The sky tore open with a roar of wind and clouds, and the Marines of Base G-6 did the only sensible thing they could do when a pirate ship fell out of the sky.
They panicked.
The alarm bell screamed through the base, orders were barked, rifles were loaded—and then the Bloody Jester's ship crashed straight through the upper watchtower like it was made of papier-mâché, smoke and splintered stone raining across the courtyard.
"W-WHAT IS THAT!?"
"A PIRATE FLAG -IT'S BUGGY THE CLOWN!!"
"It fell from the clouds!! HOW? WHY?!"
Buggy, of course, was floating calmly in mid-air, arms crossed smugly as his ship settled onto the courtyard like a feather.
Float Dials hissed and whirred along the sides of the hull, keeping it suspended just enough not to crush anyone beneath it.
With a bow and a flourish, Buggy waved down at the shocked Marines.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE MARINE CORPS! Your local circus has arrived, uninvited, unexpected, and UNSTOPPABLE!"
He pointed dramatically at the artillery towers around the base.
"BOYS, LOCK AND LOAD THE BUGGY BALLS!"
The Marines barely had time to turn their cannons before a barrage of melon-sized, skull-painted iron bombs blasted their batteries to rubble.
One after another, the Marine cannons exploded in showers of flame and scrap metal.
Then the ships in port went up next.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM
"W-WE'RE BEING BOMBARDED! SOUND FULL ALERT!!"
"THEY'RE SINKING THE FLEET!"
Buggy cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled:
"A showman NEVER does a fly-by! IF WE'RE HERE, WE'RE EMPTYING THE PLACE! EVERYTHING THAT ISN'T BOLTED DOWN—STEAL IT!! AND IF IT IS BOLTED DOWN, STEAL THE BOLTS TOO!!"
His crew cheered like drunken criminals at a free buffet.
The Marines stared at them like they'd been invaded by lunatics.
Because they had.
Urouge was already at the front, walking calmly into rifle fire like it was rain.Bullets tore through the air and flattened against his metallic pillar.
He grinned.
Then swung his massive metal pillar once.
CRUNCH
Dozens of Marines went flying like dolls, crushed under the weight of the blow.
"RAIDERS SHOULD BE FEARED," he boomed, cracking his neck."And I intend to be remembered."
A whole squad tried to shoot him point-blank. The Mad Monk twirled his gigantic pillar around, creating shockwaves as he blocked many of the bullets.
A few still hit, but he only grew bigger.
"He's swelling up -WHAT KIND OF MONSTER IS THAT!?"
Urogue's next swing created a shockwave large enough to send dozens more flying.
"He's getting stronger as we hit him!" someone screamed. Alas, realizing something this simple wasn't helpful.
Urouge plowed through them with holy enthusiasm.
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Cabaji landed in a spin, balancing effortlessly on his unicycle, swords flashing.
"Don't blink," he warned.
Bullets tore past, but his body twisted and folded around them like silk.He reached the rifle line, and the Marines in the distance suddenly couldn't fire, he was too close to their own.
Then steel flashed.
Cutlasses sliced through uniforms, rifles, and pride all at once.
"Cabaji!" the crew shouted.
"Don't praise me," he said, salt-tossing his hair dramatically, "I'm still warming up."
Mohji, not wanting to be outdone, leapt into the fray with Richie the lion, both of them bellowing.
"RICHIE! MAUL WITH PURPOSE!"
The lion roared and body-checked a squad of Marines through a wall.
Mohji swung a club at a Marine, missed, got punched in the face, and screamed while clutching his nose.
"RICHIEEEEEE! KILL HIM!"
The lion returned to save him, roaring and smashing Marines like bowling pins.
They weren't as efficient as Urouge or Cabaji, but they were loud, enthusiastic, and trying their best.
Robin didn't move from the railing. She crossed her arms, quiet and hesitant.
This kind of blatant Marine slaughter was…bold. Too bold for someone with the World Government still hunting her.
Still, she wasn't heartless.
"Cien Fleur… Clutch."
Dozens of hands bloomed over the Marines about to fire muskets at Buggy's men.Necks twisted. Rifles dropped. Guns were disarmed mid-shot.
Robin exhaled softly.
"Honestly… this crew is exhausting." But they were at least interesting.
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Meanwhile, the Marines were in full-scale panic. Officers shouted orders, trying to regroup their forces, but Urouge and the rest of Buggy's crew were already looting the base.
Soldiers' weapons were ripped from their hands mid-shot.
Treasure chests were tossed over fences as if they were toys.
Robin moved stealthily among the chaos, disarming traps and preventing her crewmates from accidentally killing anyone important.
She was a nurse, a tactician, and a librarian, all rolled into one, keeping the mayhem contained without missing the fun.
"Buggy," she muttered under her breath, "I don't know if you realize how many Marines are here…"
"Oh, I do, dear Robin!" Buggy replied with a theatrical spin in midair, flinging a grenade that hit three cannons at once. "But a showman NEVER backs down! Besides, the more, the merrier!"
Back in the courtyard, Urouge was absolutely in his element.
A squad of sharpshooters opened fire. He caught a volley of bullets mid-spin with his pillar, each impact only making his muscles swell.
"THAT'S RIGHT! BULLETS ONLY MAKE ME STRONGER!" He bellowed, twirling the pillar.
CRUNCH- another few dozen Marines sent sprawling.
"Who needs subtlety when you're a Circus Monk!?" he roared, shaking his head like a child in a candy store.
Cabaji swung across the base, landing flips and kicks on anything that moved. His swords were a blur, flashing across rows of Marines like a choreographed circus act.
Mohji and Richie moved more slowly, but were just as loud, causing confusion, noise, and total pandemonium.
Every time Mohji missed, Richie jumped in to make sure something exploded, someone fell, or a Marine screamed.
One lieutenant tried stopping them, only for Mohji to use his devil fruit to link him to a bullet and fire his gun at the sea, effectively throwing the lieutenant into the ocean.
By now, the central courtyard looked like a festival of destruction. Cannons were destroyed, buildings were smoldering, and Marines were flying in all directions.
The crew shouted, laughed, and stole whatever wasn't bolted down, including maps, treasure, and a few Eternal Poses for good measure.
Robin, still keeping a mild expression, cataloged the scene, muttering, "Somehow, I think they'll have to replace the entire Marine base after this."
Buggy, meanwhile, hovered above the chaos like a conductor in his symphony.
"Keep it up, my beautiful maniacs! EVERY treasure, EVERY cannon, EVERY BOLT -OURS! If it's here, it's ours!"
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Buggy swooped overhead like a demonic parade float.
He dropped smoke bombs. He threw Buggy Grenades.
He cackled like a man made of pure theatrical ego.
"Oy, Marines! Smile for the explosions!"
BOOM.
"Someone write that on my wanted poster! Also, you all better use a good picture of me!"
BOOM.
He hovered upside-down, kicking a grenade into a squad marching in formation.
"Orderly lines in MY show? UNACCEPTABLE!"
Everything was chaos and comedy until the sky split with a sharp pop of compressed air.
GEPPO.
A man appeared in the air beside Buggy, moving like a ghost on invisible steps.
Tall. Thin. Blade-thin mustache. Twin swords drawn with surgical precision.
Vice Admiral Strawberry.
His face was calm.
"Buggy the Clown," he said, voice like ice. "Your villainous days are over. You and your men will be executed for this act of piracy!"
Buggy blinked. "…Do I know you?"
Strawberry didn't answer. He vanished with Soru and reappeared mid-swing, blades coated in Haki.
Both swords passed cleanly through Buggy's neck.
No blood.
No reaction.
Buggy grinned.
"Wrong target, Mr. Fruit Salad."
Buggy's legs tucked, spun, and delivered a brutal AXE-KICK TO THE FACE.
Strawberry didn't block. Didn't expect it. After all, how could he expect haki not to work?
He rocketed downward like a meteor.
CRAAAAAASH
He slammed through three squads of Marines, embedding in the courtyard floor.
Buggy shook out his foot.
"Damn… felt like kicking a steel beam."
The Marines gaped.
Robin sighed.
Urouge raised a brow. "…So that's your captain, huh?"
"A showman and a madman. You'll get used to it!" Cabaji said proudly.
Buggy floated down a few feet, pointing dramatically at the rising crater of rubble.
"Alright, Strawberry Milkshake~ Show me how a Vice Admiral dances!"
Strawberry stood, face unreadable, swords ready.
Buggy cracked his knuckles, grinning widely.
The Marines held their breath.
A duel was about to begin.