swordshadow—then look at you two!"
He shot Mohji and Cabaji a glare, then clapped Swordshadow on the shoulder.
"From today, you're one of us. Work hard—this great captain won't treat you badly!"
Swordshadow nearly burst. "Yes, Captain Buggy!"
He slipped aside and turned his camera.
"Family, I've officially joined a legendary crew. Watch me rise! Hahahaha!"
Chat exploded with green-eyed rage:
[Damn it, he actually pulled it off!]
[Bro, when did you steal my skill?]
[What skill—groveling?]
[I challenge you, you Buggy-licker!]
As the wails scrolled by, a more serious thread popped up, summarizing intel so far:
[Quick roundup:]
1) Red Hair Pirates — one of the Four Emperors. Strength unknown, bounties unknown, crew vibe S-tier. Dream destination.
2) Straw Hat Pirates — Luffy's straw hat = Roger's, passed down through Shanks. High chance Luffy carries the Pirate King's "will." Future MC vibes.
3) Buggy Pirates — Captain Buggy the Clown, once a trainee on Roger's ship alongside Shanks. A living legend. Bounty unknown.
4) Hildr Pirates & Alvida Pirates — Hildr (10M) got insta-deleted by Red Hair; Alvida (5M) looks mean, actually decent starter crew if you can't reach the top three.
Fisherman's Stream — The Straw Hats Arrive
On I'm a Little Fisherman's channel, he and Luffy & Zoro woke up to find… their boat gone.
From the clues, the thief was an orange-haired girl.
Chasing all the way brought them to Orange Town.
The fisherman glanced at chat—and blanched.
"Brothers, say what now? This is Buggy's turf?!"
He hurried to warn his companions. "Luffy, Zoro!"
Both turned. Seeing the worry on his face, they instinctively focused.
"This island should belong to the Buggy Pirates," he said.
"Captain Buggy was a trainee with Red-Hair Shanks on Roger's ship—same tier, maybe. Should we… steer clear for now?"
Over these days, he'd grown attached to the duo. Zoro's grit at Shells Town—eating sandy rice balls, drawing steel against corrupt Marines—had earned real respect.
And Luffy—carefree on the outside, razor-sharp when it mattered—wasn't someone he wanted to drag into a bad fight.
Chat agreed:
[He's right. Straw Hats just started. Beating Alvida and Morgan doesn't mean they can take a living legend.]
[Buggy's bounty hasn't been shown, but I'm guessing 20M+ at least.]
[Yeah, better to avoid the storm.]
Without a clear power scale yet, most viewers assumed even a Yonko would only be "tens of millions," and that Buggy, "same tier as Shanks," had to be terrifying.
Zoro glanced at Luffy—he'd heard of Buggy, knew he wasn't trivial.
But aboard the Going—well, for now, their makeshift—Merry, Zoro listened to one man only: Luffy.
Luffy grinned at the fisherman.
"Don't worry about it. How would we know if we can't beat him… if we don't try?"
He punched a fist into his palm, eyes sparkling.
"Come on! Let's go! You said Orange Town has great orange wine, right?!"
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