"What was that noise!?"
A pirate carrying a crate of liquor suddenly stopped in his tracks and instinctively looked up at the sky.
What he saw next was…
A strange silhouette falling from the already sunset-red sky, crashing down in their direction.
"!!!"
The pirate's expression instantly turned to one of terror, cold sweat streaming down his face.
But by the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late!
*Boom!!!*
A thick cloud of dust suddenly erupted within the base of the Buggy Pirates.
"Huh!?"
Everyone, including the clown Buggy himself, was immediately drawn to the disturbance and turned their heads.
As a breeze blew through, the dust quickly cleared, revealing four distinct figures.
Three men and one woman.
One stood normally, grinning foolishly;
One had face-planted like a dog eating dirt;
And while the last one wasn't exactly graceful either, he was carrying a girl in a princess
hold, which gave him a somewhat heroic air.
"Phew~ Finally nailed the landing! Gotta thank the system for that."
For the first time, Red had managed to land in a normal posture despite Luffy's
impulsiveness, and he had successfully protected Nami in the process. He couldn't help but smile in relief and joy.
"Red! You damn traitor who values girls over friends!!!"
Zoro, his face still smeared with dirt from the crash, scrambled up and immediately roared at Red.
Seeing this, Red quickly put Nami down and raised his hand to block the spit flying from Zoro's mouth.
With an awkward smile, he said,
"Don't blame me! I did warn you ahead of time—you just weren't paying attention!"
"Damn it! How was I supposed to know that was your warning!?"
"Speaking of which…"
Zoro was about to turn back and lecture the ever-unpredictable Luffy.
But Luffy, who had already smelled food, had vanished and was now feasting at a nearby pirate's banquet table.
"Damn it! Listen to people when they're talking!!!"
Veins bulged on Zoro's forehead. This was the first time he truly experienced just how chaotic Luffy could be.
Who the hell says, "I smell meat!" and then just wraps everyone up and launches them into the sky for a freefall!?
"Alright, alright, calm down, Zoro."
"It's not worth getting worked up over."
Red acted like a sidekick, trying to pacify a fuming teacher, repeatedly trying to calm him down.
"Hey! You guys…"
At that moment, Nami, who had just recovered from the shock of their aerial descent, interrupted their bickering in a hushed voice and said with exasperation:
"Do any of you even realize the situation we're in right now…?"
"We're in the enemy's stronghold!!!"
She sighed helplessly.
Even though she knew they were going to fight the Buggy Pirates for a decent meal…
She never expected to be dropped straight into the middle of the battlefield!
Red immediately gave a light chuckle and said, "Don't worry—watch me work."
"You brats!"
Buggy, who had been ignored this whole time, finally came to his senses. He drew several knives from his waist and glared at the group with a menacing sneer:
"You dare barge into my base, ruin my banquet—"
"HEY! YOU! STOP EATING MY FOOD!!!"
"I SAID STOP EATING, DAMMIT!!!"
"I'll make sure none of you leave here alive!!!"
Seeing Luffy still gorging himself without a care, Buggy flew into a full-blown rage.
Zoro, second only to Luffy in combat strength, also drew his three swords in response.
The blades gleamed coldly under the dim twilight.
But just as he was about to launch an attack, Red suddenly stepped forward and stopped him.
"Wait, Zoro!"
Red stared straight at Buggy. "You're not his match."
Then, instead of backing down, Red took a few steps forward, calmly walking toward Buggy under the glares of the surrounding pirates.
With a relaxed smile, he said, "Captain Buggy, I didn't expect to meet you here."
"Huh?" Buggy furrowed his brows, sensing something off.
What came next made his pupils suddenly contract.
"May I ask, as a former crew member of the Pirate King Roger and sworn brother of Yonko Red-Haired Shanks, why are you occupying such a meaningless town?"
*Clang~*
A dish clattered to the ground.
The entire Buggy Pirate Crew fell silent. Everyone stared in disbelief at Red and Buggy.
Zoro and Nami's eyes also widened in shock.
"What!?"
"A former crew member of the Pirate King!? A sworn brother of a Yonko!?"
"That… that can't be true!?"
"Pirate King? Shanks?"
Even Luffy, who had been gorging himself, turned his head curiously at the mention of those key words.
"You… how do you know that!?"
Buggy's lips trembled. Staring into Red's dark eyes, he felt as if every secret of his was being laid bare.
Those things… hardly anyone should know them anymore.
Unless…
Unless he was someone from that era…
Wait!
Buggy's gaze sharpened. He suddenly noticed the straw hat behind Luffy!
A flood of memories surged into his mind.
That hat was the symbol of his deepest pain!
Captain Roger had given that hat to Shanks, along with his greatest hopes.
For someone like Buggy, who had always wanted to surpass Shanks, that was the ultimate insult.
"You… know Shanks!?"
Buggy's tone suddenly turned furious.
But Red still wore a light smile.
"Our captain does."
"It seems he and Shanks made some sort of promise~"
"With that straw hat as the key!"
"I see. That does sound like something Shanks would do."
Hearing this, Buggy muttered inwardly, and his rage only grew.
'You bastard!'
'You were always at odds with me!'
'Even after all these years, you're still screwing with me!'
He blamed Shanks completely for his identity being exposed.
To be honest, Buggy was now panicking.
Not because Red and his crew were strong, but because he feared his subordinates might betray him and expose who he really was.
He didn't want to go back to living on the run again!
Now, the only option left for him was to play dumb and deny everything.
But just as he was about to start that act—
A wave of cheers and admiration suddenly erupted from the surrounding pirates.
"What!? Captain Buggy was a crew member of the Pirate King!?"
"That's nothing! Didn't you hear that kid? Lord Buggy even has a sworn brother who's a Yonko!"
"Oh my god! We're following such a legendary figure—we're so lucky!!!"
"Long live Captain Buggy!!!"
"..."
"..."
The pirates instantly broke into cheers, making it seem like a party had started.
Buggy, panicked, immediately split his upper body and flew into the air, shouting at his crew:
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! IT'S NOT TRUE!!!"
"That brat is spouting nonsense!"
He split his upper body off and flew into the air, flailing.
"DON'T SPREAD THIS AROUND, YOU IDIOTS!!!"
"..."
But the pirates, as if bewitched, continued their self-indulgent praise of Buggy, ignoring everything he said.
No matter how he tried to deny it, it had no effect.
"Damn it!"
Buggy landed, gripping a small knife in his hand, glaring hatefully at Red.
"You little brat, you've ruined everything! I'll—"
Just then—
Whoosh!
A whistling sound pierced the air.
A chunk of rock, formed from primal force, flew past Buggy's cheek and slammed into the ground behind him, blasting a crater half a meter wide.
At the same time, clarity returned to Buggy's eyes.
Red took a step forward, smiling mysteriously at Buggy and lowering his voice:
"I wouldn't act rashly if I were you, Captain Buggy~"
"My ability just so happens to counter your Devil Fruit."
"Even if you split, getting hit by one of those rocks would hurt, wouldn't it?"
"Y-You… What do you want!?"
This kid knows about my fruit powers!?
Cold sweat broke out on Buggy's forehead. He had finally realized Red and his group were no ordinary bunch.
Red, meanwhile, gently placed his right hand on Buggy's left shoulder in a close, familiar gesture, and said with a smile:
"Relax, Captain Buggy."
"We're here to talk cooperation!"