Ace was sent flying by the fist wind, tumbling several times before stopping. Looking at the remorseful Kawamatsu, he felt somewhat bitter.
What do you mean "no strength smaller than this"?
You didn't have to add that part!
But he wouldn't lose face. Facing Buggy wasn't scary at all. He demanded directly: "You red-nosed bastard, why are you here? Are you following the Red Hair Pirates?"
Hmph, this red-nosed guy—he'd long heard there was something suspicious between him and that jerk Shanks. Seeing it today proved those rumors weren't unfounded.
These two had problems, big problems!
"Stop talking nonsense," Buggy said, exasperated. If not for finding this kid Sabo, he would have already left the East Blue with his circus.
This kid's talent was decent, but in Buggy's eyes, even less interesting than the jugglers and animal trainers.
"In any case, I'm taking this kid. Bye-bye—tell Shanks for me, 'Don't stumble in this little East Blue, okay?'" Buggy kindly warned.
He was genuinely being kind. With his intelligence network, he naturally knew that Windmill Village, where Shanks was anchored, was actually the hometown of the hero Garp.
Who knew when that old geezer might return to the East Blue for a stroll? If Red-Hair was still here then, it would definitely be a nasty fight!
But what Buggy didn't know was that Red-Hair hadn't been beaten by Garp, but had instead lost an arm to a small fish. This later became something Buggy never stopped mocking him about.
It was almost prophetic.
"Damn it, let me go!" Sabo was still struggling.
"Let me go, you red-nosed kidnapper! I'll become the Pirate King on my own—I'll never acknowledge you as captain!" Sabo shouted.
"You brat, you really dare say you want to be the Pirate King? Fair enough, big talk doesn't cost anything," Buggy mocked.
"I'm not just talking big!"
"Not big talk? You think you can be the Pirate King? You can't even beat one little brat!" Buggy derided.
Actually, treating Ace as an ordinary brat was somewhat unfair. Having grown up in the Red Hair Pirates, Ace's strength, even compared to his own age, was only slightly less.
Truthfully, Ace had the qualifications to be king.
At least becoming a Four Emperors-level fighter was no problem.
Assuming he didn't die young.
Sabo's talent was actually a bit lower than Ace's, on par with Enel's level. His future strength might rival a Marine Admiral's.
But he didn't know any of this yet. Hearing Buggy's words, he actually started reflecting.
'True, that person is a few years older than me, but if I can't even beat someone my own age, I definitely can't become the Pirate King.'
Seeing him fall silent, Buggy fanned the flames.
"For a brat like you, if you set sail on your own, you'd be taken out instantly. Why not be an apprentice on my ship first? Actually, that other brat is also a pirate apprentice. Next time you meet, you'll need to crush him!"
"Apprentice?"
"Pirates need apprentices?"
Sabo was confused.
Pirates weren't some talent show—what use were apprentices?
Were they training rap-stars who could sing, dance, and play basketball?
"Of course pirates need apprentices. A good pirate should be fully prepared before setting sail. What separates them from ordinary low-level pirates is that pirate apprentices start with both great strength and widespread attention."
"Especially those apprentices from major pirate crews," Buggy continued. "Like the great pirate Kaido from the past, and that brat's captain—they were both apprentices. Even I could barely be considered an apprentice."
Though he hadn't sailed before his debut, Buggy could indeed be considered Inazuma's apprentice. It was just a secret no one knew.
"So you're famous?" Sabo was somewhat swayed.
Becoming a pirate apprentice would indeed benefit him greatly. Most obviously—he could leave the stinking Goa Kingdom right now and head to the open sea.
This was years ahead of his original plan.
And if he gained experience on this guy's ship, it would help him deal with various troubles when he set sail later.
"What? In the East Blue, haven't you even heard of the Four Emperors' names?" Buggy countered. He thought he was being humorous, but Sabo just stared at him blankly.
"You really haven't heard?"
The kid shook his head.
Buggy: …
"Forget it. Just know that I'm one of the four strongest pirates in the world," Buggy thought for a moment and added, "To be precise, the world's second strongest!"
He didn't have Whitebeard in his sights.
But actually, the current Buggy was indeed on par with Whitebeard.
Though Whitebeard's body wasn't yet as bad as it would be in ten years, it was already declining. Buggy, however, was in his prime, with another twenty to thirty years of peak performance ahead.
Plus, his fruit ability actually countered the Quake-Quake Fruit to some extent. The tremor damage could be gradually dispersed during decomposition.
The only gap was probably that Buggy's Haki training hadn't reached Whitebeard's level yet. He was still one step away from the summit.
"World's second? You're not bragging, are you?" To be honest, Sabo was already tempted.
"You'll understand once you enter the Grand Line," Buggy said, offering no further explanation. He returned directly to his ship and rejoined his crew.
Then they left the East Blue.
"Going straight to the Grand Line? That's so exciting!" Sabo was shocked. This crew seemed completely unconcerned with the Grand Line's dangers.
After all, when East Blue people mentioned the Grand Line, everyone's face turned pale.
After leaving the East Blue, Buggy used a Den Den Mushi to contact Ren.
Ren used the Door-Door Fruit's ability to locate him, then traversed space to appear. On the young Sabo, he planted the Great Serpent Mark.
A fully grown Sabo couldn't be controlled by the Great Serpent Mark. But if his habits were cultivated from childhood, he would naturally become loyal to Inazuma.
Of course, the stronger someone was, the less effective this became. Ultimately, it still depended on Sabo's own feelings toward Inazuma.
If his feelings were hatred, then even the Great Serpent Mark would be useless.
[
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