Chapter 5
After clearing the table, Nami briefed the trio on Buggy. "That guy loves cannons. Rumor has it he once blew up an entire town with them just because some kids made fun of his nose. And I've heard he uses some weird tricks too!"
"Tricks? Like this?" Luffy stretched his cheeks wide, startling Nami.
Sol chimed in, "Buggy's a Devil Fruit user like Luffy—Super Paramecia type. He ate the Chop-Chop Fruit, so he's a Splitting Man."
"Devil Fruits? Aren't those just pirate legends?" Nami asked, puzzled.
Luffy grinned and showed off, letting her yank his arm like taffy. "See? Totally rubber!"
Sol explained, "Devil Fruits are the sea's secret treasures. Eat one and you gain all kinds of powers—but you become a hammer in water, unable to swim. And one fruit on the market? Easily worth 100 million beri."
"100 million?!" Nami's eyes turned into beri symbols. "Where can I find one? I could sell it!"
Seeing her money-hungry gleam, Sol decided to tease her. "Ever heard of the legendary Op-Op Fruit?"
"Sounds like something a doctor would eat," Nami said.
"Exactly. At its peak, it's said to grant the Immortal Surgery—worth a whopping 5 billion beri!"
"Five billion?!" Nami nearly fainted from excitement. "I could buy a hundred Cocoyasi Villages!"
She grabbed Sol's collar. "Tell me where it is—now!"
"Forget it. Someone already ate it." Sol barely finished before Nami pummeled him.
Sharp shark-like teeth flashed as she fumed, fists smoking. "You jerk—don't toy with me!"
Sol, head covered in lumps, muttered, "Sorry, sorry..."
Luffy watched in horror. "Man, that's scary. Even Sol's no match for her."
Zoro turned to Nami. "Why do you need so much money?"
Nami's expression darkened. "I have to collect 100 million beri... to buy back my village."
She quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, let's plan how to deal with that clown Buggy."
"How about we just charge in and declare war?" Luffy suggested.
"Great idea!" Sol praised.
Zoro nodded. "Works for me."
The three high-fived and marched off immediately, completely ignoring Nami's protests behind them.
"These idiots—do they even have brains?!" Nami groaned, rubbing her temples, but followed anyway. At this point, she had no choice but to trust them.
On the way, Luffy poked a stray dog. It instantly clamped onto his stretched hand and wouldn't let go. "Ow, ow, ow! Let go, you mangy mutt!"
As Luffy flailed his arm trying to shake it off, an armored old man stopped him. "Hey! Don't bully Chouchou!"
"Who're you, old man?" Zoro asked.
"I'm the mayor of this town. This dog's name is Chouchou. He belonged to my late friend who passed away recently."
"But Chouchou doesn't know that. He's still faithfully guarding his master's last request—watching over that pet shop." The mayor calmed the dog, and it finally released Luffy's arm.
"Good boy," Luffy said, blowing on his red, bitten hand. "I don't blame him."
Just then, a massive lion appeared—Mohji the Beast Tamer and his lion Richie.
"Heh heh heh! Look what we've got—some stragglers and the little thief who stole our treasure!" Mohji laughed and ordered Richie to attack.
Sol stepped forward, inhaled deeply, and unleashed a torrent of flame from his mouth. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
In Nami's stunned gaze, the massive blaze sent both lion and tamer flying. The intense heat proved it was no illusion—real fire from a human mouth.
"Piece of cake," Sol said, wiping his lips.
Nami rushed over. "What was that?! Fire? Are you the Devil Fruit user?"
Sol shook his head. "Not a fruit user. That's Dragon Slayer Magic. Luffy's the one with the fruit."
"The sea really is full of wonders," Nami marveled. Now completely confident, she urged them forward. "Hurry up!"
"That woman flips moods fast," Zoro muttered, jogging to catch up.
Luffy waved goodbye to the mayor and Chouchou. "Don't worry—I'll send that clown Buggy flying!"
Sol yawned as he trailed behind.
Soon the four reached the hilltop where the Buggy Pirates were camped. The moment they arrived, Nami started shouting, demanding Buggy hand over all his treasure.
"You want my treasure?! Don't joke with me, you thieving brat—you stole my Grand Line chart!" Buggy roared back.
Terrified, Nami instantly ducked behind Zoro, clutching his shirt. "So scary! I'm out—you guys handle it!"
"Could you say that without hiding behind me?!" Zoro choked as his shirt pulled tight across his chest.
"Oh, right—sorry." Nami stepped back. "Where are those other two?"
Buggy launched his knife-wielding arm at Zoro. "Chop-Chop Harpoon!"
Zoro drew his three swords and slashed repeatedly—clang, clang, clang—chopping the arm into dozens of pieces that fell to the ground.
He charged forward, only to feel a sudden stab in his side. "What the—?!"
The severed arm had reassembled and struck from behind.
With a whoosh, the pieces flew back to Buggy's body. "Surprised? I ate the Chop-Chop Fruit—I'm a Splitting Man! Cuts don't work on me. I'm the natural enemy of swordsmen!"
"Zoro, you're hurt?!" Luffy and Sol finally strolled up casually, spotting the wound.
Sol greeted Nami and stood beside her.
"It's nothing," Zoro said, tying on his bandana, eyes burning with battle lust as he faced the Buggy Pirates.
"All right, red-nose! You're Clown Buggy, right? Get ready—I'm gonna launch you!" Luffy cracked his knuckles.
The words hit Buggy's berserk button. "Who're you calling red-nose?!"
"Chop-Chop Pancake!"
Buggy split his lower body off, spinning it like a buzzsaw with blades popping from the shoes, hurling it toward Luffy.
"Whoa, cool! He can split anywhere!" Luffy laughed, stretching his arm to grab a nearby pillar and swinging out of range.
But Buggy's lower half turned and chased him. Luffy kept dodging with gleeful laughter while several of Buggy's own men got caught in the crossfire and sliced.
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