The tomb of Alabasta's royal line was silent save for the faint drip of condensation echoing through the stone. The air smelled of age and dust, centuries of sealed history pressing down upon them.
And in the middle of that ancient weight sat two pirates, drinking wine over a Warlord's unconscious body.
Crocodile lay sprawled out, face half-buried in sand and marble. His golden hook was bent at a ridiculous angle, his pride even worse so. A half-empty bottle of wine sat balanced on his chest like some kind of morbid table ornament.
Buggy the Clown swirled his own glass lazily, fingers wrapped in bandages that still seeped faintly through. He took a sip, smacked his lips, and gave a satisfied sigh."Not bad. Bit dry, but hey, I've had worse. One time I had to drink nail-polish remover -don't ask."
Robin didn't respond immediately. She sat across from him, posture elegant, eyes tracing the deep carvings across the massive blue stone before her, the Poneglyph.
Her voice was soft when she spoke. "You know… you're a strange man, Buggy. You've shown no interest in the weapon like Crocodile did. Most men who reach this far would be trembling at the idea of what they might find."
Buggy tore off a piece of cheese, tossed it in his mouth, and waved his hand."Eh. I like mysteries when they're still mysterious. You ruin the fun once you explain everything."
The clown shrugged, eyeing the downed Warlord. "Also, you can't conquer the world with just a weapon. He should've known that much, but I guess he was blinded by the prospect of Pluton."
He leaned back, eyes gleaming under the torchlight. "I didn't come here for the same reason Croco-boy did. I came for you specifically, though you already know that~."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of parchment, handing it to her."Well, I'll give you this, it looks fancy. But it might just be the oldest grocery list in existence. Can't ever be too sure."
Robin brushed dust from the stone's corner, lips curving faintly."If it is, someone went through a great deal of trouble to preserve it for eight hundred years."
Buggy chuckled, clinking his glass against the cracked wall behind him."To ancient shopping, then."
She ignored the toast, tracing one of the carved lines with her fingertips."You said you found it… on a moving island?"
"Mm-hmm." Buggy leaned back, swirling his wine lazily. "A real oddball of a place, middle of the Calm Belt, no Sea Kings, no wind, just an island that drifted like it was bored. I dropped anchor, poked around, found this thing in a huge temple. The moment we left, the island's gone. Poof. Like my dignity after a bad show."
Robin looked up at him then, really looked, and saw that, beneath the paint and the smirk, his eyes were sharp. He wasn't lying.
She turned back to the glyph and began to read.
"When the Three rose, we sought to raise the Fourth.
A vessel not of flesh, nor flame, nor tide -but of unseen breath that binds all things.
Through the shaping of iron storms we forged a gate, and through that gate the seas themselves were changed.
The world bent. The stars wept.
What was whole was broken, and the line that never ends was born."
The words echoed through the tomb like the whisper of a god, through the voice of the Devil's Child.
Buggy whistled low. "Damn. Sounds like someone didn't read the user manual."
Robin's brow furrowed. "They tried to create another weapon. One that used the planet's own magnetic field as its base… 'iron storms,' 'unseen breath', it's hard to envision what they're describing."
It was nothing like a blueprint, just a foreboding message from an ancient civilization that had failed spectacularly.
"Likely something to do with electromagnetic fields." Buggy leaned forward, resting his chin on one gloved hand. "Ties in nicely with the results, the 'line that never ends'…"
Her voice softened. "The Grand Line. It's… it's claiming the Grand Line wasn't formed naturally. It was man-made."
The silence that followed felt heavier than Crocodile's unconscious bulk. Even Buggy's smirk faltered.
He took another sip of wine. "So someone split the world apart and made the craziest stretch of ocean by accident. That tracks."
Robin turned to him. "You don't seem surprised."
Buggy shrugged. "Lady, I've been chopped into pieces, flown across islands, and fought men who turn into sand or smoke. I stopped being surprised around the time my head learned to fly."
That earned her a quiet laugh -small, rare, but honest.
Still, her curiosity flared. "You knew something about this before, didn't you? About the Void Century?"
His grin returned, lazy but unreadable. "Maybe. Maybe not. I've read a few things. Heard a few whispers. Found a book or two that shouldn't exist."
"Books from Ohara?" she asked quietly.
Buggy winked. "Let's just say some things wash ashore where you least expect them."
He swirled his wine again, gaze briefly distant. "It's possible that weapon of theirs worked, or half-worked. Maybe they tried it again during that missing hundred years. Maybe it broke the world even further. Who knows? All I know is, it's a damn entertaining story."
Robin tilted her head. "You don't want to learn more?"
He grinned. "Nah. Curiosity's like rum -fine in small doses, deadly in barrels. Fine people of Ohara would surely agree… I just like collecting weird facts. Gives me something to talk about while drinking over corpses."
He nudged Crocodile's limp arm with his boot for emphasis.
Robin rolled her eyes. The mention of Ohara made her scowl inward, but at the same time, she could tell Buggy knew more than he was letting on. "You're quite unlike any pirate I've met."
"Heh," Buggy said. "Considering the company you kept, it means I'm doing something right."
They finished the wine. Robin rolled the scroll of notes she'd taken, tucking them into her coat. The tomb's air felt lighter now, less haunted, more absurdly domestic.
Buggy stood, brushing off his coat."So, we drink, we learn the world's a man-made mess, and the sand-boy gets to take a nap. Not a bad evening."
As they left, Robin glanced back at the Poneglyph, whispering almost to herself:"A weapon that somehow created the Grand Line… what else did they create?"
Buggy didn't answer. He was already humming a circus tune, twirling his wine glass like a baton.
-
-
-
By the time Buggy reached the palace hall, night had fallen over Alubarna — though calling it "night" didn't quite fit, things were very much still burning.
A rebellion had happened and ended, but the bodies still needed to be cleaned.
A day or two would pass before the people started celebrating.
Buggy was obviously invited. Well… he invited himself. And the chaos inside the palace was only enhanced by his presence, dressed up as a grand celebration.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were deep in competition, half eating, half fighting over who could drink faster without passing out. The royal cooks wept openly at the sight of their banquet being demolished at record speed.
At the head of the table, King Cobra was attempting to maintain regal composure while Vivi kept apologizing to everyone on behalf of the nation.
And in the middle of it all, Buggy's crew had arrived, uninvited, but very loud.
"To Buggy!" Cabaji roared, raising a tankard. "To our glorious captain, savior of Alabasta, scourge of Warlords!"
Buggy grinned, raising his own glass. "And don't forget, charitable royal hero!"
The King winced but said nothing. Buggy had tried to banter a reward out of him, but upon learning Alabasta was poorer than the sands outside, he'd given up.
Cabaji, already drunk, turned toward Zoro, squinting. "You. Roronoa Zoro! Let's settle the score from last time."
Zoro sighed. "Who are you again?"
"You'll remember after I defeat yo-"
Five seconds later, Cabaji was face-first in a barrel of rum.
Meanwhile, Mohji had challenged Sanji to a "duel of strength" which mainly consisted of him using his devil fruit to link Richie to Sanji, and then punching Richie.
That lasted ten seconds before Buggy's detached hand smacked Mohji across the face.
"Watch it, dipshit," Buggy said, strolling over. "No animal abuse in this circus! Unless I'm the one doing said abuse!"
Mohji whimpered. Buggy patted his head and poured rum over his bruises. "There, disinfected. Science is great, isn't it?"
Across the hall, Nami would eventually approach Buggy, her eyes looking at him with curioisty.
"So... Come a long way from the East Blue, huh?" Her orange hair shined in the candle-light.
Buggy took a swig directly from a bottle of rum, before eyeing her with a smile. "That's an awkard start to a conversation Tangerine, but yea, geographically speaking it's a long way~"
"Ok prick... But still, I want to thank you for what you did at-"
Buggy didn't really care about her thanks. "Don't even bother gal~ I got paid some good rum for it, and blowing up the Arlong Pirates was one of the most fun things I've done yet~" He didn't do things for gratification, he really only cared about having fun.
Nami only shook her head, and said nothing more, somewhat expecting that answer from Buggy.
She wasn't about to make Buggy feel that she was indebted to him... Though she certainly felt that way.
Thankfully, her captain was there to lighten up the mood by chalanging Buggy to a captain's duel.
Needless to say, Luffy lost badly, with Buggy beating him over the head with a chair.
Even Zoro looked mildly impressed.
Vivi, sitting with a cup of tea, observed the chaos quietly.
She found herself wondering which of the two men was more unpredictable -the boy who declared war on a Warlord for her, or the clown who crashed the party and ruined Crocodile's plans just for fun.
"You really aren't going to… steal anything, are you?" she asked.
Buggy bit into a piece of cheese. "Relax, Princess. I only rob people who annoy me."
She forced a smile. "That's not reassuring."
He leaned in conspiratorially. "Then stop being annoying~."
She scooted her chair away.
Eventually, the party had to end.
The door burst open with a crash, the sound of boots echoing through the laughter.
"Marines!" barked a voice like thunder.
Every pirate froze. King Cobra stood up, startled. Vivi gasped.
Smoker strode into the hall, coat billowing, twin cigars flaring like molten eyes. Tashigi followed behind him, sword at her hip.
"Orders from HQ to investigate Crocodile's action after his arrest..." Smoker said, scanning the room. "Funny, I didn't get an invite to this party."
His gaze locked instantly on Buggy.
Buggy's grin faltered only slightly. "Ah. The puff-cloud himself."
"You…" Smoker growled. "King Cobra, I wasn't expecting you to keep such a dangerous nuisance around."
Buggy rose slowly, flicking crumbs off his coat. Around him, his crew scrambled to their feet, suddenly very sober.
"Oh, what a cute nickname~," Buggy said lightly. "Did you come up with it yourself during a smoke break?"
Smoker took a step forward, quite literally fuming.
In a blur of movement, Buggy's hand shot out, not with a pistol, but with a knife. And before anyone could react, he'd seized Vivi by the shoulder, pressing the blade lightly against her neck.
The hall went dead silent.
Nami's eyes widened. Luffy's fists clenched.
Buggy smiled his painted smile, eyes glittering like shards of glass."Now, now. Let's not ruin the mood. You marines walk in here waving your badges like party favors, I had to make things interesting somehow."
"Let her go," Smoker warned.
Buggy tilted his head. "Oh, I will. Just as soon as you promise not to ruin dessert~."
He winked at Nami across the hall, and she, despite herself, understood. This wasn't a threat.
It was a distraction.