After a while, the leader of the opposing crew seemed to have come to some kind of decision. Slowly lifting his head, the murderous glint in his eyes lessened somewhat. Looking at Buggy's crew, he said,
"Alright, we'll do as you say. One million it is—we'll take one share. Should we come aboard to get it, or will you deliver it to our ship?"
Buggy, of course, could feel the killing intent radiating from them, but he didn't strike immediately. These people didn't even warrant his effort.
"Clo, go to the storage room and bring out enough provisions to feed ten people for ten days. Then personally take it over to their ship."
Buggy figured that Clo alone would be more than enough to deal with them. And purposely giving them such a small amount for such a steep price was just another way to provoke them further.
The enemy captain heard what Buggy said, and his face almost twisted with rage—but he held it in.
He hadn't expected that the one-million-Belly "share" would only be enough to feed ten people for ten days. If they truly lacked supplies, this would be a massive rip-off. And with more than ten crew members on his ship, this could mean they'd soon be sailing on empty stomachs.
Though his fury was nearly uncontrollable, he kept quiet, biding his time for the perfect moment to strike.
Before long, Clo returned from the storage room with a bundle containing the food.
Instead of simply leaping across with his speed, Buggy had Weibull place a plank between the two ships, letting Clo walk across casually. Even after Clo stepped onto the enemy vessel, the plank wasn't withdrawn.
The moment he saw this, the enemy captain's eyes flashed with barely hidden delight. As soon as Clo was aboard, the man's expression shifted—his face now filled with killing intent. He sneered,
"You greedy fools! You dared to extort me? Today, your people and your ship will both become my property!"
His crew erupted into wild laughter, drawing weapons and rushing toward Clo—and the plank leading to Buggy's ship.
Buggy's crew didn't move. They stood calmly at the bow, watching. Clo tossed the bundle of food back onto the Glory, and in the blink of an eye, a pair of iron cat claws appeared in his hands.
Before the attackers could close the distance, Clo vanished. One by one, the rushing figures dropped to the deck—some dead instantly, others writhing in agony from deep gashes left by the claws.
As more and more of them fell, realization dawned on the enemy crew: they had kicked a steel wall. This one man alone was more than enough to wipe them out.
"Sir! We were wrong! Please spare us—we are members of the Don Quixote Family! We beg you to consider the Donquixote Family's reputation and let us live! Our family will surely reward you handsomely afterward!"
Now that he had seen Clo's strength, the enemy captain abandoned his earlier scheme. He was desperate to live.
He emphasized his affiliation twice—first to make sure they believed him, and second to try to use the Don Quixote name as a shield, hoping it would compel Buggy to let them go.
Buggy's response was cold:
"You tried to rob us, and now you expect me to care about which 'Donquixote Family' you belong to? Not a chance."
If Doflamingo had already reached his future awakened Devil Fruit state, Buggy might have considered giving him face. But right now? The Donquixote Family's power wasn't something that scared him. Even if it came to a fight, the outcome was far from certain, and Buggy saw no reason to show them mercy.
Hearing this, the enemy captain's face turned pale. Still, for the sake of survival, he tried one last plea:
"Sir, the Donquixote Family is the most powerful underground force in the North Blue! Please, think this through!"
But Buggy's patience had run out.
"Clo—kill them all."
No more talk was needed. In a few years, the Donquixote Family would be nothing more than ants beneath his feet.
Clo sped up his attacks, and within moments, everyone who had charged toward them—including the captain—was dead.
After disposing of the corpses, Buggy led his crew aboard the enemy ship. A quick sweep with his Observation Haki revealed some interesting finds, so he came over as well.
First stop was the kitchen—not just because it was a logical place to search, but because his Haki had detected a living person there.
When they arrived, they quickly spotted her: a blonde-haired little girl, wearing an oversized chef's uniform, trembling as she hid under the kitchen counter.
Buggy guessed she wasn't one of the Donquixote crew. She was probably taken here against her will. Judging by her attire, she likely had some talent for cooking, which just so happened to be a skill Buggy's crew lacked.
If these pirates had forced a little girl to be their chef, that alone proved she was talented.
"Come on out—we're not bad people. Those guys are gone; we took care of them. You don't have to be afraid. Once everything's settled, if you want to go home, we can take you back."
It was important to calm her down first. And if she did want to return home, Buggy would send her back. But more likely, she had nowhere to go—children this young rarely travel alone, so if she was here by herself, it probably meant her parents were gone.
If that was the case, Buggy's crew might be her only option—and given that they had just saved her and avenged her, she might agree to stay without much persuasion.
"T-Tell me… are you good people? Did you really… defeat them?"
The little girl's voice trembled as she cautiously peeked her small head out from under the counter, looking up at Buggy and his crew.