"...I'm sorry."
Seeing the longing in Mira's eyes when she thought of Lisanna and Elfman, Rain lowered his gaze and apologized softly.
If it weren't for him, Mira would never have been dragged into this world, never separated from her younger siblings.
For Lisanna and Elfman, only a month had passed. But for Mira… an entire year had slipped away.
And she was only thirteen. A year at her age was too long, almost cruel.
"There's no need to apologize."
Mira smiled faintly. She reached out and brushed a hand across Rain's furrowed brow, smoothing it out.
"I chose this myself."
Her outward style was still that of a rebellious bad girl, but the way she looked at Rain was filled with gentle warmth.
"Honestly… I feel lucky to be here with you. If I'd been alone, I can't even imagine what this year would've been like. But with you, it's different.
"As for Lisanna and Elfman… I think they'll forgive their big sister for being selfish just this once. If it's only for a little while longer, it'll be fine."
Her lips curled into a mischievous smirk as she said it.
"…Thank you, Mira."
Rain pulled her into his arms without hesitation, gratitude swelling in his chest. How fortunate he was to have met her.
The First Half of the Grand Line
"Someone's competing with my business?"
Buggy, dressed in an expensive suit, draped in a mink coat, and puffing on a cigar threw his head back and laughed arrogantly when he heard the report.
"Crush them! Show 'em the first half of the Grand Line...hell, the whole world belongs to the great Buggy Company!"
"Our people have already lost three times."
At the long table, Kuro, the bespectacled strategist with slicked-back hair adjusted his glasses and spoke with detached calm.
"What?!"
Buggy nearly choked on his cigar, his eyes bulging in disbelief. But after a moment, he forced himself to calm down.
"…Do we know who they are?"
"Yes." Kuro's voice was flat as ever. "They call themselves 'Joker.' The leader's true name is Donquixote Doflamingo, an underworld broker from the North Blue."
"His crew is filled with powerful subordinates… and many of them are Devil Fruit users."
"Donquixote, huh?" Buggy frowned, chewing over the name. Then his expression hardened.
"Devil Fruit users, and a lot of them? That's… a problem."
Having once roamed the New World, Buggy knew well: in the first half of the Grand Line and across the Four Seas, Haki was almost nonexistent. Under those conditions, a Devil Fruit user was practically invincible.
One or two users could be dealt with overwhelmed by numbers if nothing else. But an entire crew of them? That was trouble.
"This could be bad" Buggy muttered, scratching his chin nervously.
Kuro leaned back, smirking. "Didn't you say you had powerful allies behind you? People so strong they could crush anyone in the Four Seas or this half of the Grand Line? Surely it wouldn't be a problem to call one of them?"
"I wasn't lying! It's true!" Buggy snapped, face flushing red.
"Then the solution's obvious, isn't it?" Kuro replied coolly.
"Call for help. If what you said is real, then a single powerhouse will be more than enough to erase some 'country bumpkin' organization."
Buggy gritted his teeth, cigar smoke curling around his face. He hated being talked down to by his own subordinate but he couldn't deny it. Doflamingo wasn't someone to underestimate.
Kuro narrowed his eyes. He had been half-convinced Buggy's boasts about powerful allies were nothing but hot air.
But if the clown was serious enough to pick up the Transponder Snail without hesitation… maybe there was truth to it.
Buggy dialed, puffing his chest out as if the world itself were watching him.
If there really isn't anyone backing me up, I'll just grab some cash, vanish to a quiet country, buy a noble title, and live the rest of my life in luxury. Easy.
The line clicked.
"Buggy? I've been hearing your name a lot lately even in the New World."
Rain's voice carried amusement, almost teasing.
"Bwahahaha! Of course you have! Who do you think I am?! I'm the great Captain Buggy!"
Buggy burst into laughter, his ego inflating instantly at the praise.
Rain chuckled softly. "So… if you've called me, I take it you need help?"
Buggy coughed, regaining his "serious" tone. "Before that I want to know how strong you are now."
Rain didn't hesitate. "Bullet and I fought one-on-one. For three days straight, neither of us could gain the upper hand. But on the fourth day… I beat him."
Buggy's eyes bulged.
"And Mira," Rain continued calmly, "took down a pirate with a 300 million beli bounty. As for Bullet, he's with us now. That means you've got three monsters backing you."
"…W-what?!"
Buggy nearly dropped the Transponder Snail. His breath quickened as Rain's words sank in.
Rain defeated Douglas Bullet?! Mira cut down a 300 million bounty pirate?! And Bullet himself actually joined them?!
Buggy's whole body trembled. This… this isn't just good luck. This is a miracle!
"Doesn't that mean… Rain's already on par with the Captain's First Mate? With Rayleigh?!"
His eyes lit up with greedy hope. His mind spun faster than a roulette wheel. This is it. My real luck starts here! The age of Buggy is about to begin!
But what Buggy didn't know...what none of them knew was that Rayleigh had never once gone all out against Bullet in the past.
Comparing Rain's victory to the Dark King's battles was meaningless.
"…Captain?"
Kuro's cold voice snapped him out of his delirium. He had caught Buggy muttering.
"This guy had a captain before? Why haven't I ever heard about him?"
Suspicion flickered in Kuro's sharp eyes as he studied Buggy's elated face.
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