Check out my Patreon for advance chapters:
>> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations <<
----------------------------------------------------
Chapter 18: Luffy vs. Buggy
1,250 Words
Drip, drip.
Crimson blood flowed from the hole in his abdomen, staining the ground red.
Thud.
Zoro groaned and knelt on the ground in pain.
He looked down in disbelief and saw a blood-stained knife tip protruding from his stomach.
"Roronoa. I forgot to tell you. I'm a Chop-Chop man, from eating the Chop-Chop Fruit."
A mocking voice rang in his ears, making Zoro's heart sink.
This was the same scene.
It was strikingly similar to when he had stabbed Buggy in the chest earlier.
Damn it. I actually got tricked by this guy.
But.
"If you didn't die the first time, then I'll kill you again!"
Zoro roared. His knees buckled as he spun like a whirlwind, using his legs to propel his waist forward.
Slash!
The arms wielding the knives spun like meat grinder blades, severing the head of the person behind him at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
However, there was no gushing of blood as expected.
"Even his head… can split?!"
Zoro's pupils contracted sharply as he saw the flying head grinning at him in mid-air.
Just then.
"Careful!"
Luffy charged forward like an arrow, kicking away a disembodied arm that was holding a knife.
This was a hand that had detached from the body. It had just grabbed the knife and was stabbing at Zoro again.
If Luffy hadn't reacted quickly, Zoro would probably have had another bloody hole in his body.
"Are you alright, Zoro?"
Luffy looked at Zoro intently, his eyes filled with genuine sincerity.
Zoro breathed shallowly, watching as the head floated back into place, perfectly reattaching to the neck. The arm that Luffy had kicked away also returned, merging back into Buggy's complete body.
He really can split his entire body.
Hearing Luffy's worried voice, Zoro couldn't help but raise his head and give him a deep look.
This guy. He supposed he had just saved his life.
He lowered his gaze, sweeping it over the wound on his abdomen.
Hiss…
His injury was clearly severe. He was no longer able to fight.
The slash he delivered as he turned was his last chance.
If he took any further forceful actions, he would likely fall into a coma from blood loss.
In other words…
Zoro slowly exhaled, and under Luffy's astonished gaze, he suddenly collapsed onto the ground, spread-eagled.
"I'll take a break. You go ahead."
He closed his eyes, speaking to the sky as if talking to himself.
Upon hearing this.
Luffy was taken aback at first, then gradually began to laugh with joy.
Even if he was slow on the uptake, he understood Zoro's meaning.
If he, Luffy, defeated Buggy, Zoro would acknowledge him as his captain.
...
Inside a dimly lit wooden house.
"Is this Buggy's treasure trove? It doesn't look like there's anything valuable here."
Ganyu rummaged through the wooden crates, occasionally revealing a disappointed expression.
Berries, gold, jewelry… she didn't see any of the valuable items she knew.
"Most of their valuables were already converted into cash to buy the treasure map their captain needed."
Compared to Ganyu, Nami was clearly more experienced. She quickly rummaged through a pile of useless boxes and found several.
"The rest of the treasures are all here!"
Ganyu's eyes lit up, and she looked at Nami expectantly as she opened the lid.
Kaching!
The moment the box was opened, a dazzling golden light illuminated the entire room.
This. It was two huge chests of gold.
Ganyu had never seen so much gold in her life and couldn't take her eyes off it.
Nami, standing to the side, was even more pathetic, staring intently at the two boxes, her eyes filled with longing.
With these two chests of gold, she was one step closer to buying her village back.
Almost there… just a little bit more…
Ganyu bent down and picked up a box. "Let's go. One box each. Luffy and Zoro might have already defeated Buggy."
Upon hearing her voice, Nami quickly concealed the longing in her eyes.
She coughed lightly. "Buggy the Clown is a pirate with a bounty of fifteen million Berries. Can the two of them really beat him?"
"Of course they can. Don't underestimate them."
Ganyu smiled, knowing better than anyone how extraordinary those two's strength and potential were.
Moreover, how could a future Pirate King and his right-hand man possibly lose to a clown like Buggy?
However, she was a little curious about whether Luffy or Zoro would defeat Buggy first.
It was highly likely to be Luffy, since Buggy's Devil Fruit ability was a fatal counter to Zoro.
"Let's go, we need to go check it out, or they'll be finished fighting!"
...
At the same time.
Since Luffy took over, he had already fought Buggy for dozens of rounds.
One of them had the Gomu Gomu Fruit, making them immune to blunt force trauma.
One had the Chop-Chop Fruit, which granted immunity to slashing attacks.
But coincidentally, the one immune to blunt force used his fists, while the one immune to slashing force used sharp weapons.
The two canceled each other out, which was equivalent to both sides losing a major advantage.
"You wretched brat. Seeing you wearing that straw hat is really annoying!"
After dozens of rounds, every time Buggy saw Luffy's hat, a figure would pop into his mind.
Shanks.
They were once fellow apprentices, serving on the same ship as the Pirate King Roger.
It was because of that guy that he ate the Devil Fruit he had now.
"What's your relationship with that guy Shanks?"
Buggy suppressed his anger and questioned him, but his attacks did not stop.
While dodging, Luffy looked for an opportunity to counterattack. He was still at a disadvantage, but he was gradually improving thanks to his monstrous fighting talent.
Upon hearing Buggy's question, Luffy curiously countered with his own.
"You know Shanks?"
He was so surprised. This was the first time he had met someone who recognized the hat.
Shanks was the one who inspired him to become a pirate, and the straw hat was a gift.
One of the things Luffy most wanted to do after setting sail was to meet Shanks again with a group of powerful crew members.
Buggy suddenly stopped his offensive, tilting his head back at a 45-degree angle, reminiscing.
"Hmph, my relationship with that guy is more than just acquaintances. We were trainee crew members on the same ship. One day, I successfully fooled everyone into believing I had eaten that Devil Fruit, but that bastard actually… In the end, after eating the fruit, I jumped into the sea for a treasure map and almost drowned."
Buggy recounted how Shanks "caused" him to accidentally eat a Devil Fruit.
"What? So Shanks saved you?" Luffy exclaimed in realization.
"Then we're the same! Shanks saved me too, and even gave me this straw hat."
"What exactly is the same?! How did you come to that conclusion?!"
Buggy roared in despair. "It's all his fault! He delayed my life goals by ten years!"
"I never intended to eat this Devil Fruit. I planned to sell it and use the money to recruit companions!"
Buggy grew angrier and angrier, and his anger gradually shifted to Luffy.
He pointed to Luffy's straw hat.
"Now that you're wearing his hat, you'll take the blame for my pent-up anger of the past twenty years!"
That said.
Buggy's upper body detached from his lower body and launched another series of fierce attacks, this time far more intense than before.