"Whoo-hoo! My tail grew back!"
In Orange Town, Goku hopped around excitedly on the spot, supporting his weight entirely with his tail, his face filled with pure joy.
After nearly a year, the tail he had grown up with was finally back, and he couldn't be happier.
Though he had long since adapted to a body without it, something had always felt a little off.
Only with his tail back did he feel like his body was complete and his spirit truly settled.
"As I thought, I feel much stronger now that my tail is back."
He sensed the power surging through his body and clutched his head with a wide, happy grin.
"Goku... Goku actually grew a tail?!"
Behind him, Nami stared in disbelief, her hand covering her mouth as she saw the tail sprouting from his backside.
How could a human possibly have a tail?
She stood in shock for a moment, then recalled all the other incredible things about him and quickly accepted the reality.
Come to think of it, Goku never seemed like a normal human anyway, so what was one tail?
If anything, the tail explained why he was so ridiculously strong at such a young age—it was because he wasn't a normal human at all!
Maybe he was some kind of mutant ape or gorilla?
She nodded to herself repeatedly, her mind already inventing various mysterious origins for Goku.
...
Buggy reattached his right arm, rubbing the swollen bruises while staring at the cheering Goku, his mind racing.
'What's the deal with this kid?'
'Why does he have a tail?'
'Could he be from the Mink Tribe?'
'But aside from that tail, he doesn't look like a Mink at all.'
He was completely stumped.
But he quickly shoved those confusing thoughts aside.
'Who cares who he is! This brat is getting in the way of the great Captain Buggy, and that makes him my enemy!'
'No point overthinking things when dealing with an enemy!'
He watched Goku's joyful expression and then glanced at his own lower half, which had settled behind the boy. A devious glint flashed in his eyes.
With a thought, he controlled his lower body, making it creep silently toward Goku's back.
Heh heh, hasn't anyone told him not to let his guard down in a fight?
He thought maliciously.
However, just as his lower half closed in to strike, Goku's tail suddenly coiled.
Using the tail like a spring, Goku launched himself into the air, easily dodging the sneak attack from behind.
"Hey! I'm not falling for the same trick twice!" Goku chirped, looking back at him with a smirk.
"Curse you!" Buggy gnashed his teeth in fury.
He recalled his lower half and shifted his eyes, coming up with another scheme.
He launched his left hand, which was gripping several throwing knives, looping it around to Goku's rear.
Then, while Goku was distracted by the hand, Buggy leaped high into the air, brandishing a sharp cutlass in his right hand as he lunged downward!
"Let's see you dodge this one!"
Grinning fiercely, he slashed down at Goku while keeping his detached left arm hovering behind the boy.
No matter which way Goku dodged, his left arm would be there to deliver a heavy blow!
Goku glanced at the arm waiting behind him, then up at the incoming Buggy. He blinked, and a mischievous idea popped into his head.
Gauging the angle, he slammed his Power Pole into the ground. Just as Buggy was less than two meters away, Goku vanished to the side.
"Heh heh! You can't escape!"
Seeing Goku move, Buggy cackled and prepared to strike with his left arm.
But at that exact moment, his falling body lined up perfectly with the angled Power Pole stuck in the ground.
*Thwack!*
As the saying goes: A shattered rear brings tears to the eyes.
Buggy's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. His face turned from white to blue, then purple, then a deep, agonizing red.
With a strangled howl, he clutched his backside and started hopping around like a madman.
Yet the Power Pole seemed firmly rooted; no matter how much he bounced, it wouldn't budge.
"Hahaha!!"
"Hahahaha!!"
Seeing this, Goku rolled on the ground laughing, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.
"Buggy, now you have a tail just like me! Hahahaha!!"
Buggy couldn't speak. He just kept clutching his rear, jumping around like a panicked monkey.
"That... that's just..."
Nami watched the cringeworthy scene, feeling her face flush with embarrassment.
This was the first time she realized Goku had such a wicked sense of humor.
"Hahaha! Hahaha!"
Goku clutched his stomach, laughing for a long while before finally standing up. "Do you want me to pull it out?"
Buggy, who was in so much pain he felt like he was ascending to the heavens, nodded frantically like a chicken pecking for grain.
Goku stepped behind him, grabbed the Power Pole, and gave it a gentle tug, sliding it out.
Granted a sudden reprieve, Buggy slumped to the ground, drenched in a cold sweat.
"Th-thanks," he muttered instinctively.
"Hehe, you're welcome!" Goku replied with a cheerful grin.
Hearing Goku's voice, Buggy's consciousness finally snapped back to reality, and his eyes turned bloodshot.
"You rotten brat! I'll kill you! Captain Buggy's going to tear you apart!!"
"Total Body Explosion!!"
*Whoosh!!*
In an instant, his body shattered into countless pieces—arms, legs, and torso fragments swirled through the air, swarming toward Goku like a cloud.
Goku's eyes widened at the bizarre sight.
But he quickly identified the main target. Raising the Power Pole, he aimed straight for Buggy's head, which was floating amidst the wreckage, and swung with all his might!
*WHAM!!*
Buggy's pirate hat was flattened instantly.
Naturally, Buggy didn't fare much better. After taking such a heavy blow, he saw stars as his world began to spin.
A second later, his eyes rolled back, and the body parts that had been swarming Goku came crashing down to the ground.
"Huh? You're not very durable either."
Goku blinked in surprise, poking Buggy's head with the end of his pole.
Confirming he was completely unconscious, Goku put away the Power Pole and rested his hands behind his head, looking bored.
"I thought you'd be able to fight a bit longer. I didn't expect you to go down as fast as that other guy."
This was his first time fighting someone with a Devil Fruit power. He thought they'd be strong, but this guy was a total pushover.
Still, it didn't matter. Their mission here was done!
With that thought, he turned and waved to Nami. "Yo! Nami! I beat him!"
Nami froze for a few seconds before breaking into a bright smile. "Yeah! You're amazing, Goku!"
...
Five minutes later, after tying up Buggy and the rest of the crew they had defeated, Nami let out a sigh of relief. Then, a puzzled look crossed her face. "That's strange. The numbers don't seem right."
She remembered seeing more people when she had snuck into the Buggy Pirates' camp earlier.
Right! There was supposed to be a giant lion too!
Realizing this, she said seriously, "Goku, the count is off. Some of the Buggy Pirates aren't here. They might be lying in wait to ambush us."
She scanned the surroundings warily, afraid a stray pirate might jump out at any moment.
Goku blinked. "You mean that big lion?"
"Yes! You saw it? Where?"
"Oh, I saw them run away just now."
Right as he had defeated Buggy, he had spotted seven or eight people and a giant lion sprinting away from behind the tents for dear life. They were so fast that they had vanished down the street before he could even react.
Hearing this, Nami took a moment to think.
"Based on what you're saying, it doesn't sound like an ambush. They were probably just fleeing."
"But just to be safe, let's get Buggy to the Marines quickly. Oh, and take Cabaji too—let's see if there's a bounty on his head."
"As for the others, just leave them here. Let the Marines come and transport them back themselves."
—
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