Somewhere in the East Blue, a red-nosed captain was feeling the same unsettling suspicion that had been troubling Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Buggy, captain of the Buggy Pirates, stared at the intelligence his crew had gathered, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He'd secretly attended that little seminar on "The East Blue Overlord Teaches You How To Be A Pirate" the one hosted by the so-called East Blue Overlord. To be honest, even for a man like him who had seen alot of the world, he had to admit the guy was something else. A pirate giving lectures to other pirates? It was absurd.
At the time, he'd seen it for himself. The Overlord had an impressive presence, he was a smooth talker, and his analysis wasn't half bad. It genuinely sounded like he was gearing up to restore the former glory of piracy in the East Blue.
But now...
'Revive the glory of East Blue pirates?'
To hell with that. After that man ran his game twice, the pirates of the East Blue were practically extinct.
If it wasn't for the hundred-million-Berry bounty on the man's head, and a World Government bounty like that couldn't be fake. Buggy would have sworn he was a Marine agent sent specifically to dismantle the East Blue's pirates. As someone trying to lay low, he could feel it in the air.
Captain Roger's home sea was becoming a ghost town for pirates.
'Should I really keep hiding out here?' he wondered. The atmosphere just felt wrong. On top of everything, he'd heard that the "Tyrant" of the South Blue, the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma, had also come to the East Blue to start some kind of business. Lately, he'd been occupying islands in non-affiliated nations and recruiting workers on a massive scale.
Of course, the idea of starting a business wasn't surprising. Buggy himself had considered opening some kind of delivery service or a mercenary guild. With the world in chaos, sending pirates out as mercenaries to war-torn countries could be incredibly profitable.
But he didn't have that kind of capital. Besides, he knew his limits. Without a strong crew, real power, or a powerful backer, a venture like that would be suicide. He would either be swallowed up by other pirates or hunted down by the World Government, just like that damned Overlord.
'For now, I should just stick to treasure hunting,' he decided with a sigh, resolving to stay as far away from that troublemaker as possible.
Just then, a crewmate burst into the cabin, waving a new wanted poster.
"Captain Buggy, your bounty's gone up!" he shouted, his face beaming with excitement. "It's thirty million Berries!"
The words hit Buggy like a cannonball. He shot to his feet, a moment ago resigned to lying low, and whipped around to face his crewman with wide eyes. "What? My bounty went up? But I haven't done a thing!"
"That's our captain for you! Your bounty goes up even when you're not trying!"
"Yeah! Captain Buggy is the one who should be the Overlord of the East Blue!"
"Under Captain Buggy's leadership, our glory will shine brighter than ever!"
"Ahahaha! Who do you think I am? I am the Great Captain Buggy!" Hearing his crew's praise, the panic on Buggy's face evaporated, replaced by pure arrogance. He hopped onto his chair, planted his hands on his hips, and roared with laughter. "The so-called East Blue Overlord is nothing compared to me!"
Beside him, Cabaji, the crew's chief of staff, leaned in close. "But Captain," he whispered, his voice low and urgent, "almost all the pirates who wanted to revive that 'glory' are dead."
The smug grin vanished from Buggy's face. He snapped back to reality.
'Right. I'd almost forgotten about that.'
Ignoring the cheers of his other crewmen, Buggy snatched the wanted poster and stared at it. The handsome picture, combined with the 30,000,000 Berries printed beneath it, made his heart pound. For some reason, he had the distinct feeling he was being set up.
'Forget it,' he thought frantically. 'I can't stay in the East Blue any longer!'
Just as he clenched his teeth, about to order his crew to pack up and set sail, another subordinate rushed in.
"Captain Buggy, the East Blue Overlord, Captain Mock, is here to see you!"
'That jinx?' Buggy's blood ran cold. 'What could *he* possibly want?'
Before he could finish the thought, a distinctive laugh echoed from the doorway.
"Wahahaha!"
Buggy looked up to see a burly figure filling the frame. It was him. The East Blue Overlord, Captain Mock, strode into the room, a golden cape draped over his broad shoulders.
When he saw Buggy, his eyes seemed to light up. He sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "I thought everyone had abandoned the cause," he lamented. "But I should have known you would still be here, Captain Buggy."
He turned, striking a sentimental pose as he gazed out a window, his large bald head gleaming in the sunlight. "Lately, seeing the desolate state of piracy in these waters has weighed heavily on my heart. But now..."
He spun back around, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity. "Now I have found a new hope for the pirates of the East Blue! I believe that with a veteran like you at my side, we can restore our former glory!"
With a grand wave of his hand, his cape fluttering behind him, he extended his arm toward Buggy. "Please, lend me your strength! I need you. The pirates of the East Blue need you, Captain Buggy!"
Buggy stared blankly at the man, blankly.
'To hell with this "revive the glory" crap,' he thought.
He forced a sheepish laugh, ignoring the excited, hopeful looks from his own crew. "Well, um, you see," he said, looking at Mock, "I'm not actually a pirate from the East Blue."
"Doesn't matter," Mock said, his grin widening into something ferocious. "As long as you're in the East Blue, you're an East Blue pirate."
"..." 'What does this guy want from me?'
--**--**
"This one..." Dante said, looking at the red-nosed man's wanted poster with a sigh of mock disappointment. "Does he have no sense of community? No pirate spirit? He didn't participate in a single group activity. Absolutely no sense of honor."
If he hadn't seen Robin's report noting that the Buggy Pirates had left right after the seminar, he would have forgotten the man existed.
Hearing Dante's theatrical pronouncements, Robin rolled her eyes without looking up from her book. "'Pirate spirit'?" she said dryly. "As if I don't know what you're really up to." She turned a page. "You seem to be paying a lot of attention to this minor pirate, Boss."
"Don't underestimate him," Dante said, shaking his head as he tossed the poster aside. "His background is anything but simple."
Just as he finished speaking, a Den Den Mushi began to ring.
*Purupurupuru... purupurupuru...*
It was Dante's. He picked it up, and the snail's face had already morphed into a familiar bald head.
"Hello? What's going on?" Dante asked.
"Boss," Mock's boisterous voice came through the receiver. "The moment he heard about reviving our glory, the guy turned and ran. He almost got away, but I've caught him now. The thing is, he ran all the way to the edge of the Calm Belt. What should I do? Bring him back?"
"The edge of the Calm Belt?" Dante nodded, about to give the order.
Suddenly, another burst of laughter came from Mock's end. Dante waited, confused.
"Boss," Mock said, his voice brimming with amusement. "You won't believe this, but there's someone up ahead, paddling a little boat through the Calm Belt with a sword. It's the funniest damn thing I've ever seen."
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