Luffy's fist was still buried in Buggy's gut. The clown's detached head, which had been laughing moments before, flew back to his body with a panicked expression, reattaching with a soft thump. He staggered back, clutching his stomach, a look of pure shock on his face.
"The Captain… was hit clean!" one of his recovering crewmates stammered in disbelief.
"Don't you dare…" Luffy growled, his eyes burning with a cold fire, "…talk about Shanks like you're his equal. You're not even fit to say his name."
Buggy glared, his face contorting with rage. "I can say whatever I want about that red-haired bastard!" He began to split his body apart again, preparing for a counterattack, but Luffy was faster. A swift kick to Buggy's chest sent the clown stumbling again.
From the sidelines, Nami watched, completely mesmerized. She had come for treasure, but she found herself captivated by this battle. There was a history here, a mystery connecting this ridiculous rubber boy and his precious hat to one of the most infamous pirates in the world. She couldn't look away.
Meanwhile, at the makeshift camp on the outskirts of Orange Town, the rescued villagers were growing more anxious by the minute. Chouchou was safe, but their mayor was not.
"We can't just wait here!" a young man named Poro declared, standing up and grabbing a sharpened farm tool. "The Mayor went back in there for us! For Chouchou! We can't abandon him!"
His words sparked a fire in the others. An elderly woman nodded grimly, picking up a heavy wooden plank. Another man grabbed a rusty pitchfork. One by one, the able-bodied citizens of Orange Town stood up. They were scared, but their fear was finally being overshadowed by their courage.
"Poro is right!" someone shouted. "This is our town! Our treasure! It's time we fought for it!"
With a determined roar, the small, ragtag militia of Orange Town began to march back towards the warzone their home had become.
Back at the fight, Buggy clutched his stomach, his rage reaching a boiling point. The pain from the punch was nothing compared to the fury that Luffy's words had ignited.
"That red-haired bastard…" Buggy hissed, his voice trembling with a decade-old hatred. "Of all the people in the world, Shanks is the one I can never forgive! He's the one who ruined my life! My grand plan! All of it!"
The intensity of his hatred was so palpable that it seemed to warp the very air around him. The present faded away, and Buggy was lost in a memory, a lifetime ago, on the deck of a legendary ship…
The sea was alive with the sound of a roaring party. On the deck of a magnificent vessel, a young Buggy, with his hair tied back but his nose just as red, was in a heated argument with another apprentice, a cheerful boy with a straw hat and a shock of red hair.
"The North Pole is definitely colder!" Buggy insisted.
"No way! The South Pole has more ice! It has to be colder!" the young Shanks retorted, grinning.
"You're an idiot!"
"No, you're the idiot!"
Their childish squabble was interrupted by a sharp bonk on both of their heads. A senior member of the crew, a calm man with spectacles, stood over them, a look of weary amusement on his face.
"If you two have that much energy, use it to swab the decks," he said. "If you really want to know which pole is colder, then go and find out for yourselves one day. That's what being a pirate is all about."
"Lookout! Enemy vessel approaching!" a voice cried from the crow's nest.
The crew sprang into action. Buggy's eyes lit up with avarice. "Alright! Time for some treasure!"
Shanks, however, just laughed, drawing his own cutlass. "There's more to being a pirate than treasure, Buggy! There's the adventure!"
The battle was fierce and chaotic. While the senior members fought on the front lines, Buggy, true to his nature, snuck aboard the enemy ship to loot. In the captain's cabin, he found it: a treasure map, detailing the location of a legendary underwater treasure horde. His heart pounded with greed. This was it. This was his ticket to a life of unimaginable wealth. He quickly hid the map in his jacket.
Later that night, the party raged on. Shanks found Buggy sitting alone, away from the celebration, staring at the sea.
"Hey, Buggy! Why aren't you celebrating?" Shanks asked, plopping down beside him. "We got some amazing loot! Did you hear? We even found a Devil Fruit!"
Buggy flinched, trying to hide his guilt. He had a far greater prize than anyone knew.
"I'm just thinking about the future," Buggy said, trying to sound casual. "I'm thinking of leaving this crew soon. Start my own crew, become a great captain."
"Really? Me too!" Shanks said excitedly. "I'm gonna find my own crew and just… sail around the world! See everything!"
Buggy scoffed. "You're too naïve, Shanks. Too innocent. You'll never make it as a real pirate captain. If it weren't for your stupid ideas about 'adventure', I might even let you join my crew."
Shanks just laughed. "Nah, we're too different. But hey, if we ever meet out there on the sea as captains…"
"We'll be enemies," Buggy finished, a serious look in his eyes. "And we'll fight to the end."
"It's a promise!" Shanks grinned.
He then leaned in conspiratorially. "So, about that Devil Fruit. They say it's the Bara Bara no Mi. It makes you a Chop-Chop man! Your body can split into pieces! And it's worth 100 million Beli!"
Buggy's eyes nearly popped out of his head. 100 million Beli! His plan formed instantly. He would steal the fruit, sell it, and use the money to fund his treasure hunt.
The next day, he put on a show. In front of the whole crew, he took a regular fruit he had painted to look like the Devil Fruit and swallowed it whole, gagging theatrically. "Nope! Nothing!" he declared. The crew grumbled, dismissing the legends.
That night, under the cover of darkness, Buggy prepared to make his escape. In a small sack, he had the real Devil Fruit. In his jacket, the precious map. His future was in his hands.
"Leaving so soon?"
Buggy froze. Shanks was standing right behind him.
In a blind panic, Buggy shoved the Devil Fruit into his mouth to hide it, while clutching his jacket to secure the map.
"Uh, no! Just… getting some fresh air!" Buggy stammered.
Shanks just shrugged. "Okay! See you tomorrow!" He turned and walked away.
Buggy let out a massive sigh of relief. He was about to spit the disgusting fruit out when…
"BOO!"
Shanks had popped up right behind him again.
The shock was so great that Buggy instinctively swallowed.
GULP.
He had just eaten a Devil Fruit worth 100 million Beli.
The horror of what he had done washed over him. He was about to scream at Shanks, but before he could, Shanks pointed over the side of the ship.
"Hey, what's that?"
A piece of paper was fluttering on the wind, heading over the railing.
The map. His treasure map.
"NOOOO!" Buggy screamed, leaping over the railing in a desperate dive to catch it.
He hit the water. And then he felt it. A profound weakness. His limbs felt like lead. He couldn't move. He couldn't swim. The sea was rejecting him.
Up on the ship, the crew gathered at the railing. "Hey, Buggy fell in! Why isn't he coming up? He's a great swimmer!"
It was Shanks who, without hesitation, dove into the water and pulled the spluttering, cursed Buggy back to safety.
The memory faded, leaving only the bitter taste of a decade-old resentment. Buggy was back in the present, glaring at Luffy.
"He saved my life, but he destroyed my dream!" Buggy roared. "My treasure map was lost forever! My plan to sell the fruit was ruined! My grand future was set back ten years, all because of that red-haired idiot!"
Luffy listened to the whole story, his expression unreadable. Then he said, "Oh. So he saved your life. Sounds like Shanks is a pretty great guy!"
This complete lack of sympathy for Buggy's lost treasure and ruined scheme was the final insult. Buggy's rage boiled over. His head spun around, and his eyes locked onto a new target.
Nami, who had been trying to sneak away with the treasure she had stolen.
"AND YOU!" Buggy shrieked, his hatred finding a new focus. "THE LITTLE THIEF WITH MY TREASURE!"
His entire upper body detached from his waist and shot through the air like a missile, daggers extended, flying straight for Nami.