The sea was no longer calm. The tiny boat carrying Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Adam was shaking violently under the weight of the grappling hook Buggy's men had thrown. Each pull dragged them closer to the massive, brightly painted ship looming like a monstrous carnival on the waves.
The laughter of Buggy the Clown echoed across the water."BAHAHAHAHA! You little pests thought you could sail in my waters? Your tiny toy boat is mine now!"
Adam gritted his teeth. His system pinged in the back of his head.
[Warning: Critical Danger Detected.][Mini Quest: Survive encounter with Buggy's crew.][Failure: Death.]
"Oh, thanks," Adam muttered sarcastically. "As if I needed the reminder."
Zoro stood tall, unfazed, hand resting on one of his swords. "So this is Buggy. Doesn't look so scary."
Nami turned to glare at him, panic in her eyes. "You idiot! He's a Devil Fruit user. You can't just cut him down!"
Luffy, however, was bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet. "Wooooow! Another Devil Fruit user! This is gonna be fun!"
Adam rubbed his temples. "Fun? This guy's about to slice and dice us into pirate confetti."
Another loud creak echoed as Buggy's men yanked their tiny boat even closer. Adam could see the gaudy red-and-blue paint of Buggy's massive ship, the grotesque clown face painted on the bow. It felt like the ocean itself was laughing at them.
Then, without warning, a cannon roared.
The ball shot past them, smashing into the water just meters away. The blast of the wave nearly flipped their small vessel. Everyone grabbed hold of something as the boat rocked violently.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Adam screamed.
From the deck of the larger ship, Buggy leaned over the railing, his bulbous red nose shining in the sunlight. "Oops! My hand slipped! BAHAHAHA!"
Adam shouted back, "That's not funny, clown!"
Buggy's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did you just call me… clown?"
Another cannon fired. This time, it hit dead on.
The tiny boat erupted in splinters. The world spun as wood shattered, ropes snapped, and seawater rushed in from every direction.
"AAAAAAAAH!" Nami screamed as she was thrown into the waves.
"Meat! My meat bag!" Luffy wailed, his priorities as skewed as ever.
Adam crashed into the freezing water, lungs burning as salt stung his throat. He flailed wildly, trying to grab onto anything that floated. A sharp voice rang in his head:
[Emergency Trigger: Survival Mode.][Activating passive skill: Buoyancy Boost.]
Suddenly, his body felt lighter. His flailing slowed into something resembling swimming. He kicked desperately, spotting Zoro clinging to a plank nearby, his swords still strapped firmly to his waist.
"Zoro!" Adam coughed. "You alive?"
Zoro grunted. "Barely."
A few meters away, Luffy's head popped out of the water, his straw hat somehow still secured with the red string around his neck. He was grinning."This is awesome! We're swimming!"
"WE'RE DYING!" Adam shouted back.
They regrouped, clinging onto broken pieces of wood as the wreck of their boat slowly drifted apart. Buggy's ship loomed in the distance, but instead of finishing them off, Buggy let out another booming laugh.
"BAHAHAHAHA! That's what you get for crossing me! No way those brats survived that blast. Let's head to Orange Town—we've got a party to throw!"
Adam blinked water out of his eyes, coughing. "Wait… did he just… leave?"
Sure enough, Buggy's ship began to drift away, sails billowing as it headed east. The clown's mocking laughter grew fainter with the distance.
"They think we're dead," Nami said, teeth chattering as she clung to a barrel.
"Works for me," Zoro muttered.
Adam exhaled shakily. "I swear, if I live through this, I'm filing a complaint with the universe. This system better give me hazard pay."
The notification finally chimed:[Quest Completed: Survive Buggy's Attack.][Reward: Minor Skill Unlocked – Water Breathing (Lv.1).]
Adam blinked. "Wait… what?" He suddenly realized he could hold his breath much longer than before without panicking. A grin tugged at his lips. "Okay, that's actually useful. Finally."
They drifted for what felt like hours, the sun baking their backs, the salt drying on their skin. At last, in the hazy distance, the outline of a town appeared on the shore.
"Land!" Nami cried.
The group scrambled, paddling desperately with broken planks and barrels until they finally crawled onto the sandy beach. Adam collapsed face-first into the sand, groaning.
"Sweet, solid ground… I'll never complain about dirt again."
Luffy, however, immediately hopped up, eyes wide with excitement. "I wonder if there's meat in that town!"
Nami staggered to her feet, wringing out her hair. "Don't get your hopes up. That town… looks deserted."
They made their way through the streets of Orange Town, the once-lively market stalls now empty and broken. Wooden carts were overturned, houses had doors ripped off their hinges, and colorful banners hung in tatters.
"It's like a ghost town," Adam whispered, glancing around. "What happened here?"
Nami's expression hardened. "Buggy. He and his crew must've raided this place. That's what he does—terrorizes towns until they give him everything."
Luffy frowned. "So he's strong?"
"He's dangerous," Nami corrected.
Adam shoved his hands in his pockets, muttering under his breath. "Great. First I almost drown, now I'm walking into a horror movie set. At this rate, the system should just rename itself 'The Stress Simulator.'"
Zoro's eyes scanned the streets, hand resting casually on his sword hilts. "Doesn't matter. If Buggy's here, we'll deal with him."
Adam's stomach sank. "You say that like it's a grocery run."
Just then, a faint cry echoed from a side alley. They froze. It sounded like a child.
"Someone's here," Luffy said, his face lighting up with curiosity.
Adam groaned. "Oh no. I know where this is going…"
Sure enough, they followed the sound and stumbled upon a small dog sitting fiercely in front of a broken-down pet shop. A child stood beside him, wide-eyed, clutching a basket.
The dog growled protectively at the strangers.
"Shushu…" the boy whispered.
Nami gasped. "That dog… it's guarding the shop."
Adam stared, memories clicking from somewhere deep in his head. "Wait. I've seen this before. This is—" He cut himself off, realizing too late what he was about to reveal. "…uh, just feels familiar."
The boy looked at them nervously. "You're… you're not with Buggy, are you?"
Luffy grinned, pointing proudly at his chest. "Nope! We're pirates!"
Adam slapped a hand over his face. "Perfect. Just perfect."
The boy flinched. Nami quickly stepped forward, waving her hands. "Ignore him! We're not with Buggy. We're against him."
Zoro smirked. "Looks like we've found our next fight."
Adam's stomach dropped again. "Why do I feel like my blood pressure just skyrocketed?"
As they stood in the shadow of the ruined town, Buggy's flag flapping faintly in the distance, Adam knew one thing for sure:The real fight hadn't even started yet.