"Pirate Clown Buggy! You're completely surrounded! Surrender now and come with us to Impel Down, where you'll spend the rest of your life!"
A Marine lieutenant shouted as he led a squad of soldiers, guns raised and aimed at Buggy, blocking the street's exit.
At the same time, soldiers sealed off the remaining three escape routes, surrounding Buggy in from all directions. Within Weiss's Observation Haki, he could sense even more Marines closing in across Loguetown. One of them had a stronger presence—likely the Marine Captain himself.
Buggy kept his arms raised in a dramatic pose, as if completely unfazed by the threat surrounding him.
The lieutenant, sweating nervously, dared not make a single mistake. This was a pirate with a 15-million-berry bounty—any sudden movement could spell disaster for the town.
Looking at the destruction in the area, the scorch marks, the lingering scent in the air—this was the kind of devastation a real pirate could unleash. It was unbelievable.
All they had to do now was stall until Captain Endless arrived. Once he did, Buggy wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell.
But what was Buggy actually doing? Standing motionless, seemingly locked in a battle of intimidation with Weiss.
In truth, he was internally panicking.
"What do I do? How do I escape? There are so many Marines! How did I even get exposed?"
"Damn that Weiss! It's all his fault I ended up in this mess! If I hadn't crossed paths with him, I wouldn't have lost so much treasure! And I definitely wouldn't have followed him into this cursed town!"
As Buggy desperately plotted his escape, more and more Marines swarmed the area.
---
"Marines," Weiss said calmly, "a battle between powerful warriors isn't something you lot can interfere with. Step aside. That man over there—he's a merciless demon who kills without hesitation."
"He slaughtered half my crew and stole my treasure. I came to Loguetown chasing him."
Buggy pointed dramatically at Weiss, voice low and magnetic, painting himself as a noble hero avenging injustice—while casting Weiss as the true monstrous pirate.
"???"
"???"
The Marines were all confused. That guy on the rooftop… was he really that strong? Could he really force someone like Buggy into a corner? What a fearsome hero!
"Thank you, sir, for your outstanding contributions to peace in the East Blue! We'll report your deeds to Captain Endless. He's a fair man and will surely commend you for this," the lieutenant said, saluting Weiss. He hadn't expected an unknown figure like him to have done so much.
"I humbly ask for your aid in capturing this vicious pirate, Clown Buggy." The lieutenant bowed sincerely.
"Hey! What are you people doing?! That guy over there killed my crew and stole my treasure!" Buggy shouted, flailing in disbelief.
"And? Isn't that the whole point?" The lieutenant looked confused. "Helping the Marines take down pirates—isn't that a good thing?"
Buggy paused, clapped his hands together, and had a sudden realization.
"Oh right! Logically speaking, I'm the main villain here! I am the evil pirate!"
"Damn you, Weiss! Take this!"
Buggy suddenly leaped into the air, seemingly aiming a kick at Weiss. Expecting a cannonball attack, Weiss braced himself for impact—but Buggy twisted midair and instead launched two cannonballs at one of the blocked escape routes.
The Marines had no chance to react. They didn't take the small cannonballs seriously, thinking they weren't much more dangerous than bullets.
Before Weiss could warn them, a loud BOOM BOOM! echoed—followed by pained screams from the soldiers guarding that flank.
Thick smoke billowed out, flames rising into the sky. In the chaos, Buggy darted away like a red-nosed streak of lightning, his voice echoing arrogantly through the smoke:
"Hahaha! Suck my fumes, Marines and Weiss, you bastards! Eat my dust!"
"After him! Don't let that murderous pirate escape!"
The lieutenant didn't even stop to check on the wounded before leading his remaining men in pursuit.
Just as the chase began, Captain Endless finally arrived. After being briefed, he gave Weiss a sharp glance and immediately joined the pursuit.
Justice cannot be defiled!
---
"You take the goods and get on the ship. I'll go check things out," Weiss said to Karina, back turned, before leaping down from the rooftop.
Watching him go, Karina stomped her foot in frustration.
If this were the old days, she would've used the chaos as a chance to escape. But now? Not until she cleaned out all of Weiss's treasure. Not a chance.
"Just wait. One day you'll all leave that ship, and when you do—there won't be a single plank left behind!"
Clenching her fist, she made a quiet vow to herself.
---
Buggy ran through the streets, but Loguetown had too many Marines. Even in the narrow alleys, he kept getting spotted.
In the original timeline, Buggy's arrival in Loguetown had coincided with the chaos caused by Alvida and the Straw Hat Crew, which had drawn most of the Marines' attention.
Plus, back then, Smoker's priority was Luffy—not Buggy—so he had free rein to cause havoc.
But this time? Buggy had the highest bounty in the area. The Marines could go all-in on hunting him.
"Come on then, Marines! You think this Great Buggy is scared?!"
He ran wildly through the crowd. The Marines hesitated to shoot, afraid of hitting civilians, so they kept trying to close in instead.
Buggy took full advantage of that, constantly steering himself toward the densest crowds.
The net was closing in fast. As Marines neared, Buggy dropped several black cannonballs behind him.
BOOM BOOM!
Explosions erupted. Fireballs lit up the sky.
Some Marines were caught off guard and perished instantly. A few nearby civilians were also caught in the blast and died in the chaos.
Captain Endless, arriving just in time to witness the carnage, turned red with fury.
"Buggy… you will pay for this!"
He immediately left his squad behind and went after Buggy alone, quickly closing the gap.
"Haha! Not my fault, Captain! They were in my way! Blame them for blocking the path of the great Captain Buggy!"
Buggy's body flew through the air while his legs still ran on the ground.
Just as Endless was about to catch him, Buggy split apart and dodged the grasping hand.
"Too slow! You can't catch me, you dumb Marine! Hahaha!"
---
While Buggy continued his wild escape, he had no idea that his crew was also being arrested, and his pirate ship had been discovered and was about to be seized.
Fortunately, Cabaji had enough of a survival instinct to recognize the danger.
When he saw the Marines gathering, he ordered the ship to set sail immediately—leaving only a single little dinghy behind at the docks.
"Let's just hope the Captain manages to break through the blockade…" he muttered, steering the ship into a slow loop around Loguetown.
They didn't dare flee outright—too dangerous. Just circling and waiting... hoping Buggy could pull off another miracle.
---
Currently at chapter 420 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27