Buggy had finally decided to eat the devil fruit after carefully learning its specific abilities from the heavy encyclopedia that Bullet had owned since the time he left the Galzforce.
It turns out it really is the Bara Bara no Mi, the devil fruit that would grant someone the ability of not getting cut by a sword or any sharp object, which sounds simple on paper, but due to Shamrock's detailed explanation of the potential combat applications, it became a very attractive offer for Buggy.
"If you eat this devil fruit, even Captain Roger's strongest slashing technique would have absolutely no effect on you, and you would be the only one on the ship who could claim that feat," Shamrock said convincingly towards Buggy, planting the seed of ambition in his mind.
"What? Really? Even the Captain?" Buggy asked Shamrock with wide eyes.
Shamrock had given the encyclopedia that he had been reading to Buggy, which made Buggy take it and start reading the entry for himself to verify the claim.
As Buggy read the pages, Shamrock noticed that the face of Buggy started to become different, as if he was getting giddy and excited at the prospect of being invincible against swordsmen, which constituted a large portion of the people they fought on the sea.
Then, suddenly, Buggy ate the entire Devil Fruit without any complaints or hesitation once again. This time, Bullet, who knew the truth about the terrible taste of Devil Fruits from his own experience, suddenly looked at Buggy with a mischievous grin.
As expected, he, Shanks, and Shamrock saw Buggy's face turn completely sour and green due to the disgusting taste that the Devil Fruit has, and the three shared a loud laugh while mocking Buggy, who is just getting angrier while trying to swallow the vile fruit.
This event started the entire other side of training that Buggy had to undergo, and this time, it is in the hands of the ruthless Douglas Bullet.
Rayleigh had officially tasked Bullet with training Buggy on how to properly use his Devil Fruit as well as use it creatively in battle, as Bullet is the only other Devil Fruit user in the Oro Jackson and understands the mechanics of having an altered body better than anyone else.
Bullet, who is not really happy with the order to babysit, still chose to follow the command, but only on a strict condition that he and Shamrock would spar at least twice a day with the permission of Rayleigh.
This was something that Bullet had been trying to ask for since the beginning, and he finally saw his chance to secure it.
Time passed quickly after that agreement was made, as after Bullet started training Buggy, Buggy's life had never been the same after that day.
Bullet is not only incredibly tough on his training routine, but he is also almost building Buggy to become a disciplined soldier rather than just a pirate.
This strict approach naturally met with Buggy's lazy nature and resistance, but every time Buggy tried to complain or slack off, it was dealt with swift physical repression by Bullet.
Bullet's efforts did not disappoint, however, as Buggy was able to quickly master the basic use of his Devil Fruit under high pressure.
He was able to freely remove his parts without any problems to dodge attacks, as well as being able to train the limits of his own power regarding the distance he can control his detached limbs.
Now, months later, Buggy is having a sparring match against Shanks. Shanks is getting visibly frustrated due to Buggy's tricky Devil Fruit powers, as it were a direct counter for Shanks.
Shanks had been using a sword style similar to Shamrock, which is derived from the two main sword users in the Oro Jackson, Rogur, and Rayleigh, meaning his attacks were useless against a chop-man.
"Hahahahah, you are getting defeated now, Shanks!" Buggy laughed confidently.
He was currently holding Shanks in a complex chokehold using his entire body, which was split into multiple sections, wrapping around Shanks like the megabot of Hiro Yamada in the movie Big Hero 6 from Shamrock's memories.
Shanks, who is still adamant about using his sword to fight despite the disadvantage, was getting defeated. This was not only due to Buggy's newly found confidence in his strength, but also his mentality shifting from always being scared into having certainty in his defense.
"Shanks, what are you doing? You know that immunity to cuts is his main strength. Why are you playing against his strength instead of using blunt force?" Rayleigh asked from the sidelines, as he was supervising their fight to ensure they learned from their mistakes.
Nearby, Bullet and Shamrock are also having their own intense sparring session. Shamrock is using the finished martial arts that he has been developing for quite some time now.
He had fully taken advantage of his flexible joints that came from the physical talent of Inosuke.
In this fight, Shamrock developed and utilized the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist, but instead of using it as a pure offensive move, Shamrock also incorporated some of the flowing movement set of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist to create a perfect balance of offense and defense.
"Hahahahah, this is great! See, sparring could lead to someone always getting stronger, and in our case, it is both of us evolving!" Bullet said excitedly.
He just got hit by the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist, and the compressed air slashes it produced created shallow sword slash wounds on his arms, which Bullet had been using as a way to protect himself and test his durability.
"You really are a battle maniac," Shamrock said towards Bullet with a shake of his head.
Shamrock then blocked Bullet's counter assault. Bullet had actually learned something from Shamrock as well, as Shamrock had taught Bullet the offensive type of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, which is called the Heart Exploding Fist, a technique that relies on vibrations and shockwaves.
Shamrock also attempted to teach these complex techniques to both Shanks and Buggy in the past, but the two of them did not have the physical foundation in their bodies to handle the strain.
As well as that physical limitation, they both wanted to have a different kind of specialty than Shamrock, preferring to carve their own paths to power.
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The life on the Oro Jackson continued to be this way for quite some time, until one fateful day, Buggy shouted at the top of his lungs, as he was the designated scout for the day, positioned high up on the crow's nest of the ship.
"Captain! There are a lot of ships heading straight for us!" Buggy yelled, but despite his initial panic upon seeing the massive armada on the horizon, Buggy forcibly calmed himself down immediately.
This was a mental reaction that Bullet had practically engraved into his very bones since beginning their hellish training sessions, as Bullet constantly stated that maintaining composure would help Buggy not make any fatal mistakes due to nervousness or fear.
When Buggy yelled the warning, Roger immediately went outside to the main deck, as he and his trusted right and left hands stared at the horde of enemies that they were about to fight.
Standing on the side of Buggy were Shamrock, Shanks, and Bullet, who had all rushed out to see the commotion.
All of them, except for Buggy, wore this kind of expectant and eager grin, especially Bullet. Despite enjoying his newly found peaceful life on the ship, Bullet had deeply missed the thrill of fighting against another organized army like he had grown up to do as a child soldier.
He specifically craved fighting strong individuals who would not hesitate to take his own life, unlike Shamrock and everyone in the Roger Pirates, who always held back during sparring because they valued the life of their friends.
When Roger saw the golden lion figurehead of the lead ship, he had already recognized exactly who it was, as it was someone whom he had repeatedly encountered in the past during his voyages.
It is the infamous captain of the Flying Pirates, Golden Lion Shiki. Shiki had always wanted to take Roger under his wing as a partner and right-hand man, especially with the ongoing rumor that Roger had access to an Ancient Weapon.
This was something that was a completely groundless rumor, but it still became a prevalent opinion in the entire world that Shiki believed in wholeheartedly.
"ROGER!! JOIN ME, AND WE COULD CONQUER THE ENTIRE WORLD TOGETHER!" Shiki yelled from the deck of his floating ship towards Roger.
Roger just wore a wide, fearless grin on his face, while Rayleigh and Gyaban, who already know exactly what is going to happen next, have their weapons out and ready for war.
"Didn't I tell you already, Shiki, there is no point in becoming the King of the World if you are under someone else's command. You should find someone else to be on your crew, because we are not interested in your offer," Roger replied loudly.
This was something that Shiki did not find amusing in the slightest, as he immediately burst out his Conqueror's Haki in a wave of intimidation.
This was something that Roger matched instantly, and as their conquerors clashed in the middle of the sea, the air cracked, and the waves grew turbulent.
The crews that are under their employ wore these excited smiles, as they were about to go into a legendary war.
After a few moments of tense silence, and when the entire massive fleet of Shiki had surrounded the entire Oro Jackson with no escape route visible, Shiki ordered the all-out attack.
Roger and his crew did not flinch, joined with Shamrock, Shanks, Buggy, and Bullet fighting beside them, ready to defend their ship, as the historical event known as the Edd War officially began.