Nami, having tied up Luffy, dragged him before Captain Buggy.
"I've caught the thief, Captain Buggy," she announced.
"Glad you brought him back," Buggy said darkly, accepting the sea chart. "But how did you switch sides so quickly?"
"I had a falling out with my boss," Nami replied. "I couldn't stand him anymore. Please let me join your crew, Captain Buggy!"
Buggy chuckled softly, a murderous glint in his eyes as he glanced at the Straw Hat on Luffy's head. He recognized it instantly—the captain's hat. 'So this is the man Shanks chose?' he thought. 'That spineless coward who just handed his dream to someone else?'
"Gyahahaha..." Buggy's laughter grew louder, then suddenly turned shrill, tears streaming down his face. No one could possibly guess what twisted thoughts were racing through his mind.
"You're killing me!" Buggy gasped, wiping his eyes. "Couldn't stand him anymore, huh? You're quite the character, woman. I like it! Fine, you can join us." He continued to laugh hysterically.
Nami, thrilled by how easily she'd fooled the pirate, failed to notice Buggy's sinister glare.
Shortly after, Luffy found himself locked in a cage.
The crew erupted into a raucous celebration, though Buggy's grin was forced, his voice strained with barely suppressed fury. "Hahaha! What a glorious day!"
"Men, prepare the special Buggy Ball!" he barked.
Buggy didn't care about Nami's attempt to return the favor. He just wanted to see if this sly woman deserved to be Luffy's companion.
The cannon, loaded with its massive shell, swung toward the open area. The shell's sheer destructive potential left Nami speechless, and the shockwave alerted Zoro and Orochimaru to Luffy's location.
After demonstrating the shell's devastating power, Buggy turned the cannon toward Luffy. "Nami, light it!" He tossed her a match.
"What's wrong? Your hand's trembling. You haven't truly embraced the pirate life if you're still challenging it," Buggy sneered.
"Embracing it? What does that even mean?" Nami clenched her fist. "Does it mean killing people without a second thought?"
"No!" Luffy declared with a solemn smile. "It means being willing to risk your own life."
While they argued, Buggy subtly signaled a pirate. The pirate snatched the match and swiftly lit the fuse.
Instinctively, Nami pulled out her collapsible staff, assembled it, and knocked the pirate unconscious with a single blow.
"Hmm?" Buggy glared menacingly. "Nami, are you trying to defy us?"
Nami, who had been bowing apologetically and trying to smooth things over, heard Luffy's frantic cry.
"Ahhh! Fire! Fire! It's lit!"
Ignoring the pirates charging at her with their swords, Nami rushed forward and clamped her hand over the fuse, extinguishing the flame. The searing pain in her palm made fine beads of sweat break out on her forehead.
"Watch out behind you!" Luffy called out anxiously, watching the group of pirates lunging toward Nami.
Nami squeezed her eyes shut in fear, but no pain came.
"Hey, hey..." Zoro's sword hilt slammed into the faces of the approaching pirates.
"So many of you ganging up on one defenseless girl? What kind of heroes are you?" Zoro glared at Luffy in the cage. "And what kind of game are you playing now?"
"Orochimaru, you've been here the whole time, haven't you? Just enjoying the show?" Zoro's gaze led everyone to the top of Buggy's circus-like tent, where a figure stood silhouetted against the sky.
Orochimaru leaped down, strode over to Nami, took her hand, and healed her burn with chakra.
Nami was stunned, instinctively gazing at the young man. "He's so handsome..." she murmured. "Thank you..."
"I just saw Luffy and Buggy having so much fun, I didn't want to interrupt," the boy said in a voice that seemed far too mature for his youthful appearance.
"Huh?! Who's having fun?! That's the Buggy Ball! It could kill someone!" Buggy glared at the cannonball.
"So, did anyone die?" Orochimaru stared at Buggy's red nose, then turned away dismissively.
Buggy sputtered indignantly. "Ah... no, wait! I'm Captain Buggy, the most vicious pirate of all time! Hey! Why are you turning away?! Are you making fun of my nose?!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Orochimaru tilted his head, feigning innocence.
Buggy stomped his foot in fury, glaring at Orochimaru's Shanks-like indifference. "You're doing this on purpose! You're definitely doing this on purpose! Did that bastard Shanks tell you to act like this? Even your expression is exactly the same!"
Orochimaru scowled inwardly. *Who the hell wants to be like him?!*
"Hey, Buggy, no personal attacks! I'm nothing like that Red Hair child-snatcher!"
The other three tilted their heads, watching Orochimaru and Buggy's exchange with confusion.
"Hey! Hey! Orochimaru! What are you hiding from me? What were you talking about with Buggy? Why are you acting like you know him so well?" Luffy looked like he was about to throw a fit.
Orochimaru sighed. "Our idiot captain here is causing trouble again. As you can see, he's caught this 'Shanks disease.'"
"Orochimaru! Just spit it out! What's going on?!" Impatient, Luffy squeezed through the bars of his cage. Not that it was much of a challenge for a rubber man like him—the gaps were huge, and he could have easily stretched out and broken free. He was just bored and playing around.
Nami glanced between Buggy and Luffy, then surveyed the town with a worried expression. "You guys are actually friends with Buggy, a ruthless pirate known for mass murder?"
Orochimaru pressed a hand against Luffy to stop him from throwing a tantrum and patted Nami's head to calm her down. "Relax. 'Ruthless'? Have you seen any bodies? Is there any blood in this town? Zoro and Luffy probably noticed too—otherwise Zoro would have drawn his sword already. Besides, didn't you hear everyone evacuated to the mountains? If Buggy were truly ruthless, they wouldn't be alive and well, and the food in the houses wouldn't still be untouched."
Nami thought for a moment, finally realizing what was strange. The houses were empty, but the streets were clean, and the belongings inside were neatly arranged. Apart from a few abandoned buildings on the outskirts damaged by Buggy's Buggy Balls—damage that had occurred after they arrived—nothing was missing. Yet Buggy had been on this island for quite some time. Nami was stunned. Could pirates really be this considerate? Having been exploited by Arlong, she knew exactly what truly ruthless pirates were like.
"So... what's going on here?" Nami felt her worldview crumbling. Weren't all pirates just plunderers?
Orochimaru ignored Buggy's glare and pointed at him. "Clown Buggy, the treasure-hunting pirate. You'd have better luck giving him a treasure map than asking him to kill someone. Don't be fooled by their feast; even all this wouldn't satisfy Luffy's appetite. Even the lion in his circus has stooped to scavenging dog food." Orochimaru gestured toward the dazed lion he'd knocked unconscious earlier while it was trying to snatch some kibble.
"But she was clearly trying to kill Luffy just now!" Nami exclaimed, bewildered.
"He wouldn't have died, even if you hadn't saved him," Orochimaru retorted mercilessly, exposing Buggy's charade as the group's faces flushed crimson and paled. "He was merely testing Luffy's resolve to become King of the Pirates, gauging whether you'd abandon him."
Orochimaru watched the group's faces cycle through shades of red and white.
To be continued...