Three days later, at the port of Loguetown, a brand-new ship floated just outside the harbor.
Its hull was painted pristine white, and the onboard structures were designed with a refined Eastern aesthetic, meticulously crafted under Buggy's direction. This was the vessel Buggy had invested a fortune to build: the White Brilliance.
The ship bore no pirate flag—not yet. With only two crew members for now, they hadn't officially formed a pirate crew. Their current priority was recruiting new members. Once the crew was complete, they'd formally establish their pirate group and hoist a flag of their own.
Buggy and Dadi stood atop the deck of the Brilliance. By normal standards, a ship of this size would require a full crew to operate.
But Buggy had anticipated this problem from the start. The Brilliance's propulsion system was built with the most cutting-edge technology of the current Pirate Era. It ran using an engine-driven propeller system that could be operated by a single person. The control interface was user-friendly—just a few simple buttons handled everything needed to pilot the vessel.
"Captain, this is our ship? It's so big. How are we supposed to sail it? We don't even have a crew yet," Dadi said, puzzled.
"I planned for that already. Come with me," Buggy replied with a smirk.
He led Dadi toward the bridge, intending to teach him how to steer the ship. Buggy had no interest in taking the helm himself—he believed Dadi was more than capable and probably better suited for the job. After all, he'd never heard of a pirate captain who also did the steering.
Inside the bridge, they were greeted by a modern control panel, reminiscent of high-tech marine vessels from Buggy's past life.
Without wasting time, Buggy jumped right into explaining. In just over ten minutes, Dadi had learned the basics of how to operate the ship.
"Captain, where are we heading now? Are we going straight to the Grand Line?" Dadi asked.
"No, not yet. The Grand Line is too dangerous for us right now. We need to find more crewmates first."
"Then are we looking around the East Blue?"
"Yeah. We're going after a certain pirate crew. We'll subdue their captain and then move on from there."
"Which crew are we talking about, Captain?"
"The Black Cat Pirates. Just a small-time crew."
Dadi furrowed his brow in thought. "Captain, I've heard of them. They're a pretty new crew. Their captain's just a teenager, I think his name's… Kuro? His bounty's only a few tens of thousands. What do we want with someone like that?"
"I've heard that although Kuro's combat ability isn't impressive, his intelligence is exceptional. He's got potential."
In the original One Piece story, Kuro was known as 'Captain Kuro of a Hundred Plans.' Within the fan community, some even compared his intelligence to that of Benn Beckman, the right-hand man of Red-Haired Shanks.
While Kuro's combat ability never stood out much, Buggy believed that with the right training, he could become a vital asset to the crew, especially with that level of intelligence. Of course, he couldn't explain all this to Dadi, so he kept it simple: Kuro was a strategist worth recruiting.
"So, where do we go? Any leads on where he is?"
"I looked into it already. The Black Cat Pirates have been active around the waters near Syrup Village."
With their destination set, Buggy left the controls to Dadi and walked off.
He headed to the deck to train. His swordsmanship was approaching the level of a sword master (Kenjutsu Master), and he was determined to make a breakthrough soon. Their journey would only get more dangerous, and strength was their greatest guarantee for survival—and dominance.
As the sun rose slowly on the horizon, Buggy drew his blade.
The sword—named Flame Sun (炎阳)—was one of the 50 Skillful Grade Swords (良快刀五十工) he had obtained over the past year. The entire blade glowed faint yellow, etched with delicate flame-like patterns. The hilt radiated a gentle warmth, unaffected by hot or cold, always steady in hand.
Under Dadi's control, the Brilliance powered up and began sailing toward Syrup Village, while Buggy honed his swordsmanship on deck.
Three days later, the Brilliance arrived in the waters near Syrup Village. Before they could even start searching, a small pirate ship began heading straight for them—a black flag fluttered atop its mast.
As the ship drew closer, Buggy couldn't help but chuckle.
What perfect timing.
The crew sailing toward them was none other than the Black Cat Pirates.
Buggy scanned the deck. There weren't many people aboard. At the helm stood a teenager, no older than fifteen or sixteen. The other crew members looked to be in their late teens. Their ship was tiny and run-down—it looked more like scrap pulled out of a junkyard than a real pirate vessel.
As they neared, Buggy stood at the bow of the Brilliance, unmoving. He wanted to see what they were here for.
"Captain, is that the kid we're looking for?" Dadi asked, pointing to the teen leading the group.
"Seems like it… Though he's a lot younger than I expected."
Buggy couldn't be sure. He had never seen this version of Kuro before. His memories were only of the Kuro from later in the timeline.
"Should we just take him down right now? Judging by the looks of him, he can't be that strong," Dadi suggested.
"Let's not rush. I want to see what they're here for first."
After all, what's a good show without watching the performance?
"Hey! What are you guys doing here? Are you a merchant ship or something?"
A tall, buff teenager from the Black Cat crew called out. His tone was loud and friendly at first, but laced with suspicion.
Buggy and Dadi didn't reply. They simply stood, arms crossed, watching them with a smile.
"Hey! Don't get cocky! We asked you a question! You better answer, or you'll piss off our captain—and when he's mad, you're fish food!"
The burly teen grew visibly irritated at their silence.
The Black Cat Pirates might have been newcomers with little fame in the East Blue, but around this region, they had a reputation. Merchants would usually pay up for "protection" to avoid trouble. Yet here these two were, completely ignoring him.
After waiting a moment, the teen shouted again:
"What, are you looking to die?! We were going to let you off with a simple toll, but now you're acting arrogant!"
His face flushed red with anger.
"Hey, brat," Buggy said calmly. "Stop yapping and bring out your captain."
Buggy couldn't hold back a grin anymore. It was obvious what the Black Cat Pirates were up to—and there was no point in playing along.
"You there. Who are you people? What do you want with me?"
The young man at the helm finally stepped forward, addressing Buggy directly.
He understood immediately that he was the target. Otherwise, why else would these strangers remain silent until asking for him specifically?