Chapter 5 – Buggy's Early Life
While the World Government, the Marines, and the Four Emperors' pirate crews were all assessing this new information, the sky screen sounded again, beginning to recount the hidden story of Buggy the Clown's life.
> [Before the age of ten, Buggy had already boarded Roger's pirate ship. He participated in the naval battle against Golden Lion Shiki, fought in land battles against the Whitebeard Pirates, and experienced thousands of battles both big and small. From a young age, he developed a patient and enduring character—this trait would help him greatly in the future.]
[Buggy's Chop-Chop Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, was obtained during a naval battle. At first, he just wanted to sell it for money; all he dreamed of then was hunting for treasure—he hadn't even awakened his Conqueror's Haki. That was the first prank fate played on him.]
[He tricked the crew into thinking he'd eaten the Devil Fruit, but the one he put in his mouth was a fake. Afterward, he hid at the side of the ship, planning to sell the real fruit—only to be startled by Red-Haired Shanks and accidentally swallow the Devil Fruit. That single mishap changed his entire life—after that, he could never swim in the sea again.]
[Fate played a second prank on him. Right as they were about to reach the final island, the seasoned warrior Buggy suddenly fell ill and ended up dragging his good friend Shanks down as well—neither would reach the last island. The Pirate King Roger left all his treasure at the last island, Laugh Tale. The One Piece truly exists!]
[Before reaching the final island, Roger learned he was terminally ill, incurable by any medical means. He told his crew and voluntarily disbanded the Roger Pirates. The crew scattered, and Roger turned himself in to Marine Vice Admiral Garp. In prison, he made an outrageous request—which the Navy hero agreed to out of deep respect for his rival, sowing the seeds of future trouble.]
[The Marines boasted to the world that they had captured the Pirate King, but in truth, they lied to everyone. They wanted to show off their power, not realizing they'd fallen right into Roger's trap. In his final moments, the Pirate King shouted out words that pushed the world into the Great Pirate Era, setting a clear goal for all pirates: whoever found the One Piece would become the next Pirate King.]
[During Roger's execution in Loguetown, both Buggy and Shanks watched from the crowd below, witnessing the death of the captain they most respected. For Shanks, this had a massive psychological impact, plunging him into confusion and doubt about his future.]
[Before he died, Roger handed his straw hat to Shanks, entrusting him with the Pirate King's will and legacy. Buggy always knew he and Shanks were worlds apart, but after Roger's death, he saw even Shanks' resolve begin to falter.]
[In fact, Shanks didn't inherit Roger's will. After the execution, in the pouring rain, Buggy saw the most lost and bewildered Shanks he'd ever known. Because of this, Buggy broke off their friendship and refused Shanks' invitation to join his crew. That night, Buggy stood in the rain until dawn, when he awakened his Conqueror's Haki.]
[At first, Buggy's dream was simply to become a pirate captain and hunt for treasure. But after two cruel twists of fate, he was completely transformed. For over twenty years, he never left East Blue, hiding in obscurity and constantly developing his Devil Fruit abilities—waiting for the day he could realize his dream.]
[Buggy never wanted to be Pirate King—he wanted to free the world from all shackles, to usher in an era of total, unrestrained freedom. Such freedom meant chaos with no limits. After Roger created the Great Pirate Era, the world would one day fall into an even darker, more chaotic age at the hands of the Buggy Pirates.]
[Over twenty years of patience and hiding were finally broken by a boy in a straw hat. When Buggy saw the spirit of adventure shining from Luffy—shouting about becoming Pirate King—this former Roger Pirate saw the shadow of Roger himself in the boy. Faced with Shanks' chosen inheritor of Roger's will, Buggy was truly satisfied inside. He kept playing the weakling and let Luffy defeat him easily.]
[Seeing this boy inherit the will of the Pirate King, Buggy realized the time had come to set out. After all these years of waiting, it was finally time to begin the plan he had prepared for so long.]
As the sky screen spoke, footage played: all kinds of pirates were revealed, especially the boy inheriting the Pirate King's will—showing scenes of him battling Buggy.
In the end, the comical clown was left with only a head, hands, and feet, while Luffy, using his Rubber Fruit, "easily" sent Buggy flying. The whole thing had been an act—Buggy's performance as a weakling was flawless, and for the first time, the world saw how a master manipulator could play a part.
On the Going Merry, the Straw Hats stared in shock—they'd never expected to see themselves on the sky screen. Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Nami, and most importantly Luffy—all got their own close-ups and battle scenes.
"Man, we were tricked! I can't believe Buggy's really that strong. He totally underestimated us! If we ever meet again, I'll make sure he uses his true strength," Luffy declared, raising his hands on deck, imagining a real duel with Buggy the Clown. He was still as carefree as ever—the classic shonen hero.
That goofy captain was met with a fist lacking Haki—Nami socked Luffy in his rubber face, leaving a huge bump. "Idiot! If you go after him again, you're just asking to die. He let you off last time because you're an old friend's successor—if you provoke him, he might kill you on the spot."
After saying this, Nami felt a chill. Who'd have thought she, the little thief cat, had stolen treasure from such a powerful pirate? Buggy was so much scarier than Arlong.
She'd even emptied out the Buggy Pirates' whole treasure stash—didn't leave him a single coin. That scene also played out on the sky screen.
Watching her past, money-obsessed self, Nami wished she could go back and beat herself up. Lord Buggy was way too scary!
Now she wondered if she should pay back the treasure. If someone that strong set his sights on her, she'd never sleep easy. "How did I end up pissing off a monster like that? After all the effort to steal his loot, I might have to give it back—so unfair!" She angrily punched Luffy twice more.
Zoro remembered fighting the unicyclist—if Buggy was that strong, why did he keep such lousy crew around? That was dedication to the act.
Luffy thought of Shanks. They hadn't seen each other in years. He took off his straw hat, remembering, "In Foosha Village, I met all of Shanks' crew. In the end, he gave me this hat, and that made me determined to become Pirate King."
Some Straw Hats were happy, some were worried. Buggy's name had now entered the world's spotlight…
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