-Real World: Frozen Battlefield-
The question hanging in Kuzan's mind defied every law of nature he understood. Could one person truly become two separate entities? In all his years as a Marine, through countless encounters with the most bizarre Devil Fruit abilities the world had to offer, he had never witnessed anything that challenged fundamental reality quite like this.
Devil Fruits related to cloning or duplication simply didn't exist in the documented records. The closest approximation was Dr. Vegapunk's research into artificial replication, but even that cutting-edge science required massive technological infrastructure and produced inferior copies at best.
Yet here he stood, facing two distinct individuals who both look like Buggy the Clown.
"Where is Admiral Aokiji planning to take Miss Robin?" The female figure asked with casual authority, swaggering forward without the slightest hint of fear despite facing one of the Marines' most powerful officers.
Her demeanor was completely different from the male Buggy. Where he radiated aggressive menace, she projected something far more complex—a mixture of predatory confidence and theatrical sensuality that somehow felt even more dangerous than raw anger.
Standing roughly two meters tall, she was significantly shorter than Kuzan's imposing frame, but their spiritual presence felt eerily balanced. The same fundamental madness that lurked behind Buggy's eyes was reflected in hers, but filtered through an entirely different psychological lens.
"Are you also Buggy the Clown?" Kuzan asked, his tactical mind struggling to process the implications of what he was witnessing.
The strategic situation had shifted dramatically. Facing one opponent of Buggy's caliber would have been challenging enough but confronting two simultaneously while protecting a prisoner pushed the odds well beyond acceptable parameters. His best hope now was to stall for time until Sakazuki and Garp arrived with reinforcements.
The female clown's attire was deliberately provocative—revealing clothing that emphasized her curves, painted designs that drew attention to her physique, a complete contrast to the male version's more traditional pirate garb. She seemed to relish the attention her appearance generated, showing no shame or discomfort when eyes lingered on her form.
Two completely different personalities, Kuzan observed with clinical detachment. Same face, same fundamental power signature, but entirely different psychological profiles. How is this possible?
"Of course I'm also Buggy the Clown," she replied with theatrical cheerfulness, gesturing toward the ongoing destruction behind them. "And the one back there is also me. In fact, there are many of us scattered across these seas."
The casual admission sent chills down Kuzan's spine that had nothing to do with his ice powers. Multiple copies of a Yonko-level threat, each potentially possessing the same reality-warping abilities they had just witnessed—the strategic implications were nightmarish.
"Split Thread."
The female Buggy's technique manifested as delicate finger movements, almost like conducting an invisible orchestra. Her Bara Bara no Mi (Chop-Chop Fruit) powers took the form of razor-thin lines that sliced through the air with surgical precision, moving toward Kuzan and Robin like seeking missiles.
"Ice Age: Violent Pheasant!"
Kuzan's counterattack was immediate and overwhelming. Massive amounts of cold air gathered around his right arm before exploding outward as a gigantic ice bird. The temperature plummeted another ten degrees in its wake, the technique carrying enough kinetic force and freezing power to devastate entire city blocks.
The collision between ice and division created a spectacular display of conflicting natural laws. For several heartbeats, the two forces seemed evenly matched—neither technique completely overwhelming the other, both powers canceling out in a demonstration of perfectly balanced opposition.
But the stalemate didn't bring Kuzan any satisfaction. If anything, it confirmed his worst fears about the situation.
She's matching my Admiral-level techniques with casual effort, he realized grimly. This isn't just a clone or copy—she possesses the full power of the original.
His mind raced through the intelligence reports circulating within Marine Headquarters. There had been unconfirmed rumors about Buggy's ability to split not just his physical form, but his very personality—dividing different aspects of his psyche into separate, autonomous entities.
At the time, such reports had seemed too fantastic to credit. The idea that any Devil Fruit could manipulate something as fundamental as consciousness itself challenged every scientific principle the Marines understood about supernatural abilities.
But the evidence was literally standing in front of him.
"Did you clone your own body using Vegapunk's technology?" Kuzan asked, grasping for rational explanations even as the evidence suggested something far beyond conventional science.
He had heard whispers about Egghead Island, about the multiple versions of Dr. Vegapunk that supposedly assisted the original in his research. But those copies lacked the Brain-Brain Fruit's enhancement, relying on technological interfaces to share knowledge and coordination.
The female Buggy tilted her head with condescending amusement, as if explaining basic concepts to a particularly slow child.
"My body exists through entirely different means," she said with obvious disdain for his technological assumptions. "No scientific blessing required, thank you very much. Those artificially cloned bodies are far too fragile to contain a split soul."
She paused, studying his expression with predatory interest. "I've been quite generous with explanations, Kuzan. Perhaps it's time you faced reality—you're not taking Robin anywhere today."
The threat was delivered with casual confidence that made it infinitely more intimidating than shouted challenges or dramatic posturing. She spoke as someone stating simple, inevitable facts about the future.
Having both the wrathful and lustful aspects of Buggy the Clown appear simultaneously represented an enormous show of respect for an Admiral's combat capabilities. If Kuzan continued to resist rather than accept the gracious offer of negotiation, both entities would happily demonstrate why such defiance was inadvisable.
She's the reasonable one, Kuzan realized with growing unease. She showed up to prevent the angry version from going completely berserk and potentially letting us escape in the chaos.
The implications suggested a level of strategic coordination between the personalities that went far beyond simple duplication. They were operating as a coordinated team, each aspect of Buggy's psyche specialized for different tactical roles.
Before Kuzan could formulate a diplomatic response, the furious clown behind them made the decision for everyone. The male Buggy's rage had reached critical mass, his destructive impulses overwhelming any consideration for negotiation or prisoner exchange.
The retreat route vanished in a fresh wave of reality-shredding power, leaving them trapped between two manifestations of the same terrifying individual.
At such a perilous moment, Kuzan found his gaze drawn to Robin's face. Fear, confusion, and desperate hope warred in her expression as she tried to process the surreal situation unfolding around her.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's orders echoed in his memory: Kill the Devil's Child if capture becomes impossible.
The rational, dutiful part of his mind knew exactly what he should do. One technique would end Robin's life instantly, denying the enemy their prize while eliminating a potential threat to global security. It was the textbook solution to an impossible tactical situation.
But as he prepared to act on those orders, other faces intruded on his thoughts. Vice Admiral Saul, the giant who had sacrificed everything to save a single child. His former teacher Zephyr, who had taught him that true justice required protecting the innocent rather than simply following orders.
These two men had shaped his understanding of what it meant to serve justice rather than simply serving authority. Their influence had created the philosophical foundation that made him hesitate when absolute obedience demanded otherwise.
My justice, he thought with crystalline clarity, was shaped by people who chose compassion over convenience.
In the end, his personal beliefs overcame his institutional loyalty. Rather than execute Robin to spite the enemy, Kuzan chose to negotiate with the more reasonable of his opponents.
"I can surrender Robin to you," he said carefully, his body already beginning to transform into ice as a precautionary measure. "But I need to understand your intentions. If you don't value her archaeological abilities, why are you so determined to keep her from Marine custody? Where exactly do you plan to take her?"
The threat was implicit but clear—if their answer didn't satisfy his moral standards, he would kill Robin himself rather than allow her to be used for whatever dark purposes they had in mind.
The male Buggy's twisted expression grew even more distorted as rage warped his features into something barely recognizable as human. When he spoke, his voice carried the frustrated fury of someone whose carefully laid plans were being disrupted by forces beyond his control.
"Because the Straw Hat Boy needs her," he snarled through gritted teeth. "Without this archaeologist, that rookie won't get far in his journey. It's all because of that damned Sky Screen completely disrupting the natural progression of events!"
His entire demeanor radiated barely contained violence, the kind of explosive anger that typically preceded wholesale destruction. "Everything was proceeding perfectly until that cursed broadcast started revealing futures that haven't happened yet. Now I have to actively intervene to correct the timeline."
The admission hit Kuzan like a physical blow as the true scope of Buggy's manipulations became clear. This wasn't about ancient weapons or overthrowing governments—it was about ensuring that specific individuals followed predetermined paths toward unknown destinations.
"So this is what you meant by natural development," Kuzan said slowly, his tactical mind working through the implications. "You want things to unfold according to the Sky Screen's visions, and you're frustrated by outside interference disrupting those events."
The psychological profile that emerged was deeply disturbing. Buggy wasn't trying to change the future—he was trying to preserve it, acting as some kind of cosmic moderator ensuring that fate unfolded according to predetermined patterns.
He's manipulating the entire world to match the Sky Screen's prophecies, Kuzan realized with growing horror. Everything we've seen, everything that's happened—how much of it was orchestrated by him?
"Handing Robin over to Straw Hat Luffy," he continued aloud, working through the logic. "That makes tactical sense from our perspective. Luffy is Vice Admiral Garp's grandson—most Marines wouldn't dare harm him directly. And Dragon's protection would discourage government interference."
It was actually a reasonable solution from multiple angles. Robin would be safer with the Straw Hat Pirates than in Marine custody, where execution was virtually guaranteed. Luffy's family connections provided political protection that few other pirates could offer.
But the deeper implications were staggering. If Buggy was actively manipulating events to match the Sky Screen's predictions, then how much of what they had witnessed was genuine versus carefully orchestrated theater?
There's a massive conspiracy here, Kuzan thought grimly, and it all revolves around Monkey D. Luffy. What does Buggy want from that boy that requires such elaborate long-term planning?
Unfortunately, those were questions far beyond his current ability to investigate. In the immediate tactical situation, strength was the only currency that mattered—and he was dramatically outmatched by opponents who seemed to know far more about the future than anyone had a right to.
The weakness they had revealed—their investment in preserving the Sky Screen's timeline—could be exploited, but only by someone with the resources and authority to disrupt their plans on a global scale. A single Admiral, no matter how powerful, couldn't compete with that level of strategic foresight.
"You've set your sights on Luffy," Kuzan said finally, releasing his ice transformation and allowing Robin to feel warmth again. "I hope you can handle Vice Admiral Garp's pursuit when he discovers what you've done."
It was a hollow threat, but the only one available to him. Garp's legendary temper and protective instincts toward his grandsons were well known throughout the Marines—if he learned that Buggy was manipulating Luffy's journey, the resulting confrontation would be spectacular.
With deliberate roughness, Kuzan pushed Robin toward the female clown. "I'm entrusting her to you based on your word. I choose to believe your stated intentions."
In this world of pirates, he reflected bitterly, the strongest individuals rarely bother lying. They have the power to impose their will through force, making deception unnecessary. It's only the weak who rely on lies to survive.
The irony wasn't lost on him that he was trusting the word of a pirate over the orders of his own government. But then, the World Government's relationship with truth had always been... complicated.
After securing Robin, neither version of Buggy showed any interest in prolonging the confrontation unnecessarily. They had achieved their objective without excessive violence—a level of restraint that somehow made them more rather than less intimidating.
Kuzan could only watch as the three figures departed across the ice, his own inadequacy weighing on him like a physical burden. It was the first time in years that he had felt genuinely outclassed by an opponent, the first time his Admiral-level strength had proven insufficient to accomplish his mission.