Rhett and his group sailed slowly toward Buggy's island in their small boat.
From a distance, they could see colorful flags fluttering on the island. It was lively and bustling. A huge banner read: "Buggy's Paradise Recruitment Rally! Room and Board Included! Annual Salary of One Million Berries!"
Adai pointed excitedly ahead. "Boss! That's Brother Buggy's territory!"
Rhett narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "Hmph, quite a spectacle."
He casually pulled a mask from his pocket and put it on. Even among the crowd, he was still incredibly handsome.
The four of them stared in amazement. "Boss, what are you...?"
"Low profile, low profile," Rhett said, waving his hand. "Let's first see what they're up to."
After landing on the island, they found this "Recruitment Rally" extremely strange. It wasn't like the Rocks-style way of raising fighters.
How to put it? Let me show you. At the registration area, the crowd was massive, filled with all kinds of "contestants" — muscular men cracking their knuckles, scar-faced pirates smirking with pipes in their mouths.
A few fighting rings had been set up in the plaza, but what was happening inside wasn't traditional fighting at all. Instead, there were all kinds of bizarre challenge events.
First ring: "Soothe a crying baby!" Contestants had to use various methods to calm a fussing infant without hurting it. The one who did it the fastest won.
Looking further down,
That was it. There was nothing else.
Adai scratched his head. "Is this recruiting pirates or babysitters?"
Atou stroked his chin with a look of deep thought. "I get it! Brother Buggy is筛选 for great pirates!"
Rhett: "..." (Inside: Buggy, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation for this.)
Oh, there's grilled fish for sale. Let's buy some and eat while watching the show. It's not bad entertainment. After fighting for half his life, it's time to enjoy a little retirement and look for gifts to buy for the kids.
"Stop pushing! Line up! Line up!" Mohji shouted at the top of his lungs, but his voice was immediately drowned out by the noisy crowd.
He wiped his sweat and suddenly had an idea. He grabbed a loudspeaker shell and roared, "Anyone who keeps making noise will be disqualified!"
They were pirates, after all.
The crowd went silent for a second, then erupted even louder.
"What gives! I've been in line for three hours!"
"I'm 'Iron' Hook! Let me register first!"
"Get lost! My son is waiting for me to earn money to feed him!"
Mohji was shoved around until his hair was half crooked. He couldn't take it anymore. He pulled out the registration list, closed his eyes, and randomly pointed. "You! You! And you! Get up on the stage right now! The rest of you can sign up or not!"
His finger happened to land on Rhett, who was eating grilled fish.
Rhett: "...?" (Grilled fish suspended in mid-air)
The four of them gasped. "The boss got selected!"
Before Rhett could react, Richie and Kabaji each grabbed one of his arms and carried him onto the stage. Rhett stood there with the grilled fish in his mouth, looking confused. "Wait, I haven't agreed to—"
"Shut up! Get up there!" Kabaji didn't even let Rhett refuse. He turned and walked away.
Rhett stood on the stage.
Kabaji dared to talk to Rhett like that. The only people who had spoken to Rhett in that tone were the Five Elders. Even our invincible Mountain Bandit King couldn't compete with this guy's audacity.
Kabaji: Yelling at an Emperor of the Sea, not giving him a chance to respond, and cold-shouldering the Mist Lord.
The mist marked you, you bastard. Just wait.
The host announced loudly, "This lucky... uh, Mr. Mask! Please make this baby stop crying within three minutes!"
In the cradle at the center of the stage, a chubby baby was crying at the top of its lungs.
Boos came from the audience.
"He's so handsome! He's totally my type!"
"Hahaha, honey, look at me? Ahhh, you're my second husband after 'Mist Lord'! Remember your number 02!"
Rhett looked down at the baby. The baby looked back at him with teary eyes. They stared at each other for two seconds, then the baby started crying even harder, its little legs kicking and nearly hitting Rhett's chin.
Rhett sighed, then suddenly leaned close to the baby's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Listen up, kid..."
He also used a bit of mist to calm its nerves.
The baby's crying stopped instantly. It hiccupped and blinked its big, wet eyes.
The whole place went silent.
The host's jaw dropped. "W-What happened?!"
Rhett straightened up and flicked his hair. A wave of "wow" sounds swept through the crowd.
This was the feeling.
Then thunderous applause erupted.
The four of them were so moved they had tears in their eyes. "The boss is even this霸气 when soothing a baby!"
"Adai is right!" x2
Why only two? Because Ayo didn't speak.
"The boss is so cool."
"Adai is right!" x2
Rhett: "You don't have to force the praise if you don't have anything new to say."
The final round was supposed to be the "ultimate showdown," but the host suddenly announced, "Due to time constraints, we'll go straight to the awards ceremony! Congratulations to this... uh, Mr. Mask for winning the championship!"
Rhett: "?"
Before he could react, Mohji shoved a trophy and a bag of berries into his hands, then pushed him toward the exit. "Congratulations, congratulations! Please pick up your prize backstage!"
Rhett narrowed his eyes. "Where's Buggy?"
Mohji laughed nervously. He now regretted everything. The aura coming off this guy was ancestral-level. "Lord Buggy is extremely busy. He's not on the island today!"
Rhett smirked. "Is that so? Then I'll go backstage and 'thank him in person.'"
Kabaji immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "N-No need! Our boss is very busy!"
Rhett looked at the two men and the lion. Their strength was far beyond what they had in the original story. He knew his Conqueror's Haki was active — not at full power, but still impressive.
There's a difference between getting one-shot by the Runaway King and getting one-shot by Rhett.
Rhett took off his mask and looked at the three of them.
Their jaws literally dropped to the ground.
"M-M-Mist... Mist Lord..."
Just then, a commotion came from backstage. Buggy's laughter rang out. "Yihahaha! Quick, let me see our new crew member! Who has the honor of joining the Buggy Pirates!"
Rhett: "..." (His fist tightened.) He silently put his mask back on.
Buggy strutted out from backstage with his signature swagger. He put his hands on his hips and laughed up at the sky. "Yihahaha! Let this captain see which lucky winner won the competition!"
Mohji and Kabaji frantically gestured at him, sweat pouring down their foreheads like waterfalls.
Richie the lion even started trembling, his fur standing on end.
"What's wrong with you three?" Buggy frowned. "Are you that excited to see your captain?"
"C-Captain..." Mohji's voice was trembling. "This champion... he's..."