"What a nice shopkeep!" Usopp said, petting the green bull, apparently not minding how slimy his hand got.
"Psh, we should'a gotten the blue one." Buggy leaned back in his seat, trying his damndest not to think about how close he was to falling off. Not only was the bull (for some damn reason Usopp had named it "Marinemo") slippery as all hell, it also had a tendency to do sharp turns pretty much whenever it wanted to. Although Usopp didn't seem to find the bumpy ride too distracting, Buggy was of a different opinion.
He didn't want to drown. That was his entire thing at the moment.
"Hey, Buggy, do you want something?" Usopp asked.
"Huh?" Buggy turned to Usopp, finding that they had come to a stop in front of a little water-bound shop. Meat hung in clusters from the roof of it, rich, steamy vapour rising from them in wisps of delicious aroma. Buggy's mouth watered. "Oh, uh, sure?"
When had he eaten last? As Usopp handed him a shishkebab of meat, Buggy realized that this will probably be his lunch. He took a bite. If this was his lunch… he was very fine with it. The meat melted in his mouth, something that Buggy hadn't experienced in many a year. It was tasty. Very, very tasty, and before Buggy knew it, he'd eaten his entire portion.
He gave an unhappy grunt and returned to silently fearing for his life.
The waterway in front of them was filled with people and bulls and little shops. Apparently, this must have been one of the main streets, considering how populated it was. No little amount of gazes were directed towards Buggy and his captor. Maybe it was the shackles, maybe a few people recognized his face, or maybe-,
"Here you go, Buggy!" Usopp said happily, handing him a bunch of what seemed to be colourful waterdrops.
-Maybe it was the way Usopp treated him. Buggy accepted the colourful things somewhat hesitantly. "The hell is this?" The globs seemed to lack any solidity, swaying to side to side with the movements of the bull.
"It's mizu mizu candy, try one!" Usopp said, slurping down one of his own.
Buggy looked at him, looked at his own candies, and tried one. It couldn't hurt, right?
...It was pretty damn tasty.
Looking back up, he noticed Usopp was staring at him. Smiling. "Everything alright there, Usopp?"
"Huh? Oh, um, yeah! I was just… no, it's nothing." Usopp turned away, scratching his neck. "Don't worry about it, yeah?"
Yeah, alright. Sure.
Something evidently hit Usopp, as his eyes suddenly flared wide open and he rolled up the sleeve on his right arm, revealing a brown and gold watch of the most ordinary make. He looked at it for a moment before glancing back up, eyes filled with panic. "-Shoot, we've gotta hurry! Marinemo, take us to the Blue Station! As quickly as possible!"
The bull neighed happily (as they always do) and picked up the pace.
Now, Buggy had no idea where the station was supposed to be, but even then, just going by how Usopp reacted to it, it didn't seem like the bull was taking the right path. It went into a bystreet, ran up a downward stream and generally seemed to be heading someplace that wasn't anywhere close to the sea. Usopp seemed to be torn between panicking too much to say something and reprimanding the bull. In other words, his words came out as nervous stutters that not even Buggy could understand.
Not that Buggy cared so much about what Usopp was saying, that is. No, he was fully occupied with trying not to fall off and drown.
Hell, when the bull slowed down enough for him to focus on not holding the saddle as hard as he could, he noticed, somewhat absently, that they were far from where they were before. Far up, that is. Very high up. Wow, he could even see Usopp's shitty little ship!
...Hold on. Were they?...
At the very top of the city?
"Holy fucking shit," Buggy breathed. The bull and his tiny ass saddle wouldn't save him now. He grabbed Usopp's hand as tightly as he damn well could. If he was drowning, so would Usopp for dragging him into this damn hell!
The youngster's head swivelled around to face Buggy, his eyes darting between the teeth-gritted hell-ready pirate and his hand.
His face turned red as a beet, but Buggy didn't notice it, since the bull had apparently decided the time to sight-see was now over.
It rushed down a speeding waterway with the ferocity and quickness of a cheetah, and Buggy could no longer make a difference between the whistling winds, the roaring waves, or Usopp screaming in fear. It was all the same, not that he could hear it much over his rapidly beating heart.
The bull made a few sharp turns around a few sharp corners, grinning the entire time, until… It slowed down. And came to a stop.
"Huh, wouldja look at that," Buggy said, squinting at the building in front of them. "It's Blue Station."
Indeed, there was the building they'd been looking for. White spires rose to the heavens, holding up a large blue roof, the side of it emblazoned with the name "Blue Station" in bold, obvious letters. Usopp breathed a shaky sigh of relief. "W-, we made it!"
And with that, the marine stepped off of the bull with his captor in tow, only realizing once they got off the bull that he was still holding Buggy's hand. "Ack!" he gasped, jerking his hand out of Buggy's.
"Hm," Buggy said, looking at the bull and not his embarrassed captor. "How's it gonna get back?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, I-, erm, it'll find its way back. Don't worry about it," Usopp said before giving the bull a wave as it sped off into the distance. "Bye-bye, Marinemo!"
Buggy waved tiredly at the bull. It waved back.
Good lord.
"Come on Buggy, we've gotta hurry!" Usopp suddenly said, yanking on Buggy's chains.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Buggy replied, following Usopp rather slowly. Maybe he was just a bit too tired for this, maybe his heart still hadn't calmed down, but he couldn't bring himself to hurry. His legs felt like overcooked linguini.
Usopp frowned. His face conveyed one message: "that won't do." Buggy didn't have time to respond to that hidden message before Usopp approached him, threw him off of his feet, caught him in a princess-carry, and proceeded to run with him in his arms towards the station. A minute or so later and Usopp boarded some large metallic snake, holding Buggy close.
Well onboard, he finally let Buggy down.
Among a sea of marines. All of which were looking at them.
Going by this one glance Buggy had gotten at the inside, the only people aboard this particular vessel (sea-train?) were marines, most of which were currently looking at him. And then at his captor. When Buggy also looked at Usopp, he found the man frozen stiff, paralyzed by too-many gazes.
"Ah, Commodore!"
"I'm not-, wait, who are you?" Usopp asked the person who had just now stepped up to them. The man in question, a slim, cap-wearing recruit currently saluting his superior, didn't seem off-put in the least.
"The name is Seaman Dickins, sir! Marine code 221-,"
"No, no, that's okay," Usopp interrupted. "You don't need to rabble all that off, don't-, don't worry about it." Usopp thought for a moment, studying the now-silent Seaman. He was still saluting. Usopp, in his infinite wisdom, decided to mirror his professionalism and so straightened his back, instantly transforming from a young, impressionable boy into a respectable man. The process was staggering, and Buggy watched it slack-jawed. "What's the matter, Seaman?"
The seaman clacked his heels together. "Allow me to escort you and the prisoner to the proper cabin, sir."
Proper cabin? They couldn't just stand here? "Yes, by all means."
Watching Usopp act like a real marine officer while they walked through the many cabins was… odd, really. Polite smiles and light nods and brief greetings. He was almost a completely different kind of person compared to the one Buggy knew in private. Or was it private? Maybe he was just softening him up to-,
...No, not even Buggy was stupid enough to think the Usopp he knew below-deck had been some sort of act.
After a minute of walking at most, they arrived at the cabin closest to the locomotive itself. Compared to the cabin they had entered earlier, this one was far posher, with fine velvet lining the seat and tender curtains around the windows outside. The second Buggy sat down, Usopp right beside him, the sea-train started moving with a great whistle.
Buggy jumped at the sudden sound and movement, his eyes shooting outside to see what the hell was going on. The iron serpent was moving.
Well, colour him purple! Usopp had been right all along!
Speaking of Usopp, the young marine was currently torn between looking gravely serious and fawning at the situation by staring out the window at the sea and everything. Seeing Usopp try to act in such opposition to how he truly was… it was sort of cute, really. N-, not that Buggy considered Usopp cute or anything. He meant cute in the sarcastic, derogatory way, not in the "adorable" way!
Apart from Buggy and Usopp, not many people were in the first cabin. Two guards stood by the door, and a few people (also bearing justice coats) sat a few seats away, chattering about this and that and what pirates they had captured last. Buggy couldn't bear to listen to it, and Usopp seemed to be of the same opinion.
However, it was clear Usopp had no intention of speaking to Buggy.
Or, well, it was obvious he wanted to, but among marines, he had no choice but to tie his tongue. A marine officer speaking to a pirate… why, it would be a scandal, to say the least!
Had Buggy been any less clever, he might not have noticed his upper hand in this game. He might not have realized what power he held over Usopp, what secrets he could unveil to Usopp's peers, superiors and subordinates. If he acted like they were chums, which they pretty much were, if he simply brought out the goofiness inside Usopp…
Buggy thought about it for a moment, glanced at Usopp, and decided not to even consider doing something like that.
Usopp was a good kid, despite all the weird things he did. He could have been so much worse than he was, he could have done so many terrible things and there wouldn't have been a thing Buggy could have done to oppose it. And yet, he didn't. If anything, Usopp had acted as a fresh breeze, a cool spring in a desert of loneliness. Alcohol and things aside, Usopp had acted as a true friend.
Even just now, what with going on the bull-riding and eating food and seeing a normal island and-,
An idea flashed through Buggy's mind. A single little thought that tied back to a single little thing that Usopp had said earlier that day. Or, rather, what he hadn't said.
Buggy was no fool. He could tell something here had been done, that something about this whole situation had been manipulated. Why wouldn't he and Usopp simply travel with the warships to Enies Lobby? Why would they go through Water 7? Why take a damn sea-train of all things?
The answer was simple.
It was a final gesture to him. A final look at all the good the world had to offer before it was ripped from him. A moment of leisure before it all went to hell.
Buggy accepted this fact without much fight. He leaned back, and gazed out at the waves.
He couldn't find it in him to be angry at Usopp.
What was there to be angry at, anyways? That he went out of his way to befriend an old sponge like Buggy? That he cared enough to let Buggy have one last day in the sun?
Buggy wasn't anywhere near cynical enough to think Usopp did this to tease him.
The sea flashed past, and Buggy let his mind focus on the waves, on the movements of the sea-train and the young boy beside him. He'd gotten so far. Was it wrong for Buggy to feel a little proud? He'd brought this out of Usopp, hadn't he? He'd made him reconsider his life, and try damn hard to become something. Maybe Buggy would pay for this in blood, but it was still a pretty neat legacy.
Buggy let his senses wander as two marines stepped up to the table.
The two glanced at each other, and back to Usopp. The left one, a rather overweight fellow, did a shaky salute. "S-, sir, Commander Usopp, sir!"
Usopp squinted at the two. Normally, this is the moment when he would deny being a Commander, but the last time he saw a salute as shaky as that, pirates were attacking. "...What's the situation, Recruit?" he asked, fully ready to dart from his table and prepare himself for battle.
The right one, taller than the other, smiled sheepishly. "I, er, erm," the left one jabbed an elbow in his side, "Yowch!" With that, he did a salute, slightly less shaky than the left one's, all the while sending him a glare. "Sir, I've been meaning to ask… is it true?"
Usopp gave him a blank stare. "-Is what true?"
The right one gave Buggy a glance. "That-, that is Buggy the Clown, isn't it?..." Usopp nodded slowly. "-Then, you're aware of the rumours, right?"
"What rumours?"
"Oh, it's nothing concrete, sir, just… Just that Red-Hair Shanks might react once the news of Buggy the Clown's capture is made public."
At this, Buggy perked up. The two recruits didn't seem to notice it, but Usopp did. His ear seemed to grow in size as he listened intently to what was being said. "-Recruit, even if that were the case, it is the duty of higher-ranking officials to decide whether or not that will be a factor in his capture, sentencing and verdict."
The left one butted in, nodding fervently. "Well, yes, of course sir! We 'ain't expectin' any different!" He scratched his neck. "See, we just wanted ta talk to the up 'n comer before he went too high to reach." He paused, and gave Usopp a meek look. "It 'ain't outta line, is it, sir?..."
"Oh, no, of course not, Recruit. It's perfectly alright. You shouldn't worry like that though, I don't think I'll get much higher than this. B-, but, it still isn't confirmed!"
The right one chuckled. "No worries there, sir, cat's as good as in the bag! No doubts you'll get far, just you wait and see!" He gave Buggy a quiet, worrisome glance. "-Though, you should keep an eye on him. Seems a bit sketchy to me."
Buggy jerked at the accusation, but kept his mouth shut, which Usopp appreciated. "H-, heh, no worries, it'll be fine! If I could capture him, I can bring him there! Now run off you two, I've got business to complete."
The two glanced at each other, nodded, did a salute, and left.
Meanwhile, Usopp sank into his own thoughts.
Red-Hair Shanks, huh...
That might be a problem.