Under Nami's guidance, Luffy and his companions quickly arrived at Buggy's base camp.
At that moment, the Buggy Pirates were holding a lively banquet, and Lynn and the others half-expected a circus.
Before they could fully react, Luffy caught the scent of the food and immediately joined the Buggy Pirates in eating and drinking.
Nami glanced at Lynn and Zoro, her eyes silently asking: Is that really your captain?
Lynn and Zoro exchanged embarrassed looks. This was awkward—they had come here to wreck Buggy's operation, yet their leader was off partying with the enemy!
"Could you at least pretend to have some ambition?" Lynn muttered.
Ignoring the tension, Lynn called out loudly, "Hey, that guy…"
Everyone immediately stopped and turned toward Lynn, curious.
Striding up to Luffy, Lynn said, "Lend me your slippers."
Luffy blinked in confusion but handed them over. Lynn plucked a chicken leg and started chewing.
Holding the slippers in one hand, Lynn pointed at Buggy, who sat arrogantly in the central tent, and said, "You—yeah, you with the big red nose—stop looking around and listen up."
Buggy bristled. "Who are you calling red nose? It's Buggy! Don't get my name wrong!"
Lynn spun the slippers in a wide circle, then pointed firmly. "I don't care what your name is. You're the one who destroyed this town. When we arrived, there wasn't even a drop of water to drink. I'm really angry now. But if you hand over your treasure and leave Orange Town peacefully, we'll only give you a light beating."
"Otherwise," Lynn grinned wickedly, "I'll use that big, round, red nose of yours to paint the sea behind you red."
Everyone stared at Lynn in stunned silence, then shifted their gaze to Buggy, who turned deadly pale. The one thing Buggy hated most was people mocking his enormous, crimson nose.
Could Lynn really threaten the whole Buggy Pirates with such confidence?
Buggy growled furiously, "Ka-ka-ka! Who the hell do you think you are? Die beautifully, Buggy's spinning dart!"
"Space field!" Lynn activated his ability and vanished, then suddenly slapped Buggy hard across the cheek with the slippers.
"Buggy!" Buggy yelped, flying backward.
Boom! Berryng!
Buggy crashed through the food-laden table, sending dishes flying everywhere.
Nami stared, wide-eyed. How had Lynn disappeared and reappeared in front of Buggy so quickly?
Luffy stopped eating and approached Lynn, complaining, "Lynn, leave Buggy to me!"
Lynn nodded calmly, "Alright."
They all looked toward the cloud of dust where Buggy had landed.
When the dust settled, Buggy was standing as if nothing had happened, flanked by two familiar figures—Cabaji and Mohji, Buggy's right-hand men.
Zoro's eyes lit up when he saw Cabaji riding a unicycle. "Luffy, I'll take the guy with the sword."
Luffy grinned. "Got it."
Nearby, Buggy sneered, "Who are you? Bounty hunters?"
Luffy shook his head. "No, we're pirates. And these two are my partners."
Buggy looked them over with curiosity. "Here to steal my treasure? Or is this just another one of those silly speeches from the slipper guy?"
Before Luffy could respond, an elderly man clad in armor and holding a weapon approached.
"Buggy, I challenge you to a duel!" the man announced.
Buggy snarled, "Don't interrupt my conversations. Who are you?"
The old man declared, "I'm the mayor of this town. We've spent decades building these houses. How dare you destroy our treasures?"
"Hahaha," Buggy laughed scornfully. "You must be joking. These buildings aren't treasures. Only glittering jewels count as treasures. Don't make me laugh!"
The mayor growled, "People like you will never understand. Come, fight me to the death!"
Before the mayor could finish, Lynn stepped forward and struck the back of the mayor's neck with a knife. The mayor collapsed unconscious.
Nami gasped, "Lynn! Why?"
Luffy shrugged simply, "He was in the way."
Seeing Nami's confusion, Zoro explained, "If we don't knock him out, he'll just get himself killed."
Lynn rolled his eyes. "You all think too much. I just didn't like him interrupting me."
Nami muttered under her breath, "You just keep talking tough."
Luffy adjusted his hat, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Big Red Nose!"
The echo carried beautifully.
Buggy's eyes widened. "That straw hat bastard, I'll send you to hell in style!"
Soon the battle erupted. Luffy and Buggy clashed, Zoro fought Cabaji, and Mohji challenged Lynn. Meanwhile, Nami slipped away, probably to steal the treasure.
Mohji shouted, "Richie!"
From the shadows, a lion the size of a small house emerged.
"Crush him!" Mohji ordered.
Lynn stared down the lion. The lion cowered and slunk away, wishing it had eight legs to get far away from that terrifying figure.
Mohji charged after the lion, but Lynn appeared beside him with a knife and grabbed his shoulders. "Go, Pikachu!"
Mohji collided with the lion and both were sent flying.
Lynn sighed in disappointment. Despite his training, these opponents were so weak his abilities barely got a workout.
Free again, Lynn noticed all the Buggy Pirates lying on the ground pretending to be dead, but he wasn't interested—let them be.
Nearby, Zoro was locked in a fierce duel with Cabaji.
Watching, Lynn shook his head. Cabaji's flashy moves looked impressive, but Zoro matched them step for step.
So this is what they mean by making up for lack of strength with style, he thought.
-End Chapter-
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