Buggy the Clown—a man blessed with equal parts absurdity and dumb luck
As a former crew member aboard the Pirate King Roger's ship, he lacked the natural talent and charisma of his peer and fellow apprentice, Shanks.
On top of that, the Devil Fruit robbed him of his most prized swimming abilities, and with Roger's death and Shanks sudden "cowardice", among other setbacks...
It led to middle-aged Buggy degenerating into a mere small-time pirate in the East Blue.
However...
Lack of strength does not mean Buggy is worthless.
Although Red didn't follow the later plot of One Piece too closely, when he saw in a video that Buggy, even while being trampled under Crocodile's foot, still loudly declared his intent to fight for the One Piece...
Red couldn't help but be moved!
In a way, Buggy's plot armor rivaled Luffy's.
The man had stumbled his way into becoming a Yonko.
That kind of luck... isn't something ordinary people can compete with.
As a certain great man once said: "Unite all forces that can be united."
Red firmly believed in that.
So for a pirate like Buggy, who still held value, Red hoped to bring him under his control.
After all, a clown isn't just a symbol of comedy—he can also be...
The trump card that decides the game.
"Alright, brat, spit it out. What's this 'cooperation' you want?"
Inside the base of the Buggy Pirates, after shooing away his mindless flatterers, Buggy sat at the head seat with his right-hand men, Mohji and Cabaji, addressing Red.
In truth, still being sane, Mohji and Cabaji were already wary of Red's dangerous nature and had no desire to attend this meeting.
But under Buggy's command, they had no choice but to stay.
Across from them sat a garish red meeting table, laden with fruit, food, and sake.
Red sat in front of it, enjoying VIP-level treatment.
Zoro and Nami sat beside him like his left and right hands—mirroring Mohji and Cabaji.
As for the actual captain of the Straw Hats?
That guy was outside, blending right in with the Buggy Pirates, happily attending a party celebrating "Captain Buggy being part of Roger's crew."
At this point, he was probably sticking chopsticks in his nose and showing off his party tricks.
"Calling me 'brat' is rude, Captain Buggy."
Red smiled calmly, lifted his cup of sake, and took a sip. He then introduced himself:
"You can call me Red. That's my name."
"These are Zoro and Nami. As for the goofy guy outside..."
Red's tone shifted, and he sighed. "As much as I don't want to admit it, that guy is our captain. His name is Monkey D. Luffy."
"D!?" Buggy's brow twitched. He immediately caught the key detail.
Having once sailed on Roger's ship, even after spending years in the East, meant he knew things most New World pirates didn't.
Red, expecting such a reaction, grinned knowingly and added meaningfully:
"That's right, Captain Buggy."
"Luffy, like Roger, is one of the D Clan—those known as the 'Enemies of the Gods!'"
"As a former member of Roger's crew, you must understand what that title means."
"I do, sure."
Buggy's eyes shifted, recalling old memories.
But soon, he smacked his lips indifferently:
"But so what if he's a D?"
"Throughout history, there have been countless D's on the seas, and they have come and gone. If you think a mere name or bloodline alone can shake the world..."
"Then you're far too naïve!"
"True enough." Red didn't deny it, but he dropped a bombshell with a smirk:
"But what if I told you... Shanks never became Pirate King... because he's been waiting for Luffy?"
"How'd you like that twist, Captain?"
Silence.
Then—
"WHAT!?"
Buggy was stunned for a few seconds. Then his head launched off his shoulders, hovering inches from Red's face.
"You'd better not be messing with me, kid!"
"Don't think just because you've got a Devil Fruit, you can push me around!!!"
His two white-gloved hands flew over and grabbed Red's collar.
Clearly, some topics could make Buggy overcome his fears and show backbone.
But Red just pushed Buggy's floating head away in disgust, avoiding his spit, and said slowly:
"I'm dead serious, Captain Buggy."
"In fact, I'm here to formally invite you—and your crew—to join the Straw Hat Grand Fleet."
"HAH!?"
Even while being held in Red's grip, Buggy scowled and snapped:
"You want me to bow to some rookie crew!? NEVER!"
"Not happening!!!"
As expected, Buggy angrily refused.
If Red hadn't said some intriguing things earlier, he would've stabbed him on the spot for such an insulting offer.
Yet despite Buggy's flat rejection, Red simply smiled:
"Nothing is impossible, Captain Buggy."
"Remember the day Roger was executed? Your falling-out with Shanks?"
"Don't you want to know why Shanks suddenly changed, disappointing you so much?!"
"You..."
Buggy spun his head to stare into Red's eyes—eyes that seemed to hold all the answers.
"How do you know about that!?" he asked, trembling in disbelief.
Red kept smiling: "Of course I know."
"Because…"
He pointed twice at the corner of his eyes.
"I have a pair of eyes that can see both the past and the future!"
"…"
Buggy stared hard into his eyes and asked:
"Is that... your Devil Fruit ability? Or something else?"
In the world of pirates, strange powers abound.
Some stem from Devil Fruits, others from natural abilities.
So someone who could see time wasn't too shocking.
All Buggy wanted now... was the truth Red claimed to know.
But Red didn't give a direct answer. He just smiled slyly:
"You can take it that way."
"In short, Senior Buggy, I know a lot about Roger, Shanks... and you!"
"Would you... Like to hear it?"
"…"
Buggy's eyes flickered.
After a moment of silence, his head flew back and reattached to his body.
He had to admit, the confidence in this young man's eyes was too compelling—it made him believe Red really did know something.
And when it came to Shanks, there were indeed many things he never understood.
"Fine, let's see what kind of story you can spin!"
Buggy huffed, eyeing Red warily.
Then he saw Red's grin widen mysteriously as he said:
"Captain Buggy, you've always claimed that Shanks made you eat the Devil Fruit and lose your precious treasure map."
"But in truth..."
"What you really resent is how the captain's favorite, Shanks, gave up the Pirate King race, disappointing you with his cowardice. Isn't that right?!"
"Hmph!"
Buggy snorted, not denying it, but not confirming it either.
But his suddenly tense expression revealed Red had hit the mark.
It also made him more convinced of Red's power.
After all, these were things Shanks would never tell anyone.
Then Red delivered the final blow:
"But what you don't know…"
"Is that the reason Shanks made that choice... was because of advice from Captain Roger himself!"
"What did you say!?" Buggy leapt up, gripping his seat's armrests tightly.
Red continued:
"Roger—the Pirate King who used his life to spark the Great Pirate Era—understood something deeply…"
"That the world didn't need another Pirate King!"
"That's why, before his death, he entrusted everything to Shanks."
"And it was because of that heavy burden... that Shanks played this 'pirate pretend' game you mocked all these years, protecting the weak."
"But what you don't know, Senior Buggy... is that Shanks has been waiting."
Red's eyes burned with passion as he stared directly at Buggy and declared:
"Waiting for a chance to overthrow the World Government and the Celestial Dragons—once and for all!!!"