Chapter 10: They Actually Believed It
The Sky Screen broadcast ended with a bang, wrapping up the Iron Blood Battle.
> [Announcement:]
The World Government no longer needs the Warlords of the Sea system, and the Marines support this move. The Seraphim Project, led by Vegapunk, has been completed. The world will soon enter a new era—one of even greater chaos. In history, this period would be known as the Dark Age.
As for Buggy the Clown, his timeline is far from over. He'll be part of many major events to come. For now, this analysis ends here.
One month from now, the next character review begins. Spoiler: it's a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, later known as the "God of Zoans."
Just as everyone was glued to the latest horrors and revelations, the Sky Screen cut off—right on a cliffhanger. The entire world erupted in frustration. For the first time, the people of this pirate world experienced the pure evil of a "chapter-ending troll."
Buggy's future image was burned into everyone's minds: tall, menacing, radiating an aura of mockery and madness. He killed Marines as easily as swatting flies. His performance—acting weak and pathetic, then dropping the act and instantly wiping out his enemies—made him a living legend.
Ordinary citizens quietly wiped away tears, dreading the hard times ahead. But among pirates—especially the weak and villainous ones—"Lord Buggy" became an idol. He killed Marine Vice Admirals like it was nothing and only showed a hint of caution toward the Admirals themselves. To join Buggy's crew would be the ultimate honor. They swore to gather on the Grand Line and serve under his flag. With a monster like Buggy, who would ever fear the Marines again? Anyone below Admiral was barely worthy of polishing his shoes!
The Sky Screen went dark and switched to chatroom mode. After holding back for so long, the pirates and Marines alike finally exploded, unleashing a storm of heated discussion centered on Buggy.
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Hina: I actually become a Vice Admiral! Too bad I die so miserably—just my head left...
Tashigi: Buggy's currently cuffed by me with Seastone. What should I do?
Smoker: Subordinate, don't reveal Marine secrets!
Onigumo: Did I take a wrong turn with Haki? I'm going to HQ to apply for a Devil Fruit.
Yamakaji: Onigumo, let's file a report together. Haki alone isn't enough anymore.
Alvida: Captain Buggy is amazing!
Mohji: We'll follow Captain Buggy forever!
Luffy: Buggy is so strong! I want to awaken my fruit too and send him flying again!
Nami: Luffy, don't jinx us! Lord Buggy, we were wrong! We'll return your treasure—please forgive us!
Lucci: A fool like that can defeat me?
Crocodile: An idiot like that can defeat me?
Enel: What is Haki? Can someone explain to this god?
Zoro: Requesting information.
Sanji: Requesting information.
Nobody paid attention to those last few. Chatting with these "newbies" was a waste of time. The real big names kept the focus on Buggy and the future.
Doflamingo: They actually abolish the Warlord system in the future! That means the Marines want to hunt us all down, right?
Mihawk: I'm guessing this Seraphim Project is related to the Warlords somehow.
Charlotte Linlin: Such a powerful man! Buggy, want to have a child with me?
Kaido: Buggy thinks Haki is useless? He should try it against me!
Zephyr: Smoker becomes an Admiral? Never expected that.
Akainu: I like his style. Leaving Smoker in East Blue is a waste.
Katakuri: Buggy's Devil Fruit awakening is so strong. I want to know what "Devil Fruit Liberation" means.
Doflamingo: Me too. Those Haki users look down on Devil Fruits, but the future is ours!
Garp: I'd love to teach you pirates a lesson—with my fists.
Kizaru: Buggy~ really scary~
The chatroom scrolled endlessly. The whole world had just been fed a fake future. Behind the scenes, powerful forces were already making moves. The Beasts Pirates told Doflamingo to speed up his artificial Devil Fruits. Big Mom's crew was already sending people to East Blue to contact the Buggy Pirates. The Red Hair Pirates rushed to Whitebeard's territory to recall Fire Fist Ace.
Meanwhile, the Marines were in a funk. The "future" showed them taking heavy losses—enough to demoralize even their best. If Smoker as an Admiral ended up like that, what hope did the rest have?
A new Yonko-level threat was looming, and the pressure on the Marines was enormous. As for the vaunted Rokushiki techniques—Iron Body, for example—Vice Admirals were being mocked for not surviving a single kick.
"Even a dog wouldn't bother learning this garbage."
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Loguetown
The Buggy Pirates, now locked up in the local Marine base, were treated unusually well. Good food, no mistreatment. No one dared push their luck—what if Buggy dropped his act and started a killing spree? Smoker was only a Captain, far from the Admiral-level powerhouse shown on the Sky Screen. He couldn't hope to stop such a monster. Everyone waited anxiously for Admiral Akainu's arrival to decide their fate.
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Fuguang Island – The Mastermind
"Ha! They really bought it!"
Evan stared at his ever-climbing Deception Points counter, grinning. Being an agent of chaos really was the best.
The "Iron Blood Battle" script had been worth every second spent writing it. Even Buggy's makeup was inspired by the Joker from Batman—a stroke of genius to graft that image of chaotic evil onto Buggy the Clown.
> [Let's have a moment of silence for the real Buggy.]
Evan could see exactly who his Deception Points came from. Powerless civilians contributed only 0.1 point each. Luckily, the stronger the person, the more points they gave—Red-Haired Shanks alone had contributed 10,000 points. Fooling the big names was clearly more profitable.
This time, he'd earned over a billion Deception Points in one go. No point hoarding—time to spend.
First, he bought beginner-level Haki—all three types—and beginner swordsmanship. Then, for another 100 million, a Supreme Grade Sword. No need for a Devil Fruit yet; as a master swordsman in East Blue, he'd be unstoppable—as long as he avoided Golden Lion Shiki.
There was more. In the shop, Evan found a gem: the Soul Account Substitution Machine. It could turn lies into reality. Buggy, hyped as a Yonko, was actually a paper tiger. If someone proved the Sky Screen was lying, all his future scams would collapse.
"One hundred million for the Substitution Machine? I'll take it."
When the time came, he'd use it to bail Buggy out of trouble. Couldn't have his greatest "actor" getting killed.
[Soul Account Substitution Machine: Your soul can enter Buggy's body and control him. However, to match the Yonko-level strength shown on the Sky Screen, you'll have to spend a ton of Deception Points.]
"A lie can't be exposed. I'll spend points now, to earn more later."
Next, Evan bought a World Observer for another 100 million. This item could monitor anyone, anywhere, without blind spots. He handed it to Artoria, ordering her to watch Buggy around the clock. If Buggy's life was ever truly in danger, that was Evan's cue to step in.