The days at sea dragged on endlessly, lulling us into boredom. Life demanded entertainment, and fortunately, Jiraiya's book, "Paradise Icha-icha," was found in the system's shopping center.
Jiraiya's style was recognizable: he risked his life collecting material and worked tirelessly on the book. It became a bestseller, despite being banned for minors. Profound, expansive, perfect for passing the time or... even using as toilet paper.
But Rodney found such novels uncomfortable to read. The sea breeze and sun could cause nosebleeds, so he usually avoided them.
The pirate ship carried a plethora of entertaining novels: "The Second Generation Pirate King," "The Dominant Pirate Falls in Love with Me," and "The Future Pirate King." Nine out of ten books were about pirates, and the tenth was about the revolutionary army.
Incredibly, these novels were popular worldwide. They fired the imagination, making people dream of becoming pirates, defeating Whitebeard, having Kaido as a younger brother, having Big Mom as a servant, and having Red-Haired Shanks as a true pirate.
The urge was uncontrollable, and some villagers eventually gave in. It was simply irresistible. Comics weren't Rodney's cup of tea. He lay in a chaise lounge, his face buried in a novel, enjoying the relaxation in the beautiful village.
The villagers were simple and honest, except for one thing:
"Pirates! The pirates are here!" someone shouted.
— Everyone hide in the house!
Are there never holidays in the world of pirates?
Rodney removed the novel from his face and sighed. The village had no means of self-defense, and the locals were unprepared for the pirates. While the pirates weren't particularly ferocious or vicious, they dressed strangely. They looked more like a circus act than pirates.
The leader of the pirate group, looking like a clown, wearing a captain's hat, red lips and a red nose, red striped tights, loose pants and a fluffy red cloak, held a throwing knife between his fingers and laughed loudly.
— Kids, grab everything for me! All the treasures here belong to us! Gyahahahaha, grab it!
Buggy the Star Clown, a trainee on the ship of the Pirate King Roger and a friend of the Red-Haired Shanks, ate a Devil Fruit and gained the ability to split into two, making him invulnerable to cuts.
A man whose name and body could merge at will. Buggy, captain of the Buggy Pirates, wielded the power of the king and was one of the Four Yonko. He bore no relation to the world's greatest swordsman and never gave his face to anyone, especially those who had eaten the Face Fruit. He was known as the future owner of One Piece.
Buggy was always unpredictable!
This godlike man laughed heartily as he led his team to experience life in the East Blue. As the saying goes, the small hides in the desert, the average in the city, and the big in the metropolis. This man had managed to hide in the metropolis by blending in with the weaklings. He did the weaklings' work.
His bottomless intrigues terrified, leaving those around him breathless. But today, someone dared to challenge the gods under threat of death. In just one face-to-face encounter, all the pirates who entered the village were beaten by Rodney. They lay on the ground, groaning or losing consciousness.
Rodney was barely hurt after being knocked down by Garp's fist. All one could say was that Garp's fist had been truly devastating. Rodney still felt pain when he thought about it.
Ninja were fragile and could remain standing as long as they weren't wounded. But if they were wounded, they were easily put at a disadvantage. When a magical attack collided with a group of fighters and tanks, it became a difficult battle.
"Who? Who dared strike this Buggy? Don't you know who I am?" Buggy assumed a regal pose, throwing knife in hand.
Rodney looked him over from head to toe and found... he was so weak!
Could this guy really be Buggy? His ability to conceal his power was impressive. If Red-Haired Shanks and the Roger Pirates trainee could reach the status of the Four Yonko, then Buggy should be able to do the same. Maybe this guy can conceal his power too?
Thinking about this, Rodney quickly approached Buggy.
Rodney stabbed Buggy with the cold blade, splitting him in half. However, no blood flowed, and the structure of his body was missing. It was simply a red lump, quite disgusting. Watching anime was, to put it mildly, different from reality.
Continuous swings!
Dance of the camellias!
Swing, swing!
Buggy, offering no resistance, was cut into pieces of meat that floated in the air. His crew wasn't surprised; on the contrary, they smiled inexplicably. This was their captain, and Buggy's kindness to the challenger was just part of the show.
Rodney took a step back and Buggy's laughter came from the pieces of meat.
"Gyahahaha, I'm immortal. Uncle Buggy can never be killed. Your attacks are ineffective against me!"
The chunks of meat transformed into Buggy's image, and his clothes were restored. A strange ability.
— ...
Rodney's calm demeanor puzzled Buggy. Shouldn't he have been shocked or frightened, even crying, at this point?
Why is there no reaction?
Buggy felt awkward about the situation.
- Oh, devil fruit.
- Why are you so calm about this?!
There were very few people with Devil Fruit abilities in the East Blue. It was rare to find someone with such an ability, so why wasn't Rodney surprised?
"What's so surprising about that? Not only you, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone with the Face Fruit appeared before me."
— What kind of "face" is this? A fruit face?
"Of course! Anyone who eats the Face Fruit must give him a face!" Rodney declared confidently.
- Hmph, I bet you'll never see him again in your life, because I'll kill you, Uncle Buggy, right here! Prepare to meet your end!!! Mohi!
A purple lion with a ragdoll headdress on its back approached with a roar. On top of it sat Mohi, the trainer, dressed in a white plush vest.
- Attack, Richie! Eat him!
Trainer Mohi struck Richie the lion with a small leather whip. Richie's eyes turned red and he let out a hungry roar, lunging at Rodney.
Boom!
After two blows, both Mohi and Richie were left with large bruises and fell to the ground.
- Well, who's next?
Rodney smiled, not even bothering to draw his saber.
"These opponents are truly weak," Rodney whispered, looking with disdain at the pathetic bunch of pirates who dared to challenge his captain.
Slowly, like a predator, approaching Buggy, he growled, "Stay away!" his voice sounded cold and threatening.
"Oh, my God!" Rodney stumbled, nearly falling. What the hell? Was there a rock there? The ground was perfectly level. Did he really trip for no reason? This was embarrassing.
"Good opportunity! Split-cannon!" Buggy's hoarse voice rang out.
Suddenly, the hand clutching the throwing knife detached itself from the body and, like a bullet, rushed toward Rodney. The boy quickly turned away, dodging the attack, and the next second he was holding the hand in his palms, preventing it from flying away.
"Ow! Boy, let go of Uncle Buggy's hand!" Buggy screamed, the pain of his severed body piercing him with incredible force. How can this child react so quickly?
"Ah! Boy, are you using that much strength?!" Buggy screamed in pain as Rodney slammed his arm into the ground with a powerful kick.
"You brat, you rice cracker!" Buggy growled, his lower body separating from his upper body, spinning in the air and hurtling toward Rodney like a flying knife.
"I'll handle it~," Rodney replied, red sparks igniting in his eyes.
"Ah..." Buggy muttered as excruciating pain lanced through his body. His upper body, suspended in midair, was falling inexorably to the ground. Buggy looked at Rodney, then at his lower body, which was suspended in midair in a strange position, his legs twitching. Rodney's leg swung out and landed on Buggy's vulnerable spot.
Crushing blow!
To achieve this, Rodney activated his Sharingan.
"Captain!" the pirates shouted, horrified by what they saw.
"Captain Buggy!" they cried, their voices filled with alarm and despair.
"Captain Buggy, hold on!" they tried to encourage their captain, but their words sounded powerless.
Buggy, overcoming the unbearable pain, flew into the air and screamed with madness in his eyes: "Boy, I'll kill you and feed you to the sea fish! Don't kick me, stop kicking me~ Stop!"
Another blow, and the great godlike Buggy fell to the ground, completely unconscious.