Buggy found nothing unusual with his Observation Haki.
That much was expected—spatial powers weren't something that could be easily sensed this way.
But the problem was simple: without finding the village chief, everything here was unresolved.
Not only would the crisis on this island remain unsolved, but the true culprit behind all of it—the old chief—might escape justice completely.
"Captain, that old man… the village chief disappeared. How do we find him?"
Kuro, who hadn't joined the earlier battle, had seen the chief vanish into thin air. He knew as well as anyone that the only way to settle this was to track that man down.
Buggy didn't answer right away. He didn't have one. Instead, he thought furiously.
Then a possibility struck him.
The villagers.
They had been participating in the sacrifices for years. That meant they must have developed some kind of connection with the ability user of the Sacrifice Fruit.
And judging from the dead villagers they had just fought, it was obvious that every single one of them had, to some degree, been eroded by that power. Otherwise, how could they transform so easily into monsters under the chief's command?
The few streams of energy the old man released couldn't possibly empower dozens of people so dramatically. If it worked that way, he'd already be invincible in this world.
No, the link had to run through the sacrifices themselves. Which meant—if they wanted to find the chief, the villagers were the key.
Buggy quickly explained his idea. The others agreed it was worth a try. Even if it didn't work, there was no real loss in trying.
Led by Buggy, they hurried toward the cave where the villagers were stationed. Buggy guessed they wouldn't have left yet. After all, the ceremony hadn't finished, and with the chief gone, they couldn't continue. They were likely waiting for his return.
And they were right.
Inside the cave, dozens of anxious villagers were milling about.
When Buggy's crew appeared, the villagers froze. First came disappointment, then confusion, then panic. Some looked guilty—children caught in the act—while others glared with open hostility.
Those guilty ones were the ones who had personally benefited from sacrificing children. Their fear was obvious.
The hostile ones, on the other hand, were already calculating how to capture Buggy and his crew before their secrets were exposed.
A burly middle-aged man stepped forward. He was the one the chief had left temporarily in charge.
"What are you doing here? This is our sacred ground! Outsiders are forbidden!"
He didn't immediately order an attack. Most of their true fighting power wasn't present, and without the chief here, he dared not act rashly.
Buggy sneered.
"Sacred ground? Don't make me laugh. It's nothing more than a cave reeking of greed, shamelessness, and cruelty. I want in, and you couldn't stop me if you tried."
The man's face twisted.
"You brat… what nonsense are you spouting? Do you want to die?!"
He might not have understood all of Buggy's words, but one thing was clear: Buggy knew the truth about the sacrifices.
The man barked a cold laugh and raised his hand.
"Seize them! They know too much—don't let them leave alive!"
The villagers tensed, ready to swarm.
But before any could move, Buggy's blade, Flame Sun, flashed. A blazing slash of sword aura split the air—
—and in the next instant, the middle-aged man was cut cleanly in two.
Blood sprayed across the crowd. Villagers froze mid-step. Their faces went pale, bodies trembling.
Buggy lowered his blade, eyes cold.
This was the warning.
Killing one to terrify the rest.
Now that they had seen his true strength, the others would think twice before resisting.
Buggy walked forward, his crew at his back. The crowd of villagers parted instantly, shuffling aside as if avoiding a plague god.
He stopped before the strange stone altar, turning to face the shivering villagers.
"I already understand the situation here. I won't dig into every past sin. But I will strike down the chief villain—and all those who sacrificed children just to satisfy their greed.
The rest of you, I will not pursue. Cooperate with me. Help me find your village chief. Once this is settled, we will leave."
The words dropped like thunder.
Nearly two-thirds of the villagers fell into despair.
They were exactly the kind Buggy described—the ones who had bartered away the lives of their children, or stolen the lives of others, all for profit and selfish desire.
At first, they had been ready to fight to the death. But when they realized the chief and his enforcers might already have been defeated, they knew the truth.
With their meager strength, they couldn't possibly resist this crew.
Their fates were sealed.