Chapter 4: The Game of Chicken
"Hurry! Clear the way!" a Marine shouted.
"If you can't, destroy it!" another exclaimed.
"We must not let any prisoner escape! Impel Down is their final destination!" a higher voice ordered.
The Marines' shouts became clearer, and Buggy could even hear the rattling of cannonballs. Clearly, the inexplicable shots and the blocked passage had caused great unease among the Marines, especially the already tense soldiers on the escort ship.
"It's getting exciting, isn't it?" Buggy asked with a smile.
He felt an excitement he hadn't experienced in a long time. The last time he felt this way was when he bombed the hospital.
He sat on the slippery floor, distractedly searching the sack his "little hand" had brought him for something he might need.
A peeling knife, a fruit knife... why was there a kitchen knife?
Buggy paused, then placed the kitchen knife against his chest. Using the power of the Bara Bara no Mi to conceal things was incredibly practical.
He could even... become a bomb. Hmm, something reusable.
Thump!... In the gloom, someone swallowed.
Just as Buggy had said, it was just a tedious game of chicken. They would come up with a name they liked and say it nicely. It was about trying to get them to give up.
What if they didn't? They would be trapped in the cage, like a target, praying that the scorching cannon wouldn't be turned against them. After surviving, they would be imprisoned in the huge underwater prison known as "Pirate Hell," suffering a life of torture.
That was the ideal outcome.
The non-ideal outcome...
Joseph looked at his fellow prisoners, wondering how many would be the first to give in. If some started to give in, the pressure on the rest would suddenly double. No one wanted to be left behind, like lambs to be slaughtered.
Judging by that lunatic's incessant killing, the last ones left would undoubtedly face a disastrous fate.
"This guy is just going to be more impulsive than us," Joseph said disdainfully to his companions. "I don't think he's that brave!"
He would stop everyone he could.
His cellmate looked at him, his face rough as a rock, covered in scars. He suddenly stood up, the chains rattling on his hands and feet, and his huge body was pushed against the top of the cage.
He looked like a mix of a giant and a human.
The little giant, Habler, had a bounty of 110 million Belly. But his simple appearance belied his brutal and despicable nature. Joseph had a vague impression of him. It was said that his excessively brutal and oppressive rule had led his crew to rebel, and during a break after a raid, they reported his location to the Marines.
With his bad temper, he surely would have laughed out loud at that ridiculous guy. They were all pirates feared by the Navy, pirates with blood-stained hands who could have silenced a child in the first half of the Grand Line!
Play chicken with them? What's that called...? Playing dodge in front of Roger, brandishing a knife in front of Hawk-Eye! It was hilarious!
Joseph was sure, staring fixedly at the figure that constantly occupied his body, eager to see an expression of panic on his face. But his heart continued to beat loudly.
Was this guy with the cloudy eyes so cowardly? Suspicion was the biggest trap of the game.
The little giant, Habler, lowered his head and looked at his cellmate.
"On the train to hell, even being able to choose is a blessing," he murmured in a low voice.
Then he raised his hand and clung to the thick steel bars.
He shouted: "Captain!"
It was like a signal.
After Habler's call, the prisoners made their decisions quickly. "Damn it! I knew you were up to no good, you cloudy-eyed guy!" Joseph exclaimed.
Joseph reacted quickly, shouting almost immediately after Habler:
"Captain!"
...
"Captain!" he shouted forcefully, completely oblivious to his recent sarcasm. The little giant was right; they were already destined for eternal hell. Being able to choose was incredible luck.
"It's Captain Buggy!"
Arne suddenly lit up, his eyes bright with excitement as he hastily corrected him. "Captain Buggy!"
...
"Captain Buggy!"
...
The shouts were accompanied by bursts of gunfire from the hallway leading to the upper deck. It seemed they still didn't dare to use their cannons on the lower decks of the ship... otherwise, if a hole opened, they would be in trouble.
Buggy's lips curled slightly, pleased with the pressure game he had designed. It was a shame that time was running out. Otherwise, he would have preferred a game that would test human nature... just as some critics consider literary masterpieces: if they don't explore human nature, they will probably be discarded.
But for him, what he enjoyed most was seeing the torment on the other's face when facing the decision. It was truly entertaining.
He hadn't forgotten the information his wandering ear had caught. Once inside the Gate of Justice, getting out would be much more problematic.
Buggy chuckled with sinister irony: "Very well, very well, my navigator candidate."
"Hurry up and release my dear crewmates."
"They're probably looking forward to taking over our pirate ship."
"Very well!" Arne nodded quickly. The constant mention of the word "candidate" by the captain no longer resonated with him. It wasn't a big deal.
To these cunning and despicable pirates, it was enough to give them a knife, a wrench... and they could open the prison door themselves.
A series of burly figures gathered behind Buggy, like a pair of dark wings spread behind him in the dim light of the night.
"So, Captain, what are your next orders...?" Habler asked.
Habler removed the heavy chains that surrounded him, his eyes flickering as if he had other thoughts. He hesitated for a moment before asking in a simple, honest voice.
Buggy was not surprised by those looks. After all, who would trust the loyalty of pirates? Their current behavior was simply due to the pressure he had deliberately created. But he was only using them as tools...
"Defeat the enemy in front of you and you will earn your livelihood," Buggy said.
Buggy laughed softly. His tone was not too sharp, but his words resonated with the prisoners.
"And if you capture this warship, you will have the strength to sail the seas once again, returning with a presence that will instill fear in the hearts of your enemies," Buggy concluded.
Survival and revenge. For these prisoners, these were the most primary and direct driving forces.
Enemies... Habler thought of the crew members who had betrayed him... and he clenched his fists.
A dull thud echoed between the cabin and the upper deck.
Boom!
The last obstacle that blocked the lower passage was opened by a crescent-shaped axe blow.
- - - - -
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