"I really didn't expect it," Zoro muttered, "that a random group of pirates we ran into would end up helping us at such a critical moment."
As he spoke, his eyes kept sweeping across the surroundings, as if searching for a worthy opponent.
That Katakuri from earlier hadn't looked half bad—but to Zoro now, he was still too weak.
He yearned for stronger enemies.
Only the pressure of true power could force him to grow faster.
Perhaps one of the Four Emperors would be a good choice.
Too bad… that kind of opponent had already been reserved by Luffy.
"Speaking of which…" Zoro suddenly raised an eyebrow and turned to Sanji beside him."Judging by how that bunch looked, that annoying curly-brow family of yours seems to be cozying up to the Big Mom Pirates. Don't tell me we'll end up running into them later too!?"
"Oi, love-cook—why don't you take the chance to settle some historical grudges while you're at it?"
"Historical grudges?"
Sanji, who was also scanning the area, shot Zoro a sideways glance and replied without hesitation:
"My perspective isn't that small."
"And besides—"
With a click, Sanji lit a cigarette. After exhaling a puff of smoke, he grinned and shot back,"Since when were you this kind-hearted?"
"I think you're just worried I'll steal your target, aren't you?"
A mere Vinsmoke Family—with not even a single commander-level powerhouse—couldn't even be rated as a Seven Warlords–class crew on the seas.
How could such a force possibly catch Sanji's eye now?
After all—
This tea party was filled with figures far stronger than the Seven Warlords.
"Tch. No good deed goes unpunished."
Zoro clicked his tongue lightly, curling his lip as he responded.
Just then, Red—who had been leading the group forward—suddenly stopped, drawing the Straw Hats' attention.
"Good news, everyone!"
Red grinned and turned back to them.
"Jinbe and Law have already located where Buggy and Barto are being held. To prevent any accidents over there, I'll head over to help."
"As for what comes next—"
His gaze swept across the crew, and he chuckled.
"You'll follow Nami's commands from here on out."
"Hey, hey! Red—I'm the captain here!!!"
Seeing Red's eyes skip right over him, Luffy puffed out his cheeks and protested loudly.
Red only gave him a knowing smile.
The next instant, he snapped his fingers, summoning the hidden little Nika.
No words were needed.
Already aware of Red's plan, little Nika instantly transformed, taking on Red's appearance and wearing the exact same calm smile.
"OK."
"Then I'll head out first!"
With that, Red vanished from the spot.
The little Nika disguised as him grinned and, mimicking Red's tone, said cheerfully,
"Alright then… let's go, everyone!"
…
…
Meanwhile, in the dungeon of Whole Cake Island.
"You are—!?"
As Buggy and Barto looked up in shock, they saw a man suddenly appear and slash open their cage with a single strike. The chains binding them rattled as their eyes widened in confusion.
Jinbe stepped forward from behind Law.
"You would be Barto and Buggy, subordinates of the Straw Hat Pirates, correct?"
"We're here under Red's orders to rescue you."
"Lord Red!"
At the sound of that familiar name, Buggy and Barto's eyes instantly lit up like gold.
The next moment, tears welled up and poured out like fountains.
"I knew it… Lord Red would never forget us!"
Jinbe, however, remained calm.
"This isn't the place to talk."
"Law, please take care of the chains on them first."
"No problem."
Law nodded lightly.
He had just finished escorting freed slaves alongside the other Supernovas and had been immediately reassigned to participate in this major operation—
But for someone who had already stormed Mary Geoise once, this was nothing unusual.
A mere Emperor's crew…
No matter how dangerous they were, could they really compare to the World Government and the Five Elders?
Not to mention, those Homies they encountered along the way were laughably weak—like desserts, with no challenge at all.
For such a massive castle, they hadn't even seen a single treasure vault.
Compared to the gold-strewn Holy Land of Mary Geoise, this place was downright embarrassing.
Slash! Slash!
Two sharp flashes of steel cut through the air.
Under Buggy and Barto's horrified gazes, the blades didn't strike their chains—instead, they came straight for their arms.
?!?!
T-This isn't right, is it!?
The two panicked, their bodies jerking violently.
But bound as they were, there was nowhere to dodge.
The blades landed.
Yet the pain they expected never came.
Instead, their bodies suddenly dropped to the floor.
Before they could react, Law's cursed blade, Kikoku, moved like a butcher's knife, chopping their limbs into pieces on the ground with rapid thuds.
!!!
The gruesome sight left Buggy and Barto utterly disoriented.
Moments later, Buggy—thanks to the power of the Chop-Chop Fruit—was the first to relax.
Under his control, his scattered body parts slipped free of the seastone restraints and flew back together.
In the blink of an eye, Buggy stood whole and unharmed before Law and Jinbe.
Law flicked his fingers."ROOM—Tact."
Under his control, Barto's body reassembled just as quickly.
Only then did the two finally understand—
This guy who'd slashed them without hesitation really was sent by Lord Red to rescue them!
"Thanks, hat guy!"
Once he figured it out, the straightforward Barto laughed heartily and clapped Law on the shoulder, then turned his gaze to Jinbe.
His eyes narrowed as he looked Jinbe up and down several times—then his expression shifted to shock.
"Wait… I know you!"
"Aren't you one of the Seven Warlords—Knight of the Sea, Jinbe?!"
"That's right," Jinbe replied calmly.
After his initial surprise, realization dawned on Barto, and he burst into laughter.
"So it really is you!"
"I knew you looked familiar!!!"
"So you joined the Straw Hat Pirates too!? That makes sense!"
"What's the point of being a government lapdog? Switch sides early—when Boss Luffy conquers the world, maybe you'll even get yourself a nice official post!"
"Uh…"
The steady Jinbe clearly wasn't built to deal with someone as overly familiar as Barto.
Since he was only here to help, he didn't bother explaining further.
"Time is short. Your companions should still be imprisoned elsewhere, correct?"
"We should move to rescue them immediately."
"Right, right!"
Buggy nodded quickly—but then hesitated.
"B-But… we were knocked out and brought here. I don't know where Galdino and the others are!"
"Did you forget how we found you?" Law said, tapping his temple lightly and smiling calmly.
"There's a mental mark Lord Red planted on you."
"He guided me straight to your location."
"So that's how it is!" Buggy exclaimed in delight. "Then we'll find the others in no time!"
"Praise Lord Red!"
"Praise the Straw Hat Pirates!!!"
Buggy and Barto clasped their hands together in prayer like devout believers.
The four of them wasted no time and set off immediately.
Following the mental marks left by Red, they soon reached another dungeon holding two pirate crews.
"Captain Buggy!!!"
"Boss Barto!!!"
"I knew you'd come save us!"
"That's right! One failure means nothing—once we return to the seas and rebuild our strength, we'll repay this humiliation tenfold!"
The pirates leapt to their feet the moment they saw Buggy and Barto.
Though their crews had been defeated with ease, their morale was unshaken.
Judging by their spirited expressions, you'd never guess they'd been imprisoned for days.
Because they believed—absolutely—that their captains would never abandon them.
This wasn't mere trust.
It was faith.
And that faith hadn't betrayed them.
The fervor of the pirates made even Law and Jinbe look at Buggy with fresh eyes.
Commanding such cohesion among subordinates was no small feat.
"Shh! Silence!!!"
Just then—
As the dungeon erupted into noise, Buggy suddenly raised a finger, his expression turning stern as he signaled everyone to be quiet.
The next instant, he flung open his tattered cloak and floated into the air, scolding the pirates below:
"What kind of behavior is this!?"
"Do you really think a mere senior officer of an Emperor's crew could defeat us!?"
"This was all part of a scheme devised by Captain Barto and me!"
"The goal was to guide the Straw Hat Pirates—"
"And then take down the BIG MOM Pirates in one fell swoop!!!"
"To seize this vast sea for ourselves!!!"
"We were never defeated…"
"We are the vanguard of the Straw Hat Pirates!!!"
On the way here, Buggy had already learned the Straw Hats' upcoming plans from Law.
To salvage his image after being instantly defeated by Smoothie, Buggy hastily cobbled together this rousing declaration.
"..."
"..."
Listening to Buggy's outrageous speech, Jinbe and Law wore puzzled expressions.
They stared at Buggy hovering in midair—at that face stretched into an arrogant grin.
They had to admit—
It was an incredibly persuasive face.
After Buggy finished speaking, the dungeon fell silent for several seconds—
Then a roar erupted, powerful enough to lift the ceiling.
"OHHHH——!!!"
"I knew it! Captain Buggy and Boss Barto are way too strong to lose to some woman!"
"B-But… why didn't they even resist before getting captured!?"
"Idiot!"
Smack!
A hand slapped the speaker on the back of the head.
"If they fought seriously, the enemy might've realized their true strength! Would they really have locked us up so casually then!?"
"How could we serve as the vanguard otherwise!?"
"So that's it!!!"
The pirate who'd been "smacked awake" suddenly shone with understanding, waving his arms and shouting:
"I knew it—Captain Buggy is the strongest!!!"
"..."
"..."
For a time, the dungeon was in utter chaos.
An outsider might've thought this was the main venue of Big Mom's tea party.
At this moment, only Jinbe and Law stood there with black lines on their foreheads, staring blankly at the cheering pirates.
Vanguard of the Straw Hat Pirates!?
Why had they never heard of this!?
And more importantly—
Weren't they here to rescue people!?
Was making this much noise really a good idea!?
Countless questions ran through their minds.
Before they could interrupt Buggy's manic laughter—
A voice suddenly rang out from another corner of the dungeon.
"You… are you members of the Straw Hat Pirates!?"
"You're here to attack the BIG MOM Pirates!?"
"Hm!?"
The sudden question stood out sharply amid the cheers, instantly drawing Buggy's attention.
His battered cloak fluttered behind him as he flew toward the cell where the voice came from, looking every bit like a post-battle hero.
There, gripping the bars with sharp claws, stood a wolf-like Mink.
He shouted at Buggy,
"You're the Straw Hat Pirates who attacked Mary Geoise not long ago!?"
"That's right!"
Hearing such a glorious title, Buggy puffed up with pride and admitted it without hesitation—even though he'd had nothing to do with it.
"We are the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"I am Buggy the Captain, leader of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet's largest division—the Buggy Pirates!"
"What do you want to say!?"
"Grand Fleet? Captain Buggy?!"
The wolf Mink froze, seemingly processing the names.
Moments later, he looked up excitedly.
"Let me join you, Captain Buggy!!!"
"That old hag Big Mom wants me to be her forty-second husband—I'd rather die!"
"Let me out and let me join you!"
"I used to have a bounty of 280 million Beli!"
"I want to contribute to bringing down the Big Mom Pirates!!!"
The wolf Mink shouted passionately—his disgust at the idea of marrying Big Mom was unmistakable.
"Oh?"
Buggy's eyes gleamed at the unexpected windfall.
Just as he was about to deliver a magnanimous speech and recruit this powerhouse—
The entire dungeon erupted with the sound of fists pounding against bars.
One desperate shout after another tore through the air.
"Wait! I want to join the Straw Hats too! I'm a Paramecia-type Cotton-Cotton Fruit user!"
"Me too! I'm a pirate with a 100 million Beli bounty!!!"
"Don't embarrass yourself with just 100 million! I'm the great swordsman Garen—I once attacked three Big Mom Pirate warships! You've heard of me!"
"Save me! Let me join you!!! I refuse to bear Big Mom's children!!!"
"I'm still a minor!!!"
"..."
"..."
In an instant, pleas filled the entire dungeon.
Not only were powerful pirates imprisoned here—there were also rare species Big Mom hadn't yet collected, along with countless "husband candidates."
Because new prisoners were brought in frequently, they weren't ignorant of the outside world.
They hadn't cared much about the jailbreak at first—but once they learned Buggy belonged to the Straw Hat Pirates, their interest ignited instantly.
After all, the Straw Hat Pirates—known as the "Fifth Emperor"—were the last force on the seas with a real chance of defeating the Big Mom Pirates!!!
Buggy only needed to talk—but the imprisoned had everything riding on this decision.
They had to think carefully—
Was this the one and only chance in their lives to escape and see the light of day again?
(End of Chapter)