Luffy and Buggy had officially started their fight, with Buggy disconnecting with his legs and sending them twirling like a twister at Luffy before throwing some knives at him in midair, forcing him to dodge. And then when Luffy sent a fist in Buggy's direction, the clown dodged in and prepared to cut it before Luffy flew right at him, forcing him to dodge again.
After Luffy crashed into some rubble, Shang-Chi blinked, beginning to wake up again.
"Damn, you keep breaking into pieces," Luffy complained as he managed to get back out, Buggy just laughing in response.
As they fought, Shang-Chi slowly woke back up, groaning softly. He'd always been a light sleeper and as much as he wanted to rest, their noise wouldn't let him. So instead, he just watched and hoped it would be over soon.
"Chop-Chop Cannon!" Buggy cried, launching his fist at Luffy with four knives between his knuckles which Luffy just barely managed to grab hold of and stop.
Damn, Luffy thought. He's tougher than I thought he would be.
"Separate," Buggy grinned.
The hand separated in two, nearly slicing through Luffy and brushing over his hat. He cried out and stumbled back, falling into the rubble as the two pieces flew overhead and away. It was then he noticed the cut on the hat and felt the familiar feeling of rage engulf him.
"So runt, you want to give up yet?" Buggy asked before frowning as Luffy set up, a cold expression on his face as he held up his hat.
"You bastard!" he cried.
"How's that? Was I not supposed to scratch your face or something."
Luffy hadn't even noticed the cut on his cheek and he didn't care. He just glared down at his hat, shadows covering his eyes. "Bastard," he repeated softly, staring right at the gouge in the hat. "No one damages my lucky hat and walks away from it alive."
"Heh?"
"This hat is my only treasure! And anyone who so much as lays a finger on it is gonna pay!" he almost screamed.
Shang-Chi was more awake now and he blinked at Luffy's response. He'd never seen Luffy lose his cool like this before. What was so special about that hat? What meaning did it have to faze him like this?
Luffy just continued to grit his teeth in anger at his hat. He couldn't imagine Shanks ever letting someone doing it when he had the hat. And he had trusted Luffy with it. And now, Luffy had let him down, allowing his first real opponent to cut it up.
"Hmmm. It seems that hat has a history to it," Buggy commented dryly.
"That's right!"
"Is it really all that special?" Buggy asked, all the while his hand floated up from behind Luffy, ready to attack again.
"Luffy, look out!" Shang-Chi cried out.
Luffy instantly turned around, spotting the knife chucked his way. He threw himself to the side in time, the knife flying right past him.
"If that's the case, YOU SHOULD PROTECT IT!" Buggy screeched as his flying fist soared right into the hat, tearing into it as it ripped the hat away from Luffy's grasp.
Luffy gasped in shock, seeing his beloved possession get torn like that. Images flashed through his mind of meeting Shanks for the first time, partying with him and his crewmates, listening to Uta as she sang, the battle with Higuma and his bandits, the giant Sea King that snapped up Shanks's arm as he saved Luffy, and Shanks handing Luffy his hat along with the final words he said. "I'll leave this hat to you. It means more to me than anything in the world so you'd better take good care of it. You hear me? I want you to bring this hat back to me someday in good condition, and only once you've become a great pirate. That's our promise, Luffy.
And then he had left, and Luffy had never seen him again. But that promise had stuck with him and no matter what had happened, he'd always made sure to keep the hat safe.
Until now.
Now, he could only watch in rage and horror as Buggy brought the hat back on his fist, reuniting it with his arm. "How is this old, tattered hat a treasure? Hahahahaha! Treasure refers to sparkling gold, silver, and jewels and all those things reflect their owners' grandeur. You really consider this worthless, dirty straw hat a treasure? You need to grow up boy. Hahahahahaha!"
"Shut up!" Luffy cried, feeling more rage inside him than he had felt in a long time, not since the burning of Gray Terminal. "When Shanks gave me that, I made a promise."
"What?" Shang-Chi muttered, shocked. He hadn't misheard before? Luffy was actually talking about Shanks?
"What?" Buggy said, shocked as well. He looked up at the Straw Hat more closely. "So you're telling me that this used to be Shanks's hat? No wonder it looked so familiar." He then tossed it on the ground contemptuously. "He always wore it when I knew him."
Now both Shang-Chi and Luffy stared at Buggy in surprise. "So you and Shanks were members of the same pirate crew?" Luffy asked him.
"There's just no way," Shang-Chi muttered to himself. "He must be lying."
"Yeah," Buggy grinned. "Back when we were pirates in training. We were fellow comrades. That damn, detestable, red-haired bastard!" As he cried that, he stomped down on the hat as hard as he could, almost flattening it.
As Sabine moved to get up, her hand brushed up against something. She looked up and gasped softly as she saw her gun right in front of her. But that excitement died quickly as she remembered how quickly Zelda could move. She dodged the bullets with ease. And Sabine only had one left, so what could she…
"Hitting a still target is easy."
Sabine blinked as the memory washed over her, bringing her back to her home of Krownest. Standing in front of her were ten targets, each at a different distance and position and each with a smoking hole in their heads. Sabine had been feeling pretty proud of herself until her mother started talking.
"Let's try these," she'd said, leading Sabine to a new room where another ten targets awaited. Except this time, when Sabine began to shoot, they started to move around. No matter what Sabine tried or how many times she fired, she wasn't able to strike a single one.
"In a real battle, the enemy is rarely still. They will be constantly on the move and so must you. Watch." Her mother pulled out her gun and in ten sharp blasts, all ten targets had smoking holes. Sabine stared agape at the sight. "You must watch and see not where they are, but where they will be. Then, you can strike them down."
Strike where they will be. Where she'll be.
Sabine grabbed hold of the gun and took a breath before turning towards Zelda again, pointing the gun.
"Again? Really?" Zelda snorted. "Your bullets are no match for my snake dance."
To prove that, she started moving again, her body twisting and twirling around so much that it was almost impossible to get a read on her. Her arms looked like they had multiplied at times. Sabine focused, trying to pinpoint anything, but she still couldn't see it.
She did see Nami behind Zelda, slowly getting to her feet, staff in hand.
Come on Sabine, she thought desperately. Look for it. Find it. She's just like a…target…
And then Sabine saw it. Her movements, her dance. She could see how Zelda was going to move, where she was going to be. She looked behind the woman directly into Nami's eyes who nodded back. One chance. That was all they needed.
Sabine breathed out and took aim, focusing harder than she ever had before.
BANG!
The bullet shot forward and Zelda moved, but not away from the bullet like she thought. Instead, her arm shifted right into the bullet's path, letting it strike spot-on.
"YAAAAHHHHH!" Zelda shrieked, clutching her arm. "What? How?"
She didn't have time to wonder as Nami struck from behind, clubbing the snake woman on the head. Zelda gave one last groan before sinking to the floor. Her snake hissed madly at the treatment of its mistress, but with Zelda out of the picture, Sabine was able to give it her full attention and slammed it into the wall before punching it with her free arm and finally tossing it onto Zelda's limp form.
"Finally," she groaned, stretching her right arm which had been carrying the damn snake all this time. "I officially hate snakes."
Luffy growled loudly, seeing his precious hat getting treated that way. He instantly charged right for Buggy, aiming to kick his ass with everything he had. "Shanks is a much better man than you'll ever be! You don't have the right to call him comrade! And don't you ever badmouth him again!"
"Time for my Chop-Chop Quick Escape!" Buggy chortled, disconnecting his head. However, he was too slow as Luffy slammed right into his body, kicking him hard in the chest and sending it and his head down to the ground.
"I don't want you to ever mention Shanks's name to me again, bastard!" Luffy declared.
Buggy coughed as he reconnected with his body, recovering from that kick. "I can say whatever I want about Shanks," he managed to say but before he could continue, Luffy grabbed hold of his cheeks and began pulling on them.
"Tell me, what happened between you and Shanks and where can I find him now?" Luffy demanded but Buggy was too busy spluttering to reply. "Damn it," Luffy said a second later, letting Buggy fall. "How dare you tear up my treasured straw hat."
"Do you really wanna know?" Buggy asked, still spluttering a little. "He's the one person that I loathe. I'll curse his name for the rest of my life. As long as there's breath in my body Shanks, I will never forgive you."
Shang-Chi just stared at the two of them, completely flabbergasted. "They actually know the Pirate Emperor Red-Haired Shanks?" he muttered to himself. "Oh what the hell have I gotten myself into?"
"In all my life, I've never been as mad at someone as him," Buggy continued. "That bastard Shanks stole countless riches from me. I don't know how you two are connected, but I can say whatever I want about him! I've earned that! We were rivals together, on that ship of ours." Buggy flashed back to those memories, of the way the two of them used to fight over random topics, like whether or not the South or the North pole was colder. "He was always going on about finding a crew and seeing the world, sentimental crap like that. He was nothing like a pirate should be, even from the start. Pirates are about fighting and plundering, nothing more. But then the day came, when after we plundered another vessel, I found a treasure map leading to the bottom of the ocean. With that loot, I could get my own ship and crew and become the greatest pirate in the world. But then, fortune struck again when I learned we had also looted a Devil Fruit from the ship and I saw a golden opportunity to get even more treasure by selling it. I tricked my crew with by eating a fake fruit in front of them and making them think there was no Devil Fruit at all. Then I prepared to get the hell out of there with the real Fruit and map in hand. But before I could, Shanks surprised me and I had to put the Fruit in my mouth to hide it."
Shang-Chi and Luffy blinked at that, both beginning to realize where this was going, albeit one a little slower than the other.
What an idiot, Shang-Chi thought.
"Then, when I thought he left, he surprised me again. So much in fact that I accidentally swallowed the damn thing. That's how I got my Chop-Chop powers."
Yep. He's an idiot.
I don't really see how that's Shanks's fault, Luffy thought to himself, scratching his head.
"That's when I attacked him. But when I did, the map fell out of my grasp and right into the water below. Before I knew it, it was gone too and all my dreams with it. I tried to jump in after it, but as you know, no Devil Fruit users can swim and I sunk like a stone. And then, that damn red-haired bastard had the gall to go after me and drag me back up to the surface." Buggy's teeth were grinding against each other as he finished the story.
Shang-Chi stared at him. How on earth did someone as idiotic as him become a pirate captain?
"So, are you telling me that Shanks save your life?" Luffy asked curiously.
"No, that's not the point I'm trying to get across!" Buggy yelled. "Because of him I was unable to swim and therefore unable to obtain my sunken treasure! Then-"
"I'm sorry, I have to interrupt."
Both Buggy and Luffy turned to Shang-Chi who slowly got back up on his feet. "Are you seriously telling me that the two of you know Shanks?" he asked.
"Well of course I do, weren't you listening?"
"Yeah I do, he used to stop by my hometown of Windmill Village all the time when I saw a kid."
Shang-Chi gaped. "The Red-Haired Shanks? Bright red hair, one arm, captain of the Red Hair Pirates aboard the Red Force? That guy?"
"Yeah, that's him. What you know him or something?" Luffy asked.
"One arm?" Buggy questioned.
Shang-Chi just gaped even more, his jaw practically dropping to the ground. "Do I know him? Any pirate worth his salt knows Red-Haired Shanks. He's one of the most powerful pirates in the world, one of the Pirate Emperors of the Grand Line. You're telling me you were friends with him?"
Nami huffed. "Nice shot," she said.
"Thanks."
"But why the arm? Why didn't you shoot her body or head?"
"Couldn't predict where she'd go," Sabine replied. "She was constantly moving her limbs around to confuse me but she fell into a pattern easy to predict. Her body and head, well, she showed before how easily she dodges shots aimed there. It was a gamble, but it paid off."
"That it did!"
Sabine blinked at the sudden change in Nami's voice and blinked again when she saw her expression. It was almost like her eyes had changed into Berry signs.
"We can finally get the gold. Come on!" she exclaimed eagerly, pulling Sabine along towards the door with the shattered lock. Nami lit up a lamp and opened the door, squealing at the sight inside. "Look at all this stuff!" she cried, kneeling down next to it and picking up handfuls of coins and jewels. "And every last bit of it is-"
"Ours," Sabine interrupted. "We defeated Zelda together and Luffy and the others are out there fighting Buggy and his men. So we deserve some of it too, don't you think?"
"But when I said I was going after the treasure before, all he said was 'thanks, see ya,'" Nami protested. She felt her heart sink with Sabine's words. She was technically right and Nami did feel a little guilty about taking the treasure. But, she needed it. With this amount, it wouldn't take much to finally complete her deal with Arlong. To free her home.
"Yeah well, too bad. Cause I don't agree. Here." Sabine kneeled down and removed her helmet, filling it to the brim with gold and jewels. "We'll take this much. We don't need a lot, to be honest. Shang-Chi seems to be pretty loaded. But we do need a ship and this should cover it. So this will be our stash and the rest is yours. How's that?"
Nami stared at her, completely shocked. "Yo-you would do that? Even though you're a pirate?"
"I've actually not been a pirate for long," Sabine told her. "I used to be a Marine but…I saw how corrupt they were and left. And then I met Luffy and…I don't know. He didn't act like a pirate. He just genuinely likes adventuring, not hurting people. And he said he would stick by me no matter what. So, I joined him and here we are."
Nami blinked, not expecting that. Every pirate she'd met so far had been a lowlife scumbag who enjoyed hurting innocent people. But maybe there were exceptions.
"Don't get me wrong, I really do want to take it all," Sabine said, eyeing the gold greedily. It did look really appealing to just carry all that off. "But you said your goal was to reach a hundred-million Berries, right? And I don't think that was just for your own sake. You're doing it for something important." Nami gaped and Sabine knew she was right. "So, you clearly need it more than us. So yeah, take it."
Nami felt tears well up but she quickly shoved them back down. "Uh, thanks," she said quietly, not sure what else to say in that moment. She quickly started moving, spotting a large sack in the corner. "Let's start packing it all up then."
She then noticed the large chest against the wall. "Hey," she said, "I bet the chart is in here."
"We're also taking that," Sabine told her. "We need that more than you."
Nami sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's all yours. Here, I'm pretty sure that guy we knocked out had the key."
A few seconds later she was opening up the lock and grinning at the sight of the chart inside. She unfurled it to make sure before, reluctantly, handing it over to Sabine who also looked it over.
"Alright, let's get out of here, shall we?"
"Whoa!" Luffy gasped, stars in his eyes. "I didn't know Shanks got that powerful. Good for him! Aw man, I can't wait to see him again!"
"WHAT?" Buggy screeched. "That red-haired bastard went and became an emperor! How dare he! First he takes my Devil Fruit reward, then my treasure map, and now he has the audacity to upstage me like this? Fine then! I guess I'll just have to become a Pirate Emperor as well to beat him."
"Good luck with that," Shang-Chi muttered, thinking about the other pirates numbered amongst the Emperors and how powerful each of them were. He had to suppress a shudder.
"And then I'll become King of the Pirates," Buggy continued, "and show that bastard up one. Yes, that will be glorious."
"The hell you will!" Luffy shouted, angry again. "I'm going to be King of the Pirates. I don't care if you want to be an Emperor or whatever, but there can only be one King and that's me."
"Oh will you now, boy? Well, it's like I told Shanks. When pirates meet, they fight to the death. You're right, there can only be one King. And that's going to be me!" he suddenly cried, his top half flying forward. "Now die flashily!"
Luffy sprang back on instinct, dodging the attack, but missed as Buggy's arm suddenly split off as well and came for him, knife in hand. "Ah!" he cried, moving quickly to the side as the knife made a small scratch on his cheek instead of impaling him.
"You're quick. But I have Pulver on my crew. Dodge all you like, there's no way-OUFGH!"
Buggy was sent into the wall after Luffy's fist stretched out into his face. He groaned and sort of flopped onto the ground for a second. "That was a cheap shot, kid."
"You're one to talk," Shang-Chi grumbled.
"I am, aren't I?"
"Ah!" Luffy cried again, Buggy's detached fist coming at him from behind. He leapt away, again barely escaping being stabbed. But before he could do anything, he suddenly felt a painful sensation in his leg. "OW!" he yelled, hopping away on one foot. He glanced back and saw Buggy's detached foot there, the small knife still sticking out of the boot.
"Give it up kid, there's no way your Gum-Gum powers can beat my Chop-Chop ones."
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that, Big Nose!"
"STOP MAKING FUN OF MY NOSE, STRAW HAT!" Buggy screeched. "Chop-Chop Onslaught!"
Both his fists and feet suddenly came surging forward, attacking Luffy simultaneously. He dodged back but they kept coming for him, forcing him to stay on the move. He ducked under a knife-held fist and hopped away from a foot, but missed the other foot which landed another cut on him. A second later, the other fist scored a cut along his shoulder.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Luffy complained. He managed to swat one of the fists aside but only just managed to throw his head back to dodge the other fist. "This is so annoying! Stop being a coward and just fight me yourself!"
"And why would I do that when this is so much more fun?" Buggy asked, grinning.
Shang-Chi groaned. He wanted to help his captain out here but he was still too weak. It was taking more of his concentration at this point to just stay conscious. Besides, he didn't think his captain wanted his help. This was his fight, and he had to win it his way.
Luffy was getting more and more frustrated the longer this went on. He was used to fighting in straight up brawls, like with Ace or those wild animals back in Foosha. But the way Buggy fought was completely new to him. And he didn't like it.
"Let's end this," Buggy smirked. "Chop-Chop Cannon!"
His fists gained a burst of speed and flew at Luffy like cannonballs, aiming right for his head and chest.
"Not this time!" Luffy replied, leaning back to avoid the attack.
"Ha! Forgot about these didn't you?" Buggy cried out, his feet now soaring forward. But before they could do anything, Luffy, who was still leaning back, stretched out his arms towards the ground and lifted his feet off, just avoiding Buggy's attack. He then brought his feet back down hard, slamming into Buggy's and holding them fast.
"Try poking me now, you stupid feet!" Luffy cheered.
"What the hell? Get off me!" Buggy demanded, bringing his hands back for another attack. Luffy was ready for them, stretching his arms back and out again to catch the hands firmly.
"Let's see how you like being poked!" he yelled, thrusting the hands down towards Buggy's feet.
"Ah! Stop that!" Buggy cried, quickly dropping the knives before they could hit his feet. Instead, Luffy just kept bonking his hands and feet together. "Hey! I said stop it! Get off my feet! And let go of my hands! Here, how about this!"
He moved his hands around, swinging them up into Luffy's jaw. "Ow!" Luffy cried but he didn't have a chance to recover before the other fist swung into his face. "Quit hitting me!"
The two proceeded to struggle with another, Luffy pushing the hands away as much as he could while Buggy did his best to try and punch Luffy, leading to them flailing around wildly mid place.
"This has got to be the stupidest fight ever," Shang-Chi muttered, shaking his head.
Eventually, Luffy had enough and threw the hands away. "Stop messing around and just fight me!"
"Alright," Buggy said, picking up his knives. "Now let's-"
"And take these back as well!" Luffy interrupted, kicking Buggy's feet over to him. However, as soon as he did, Buggy's floating body suddenly collapsed to the ground, leaving him groaning slightly on the street.
"Huh?" Luffy scratched his head. "What happened? You trip or something?"
"Shut up, you rubber bastard!"
"He needs his feet to be on the ground. Interesting," Shang-Chi commented.
At that moment, Nami and Sabine arrived at the corner of the street, the massive amount of treasure with them. Sabine was glad to see that Luffy and Shang-Chi were still there, though a little concerned at the sight of Zoro lying prone in the street until she realized he was sleeping. She had been worried that she would be forced to deal with the other Buggy Pirates if they had failed and after her match with Zelda, she wasn't sure she could do it. But it seemed now Buggy was the last one left.
"They're still going at it?" Nami asked incredulously. "I can't believe these guys."
"You damn Straw Hat! You're proving to be even more annoying than that Red-Haired bastard! Well no matter what, you won't defeat me or steal my treasure!"
"I don't care about your treasure, I just want to kick your ass!" Luffy shot back.
"WHAT?" Buggy cried out in shock. "What kind of pirate isn't after treasure? Plundering treasure is a pirate's natural hunger and desire. You really are just like Shanks, aren't you? You won't make it very far on these seas with that attitude. Me on the other hand, I'll-"
"But Shanks did," Shang-Chi interrupted. "He's a Pirate Emperor now."
"Yeah, and he wasn't all that interested in treasure," Luffy added, tilting his head as he recalled all those times at Patty's Bar where he had hung out with Shanks. "He just wanted an adventure with friends. To carry out his dreams. And that's what I want too."
"So what?" Buggy demanded, his face glowing almost the same color as his nose. "I'll still surpass him and show him what it really means to be a pirate!"
"How?" Shang-Chi questioned, eyebrow raised. "You're not even the most powerful pirate in the East Blue. That would be Arlong. And that's not including pirates like Don Krieg or Dragon Richard out there as well."
Nami flinched at that name. She knew all too well how powerful and feared Arlong was. She was thankful that Sabine was too busy watching to notice her reaction.
I'm out of here, she thought, taking hold of her treasure and doing her best to sneakily escape while Sabine was distracted. She hated to just cut and run like that, but there really was no purpose in staying here longer.
Buggy also winced at those names, knowing just how powerful those pirates were. But that didn't change his mind. He was about to launch another tirade when he noticed Sabine and Nami in the back of the street, treasure bag in hand. He felt more rage coursing through him than ever before, but he also thought this would be a good opportunity. "You know, all those years ago when Shanks stole my dream away from he, I had a revelation. If I couldn't go underwater, then I would obtain all the treasure on dry land using my brand new Chop-Chop powers." As he spoke, his upper half rose up into the air. "And now, I won't let anyone who touches my treasure live. DEATH TO THOSE WHO TRY TO PILFER MY HARD-EARNED TREASURE!" he yelled, flying right towards Nami and Sabine. "GET BACK HERE YOU THIEf!"
Nami turned at that word and screamed as she saw Buggy coming right for her and took off running. "Damn it! He spotted me!"
"Nami!" Sabine cried in alarm, reaching for her pistols only to realize they were useless right now.
Luffy looked at her and then glanced back at Buggy's lower half, standing motionless nearby.
"You don't stand a chance of escaping from me. Now, I'm going to flashily chop you up."
He was right in front of Nami, who cowered down in anticipation for the killing blow, when he stopped. Right in midair. For an instant, everything was still.
ACK…eck…uck…" he garbled, his face distorting from pain.
Nami slowly looked up to see Buggy hovering right in front of her, his mouth agape. Sabine, who had been running after, came to a stop as well, not sure what to do. Then, she turned and saw Luffy.
His foot was planted firmly up Buggy's open crotch. One could practically hear what sounded like eggs cracking.
"Oh!" she winced. "Right in the coconuts."
"What a savage move," Shang-Chi muttered, unconsciously covering his groin.
Buggy's top half collapsed on the street, in too much pain to even whimper, while Nami just stared, still in shock.
"Ow…my balls…my balls…that was a cheap shot," Buggy managed, wheezing slightly.
"Don't run off yet," Luffy smirked at him while Buggy's legs danced in pain behind him, "we're not done." He then noticed Nami and her large bag of treasure. "Hey," he called out, grabbing her attention, "you better drop that treasure and get out of here Nami. You don't want him coming after you again."
"No!" she replied firmly. "Drop the money and go? No way. Why should I leave my treasure behind?"
"Heh…did you just call it your treasure?" Buggy growled up from the ground.
"Oh that's not good," Sabine muttered, really wishing she had her pistols working.
"That's right, you heard me," Nami said down to him. "I'm a thief who steals from pirates and I just stole a lot of treasure from a really annoying one. So that makes this my treasure now, understand?"
"Ah, that makes sense," Luffy nodded, pounding his fist into his hand.
"It does?" Shang-Chi asked.
"Sort of," Sabine chimed in.
"That's pure nonsense!" Buggy argued. He couldn't believe that after all his hard work stealing all that treasure, this evil little girl was going to just take it away from him like that. "That's my treasure and just because you stole it from me doesn't make it yours you dirty, sneaky thief! Honestly, what did your parent's teach you?"
Sabine was closer than anyone else, so while it seemed as if Nami was merely adopting a haughty attitude as she talked, she noticed the ticks in her face and the tension in her muscles. That line had struck a major nerve that she was doing her best to hide.
"A criminal trying to lecture another criminal? Ridiculous."
"What's that?" Buggy questioned.
"Whatever. The day I take a morality lesson from you is the day I stop being a thief." She then stuck her tongue out at him, making him tremble with fury.
"I hope you're ready for the consequences. Now, here comes…Chop-Chop Festival!" he cried, and his body split apart into at least a dozen pieces, all swarming around Nami. Luffy cried out in alarm as the legs split apart as well, bouncing over him to join their brethren.
"I'd like to see you try to save your friend from me now, Gum-Gum," Buggy laughed.
"How about me?"
"Huh?" Buggy turned and gulped as he saw the pistol barrel pointed right at his face. Sabine glared at him, her eyes as hard as steel, as she held the gun.
"Nice one Sabine!" Luffy cheered.
"Uh…let's just calm down, shall we?" Buggy tried, sweating buckets. Even though that comment about his nose enraged him to no end, he managed to hold it in this time. "No need for anything hasty."
"Make one wrong move, and I'll put a bullet through that stupid nose of yours," Sabine said, really hoping that he wouldn't call her bluff. However, she didn't realize what a big mistake she'd just made.
"What'd you say?" he shrieked, startling her. "Stop insulting my nose!"
His face suddenly split apart, surprising her even more and causing her to stumble back, her gun now pointing at empty air. He cackled from his lower head. "What good is a bullet if you have nothing to fire at, huh?"
"That is so creepy!" Sabine exclaimed, doing her best to back up. But she hadn't made it a few steps when Buggy's hand suddenly appeared and ripped the gun from her grasp, now pointing it at her face.
"Die flashily!" he cried, pulling the trigger.
"Sabine!" Luffy cried.
"No!" Nami screamed.
Click!
There was dead silence. Buggy stared at Sabine before looking back at the gun in confusion. He pulled the trigger again and just got the same clicking sound. "It's…it's empty?" he asked, rage mounting again. "YOU TRICKED ME!" he shrieked, throwing the gun at her which she just barely dodged. He reattached his head and then saw that in her hands was her helmet filled to the brim with more of his treasure. "AH! YOU STOLE MY TREASURE TOO? HOW DARE YOU!"
With a war cry, all his pieces flew right for her and she instantly started running, catching up with Nami.
"The gun was empty?" she yelled at Sabine.
"I didn't have any better ideas, ok?"
"Give me back my treasure!" Buggy screamed behind them, knives ready to slice them.
"No way!"
At that moment, Luffy had noticed Buggy's feet on the ground walking away from him and had an idea. He swiftly grabbed one of the boots, pulled the foot out of it and started tickling it.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Buggy laughed, terrifying Nami and Sabine.
"What the hell?" Sabine shrieked.
Luffy then pulled on Buggy's skin, stretching it and making him clench his teeth.
"Stop doing that!" Sabine screamed at him, wondering why he was making such strange and scary faces.
"See how you like this!" Luffy cried, slamming his fists down on the foot.
"WAAAAHHHHHH!" he screamed, his eyes practically popping from their sockets in pain.
"WAAAAHHHHHH!" Nami and Sabine screamed, having no idea what was going on.
"Damn it! Knock it off!" Buggy cried at Luffy.
"No, you knock it off!" Nami yelled, hitting him right in the head with her large bag of treasure. For a split second, they all thought she had done it. But then his face appeared over the top of the bag, grinning fiercely down at them, his hands now holding tightly to
"Thanks for giving me my treasure back Nami."
"Let go!" she cried at him, trying to rip the bag free.
"You let go!"
"So incredibly stupid," Shang-Chi muttered, shaking his head as the two continued to argue over whose treasure it was while Sabine grabbed hold of the bag as well now.
Having had enough, Buggy released his grip, letting the two of them fall back, and then shot his hands forward, knives at the ready. "DIE!" he screamed.
"I already told you, you haven't finished dealing with me yet!" Luffy screamed, racing forward to kick Buggy right in the face, sending it directly into the treasure bag and out of their grip. Buggy, the bag, and all the treasure went flying as the bag ripped, everything hitting the ground and skidding across the street, Buggy himself leaving a large gouge in the stones.
All Buggy's pieces slowly flopped to the ground and lay still, the head resting against the ripped bag of treasure, agape and unconscious.
"Consider that finishing move a little gift from the old mayor guy," Luffy told it.
Nami stared at it all for a second, needing time to recover, before she managed to get back on her feet. "Thanks a lot. I owe you one," she said, her voice warbling a little.
"Sure, no problem. Hey, Sabine," he said while Nami went after the fallen treasure, "did you get that chart."
"Yep," she replied, pulling it out of one of the compartments on her belt. "A chart of the Grand Line. Should make our travels there that much easier."
"Great!" he grinned. "I can't wait."
"AHHHH!"
They both turned, grimacing as they saw Buggy hovering over Nami like a vengeful spirit. "This isn't over yet, GUM-GUM!" he proclaimed.
"Ah, he's still alive," Luffy said, shocked.
"SHUT UP! HOW DARE YOU FLASHILY DO THIS TO ME!"
"I never really liked the word flashily before today, but now I outright hate it," Shang-Chi muttered, feeling a headache forming. Part of him was tempted to help but the other part just wanted to stay the hell out of it, so he decided to listen to that part.
"You'll pay for this!" Buggy cried, ignoring Nami as she ran off to the side towards Sabine. "Assemble Chop-Chop Parts!"
A second later, he had assembled and Shang-Chi found himself slapping his forehead. Only Buggy's arms and legs had assembled, making him look like a strange, shrunken gargoyle.
"Heh?" he said, confused.
"Looking for these Buggy?" Nami asked triumphantly, standing on top of his tied up parts. As she did, Sabine retracted her grappling line that she used to capture the parts in the first place. Once she had, Nami had noticed and helped her finish the job.
"Gah! My parts!" Buggy screamed while Luffy laughed.
"Alright! Way to go guys!" Luffy then stretched his arms back as far as they could go, grinning all the while.
"Stop it now!" Buggy cried in desperation.
"See ya Buggy! Now Gum-Gum…BAZOOKA!"
The arms came thundering back, striking Buggy dead on and sending him rocketing away into the horizon, the pirate screaming at the top of his lungs. Sabine let out a soft whistle as he disappeared while Shang-Chi just smirked, glad it was over. Nami stared unblinking, not sure what to make of that except that Luffy was way more powerful than she thought.
Luffy brought his arms back and threw them up in celebration. "I WIN!" he declared. His first real challenge on the seas and he'd won. While it hadn't been as exciting and epic as he'd hoped, it was still an incredible feeling. That feeling died quickly though when he saw his hat on the ground, Buggy's gouge marks evident. His smile faded and he walked over, picking it up carefully.
"Oh Luffy, I'm sorry," Sabine said, walking over.
"Why? Isn't it just a hat?" Nami asked. She did recall a little when she first met him how he'd reacted to those pirates punching his hat off him, but hadn't thought much of it. Was it really that important?
"It's not just any hat," he replied softly. "My friend Shanks gave me this hat and I promised I would return it to him someday, in good condition."
"Oh," Nami said. "I'm sorry."
"Heh, don't worry," he suddenly said, grin back as he put the hat on his head. "I can still put it on. And I got Buggy out of here so I'm satisfied for now."
Nami, who was used to putting on a façade whenever she returned home, could tell he was doing the same here a little. She hesitated for a second before saying, "when I have time, I'll fix it for you. If you like."
"What's that?" Luffy asked, having not heard her.
"Oh forget it," she huffed. She then held up the treasure she'd collected. "I split this into two bags so give me a hand and carry half of it. It's too heavy for me."
"That sure is a lot," Luffy commented.
"If anything, that clown Buggy knew quality treasure when he saw it and now it's all mine. I bet I can sell this for at least 10 million Berries."
"Hey, do you have another bag for me?" Sabine asked.
"You have your bucket, you're fine."
"This isn't a bucket, it's my helmet and I'd like to wear it now!"
"Well then just dump the treasure right in here."
"That's with your gold! You'll just take it from me! I wasn't born yesterday, Nami."
"That's a weird thing to say."
"Can it Luffy."
"Hey, so will you be joining me and my pirate crew then?" Luffy suddenly asked Nami, surprising her.
"I told you, no matter what I'll never join a pirate crew!" she snapped, hands on her hips. However, a second later she relaxed her pose and smiled back at him. "But ok. Hanging around you seems profitable enough. Just remember this. I'm only joining you cause it's in my best interest."
"Sure," Luffy grinned, not caring about that. He had a chart of the Grand Line and a navigator now. He just needed a ship and then they could all set sail.
"Hey."
They all glanced up to see Shang-Chi hobbling their way with Zoro in tow, the swordsman looking a lot better now that he'd had some sleep.
"We take care of everything?" he asked, yawning.
"Yeah. And we got a navigator and a chart of the Grand Line."
"And all this gold to buy a ship too," Sabine said, showing off her helmet.
"Whoa, awesome!" Luffy grinned.
"That should be more than enough," Shang-Chi nodded.
Zoro however was focused on Nami, eyeing her suspiciously while she sweated nervously under his gaze. "I'm not sure about his," he groaned. "I feel light-headed."
"That could be the large amount of blood loss," Shang-Chi commented.
"It's always something with you guys. Honestly."
"Hey wait a minute, what did I do?" Luffy protested.
"Are you kidding me, you're the worst of them all!" Nami practically cried. She took a deep breath before turning aside. "Anyways, let's go help the mayor."
"Oh yeah," Luffy said, turning as well to see the man still lying where he'd been knocked out. "I guess we should wake the old guy up now that it's all over."
"You there!"
They all turned to see a mob of people armed with clubs and spears approach them. "You're not residents of this village," one of them called out.
"Nope," Luffy replied. "And who are you?"
"I'm guessing these are the residents of Orange Town," Shang-Chi informed him.
"What was all that cannon fire we heard? It sounded like there may have been a battle here earlier. If you know anything, please tell us."
"There was a fight, but it's all over now," Sabine said to them, stepping forward. "It was-"
"Oh mayor!" one of the townspeople interrupted, spotting the mayor. The others all rushed to him, clustering around him to see if he was alright. "The pirates definitely did this," one muttered.
"No, I'm the one who kicked that old man's ass," Luffy corrected.
"WHAT?" All the townspeople turned on him in rage.
"Oh Luffy, why?" Sabine muttered, shaking her head.
"There were better ways to explain that," Shang-Chi said.
"But it's true," Luffy replied.
"Maybe you should explain to them so they don't get angry…" she trailed off as the townspeople surrounded them, all of them glaring murderously.
"Perhaps angrier is the better word there," Shang-Chi said.
"Tell me, why exactly did you knock our mayor out and leave him in the street to die?" one of the townspeople asked, holding onto his club firmly. As they kept asking questions, like if they were with the pirates, the others all tensed up, ready for when things got ugly.
They're getting really bloodthirsty, Nami thought, shaking. We can't let them know that we're thieves and pirates.
"We're pirates," Luffy said.
Zoro laughed, Sabine face-palmed, Shang-Chi sighed, and Nami practically toppled over.
"JUST AS WE THOUGHT!" the townspeople all yelled in unison.
"IDIOT!" Nami screamed.
"But it's the truth," Luffy protested, not understanding why everyone was getting so mad.
"Pirates! How dare you ravage our town!"
"We won't show you any mercy for what you've done!"
As they yelled, Luffy walked up to Zoro and kneeled down next to him. "What now?" the swordsman asked, still chuckling. "Doesn't look like they're up for a discussion."
Luffy just grinned, then grabbed hold of Zoro, hefted him up, and started running like crazy. "RUN!" he cried, Nami right on his heels with her treasure in hand.
"Guess we're running then," Sabine said, turning to open air. She gasped and saw Shang-Chi already ahead of her. "Hey, wait up!"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," Shang-Chi chanted, feeling all the sores and wounds across his body throb in pain with each step he took. Still, he knew what the townspeople would doll on him would be a hundred times worse, so he kept going.
"There's no escape!"
"How dare you hurt our beloved mayor!"
The townspeople instantly gave chase, their auras pulsating with anger and vengeance, wanting nothing more than to beat these pirates into a bloody pulp. Sabine was tempted to throw some smoke bombs their way but they were innocent townspeople and, more importantly, she was out of smoke bombs.
"How do you always make things worse?" Nami demanded.
"I do not think that is always the case," Shang-Chi huffed, breathing through the pain. "It just seems he has a habit of making things worse after making things better. Sort of like a see-saw."
"I'll see-saw your neck!"
"That does not make sense."
"This is a good town," Luffy interrupted them.
"Huh?"
"Everyone's so mad just because of the old mayor guy. Something tells me they're not going to listen to our side of the story."
"He's right. They're too angry and ready for a fight. Better to run," Sabine added, clutching her own injury.
"We're turning here," Luffy suddenly said, turning sharply. Shang-Chi followed swiftly and Sabine, already a little behind, was able to make it as well. Nami, however, was taken by surprise and went further down the street before stopping and turning back around.
"Wait, hold on! You've got to let me know sooner!"
"Keep up slowpoke!" Sabine called behind her.
"Shut it you!"
As they ran, Luffy blinked, seeing the dog Chouchou right in front of him. "Doggie?"
He leapt over the dog, wondering for a second if it would attack but it just remained as still as when they first met. The others also had no trouble, passing right over him, each with their own confused looks.
"What's he doing here?" Shang-Chi asked aloud.
The answer came a second later as Chouchou barked once Nami had passed over, stopping the townspeople in their tracks.
"Hey move Chouchou! Get out of here!"
The dog ignored them, continuing to bark madly and holding the townspeople back.
"Those five are pirates!"
"You're barking at the wrong people!"
"ROO! ROO! ROO!"
It took a second for Luffy to realize but once he did, a smile appeared. And as he looked back, he swore he saw one appear on Chouchou as well. "Later doggie!" he cried out while Nami smiled in relief behind him.
"Thank you, Chouchou," Shang-Chi added, bowing his head to the dog.
"Um…is someone going to explain why a dog is helping us escape?" Sabine asked, completely lost.
"Later. When we're back on the boat."
It took them a little bit of time but they eventually made it to the beach, Shang-Chi taking point here and leading them straight to where they'd left the boat, breathing heavily. Nami panted next to him, the treasure having weighed her down. But at least she had it all. She couldn't help but smile. This would add a much-needed rise to her goal. Just a bit more, she was sure of it.
"That was close," she muttered.
"That was hard. I need to do more cardio," Shang-Chi commented.
"I think I need to redress my wound," Sabine added, taking a look at it.
"We only made it because of Chouchou. Why do we put up with this?"
"Does it matter now? We're done here anyway," Luffy replied.
"Who's Chouchou?" Sabine asked.
"The dog," Shang-Chi told her.
Sabine opened her mouth to ask again about the dog but Luffy interrupted her. "Hey is this your boat?" he asked Nami, looking at the one next to theirs. "It's great!"
"It's nothing special, but I guess it'll do," Nami said.
"It's better than ours," Shang-Chi added. "And at least this one doesn't have dog pee on it."
"Wait, Chouchou peed on our boat?" Sabine asked, even more confused.
"No, that was another dog. Back in Shells Town."
"Anyway," Nami said, glaring at them. "I stole the boat from some dumb pirates a few days back."
"That's a big mouth you got!"
"Wah!" Nami cried as the three pirates suddenly popped up from inside the boat, glaring down at her.
"We've been waiting for you, ya little thief."
"Never thought you'd run into us here, now did you girlie."
"Heh," Nami smiled nervously, wondering how to handle this best.
"You know these guys?" Luffy asked curiously.
"I do," Shang-Chi said. "I'm surprised they're still here."
"Oh look, it's the rowboy. Not so tough now without your pal to defend you, huh? You look like you got run over by a cart."
"I sort of feel that way too, to be honest," he muttered, stretching a little.
"Well, I guess we get to kill two birds with one stone now. Bound together by fate, it seems. And I guess we'll have to punish all of your friends as well," the leader said, grinning savagely, walking up to Luffy and Zoro. "It's time you learn what happens when you steal other people's stuff." He then noticed Zoro's prone form on Luffy's shoulder and got annoyed. "Hey you, ya hear me?" he said, slapping Zoro's head and making Shang-Chi grimace for what was about to come. "Time for your medicine, heheh."
Zoro's head came up and he glared up at the pirates. "Huh?"
All three pirates gaped at him, remembering all too well the beating they'd received earlier. "Wahhhhh!" they screamed, disappearing in a flash.
"What weird people," Luffy commented, scratching his head.
"Oh thank goodness," Nami muttered.
"What was that about?" Sabine asked, staring at where they'd just been.
"Don't worry about it. Let's just cast off and get out of here before the townspeople catch up."
"Right."
In a few minutes, they were setting sail on both ships, Nami and Sabine in one and the others in their own. "Can I ask you something? Isn't that Buggy's mark on your sail?" Zoro asked, looking at Nami's said and the big red nose displayed flashily on the Jolly Roger.
"Well this did used to be Buggy's boat. Think I should change it?"
"Yes. That thing is hideous," Shang-Chi said.
"I can add a few things, make it a true work of art," Sabine mused, eyeing it critically.
"Hey, wait!" They turned and saw the mayor at the docks. "Young ones!"
"It's the old mayor guy."
"Luffy, you can just say mayor, you don't need to add 'guy,'" Shang-Chi told him.
The mayor huffed, having ran all the way here. After hearing what his townspeople had said, that they were leaving now, he couldn't pass up this chance. If Buggy was gone, then that meant they took care of him. They had done what he couldn't. He had been ready to die in despair. But they had saved him and his town. So there was only one thing he could say.
"Thanks! Thank you!" he cried out, tears pouring from his cheeks.
The crew smiled, Luffy laughing, all feeling a bit of pride at helping the town out, even if they were pirates.
"Don't worry about it!" Luffy called back. "Take it easy!"
Damn you young ones, the mayor repeated in his mind, still crying. "I have no words," he said to himself. He suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his eye and saw a large bag near him.
At the same time, Nami spotted it as well and gasped in horror, looking around her boat frantically for her second bag of treasure but it wasn't there as it was resting right where Luffy had left it on the docks. "What did you do Luffy, huh?" she demanded, glaring at him across the boats. "Don't tell me you left that bag of treasure back there?"
"Yeah."
"That bag was worth around 5 million Berries, you idiot!"
"That's right. And they're gonna need that money to repair their destroyed town."
"Some pirate indeed," Shang-Chi smirked, shaking his head.
"But that was my treasure, jerk!" Nami shrieked, freaking Luffy out. "Do you know how hard I worked to steal it! Dealing with that horrible snake woman! Ah!" She grabbed his head and dunked it into the seawater. "Why did you do that?"
She'd had a lot of money there, pushing her closer to the end of her deal. But now, that number had been reduced. Now, she would have to work harder again to find more treasure. All because of him.
"Stop, I can't swim!" Luffy protested, doing his best to stay out of the water.
"That's the whole idea!"
"If you want it, just go back and get it then!"
"I can't do that, you go get it!"
"No!"
Zoro and Shang-Chi laughed loudly, enjoying the show immensely, while Sabine just chuckled. That chuckle died though when Nami shot her a murderous look.
"Shut up! He's your captain and I'm counting that as your share of the treasure so you need to give me the stuff in that stupid bucket of yours!"
"It's a helmet, not a bucket! And hell no! It's not my fault you can't keep an eye on your money!"
"What'd you say? I'll dunk you in next!"
"I'd like to see you try!"
"I don't think there will ever be a dull moment on this crew," Shang-Chi commented.
"Doesn't seem like it," Zoro replied, both still smiling.
On a distant island, on one of the tallest trees, a figure pulled an arrow from a quiver and nocked it in a bow, ready for battle.
And that's it for Orange Town. Hope you enjoyed it.
The next arc will not be Syrup Village but my first original one. You can probably take a guess as to what it is from the last scene up there.
The next chapter should be uploaded in two weeks, same as usual, but after that, we'll see. Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review if you can.
Also, hopefully the Netflix series will be good because I am looking forward to it. How many of you will be watching it?