Buggy the Clown—
Just like Red-Haired Shanks—
had once been a cabin boy on the Pirate King Roger's ship.
He possessed a Devil Fruit, the Chop-Chop Fruit, allowing his body to split apart at will.
If Davy remembered correctly, after being defeated by Luffy, Buggy ended up in a pathetic half-dismantled state—reduced to nothing but a head, hands, and feet. His fighting strength plummeted, and it was only by chance that Alvida later found him and nursed him back.
The two then teamed up, set out for revenge, and somehow bumbled their way into the Grand Line.
But now—
Alvida was dead.
Her ship showed no sign of Buggy.
Which meant the crippled Buggy should be wandering somewhere nearby.
Davy's eyes gleamed. He immediately activated soul-searching through Alvida's memories.
The sea was boundless, but supply islands were fixed, and pirates generally kept to predictable routes.
If he could determine Alvida's previous sailing direction, then tracking down Buggy—and acquiring the Chop-Chop Fruit—would be easy.
As for whether Buggy deserved to live…
Davy had long since made his decision.
Buggy had been one of the first villains introduced in the story.
Even in the "no-kill" early arcs of One Piece, he was perfectly willing to bombard towns.
In Davy's eyes, Buggy was a clown in every sense—a man whose only real asset was luck.
He idolized Shanks only to be rejected, and afterward saw the world purely in terms of treasure.
The only impressive thing about him was the unexpectedly powerful Buggy Balls he created.
After confirming Alvida's intended route, Davy turned his gaze to her now-empty pirate ship.
Despite the earlier battle damage, the hull was mostly intact. A little patching and it could still sail just fine.
"A pity the Ghost Ship can't absorb other ships," Davy murmured.
In terms of performance, the Ghost Ship left this vessel in the dust.
It could switch between physical and spectral form, devour souls to grow, and even travel against the wind by burning spiritual energy.
And since he had to hurry and find Buggy, wasting time trying to sell this vessel was pointless. He certainly wasn't going to abandon the Ghost Ship just to pilot an inferior ship across the sea.
Still, leaving it here untouched wasn't ideal either.
If some foolish kid stumbled across it, got excited, and used it to set off on a pirate career…
That wouldn't do.
"Every man leaves a mark upon the world.
Might as well start here."
Softly muttering to himself, Davy leapt aboard Alvida's ship.
With two sweeping kicks infused with Rankyaku, a pair of massive, razor-sharp wind blades shot out—
carving a violent, jagged X across the pirate flag.
"Hm. Not enough. It won't scare anyone."
His gaze drifted across the blood-soaked deck—
and suddenly, inspiration struck.
For creatures like pirates, who only feared brutality and not virtue, gentle warnings were useless.
He hefted what remained of Alvida's corpse and stepped lightly into the air, walking skyward on Geppo.
With wide sweeps of his arms, he swung the corpse like a grotesque brush.
On the sail below, bold strokes of crimson painted themselves across the canvas—
a single huge character:
DEATH
Davy surveyed the newly marked sail and nodded with satisfaction.
He tossed the corpse into the sea and returned to the Ghost Ship.
This would be his symbol from now on.
Perhaps at first people would be confused—
but soon enough, they would learn exactly what this mark meant.
And when they saw it, fear would hollow their hearts.
Standing at the bow, letting the iron-scented wind whip around him, Davy stared into the horizon.
Beneath his feet, the Ghost Ship surged forward like a vessel carrying death itself.
Meanwhile…
"Ha! You've been caught by the great Marine Admiral Jimmy Heed! Surrender, Pirate King!"
On the coast, a boy named Jimmy leaped on his friend's back, playing pretend.
But then he froze.
"Look—look over there!"
"Oh please, you think I'm three years old? Trying to trick the wise and mighty Admiral Jimmy—"
"I'm serious, Jimmy. There's a pirate ship."
Jimmy puffed up to retort—
but his friend shoved him aside, forcing him to look toward the sea.
"P-p-pirate… ship…!"
Jimmy's teeth rattled violently, legs going weak.
His friend, calmer, grabbed him and dragged him toward the village elders.
…
"This is the ship you found?"
A deep voice rumbled.
A tall, white-bearded man stood at the shore, wearing a dog-head cap and a coat of justice draped over his shoulders.
Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp—the Hero of the Marines.
He was home in East Blue for vacation, and upon hearing the villagers' report, had come to investigate.
He hadn't expected to stumble upon something interesting.
"Yes, Marine sir. It drifted in this morning. When we checked inside… it was already like this," the village chief said nervously.
Garp narrowed his eyes.
There were signs of battle—
but the scavenging and destruction had been done afterwards.
"Any bodies? Anyone unfamiliar seen in the village?"
"No one, sir. The ship was already empty when we found it."
The chief swallowed.
He didn't understand why this Marine was so fixated on one abandoned pirate ship.
Sure, it was intact—lucky for them, since they'd already salvaged some supplies from it.
But aside from the unsettling dried blood and the strange mark carved into the flag and sail, he saw nothing noteworthy.
"BAHAHAHAHA!" Garp suddenly laughed.
"If I'm not mistaken, this was Alvida's ship. Captain Alvida—five million Berries on her head!"
"Five… five million?!"
The village chief's eyes bulged.
Such a vicious pirate—
why would her ship drift here, empty?
His heart pounded with dread.
What if that pirate came back and learned the villagers had looted her ship?
Would she slaughter them all in revenge?
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