At the heights, in front of the Buggy Pirates' temporary pavilion.
Mayor Boodle panted as he reached the bottom of the steps. He gripped his rusted spear, his tear-stained face etched with finality.
"Hey! Pirate Buggy!!" the Mayor roared with every ounce of his strength. "I am Boodle, the Mayor of this town! For my citizens, for Chou-Chou's shop... I challenge you!!"
On the high platform, Buggy—who was sitting amidst the rubble sulking—looked down at the tiny figure with utter contempt.
"Huh? Where'd this old geezer come from?" Buggy picked his ear, looking bored. "Are you joking? If you don't want to die, get lost. I'm in a very bad mood right now."
The surrounding pirate lackeys erupted into shrill laughter. "What's this? Is the old man suicidal?" "Gah-hahaha! He can barely walk and he wants to challenge Captain Buggy?"
"Silence!" The Mayor gritted his teeth, the fire in his eyes refusing to die. "I have things I must protect..."
"Then die, old man! You aren't worthy of challenging Captain Buggy!"
"And what if... we add ourselves to that challenge?" A calm voice cut through the pirates' mockery.
Everyone turned. Luffy led the way, with Viktor and Zoro flanking him like guardian deities. The trio exuded an intimidating aura as they strode forward.
Buggy saw the straw hat and Viktor, and his pupils shrank. "HUH?! Those cursed brats! The red-eyed kid and the straw hat!"
Buggy leaped from his seat, his detached hands dancing in the air. "You didn't get blown up? You actually dare show your faces here! Hey, Straw Hat! Seeing that annoying hat reminds me of another annoying red-haired bastard! So now, I hate you double!"
"Red-hair?" Luffy blinked, then realized. "You mean Shanks? You know Shanks?"
"Gah-hahaha! You could say I know him, or you could say I don't!" Buggy laughed arrogantly. "Like I'd tell a moron like you!"
Luffy tilted his head, looking at Buggy like he was an idiot. "What are you talking about, you moron? Do you know him or not?"
"YOU'RE THE MORON!!" Buggy lost it, screaming. "Your whole family are morons!"
"I'm not a moron! I'm the man who's gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy roared back righteously.
Zoro and Viktor exchanged a glance. Without a word, they instantly read each other's thoughts: Confirmed. They're both idiots.
Just then, the ignored Mayor Boodle raised his spear again. "BUGGY!! Don't ignore me! Accept my challenge!!"
"Ugh, this old man is so annoying..."
THUD!
Before Buggy could finish, a fist flashed. Luffy had, without warning, punched the Mayor in the back of the head. The Mayor didn't even groan; his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
Silence.
"L-Luffy?!" Nami ran over, panicked. "What are you doing?! That's the Mayor!"
Luffy retracted his fist and lowered his hat. "The old man was in the way."
"Luffy is doing it for his own good," Viktor stepped forward, glancing at the unconscious Mayor. "If he really challenged Buggy, he'd be dead in seconds. Letting him sleep is better than letting him lose his life."
"You didn't have to knock him out!" Nami complained. "That's way too reckless!"
"That's just our pirate style," Viktor shrugged.
"It's your style! Don't group me with you!" Nami immediately drew a line.
On the platform, Buggy was fuming. "Huh? Infighting? Gwah-hahaha! What a bunch of fools!"
Luffy looked up, his gaze suddenly sharp. He took a deep breath and screamed at Buggy:
"SHUT UP! YOU BIG RED NOSE!!"
Silence. A deathly, absolute silence.
The laughing pirates froze, their expressions turning to pure horror as if they had just heard the countdown to doomsday.
"What... did you say?!" Buggy lowered his head, veins bulging on his forehead. His face twisted into a terrifying mask of rage.
"That's a forbidden word!!" a pirate screamed, clutching his head. "That straw hat kid is dead!!"
"Who are you calling a red nose?!" Buggy roared, snapping the knives in his hand. "If you want to die, I'll fulfill your wish!! Minions! Bring out the Special Buggy Ball!! I'm going to turn them into dust!!"
"Y-yes, Captain Buggy!" The pirates scrambled to push out another cannon, aiming its dark maw directly at Luffy.
"HEY!! RUN!!" Nami screamed, her soul nearly leaving her body. "They're firing that town-destroying cannonball again! We're gonna die!"
She grabbed Viktor's sleeve to drag him away, only to find him as immovable as a stone pillar. "Viktor?! Run!"
"I'm stayin'." Viktor's lips curled into an expectant smile. "Just leave it to Luffy."
"HUH?!" Nami looked at Zoro, who was also calmly crossing his arms with no intention of dodging. "What is wrong with you people!!"
"Hmph, so arrogant! Then die! Vanish grandly!! Gwah-hahaha!!" Along with Buggy's roar, the fuse burned out.
BOOM—!!
The massive red cannonball shrieked through the air, heading straight for Luffy's face! Facing the strike that could level a street, Luffy didn't dodge. Instead, he took a step forward and inhaled deeply.
"Shishishi! Bring it on!" "GOMU GOMU NO—BALLOON!!"
Under Nami's terrified gaze, Luffy's body inflated like a balloon, becoming round, soft, and incredibly elastic.
BONG—!!
The massive Buggy Ball slammed into Luffy's round belly. The expected explosion didn't happen. The cannonball sank deep into his rubbery skin as if hitting a giant pile of cotton, then—stopped by the terrifying tension—it was sent flying back!
"Back at ya!!" Luffy roared, his belly snapping forward.
WHOOSH—!!
The Buggy Ball flew back along its original path even faster than it had come! On the platform, Buggy's jaw hit the floor. "What? It comes with a return policy?!"
In the nick of time, Buggy showed his absolute ruthlessness. He grabbed two unlucky subordinates and pulled them in front of him as shields.
"HELP US, CAPTAIN BUGGY!!" "NOOOO!!"
KABOOOOM————!!!
A massive explosion rocked Orange Town once again. The Buggy Ball slammed right into the center of the pirates' stronghold. A pillar of fire erupted, and the platform was instantly reduced to rubble.
"Shishishi! Blown away!" Luffy returned to his normal shape, patting his slightly numb belly with a wide grin.
Nami's mouth was wide enough to fit an egg. "What... what was that? Why did it bounce back?!"
"Luffy is a Rubber Human who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit," Viktor explained helpfully. "His whole body is rubber. Normal blunt attacks and cannonballs are useless against him."
"A rubber human... so this is a Devil Fruit user?" Nami muttered. "You guys are monsters..."
"AAAGH!! THAT HURT!! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!"
From the ruins, Buggy crawled out, tossing aside the two charred "meat shields." Though covered in soot, he hadn't taken serious damage thanks to his fruit and his shields.
"Captain Buggy..." A swordsman on a unicycle with long bangs covering half his face emerged from the shadows of the ruins. Despite being caught in the blast, his killing intent was thick. "That green-haired swordsman... can I have him?"
"Gah-hahaha! Cabaji!" Buggy regained his confidence. "Fine! Show them the true power of the Buggy Pirates! Kill them all!"
Zoro drew Wado Ichimonji and let out a cold laugh. "A circus act? If you want to die, come at me, small fry."
"Red Nose! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Luffy balled his fists and walked toward Buggy.
Battle was imminent.
Nami, standing in the back, watched the chaos. Since these monsters were fighting, wouldn't the treasure vault be... completely unguarded? She began to sidestep, retreating behind Viktor.
"Ah... since you pirates want to kill each other, I won't stay for the show. After all... whether you live or die has nothing to do with me. Maybe we'll cooperate again later!"
With that, Nami ignored the group and ducked low, carefully skirting the battlefield to slip into the depths of the ruins. Her target: the Buggy Pirates' treasure.
Viktor watched Nami's sneaky silhouette, then glanced at Luffy and Zoro.
The system task is to defeat strong enemies, but I also need money... Hmm... I'll take both! I'll be back in a flash.
Viktor's lips curled into a mysterious smile.
"Zoro, Luffy, I'll leave this to you for now," he whispered. Then, in a blur, he silently followed the orange-haired figure.
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