The Muggy Ball's destructive power was no joke. He had underestimated it. This wasn't just some gimmick—Buggy had developed a legitimate weapon of mass destruction.
But what made Zino's blood boil was what lay at the far end of the blast zone: the remains of *his ship*. Or rather, the *lack* of remains. The vessel had been caught directly in the line of fire—and now, nothing was left but burning wood and debris floating in the waves.
"My ship…" he said, his voice low and tight.
Ironically, the only reason Buggy's own captured crew hadn't been caught in the blast was that he'd angled the cannon just enough to avoid them—either out of care or carelessness. They were still tied up on the ground, stunned but alive.
Meanwhile, Buggy grinned arrogantly as he pulled out another Muggy Ball.
"Tsk. So you managed to dodge the first one. Not bad," he said, clearly proud of himself. "But let's see how you handle the next two. You think you can keep running forever?"
He turned to load the next shot—but suddenly froze.
"Huh!? What the—?!"
Buggy blinked in confusion. The second Muggy Ball, which had just been in his hand, was *gone*.
Standing a few feet away, Zino now held the Muggy Ball in his palm, calmly inspecting it.
"Interesting little toy you've got," Zino said with a neutral tone. "But I think you've had enough fun."
Buggy's eyes widened. "Wha—when did you—?!"
Before the clown captain could react, Zino casually flicked the ball into the air—then opened his *System Storage* and absorbed it right in front of Buggy's eyes.
"N-No way…" Buggy stammered, taking a step back. "Where did it go?!"
Zino stepped forward, his eyes now cold and serious.
"You destroyed my ship. That was a mistake."
Buggy gulped nervously. "Uh… I think we've had a little misunderstanding. No need to fight! Let's just take a step back and talk things out, yeah?"
Zino didn't respond with words. Instead, he replied with a sudden burst of speed. In a flash, he delivered a powerful *kick*, followed by a *slap* and a *punch*, each one landing cleanly on Buggy's body.
Buggy reeled in shock.
Zino knew exactly what he was doing. He understood Buggy's ability—the power of the *Bara Bara no Mi*—which allowed Buggy to separate his body parts and evade any sharp or bladed attacks. Swords and knives would pass right through him. But blunt force? That was a different story.
So, rather than use anything sharp, Zino relied solely on powerful, *blunt force attacks*, each one fueled by his *Rokushiki* techniques.
*Thud!*
*Pow!*
*Bam!*
A rapid flurry of strikes pounded into Buggy's face, chest, stomach, and limbs. His body flew in different directions as parts detached under impact, only to be yanked back together by the invisible pull of his Devil Fruit powers.
The assault was so fast and relentless that Buggy had no time to defend himself—let alone fight back.
"Wait! Stop! Let's discuss this!" Buggy screamed mid-air as his head spun away from his body before snapping back into place.
*Bonk!*
*Thud!*
*Plak!*
"AH! OW! UGH! Stop—I surrender!"
But Zino wasn't done. The beating continued until Buggy lay in a heap on the ground, bruised and battered, his limbs twitching and his swollen nose now twice as red.
Finally, Zino clapped his hands together and exhaled. "Whew. He's tougher than he looks. Took nearly an hour to knock him out completely."
Zoro blinked at him with a strange expression. "…You're a beast."
Nami and Alvida both nodded slowly in agreement, equally disturbed by the endurance of both Buggy and Zino's patience for violence.
Zino waved off their judgment. "You guys don't understand. This man's a Devil Fruit user. Bladed weapons don't work on him."
"You mean, like… his body falls apart if you try to cut him?" asked Alvida.
"Exactly. Here, I'll show you."
He picked up a dagger one of the pirate minions had dropped earlier and walked over to Buggy's unconscious body. With a clean motion, Zino *sliced* Buggy's side.
The blade cut through, but instead of blood, the body simply *split*, the severed piece hovering slightly above the rest of his body. No pain. No damage.
Then, with a slight push, Zino pressed the cut part back into place. It *snapped* into position, as if it had never been cut.
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Weird."
"Told you," Zino said, dusting off his hands. "That's why I had to use blunt attacks. If I'd gone easy, we'd still be fighting him."
"Still… beating someone for an hour?" Nami muttered under her breath.
"Don't judge me," Zino said, glancing at his destroyed ship in the distance. "He brought that on himself."
Nami shook her head, not wanting to argue with the captain. She changed the topic by asking Zino something that she was curious. "So… how did you know about Buggy's ability? You didn't seem surprised at all."
"I'd heard rumors about him before," Zino replied calmly.
Nami blinked. "Wait, that's it?"
Zino gave a faint smile. "Well, I did dig some information on him before."
"Then, you already knew his ability beforehand, right?"
"Yeah." Zino said, nodding his head. "As a pirate hunter, you have to know your target before you go after them. That's just common sense."
Nami raised an eyebrow. "So that's why you didn't seem concerned when we were making plans to take down the Clown Pirates?"
Zino nodded. "Exactly. You don't go into a hunt blind. Information is your best weapon before any fight."
Nami fell silent, unable to argue with that logic. Zoro and Alvida also glanced at each other, realizing that Zino wasn't just strong—he was well-prepared. His mindset really did feel more like a veteran pirate hunter than a rookie captain.
"Well, now that we've captured them… should we turn them over to the nearest Marine branch?" Alvida asked.
"Not so fast," Zino said with a small grin. "Let's loot them first."
Nami narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "You know… when you say it like that, you sound more like a pirate than a pirate hunter."
Zino raised both hands in a casual shrug, clearly unbothered. "Let's be honest. The moment we hand them over to the Marines, all of their treasure and valuables become 'unclaimed property.' If we don't take it, someone else will."
He leaned forward slightly and added with a smirk, "Now imagine if there are millions of Berries hidden in their stash. Would you really let someone else get their hands on it?"
"Absolutely not!" Nami shouted, her eyes instantly sparkling at the thought of treasure. She immediately grabbed Zino's arm and began pulling him in the direction of Buggy's stronghold. "Come on, what are we waiting for? Let's loot them before someone else does!"
Zino chuckled and let himself be dragged along. "Knew you'd see it my way."
Zoro shook his head with a sigh. "This crew is full of characters…"
"Seriously," Alvida muttered, folding her arms. "A money-obsessed navigator and a captain who justifies looting as a moral obligation. What a crew."
Still, neither Zoro nor Alvida stayed back. Without exchanging another word, the two followed Zino, and walked off toward Buggy's stronghold.
Minutes passed. The area grew silent, save for the gentle lapping of waves and the occasional groan from some of the unconscious pirates.
Suddenly, a sharp breath escaped from one of them.
Buggy's eyes snapped open.
He wasn't unconscious at all.
"Ugh... finally." He muttered, blinking rapidly as he scanned the surroundings. His eyes darted across the broken crates, the tied-up bodies of his crewmates, and the trail of ice that slowly melted away under the sun. His heart still pounded in his chest—not from pain, but from fear. He sat up slowly, half-expecting someone from Zino's group to still be lurking nearby.
But there was no one. They were gone.
Buggy breathed a sigh of relief and brushed the dust off his clothes. His clown nose twitched in frustration.
"That freak... how the hell did he know my ability?" he grumbled, rubbing the sore spot on his cheek. The pain was still fresh—Zino's punch had knocked him halfway into next week. "And what the hell was that punch? It didn't feel normal. It felt like... like Haki. Or... maybe not, but really similar."
Buggy's brows furrowed. That punch reminded him of someone—or rather, a type of person. Those monsters who could coat their fists in invisible power and smash through anything. He'd seen it before... back in the days of Roger. And it sent chills down his spine.
"Damn it. That guy is bad news," Buggy muttered. "Way too dangerous. I need to stay as far away from him as possible."
He turned and walked toward his bound crewmates, all still unconscious in a heap.
With a scowl, Buggy gave Mohji a light kick. "Oi. Get up."
Mohji stirred, groaning. His eyes fluttered open, and he gasped. "Captain Buggy! You're okay!"
"Of course I'm okay, idiot," Buggy snapped.
"Oh thank goodness! Please, captain, you have to avenge us. There was this freaky guy with powerful punch, and—" He paused, noticing something.
"Captain… your face… why is it all swollen?"
A thick vein popped on Buggy's temple.
"You little—!" His foot came up threateningly.
"N-Never mind! You look great as always!" Mohji waved his tied hands frantically.
Buggy lowered his foot with a growl. "What are you waiting for? Go wake the others, unless you want another kick."
"Y-Yes sir! On it!" Mohji scrambled awkwardly to his feet, still bound, and waddled toward Cabaji.
With his hands useless, he copied Buggy's method—kicking Cabaji sharply in the ribs.
"Grrnnh... Ow! What the—?!" Cabaji jolted awake, only to glare at Mohji.
"Don't look at me! Captain told me to!" Mohji pointed with his tied arms.
Cabaji sat up groggily, rubbing his side. "Ugh... where are they?"
"Gone," Buggy muttered, looking toward the path Zino had taken. "And good riddance. I don't plan to see that nutjob again."
One by one, the rest of the crew began to stir as Mohji and Cabaji continued kicking them awake.
Buggy stood with his arms crossed, a deep scowl etched across his face as the wind tousled his hair. The pain in his jaw throbbed with every heartbeat, but it wasn't just physical—it was pride.
Around him, the rest of his crew groggily came to their senses. Still tied up, they grumbled and shifted, trying to wriggle free of their bindings. Mohji and Cabaji moved from pirate to pirate, helping untie the knots with gritted teeth and murmured complaints.
"Ugh... I can't feel my arms," said one.
"Who tied this knot? A sea beast?" groaned another.
Eventually, the ropes dropped to the ground, and the crew stood shakily, bruised but upright.
"Alright, enough whining," Buggy barked. "Let's get back to the ship."
The crew started shuffling in the direction of the hidden cove where they'd docked earlier, but Mohji paused, rubbing his shoulder. "Uh, Captain... what about our revenge?"
Buggy froze mid-step. His head turned slowly, eyes flashing. "What. Did. You. Say?"
Mohji shrank under the glare. "I-I mean, shouldn't we go after them and get our revenge?"
Buggy's eye twitched.
"Revenge your mother," he muttered under his breath. "You want me to walk right back into that freak's fist again? Is your head made of meat?"
"N-No, sir!"
Buggy exhaled sharply and rubbed his temples. "Tch. You're lucky you're not completely brainless. Yes... we'll get our revenge—but not today. We're not ready."
The crew collectively nodded in silent agreement. None of them were eager to tangle with the guy who easily beat up their captain.
Buggy turned once more, casting a final glance back at the direction of his base. His fists clenched.
"Next time," he whispered. "I'll show that brat who he's messing with."
He spun on his heel, cape fluttering behind him. "Let's move! Get to the ship!"
The crew scrambled into motion, following their captain. Tired, bruised, but not broken.
Hidden in a small cove just beyond the ridge lay their ship. Boarding the ship, they then left without looking back. One thing for sure, they will get their revenge in the future.