Chapter 142: Buggy: Stronger Than My Buggy Ball!?
Zoro picked up the fruit, instantly triggering a contract quest.
[Contract Quest (1/5)]
Objective: Defeat the Sea King lurking near the docks.
Reward: Ghostly Affinity Lv.1 (White)
"Ghostly… Affinity?"
Zoro furrowed his brow. The reward didn't seem related to swordsmanship—what a shame.
Sea Kings referred to the massive fish-like monsters often seen in shallow waters.
To ordinary people, they were unstoppable giants.
But for Zoro, they were just oversized meals. He'd once chopped one up and sold it at auction as fish fillets.
"Sea King! Let's go!"
Luffy cheered, dragging Zoro and Nami off toward the docks.
...
Elsewhere—
The Buggy Pirates were beginning to realize the Contract Fruit was no ordinary item.
The heavily injured first mate, Mohji, showed off his new weapon to Captain Buggy.
A beast-taming whip.
Buggy squinted at it but couldn't see anything special. He waved it off. "Great, whatever. Where the hell did you run off to? You look like you got run over."
"There's a forest east of Orange Town," Mohji said excitedly. "Ritchie and I followed the fruit's guidance and found an untouched iron ore vein! After finishing the quest, I got this beast-taming whip as a reward."
He clutched the whip like it was a priceless treasure.
Buggy's eyes lit up at the mention of an iron vein. "Where exactly?"
Even low-grade ore could fetch millions of Berries at auction.
Mohji scratched his head awkwardly. "The moment I completed the quest, the vein vanished. We couldn't find it again."
"Are you messing with me?"
Buggy's expression darkened dangerously.
"It's true!"
Mohji panicked. "The Contract Fruit takes away the quest-related item!"
Buggy laughed in disbelief.
Was his first mate brain-dead?
"You're telling me… you gave up an iron vein worth millions… for a lousy whip?"
"It's not an ordinary whip!"
"Is that so? Then show me what's so special about it."
Buggy restrained his temper and waited.
Snap!
The whip cracked in the air.
Ritchie the lion howled in response—
with a hint of… excitement?
"That's it?"
Buggy's mouth twitched. He was about to speak, but then something strange happened.
Ritchie's fur puffed up, and his body suddenly looked bulkier—more intimidating.
Was it just his imagination?
Buggy felt like Ritchie had grown larger.
"That's right, Captain Buggy!"
Mohji proudly stroked the whip. "Any beast struck by it grows stronger."
"Also, according to the information in my head, this is just a starter weapon. If I complete all the contract quests and become a Samsara Game player, I'll be able to gain wealth, power, and everything I could ever dream of!"
"Everything!?"
Buggy's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
He wanted to scold Mohji, but he looked at the whip… and then at the noticeably bigger Ritchie.
Reluctantly, he pulled out the last Contract Fruit he had.
The same memory popped into his head: a quest to hand over five million Berries.
"If this is all fake, you're dead, Mohji… and you too, Ritchie!"
Buggy stomped his feet in frustration, cursing the lost treasure. Still, he fetched a heavy bag from his tent.
Five million Berries.
Even for a pirate like Buggy, coughing up that kind of cash wasn't easy.
After all, piracy was a risky business. Death by storm, capture by Marines, betrayal by other crews—it was a life where saving money was impossible. Pirates lived for pleasure.
Still—
Ritchie's transformation, and Nami's attempt to run off with the fruit, convinced him this Contract Fruit might be the real deal.
"All my dreams… might come true…"
His heart pounded.
His dream was to hoard every treasure in the world.
That red-haired idiot Shanks had no interest in gold. But what kind of pirate didn't love treasure?
Poof.
The bag vanished.
A flood of strange knowledge surged into Buggy's mind.
Metallurgy, elemental science, kinetic energy theory—all of it combined into knowledge about metals and gunpowder.
[Armor-Piercing Ammo Crafting Lv.1]: Consumes stamina to craft high-penetration bullets.
Tip: Use your own materials to reduce stamina cost.
Origin: Sky Island's elite gunners, who treated their bullets like their souls. They mastered crafting techniques to make powerful specialized rounds.
"Captain Buggy…"
Cabaji, the unicycle-riding strategist, saw the captain frozen in place and panicked.
He burst into tears and lunged at Mohji with a sword—only to be stopped by Ritchie's paw.
"Damn it, Mohji! You poisoned the captain! He's gone stupid! What do we do now?!"
Mohji yelped and scratched at his fluffy white hair. "Idiot! The captain didn't eat the fruit!"
"Still your fault!"
"You dumbass! Has riding a unicycle fried your brain?!"
"Everyone shut up!"
Buggy shouted, silencing them all. He took a moment to digest the new information in his head.
Then,
he stormed into the supply tent, drew his dagger, and pried open the crate of high-grade explosives used to make Buggy Balls.
Two minutes later—
A strange new magazine was assembled. It didn't hold normal bullets—it held mini daggers.
"Bring me a gun!"
A flintlock pistol was handed over.
Buggy hesitantly attached the weird magazine to the pistol.
Somehow, even though it clearly didn't fit… the gun and mag fused together.
Buggy aimed at a thick stone wall and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
A dagger, gleaming coldly, shot from the barrel.
Its metal blade tore through the air, trailing a long ribbon of compressed wind.
A deep groove appeared in the center of the wall where it struck.
Mohji leaned in. "Captain… that's your new ability?"
It didn't look that different from a normal shot. Maybe a bit stronger.
"Wait…"
Mohji's eyes widened. He looked past the wall.
The dagger had not only pierced the wall—
it kept going. It tore through the room behind it, through furniture, and embedded itself into the wall across the street.
"Ha ha ha ha! So this is armor-piercing ammo!?"
Buggy howled with laughter, eyes burning as he stared at the new contract quest.
It was real!
The power could even pierce steel—and the skill would grow stronger and faster with each level!
"Boys! A new treasure awaits! How can we sit still? Follow me!"
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