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"Little Thief-Miss, we're counting on you. Please unlock our captain's cage."
Lu En said to Nami with a smile.
A Buggy Ball couldn't finish off Buggy.
Lu En's current strength, apart from his Conqueror's Haki, was nothing to write home about.
Using Beast Strength (Blue) against Buggy, who possessed the Chop-Chop Fruit, was simply impossible.
While his precisely controlled Conqueror's Haki was virtually invincible in the East Blue, against an opponent like Buggy, who couldn't be dealt with by Haki shockwaves alone and had eaten a Devil Fruit, he could only rely on Luffy for now.
Lu En remembered that in the original story, Nami had stolen the key, only for it to be eaten by the dog, Chou Chou.
He'd have Luffy do some "work" for him and steal Buggy's Traits.
"My name is Nami, you can just call me Nami."
Although Lu En and his crew were pirates, Nami was still grateful that they had saved her.
"Wait here."
After saying that, Nami quickly vanished.
"Using your subordinates as shields, Buggy?"
The rising dust and debris slowly settled, revealing Buggy's figure once more.
Buggy's two hands had already split apart, positioning two small fries in front of him to absorb the impact of the Buggy Ball attack.
"So young, yet possessing such Conqueror's Haki. Your future is indeed terrifying, but for now, I, who possess the Chop-Chop Fruit, am probably not an opponent you can defeat!"
After the Buggy Ball explosion, Buggy had completely recovered from the Conqueror's Haki shockwave.
While Conqueror's Haki was the King's Disposition, before mastering its coating, this power could only be used for shockwaves.
In the East Blue, not many could withstand that level of Conqueror's Haki shockwave, but by coincidence, Buggy was one of them.
As long as he withstood the shock, the rest would come down to a test of raw strength.
In this regard, having sailed for so many days and nights with the Roger Pirates, Buggy had good judgment. This Lu En, currently, was clearly not strong.
At least, not stronger than him, who had eaten the Chop-Chop Fruit.
Though he didn't know why a man with such powerful Conqueror's Haki would have such mediocre personal strength,
Buggy knew he only needed to do one thing: eliminate this guy in front of him.
As for "Pirate Hunter" Zoro, he was clearly a swordsman. Against a swordsman, Buggy, having eaten the Chop-Chop Fruit, would even dare to provoke Mihawk.
Of course, the most important reason was that Mihawk knew his and Shanks' identities and wouldn't go for a killing blow.
"Looks like I'll have to hold him off for a bit, Lu En."
Zoro drew his three swords, facing Buggy.
"Prepare for a magnificent death!"
Buggy roared and charged towards Zoro.
"Swoosh!"
Zoro flashed, cutting Buggy in half. Buggy fell to the ground powerlessly.
"Don't play dead. Slashes are useless against the Chop-Chop Fruit, aren't they, Buggy?"
Lu En looked at Buggy, who was feigning death on the ground, preparing to ambush Zoro, and said calmly.
How pathetic. After eating the Devil Fruit and being detested by the sea, and suffering the backlash from the Born for the Sea (Super Gold) Trait, Buggy resorted to such underhanded tactics.
Buggy's current inherent strength, if not for the Chop-Chop Fruit, could easily be dealt with by Zoro.
"Since you know the secret of the Chop-Chop Fruit, I won't pretend anymore."
Buggy, who had been lying on the ground, heard this and his upper body eerily floated up, revealing a cruel smile.
"Chop-Chop Festival - Buggy Darts!"
Buggy roared, his hands and body separating. Wielding flying knives, he attacked Lu En and Zoro separately.
"Gomu Gomu no... Bite!"
"What?!"
Buggy watched in shock as Luffy's head suddenly stretched out, biting the flying knife that had reached Lu En's eyes.
"What kind of body is that? Are you a monster?"
Nami, who had stolen the key and freed Luffy, stared wide-eyed at Luffy's neck stretching several meters long.
"Your body can stretch that far? Did you eat a Devil Fruit too?"
Buggy's eye twitched.
"That's right, I'm a Rubber Man who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit!"
Luffy, still biting the knife, spoke somewhat indistinctly.
"Swoosh!"
Zoro first slashed away Buggy's attack, then cut the ropes binding Luffy.
"Saved! Shishishi, thanks, Thief Navigator."
Luffy stretched his limbs, grinning.
"Don't just make up nicknames for me! I'm just repaying you for saving me."
Nami looked at the carefree Luffy, exasperated.
"I've decided. I'm going to make you our pirate crew's navigator! Shishishi, and get the Grand Line's sea chart!"
Luffy rolled up his sleeves, looking at Buggy.
"Don't just decide things on your own! Well, whatever, you pirates can fight to the death, it has nothing to do with me. I'm going to grab the treasure now and bail. Perhaps we'll cooperate again someday. See ya!
I wish you good luck!"
Nami waved at Lu En and the others, then quickly left.
"Ah, thanks!"
Luffy replied with a smile.
"See you later, Nami."
Lu En also replied with a smile.
Nami, who was almost out of sight, paused slightly at Lu En's words, then accelerated and vanished from Lu En and the others' sight.
Those words sounded so familiar. Lu En's "we'll meet again" had indeed come true before.
"Bastard! Do you have time for idle chatter here?! Straw Hat kid, seeing that straw hat reminds me of that damn Red-Haired man, and it pisses me off!"
Buggy's eyes were bloodshot.
"Red-Hair? You... do you know Shanks?"
Luffy, hearing the words "Red-Hair," seemed to hit a keyword.
"What if I do?"
Buggy showed a sinister smile.
"Where is Shanks now?"
Luffy asked eagerly.
"Who knows? You could say I know him, or you could say I don't know him at all."
Buggy recalled eating the Chop-Chop Fruit because of Shanks, and a surge of anger rose within him.
"What are you talking about? Are you an idiot?"
Luffy looked at Buggy as if he were an imbecile.
"I'm not kind enough to tell you what you want to know!"
Buggy transformed into his sharp-toothed persona and roared.
"Then I'll make you talk with force."
Luffy rolled up his sleeves, ready for battle.
"We'll just sit here and watch. Buggy's all yours, Luffy."
Lu En found a clean spot with Zoro and sat down, shouting to Luffy.
Listening to Luffy and Buggy's conversation, Lu En also had a strange smile on his face.
Truly the One Piece world. Before a fight, you always had to clarify your connections, just in case you accidentally killed someone with powerful backing.
It had almost become a customary convention.
"Leave it to me!"
Luffy's eyes were full of battle spirit.
Lu En's hired hand, Luffy, was online.