Inside the tavern.
Pirates filled the room.
This wasn't just any tavern—
This was a pirate tavern.
A pirate stronghold!
An ordinary person stepping in here would likely tremble in fear at the atmosphere alone.
Yet from the moment Kai set foot inside,
his expression hadn't changed in the slightest.
Right now,
he was calmly sizing up the red-nosed man seated on the sofa ahead.
That's right!
As he had suspected,
this man was none other than—
Buggy the Clown!
A so-called "Great Pirate" whose name spread far and wide across the East Blue.
Cruel by nature,
violent and savage,
committing every imaginable crime,
He was a name that could strike fear into countless common folk.
Kai hadn't expected it.
What began as a simple whim—just looking for a group of pirates to amuse himself with—
had unexpectedly led him to cross paths with Buggy!
This man, who once sailed as a lowly crewman on the Pirate King Roger's ship,
had grown into an independent pirate captain.
And yet…
He was also the most pitiful of them all.
Every other person who had once sailed on Roger's ship was now a renowned figure, a powerful force upon the seas.
But Buggy?
He didn't even dare step into the first half of the Grand Line.
Instead, he shrank back into the weakest sea, the East Blue, playing tyrant in a little pond.
Take Red-Haired Shanks, Buggy's peer—
He was already making his name in the second half of the Grand Line, the New World itself.
But Buggy?
Still cowering in the East Blue, trying to play emperor.
"What a coincidence,"
Kai thought, his gaze boring into Buggy.
Though this was their first meeting…
for some reason,
He felt nothing but dislike.
The more he looked, the more irritated he became.
Especially knowing that Buggy's good friend, Shanks, would one day mislead his foolish younger brother Luffy—
The thought made his blood boil.
That anger, originally meant for Shanks,
now transferred fully onto Buggy standing before him.
"Since fate has arranged our meeting…"
"Then today—"
"I'll make sure you remember me."
Kai's eyes gleamed with an unfathomable light.
Running into Buggy here in Loguetown?
He couldn't resist leaving a mark.
And as it turned out…
the one ruling Loguetown's underworld was none other than Buggy the Clown himself!
At this moment,
as Kai studied Buggy,
The hundred or so pirates in the tavern turned their sharp gazes onto him.
Predatory stares.
Playful, cold, mocking, and filled with malice.
If it were anyone else,
they'd likely collapse on the spot under the pressure.
But Kai stood there motionless,
face calm, unmoved.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Oppressive.
After a moment,
The blue-haired pirate who had led Kai here rushed over to Buggy's side and explained everything.
Buggy listened,
then slowly rose from the sofa.
His eyes gleamed with greed as he stared at Kai.
"Brat, I hear you're rich, huh?"
"Why not lend me some of your berries?"
"Unfortunately, I'm rather broke these days. I'm sure you won't mind, will you?"
Buggy's grin was sharp, his gaze cold.
Around him, the pirates snickered, their eyes full of ridicule.
"That kid's finished."
"Where'd he find the guts to ask to see Captain Buggy?"
"He must be tired of living!"
"If he can't hand over enough money to satisfy Buggy, he won't leave here alive. He'll be hacked into pieces!"
"Look at him—soft skin, delicate features. He's gotta be from a noble family. If we kidnap him and demand ransom, we'll make a fortune!"
The whispers spread like wildfire among the pirates.
"Brat, now you understand who our captain is, don't you?"
"That's the infamous Buggy the Clown!"
"Seeing him up close, aren't you ready to piss yourself off?"
"Our captain's name shakes the whole East Blue!"
The blue-haired pirate sneered at Kai.
In his eyes, this boy had just signed his death warrant.
"Buggy the Clown?"
At last, Kai spoke.
Buggy tilted his chin proudly.
"That's right! That's me, the great Captain Buggy!"
Then, puffed up with arrogance, he continued:
"Since you know your place, I'll give you a chance to live. Make sure your family delivers twenty million berries to me!"
"Otherwise…"
"I'll tear you into pieces right here!"
His words made the tavern erupt with anticipation.
They could already picture it—
Kai hacked apart by Buggy's wrath.
"Did my family pay twenty million?"
Kai chuckled.
Then, narrowing his eyes, he spoke slowly:
"Then I'll give you a chance too. Either come with me quietly to the Marine prison—"
"Or I'll send you there myself."
"The choice is yours."
"But let me warn you—if I'm the one who has to act, you may not be lucky enough to survive."
The tavern fell silent.
The hundred pirates stared at him in shock.
Did they hear that right?
Someone… had just said that to their Captain Buggy?
"This kid's insane!"
"Does he know who he's talking to?"
"He's doomed!"
Even the blue-haired pirate beside Buggy looked dumbstruck.
"Has he lost his mind?"
Buggy, on the other hand, burst into laughter.
"Good! Very good! Brat, you've succeeded in pissing me off!"
"Now, even if your family brings me twenty million, I won't let you live."
"From this moment—your life's value has gone up."
"Unless I get fifty million Berries, I'll tear you limb from limb!"
His glare was sharp, his killing intent thick.
The tavern's atmosphere grew colder, heavier.
A fight was inevitable.
"What a pity," Kai said softly.
"Looks like you made the wrong choice."
"Red Nose—"
"You'll regret this."
The words dropped into the silence like stones.
The pirates froze.
Eyes wide.
He… he had just called him Red Nose?
"This brat's insane! He's finished!"
"He dared call Captain Buggy by that name?!"
"He's dead for sure!"
Everyone knew—
Buggy's forbidden taboo was that name.
It was his reverse scale.
Touch it, and death was certain.
Sure enough—
A buggy erupted.
His rage exploded like a volcano, his face twisted with fury.
"You brat… you're dead!"
"No one can save you now!"
"Call me Red Nose again, and even a billion Berries won't save you—I'll cut you to pieces!"
Buggy's killing intent locked onto Kai like a blade.
"Cut me to pieces?"
Kai suddenly laughed.
"You really think you can?"
"If you can… then go ahead. Try me!"
He raised his right hand—
gripping the collar of his shirt.
Then, with a crisp tear,
Riiip—
The cloth shredded.
Fragments of fabric fluttered down like snow.
And in that moment,
Kai revealed his torso—
muscles taut and brimming with violent power.
On his back, the image of a ghostly demon loomed, sinister and frightening.
Every fiber of muscle radiated strength,
like a volcano about to erupt.
From him surged an overwhelming, terrifying aura of pressure.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 50 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/ZeusOp