After confirming Buggy's plan, Ray got ready to leave.
Buggy tried to get him to stay for a drink, but one look at Ray's cold glare and he dropped it.
"Ray," Buggy called out just before he left, "you're such a loner. Why are you even traveling with that Straw Hat kid?"
Ray didn't feel like answering, but then Buggy's next words made him change his mind.
"Since you're willing to hang out with those kids, why not join us?" Buggy offered. "We could team up, take down Shanks first. What do you say?"
Ray's reaction was exactly what Buggy expected: a hard pass.
He just shook his head slightly.
"They're cleaner than you."
With that, Ray walked off towards the town center, leaving Buggy to grumble behind him.
Watching him go, Buggy muttered to himself, "Cleaner? ...Yeah, true enough."
…
On his way back to town, Ray slowed down.
He needed to get his head straight.
He was now certain that the Marines coming to Loguetown tomorrow wouldn't be your average grunts.
Not after the huge spectacle that old fool Buggy had made.
The Marines had seen his awakened powers, and to protect their reputation, they'd have to send someone extraordinary.
'So, who would they send?' Ray thought as he walked.
Given the current state of the world, with all the Yonko in the New World making moves, it was unlikely any of the three Admirals would come all the way to the East Blue.
'So, a Vice Admiral or below? That would just be feeding Buggy free experience points. A regular Vice Admiral probably wouldn't stand a chance against the current Buggy. To win, the Marines would need a whole group of elite Vice Admirals, but sending that many would leave other bases undefended. That's not a good option.'
Ray tried to think like he was the Fleet Admiral.
The goal would be to beat Buggy and protect the town.
That meant they needed someone, besides an Admiral, who could overwhelm him.
'Two options,' he concluded. 'First, send a group of Vice Admirals, which is probably impossible right now. Second, send a single, super-strong person who isn't tied up with anything important.'
The second option seemed way more likely.
So, who fit that description?
Ray ran through the possibilities. 'The Admiral Candidates, Momousagi or Chaton. The retired legends, Garp or Zephyr. Or maybe a team-up, like a Warlord and a Vice Admiral. Kuma, maybe?'
No matter which one it was, it would be a seriously tough fight for Buggy.
And not just for Buggy; Ray was starting to feel the pressure too.
The Marines weren't idiots.
If they were planning to take out Buggy, they'd definitely try to handle the Straw Hats at the same time.
He wondered just how big of a threat the Marines thought they were.
'Haven't seen any News Coos lately, maybe there haven't been any updates?'
But Ray wasn't one to just sit around and worry.
After another week of intense training, his fusion rate was up to 49%.
He had much better control over his demonic energy and had even developed some new techniques.
Even without hitting that 50% milestone, he was confident he could at least get the Straw Hats out safely, no matter what happened tomorrow.
A confident smirk spread across his face.
"Heh," he murmured, "I'm actually kinda looking forward to it."
…
Meanwhile, the Straw Hats were all off doing their own things, spending the money they had left.
Luffy and Usopp, obsessed with their new ninja theme, rushed into a tool shop.
Luffy was mesmerized by the kunai and shuriken, while Usopp found himself a cool pair of goggles.
After that, they split up.
Luffy went off to find Roger's execution platform, and Usopp went to buy some books for new tall tale material.
…
Sanji had wanted to go shopping with Nami, but he'd clearly been rejected.
So now he was just wandering the streets, his eyes turning into hearts as he "explored the delicious women" of the town.
"This one is the perfect appetizer," he drooled. "Wow, she's like a champagne-flavored aperitif. Heavens, look at the abundance on that one—definitely the main course!"
…
Nami was now near the town center, her arms loaded with shopping bags full of clothes and a certain "pink suit" she'd been wanting to buy.
"Ray, oh Ray," she giggled to herself, "just you wait. hehehe~"
She'd pretty much figured him out by now.
He was aloof and cold, but he was also a forward-thinker who genuinely cared about all of them.
"Hehehe, that's your weakness, Ray~ Got you!"
The more she thought about it, the more mischievous she felt.
In the future, all she'd have to do was find an excuse—"it's for everyone's safety!" or "it'll help us avoid trouble!"—and she could probably keep dressing him up.
"Hey hey hey, dressing up handsome guys is just too much fun."
…
So, what was our green rice dumpling up to?
As if by fate, Zoro had run into Tashigi.
And, of course, he had accidentally broken her glasses.
Right now, Tashigi was standing with her hands on her hips, pouting at the leaf-wrapped mummy in front of her.
"You broke my glasses! You have to pay me back!"
But ever since he'd seen her, Zoro had been in a complete daze.
Through her own wild imagination, Tashigi had decided that Zoro was a poor man with severe burns (hence the leaves), an 80-year-old mother, and five hungry kids. She was now looking at him with nothing but pity.
Just as she was about to offer him a job at the Marine base to pay off his debt, Ray showed up.
Recalling the scene from his memories, Ray had to stop himself from laughing out loud.
He knew he had to get Zoro out of there.
If he ended up at the Marine base, especially with Smoker back, things could get messy.
Ray took a small breath and elegantly moved to Zoro's side.
But when he was about to call him, he realized he couldn't use his real name.
"Uh... mari... mo... brother," Ray stammered, his expression stiff.
"I need to talk to you."
Zoro was both angry and incredibly relieved.
The nickname was terrible, but at least he could finally get away from this woman who was making him so uncomfortable.
In the end, he awkwardly lied and said Ray was here to pay him back some money.
Tashigi actually believed him and let him go.
By the roadside, Ray quickly explained his suspicions to Zoro.
Zoro's eyes instantly turned serious.
"Ray, are you sure?"
"90% sure. And we're on the Marines' hit list, too."
Zoro thought for a moment.
"Then we have to get ready. Another battle is coming. Alright, I'll go gather everyone right now!"
Before Ray could even try to stop him, Zoro had already dashed off in the direction he thought Luffy had gone.
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