Chapter 264: Buggy's Cool Move!
Sakazuki never imagined that becoming the Fleet Admiral would mean dealing with a circus every single day. The Navy was supposed to be the mightiest force on the sea, but lately, it felt more like babysitting a group of headless chickens.
As he reviewed the mess in front of him—piles of reports, failed operations, and insubordination from the very marines who were supposed to uphold justice—Sakazuki clenched his fists.
"Am I really making the right decisions?" he muttered, eyes narrowing at the names on the documents.
Borsalino seemed more competent than him these days, and the so-called consultants like Sengoku were only dragging things further down. Their every move stirred unrest among the younger officers.
At this rate, restoring the Navy to its former glory was becoming a pipe dream.
But Sakazuki wasn't one to let dreams die. His eyes darkened with determination. If the old system had to burn for the Navy to rise again, so be it.
---
Meanwhile, far from the drama of Navy HQ, the Dragon Hunter Pirates had arrived at the legendary Valley of the Gods.
The island—no, the continent before them—was colossal. Even Ryuunosuke, whose Observation Haki surpassed even Enel's in sheer range, couldn't sense the entirety of it.
Spreading his holy wings, Ryuunosuke soared into the sky. From above, he could barely make out the terrain. The rear half of the island was shrouded in a dense fog, impenetrable even to his Haki.
He finally understood why so many powerful beings had clashed here and yet failed to destroy it. This landmass wasn't just massive—it was unyielding.
"Buggy, this one's yours," Ryuunosuke said as he landed beside the eccentric clown captain.
Their treasure map only hinted at the Valley of the Gods' location, not its contents. Finding the actual treasure required a different skillset—one that Buggy had in spades.
"Ryuunosuke, who do you think I am?"
"A tool?"
Buggy shot him a sour look. "Let's talk about the treasure split first, shall we?"
He was clearly annoyed at being treated like an errand boy. After all, he'd accepted Ryuunosuke wouldn't just squash him like a bug. But that didn't mean he liked being bossed around.
"How dare you speak to our captain like that..."
Before Ryuunosuke could reply, the First Division had already drawn their imperial weapons. Even Rem, sweet and soft-spoken, had whipped out her oversized ball-and-chain.
"Alright, alright! Whatever Captain Buggy says goes," Ryuunosuke said, raising a hand.
"Just don't waste time. I have other things to do."
Ryuunosuke had no interest in gold or jewels. The Dragon Hunter Pirates were already wealthy. As for gear or weapons? His crew was their own arsenal.
He could hand over every bit of treasure here and not blink.
"Good!" Buggy beamed. "Alright, boys! Get your gear ready! We're diving in!"
His underlings snapped to attention, donning all sorts of treasure-hunting tools. Then, following their colorful captain, they charged into the island.
The coastline still bore deep scars from ancient battles—splintered hulls, shattered weapons, and cracked stones that echoed stories of glory and defeat.
Despite the vegetation being thick and wild, Bucky wasn't fazed. This was his element. He quickly stepped onto one of his crewmates and floated above the dense forest, guiding the group.
Soon, they emerged onto a vibrant grassland.
Buggy frowned. That couldn't be right. He hadn't seen any grassland from above earlier.
He flew up again to confirm.
"As I thought," he muttered. From the sky, it was a rocky slope with no plant life.
But back on the ground? The lush grassland returned.
"Something's off here," he muttered.
Before he could share his suspicions, Buggy's eyes narrowed. He slipped on a pair of gloves and pulled out long black needles from a pouch carried by one of his crew.
"Seastone needles?" Ryuunosuke asked, eyebrows raised.
Buggy didn't reply. He jammed a needle into the earth.
The illusion shattered. The vibrant greenery dissolved into endless dunes of yellow sand.
Ryuunosuke blinked. For a second, he wondered if they'd accidentally stumbled into Alabasta.
"It's a rare demonic mirage," Buggy explained, smirking. "Seastone disrupts the effect. We're definitely in the right place. There's treasure here. A lot of it."
"The Great Captain Buggy!"
"The Great Captain Buggy!"
His crew immediately erupted into cheers, never missing a chance to flatter him.
"Basic operation," Buggy said proudly, puffing out his chest as he led the way forward.
To Ryuunosuke's surprise, when Buggy acted cool, he really looked the part.
With such a skilled treasure-hunting crew in charge, Ryuunosuke relaxed. All he had to do was follow them until he found what he came for.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Suddenly, the ground trembled. Massive auras surged up from beneath the sand.
"What now..." Ryuunosuke muttered.
"Sand Sea Mantises!" Buggy yelled, his voice carrying both recognition and annoyance.
Dozens of the monstrous insectoids burst from the ground. Each swing of their blades matched the power of a novice swordsman.
There were at least seventy.
Buggy cracked his neck and grinned.
"Oh right," Ryuunosuke recalled. "This guy's a Split-Split Fruit user."
Buggy charged straight into the fray. His limbs flew apart, blades clashed, and bombs exploded in spectacular fashion.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Within moments, the sand mantises lay defeated, scattered across the desert floor.
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