OPTC Chapter 309 - Thanks to the Great Lord Buggy for the Treasure Map
"Alright!"
"Ohhh!!!"
"Amazing!"
Applause, cheers, and whistles filled the air. The audience, which had started as just members of the Amber Travel Group, had grown to include the entire village of Samprace Island.
The performers, of course, were the Buggy Pirates—or rather, the Buggy Circus.
Faced with Zhang Da Ye, who was "extremely strong" and holding seastone cuffs, Captain Buggy immediately backed down. It was just getting cut a few times, after all. He wouldn't die anyway.
It wasn't that he didn't care about his dignity as a captain—it was because his detached hand was still in Zhang Da Ye's grip, and that terrifying cat somehow had found a hammer and kept threatening to smash his fingers flat, fix them, and smash them again.
To Buggy, that cat was a demon in feline form. And since he couldn't beat the cat's owner, he chose the wise route—cooperate.
Studying Buggy's powers didn't take long. Zhang Da Ye simply tested them by coating his sword with his own mana, dark energy, and a bit of Armament Haki he still wasn't fully used to.
The result was clear: no matter what kind of energy he used, as long as the attack was a slash, it couldn't hurt Buggy. Even if Artoria swung her sword, it'd be useless—unless she used pure mana blasts or dark energy bursts, like swinging a giant hammer made of power instead of cutting.
"Alright, testing complete. Thank you for cooperating," Zhang Da Ye said politely.
Buggy, sweating but smiling, replied, "Not at all! It's my pleasure!"
"Then as a final request," Zhang Da Ye said, "could you perform a circus show for us? I've never seen one live."
Buggy's upper body floated up, his forehead pressing against Zhang Da Ye's as he shouted, "Don't push your luck, bastard! We're pirates!"
Zhang Da Ye silently pointed to the side. Tom was raising the hammer, deciding which finger to flatten next.
Buggy froze, then grinned awkwardly. "Although we are pirates, performing circus acts is our passion! If you don't mind, we'd be honored to perform for you!"
And so, Zhang Da Ye's group boarded the Big Top ship, removing their pirate flag.
Under Buggy's orders, the pirates carried their unconscious crewmates onboard and prepared to sail toward the Amber's dock, where there was plenty of open space for a circus performance.
Before they set off, some villagers—armed with hunting rifles, hoes, and sickles—came to investigate, having heard the earlier Buggy Ball explosions.
Zhang Da Ye called out to them, "There's a circus performance about to start at the docks! Free admission if you're interested!"
The villagers were skeptical. Some of those people on the ship looked like pirates, but others really did look like circus performers. Maybe the circus troupe had caught the pirates?
They weren't sure whether to attack or go watch.
Seeing their hesitation, Zhang Da Ye decided he'd confiscate the pirates' weapons and ammo later. Just in case anyone actually came to watch, he didn't want a bloodbath.
But his worries were unnecessary—Buggy's crew were surprisingly talented. When they said they'd perform, they meant it. Within half an hour, they'd fenced off the area, set up a massive circus tent, strung up flags, wired the lights, and got everything ready.
They even set up food stalls outside, selling skewers, cotton candy, and snacks. The funniest part was when Buggy walked by one of the stands, saw candied apples, and actually paid for one with his own money.
Truly, a pirate captain like no other.
Seeing Artoria buying snacks with her allowance—three sticks of dumplings in one hand, five meat skewers in the other—Zhang Da Ye called his companions, telling them to return and watch the show. Everything else could wait.
Soon, everyone was back—those hunting, scouting cliffs, or guarding the ship. Even the flag spirits were given the day off.
They browsed the snack stalls first, each grabbing a bucket of popcorn before entering the tent.
By the time the show started, night had fully fallen. Spotlights illuminated the center of the ring as the tamer Mohji appeared with his lion, Richie.
Under Mohji's commands, Richie stepped onto a large ball and began walking shakily. The pirates in the audience led the applause, and the circus atmosphere immediately came alive.
Richie was clever but also had the same goofy charm as Tom. When he heard the applause, he grinned, bowed to the audience, and promptly fell off the ball, tumbling across the stage.
Instead of ruining the mood, it made everyone laugh harder—especially Tom, who was rolling on the ground laughing, completely forgetting how silly he'd looked earlier that day.
Then the rest of Buggy's crew took turns performing: fire-breathing, tightrope walking, stilt-walking, unicycling, lions jumping through flaming hoops…
Every single one of them had circus skills that could put professional performers to shame. Zhang Da Ye couldn't help thinking that if this bunch ever quit piracy and toured the East Blue as a real circus, they'd be wildly successful. He had no idea what Buggy's original hiring strategy was.
At first, the audience was just the Amber Travel Group. But as the cheers grew louder, villagers started arriving—after all, it was free.
The pirates behaved perfectly. Zhang Da Ye could tell they weren't just pretending because he was there—they had truly gotten into character as circus performers.
The crowd swelled, and so did the energy. When the excitement peaked, even Buggy himself took the stage, performing a magic trick—locking himself in a box, having it sawed apart, the halves separated and shown to the crowd, and then magically reassembled.
Then something unbelievable happened.
When Buggy gave a speech before his act, it was as if he had an aura that both lowered people's intelligence and boosted morale. All he did was boast about being "the world's number one magician," and by the end, the audience was chanting his name like he was a hero.
Some children even cried, begging to become Buggy's apprentices.
It was tragic. Zhang Da Ye could only imagine—if Buggy decided to pretend his magic failed and detached his arm, those kids might dedicate their lives to becoming the next "King of Clowns."
The show lasted several hours. When it ended, the villagers reluctantly went home, still unaware that every performer had been a pirate.
As they waved goodbye, even the pirates looked emotional. For them, this was the most applause and cheering they'd ever received. Some were even crying.
"Captain, let's do another performance tomorrow!" Mohji sobbed, biting a handkerchief.
"Alright, since we've got such a passionate crowd—" Buggy started, then quickly snapped out of it and shouted, "Like hell we will! We're pirates! Pirates!"
Clack. The sound of handcuffs closing cut him off. Buggy froze. "What the—?"
"You're under arrest, pirate," Zhang Da Ye said calmly. "I almost forgot you were pirates after that performance. Thanks for the reminder."
"You're despicable!" Buggy roared. "You were clapping for me just minutes ago! How could you do this?!"
"Despicable!" his crew shouted in unison.
"Shut up!" Zhang Da Ye barked, then paused for three seconds, channeling his inner dramatist. With a heavy tone, he said, "To be honest, after spending time with you, I've come to see you as a dear friend. But as a bounty hunter, I cannot ignore my duty and let a pirate go free!"
Buggy bared his teeth. "Who the hell would believe that?!"
But some of his lackeys immediately cried out, "If it's a matter of duty, then it can't be helped, Captain Buggy! We won't let your dear friend suffer for us!"
"You idiots!" Buggy screamed.
"I know it's hard to accept," Zhang Da Ye continued solemnly, "but believe me, my pain surpasses yours. Tell me—what could be more heartbreaking than having to arrest your closest friend with your own hands? Buggy! Even if your bounty of ten million Berries cannot heal the wound in my soul!"
"Mr. Da Ye's heart… it's so torn…" one pirate sobbed. "The friendship between men is truly tragic…!"
"Tragic my ass!" Buggy yelled. "You're all falling for this bastard's scam!"
"If it makes you feel better," Zhang Da Ye said cheerfully, "then sure, I'll admit it. I just want your bounty." Then he turned to the rest of the pirates, instantly switching to a grave expression. "For Buggy's safety in prison, I'll have to arrest all of you too. No, please—I'm counting on you to take good care of him!"
"Leave it to us, Mr. Da Ye!" the pirates cried as they began tying each other up, determined not to make things harder for their captain or his 'friend.'
Only Cabaji and Mohji hesitated, but when Rui Meng Meng reached for her sword, they obediently let Richie tie them up too. Yes, the lion knew how to tie knots.
"You traitors… mmph—!" Buggy's words were cut off as Zhang Da Ye tore off a strip of his coat and gagged him, then cuffed his other hand with seastone.
Leaving two flag spirits to guard them, Zhang Da Ye went outside and called the Marines, requesting pickup and specifically noting that Buggy was a Devil Fruit user so they'd bring seastone restraints.
In the East Blue, smaller Marine branches didn't have such equipment, so a squad from Loguetown had to be dispatched urgently. Zhang Da Ye didn't mind waiting—he planned to go hunting and gather supplies over the next two days anyway.
After hanging up, Brook sighed. "So Mr. Da Ye's heart was really in turmoil when capturing this pirate crew? Should I play a song to ease your pain?"
Zhang Da Ye blinked. "Uh… no, I just made that up to mess with them."
"What?! You were lying?!" Brook gasped, clutching his face. "Mr. Da Ye, how cruel!"
Zhang Da Ye frowned. "Cruel? Why would you think I'd feel a bond with someone who shells villages for fun? I'm doing the world a favor!"
"Because…" Brook trailed off, unable to argue.
As Robin would've said, Zhang Da Ye had violated the "aesthetic of piracy," so Brook's instincts told him it was wrong—even though, logically, it wasn't.
The one who most appreciated Zhang Da Ye's approach was Ye Yan. He loved confusing his enemies until they didn't know up from down.
"Didn't expect you to out-scam me today," Ye Yan said, smirking. "Didn't your conscience hurt tricking such a gullible pirate?"
"Not at all," Zhang Da Ye said. "My conscience isn't for people like that. You'd have done worse."
Ye Yan thought for a moment. "Maybe. I'd probably say something like, 'I can't bring myself to hurt my dear friend—please, the rest of you, do it for me,' and see if they start killing each other."
"You're vile."
"Takes one to know one~"
The two men grinned wickedly at each other.
Charle tugged Wendy and Perona backward, whispering, "From now on, think carefully before believing anything those two say."
Perona nodded rapidly. "That guy loves tricking kids."
Wendy laughed awkwardly. "Da Ye wouldn't lie to us, though…"
Meanwhile, Tom and Artoria had already occupied the food stalls outside, grilling leftover skewers, spinning cotton candy, and making popcorn themselves.
Their motto: no food goes to waste. Plus, the machines were fun to play with. Soon, the girls joined them, drawn by the endless stream of fresh cotton candy.
Shark Chili suggested checking Buggy's ship for loot—maybe treasure or maps.
Zhang Da Ye's eyes lit up. He knew Buggy's true passion wasn't robbery—it was treasure hunting. He was curious how much the clown had hoarded.
"Wait, don't tell me he came here for Uhnan's treasure too?" Zhang Da Ye realized he'd never actually asked Buggy why he came to this island.
"Probably," Ye Yan said. "That legend's no secret. Let's search his ship. If he was after the treasure, we might find a map—it'd save us a lot of trouble."
"Good point."
Half an hour later, Zhang Da Ye was holding a weathered parchment and grinning ear to ear. "Thanks to the great Lord Buggy for the generous donation—a chest of gold and a treasure map. What a legend!"
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