As if to prove Aos's words, the very next second a world-rending storm brewed on the horizon!
"Nani!?"
Before a force like that, even a so-called world-destroying ruler of the New World had to yield,
and countless ships controlled by the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Float-Float Fruit) were swept up by storm and tsunami—the air-dominating Golden Lion himself included.
Swept into the surge, strength draining from his limbs, a ship's helm came hurtling toward him…
"We're underway! Everyone!!!"
Built from Treasure Tree Adam, the Oro Jackson was sturdily wrought, and with a squad of fruitless powerhouses breaking the path, not even a tsunami could halt the Roger Pirates' advance!
The sight left Buggy and Shanks slack-jawed,
"Hey—"
The galley door burst inward under Buggy's shoulder; already battered from constant abuse, it now looked ready to fall off its hinges,
"Aos!"
Buggy rushed in, face flushed with a mix of disbelief and excitement. "Was what you said true, Aos? That storm that saved us—was it really my luck?"
Aos was holed up in the kitchen snacking—meat in his left hand, a milk pail in his right—pounding down fuel. A small mountain of food disappeared into him without the slightest bulge to show for it,
He'd sensed Buggy with Kenbunshoku long ago, so it wasn't surprising—just amusing that the kid actually believed it,
Maybe Buggy really did have "Conqueror's Luck,"
or else he wouldn't have coasted into the Shichibukai, even to the ranks of the Four Emperors, on such scrawny strength,
but Aos figured their clean getaway this time wasn't that—it was Captain Roger's chosen-one fate doing the heavy lifting,
and even if Buggy had a role, it was only as an assist.
Still, Aos kept it classy—Buggy was one of his few true buddies, after all,
"Of course, Buggy. With your level of strength and you still made it onto this ship—and through so many big battles in one piece—doesn't that say it all?"
Aos told him earnestly.
Buggy, for his part, was a real man; he still remembered the words from back then,
That line:
Will your lives not roar?
With guts like that, even the weak deserve to be called great pirates!!!
At those words, Buggy fell silent a moment,
unsure whether Aos was praising him or not.
But after a beat of thought,
he chose to believe Aos!
For all the jabs and the ways he could be infuriating, Buggy felt he knew Aos well,
he'd never lied to him; when danger came, it was often Aos who stepped in,
unlike Shanks, who used fake treasure maps to trick him into chores—the two had fought over that plenty—though Buggy never won.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help grinning and simply sat down to slack off with Aos,
truth be told, on the whole ship he most liked being with Aos,
Shanks was too aggravating, and the other crew valued the more gifted pair—Aos and Shanks—so much it had nearly made him abandon his dream.
Only Aos spoke kindly without making him mad,
and though he occasionally roped him into work, he'd always hand over real treasure maps and loot, never treating him as useless—giving him his due,
Honestly, to Buggy, Aos was his best friend.
"Come to think of it, Aos—besides juice, you really like milk, huh."
Buggy rubbed his red nose,
took a pull from the milk pail—sweet, but nothing special—and asked, curious,
"Huh? That… actually, I don't really like it."
"Then why drink so much?" Buggy was skeptical,
"Because milk makes you taller!"
Aos chuckled,
"I want to hit three meters—otherwise, fighting sea monsters while looking up at them is way too lame~"
"That's the reason?"
"Of course. What I really love is orange juice." Aos clinked cups with Buggy and kept chugging,
"Then…"
Buggy clenched his fists as if steeling himself, then suddenly jumped up, staring at the slightly baffled Aos. "Aos, when I become a great pirate, I'll treat you to the best orange juice in the world!"
He said it with a blush he tried to hide, forcing himself to act calm while watching Aos, nervous.
"Hahahahaha, deal! You're going to be a big name who shocks the seas, Buggy—when I'm down on my luck, I'll come throw in with you."
Aos laughed, delighted—but Buggy took it dead seriously and agreed on the spot.
"Don't worry, Aos—my first mate's seat is yours forever!"
He said it,
but thinking of Aos and Shanks's strength, his heart wavered; the two of them were just too accomplished,
Dreams…
did he really deserve one…?
The two lay back with hands pillowing their heads, eating and chatting,
and before they knew it, night had fallen,
until the ship's cook, sensing something amiss, stormed in with a mop and finally hauled the two slackers out,
but seeing Aos—belching and otherwise unchanged—and Buggy—who'd unknowingly eaten himself into a ball—left him at a loss,
Aos's monster physique digested it all instantly; Buggy, why were you keeping pace—you can't.
There was no helping it; Aos had to shoulder him back to his room himself.
After saying goodbye to Buggy, Aos finally had a moment to return to the quarters for a shower and wash off the battle-grime and blood,
only,
once idle, his fingers started itching,
itching to let his Conqueror's off the leash for fun.
When he'd first learned Geppo, he'd spent every day sprinting through the sky, reveling in the feeling of flight,
though in the end, all the constant "puff puff" of stepping on air had earned him a lump from an exasperated Uncle Scopper Gaban.
Considering it was already night, popping off Conqueror's at random would probably bring a group beatdown, so Aos gave up on it,
but in the mirror, his slightly scarred frame looked ready to explode with power,
"Clang—"
black Armament Haki flooded his arm in an instant, faintly reflecting the room's light,
"Once we reach Wano Country, I'll learn Ryuo—and after that, Conqueror's coating…"
Admiring his overwhelming might, Aos charted it step by step: from Vice Admiral level to an Emperor's right hand, to Admiral–Emperor tier, and finally to king…
By now, thanks to his monstrous physique, ordinary training could scarcely speed his growth—its effect was almost negligible,
so he'd have to rely on age and development—and on higher-grade Haki tutelage from stronger masters—to keep up this pace,
though if he had to say, there was one more way to grow stronger…
Aos looked toward the little treasure chest beneath his bed.