Chapter 17
The sign above the door clearly read five large characters: Bart Club.
This was the pirate crew of Bartholomew Kuma, Luffy's number-one fan and Barrier Fruit user from the anime.
Though they hadn't set sail yet, so they weren't officially pirates. Bartolomeo hadn't become a Luffy fanboy either—he was still just the underground boss of Loguetown.
A group of thuggish young men rushed out and blocked Arlong's path.
The leader's hair stood half a meter tall—only possible with an obscene amount of hair gel.
Arlong recognized him instantly: Gambia, Bartolomeo's advisor.
Gambia eyed Arlong warily. "Captain Arlong… we stay out of each other's way, right?"
Arlong's reputation had long echoed through the East Blue. The Bart Club was the junior outfit—they always avoided Arlong Pirates territory when expanding.
"No need to be so tense."
Arlong waved dismissively. "I've got a good deal for your boss."
The "good deal" was naturally joining the Arlong Pirates.
Arlong was building an empire. Joining now meant becoming a founding member.
Far better than following that unreliable Luffy!
Just think of the Celestial Dragons' current status.
"My boss is out right now."
Seeing Arlong wasn't here for trouble, Gambia relaxed.
"Fine. Tell him I'll be in town for a few days."
Learning Bartolomeo wasn't around, Arlong turned and left.
He didn't leave contact info. As the underground emperor of Loguetown, if they couldn't even find him, they weren't worth recruiting.
Leaving the old district, Arlong headed to the market—straight for the weapon shop.
Buying weapons was also to intercept Zoro.
They would clash with the Straw Hats eventually. Weakening them even slightly was worth it.
And the boost the cursed blade Kitetsu would give Zoro was no small thing.
"Wel… Captain Arlong."
The shop owner, Ipponmatsu, greeted with a smile that froze the moment he saw Arlong's face.
Holy crap! (°Д°)
A 120-million-berry pirate in his little shop?
"Not welcome?"
Arlong raised an27 eyebrow.
"N-no, no!"
Ipponmatsu waved frantically, forcing another smile.
"Welcome, welcome! I never imagined Captain Arlong would grace my humble store. It's an honor!"
"So happy? Then I'll stay for lunch."
Arlong teased.
Ipponmatsu: (ヾ????)
"Skwahahaha~"
Arlong couldn't help laughing. Teasing ordinary folks was fun.
"Hehe~" Ipponmatsu laughed awkwardly.
"Alright, bring out your shop's treasures."
Arlong urged him to fetch the swords, his gaze sweeping the corner where he spotted the third-generation Kitetsu among the junk blades.
He stepped forward and pulled it from the rack.
Ipponmatsu paled. "Captain Arlong…"
Before he could finish, Arlong continued, "This is a cursed blade. Previous owners all met bad ends?"
Ipponmatsu: (⊙…⊙)
"I'll take your shop's pride, Yukitsuna, too."
Arlong tossed a bag of gold coins onto the counter.
Ipponmatsu: (⊙▽⊙)#
…
Gurgle~
Leaving the weapon shop, Arlong's stomach protested. He picked a random barbecue joint.
Pushing open the door, the noise drew eyes.
Seeing Arlong's menacing face, everyone quickly looked down and focused on eating.
The once-lively restaurant fell silent.
"Welcome!"
The owner didn't care about reputations—customers were customers.
He didn't believe a big-shot pirate would dine and dash.
"Captain Arlong, what would you like?"
Seeing Arlong's massive frame, the owner's smile widened.
Big guys like this ate a lot.
"Fill that table."
Arlong tossed 500,000 berries on the counter and pointed at a ten-person round table.
In a blink, the money vanished. The owner's grin grew even brighter.
"Right away, Captain Arlong!"
He rushed to the kitchen to hurry the order.
Arlong sat down. A figure in a black cloak slunk over sneakily.
"Clown Buggy. A cloak can't hide that flashy aura of yours!"
Arlong looked at him with amusement.
With Observation Haki, a cloak couldn't conceal that big red nose.
The cloaked man was none other than Eiichiro Oda's beloved son—Buggy the Clown.
A guy whose luck rivaled the protagonist's, escaping disaster time and again.
And somehow picking up powerful subordinates along the way—the original protagonist of "plot armor."
Fans back in his previous life argued endlessly.
Some said Buggy was strong—he sailed with Roger, after all.
Others insisted his role was like Mr. Satan in Dragon Ball: pure luck, no skill.
"Huh? How'd you recognize me?"
Buggy yanked off his hood, looking shocked.
Arlong laughed. "Come on—who else names themselves 'Kid Buggy'?"
Snickering came from nearby.
Only then did Buggy realize. He slammed the table and stood, glaring at Arlong. o(▼皿▼メ;)o
"My name is Buggy, not Kid Buggy!"
"Oh."
Arlong nodded. "Kid Buggy, what do you want?"
"Arlong, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
Buggy ground his teeth, looking ready to explode.
"Think whatever you want."
Arlong smirked.
Food arrived just then.
Arlong stopped teasing and tore into a massive slab of meat.
Ignored, Buggy didn't dare confront him. He decided to vent on the barbecue instead.
Arlong swatted his hand away. "Want to eat? Buy your own."
"It's just one piece! So stingy?"
Buggy grumbled. "And here I came to share important intel."
"What important intel could you have?" Arlong glanced at him with one eye.
His mouth never stopped—three bites and a millstone-sized chunk of meat vanished into his stomach.
"Hope you choke."
Buggy fumed inwardly, but his head detached and floated to Arlong's ear to whisper the information.
"True or false?"
Arlong was genuinely surprised.
If Buggy wasn't lying, Loguetown was about to get lively.
But this never happened in the anime. Had his arrival changed the story?
That was the only explanation.
"Believe it or not… Hey! You ate all the meat!"
Buggy stared at the empty plates and let out a wail. (?｀?′)/
He had shared the intel—how was he not getting even one bite?
"Daddy, there's a head flying in the air."
A child pointed at Buggy's floating head, voice childish.
Buggy's head hurried back—but he put it on backward.
The child's father glanced over and scolded quietly, "Don't talk nonsense. There's no flying head—it's a guy with his ass for a face!"
Buggy: ˉ\(ツ)/ˉ
He twisted his head right as fresh barbecue arrived.
Arlong tossed him a piece. "Payment for the info."
"Who wants your charity?"
Buggy huffed proudly o(′^｀)o, then grabbed the meat and dug in. "So good."
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