Looking at those people who were fervently worshipping him, Buggy suddenly had an idea. Through their varied accounts, he more or less figured out what had happened.
Among the freed individuals, he spotted King Elizabello II, some Marine officers, and World Government agents.
Without a doubt, Doflamingo had now earned the wrath of many.
"Offending this many people, there's no way he can stay a Shichibukai. If I take him down, then I'll really become famous."
Buggy stroked his chin, daydreaming about a beautiful future. He wasn't a match for Doflamingo, but all these people were Doflamingo's enemies now. If they teamed up, surely they could defeat him.
In that case, as the one who brought them together, he would become a "hero".
Back when Doflamingo resigned from the Shichibukai, Buggy had reaped plenty of benefits, which only fueled his ambition.
Without Doflamingo around, wouldn't all those business opportunities be his?
And if he could claim the title of hero, it would make many things far easier.
So, Buggy's current plan was to use the people here to take down Doflamingo.
"Alright, that's what I'll do! That long-nosed guy... I remember he's a member of the Straw Hat crew. If I bring him along, then both Straw Hat boy and his brother will be on my side. Damn, I really am a genius."
Thinking this, Buggy suddenly felt a surge of motivation, and even his body moved more quickly.
Then Buggy flew over to Usopp and dragged him up.
Among the crowd, only Usopp and himself stood out. As long as the two of them stayed together, they'd definitely draw all the attention.
And just as he expected, once he was in the air, all eyes turned to him.
"My men! And you unfortunate toys! I, the great Buggy, and this... uh... Usopp, are your saviors!"
"I saw right through Doflamingo's scheme, which is why I came here. My goal was to save all you unlucky souls!"
Over the past two years, Buggy had either been showing off or was forced into showing off, making him quite skilled at stirring up emotions.
"I heard some of you have been toys for ten years! What unimaginable suffering that must be! But today, your heroes have arrived! Remember our names, Buggy and Usopp, your saviors!"
Everyone had witnessed Usopp's actions, so Buggy knew he couldn't ignore that. He might as well count him as an ally.
After just a few words, the two of them were hailed as "GOD," and received thunderous cheers.
"You b*stard… put me down! It hurts…"
Buggy was only affected by the aftermath of the force that had basically dissipated and wasn't really injured, but Usopp had fought Trebol head-on, and it's no exaggeration to say he was covered in wounds.
Being held aloft like this by Buggy, Usopp didn't feel good.
"Just hang in there a bit longer. This way you'll become famous too. It's a win-win for us."
Buggy whispered in Usopp's ear, but Usopp wasn't having any of it.
"Put me down! Can't you see my face is covered in blood?! Stop making things worse, you ba*tard!"
If looks could kill, Usopp would've murdered Buggy on the spot. Unfortunately, he had no strength left to resist.
As for the tiny Tontatta people, they were gazing up in awe like pilgrims, completely oblivious to Usopp's cry for help.
Bon Kurei had actually been operating alongside Usopp earlier.
But he too had been turned into a toy by Sugar, and now he was also caught up in his own emotions, listening to them talk from below.
"God Buggy! God Usopp! What are you saying? We can't hear!"
"I think… I think he said he's going to lead us!"
Before Buggy could even respond, the crowd had already filled in the blanks themselves, and Buggy just went along with it.
"That's right! My comrade and I will lead you! Now go and defeat Doflamingo! Complete your revenge!"
"And… and rescue the Dwarves' companions too!"
Usopp hadn't forgotten his mission. After Buggy's bold declaration, he mustered his strength and voiced his own demand.
"No problem, now it's our turn to help you!"
"As you command! Everyone, let's attack together!"
"Doffy, the toys in the underground factory have completely rebelled. Now, under Buggy's leadership, they've already started attacking the factory!"
Aside from the bad news of Sugar fainting, yet another bad news reached Doflamingo.
"You said… under whose leadership?"
It was as if the string of reason in Doflamingo's mind snapped completely. He never imagined Buggy would actually have the nerve to stab him in the back at a time like this.
"Buggy the Clown, and also Usopp from the Straw Hat crew. He's one of the masterminds too."
"Kill him along with others! I'll deal with the consequences later. Don't worry about that ba*tard's identity for now!"
Doflamingo no longer cared about the fallout of infighting among the Shichibukai. He never expected Buggy to help, but for Buggy to cause trouble now. It was something Doflamingo could not tolerate.
Anyway, he was a Shichibukai in name only. Doflamingo wanted to see just what such an unworthy Shichibukai could accomplish when leading a bunch of losers.
"Understood, Doffy."
In truth, even without Doflamingo's order, Trebol had already planned to do just that. The only difference lay in the extent of the measures he would take. Now, with Doflamingo's order, he could eradicate these people more thoroughly, right from the roots.
Seeing the crowd charging toward him, Trebol pressed a finger against one of his nostrils and blew hard. A wave of thick mucus surged toward the advancing mob.
At the same time, a spark ignited at the tip of the club suit staff in his hand, igniting the mucus he had just released.
This substance wasn't snot; it was mucus produced by his Stick-Stick Fruit. As the user of Stick-Stick Fruit, Trebol could release vast amounts of mucus from his body, which was not only highly adhesive but also extremely flammable and explosive.
Releasing it through his nostrils was probably just to disgust his opponents.
The sea of fire created by the burning mucus temporarily halted the crowd's advance. At that moment, Diamante floated over like a ghost.
"Diamante? What are you doing here?"
"I saw all the toys turning back to normal, so I came to check things out. Looks like you're in big trouble."
"Behehehehe, it's not certain who is in trouble. These fools are just walking to their deaths. Are your injuries okay?"
"No problem. That old geezer seemed to have gone easy on me when he struck. At least I can still fight."
Touching his wounds, Diamante grabbed a nearby iron pillar and, using his ability, instantly transformed it into a giant iron hammer, swinging it down toward the crowd ahead.
TN: Hey guys, I've picked up a new One Piece novel. You can search it: One Piece: The Undying King.
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