Orange Town, by the coast.
Luffy's group finally arrived after several days of sailing, docking and disembarking.
"That's strange, why does this town look deserted?"
As soon as they landed, Uta couldn't help but ask, puzzled.
Looking around, the vast town was empty, desolate, and bleak, showing no signs of life.
"It must be that pirate named Buggy the Clown. I heard that guy is a big fan of destruction, so perhaps all the residents of this town were scared away by him!"
Zoro leisurely shared the information he knew. As a former bounty hunter, he naturally knew more about the pirates in this sea area.
Then, he seemed to recall something and added,
"If I'm not mistaken, his bounty should be 15 million Berries!"
"That's an exciting number!"
Zoro's lips curled into a smile, his eyes filled with battle intent.
The average bounty for pirates in the East Blue was only 3 million Berries; 15 million Berries meant a lot, without needing further explanation.
Zoro's strength had improved rapidly after training with Luffy's methods these past few days.
This made him eager to find an opponent to practice with, and now his battle intent was thoroughly ignited.
"Nani nani?! 15 million?! Doesn't that mean…"
Nami exclaimed, her expression instantly turning to panic.
She involuntarily thought of Arlong, who had a bounty of 20 million Berries.
In her eyes, Arlong was almost invincible.
Only slightly less than Arlong, just how terrifying was this Buggy the Clown!
"Alright, let's go meet this Buggy the Clown!"
Luffy smiled; he was quite eager to meet this individual rumored to possess Haoshoku luck.
Just then, several figures suddenly emerged from a street.
"My subordinates reported earlier that some annoying insects had snuck in. So, it must be you, then?!"
One of them, riding a unicycle and with his hands in his pockets, spoke in a very pretentious manner.
Luffy glanced at the newcomers; it was Buggy the Clown's two top generals, Cabaji and Mohji, and his pet lion, Richie.
"There are really people not afraid of death! Didn't you see our pirate flag hanging at the port? This is Lord Buggy's territory."
"Or… are you here to die?"
Cabaji drew two swords and said playfully.
Luffy showed no reaction, merely standing quietly.
At this moment, Zoro stepped forward and said,
"Mere small fry aren't worth your effort."
"Leave them to me, Captain!"
Zoro's words were directed at Luffy and Uta.
Over the past few days, Zoro's understanding of this world had changed drastically.
Especially after coming into contact with the Haki domain, he realized that there was such a powerful force in this world, unknown to most people.
This also made him realize that he was too weak now.
And he couldn't afford to be concerned with opponents of this level anymore.
He had to quickly surpass these small fry.
Luffy smiled upon hearing this; he was waiting for Zoro to have this kind of resolve.
Combat was the fastest way to improve strength.
Such suitable opponents were perfect for the current Zoro.
"Let's go!"
Luffy said to Uta and Nami and then walked towards a certain direction in the town.
Uta followed closely, while Nami was both puzzled and worried.
"Eh?! Aren't we going to wait for Zoro?"
No sooner had Nami's words fallen than a figure suddenly flew out from her side.
Cabaji, holding two swords, swung them down forcefully at her.
"Die a magnificent death!"
"Ah…"
A sharp, high-pitched female scream seemed to pierce her eardrums. Nami covered her head, motionless.
Clang!
The crisp sound of weapons colliding rang out.
Zoro, holding two swords, blocked Cabaji's attack.
"Your opponent… is me!"
Escaping from mortal danger, Nami dared not stay any longer and quickly scurried to catch up with Luffy.
On the rooftop of a building inside the island.
"You bastard, who are you calling a red nose?!"
Buggy, dressed as a clown with a red ball on his nose, was now furiously questioning a subordinate in front of him.
The subordinate trembled all over in fear when he saw Buggy enraged and stammered,
"C-Captain Buggy, I said that Lord Cabaji and Lord Mohji seemed to have failed to stop those pirates, and they're heading this way. I didn't say you had a red nose!"
As soon as the subordinate finished speaking, Buggy became even more furious.
"You bastard… how dare you… call me… a red nose."
Buggy roared in a deep voice, his anger completely erupting in the last sentence.
The surrounding subordinates all looked terrified at this scene.
"It's going to happen!"
"That Devil Fruit power."
Buggy's hand suddenly detached from his wrist, flew through the air, and choked the subordinate's neck, lifting him up.
"Tell me… who am I?"
"C-Captain Buggy!"
"What happens if you offend me?"
"A… a magnificent death. I was wrong, Captain Buggy, I won't speak carelessly again."
Bang!
Buggy let go, and the subordinate immediately fell to the ground.
"Hmph! I'll forgive you for misspeaking this time."
With that, Buggy flicked his cape and turned to walk towards the tent behind him.
"Yo, Red Nose!"
Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind Buggy, who had just turned around.
Buggy's body instantly froze upon hearing this, and all the surrounding pirates trembled uncontrollably in fear.
"Who in the world is…"
Buggy said in a deep voice, then roared as he suddenly spun around.
"Which bastard is looking for death?!"
Turning back, Buggy saw a man and two women standing opposite him.
The man was smiling, waving at him.
One of the women was calm, the other nervous.
Buggy, who was about to continue his anger, suddenly noticed the Straw Hat on the man's head and was stunned.
He questioned,
"You… where did you get that Straw Hat?"
Luffy took off his Straw Hat and said,
"This? Shanks gave it to me."
Hearing Shanks's name, Buggy immediately frowned and said angrily,
"It really is that bastard!"
Bang!
No sooner had Buggy's words fallen than his nose was met with a punch.
He felt a sudden dizziness, and his body flew backward uncontrollably.
He crashed into the tent behind him and fell to the ground.
"Don't you dare badmouth Shanks."
Uta gnashed her teeth, fuming.
Ever since the incident with Higuma the mountain bandit, what she hated most now was anyone speaking ill of Shanks.
This scene, however, stunned the surrounding pirates.
"That woman actually… with one punch… knocked down Captain Buggy!"
"Hey, hey! Is that for real? That's Captain Buggy! A great pirate with a 15 million Berries bounty!"
"Who… who exactly are they?"
Nami couldn't help but glance at Uta, her eyes filled with shock.
She had never seen Uta fight and thought the latter was just a weak woman similar to herself.
But she never would have imagined that Uta could knock down a 15-million-Berries pirate with a single punch.
At this moment, she couldn't help but glance at Luffy again, thinking to herself.
"How strong is this guy's true strength? If it were him, could he defeat Arlong?"