A good while after leaving Shells Town, the crew of Luffy, Lithos, Merone, Ferros, Ariala, and Zoro continued to sail on their boat. Lithos took a moment to check the food stores.
"We should get to a new island soon before we run out of provisions."
"How long before we reach a new island?" Zoro asked.
Luffy hummed. "I'm thinking our next crew member should be a Navigator. We can't just sail along with the wind and waves or we'll never reach the One Piece."
"Are you telling me the guy who wants to be King of the Pirates can't even navigate properly?" Zoro asked incredulously.
"It's not as weird as you think. I'm only the Captain." Luffy pointed out. "If Gold Roger was able to navigate on his own, he wouldn't need a whole crew. The point of a crew is to do all the things a captain can't. I can't navigate, I can't cook, I'm terrible with supplies, I don't like guns so I don't know how to fire one. Without a crew, I wouldn't last ten days in the Grand Line."
"Honestly, he'd be dead in one day with how dumb he is..." Merone snarked.
"Hey, Zoro, hope you don't mind me asking, but why did you become a bounty hunter in the first place?" Ariala asked.
"To have an excuse to travel the world and fight the toughest opponents," Zoro explained. "I set out to sea to find one particular man. But in the process, I lost track of my small village, so I became a bounty hunter to make a living."
Luffy grinned cheekily. "So you're just as lost as we are."
"Don't put it like that!"
In anger, Zoro stomped the deck, causing the boat to rock. Luffy yelped in alarm when his straw hat flew off his head but Ariala easily manipulated the wind to put it neatly back on his head.
"Sorry about that."
"It's okay. This hat represents a promise I made to someone. His name was Shanks."
Zoro's eyes widened. "Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Yonko?"
Luffy smiled. "He happened to visit the town I lived in when I was little."
Luffy and the Children of Whitebeard went into detail about the days when Shanks visited Foosha Village as well as the encounter with Higuma and his bandit clan and Luffy eating the Gum-Gum Fruit, followed by Shanks giving his straw hat to him.
"After we finished our training years later, we set off." Luffy finished.
"And then promptly realized we didn't bring enough food," Lithos added.
"You ever find what was left of that bandit?" Zoro asked.
"Yeah, the Lord of the Coast coughed up his skeleton days later. It was hung up in a cage as a warning to the other bandits, and they never bothered the island ever again." Ferros said.
Merone then noticed something out to sea nearby.
"Looks like we've got some floaters. Their boat must have capsized."
"Might as well pick them up. They might know where the nearest island is." Zoro said.
The crew stopped their boat and brought the men on board, only for them to promptly pull out swords.
"Listen up! We're crew members of Buggy the Clown! This boat is ours now!"
The six all looked at each other as if they had just heard the stupidest thing ever...and then proceeded to beat the ever-loving crap out of all the pirates.
"This boat is ours. Now where's the nearest island?" Luffy demanded.
"W-We'll tell you! We'll even row you there!"
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Ariala giggled as the pirates began rowing. "So what shipwrecked you losers anyway?"
"Our boat and treasure were stolen by this girl!" One of the pirates explained. "If Captain Buggy finds out..."
"Wait, Captain Buggy?" Lithos asked, putting a finger to his chin. "That name sounds familiar..."
"You guys never heard of Buggy the Clown? He's one of the most feared pirates in the Blue Seas!" One of the pirates said.
His buddy nodded. "He ate one of the Devil Fruits and now commands a fearsome crew over five dozen strong with some of the deadliest officers any captain could ask for. His ship, the Big Top, is docked at the island we're heading for right now. I'd wager the nearby town is a ghost town at this point, with every villager hiding from him."
"Uh, guys..." Merone suddenly spoke up. "Where did Luffy go?"
Everyone panicked as they looked around before Zoro saw over the horizon that Luffy was hanging on to the beak of a giant bird that had flown overhead.
"I think he wanted to grab a quick bite and got more than he could chew."
"THAT IDIOT!" Ferros screamed.
Meanwhile, on the island, Nami was running from a group of pirates with a map clutched in her hand.
"Get back here, you wench! That's our map of the Grand Line! We'll be killed by one of the captain's cannonballs if we lose it!"
"Well sucks to be you!" Nami called back. "I have greater needs than you do!"
Luffy was still holding on to the bird when a cannonball suddenly struck it, blowing the bird up as Luffy fell to the ground, slamming down right in front of Nami.
"What the heck was that?!"
"The bird blew up..." Luffy said as he peeled himself off the ground. "At least I wound up on the island. Guess I'll just have to wait for everyone else to show up."
Nami just stared at Luffy in shock. Running into him again was one thing, but the fact that he had somehow survived a fall that had to be hundreds of meters was just beyond belief. Then she realized this was the perfect opportunity.
"Boss!" she called out, running over to Luffy. "You came to save me!"
Luffy was confused for a myriad of reasons; one was seeing Nami again not too long after their previous encounter and the other was because she was now calling him 'Boss'. However, he then noticed the three pirates that had been chasing her, and things seemed to click.
"Right, you head off. I'll handle these losers."
Nami nodded and ran off as Luffy stepped in front of the pirates.
"Hey, she's getting away!"
"Relax, we still got her boss here."
Luffy smirked as one of the pirates tried attacking him, only to absorb it thanks to his rubber body. However, his hat almost flew off, which he quickly caught before glaring as he stretched his arm back.
"GUM-GUM PISTOL!"
All three pirates were knocked out in a single stretchy blow. Nami, who had climbed up to the roof of the nearby building, was shocked at what she saw.
"I might just have to make him my boss for real."
"Oh, hey!" Luffy called out as he jumped up to meet Nami on the rooftop. "We keep running into each other! You're Nami, right? Why were those guys chasing you?"
"Simply put, I'm a thief who steals from pirates!" Nami said. "So, wanna team up?"
"I doubt you'd want to team up with me. I'm a pirate myself."
"Well, you sure don't seem like one, at least not like the ones I've dealt with in the past." A lightbulb then went off in Nami's head. "Actually, I could use your help with something."
"As long as I don't get roped into anything stupid." Luffy grinned cheekily. "Lithos and Merone tell me I need to make smarter choices."
Meanwhile, in a large tent, Buggy the Clown himself was getting annoyed.
"They haven't caught our thief yet?"
"The Superhuman Domingos are already after her, Captain. They should be tracking her down before long."
"Good to hear, but how did our map get stolen so easily in the first place? And after all the trouble we went through swiping it from the Marines." Buggy pondered. "I was hoping to use it to return to Paradise on the Grand Line and go on a rampage."
"You want to find the One Piece, Captain?"
"Hardly. I'm nowhere near Gold Roger's level. But you still haven't answered my question."
"Well, it turns out someone left the shack unlocked. "We're trying to find out which idiot did that as we speak." The pirate goon explained. "But regardless, something like that meant that any of our foes-"
"Who has a fake nose?!" Buggy snapped.
"FOES, not NOSE!" The goon clarified. "You know I'd never be so stupid as to mock your appearance, Captain!"
"You'd better not be. You know how sensitive I am about my looks." Buggy warned as he somehow made his hand detach and grabbed a nearby fruit. "And the same goes for the rest of you. You know I try to be as benevolent a Captain as I can. But when my temper gets flared, I can't control who gets caught up by it."
Buggy's crew all collectively gulped as he crushed the fruit in his grip, causing the juice to spill everywhere in a manner reminiscent of blood.
"Any who dares to defy me, humiliate me, or make fun of me deliberately, will get a flashy death!" He declared. "Continue looking into who accidentally left the shack open. And let me know when the Domingos return, with or without the map."
"YES, CAPTAIN!"
Nearby, Nami and Luffy were sneaking around the town before entering one of the houses, which was completely empty.
"Where did everybody go?" Luffy wondered.
"Buggy and his crew scared them off. I was here getting a map of the Grand Line from him, but I got caught and chased by some of his men." Nami explained.
"Why are you stealing from anyone, let alone pirates? That kinda thing is dangerous."
"It's because I need to get 100,000,000 Berris for something very important. I figured stealing from pirates would be the fastest and most moral way of going about it, since pirates are criminals and tend to be loaded with treasure." Nami replied before looking at the map she had. "I figure a trip to the Grand Line will easily get me the money I need. And this map will help me navigate it."
"So you're a Navigator?"
"You bet, and I'm one of the best!"
"Actually, my crew needs a good Navigator. If you need money, I'm sure you could get plenty joining up with us." Luffy offered.
A year ago, Nami would have flat-out refused to sail with a pirate crew. But she had come to realize that Luffy wasn't like other pirates. So she was now seriously considering the offer.
"I still have some obligations to finish, but I think I wouldn't mind sailing with your crew at least."
She looked out the window and saw the three pirates from before, Buggy's Superhuman Domingos, still out looking for them.
"These guys are persistent, I'll give 'em that. You knocked all three of them for a loop and they're still trying to track us down." Nami said.
Luffy nodded. "Yeah, looks like we'll have to do something about Buggy before leaving, but his crew is bound to be stronger than the last pirate crew I faced. So we'll need to buy time for my siblings and Zoro to arrive. That should even the odds."
"I've actually got an idea, but it's kinda dangerous."
Needless to say, Buggy was enraged when the Domingos came back saying they lost Nami.
"How did three of my best crewmen lose one lousy thief?!"
"We're so sorry, Captain! Her boss showed up out of nowhere and flattened us. By the time we recovered both of them were gone."
Now Buggy was a captain who was good at reading his crew. Besides the fact that the Domingos had no trace of deceit in their voices, Buggy could see the imprint of a fist on each of their faces, which all looked identical. There was nothing to suggest they punched each other to make up an excuse.
"If this guy was tough enough to defeat you there's no point sending you back out. Wait for the report on the investigation of the shack where we had the map, and dole out punishment as needed." Buggy sighed. "I'll send one of my officers to search for the thieves instead."
"No need, Captain! The thief came back on her own, with another guy tied up." Another of the crew spoke up as he came in.
Shocked, Buggy came out of his tent. Sure enough, Nami was approaching with a tied-up Luffy.
"Wow, I actually felt myself die a little inside! We're not married, are we?"
"...BARK LIKE A DOG!" Nami snapped.
"Well, this is a surprise. The way my boys tell it, this guy was your boss." Buggy noted as he came over. "Decide to turn on him to save your own skin?"
"Well, you seemed so determined to catch us, I figured there was no point running anymore," Nami said. "Also, I made sure to bring your chart back."
Buggy chuckled as he took the map back.
"I appreciate the gesture, but why did you decide to turn on your boss?"
"We fought earlier about whether to fight or run, so I got fed up with him. Thought I'd join your crew instead."
Buggy's narrowed his eyes for a bit, but then just laughed in a good-natured manner.
"I like your sense of style, lady! A woman like you is welcome to join my crew anytime."
Nami relaxed, having been unsure if Buggy would buy the lie she just told. Luffy, for his part, kept a neutral face as he was thrown inside a cage. He knew he could break out at any time using his rubber powers and Nami had deliberately tied him up in such a way that it was easy to undo the ropes.
"So, missy, I don't think I caught your name," Buggy said.
"It's Nami."
Buggy nodded. "Boys, let's hold a welcome party for our new crewmate Nami here! Break out the good booze and let's make this a flashy one!"
The entire crew cheered in excitement. As everyone was drinking and eating and enjoying themselves, Nami kept her eyes peeled for the right moment to snatch the map back and perhaps take Buggy's treasure horde while she was at it.
"Let's really ramp up the flash!" Buggy called out after finishing his mug of ale. "Prepare one of the Special Buggy Balls!"
"What's the target, Captain?!"
"The other side of the island! We'll celebrate in style with pirate-class fireworks!"
The crew cheered in agreement. The cannon was loaded with the red cannonball emblazoned with the Buggy Pirates' Jolly Roger.
"What's going on now?" Nami asked.
Buggy smirked. "Just watch. LIGHT IT UP, BOYS!"
Nami realized the cannon was aimed such that the Buggy Ball would blast through half the town. However, the real damage came from the explosion the Buggy Ball left in its wake, leaving almost nothing as it blasted across the island. As it happened, the rest of Luffy's friends had just arrived right as the blast was seen.
"What the heck was that?!" Ariala gasped.
"The captain must have fired off one of his special Buggy Balls!" One of the pirates exclaimed. "I feel sorry for anyone caught in that blast."
Nami was similarly shocked at the level of destruction the Buggy Ball was capable of. But Buggy was just chuckling triumphantly.
"Now that's flashy. With the power of both these Buggy Balls and my Devil Fruit, I can rise to power in the Grand Line."
"So you're heading for the Grand Line too?" Luffy asked. "Sorry, but I'm the one who's going to be King of the Pirates."
Buggy turned his head dangerously toward Luffy before just laughing as he walked over to his cage and knelt down to Luffy's eye level.
"King of the Pirates, huh? Well, you'll be happy to know that's not my goal." He said before leaning in. "I'll let you in on a little secret. I used to be part of Gol D. Roger's crew back when he was sailing the Grand Line. Even laid eyes on the One Piece itself. If you hope to fill his shoes, kid, then you'd better know how big they really are."
"Is that real?"
Buggy was confused before realizing Luffy was commenting on his nose, which made him click his tongue in irritation.
"Okay, you obviously haven't met me before so I'll let this slide once. But yes, this nose is real. I've had it since I was born."
"Where were you born?"
"Outer space for all I know!" Buggy snapped, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I've never met anyone with a clown-like visage like I have in my entire time sailing! Ain't that crazy?!"
Deciding he had nothing else to say, Buggy stood up to rejoin his crew in partying as Luffy turned to Nami.
"Your hands are shaking."
"Why wouldn't they be?" Nami whispered. "You saw what that Buggy Ball can do."
"You can't take on pirates half-assed like that. You need to have the resolve to put your life on the line." Luffy said.
"Captain! We have an issue!"
"What is it?" Buggy asked.
"Some of our sodas are missing from the cooler!"
"What?! Who's the asshole who decided to horde the good stuff?!"
"That would be us."
The party went silent as they saw Ferros reclining nearby, chugging down a bottle of Dr. Vega-pepper. Buggy in particular was so stunned at the sheer audacity Ferros showed that he lost all anger he had initially been feeling.
"Hey, your face looks familiar. I mean, I think this is the first time we've met, but you still remind me of someone I knew years ago." Buggy noted before shaking his head. "Whatever, I still need to have you punished for your interference! Men, give this interloper a flashy death!"
Several pirates charged at Ferros, only for Merone to erupt from the cooler, her chilled water body making her strike with stinging water whips as the pirates were knocked away.
"Fortunately it wasn't cold enough to freeze me."
"What kept you guys?!" Nami called out as she drew a segmented staff. "I was half-worried they'd make me shoot at Luffy or something!"
"Or maybe put him in an airtight glass chamber and fill it with water?" Ariala suggested as she arrived in a gust of wind. "Hey, Zoro, Lithos, the party is just getting started!"
Zoro leaped onto the roof they were on and slammed two of his swords into a few more pirates with the flat of the blades. Lithos also came in and formed his arm into a spiked stone ball that he used to smack several pirates at once.
"Alright, the crew's all here!" Luffy beamed. "No need to stay locked up anymore!"
Buggy and his crew were all stunned as Luffy easily slipped out of the ropes, and then slipped right through the bars of the cage. It was then one of the pirates realized something.
"Hey, that girl called him 'Zoro', right? The Pirate Hunter?"
"Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro?" Buggy asked, raising a brow. "Why are you here of all places? Here for my head or something?"
"Oh, I'm not here as a bounty hunter, I'm with Luffy and the gang here. I decided to try life as a pirate instead." Zoro said.
"Funny, Nami here said that guy... Luffy was it? That he was her boss. Does that mean she's with you too?"
"That's mostly up to Luffy. He's the Captain of our merry crew, after all." Ferros smirked as he formed his arm into steel and punched an approaching pirate in the face.
"She's with us alright!" Luffy declared. "She's our new Navigator!"
"Guess Nami wasn't lying to you technically," Merone said, a small smirk on her face.
Buggy shrugged. "Well, it makes no difference to me. But killing the feared Pirate Hunter Zoro should add to my flashy reputation."
"You'd be better off not trying. Otherwise you'll die." Zoro warned dangerously.
Buggy just smirked and pulled out daggers that he held between his fingers.
"Let's just put that to the test, shall we?"
Zoro sighed as he placed one of his swords between his teeth and readied himself as Buggy dashed forward before Zoro leaped at him and sliced him apart.
"Zoro, hold on! It's a trap!"
Zoro heard Lithos' warning and moved to avoid a dagger strike from Buggy, which cut his arm slightly in the process.
"Dammit! You're a real asshole, aren't you?!"
Buggy laughed as despite Zoro seemingly bisecting him by the waist, he was unharmed and his right leg and left arm were completely dismembered. The arm holding the dagger that cut Zoro returned to Buggy's body as he reattached himself.
"No doubt you're impressed. My powers are an amazing sight to behold!"
"What the heck's going on with him?!" Nami asked in shock. "Is he really immortal like the rumors say?!"
Buggy smirked. "Well, to call me immortal would be an exaggeration, but thanks to the Chop-Chop Fruit I ate, blades at the very least can't kill me."
"Impressive...but can you survive being drowned?" Merone asked as her arms turned into whips of water.
"Judging by the flashy moves you kids showed...you four are Logias, aren't you?" Buggy noted as he looked at Merone, Lithos, Ariala, and Ferros.
"You got that right, Big Nose!" Ariala said.
Buggy felt a vein bulge in his forehead while Nami just gawked in disbelief while Luffy couldn't help but laugh at the sheer audacity Ariala showed their foe.
"What did you say about my nose?!"
"What are you gonna do about it?" Ariala taunted. "We're Logias so blades don't work on us either!"
"Every Devil Fruit has a weakness! I just need to find and exploit yours!" Buggy said before he caught something out of the corner of his eyes. "Wait...WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING WITH MY BUGGY BALLS?!"
Sure enough, Luffy had grabbed one of the Buggy Balls and loaded it into the cannon, now aimed right at Buggy's tent as he turned to Nami with a grin.
"Care to get some payback?"
Nami was confused for a second, then realized what Luffy was implying and grinned wickedly as she got out a match and lit the fuse, freaking out the Buggy Pirates. The cannon fired, blasting the tent and burning up the Jolly Roger.
As the Buggy Pirates scrambled to get out of the way, Luffy and the gang hurried off, with Ferros carrying Buggy's stash of soda.
"You guys are nuts, you know that, right?"
Lithos chuckled. "That's the thing about pirates. We don't do things based on the whim of a single madman but on our collective madness."
"What about you? What sort of madness drives you to be a thief?" Merone asked.
"Well, a pirate crew killed someone very dear to me, and then they took over our island. If I want to free the islanders I need to pay the pirates' captain 100,000,000 Berris." Nami explained. "Ever since that woman was taken from me, the only things I've cared about are money and tangerines."
"Then you need to find something else to care about, or paying a ransom is going to be the least of your concerns in life," Zoro said.
"Geez, way to be blunt, Zoro!" Ariala huffed.
Buggy growled as he held the remains of his Jolly Roger.
"To burn another pirate crew's flag is a declaration of war. Mohji! Cabaji!"
A man with a beard that made him look like a koala approached with a large lion. Next to them was a man with green and black striped hair.
"You called us, Captain?" Mohji, the bearded man, asked.
"Find the bastards who dared to threaten my crew and humiliate me!" Buggy ordered, "I want Zoro's head on a platter and Nami brought to me alive for punishment. Dump the rest into the ocean."
"With pleasure, Captain."
Alright, here's a good cutting off point. Figured it would work to do most of these Arcs in 2-4 parts a piece depending on the length of them.
If you have any ideas for what Lithos, Ferros, Merone, and Ariala can do in the story, I'm game.