Crocodile, draped in a large cloak, puffed on a cigar and squinted at Buggy, who, like Tenryūbito, had been stripped of his Celestial Dragon status.
The reason was:
Upon returning to Mariejois, Buggy secretly colluded with his own Buggy Pirates to steal gold and jewels from the Celestial Dragons' secret vault.
And, quite unexpectedly, he sold a treasure of great importance to the World Government, something related to a secret from eight hundred years ago, to the Reincarnation Game.
After being discovered, he fled with his Pirate Crew.
Ultimately, he was stripped of his Celestial Dragon status and pursued by God's Knights.
After several twists and turns,
He drifted to this island and was discovered by Crocodile, who had been closely monitoring the world situation.
"Does it concern you, Crocodile? Do you want to oppose me too?"
Buggy, draped in a red sheet, with his scattered limbs propping it open, looked as tall as a giant.
He sneered at Crocodile.
Having stolen the Celestial Dragon's treasure and converted it into reward points, Buggy was now undoubtedly a top-tier player among the leading ranks.
He had no fear of a mere Crocodile.
"Are you looking for death?"
Beside him, the loyal Mr.1 Daz Bonez frowned, highly displeased with Buggy's attitude.
His arm gradually transformed into a blade, enveloped in a faint red flame.
This was a game ability he had exchanged for:
The top-tier martial art [Flaming Wood Blade Technique] from the Shaolin Temple in a martial arts world.
Although it was only green quality, he had already upgraded it to Lv.19, and when swung, it could cut through even bodies protected by Armed Haki.
"Mochi, teach him some manners."
On the second floor of the circus, Mochi, the vice-captain leaning against the railing, suddenly whistled.
Then,
Richie, the lion that had been lazily coiled at his feet, suddenly leaped into the center of the giant tent.
Purple flames ignited,
And in an instant, Richie transformed into a giant lion controlling purple flames.
A pair of narrow purple wings grew on its back, crafted like translucent crystals, exceptionally perfect.
"Understood, Captain Buggy!"
Mochi sneered repeatedly, saying, "I spent fifty thousand reward points to buy a companion Amethyst Source from the Amethyst Winged Lion King in [Dou Qi Continent] and fed it to my Richie."
"Now Richie possesses a faint power of purple flame; your Blade-Blade Fruit will be directly melted into molten iron!"
The current Buggy Pirates,
Although they were being hunted by the God's Knights and were in a very sorry state, they were also incredibly wealthy.
They were no longer the small pirate crew that could be easily manipulated; even in the entire Pirate World, they could be referred to as Lord Buggy.
"Stop, Bonez, put away your blade, we are not here to fight!"
Crocodile's gaze fell on the purple flame lion, then looked towards Buggy on the main seat.
He suddenly smiled.
The wealthier the Buggy Pirates were, the more it proved his judgment was correct.
"Speak, Crocodile, why have you come to find me?"
Seeing Crocodile's good attitude, Buggy was very satisfied and waved his hand, signaling Richie to retreat.
"Mr. Buggy."
Crocodile didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "When hunting the Soul Reaper's last life, the Buggy Pirates should have been under pursuit, so you didn't get a family token, or even a fragment, did you?"
At that time, although the players were very chaotic,
The Soul Reaper in its last life was in its strongest state, and most players couldn't even approach the Soul Reaping Hall.
The players in the first tier were all well-known figures in the Grand Line.
Therefore, after Crocodile snatched a family token, he intentionally noted the factions that did not participate in the hunt, preparing to contact them afterward.
After much thought,
The Buggy Pirates were the best choice for cooperation.
Before Buggy could speak, Crocodile had already stated his purpose for coming: "To be frank with you, I have a complete family token and can directly establish a family."
"But I lack sufficient assets, so I hope to cooperate with Mr. Buggy."
Originally, he would not have been short of money.
He was regarded as the hero of Alabasta by everyone, held the legitimate plundering status of a Shichibukai, and operated Baroque Works, with a continuous flow of assets coming in every day.
He had never worried about assets.
But now,
The Alabasta Family led by Vivi had expelled him, and Baroque Works had also been annihilated.
Only a few loyal employees remained.
The power of the Sand-Sand Fruit, in a desert country like Alabasta, could be said to be the strongest weapon of mass destruction.
However,
The emblem of the Alabasta Family, with its ability to control quicksand, when hundreds of people gathered, could actually surpass the Sand-Sand Fruit.
If he had known earlier,
He should have transferred his assets out first, so as not to be reduced to such a state.
"You have a family token?"
Buggy's eyes widened suddenly.
Crocodile's guess was correct; the Buggy Pirates had indeed missed the Soul Reaper hunt because they were trying to escape the pursuit of the God's Knights.
Thus, they failed to seize a family token and had not yet established a family.
He wasn't short of money; he was short of the token!
"Of course."
Crocodile extended his palm, and a faint white light glowed.
A palm-sized family token floated within his palm, slowly rotating.
It captivated Buggy's gaze.
A moment later, Buggy laughed loudly: "How do you want to cooperate?"
Crocodile also smiled and said, "It's a cooperation between the Buggy Pirates and Baroque Works. We will form an alliance and jointly establish a family."
"Who will be the family head?"
Buggy asked the crucial question.
In the Reincarnation Game's family system, the family head held immense power; the embedding and upgrading of the family emblem, the use of reward points, skill research, and so on, all required the family head's decision.
"You will be."
Crocodile said without hesitation, "Since I came to the Buggy Pirates, it means I am in a weaker position, and the weak have no right to choose."
"After the family is established, the first thing I hope for is to become hostile with the Alabasta Family and find an opportunity to declare war!"
"And, I need one hundred and fifty thousand reward points!"
At this point,
A hint of annoyance finally appeared on Crocodile's calm face.
His meticulously planned scheme, cultivated for several years, was shattered by Vivi just like that; no one could tolerate such an affront.
He wanted to reclaim everything that belonged to him.
"Wait a moment."
Buggy pondered slightly, with both hands resting on the railing of the second floor.
The red sheet acted like a curtain, obscuring the Buggy Pirates behind him.
Alvida, Mochi, Cabaji, and others exchanged glances, huddled together with Buggy, whispering and discussing.
Soon,
They reached a consensus, as they couldn't think of any more critical details.
But one thing was certain: even the cunning Crocodile could not violate the rules of the Reincarnation Game.
As long as Captain Buggy became the family head, he couldn't cause any trouble.
"Very well, I accept your proposal."
The red sheet fell down.
Buggy, still exuding the aura of a great pirate, nodded gently.
plz support me if you can.
patreon.com/Mano99
all the fanfic is 30 chapter a had and you will get 1 chapter everyday.