Watching Zoro's receding figure, Alex approached the three pirate underlings.Clearly, the three of them knew their situation; they probably guessed that Zoro's Captain was fighting their own Captain.Since Zoro had gone to support his Captain, this person must have come to deal with them.The group knelt on the ground as if resigned to their fate."Captain Alex, please, could you go easy on us? Just knocking us unconscious is enough. Considering we did the work of rowing the boat, please spare our lives!""Yeah, yeah, Lord Alex, you are a magnanimous person, please let us go..."Before they could finish, Alex interrupted their pleas for mercy."I didn't say I was going to kill you. I just want to test my new ability on you. Don't worry, it won't hurt."Alex let Chakra flow from his fingertips, precisely striking the acupuncture points on the three underlings' bodies.He mainly wanted to see if the human acupuncture points in this world differed from the real world and the Hokage world.The points he had just struck were ones that induced laughter.Not long after the pressure points were struck, the men collapsed on the ground, laughing uncontrollably. Seeing that the laughter point worked, Alex immediately pressed other points to experiment and see if the effects were the same.After confirming the points were the same, Alexfinally struck their main pressure points, pinning them in place.Afterwards, he looked toward Zoro, who was rapidly chasing after the others.Just as Alex and Zoro were rapidly advancing toward the direction of the explosions, a major crisis occurred on Luffy's side.After testing the power, Buggy had his men turn the cannon toward the front of Luffy, then he approached Nami."Nami, you do it! Use this 'Buggy Ball' to blow him away to show your loyalty to me! Swear to conquer the world with me! Let's start by you personally blowing up your old Captain!"Nami was clearly stunned. She only wanted to create a diversion to steal the nautical chart; she had never intended to kill anyone."Kill that guy? Me? No... No, Captain Buggy, let's not do this! Instead of this... Right! Alcohol! Let's keep drinking! Forget about this matter!"Buggy acted as if he hadn't heard, looking down at Nami and repeating the same words: "Do it!"The other underlings jeered: "Do it, do it, just blow him up already! Blow him to death! Blow him to death!..."At this moment, Nami's heart was in turmoil. Buggywas laughing on the sidelines, while the others were jeering.Only Luffy looked at Nami with a calm expression. Clearly, he knew she wouldn't dare. Or rather, it wasn't that she didn't dare, but that she hadn't realized the gravity of this situation.Nami's inner thoughts were indeed exactly as Luffyhad guessed."This is a disaster... How did it turn into this... If I don't blow him up, I'll definitely be killed... But... even if he is a pirate, if I kill him for no reason... wouldn't I be just like those pirates!"Seeing Nami hesitating, Buggy became somewhat impatient: "Nami! Don't spoil everyone's fun! Light it quickly!"Hearing this, Nami knew there was no time left, and her hands began to tremble."Your hand is shaking!"At this moment, Luffy's voice came from inside the cage."When you don't have enough resolve and preparation, and you recklessly try to engage with pirates, that's why things turn out like this."Hearing these words from Luffy, Nami was somewhat at a loss, so she questioned him: "What resolve?! Killing people at will... is that it? Is this the resolve of being a pirate?""Wrong!"Luffy looked at Nami with a smile.The underlings on the side couldn't help but shout: "Stop whispering over there!""It's the resolve to 'bet your own life'!"This sentence from Luffy seemed to give Nami a sense of reassurance.At this moment, an underling couldn't help but jump out. He picked up a match and came to Nami's side."Hey, newcomer, don't be a buzzkill! Can't you even light a fire?"Saying this, he lit the match and slowly approached the fuse: "The fire should be like this... light it on the fuse!"Just as he was demonstrating, Nami reached toward her left leg.There was her weapon, three short rods that could be combined into a staff.Nami quickly drew them out, assembled the staff, and knocked the underling to the ground in one swift motion.This scene shocked everyone present, even Luffywas somewhat surprised."Ah!"Seeing someone fall to the ground, Nami realized she had just attacked.She thought, "It's over! I actually did it!"At this moment, Buggy was incredibly furious. He looked at Nami and questioned her: "Nami! What is the meaning of this? I graciously allowed you to join us! What kind of attitude is this?"Hearing this, Nami's heart, which had just calmed down, became agitated again.At the same time, Luffy, who was in the cage, also started causing trouble."What are you doing? Are you only trying to save me now?"Hearing this, Nami roared at Luffy: "Idiot! Shut up! I was just forced by the situation... Even if it's an act... I don't want to do things like pirates... I don't want to be like those pirates I hate the most... who killed the most important person to me!"Hearing this, Luffy understood why she didn't want to be a pirate."Ah~ So that's why you hate pirates so much."But as they were talking, neither of them noticed that the match had already lit the fuse.It was Luffy who luckily saw it."Ah! The fuse is still burning! Oh no! It's over!"Seeing this, Luffy lost his earlier calm and frantically bit the bars with his teeth, hoping to break them.Seeing the fuse burning, Buggy didn't send anyone else to deal with Luffy, but stood back and shouted at Nami."People's patience has limits! Girl! Kill her for me, beautifully."Clearly, Buggy intended to execute both of them.The underlings on the side couldn't hold back any longer; they picked up their weapons and rushed toward Nami.Nami picked up her weapon again and stood in front of Luffy to face the underlings, while her eyes looked at the still-burning fuse.Luffy sat in the cage, thinking that he was going to be blown away again.Two underlings quickly arrived in front of Nami and attacked her with swords.Nami swung her staff to fight back, but her attacks were easily dodged by the opponents.Not only that, the opponent taunted: "You can't hit me."Watching the soldier flip through the air to dodge her attack, Nami thought, truly worthy of Buggy the Clown's pirate crew.Seeing the fuse was about to burn out, Luffy was still struggling to bite the bars.Seeing the fuse reaching the very end, Namiimmediately threw away her staff and ran toward the fuse, wanting to extinguish it with her hand.Her intention was noticed by the other pirates, and they immediately pounced over, striving to kill Nami.Luffy called out to warn her: "Watch out behind you."Nami knew it too, but there was no other way.Just at that critical moment, a sound of flowing water came from in front of Nami. The next second, a stream of water cut the fuse, and also cut through Luffy's cage.Water Release: Water Severing WaveAlex came to Luffy, watching him still gnawing on the broken cage that had already been opened."Yo, Captain, I arrived just in time, right?""Alex, you're here! Great! What about Zoro?"Luffy saw that the person before him was Alex, and immediately asked about Zoro.Alex turned his head, and one could see where Zorowas.Zoro was holding a sword in one hand, blocking everyone who was attacking Nami."So many grown men bullying a woman?""Zoro!"Clearly, seeing his partner arrive, Luffy shouted out happily.At this moment, Nami looked at the two people who had suddenly appeared. One was a pretty boy who knew some magic, and the other was clearly a swordsman. Were these two the partners of that idiot?Seeing his partners come over, Luffy was clearly much more energetic.Zoro looked at Luffy, who was still sitting on the ground, and asked with concern: "Are you hurt?"Luffy responded nonchalantly: "Eh... I'm fine... Oh, that's great, how did you find this place? Right, someone quickly untie the rope on me.""Luffy, what exactly are you playing at? Last time you were snatched by a giant bird, and this time you're trapped in an iron cage..."A thousand words finally converged into one word: "Idiot!"The others were shocked by that name; even Namiexpressed extreme shock at the name."Hey... that guy is called Zoro!""'Pirate Hunter' Zoro, how is he talking to a thief..."After learning that he was Zoro, Nami also appeared particularly shocked."Could the partner that guy was talking about be... 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro? What on earth is going on?"Seeing everyone shocked by Zoro's identity, Aleximmediately became dissatisfied.He stood up, facing the pirates. "Hey, hey, hey, don't just stare at Zoro! I am the one who will become the strongest Ninjutsu master—Alex!"Alex thought he had struck a very cool pose.But everyone indicated they didn't know who he was.Alex was hit hard; he squatted next to Luffy and started digging in the dirt by himself, clearly devastated.Over there, Buggy saw that someone had rescued Luffy, and he came to Zoro's side with his arms crossed."Are you really Roronoa Zoro? Did you come to take my head?"Zoro responded calmly: "Not interested. I'm no longer a 'Pirate Hunter'."But these words clearly didn't convince Buggy, so he took out several daggers and held them between his fingers.Then he pointed at Zoro: "I'm very interested in you. If I kill you, I'll be even more famous."Zoro also got angry: "If I don't show you a thing or two, you won't know how tough I am."The underlings on the side were jeering incessantly. "Waaaaah, kill him, Captain, kill Zoro!"Buggy responded to his subordinates with action. Then he swung the daggers in his hands and charged at Zoro."If you insist on this, then you'll be seeing blood today!"Zoro had also been frustrated because of Luffy and the long time spent on the boat. Since he couldn't vent on Luffy, it was perfect to use this human sandbag to vent his anger.Then Zoro used Three Sword Style, one in each hand, and one in his mouth."Since you insist."Seeing Buggy approaching, Zoro's eyes became increasingly sharp. The next moment, the two clashed.Let alone Alex, even Nami could see who would win and who would lose in the scene before them.Because Zoro's three swords quickly slashed across Buggy's body, cutting him into three pieces.But Alex felt something was wrong and immediately activated his Byakugan to check. This time, he saw something incredible.Luffy, sitting in the cage, exclaimed: "Wow! That guy is so weak!"Nami was shocked; a famous pirate had been killed just like that!But the pirates on the side were expressionless, with sinister smiles.Nami was shocked at what was wrong with these people; why were they still laughing so happily when their Captain was dead?Seeing the enemy eliminated, Luffy asked Alex to untie the ropes on him.But just as he looked up, he saw a significant change in Alex's left eye; the iris had changed from black to light purple."Xi... Alex, your eyes..."Clearly, Luffy thought the other person's eyes had been injured and couldn't help but be concerned.But Alex had no time to respond to Luffy now; after all, he had seen something different.Then he immediately shouted to warn Zoro: "Zoro, watch out, the opponent isn't dead yet, don't be careless."Alex's shout reached Zoro's ears, and he turned to look at Alex.Upon seeing that Alex had activated the ability called 'Byakugan'.He immediately became alert. The next second, Zorofelt something attacking him, and he instinctively extended his sword to block the left side of his body.Sure enough, a severed palm struck his left waist. If he hadn't blocked with his sword in advance, this blow would likely have seriously injured him.
Chapter 16: Loyal Dog ChouchouAt this moment, Zoro's cold sweat began to flow down; if it hadn't been for Alex's reminder just now...He definitely would have been careless and taken an attack from the opponent.Nami looked at the scene before her, so shocked she was speechless.After all, this had greatly exceeded the scope of her understanding: "A hand... a hand is actually floating in the air!"Zoro was equally shocked; although he had seen Luffy's Gum-Gum body and Alex's mysterious Ninjutsu, the scene before him still startled him.Similarly, Buggy, lying on the ground and seeing his sneak attack fail, made a sound."Honestly, I didn't expect someone to actually be able to block this ultimate move of mine.""And you, kid over there! How did you see through the fact that I wasn't dead?"The next second, Buggy, who was still lying on the ground, stood up, and the parts of his body that had been cut by Zoro also pieced themselves back together.Seeing this, Nami almost screamed in fright.After all, a man who had been cut apart was actually floating in the air, and not only that, he could even reassemble himself.The pirates nearby couldn't help but marvel repeatedly upon seeing their Captain's attack being dodged.Many powerful opponents had fallen to the Captain's move before.On the other side, Alex, who had already untied Luffy, began to explain the function of his left eye; he didn't dare go into too much detail, fearing that Luffy would blurt it all out during battle."Oh, so it's a mysterious eye that can see through things! Ninjutsu really is amazing~"Luffy couldn't help but exclaim after hearing this."I said! Kid, how did you detect that I wasn't dead?"Buggy came before Alex; if it hadn't been for his verbal reminder, he would have injured Zoro long ago."Aside from anything else, a person bleeds when they're cut, and with such a large wound, their internal organs would definitely spill out. You had none of that; based on those two points alone, I knew you definitely weren't dead!""And that pitch-black layer under your body—one look and I knew it was a 'Devil Fruit' ability!"Hearing Alex's words, not only Buggy, but even Zoro remembered the three pirates at sea saying that Buggy had also eaten a 'Devil Fruit'."Hmph, hmph. I didn't expect your observation skills to be so strong, to actually know that this great me had eaten such a thing.""That's right, what this great me ate was the 'Chop-Chop Fruit,' making me a Splitting Human who can't be killed no matter how you cut me!""Splitting Human? Is that guy a monster?"Luffy expressed that a Splitting Human sounded very impressive."Idiot, you're a Gum-Gum human yourself, why are you marveling at him!"Alex tapped the back of Luffy's head with a knife-hand strike and complained."He... he actually ate a 'Devil Fruit.' I thought those were just legends..."Nami expressed shock at the conversation she heard, because she had always thought those things were a hoax; she hadn't expected them to actually exist.Buggy shifted his gaze from Alex and looked at Zorostanding before him.He thought to himself that he couldn't be killed by cutting, so Roronoa's attacks were ineffective against him, and he could take this opportunity to kill the other man to increase his own fame."Did I not hit you... Roronoa Zoro? You just got lucky and dodged.""But you won't be so lucky next! The outcome has already been decided!"Zoro looked at the rescued Luffy, then at Alex; saying nothing, he sheathed his swords and jumped back to Luffy's side."What? The famous 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoroactually chooses to retreat without a fight..."Before Buggy could finish his sentence, Luffy stood in front of him."Big Red Nose, Zoro isn't retreating. What comes next is a battle between pirates...""B-Big Red Nose! Who are you calling a big nose!"Buggy didn't wait for Luffy to finish; he flew into a rage upon hearing "Big Red Nose."He then split his arm to attack Luffy, but Alexgrabbed it and squeezed a pressure point, making Buggy feel as if he had suddenly lost all strength."You bastard clown, wait for our Captain to finish speaking before attacking!"Alex threw the arm back at him.But a furious Buggy had no time for such nonsense; he wanted to continue his attack."Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"Luffy stretched one arm back and then struck at Buggy.This sudden attack knocked him to the ground. Seeing him down, Luffy continued."I said, this is a battle between pirate crews, and also a battle between men. If you're still a pirate and a man, then in two hours, we'll have a decisive battle by the sea, near that big ship of yours.""During this time, we won't make a move, and you can't make a move on this town!""Alex, Zoro, and Nami, let's go."Uncharacteristically, Luffy announced that they would officially battle in two hours.Although Alex wasn't sure if the other party would keep their word, Luffy said it was fine; after all, he was a pirate, and the other party would honor a promise between pirates and between men.Zoro also sheathed his swords and left.Thus, the lackeys on the side didn't know whether to stop them or not, and just let them leave.After Luffy's group left, Buggy sat up from the ground and watched the departing Luffy.He had heard those words just now. Since the invitation was made on the terms of being a pirate and a man, there was no way he wouldn't accept."Men, bring back the brothers who are out! Assemble at the pirate ship in two hours!""But... Boss, are we really going to keep this promise..."A subordinate nearby didn't want to waste such a good opportunity, so he asked.But before he could finish, Buggy sent him flying: "Bastard! Someone challenged me using their identity as a pirate and a man. If I run away, would I still be a pirate or a man?!"While Buggy was gathering all his underlings, Alexand Zoro were asking Luffy who that young girl was."Oh, she's the navigator I found. Her name is Nami."Luffy introduced her to Alex and Zoro."Bastard! Who's your navigator?! My name is Nami, and I'm a thief who specializes in stealing pirate treasures.""I'm just collaborating with you!"Hearing Nami's introduction, Zoro asked Alex, "Hey, Alex, don't you think this girl looks familiar?"Alex looked at her, somewhat speechless. "Big brother, what's wrong with you? Isn't this woman exactly the one those three pirates said stole their ship and treasure, and has excellent sailing skills?"Hearing this, Zoro had an "I see" expression.Leaving aside how Buggy was gathering his crew, Luffy's group walked and stopped until they came to a shop with a small dog in front of the door."Hey, Alex, I'm so hungry! Do you have anything to eat?!""Sorry, Zoro and I finished the last bite. By the way, Luffy, you've been here so long and haven't found anything to eat?""Ah, I only ate a skewer of meatballs and that was it, but hitting Big Red Nose just now used it all up.""Why don't we just go in here and find something to eat?"Zoro pointed to the building behind the small dog."Eh? Zoro, I didn't expect you to have such peculiar tastes. This is a pet food store. Although there's nothing wrong with humans eating pet food, still..."Alex didn't finish, implying it was a bit hard to accept."I say, you guys are pretty strong, right? Why didn't you just finish off Buggy instead of making some inexplicable promise? Aren't you afraid he won't keep his word?"Nami found Luffy's promise strange; after all, to pirates, such promises were like farts—no one would ever keep them."He will definitely keep it. Not as a pirate, of course, but as a man!"Luffy looked firm, believing the other party would comply.But the most urgent thing right now was finding food."Hey, hey, Alex, Zoro, Nami, look! This dog is so lifelike—ah!"Bored, Luffy started playing with the dog in front of him. He thought it was a statue, but it turned out to be real, and it gave him a nasty bite."Why did you bite me, you bastard!""You idiot! We're supposed to be finding food right now!""Hahaha, Luffy, your face is being stretched in such a funny way! Hahaha!"Luffy's face was stretched very long by the dog. Zoro complained from the side, while Alex clapped and cheered.Only Nami sighed helplessly. "What on earth are you three doing? Since the other party agreed to the battle, hurry up and get ready."While Luffy was messing around with the dog, a voice came from the distance: "Hey! You brats! Don't bully Chouchou!"Not far away stood an old man with curly white hair, wearing simple armor made from iron pots, with a spear slung across his back."Chouchou?" Luffy, who was playing with the dog, stopped. Similarly, Zoro asked who the person was."Me? I'm the mayor of this Harbor Town. My name is Boodle.""Oh, the Mayor. So this dog is named Chouchou."Luffy, pulling his face out of the dog's mouth, looked at the huffy little dog and stopped teasing it."Yes, that's right.""Then, Mayor, what is this dog doing here? And what are you doing here, Mayor?"Alex was curious; everyone else had gone to take refuge, so what was the purpose of such an old man being here? At the same time, seeing that the dog was on good terms with him, why didn't he take it to the shelter instead of fighting pirates here?"You mean Chouchou? He's guarding the shop here.""As for me, I'm here to feed him."After saying that, the Mayor took out Chouchou's food and placed it in front of him.Alex didn't ask anything else; he already knew most of what remained. If the owner didn't come to feed it, they were either dead or had abandoned it.But based on the reactions of the Mayor and Chouchou, Alex guessed it was the former."Then what about Chouchou's owner? Why didn't they take him away!"After hearing the Mayor's words, Nami felt that Chouchou's owner was far too irresponsible."You mean him... he got sick and died.""He went to the hospital three months ago and never came back."Hearing this story, Alex felt it was very familiar; wasn't this just the story of Hachiko, the loyal dog?Hearing this, Nami looked at Chouchou. "Does that mean he's been waiting for the shop owner to return ever since?"The Mayor shook his head. "Though everyone says so... I don't think so...""Chouchou is a very smart dog. He probably knows his owner is already dead..."Nami found it strange; if he knew his owner was dead, why stay and guard this place?"He probably wants to hold onto the last memories of himself and that old man. After all, look at the wounds on his body; those are traces of having fought with pirates."Alex explained to Nami, while pointing at the stitches on Chouchou's body."Looking at it that way, this dog really is something."Zoro leaned against a nearby pillar and praised it.Luffy remained silent, no one knew what he was thinking.
Chapter 17: The Acrobat TroupeLuffy stood up and looked around: "Let's go, Zoro, Alex, Nami. Next, we're going to have a big feast, and then we're going to send Buggy's crew flying!""I told you, I'm not one of your crew, we're just cooperating!""Is there any booze? I haven't had a drink in ages!""Are we eating? Is there any noodles? I want to eat ramen!""Who knows? Let's go look for some."The four of them left the area. Chouchou watched Luffy leave, knowing those words were meant for him.But as for eating... Chouchou then walked into the shop, bit onto a bag of dog food, and brought it before Luffy."Woof!"Then he quickly ran back to guard the front of the shop."You bastard Chouchou, I'm not a dog! I can't eat this!"The Mayor nearby heard their conversation and thought they were crazy, quickly stepping forward to stop them."Are you all crazy! You'll die!"Luffy looked at the old man running over: "So Mayor, is there anything good to eat here? We're hungry.As for dying, we're very strong!"The Mayor looked at them and sighed first, then let them into his house to eat.Though there wasn't much food, Luffy and the others managed to eat enough to line their stomachs.Seeing that the time was about right, the group walked out of the room and headed towards the seaside."Kids, what are you trying to do! Are you really going to face the pirates!""Of course, I've sworn on my identity as a pirate and a man's pride. We'll settle it there, and the final winner will get the rights to the town!"The Mayor looked at the kids before him, thinking their words were just a joke, but the courage they showed in facing the pirates ignited his heart."I can't take it anymore! This is outrageous, even children can fight back so bravely!As the Mayor, can I only hide to the side and watch my town be destroyed!"Nami looked at the Mayor who had suddenly flared up and spoke to calm him down: "May... Mayor, please calm down."But the Mayor didn't hear her: "A man shouldn't back down, he should fight to the end!Right! Kids!"Luffy, Alex, and Zoro looked at the Mayor and responded with smiles."That's right! Old man!""That's for sure!""You're quite capable, aren't you!"Nami was on the verge of tears. This old man was at most just a sturdy elderly person; facing that group of pirates, he would surely die."Don't you guys join in the commotion!And old man, you can't go over there!"Unfortunately, Nami's words were useless against the Mayor.At this moment, the Mayor recalled how they had come here; it was because pirates had destroyed their original town.He then told everyone how this place was established and how it had developed into what it was now!"Look! That's how it is, this place became a harbor town of a certain scale!The current town was built by the older generation! And the townspeople and the town itself are my treasures!If I can't protect my own town, what kind of Mayor am I!I will fight to the end!"When the Mayor finished speaking, he found that the youths had already walked quite a distance away."Hey! Wait for me, I want to fight too!"Meanwhile, Buggy was watching the time; the two-hour agreement was drawing near.Suddenly, he saw several dark figures in the distance; it seemed they had arrived.He immediately ordered his subordinates to fire the 'Buggy Ball.' Since he had followed a man's agreement and waited for them for two hours...then he should now fight according to the code of a pirate."Fire! Special Buggy Ball!"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!Alex quickly formed hand seals, and a thick earthen wall appeared before the Buggy Ball, blocking it. At the same time, the cannonball produced a powerful explosion upon hitting the wall.The shockwave from the explosion was entirely blocked by the Earth-Style Wall. The houses on both sides were blown away by the strong wind, and even on Buggy's side, many lackeys were knocked unconscious by the intense impact, greatly reducing the Buggy Pirates' numbers.Naturally, such an impact produced a thick cloud of dust.As the dust cleared, the figures of Luffy and his group appeared in the Buggy Pirates' line of sight.Buggy recognized Luffy's figure."Hee hee, Straw Hat, you've finally come!""Yeah, we're here, Buggy the Clown. Next, I'm going to beat you to a pulp!"Luffy and Buggy exchanged threats, and after the talking was over, they were about to fight.However, the old Mayor ran over and stood in front of Luffy."Buggy the Clown, get out here!"Buggy was confused about what this guy wanted to do, wondering if he was some tough character: "Are you calling me? Who are you?"The Mayor continued: "I am Boodle, the Mayor of this town. Settle this with me!"A man with side-swept bangs moved; he pulled a long sword out of his mouth and held it in his hand.Seeing this, Buggy quickly asked: "What's wrong, Cabaji?""It's nothing, Captain. I just saw a familiar face.Besides, there's no need to worry about a nobody like this. Just let me handle him as a warm-up!"He immediately flew up and landed on a pile of debris from the explosion.Riding a unicycle and brandishing his long sword, he looked toward Zoro ahead."Bastard, he specifically asked for me, but since your hands are itching too, I'll leave Zoro to you."Hearing Buggy's order, Cabaji knew he couldn't use the Mayor for practice, so he had no choice but to charge at Zoro on his unicycle."Understood, Captain."Seeing this, Zoro assumed the Three Sword Stylestance, blocked the attack with one sword, and then kicked him away to the side.The Mayor saw the man named Cabaji get sent flying by a single move from the swordsman Zoroand immediately exclaimed."So strong! But I can't back down either. Buggy the Clown, give me your life!"With that, he brandished the spear behind him and attacked Buggy.At that moment, Luffy bypassed him, came before the Mayor, and then punched him, sending him flying backward."You're in the way!"Seeing this, Alex knew Luffy's intention, so he created a Shadow Clone to take the old man away. After all, what followed was a battle between pirates.Zoro didn't say anything about Luffy's actions; after all, it was the optimal solution.With that, the real battle began."Hey, Big Nose! I'm going to beat you up!"Buggy was furious upon hearing this: "You brat, what did you say! Die!"Buggy flew forward and engaged in a fierce battle with Luffy.On the other side, Cabaji, who had been playing dead on the ground, quietly got on his unicycle and rushed toward Zoro for a sneak attack with his sword.Zoro heard the sound and blocked with his sword again: "Just like your Captain, you're a guy who loves sneak attacks. Luffy, Alex, leave this guy to me!"Luffy nodded, but his eyes didn't leave Buggy for a second.Just as Zoro said, sneak attacks were their bread and butter. At that moment, a giant lion rushed toward Luffy, preparing to bite him to death.But it was quickly kicked away.Alex stood beside Luffy: "Luffy, boss against boss. I'll leave that Buggy to you, and this guy is mine."After saying that, he pounced forward, raising a fist infused with Chakra to engage the opponent.This time, he wanted to use this opponent to improve his weakness in Taijutsu.Seeing that no one was bothering him, Luffy first extended his arm backward, then quickly snapped it back: "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"Buggy saw his subordinates being blocked by his opponent's partners and knew it was going to be a battle between bosses.Similarly, seeing Luffy use the same move as last time, he immediately split his body to dodge the attack."Hahaha, Straw Hat, your moves... ugh..."Luffy's leg also extended, hitting Buggy squarely in the crotch."Gomu Gomu no Whip!"Alex, watching from the side, felt his own groin tighten. Sure enough, even watching someone else get hit there caused a phantom pain.On the other side, Zoro was battling Cabaji."It's an honor, Roronoa Zoro...""As a swordsman, if I can kill you...""Then come and try!"Facing Zoro's provocation, Cabaji didn't panic. Instead, he pulled down his scarf and spat out a breath of fire: "Acrobatics: Fire Breath!"Facing the sudden attack, Zoro hurriedly dodged in a flurry.But in that instant, the opponent kicked hard at Zorowith his toes, trying to attack him that way.Unfortunately, the move was ineffective. As soon as Zoro dodged the fire, he knew the opponent was going for another sneak attack.So he was already prepared. Zoro blocked the kick with the flat of his blade.Seeing Zoro block his sneak attack, he immediately stabbed his sword into the ground and swung it to produce a large amount of smoke: "Acrobatics! Steam Murder Case!"Zoro looked at the dust without losing focus, thinking, 'What kind of trick is this? Isn't it just ordinary dust to blind me?'Then a sword slashed toward Zoro. Zoro blocked it with one arm; he no longer wanted to fight with this clown.He crossed his hands in front of his chest for an 'Oni Giri.' Subsequently, Cabaji's scream came from the smoke. With just one move, Zoro defeated him."I will never lose... to someone who calls himself a swordsman."After he finished speaking, a large amount of blood sprayed from Cabaji's chest, and he collapsed.On Alex's side, he first created Shadow Clones to deal with the small fry who could still move.Only then did he look at the enemy before him."My name is Mohji, a Beast Tamer and the Vice-Captain of the Buggy Pirates. Brat, are you ready to die!"This Mohji's aura was clearly strong, but in Alex's eyes, he was just like those lackeys, at most an elite mob."Since you've given your name, I'll introduce myself as well. I'm Alex, the Ninja of the Straw Hat Pirates."Mohji was curious about what a Ninja was, but Buggy, who was nearby, looked over upon hearing it; it seemed he knew something about Ninjas.After Zoro finished off the guy named Cabaji and saw that Alex hadn't made a move yet, he simply sat down nearby.The meaning was self-evident: he was worried Alexmight lose.Alex also saw Zoro's concern and spoke up."Hey, Zoro, my Ninjutsu is nothing like the acrobatics over there!"Seeing that both of them were ignoring him, Mohjiimmediately ordered his lion to attack Alex."Richie, go! Take him down!"The lion named Richie pounced on Alex."This kind of thing is too weak. Monster Strength Punch!"Alex punched Richie right into the floor with one strike.Seeing his mount eliminated by a single move, Mohjiprepared to step forward and fight Alex himself."Damn it, how dare you hurt Richie! I'll avenge Richie!""Is that so? Then go get your revenge in the sea!"With that, Alex kicked him into the sea.As the seawater soaked Mohji's hair, the thing on his head that looked like animal ears came apart.Seeing this, Alex sighed: "What, so it was just hair. I thought there really was a beastman race. What a disappointment."
Chapter 18: The Treasured Straw HatThe scene shifts to the main battlefield. With Alex's Shadow Clone having wiped out all the underlings, only Luffy and Buggy remained on the battlefield."You bastards! To think you've reduced my Buggy Pirates to this state—unforgivable!""Looks like my crewmates are the strongest. Well then, that just leaves you, Buggy the Clown. Let's decide the final winner right now!"Buggy looked at his underlings lying on the ground, then back at Luffy. He truly couldn't understand why the other side was like this."So, what is your goal? To conquer this town? Or do you have some other purpose?""Me? I'm going to the Grand Line to become the Pirate King!"Luffy declared his ambition, but Buggy seemed triggered, roaring, "Don't make me laugh! You think you can become the Pirate King? Then does that mean I can become a god..."Luffy had no time for his excuses and struck an attack stance. "Enough talk, let's go!"Buggy also assumed an attack stance. "Hey, hey, don't be so insolent, Gum-Gum brat! And seeing that hat on your head... looking at your Straw Hatreminds me of how that guy looked when he was young... that infuriatingly arrogant Red Hair brat..."Hearing the mention of Red Hair, Luffy was clearly taken aback for a moment."Red Hair... do you really know Shanks?""Hmph, you're pretty curious, kid? Of course I know him, so what?""Where is he?" Seeing that Buggy knew, Luffyasked.But Buggy seemed to want to tease Luffy. He rubbed his chin with a wicked grin and said, "Where, huh? Well, you could say I know, and you could say I don't."Clearly, Buggy wanted Luffy to beg him to tell.However, Luffy thought the guy was an idiot; knowing is knowing, and not knowing is not knowing.So, after hearing what he said, Luffy became confused. "So what are you even talking about, you bastard!"Buggy opened his mouth wide to retort, "Who are you calling a bastard! You little brat!"Then, Buggy seemed ready to fight seriously. He raised his arms, each hand holding four daggers. "I'm not the type to be so easygoing as to tell you what you want to know. Even if those are your last words."Luffy clenched his fists. "I'll just use violence to pry your mouth open."Buggy stomped hard on the ground. "Haha, I'll kill you before that happens."The next second, a sharp blade emerged from the sole of his shoe. "Even rubber can't stop a sharp blade, right?"Luffy nodded. "Yeah, it can't."Buggy lifted his foot. "Chop-Chop Pancake!"With a forceful swing, he launched his lower body outward. His lower body transformed into a spinning, bladed top and attacked Luffy.Seeing this, Luffy immediately jumped up and dodged the attack.At that moment, Buggy saw Luffy's weakness. "You're in the air... you can't control your movements, can you!"Saying that, he threw all the daggers in his hands at Luffy. "No!"Just as Buggy thought the other side was just posturing, he saw Luffy swing his right arm to the right, grab onto an object, and use the Gum-Gumrecoil to pull himself over. Clearly, he had dodged the attack once again.Meanwhile, Nami, who had already agreed on the plan with Luffy, was heading toward Buggy's treasure room with Zoro.As for why it wasn't Alex, it was because: "Haha, Zoro, in this battle, only I can help Luffy, since Buggy is specifically designed to counter you swordsmen." After saying this, he laughed heartily and continued to watch.And Zoro became the bodyguard accompanying Nami.The perspective shifts back to Luffy. Buggy, having retracted his lower body, praised Luffy. "Heh, impressive, truly impressive!"Luffy stretched his arm backward and said to Buggy, "You too." With that, his arm recoiled, punching toward Buggy. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"Facing this blow, Buggy tilted his body and easily dodged it. While dodging, he marveled, "Really interesting, your superpower."Then he took out two scimitars and looked at the arm that was still extended. "But an extended arm is full of openings! Watch me chop you to pieces!"Luffy wasn't very panicked, because he had already thought of a solution to these problems.He had already grabbed an object in front of him, then jumped up, using the elasticity to launch himself at Buggy.Buggy swung his blade to cut him down, but the next second, he seemed to hear a whistling sound, along with a phrase. "Gomu Gomu no Scythe!"Straw Hat was attacking him at high speed, his left arm posed, looking like a scythe flying toward him."Chop-Chop Emergency Escape!" A second before Luffy's attack hit, Buggy detached his head, thereby dodging the attack.Because he missed the target, Luffy continued to rush forward. At this moment, Buggy's head, floating in the air, laughed loudly. "Too naive, Gum-Gum!"Luffy pushed aside the debris, brushed the dust off his body, and stood up. "Damn it! To think he can split apart."At this time, some of the underlings lying on the ground had already woken up. They watched the great battle between the two, unable to help but sigh that such a war was truly dreamlike."Hey, did you see that just now?" one person whispered to the person next to him who had also woken up. That person immediately silenced him. "Shut up, hurry and play dead! If we get caught up in this, we'll both lose our lives!"The battle between Buggy and Luffy resumed. Buggy raised his arm, aiming at Luffy. "Chop-Chop Cannon." Saying this, he actually fired his right hand.Seeing this, Luffy aimed carefully and reached out with both hands to grab the flying severed hand. "Luffy, look out!""Split!" Unfortunately, this move wasn't over yet. The part that was grabbed was fine, but as Buggyshouted, the front part separated again, turning into a two-stage attack.Perhaps it was Alex's warning, or perhaps it was Luffy's intuition, but in any case, he dodged the sudden attack.Having dodged the attack, Luffy fell to the ground and took off his hat to inspect it. It turned out that while he had dodged the attack just now, the blade had still sliced his Straw Hat.Looking at the tear on the brim of his Straw Hat, Luffy could no longer contain his anger. "Bastard!"Buggy also began to mock him. "What? It's ruined, you're not happy, are you?"Luffy clenched the Straw Hat and shouted angrily, "You actually... ruined this hat!"Buggy looked at Luffy with an expression of "is that it?". "This is my treasure! I will never forgive anyone who ruins it."Even Alex had never seen Luffy this angry; it seems this Straw Hat really is his treasure.Buggy seemed to think of something. "Is this hat that important?" Luffy confirmed the other's question.Meanwhile, the severed hand behind Luffy moved slightly. It suddenly threw a knife, and Luffyhurriedly dodged, but his movement was too exaggerated, causing the hat to be exposed to the severed hand."If it's so important, you should protect it well!" After Buggy shouted, the severed hand flew toward the Straw Hat.Luffy watched as the Straw Hat was about to be pierced, thinking of the words Red Hair said when he entrusted the hat to him: "I'm entrusting this hat to you!"Alex moved at this moment. He quickly arrived between the Straw Hat and the severed hand, caught the hat, kicked the severed hand away, and then returned to the side."Captain, please forgive my unauthorized action just now, but this hat is very important to you."Seeing that the hat was saved, Luffy smiled and nodded at Alex to express his gratitude.Buggy felt the power of that kick and quickly retracted his hand, rubbing it to ease the pain."Damn pretty boy, see if I don't smash you to pieces! Chop-Chop Pancake!"It was the same move, the separated body attacked toward Alex. But Luffy raised his leg and kicked the flying lower body away."Hey, Big Nose, our fight isn't over yet!" Luffy chose to provoke the other to lock his vision and prevent him from attacking Alex."Big... Big Nose! You bastard, Straw Hat! You will pay for your words!"Buggy was clearly getting serious, and Luffysprinted toward him. Seeing this, Buggy thought Luffy was going to use his old move, so he immediately detached his head to dodge the attack in advance.But the next second, Luffy kicked Buggy in the crotch once again. "Hiss~"Seeing this, not only Alex, but even those few pirates who had woken up gasped. After all, attacking the same spot twice was just too painful.Having been struck in his weak point again, Buggyalso regained his senses. He looked at the Straw Hat in Alex's hand and asked, "Straw Hat, that's Shanks's hat, isn't it?"After saying that, he stood up and looked at Luffy. Luffy didn't know what he meant, but nodded."It really is that bastard, no wonder it looks so familiar.""You know Shanks?" Luffy was stunned by Buggy's words."Yeah, not only do I know him, I used to be an apprentice pirate on the same pirate ship as that guy. Which means he and I have been brothers since we were kids."Hearing this, Luffy launched another attack. "Shanksis the greatest man, and you actually say you're his brother! You're not worthy!"After shouting, Luffy knocked Buggy to the ground again. Then, Luffy mounted Buggy and grabbed his face."You and Shanks are brothers... don't say that a second time!" Buggy, whose face was being warped by the grip, became confused."Ooh... I don't care what kind of relationship you have with Shanks, it's my freedom to say whatever I want about him."Hearing the other side be so stubborn, Luffycontinued to beat Buggy up. "Bastard, you still dare to talk back! Then let you taste my power!"Buggy wanted to escape. "Chop-Chop..." Before he could finish the move, he was interrupted by a hand-chop from Luffy. "I'll show you splitting!"At this time, the underlings lying on the ground began to discuss. "Hey... Captain isn't being suppressed, right?" "Don't... don't talk nonsense! Captain Buggy won't lose! Captain's true power is still to come!" "...Ye, yeah, I guess so!" Afterward, the two stopped talking.At this time, Nami and Zoro arrived at the place where the treasure was stored.
Chapter 19: Accidentally Eating the Devil FruitAt this moment, the residents in the shelter began to feel uneasy.Since the Mayor hadn't returned for a long time, they assumed something had happened to him."Strange! Why hasn't the Mayor returned after such a long time!""I guess there's some trouble in the town!""That's right, I heard several cannon blasts just a moment ago!"At this moment, an elderly man with a receding hairline and white hair couldn't help but worry about his old friend."That guy... he's worried everyone to death..."He seemed to think of something: "Alright, I'm going to town. Everyone, wait here!"At this point, the townspeople behind him spoke up to stop him."We can't let you go take risks alone! I'm going with you."But the old man refused and told everyone: "Don't be foolish! There are pirates in town, and it's the notorious Buggy's crew!"However, what he saw was the townspeople picking up various items to use as weapons: "That's exactly why we need to go together!If we can't even protect our own Mayor, what kind of townspeople are we?Trying to stop us is useless, because we are all going voluntarily!"The old man hadn't expected everyone to think this way.He said helplessly: "Suit yourselves!"Hearing his agreement, everyone raised their arms and shouted: "Guys, let's go!"Meanwhile, on the battlefield between Luffy and Buggy, the Mayor whom the townspeople were trying to rescue was lying beside Alex.Buggy the Clown then revealed his grudge against Shanks."In all my life, I've never met a guy who could make me this angry!That guy stole... my huge fortune.That is the only thing I cannot forgive.I still remember when we were apprentice pirates on a pirate ship..."Buggy began to recount his past with Shanks.It was on a pirate ship, where Buggy and Shanksstarted fighting.The crew members on the side cheered: "Oh, oh, are they fighting again?""Haha, fight, fight, neither of you better lose!"The young Buggy with his big red nose and the straw-hat-wearing Shanks were fighting."It's the North Pole!", "No, it's the South Pole!"The two of them argued over whether the North Pole or the South Pole was colder."Say that again, I dare you!""I can say it as many times as you want! Because I'm right!"At this moment, a handsome man with a slicked-back hairstyle and glasses came up behind them.With one punch each, he knocked both of them to the ground."Enough! All you do is fight all day long!"The others watched him handle the situation with laughter; after all, this was one of the few joys in their boring life at sea.The handsome man then pointed at the two and said: "Whether the North Pole or the South Pole is colder, what does it matter!If you really want to know, why don't you both just go there?Calm down, you idiots!"At this moment, the lookout sent a message: "An enemy ship has appeared to the north-northeast!"Upon hearing this, the other crew members drew their weapons: "Come on! Prepare for battle!Fight!"Buggy and Shanks also took out their respective weapons; Buggy had two short blades, and Shankshad a long sword.Shanks looked at the excited Buggy and asked: "Buggy, you seem very excited!""Of course! An enemy ship is a treasure chest! Only those who seize the treasure chest can be called true pirates!"Hearing Buggy's words, Shanks nodded: "That makes some sense."Buggy responded with dissatisfaction: "Not just some, but all of it!"At the same time, Buggy looked at the others and thought to himself, "Naive, truly naive. You and the pirates on this ship are too generous with treasure! You don't understand at all what it means to be a pirate!"The two ships boarded, and the battle began. A man holding an axe, with a ponytail and sunglasses, struck first!He cut down an enemy, and then the others engaged in battle as well.Various strange cries rang out across the sky."Wooo-ooo-ooo!""Ya-ahhhh!""Waaa-ahhhh!"Halfway through the battle, Buggy came to a deserted area.He looked down and saw a treasure map."Ah! This... this is!A... trea... trea... treasure... treasure map!"It was a map indicating a massive treasure on the seabed."No one... no one saw, wahahaha, I have no choice but to keep this all to myself."At this moment, Buggy secretly observed his surroundings and found no one looking this way, then quickly stuffed the treasure map into his shirt.At this moment, Buggy thought, "I've succeeded! My life... is about to become spectacular!"Night fell, and this battle ended with a complete victory for Buggy's crew.Everyone was now holding a banquet on the deck."Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!""We won another big victory today!""Drink, drink! Sing! Party!"Everyone was celebrating the victory in their own way.On the other side, a drunken Shanks carried a bottle of liquor into the room where Buggy was."Hey, Buggy, aren't you coming to party with us? There's also an interesting piece of loot!"Buggy, who was studying the treasure map, immediately stuffed it into his shirt upon hearing someone approach.Seeing that it was Shanks who entered, the following words from him shocked him."Loo... loo... loot? I didn't take anything!I don't know anything!"Shanks was probably too drunk, as he didn't detect the unnaturalness in Buggy's words."What are you talking about, Buggy."Seeing that the other hadn't heard him, Buggybreathed a sigh of relief and then followed him to the deck.Sitting there in the sea breeze, it didn't take long for Shanks to sober up from his drunken state.Looking at the night sea, Buggy stated his future path."We will eventually leave this ship someday, right!"Shanks nodded: "Yeah, I want to go it alone!If I had my own ship, I'd travel around the world, of course, as a pirate."Buggy laughed out loud after hearing this: "Ha, you're just talking nonsense!"A confused Shanks asked: "What did you say?"Buggy responded: "I do admire your skills.If you didn't have those naive ideas, I would really want to take you in as a subordinate!"Hearing the other's words, Shanks took a big gulp of wine: "Become your subordinate? Forget it!We walk different paths.That is what it means to be a pirate!"Buggy laughed even louder after hearing this: "Ha, ha, ha, ha, do you even know what a pirate is?Since that's the case, let's have a good fight when we meet on the sea in the future, shall we?""Yeah. That's more like a pirate!"Buggy didn't understand the other's words: "Inexplicable."Suddenly he thought of something: "Oh right, what about the interesting loot you mentioned earlier?"Hearing this, Shanks told him it was a Devil Fruit."I heard that the 'Devil Fruit' is the incarnation of a sea devil.If you eat it, you can gain 'Devil powers', but you will be forsaken by the sea.And the Captain said whoever wants to eat it can take it."Buggy laughed even louder after hearing this: "Wahahaha, if you eat that thing, you'll become a paperweight for the rest of your life! Not worth it!"At the same time, Buggy thought to himself, "Wow, terrifying, anyone who eats that kind of thing must be a big fool.There's still so much treasure hidden on the seabed.If I can't swim, won't I be unable to get it?"Just as Buggy was inwardly mocking those who had eaten the Devil Fruit, Shanks's voice came again: "I really didn't expect that kind of fruit... could actually sell for 100 million Berries."Hearing Shanks's words, Buggy was somewhat shocked: "What? Is that true?"At this moment, Buggy thought in his head, "Even ten A-rank treasure chests wouldn't sell for 100 million Berries! The God of Wealth must be beckoning to me!"The next day, Buggy went to the Captain's cabin and got the Devil Fruit, then secretly went to the kitchen and used various ingredients to carve one exactly like it.Buggy stood in front of everyone holding the fake Devil Fruit he had carved."Apprentice pirate Buggy is going to eat the 'Devil Fruit'!"The people below cheered: "Hahahaha... young people really do things without considering the consequences!""Well done, Buggy!"Then Buggy ate the fake he had made in one bite."Oh, he ate it!"The pirates began to ask if there were any changes in Buggy's body."Buggy, how does it feel? Any changes in your body?""Nothing..."Buggy wondered if his operation had been exposed.At this point, the crew members below began to wonder if the one Buggy ate was a fake.Hearing them say this, Buggy's heart was almost in his throat.Indeed, what he ate was a fake, which he had secretly made and then swapped.Seeing that there were no changes in Buggy, everyone knew the fruit was fake and dispersed.Buggy secretly went to a relatively safe place and began to examine his treasures.Buggy held the Devil Fruit in one hand and the treasure map in the other."Success! I don't have to be an apprentice anymore! I should get off the ship before the truth comes out!When I sell this fruit, plus the treasure on the map, I can immediately build the strongest pirate crew, and then go loot even more treasure!"Just then, Shanks saw Buggy hiding on the side and immediately stepped forward to ask him."Hey, Buggy, what are you doing there?"Hearing someone call him, Buggy, in order not to expose the Devil Fruit, immediately stuffed it into his mouth and turned his head to look.Only when he saw it was Shanks did he breathe a sigh of relief.Shanks looked at Buggy's strange expression: "Why do you have that look on your face?"Seeing the other's appearance, he probably assumed he was sneaking a snack, so Shanks left the place and gave Buggy a piece of advice: "You have to have some restraint when sneaking food, watch out for getting scolded by the chefs!"After confirming that the other had left, Buggyrelaxed.Suddenly, Shanks seemed to think of something, turned back, and patted Buggy."Oh, right, the Captain said earlier..."But before Shanks could finish speaking, this shock caused Buggy to swallow the Devil Fruit in his mouth.Buggy, having swallowed the Devil Fruit, grabbed Shanks by the collar, furious and unable to say a complete sentence."You... you guy. You... my... my... I... Aaaaaah!"Before he could think of what to say, he saw Shankspointing at something in the distance and asking."Look, what is that piece of paper?"Buggy let go of the other and turned to look, only to see the treasure map that should have been in his shirt.He didn't know how it had floated out of his shirt."My map!"Without thinking, Buggy immediately jumped into the water, wanting to retrieve the map.But as soon as he entered the sea, his body couldn't move, and his whole body felt as if it had no strength at all.Buggy struggled to splash upward, but after two attempts, he sank again, and at the same time, he used his last bit of strength to shout: "Wuwawa, help me!"At the same time, Buggy's cries attracted the others on the ship.They looked at Buggy and Shanks, not understanding what had happened."Shanks, what's wrong?""Ah, what is that guy doing?"Shanks then jumped off the ship while shouting: "I'm coming to save you!"He then rescued Buggy, while that treasure map disappeared into the sea forever.
Chapter 20: Sending Buggy Flying"That's right, I ate a Devil Fruit worth 100 million Berries! I became a useless anchor who can't swim, and worse, I lost the great treasure on the seabed!"Luffy understood and said, "So it was Shanks who saved your life."This single sentence made the previously serious-looking Buggy roar."Don't change the subject! It's all his fault that my life's goal was delayed by ten years."Saying this, he detached his body and hovered his upper torso high in the air."I've gone all out! Since I can't get the treasure on the seabed, I'll get all the treasure on the sea! With this Chop-Chop ability!"At this point, relying on his aerial advantage, Buggyspotted Zoro and Nami returning with the treasure, each carrying a large bundle.Immediately, his tone changed."Anyone who wants to steal my treasure, even if they are nobodies, I won't let them off!"After saying this, he floated toward Zoro and Nami, shouting as he drifted, "Put down my treasure! Don't you dare try to profit from my misfortune!"Nami looked at the flying Buggy and knew they had been discovered.Zoro immediately stepped forward and swung his sword, but no matter how fast he slashed, he couldn't land a single hit."Bastard, this is truly a perverse ability," Zoromuttered, looking at his opponent."Useless struggle, Zoro, Nami. Next, I'm going to tear you both to pieces!"Seeing that Zoro and Nami were about to be attacked, Alex stood up and was just about to use the Body Flicker Technique when he saw Luffyarrive at Buggy's lower body, which had remained in place."As expected, the old method works!" Luffymuttered to himself, then raised his leg and delivered a kick, one far more powerful than the previous two.Buggy's upper body, which had been floating in the sky, now stopped in front of the two with a twisted expression."Ouch!" Nami was startled by this change. She didn't know what had happened to him, only seeing Buggy lying on the ground looking miserable."Damn Rubber boy, how dare you attack my weak point again and again..."Luffy said nonchalantly, "Our fight isn't over yet!"Looking at Luffy's stance, Buggy realized that if he attacked Zoro or Nami again, he would probably get kicked again."Alex, put the treasure away." "Understood."Alex used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Zoro and Nami, pulled out a small scroll, and unrolled it. This was the one he had previously used to store food. The character for "food" in the middle of the scroll vanished, revealing the original blank space.As Alex performed the hand seals, the two large bundles of treasure were sucked into the scroll, and the blank space in the middle changed to the character for "treasure.""Hey! My treasure! Bastard Alex, where did you put the treasure I was looking after!"Zoro, on the other hand, nonchalantly sat down to the side to rest. He had only promised to act as a guard, and now that the treasure had been secured, the rest was none of his business.Seeing Nami like this, Alex threw the scroll directly to Luffy, and at the same time, used the Body Flicker Technique to come to Zoro's side to rest.Luffy caught the scroll and looked at Buggy with a smile: "Hehe, now you have no choice but to fight me. You can only get this back if you defeat me.""You... you devils!"Buggy raised his head, gradually recovering some strength, and floated up to look at Luffy and Alex, and of course, the real culprit behind this whole thing, Nami.Nami ran toward Alex: "Bastard Alex, hurry up and give me back my treasure!""Alright, be quiet. Once our Captain finishes fighting him, he'll give it to you.""Are you sure? That's treasure I worked so hard to steal. If I don't get it, I'll definitely tear you apart. Also, I'm not one of you!""Alright, Nami, just sit down quietly." Zoro offered some rare words of comfort.Hearing this, Buggy stared at Nami and shouted angrily: "What a joke! My treasure is mine! Do you think it becomes yours just because you stole it? Do you even understand that?"Hearing Buggy's words, Nami stood up to argue back: "As if I need you to teach me? Aren't we just two of a kind?"Buggy asked, puzzled: "What?"Nami ignored Buggy and continued: "I haven't fallen so low... that I need a pirate to lecture me!"Hearing her say that, Buggy decided that even if he had to give up the treasure, he would kill Nami: "...Just you wait, Nami! Chop! Chop! Festival!"Buggy's body broke into pieces and floated in the air. "Hahaha, let's see what moves you have left, Rubber man!"Luffy looked at the limbs filling the sky: "Damn it, if you're so capable, split into more pieces!"At this moment, Alex, standing to the side, couldn't help but chuckle. The scene was just too ridiculous; he couldn't help himself. Of course, his small gesture went unnoticed by the others.Buggy controlled some of his body parts to attack Nami, while the rest were used to block Luffy.Seeing that his opponent still wouldn't fight him properly, Luffy became unhappy. But then he noticed that while the body fragments were floating in the sky, a pair of feet were walking on the ground.Seeing this, Luffy understood: "So the feet can't fly!"He immediately lunged at Buggy's feet and grabbed them. He then started to take off the shoes, and Buggy, who was in the air, seemed to sense something.Then Luffy began to tickle the soles of his feet. "Wah, hahahahaha... stop tickling!"Luffy didn't hear Buggy's words and kept tickling. Then, he didn't stop at just tickling, but started doing other things to the feet.Like pointing the toes toward the ground and smashing them down hard, while playing with them and asking Buggy things like "Does that feel good?"Buggy's face in the sky changed accordingly, and upon hearing the other's words, he tried his best to hold back any sound.The sudden pain made him unable to endure it any longer, and he looked back. He found Luffy pulling at the skin on his feet. "Don't go too far!"After saying this, Buggy rushed toward Luffy. After all, the treasure was still with him, and only by defeating him could he get that little thing back.Seeing him coming, Luffy let go of the foot and chose to engage him in a serious fight."Buggy the Clown, I'm going to send you flying!" "Rubber boy, I feel the same!"Luffy stretched his fist to punch Buggy, but Buggyused his fruit ability to dodge the attack. Then, he controlled his lower body to deliver a flying knee strike, but it was blocked by Luffy.Seeing the two begin their real duel, Alex sat on the ground and chose to watch the scroll."Are you that unconcerned?" Zoro's voice reached Alex's ears, but he didn't move, only responding calmly. "I believe Luffy will win, so I'm not worried about him, that's all."As if responding to Alex's words, Luffy began his fierce onslaught."Sheesh! Every single part is so annoying! Ah~ I've got it."Having thought of something, Luffy used his body to block Buggy's face while secretly kicking away his other body parts. Seeing this, Zoro understood that Luffy had won the fight.At this moment, Buggy didn't want to play around anymore. "Reassemble! Chop-Chop Remnants!"Suddenly, a body consisting only of a head and limbs appeared in front of Luffy. "My... my body! Where is it!""Haha, your parts have already been knocked away. Buggy the Clown, this blow is for the Mayor and this town! Die! Gum-Gum—Bazooka!"Buggy looked at Luffy's outstretched arms and screamed in panic! "No... don't!"Unfortunately, he was still sent flying by Luffy.Alex closed the scroll, and Zoro stood up. "Ha! Alex, Zoro! I won!"Nami rushed over from the side and came in front of Luffy. "Hey! Why did you send him flying? The sea chart is still with him!"Hearing Nami's words, Luffy finally remembered. "Oh no! What do I do! Alex, Zoro! How are we going to get to the Grand Line!"Alex took a chart from his pocket and handed it to Luffy. "Don't worry, I picked it up.""That's great, Alex!" Seeing the sea chart, Luffyhugged Alex, then began to admire the chart. This was the first step toward becoming the Pirate King.Zoro looked around: "Well, since the matter is resolved, let's set off.""Setting off now is a good idea. After all, in my perception, there is another group of people coming. It might be a backup plan Buggy left behind," Alexsaid, explaining what he had sensed.Nami came to stand in front of Luffy and reached out her hand. "It was agreed, as long as you defeated him, you would give me my treasure. Now that you've won, hurry up and give me that little thing."After Luffy took out the scroll Alex had given him and handed it to Nami, he came to Alex's side. Alexalso handed the straw hat to Luffy.Luffy looked at the straw hat with a tear in it, didn't say anything, and instead put it on his head.Alex summoned the two bags of treasure. Seeing the two bags of treasure, Nami happily threw herself onto them and sighed in admiration."Buggy really has an eye for treasure. Everything here is top-notch; altogether it won't be less than 20 million. But these two big bags are too heavy for me to carry alone. By the way, I promised to share it with you guys."As she spoke, Nami divided the treasure into five portions. In this way, Alex carried one, Luffy carried two, Nami carried one, and the other one was given to Zoro.After dividing the treasure, she saw Luffy to the side, looking down at his straw hat. "Is that straw hat really that precious?"Luffy replied in a relaxed tone: "Yeah, but thanks to Alex, otherwise the hat would definitely have been destroyed. Now it's just a little torn at the edge, it's fine.""By the way, Luffy, we haven't woken the Mayor up yet, have we?" Alex reminded Luffy that the Mayor was still lying there.Just as Luffy was about to wake the Mayor, a large group of people carrying various weapons walked over from the distance. Luffy looked at them, Alexalso stood up, and Zoro moved his lowered hand to the hilt of his sword.This group of people saw four people standing on the ground, while the rest of the area was littered with pirates. Confused, they asked: "You guys... we are residents of this place. What happened here? Did the pirates have an internal conflict?"Nami saw that they were townspeople and let out a long sigh: "Oh, it's just the townspeople. I thought it was the remaining pirate forces! I know, I'll tell you..."Before Nami could finish, the townspeople saw the Mayor lying to the side. "Ah! The Mayor!"They quickly surrounded the Mayor and asked him. "What's wrong! Mayor, wake up!" "Damn it! What's going on? What the hell happened here!" "It must be the pirates' doing!"Just as the townspeople were blaming the pirates, Luffy stepped forward to tell everyone the truth. "Ah! Sorry! I'm the one who knocked that old man out."Hearing Luffy's words, everyone stopped talking and turned their heads to look at him with grim expressions.
Chapter 21: Leaving the Town"What!"Nami, standing to the side, realized something was wrong after hearing Luffy's words.However, Alex and Zoro wore expressions that said, "As expected," and said nothing more.Instead, Nami started questioning Luffy: "Hey, who told you to say that!""Didn't you see it too!"Luffy was a bit confused; wasn't that the truth? What was there to hide?The townspeople, hearing this, were no longer calm and began to question the group."It was you few who beat the Mayor like this!""Do you still want to deny it!""Who exactly are you people? Are you pirates?"Hearing the question, Nami sighed, thinking it wasn't the worst-case scenario; as long as they didn't admit to being pirates, it would be fine.But in the next second, Luffy shouted from the side: "We are pirates!""Just as we thought!"Hearing the admission, the townspeople picked up their weapons, their eyes filled with hatred as they looked at Luffy and the others.Nami was completely defeated by Luffy's words and roared that he was an idiot.Luffy responded with extreme innocence that they were pirates, after all!Alex and Zoro were laughing heartily on the side, carrying the treasure."Brothers, run towards the ship!"The next moment, the four of them ran towards a small boat nearby, carrying three large bags of treasure. Meanwhile, the townspeople chased after them."They're running away!""Quick, chase them!"As she ran, Nami sighed: "Good grief, how unlucky!"The townspeople were in hot pursuit."We must not let them get away! Avenge the Mayor!"Among the townspeople, only the balding old man with glasses didn't move; he stood there as if he had seen through something.While running, Nami asked: "Why did you have to mess things up?"Luffy sighed: "What a good town."Nami was somewhat puzzled."Everyone is so angry for the sake of the Mayor.""The Mayor chose to fight against pirates for the sake of everyone and the town."Alex and Zoro began to explain to Nami."Besides, no matter how we explain it, everyone will definitely be angry!"Hearing Luffy's words, Nami didn't say anything more and continued running towards the boat.Just as the townspeople were about to catch up to Luffy and the others, Chouchou ran out and blocked them.It knew that it was Luffy and his group who had wiped out the pirates, and that they had protected its last treasure and this town.So it wanted to stop everyone; it couldn't let them take another step forward."Woof!"The townspeople were startled by Chouchou, who had suddenly dashed out.Luffy and the others looked back at Chouchou, who had suddenly appeared; no one expected it to show up at this moment and block the townspeople."Whimper, whimper... Woof!"The townspeople looked at the suddenly appearing Chouchou, confused."Why are you blocking the way, Chouchou!"Seeing Luffy and the others leaving, the townspeople became anxious and roared at Chouchou."Move aside, Chouchou!"Chouchou remained in place, blocking everyone.Luffy and the others arrived in front of a fairly ornate-looking ship.Having escaped, everyone sighed in relief."Ah! You scared me to death... Thanks to Chouchou, we finally escaped! Why are we so miserable?""Forget it, anyway, we've already reached our destination..."Nami gasped for air and sighed."Haha, Nami, you're so funny."Alex laughed as he watched Nami's changing expressions."But what are we going to do next? We don't have food supplies; I don't know if we can make it to the next place."Zoro didn't care about the pursuit, but he was worried about the trouble of not having food.Luffy told Zoro not to worry, saying things would work out in the end.Alex patted his bag and said: "I knew this would be a problem, so I specifically took the food along the way and replaced it with treasure in the original spot."Zoro and Luffy showered Alex with praise.Seeing that the matter was resolved, Luffy came to a larger ship and asked Nami: "Nami, is this your ship? It's so cool! So pretty!"Nami shook her head; she denied ownership of the ship and then explained its origin: "It was snatched from those idiot pirates."Three pirates crawled out from inside the ship."We've been waiting for you for a long time, thief girl!"Nami recognized them and couldn't help but feel a bit awkward: "Oh... it's you guys!""I knew you'd come back!""Hehehe, I really didn't expect to find our ship back here!""You haven't forgotten us, have you!"Alex and Zoro recognized the people opposite them."Looks like you've released your pressure points!"Hearing this voice, the three of them stiffly turned their heads and saw Alex and a menacing-looking Zoro.Like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, the three of them jumped off the ship and fled the scene as if flying.Luffy and the others quickly boarded their respective ships.On the other side, the townspeople who had been blocked by Chouchou tried to find a way around.But when they returned to the Mayor, the Mayor was sitting up, rubbing his head."Mayor, are you awake?"Seeing this, the townspeople immediately surrounded him to check on his condition.Seeing that the Mayor was fine, everyone relaxed and began to ask him where he felt uncomfortable and what had happened here."You're okay... that's great!""What exactly happened?"The Mayor looked at the broken scene before him and began to recall."This is...""It was like this when we arrived; didn't you see anything?"Hearing the balding uncle's words, the Mayor finally remembered.He quickly looked around, but for a long time, he couldn't find the figures of those four young people.The townspeople thought the Mayor was looking for the person who knocked him out: "By the way, there were four suspicious people here just now..."Hearing the townspeople's words, the Mayor remembered: "Four brats! Are they still alive?"Recalling the scene of being knocked out by Luffy's punch, the Mayor said involuntarily: "That bastard, actually committing violence against an old man like me... Absurd!"The townspeople, hearing the Mayor's words, hurriedly reported the situation of the four."That bunch of bastards was just driven away by us!""But it's really infuriating, they seem to be laughing at us!""How could those guys understand our feelings!""We should still catch them..."Before everyone could finish, the Mayor immediately scolded them angrily."Shut up, all of you! I am the only one allowed to criticize them! Apart from me, no one is allowed to speak ill of them again!"Hearing the Mayor's scolding, everyone was confused."What? Mayor, how can you speak for pirates!"But the Mayor seemed not to hear and muttered to himself: "Did those guys just leave like that?"Then the Mayor asked everyone: "Did they escape towards the front?"Everyone didn't know what was going on, so they had to answer truthfully: "Yes, they escaped to the front..."After hearing this, the Mayor walked forward while taking off his armor.Everyone didn't understand the Mayor's intention, but seeing him run forward, they were worried about his safety: "Ah! Mayor!"As the last piece of protection was taken off, the Mayor began to run."Absurd, doing whatever they want in my town! I still have a lot to say to you!"On the port side, after confirming there were no problems, Luffy and the others decided to set sail.Nami was alone on the pirate ship she stole from Buggy, while the three of Luffy continued to squeeze into that small sailboat.Luffy looked at the emblem on Nami's ship and complained."Hey, why is there an emblem that looks like Buggyon the sailboat!"Nami didn't care, but to appease Luffy, she promised: "This is their ship; I'll get rid of it in a while."At this time, the Mayor had already seen the two sailboats sailing away.At this moment, he still had a lot to say to Luffy and the others."Wait, children!"Luffy also heard the shouting: "Ah! It's the Mayor!"The Mayor gasped for air; after all, at his age, running all the way here was really exhausting.While standing there gasping for breath, he recalled that he had previously intended to fight Buggy to the death, and if it weren't for Luffy and his group, he would have died at Buggy's hands long ago, and they had also saved this town.Thinking of this, he looked up and shouted at Luffyand the others: "Thank you! Thank you!"Hearing the Mayor's thanks, all four of them smiled.Luffy waved his hand, telling the Mayor not to take it to heart.Alex told him to take care of his health.The Mayor stood there, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes: "I really don't know what to say..."At this time, the two ships had already left the small town and were sailing on the open sea.While counting the treasure, Nami discovered that what should have been 20 million Berries was now only 16 million.She was stunned on the spot, and then she questioned Luffy."What did you say! You didn't take the treasure! I gave you four million Berries; that's two-fifths of the treasure!"Luffy retorted: "But the town was destroyed, it needs money to rebuild!"Hearing Luffy's words, Nami's tone softened a lot, but seeing so much treasure disappear for no reason, she grumbled dissatisfiedly: "That was my money!"Unable to contain her anger, she came over to the small boat, ready to throw Luffy into the water.Luffy held onto the edge of the boat and shouted: "Stop! I can't swim! If you want it, go back and get it!"Hearing Luffy's words, Nami couldn't bring herself to go back, so she shouted even more angrily: "How can I go back now? If you do this again next time, see if I don't kill you!"Zoro lay on the boat and laughed heartily.Seeing that she wasn't coming to bother him, Alexalso laughed."Oh, right, Nami, and Alex! He also put back a bag."Seeing Alex daring to laugh at him from the side, Luffy exposed him.Seeing he couldn't escape, Alex immediately explained."My four million was used to buy food; if you don't believe me, open the bag and look."After saying this, Alex pointed to the bag on the side.Looking at this small bag, it was mostly filled with salted fish and cured meat."Don't tell me you bought just this with four million!"Alex knew he had spent too much: "I also saw that the area destroyed was too large, and like Luffy, I thought of it as money for their repairs.""You get into the sea too."Nami kicked out directly; her kick was very slow, and it was clear she was just venting.Alex used the Body Replacement Technique to dodge the attack, and then a piece of wood was kicked into the sea in Alex's place.Having vented her anger, Nami leaned against the side of the boat to rest.She smiled and said: "You two bastards."Luffy didn't know what she was laughing at and asked, but Nami gave Luffy a punch.Luffy said that Nami's punch didn't hurt him.Thus, Nami the thief officially joined the crew, and the two ships set sail together.