OPTC Chapter 308 - Morgans Set Me Up
Buggy Balls were different from regular cannonballs—much more powerful, capable of wiping out an entire street with a single shot. But the one Buggy was using now was still an experimental version, far weaker than what he'd have ten years later.
As soon as the cannon fired, the pirates eagerly waited to see the results, imagining the sorry state of the poor souls who'd just been hit. They began laughing cruelly.
"Boom! Boom!"
The explosions echoed, and the pirates cheered wildly. "As expected of Captain Buggy!"
The smoke hadn't even cleared, but that didn't stop them from chanting Buggy's name. They could already picture how miserable the people caught in the blast must be.
As for why one cannonball exploded twice—well, maybe the Captain had improved the Buggy Ball again, turning it into a double explosion version.
Buggy stood there dumbfounded, a string of snot running down his nose. He didn't remember making any such improvement, but since those silhouettes seemed to have vanished, it must have worked, right?
"Yahaha! Boys, move out!" Buggy ordered, hands on his hips. He didn't know what just happened, but he was used to things somehow going his way.
"Ohhh!!!" The pirates roared in excitement. The legendary treasure of the Golden Pirate Uhnan was said to be on this island—one-third of the world's gold! Even if most of it went to the Captain, each man could probably get a chest of gold coins.
They rushed to shore, already planning their raid. First, they'd loot the nearby village, then capture some locals to ask about the treasure. Even if they didn't find it, they'd still make a profit. It was the standard pirate treasure-hunting process.
But this time, something went wrong.
The moment they landed, they saw two huge craters from the Buggy Ball explosion. Before they could even flatter the Captain, they spotted… a folding chair.
Of course, Zhang Da Ye and his crew weren't going to die from a single cannonball. Zhang Da Ye had sliced it in half with one swing, then pulled Artoria and Rui Meng Meng to hide.
He was worried that if Buggy realized what had happened, he'd run away. Buggy wasn't like some rookie pirate—he'd know what it meant to see someone casually slice a cannonball in half. Zhang Da Ye decided to lie in wait instead.
They stayed hidden until Buggy's men had landed. Then Zhang Da Ye put away his sword, pulled out his trusty folding chair, and swung it down with the familiar satisfying thud.
"To think someone could survive the Buggy Ball and take out ten men in a blink… impressive," Cabaji said as he rode forward on his unicycle, blocking the rest of the pirates from retreating.
"But this is as far as you go." Mohji rode up on his lion, Richie.
"It's the Vice Captain Mohji and Chief Strategist Cabaji!" the pirates cried. "We're saved!"
Cabaji scanned the group: ignored Tom, ignored the bare-handed Artoria, and ignored Zhang Da Ye holding a folding chair… until his eyes locked onto Rui Meng Meng, who carried a sword.
"The swordswoman is mine! Even if you're a woman, I won't go easy on you!" he declared dramatically, drawing his blade.
"Then the folding chair kid and the little girl are mine," Mohji said, patting Richie's purple mane.
The lion snarled at Tom, baring its fangs. Tom hid behind Zhang Da Ye's leg, trembling, but after seeing his master so calm, he started making faces and sticking his tongue out at the lion.
"Grrr…" Richie growled, pawing the ground like a bull ready to charge.
"What an ugly lion," Artoria said flatly.
Zhang Da Ye nodded. "The man's uglier. That weird hair looks like a bear pelt."
"Boss, are you sure you're not mistaken? That *is* a pelt," Rui Meng Meng said curiously.
"How rude! This is my hair!" Mohji shouted, stroking Richie's mane. "I'm the world's greatest beast tamer! Richie, show them your power!"
"Roarrr!" Richie lunged toward Tom.
Tom bolted, Richie and Mohji chasing after him.
"Richie! Stop! Richie!" Mohji yelled, but the lion had gone berserk and wasn't listening. All it wanted now was to bite that annoying cat to death.
The pirates stared in disbelief as their vice captain rode a lion in circles, chasing a cat farther and farther away.
"That idiot," Cabaji muttered, facepalming. "Looks like it's up to me, then. Doesn't matter if it's one or three—I'll take care of them all!"
As the pirates watched with hope, Cabaji pedaled his unicycle forward, then suddenly flung out dozens of spinning tops. "Circus Art: Kamikaze Top Storm!"
Zhang Da Ye raised his folding chair as the spinning tops struck it with dull thuds.
"Is he fighting or doing magic tricks?" Rui Meng Meng said, effortlessly swatting aside the few that came near her. To her, they were slow and weak.
"Like he said, maybe it's a kind of performance," Zhang Da Ye said. "Go easy on him. The Marines might want a free circus show later."
"Don't underestimate me, brat!" Cabaji yelled. He couldn't see the difference in power at all. "First, I'll take down the swordswoman! Circus Art: Summer Fireworks Wheel Strike!"
He leaped high into the air and came down over Rui Meng Meng's head, aiming to stab straight through her.
Following Zhang Da Ye's advice, Rui Meng Meng didn't go for a kill—she simply timed it right and slapped him across the face with the flat of her blade.
Cabaji and his unicycle went flying. His eyes rolled back as he hit the ground.
He was right about one thing—it didn't matter if it was one or three. He couldn't win anyway.
"Chief Strategist!"
"Cabaji's down in one hit?!"
The crew was frozen in fear.
Then Mohji came running back, still riding Richie, which gave them a brief moment of hope—until they saw Richie chasing Tom.
"Move! Move!" Mohji shouted. Tom darted through the pirates' ranks, Richie barreling after him.
The poor pirates were knocked over like bowling pins.
"Tom's stealing the MVP again," Zhang Da Ye said with a sigh. He vanished in a blur using Soru, appeared beside Richie, and slammed the folding chair down. Both lion and rider were knocked out cold.
"Vice Captain Mohji too?!"
"Who the hell are these people?!"
The remaining pirates scrambled back to the ship, shouting for Captain Buggy. No matter who these enemies were, surely their Captain's power could defeat them!
With the lion gone, Tom's courage returned. He grabbed a sword and started poking at the pirates who hadn't fainted yet. Anyone who fought back was beaten half to death, while the ones who ran got smacked by Zhang Da Ye's folding chair.
"How dare you harm my crew!" A loud, furious voice came from the ship as Buggy himself stepped off—the mighty… clown.
"They attacked first, Red Nose," Zhang Da Ye said casually, perfectly aware that this nickname would push every one of Buggy's buttons.
Buggy's crew gasped. No one had ever said it to his face like that before. That guy was doomed.
As expected, Buggy's face turned purple with rage. "Say that again, you bastard! Who's Red Nose?! Die! Bara Bara Cannon—Clown Blade!"
He detached his right hand, holding a knife, and sent it flying toward Zhang Da Ye.
Zhang Da Ye instinctively swung his chair, knocking both the blade and the hand away.
Buggy and his men smirked. "It's useless!"
The hand spun in midair, turned around, and lunged again, blade-first.
"Ah, sorry. Misclick," Zhang Da Ye said dryly, catching Buggy's wrist midair.
"Look at this, guys! A flying hand!" he said, proudly holding it up for Artoria and Rui Meng Meng to see.
They leaned closer. The cross-section of Buggy's wrist was perfectly smooth—no blood, no bone, just… nothing. It was like the hand was a separate object entirely.
Artoria poked the edge. "Fascinating."
Rui Meng Meng nodded. "Really strange!"
"Let me test something," Zhang Da Ye said, taking Buggy's dagger and slicing off three of his fingers. They floated in midair before reattaching themselves instantly, glove and all.
"You bastards! Stop messing with my hand!" Buggy yelled, but he didn't seem to feel pain.
Zhang Da Ye ignored him, slicing faster—chop chop chop—like Tom preparing vegetables. Buggy's finger turned into dozens of thin slices before reforming instantly.
"Enough already!" Buggy roared. "Bara Bara Cannon!"
His left hand, now armed with four throwing knives, launched them like bullets—faster this time.
But Zhang Da Ye didn't react. Tom did. He dropped his sword and jumped, catching Buggy's wrist midair like a cat snatching a toy.
Tom looked thrilled—he'd wanted that hand earlier, but Zhang Da Ye was too busy slicing it. Now it was his turn.
Unfortunately, he'd underestimated the strength of the attack. The momentum dragged him forward, sending him flying.
"As if a cat could stop me!" Buggy sneered, sending his knives hurtling toward Zhang Da Ye's waist.
Then—he collapsed. "Seastone? Why do you have that?!"
"Captain Buggy!" one of his men cried, trying to help him up.
Zhang Da Ye was calmly pressing a pair of seastone cuffs to Buggy's detached right hand. When he lightly cut it again, blood appeared this time.
Tom proudly tossed the left hand onto the ground, stomping on it a few times for good measure.
"Ow ow ow! What do you want from me? Who are you people?" Buggy cried, nearly in tears.
Maybe he could still run—ditch both hands and escape. But that would be humiliating. Better to stall and look for a chance.
"No need to panic. We're just curious about your powers. Please cooperate a bit," Zhang Da Ye said with a friendly smile. "As for who we are—just a simple travel group."
"Travel group?!" Buggy froze, then slumped.
He wasn't one of those clueless pirates who never read the news. The Amber Travel Group's name had spread all over the East Blue recently. The only people who could trap him this easily… had to be them.
He glanced at Tom. That cat looked *exactly* like the one on their flag.
"I'll cooperate! I'll cooperate completely, Lord Da Ye!" Buggy said quickly, forcing a smile.
"Oh? You know me?"
"Of course! Your name is famous all across the East Blue! You wiped out the Black Cat Pirates and the Walk On Pirates—everyone knows your deeds! Even toddlers talk about you!" Buggy babbled shamelessly, desperate to survive.
After a flood of flattery that almost made Zhang Da Ye blush, he raised a hand. "Alright, alright. I'll take off the seastone. Just let us slash you a few times for testing, okay?"
"No problem!" As soon as the cuffs came off, Buggy reattached himself and jumped off the ship—seemingly obedient.
But his detached left hand quietly picked up a dagger, circled behind Zhang Da Ye, and aimed for his kidneys again.
"Die! Like hell I'll cooperate!" Buggy snarled. "I'm—"
He stopped mid-sentence. The knife had hit, but it wouldn't go in.
That feeling…
Cold sweat poured down his face. If these people really came from the Grand Line, most would assume it meant the "Paradise" half. But this…
Armament Haki? That wasn't something just anyone from Paradise could use.
And that newspaper report about helping capture the Golden Lion—could it be that "help" meant fighting him directly?!
Morgans set me up!
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