Kaku moved as if guided by invisible strings.
The battlefield still smelled of burnt ozone and blood when he stepped forward, ignoring the fallen bodies of CP0.
Sabo instinctively shifted to block him, but Buggy raised a hand.
"Let him pass."
Kaku knelt and lifted Lucci's corpse with careful precision.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he looked up.
"Captain Buggy."
The title felt strange coming from him.
"I need to return to Guanhao Island to bury him."
His long nose trembled slightly.
"I will come back afterward, as promised. Is that acceptable?"
Buggy waved dismissively.
"Do as you like. Return or don't."
His tone was casual.
"If you're tired of this mess, find a quiet island and live out your days."
Kaku's eyes hardened.
"No."
He adjusted Lucci's body over his shoulder.
"I want to see whether the man who defeated Boss Lucci can truly overturn this world."
His voice was steady.
"If you fail to uphold your conviction… I will challenge you."
Even if it costs my life.
Buggy studied him for a second.
Interesting.
"Fine," he said lightly.
Kaku stepped back and launched upward with Moonwalk, disappearing into the sky with Lucci's body.
The sea breeze swallowed him.
Buggy turned back to the battlefield.
There were still white suits standing.
"Magnetic Field Rotation—Sixty Thousand Horsepower."
His fingers detached and hovered around him.
"Azure Thunder Flash."
Five arcs of blue lightning ripped outward like guided artillery.
The remaining CP0 agents tried to dodge—
But the bolts curved mid-flight, striking their limbs and torsos.
Electric paralysis seized their bodies.
Sabo did not hesitate.
"Dragon Claw: Tear!"
His Armament-coated hand plunged into an agent's chest, ripping through flesh and bone.
Nearby, another Revolutionary commander unleashed a storm of black crows.
"Feast of Crows!"
Dark silhouettes swarmed, slashing and pecking with lethal coordination.
Without Lucci and Kaku, the remaining CP0 operatives were nothing but elite soldiers.
Within minutes—
They were dead.
Smoke drifted over the fractured sea.
Buggy scanned the horizon.
"That's enough."
He raised his voice.
"Change course. We're leaving."
The Bikudōpu began to turn.
In Buggy's inherited memories, one fact was clear: the abolition of the Seven Warlords had come too suddenly. Buggy Dispatch personnel were still scattered across the seas, fulfilling contracts and escort missions.
They had to regroup.
They needed a base.
He already had one in mind.
But not yet.
Not until he was strong enough to claim it without begging for help.
The Revolutionary Army had fought beside him by coincidence.
They would not help him seize territory.
As the ship moved, they passed Fujitora's position.
The Admiral stood upon floating debris, Marines stabilized around him by gravity.
"Buggy-dono," Fujitora called out.
Buggy paused midair.
"Yes?"
"I heard what Lucci whispered at the end."
Buggy blinked.
"You heard that?"
Fujitora inclined his head.
"When one is blind, the world speaks differently."
Sabo stepped closer.
"If there's dirt on the World Government, we want it," he said openly. "We can expose them."
Buggy shook his head.
"Meaningless."
Sabo frowned.
"If you release that information now, they'll only tighten control."
He gestured vaguely toward the sea.
"Everyone knows the Celestial Dragons are rotten."
He spread his hands.
"So what?"
"They still rule."
Silence lingered.
"This world worships power," Buggy continued.
"Without it, you're noise."
Fujitora did not argue.
Without the Gravity-Gravity Fruit—
Who would have listened to a blind man preach justice?
Sabo persisted.
"But history—"
"History?" Buggy interrupted softly.
"Then explain the Void Century."
Sabo's expression stilled.
"People rewrite history better than they write poetry," Buggy said calmly.
"Give it a few decades. The execution of a Celestial Dragon will become 'terrorism.' The rulers will become heroes again."
Wind passed between them.
Fujitora exhaled slowly.
"I understand."
He gripped his cane sword.
"I will watch you."
His tone hardened.
"If your path becomes no different from any other pirate's… I will strike you down."
Buggy grinned.
"Fair enough."
He turned slightly.
"If you ever grow tired of disappointment, you're welcome aboard."
A faint laugh followed.
"The World Government never fails to disappoint."
With that, the Bikudōpu moved on.
Behind them, Fujitora pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
The snail's face shifted into Fleet Admiral Sakazuki's stern features.
"Report."
"CP0 eliminated," Fujitora said evenly. "My ship is destroyed. Buggy has departed."
He did not mention Kaku.
There was a pause.
"Do not return to Headquarters," Sakazuki said sharply. "Find a nearby base. Then head to Wano. Support Aramaki."
Fujitora frowned slightly.
"Wano?"
"That fool captured Kaido's executives and then provoked Straw Hat."
The snail's face darkened.
"Straw Hat defeated Kaido and Linlin. His crew's strength is not to be underestimated."
"I understand," Fujitora replied.
"And Buggy?"
"The World Government has dispatched CP1," Sakazuki said. "They are bringing Vegapunk's new weapon."
Fujitora knew exactly what that meant.
He had tested it himself.
The replacement for the Seven Warlords.
The reason he had pushed for their abolition.
Good luck, Captain Buggy.
The call ended.
Fujitora gathered his men and departed toward the nearest Marine base.
It did not take long.
"Captain Buggy!"
A lookout shouted.
"Ships ahead—no, not Marines—World Government!"
Buggy rose into the air using Chop-Chop propulsion.
Three warships approached.
Not bearing the Marine seagull.
But the Five-Orb flag of the World Government.
And on their decks—
Tall figures stood in rigid formation.
Buggy's eyes narrowed.
"Pacifista…"
Mass-produced weapons modeled after Bartholomew Kuma.
In the ship's hold below, the real Kuma remained unconscious.
"Prepare for battle," Buggy ordered calmly.
"The enemy is World Government forces… and Pacifista."
Bonney's face twisted instantly.
"Those bastards…"
Sabo's expression grew grave.
"There's something you should know."
Buggy glanced sideways.
"The Pacifista have been upgraded."
His tone was serious.
"We received intelligence."
"According to our source… the new models can rival a Shichibukai."
A hush fell over the deck.
Shichibukai-level.
Not cannon fodder.
Not mere weapons.
War assets.
Buggy looked toward the approaching silhouettes.
He felt the magnetic field hum faintly within him.
Good.
Let them come.
If the old era wanted to test him—
He would test their new toys in return.
---
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