"Hey, hey, hey! Ritter, my big bro!" Buggy's disembodied head floated through the air, deftly dodging the strikes of the crimson warriors as he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Come on, Ritter! You call this your power? These guys can't even touch the hem of my coat! Eee-yah-hahahaha!"
The warriors' blades cut through empty air again and again, slicing only mist. Buggy's fragmented body spun around them like fluttering kites caught in the wind.
He raised his detached fingers, index and middle forming a teasing gesture. "See that? Admit it, I'm looking pretty damn cool right now, huh?"
Clang! Another warrior's blade shattered on impact with Buggy's invulnerable body.
Taking advantage of the moment, Buggy reassembled himself, puffing out his chest with exaggerated pride. "Well? Are you stunned by my brilliance yet? If you surrender now, I might just let you off easy, Ritter!"
Ritter's lazy voice echoed through the blood-hued mist. "Oh? How about this move, then?"
In an instant, the warriors' attacks intensified, their movements sharp and deadly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Cheap shot! Totally unfair!" Buggy yelped, his body exploding apart once again into dozens of smaller fragments. "I'm sorry! I take it back! I was wrong!"
He darted through the chaos, regrouping his scattered pieces. "Wait what exactly did I do wrong?! At least tell me!"
"Split!"
With a shout, Buggy's fragments swirled into motion, each piece armed with a dagger, turning into a silver cyclone. The warriors staggered backward under the assault. Reassembling once more, Buggy wiped his nose with smug satisfaction. "See that? That's my brand-new technique! Pretty impressive, huh? Feeling regret now, Ritter?"
Ritter sat leisurely upon a throne forged from blood-red crystal, chin resting on his hand. "Alright, Buggy. Enough playing around. Show me how much you've really grown."
The moment he said it, Ritter could feel a shift in Buggy's aura.
The goofy, overconfident clown from moments ago seemed to vanish. In his place stood someone different still eccentric, still theatrical, but now tinged with something darker.
If he had to make a comparison, Ritter thought, this Buggy resembled Gotham's Joker mad, elegant, and terrifyingly unhinged.
Yes, Ritter mused, just like me.
Facing the incoming warriors once again, Buggy raised his head and met Ritter's gaze. His expression grew solemn.
"Ritter, do you know something?" he began softly. "There was a time I almost gave up on dreams. Shanks was doing so well... too well. And I I felt like I could never catch up. But then, you told me I was talented. That I was a genius who just needed to work harder."
Buggy's tone deepened, his usual mockery fading into rare sincerity. "When Captain Roger left us, I had a huge fight with Shanks. I thought I understood him but I didn't. The Captain passed his straw hat to Shanks, and I believed that meant Shanks would carry on his will. I was ready to risk everything for that dream... but Shanks refused. He rejected it. He threw away the resolve I bled for. He betrayed the future we promised each other. That's when I realized... he doesn't deserve to be called the next King of the Pirates."
Then, just as suddenly, Buggy smiled again. "But enough about that depressing stuff."
He extended both arms wide, placing one hand elegantly behind his back, the other raised before his chest in a theatrical bow.
"Ritter, my dearest brother, please... allow me to show you the results of my growth."
Under the blood moon, Buggy's figure was outlined by drifting crimson mist. He straightened his immaculate white gloves and grinned calm, yet dangerously bright. "Warm-up's over. Let's have some real fun."
The red mist thickened as the blood warriors reformed, now twice as numerous as before. Their weapons gleamed with ominous black-and-scarlet Armament Haki, tightening the circle around him.
"Fragment Waltz."
Buggy tilted his head, recalling Ritter's signature phrase. "What was it again? Ah... right."
With a flourish, he opened his hand and gestured like a gentleman inviting a partner to dance.
"Let's dance, shall we?"
The three warriors nearest to him suddenly froze mid-swing. Hairline fractures spidered across their armor and weapons.
Snap!
A single finger flick then they shattered into thousands of sparkling crimson shards that twinkled under the blood moon.
"Now that's more like it."
Buggy stepped forward lightly, each stride causing the ground beneath him to crystallize in red, forming ripples of glassy fragments. The surrounding blood pools hissed as if unable to touch him.
Blades came from all directions. Buggy twisted, ducked, and slid between them each movement precise, almost balletic.
"Fragment Symphony let the performance begin."
He swung his right arm in a graceful arc.
"Dissolve."
The front row of warriors froze once more, their weapons trembling, emitting a chorus of metallic cries.
Cracks spread rapidly across their blades.
Crack... crack-crack!
Their weapons disintegrated into fine scarlet dust, swirling upward like stardust in a crimson sky.
"Reassemble."
Buggy snapped his left hand closed. The floating dust quivered violently, rearranging itself. Within seconds, the mist reformed into countless palm-sized blades spinning in formation above him.
Ritter didn't intervene. He watched silently, a faint, approving smile on his lips.
Children needed room to grow and in this case, even a mad clown deserved his moment of pride.
The storm of miniature blades hummed like a living orchestra, each note sharp enough to cut air itself.
"Feel the crescendo of my masterpiece!" Buggy declared.
The whirlwind of blades surged forward, clashing against the warriors in a dazzling chorus of metal. Armor splintered, sparks danced, and crimson light filled the air.
"Final Movement The Shattered Coda!"
Buggy's smaller clones reformed in the heart of the battlefield, glowing faintly red. He pressed his hands together, and every fragment around him pulsed with blinding light.
One by one, the warriors froze, then began to crumble. Their armor dissolved into black crystals that fell apart in eerie silence.
When the last echo faded, the only sound left was the soft shhh of settling dust.
Buggy caught a drifting blood crystal between his fingers, studying it under the moonlight.
From his throne, Ritter's voice carried a note of genuine surprise. "Didn't expect you to push your ability that far. You've really grown stronger."
Buggy grinned and tipped his captain's hat with exaggerated grace. "Flattered as always, boss. But..." He raised his head, mischief gleaming in his eyes. "The show isn't over yet!"
"Fragmentation Ultimate Symphony!"
The very world trembled. The scarlet landscape quaked, and Buggy's body split apart once more but this time, each fragment multiplied infinitely.
Thousands upon thousands of tiny Buggys filled the air, swarming like a living storm, twisting space itself until cracks began to appear.
"I may not be able to cast illusions like you, Ritter..." his voice echoed from every direction, "...but don't you dare think I'm weak."
Ritter watched in silence, satisfaction softening his smile. He had only infused the illusion with a touch of his power at the beginning; now, it was fading on its own.
Still, this was enough.
For a man who once cowered in others' shadows, Buggy now stood proudly on his own strength.
The clown who had once been laughed at by the world
was no longer anyone's joke.
He had become a performer worthy of the Grand Line.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Hooked already? Let me know what grabbed you leave a review and fuel the journey forward! and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!
Things are just heating up. Read ahead in Unbound Evolutionand stay ahead of the crowd.
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.