Chapter 12: Well Done, Buggy. Don't Lose Face.
It was as if to confirm Dante's words. The next second, a storm of epic proportions began brewing on the horizon!
"Nani!?"
Faced with the sheer power of nature, even the so-called world-ending overlords of the New World had to yield.
Countless ships controlled by the Float-Float Fruit were swept up by the storm and tidal waves. Of course, Gold Lion Shiki himself, who commanded the skies, was no exception.
Swept into the tsunami, weakened for an instant, a ship's rudder came flying toward him…
"We're setting sail! Everyone!!!"
The Oro Jackson, crafted from the Adam Wood, was incredibly sturdy. Coupled with a crew of powerful non-Devil Fruit users leading the way, not even a tsunami could stop the Roger Pirates' advance!
The sight left Buggy and Shanks stunned.
Thud—
The kitchen door was suddenly slammed open by Buggy. The already frequently abused door now seemed on the verge of collapse.
"Dante!"
Buggy rushed in, his face flushed with excitement and disbelief. "Is it true, Dante? That storm that saved us… was it really because of my luck?"
Dante was hiding in the kitchen, sneakily eating. Meat in his left hand, a bucket of milk in his right, he was shoveling fuel into his body. A small mountain of food vanished into his stomach, yet his abdomen showed no sign of bulging.
His Observation Haki had already detected Buggy's approach, so he wasn't surprised, just amused that Buggy actually believed it.
Buggy might indeed possess Conqueror's Luck—
how else could someone with his relatively weak strength easily become a Warlord and even a Yonko?
But Dante felt their safe escape from that battle probably wasn't solely due to that. It was more likely Captain Roger's "Chosen One" luck at work.
Even if Buggy played a part, it was probably just a supporting role.
Though that's what he thought, Dante, being emotionally intelligent—and considering Buggy was one of his few good friends—replied seriously,
"Of course, Buggy. The fact that someone with your… level of strength can not only be on this ship but also come out unscathed from so many major battles—doesn't that speak for itself?"
Buggy fell silent for a moment,
unsure if Dante was actually complimenting him or not.
But after a moment's thought,
he chose to believe Dante!
Though he could be mean and irritating at times, Buggy felt he knew Dante's character well.
He at least never lied to him. Often, when danger came, it was Dante who helped him.
Not like Shanks, who would trick him into working with fake treasure maps—a source of many fights between them (though Buggy always lost).
Thinking of this, he felt happy, a grin spreading across his face. He sat down to slack off with Dante.
On this entire ship, he honestly preferred hanging out with Dante the most.
Shanks was too infuriating, and the other crewmembers valued the more talented Dante and Shanks more, even making him want to give up on his dream at one point.
Only Dante, whose words were pleasant to hear and who never made him angry.
Even though he sometimes asked Buggy to help with work, he always genuinely gave him captured treasure maps and loot afterward, never made him feel useless, and gave him recognition.
Really, in Buggy's eyes, Dante was his best friend.
"Speaking of which, Dante, besides juice, you really seem to like milk a lot," Buggy said, rubbing his red nose.
He took a sip from the milk bucket and found it a bit sweet but otherwise not particularly appealing. He looked curiously at Dante.
"Huh? This? Actually, I don't really like it that much."
"Then why do you drink so much of it?" Buggy asked, skeptical.
"Because drinking milk helps you grow taller!" Dante laughed.
"I still want to grow to three meters tall. Otherwise, fighting the monsters on the seas while having to look up at them is just… losing face, don't you think?"
"Is that really the reason?"
"Of course. Actually, my favorite is orange juice," Dante said, clinking his makeshift cup with Buggy's before chugging more milk.
"Then…" Buggy clenched his fist, as if making a resolution. He suddenly stood up excitedly, looking at a slightly bewildered Dante. "Dante! After I become a great pirate, I'll definitely treat you to the best orange juice in the world!"
As he said this, Buggy's face was flushed with embarrassment, but he tried to play it cool, looking nervously at Dante.
"Hahahaha, sure thing, Buggy. You'll definitely become a big shot that shocks the seas one day. I'll come rely on you when I'm down and out," Dante said, laughing heartily.
But Buggy clearly took it seriously and agreed immediately.
"Don't worry, Dante! The position of Vice-Captain will always be yours!"
Though Buggy said that,
thinking back to the strength of Dante and Shanks, he didn't feel very confident. Those two were just too capable.
Something like a dream…
Did he really deserve to have one…
The two lounged, eating and chatting with their hands behind their heads.
Time flew by, and it was soon evening.
It wasn't until the ship's cook, sensing something was wrong, stormed in咬牙切齿 (gnashing his teeth) with a mop that the two slackers were finally dragged out.
Looking at Dante, who just let out a satisfied burp without any visible change, and Buggy, who had unconsciously eaten himself into a ball, the cook was speechless.
Dante's monstrous metabolism digested everything instantly, but what was Buggy trying to do? He couldn't do that.
Left with no choice, Dante had to carry Buggy back to his room first.
After saying goodbye to Buggy, Dante finally had time to return to his quarters for a shower, washing off the blood and grime from the battle.
However,
once he had a moment of peace, his head started to itch—
he really wanted to try releasing his Conqueror's Haki for fun.
Back when he first learned Geppo, he ran around in the sky every day, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of flight.
Though he eventually got a bump on his head from an annoyed Uncle Gabba for the constant "puff-puff" sound of him stepping on air.
Considering it was already night, recklessly using Conqueror's Haki now would likely earn him a group beating, so Dante reluctantly gave up.
Looking at himself in the mirror, his body, adorned with slight scars, was brimming with explosive power.
Sching—
Black Armament Haki instantly coated his arm, faintly reflecting the light in the room.
"Once we get to Wano, I'll learn Ryou… and finally, Conqueror's Infusion…"
Dante admired his formidable power while meticulously planning his progression from Vice-Admiral level to Yonko Commander, then to Admiral/Yonko level, and finally, to the pinnacle…
By now, due to his monstrous physique, ordinary training could hardly maintain his rapid growth rate; its effect was minimal.
Further progress would have to rely on natural growth and development with age, as well as instruction in advanced Haki from stronger masters to maintain this pace.
But if he had to name another way to gain strength…
Dante's gaze fell upon the small treasure chest under his bed.