Before Buggy could finish speaking, Luffy suddenly cut in.
Then he leapt into the air.
"Third Gear—Bone Balloon!"
Luffy inflated his arm, his body swelling as air rushed through him. In an instant, all that air concentrated into a single arm.
In a flash—he vanished.
Buggy froze.
"Where did that brat go?"
The spot where the straw-hatted boy had stood was now empty. Only Nami remained.
Nami looked up at the sky. Hearing Buggy's words, she shot him a teasing glance and grinned. "You're done for."
"Huh?!"
Buggy followed her gaze upward—
—and saw a massive black fist blotting out the sky.
"Ha-Haki?!"
His face turned green.
Haki… here? In the weakest sea?!
Come on—are you kidding me?!
"Split-Split—Car!"
He instantly scattered his body apart and reassembled himself into a vehicle form, wheels spinning as he tried to flee at top speed.
But how could that compare to teleportation?
"Gomu Gomu no—Gray Bear Gun!"
Luffy didn't hold back. He plunged down with a devastating punch.
BOOM!
Before everyone's stunned eyes, the ground cracked like a spiderweb, and nearby buildings collapsed from the shockwave.
Luffy pulled his fist back as his arm returned to normal. He strode forward.
Have to admit—Buggy was tough as nails.
That punch barely grazed him.
Seriously, the guy's luck was ridiculous. If there was such a thing as "Conqueror's Luck," Buggy definitely had it.
Buggy's jaw twitched uncontrollably.
If that punch had landed cleanly, he'd be shaking hands with the Grim Reaper by now.
"Um… sir…"
"Enough talk. Either you join my crew, or you die. Choose."
Buggy didn't hesitate in the slightest. Like a pecking chicken, he nodded furiously. "I-I'll join your crew! Don't kill me!"
"See? Was that so hard?"
Luffy grabbed Buggy by the head and called over his shoulder, "Let's go, Nami. Get his charts. And Zoro—tame his men. They either join us, or they die."
"Yes!"
Nami hurried after him.
Zoro turned to the trembling pirates and gave them a… very friendly smile.
…
Not long after, Buggy—now promoted to Second Division Captain—became Luffy's underling, along with a dozen of his core crew.
As for the rest of the weaklings, Luffy couldn't be bothered with them. After Buggy begged for their lives again and again, he let them go.
Of course, that didn't mean they got off scot-free.
Before releasing them, Luffy stripped them of every treasure they had—nearly down to their underwear.
The haul was impressive.
Not only did they get a complete Grand Line chart, but also treasure worth ten million Berries!
Look at that—overnight millionaires.
"Set sail! Next destination!"
Luffy waved to the village chief, who was still overwhelmed with emotion, then boarded the ship.
Zoro abandoned his tiny boat and joined Buggy's ship.
After all, sleeping on that dinghy was torture. At least Buggy's ship had real beds.
Which, unfortunately for Buggy, made his situation even more miserable.
Not only had he been forced into being someone else's underling…
…his "fleet" now consisted of just three people.
What kind of pirate crew was that supposed to be?!
But what could he do?
He couldn't beat Luffy. He couldn't run either—Zoro was stationed on his ship like a guard dog.
Life was miserable.
Really miserable.
…
"Nami, where are we headed next?" Luffy asked on the main ship, looking at Nami clinging to a pile of treasure with Berries reflected in her eyes.
"Uh… next stop?" she replied absentmindedly. "Syrup Village."
Buggy's treasure glittered like a dream, and she was completely lost in it.
And honestly, his taste was amazing. All top-tier valuables.
Even if everything together was "only" worth ten million…
"Like it?" Luffy grinned, crouching beside her and pinching her cheek.
"Yes! I love it! Luffy, I want it!"
Nami stared at him with wide, pleading eyes, batting her lashes adorably.
"Hmm," Luffy raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I say I manage the money?"
She immediately protested.
Wrapping her arms around Luffy, she pressed his arm tightly against her soft chest and whined sweetly, "Luffy, don't be mean~ I'll handle the money and you can handle me, okay?"
Luffy: "…"
He laughed and ruffled her hair. "That alone's not enough."
"Then…"
Nami bit her lip, clearly understanding what he meant.
They'd already kissed once. What was one more?
She leaned in boldly, wrapped her arms around his head, and kissed him.
Luffy: Now that's initiative.
…
Syrup Village—the place where Usopp would come aboard.
It was also the home of Kaya, one of the story's beauties.
She looked frail, sure—but she was rich.
If she joined the crew, their wallet would get a serious upgrade.
And most importantly…
The Going Merry was there.
After setting aside a small portion of the ten million Berries for Nami's personal use and putting the rest toward crew expenses, she was over the moon—literally planting kiss after kiss on Luffy.
Truly, a professional money lover.
Meanwhile, during the two-day voyage, Luffy also went to Buggy's ship and taught Buggy and Zoro the Six Powers and both types of Haki.
By the end of it, Buggy's respect for Luffy was absolute, and any thought of escape was gone.
Pirates still had their own code.
Luffy taught him for real. There was no way Buggy would just run without repaying that kindness.
All in all, by the time the two days of sailing ended…
Zoro and Buggy had both grown noticeably stronger.
And the two ships finally anchored off the coast of Syrup Village.
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T/N:
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