"One level of Admiral, huh?" Luffy muttered softly, his gaze fixed on the attribute panel that only he could see.
'This 'Admiral-level' means my strength is very close to an Admiral. Super strong support powers like the Repair Fruit and Time Fruit aren't counted here,' he thought. 'Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to scare Hawkeye off that much.'
Luffy glanced at the panel again, and a satisfied smile curled on his lips. 'Let's do it!'
At the same time, the entire Straw Hat Pirate crew disembarked from the Going Merry. They felt that something was wrong, the atmosphere on the beach was strange.
"Damn you Shanks, you b******, I @#$..."
Buggy, the red-nosed clown, stepped out and instantly froze. His eyes widened, and he cursed Shanks with an uncontrollable outburst of anger. The expressions on the other Straw Hat crew members instantly changed. They looked at each other, shocked by Buggy's rage.
'How much hatred does this guy have for Shanks!'
The Straw Hat crew's reaction was quick. Zoro gripped his sword hilt, Sanji raised one foot, and Usopp held his slingshot, ready to fight. However, Luffy just waved his hand, telling them to stop.
They didn't realize the burning grudge between Buggy and Shanks. Buggy had once been so frightened by Shanks that he accidentally ate a Devil Fruit and lost his treasure map. He always felt it was all Shanks's fault. However, Buggy didn't know that the Chop-Chop Fruit he ate was far more valuable than any treasure.
From across the way, Shanks was stunned, then a great laugh erupted from his chest when he saw the figure. "Yo, Buggy, long time no see, how have you been?"
'How have I been, my ass!' Buggy's face flushed.
A burning anger meeting a grinning face was a lethal combination. Buggy could no longer resist the urge to charge and beat him up.
"Alright, Buggy, calm down, you can't beat him." Luffy, who knew their grudge, felt sympathy for Buggy.
"Captain..." Buggy looked confused. He didn't expect Luffy to know Shanks, and seemingly get along well. But Shanks was his enemy!
Luffy found Buggy's disbelieving expression funny. After thinking for a moment, he whispered to him, "Later, I'll help you teach him a lesson, but don't make it difficult for me afterward."
"Yes, Captain!"
Buggy felt he was nothing in the face of Luffy, yet Luffy was willing to face a Sea Emperor just for his sake. Buggy's heart was incredibly touched. 'The Captain and Red-Hair seem to get along well... Is he going to fall out with him for my sake? Truly, I, Buggy, am the Captain's confidant!!'
"Luffy, I heard what you just said," suddenly, Shanks, who had been paying attention to his surroundings with his Observation Haki, spoke. However, he wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled as he looked at Luffy. 'You want to beat me up? Are you serious?'
"Shanks, don't pretend you didn't hear me. I really do plan to beat you up. Who told you to bully my Second Division Captain?" Luffy waved his hand.
"Second Division Captain?" Shanks was startled for a moment. "Buggy, you joined the Straw Hat Pirates?"
"Yes!"
Before Buggy could speak, Luffy preempted him. "Not only Buggy, Makino also came to my side. She's now the bartender on the ship."
After saying that, Luffy placed Makino next to Nami and winked at her. Nami instantly understood. 'This big sister needs to be properly "comforted"! Uh... not just comforted, but also made happy!'