Chapter 31 Luffy recruits Buggy as his underlingIf his identity as a member of the Pirate King's crew were exposed, a Marine Admiral would probably be coming to kill him the very next day.
Bugsy was on the verge of tears: "Damn it, which scoundrel stole my hand? Otherwise, how could I have been subdued so easily?"
Mochi weakly interjected, "Boss, didn't you say we should set up a circus to make some extra money while they're setting off fireworks?"
Bugsy: "..."
"Shut the hell up! No one will think you're mute if you don't speak!"
Then, Buggy, enraged, tried to intimidate Luffy with his imposing manner: "Since you bastards have found out, I'm not pretending anymore! I'm laying my cards on the table!"
"Listen up! I'm a veteran crew member of Gol D. Roger's crew! The current Yonko, Shanks, is my best buddy! If you dare lay a finger on me, my brothers will chop you all into mincemeat!"
Zoro scratched his head, looking blankly at Buggy beside him, "Yonko? What's that?"
Buggy nearly collapsed upon hearing this, yelling furiously at Zoro, "You country bumpkin who's never seen the world! You don't even know who the Yonko are?!"
Luffy stroked his chin, casually taking off his straw hat, and waving it at Buggy with a grin, "Red-Haired Shanks? I know him well! But I heard you two have a pretty bad relationship; you seem to really dislike him?"
If Shanks hadn't suddenly appeared and startled him back then, Buggy wouldn't have accidentally swallowed the Chop-Chop Fruit and become a landlubber, nor would he have lost that treasure map.
Buggy held this grudge for life, and when he saw the straw hat in Luffy's hand, he finally realized what had happened.
"Holy crap? This straw hat looks exactly like the one Captain Roger wore back in the day!"
"May I ask your name, sir?"
Buggy immediately changed his tune, cautiously probing.
Luffy grinned, revealing two rows of bright white teeth: "Monkey D. Luffy, a serving Marine!"
Upon hearing this, Buggy's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. This guy was the youngest Commodore in the Marine Headquarters, the one the newspapers were hyping up so much lately?!
Before Luffy could even move, Buggy's body suddenly exploded into pieces with a "bang!"
Buggy shouted, "Chop-and-Chop - Emergency Escape!"
In an instant, his head, torso, and limbs scattered wildly in all directions like fireworks.
Mochi, standing nearby, stared blankly at his captain's actions, completely bewildered.
However, Luffy reacted quickly, precisely stepping on Buggy's feet that were still on the ground.
Now, the body parts that had been flying around in the air were like a tethered kite, unable to fly more than 200 yards.
A moment later, Buggy, looking dejected, pieced his body back together and floated in mid-air, pleading with Luffy, "Big brother, you see, all I've done these past few years is run a circus, I haven't done anything really heinous. I just wanted to find some treasure. How about we just leave each other alone, okay?"
Luffy chuckled, looking at the unlucky Buggy, and slowly said:
"Of course I'll let you go!"
Buggy's face lit up with elation at the prospect of a chance.
"But I have a small condition!"
Luffy spoke again.
Zoro and Dadi stared at Luffy in astonishment. Why did this tactic seem so familiar?
Sure enough, the next second Luffy revealed his true intentions:
"I want you to follow me from now on, to be my underling!"
"Hey! Luffy!"
Zoro frowned at Luffy. "This guy's a wanted pirate. Are you sure you can recruit him into the Marines?"
Dadi was also puzzled, wondering what Luffy was up to, why he wanted to recruit such a comical clown.
Luffy smiled and explained to the two, "Don't let his appearance fool you. He's a Devil Fruit user, and he hasn't actually done anything truly heinous. There's still hope."
Actually, Luffy knew very well that Buggy was essentially a greedy, goofy guy. In the original story, Buggy's later achievements were even more exaggerated than the protagonist's.
Back in Impel Down, so many vicious criminals became his die-hard fans by chance. Instead of leading them to destroy the world, Buggy started a "Buggy Delivery" company, legitimately running a mercenary business.
This inadvertently solved a lot of problems for the Navy, freeing them up to focus on dealing with the monsters of the New World.
Therefore, Luffy wasn't disgusted by Buggy, a true villain; in fact, he felt that with the right manipulation, Buggy could become his ultimate cash cow.
After all, in the Grand Line, monopolizing the delivery and logistics sector meant having an intelligence network and cash flow that rivaled even Morgans, the newspaper seller.
Now that he was certain Buggy wasn't some hidden mastermind, Luffy naturally considered recruiting him. After all, starting a revolution and building a crew required substantial financial support.
He couldn't rely on exploiting the World Government forever; they'd get angry eventually.
The "Buggy Delivery" project was practically tailor-made for Buggy.
With his extensive network of connections within the Navy, whitewashing a mere 15 million bounty pirate was a piece of cake.
Add to that Buggy's prestigious status as Shanks' close friend and a member of Roger's crew, and he'd have no problem making a name for himself in the New World.
After all, Shanks' "Face Fruit" ability is quite powerful in the pirate world.
Luffy squinted at Buggy, grinning like a shrewd businessman: "So? Want to do this deal?"
Buggy looked utterly unwilling, shaking his head vigorously: "What a joke! How could I, Captain Buggy, possibly condescend to be a Marine's lackey? My dream is to dig up treasure all over the world!"
Luffy didn't speak, but simply ground his foot slightly harder on Buggy's sole.
Buggy howled in pain, tears streaming down his face: "Stop stepping on me! I'll think about it again! I'll think about it carefully!"
Luffy loosened his grip slightly and coaxed, "I didn't ask you to wear a military uniform and become a Marine. I just think with your connections and talent, you could definitely make a name for yourself running a delivery company on the Grand Line."
"With me, a Rear Admiral, backing you up, and the reputation of your Roger Pirates veteran, I believe everyone on the high seas, both the legitimate and illegitimate, will give you some respect."
"Then you can openly search for treasure along the Grand Line. Keep whatever you find; just pay me a small 'public relations fee' periodically."
Buggy's eyes lit up instantly. This way, he could legitimately go treasure hunting without worrying about being chased by a bunch of Marines!
Most importantly, he wouldn't have to suffer following Luffy around every day!
Isn't this the legendary treatment of a Shichibukai?
As for the protection fee?
He'd enjoy the treasure hunt and the thrill of holding the treasure in his arms. Paying for a safety net—it's a worthwhile deal!
Buggy was about to nod in agreement when a thought suddenly struck him, and he frowned. "Wait a minute? You, a mere Marine Commodore, really think you can clear my name of being a member of the Roger Pirates? You're not kidding me, are you?"
Luffy calmly uttered a few words: "My grandfather! His name is Garp!"
Upon hearing this, Buggy's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he immediately slid down to his knees: "Big brother! From now on, you're my big brother! Anyone who crosses me is crossing me, Buggy!"
The grandson of the Marine hero Garp!
That was the super monster who used to chase his captain all over the world!
Although he's only a Vice Admiral now, who in the world doesn't know Garp's status in the Marines—he's practically an emperor?
Even the current Admiral Aokiji is his fanboy, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru are his best friends!
He saved the Celestial Dragons at God Valley—that's an unparalleled achievement!
That's the legendary "Iron Fist" Garp! There's no one in the Navy with a stronger backer than him!
Even the Four Emperors give him a wide berth; he's definitely the most powerful figure in the pirate world!
Bugsy was already fantasizing about how he'd be roaming the Grand Line, rubbing his hands together obsequiously at Luffy: "So, big brother, when are we going to start our business?"
Dadley and Zoro stood to the side, speechless, watching this little devil whose expression changed faster than flipping through a book.
Luffy didn't waste any words, simply pulling Buggy's hand from his backpack and tossing it over.
"Ah! My precious hand!"
Buggy caught the hand, tears welling in his eyes with excitement. "So you kept it, Big Brother."
Luffy, seeing Buggy's fawning "Big Brother this, Big Brother that" attitude, felt goosebumps rise on his skin: "Speak normally, you bastard! Don't disgust me."
"Yes, sir! Big Brother!"
Luffy: "..."
Just then, a thick cloud of white smoke suddenly billowed in from the tent entrance.
"What the hell are you bastards doing here!"
Smoker walked in with Tashigi, his face grim, his jitte gleaming coldly.
"Yo, isn't this Buggy the Clown?"
Without a word, Smoker's seastone jitte whistled as it swung directly at Buggy's head.
Buggy reacted incredibly fast, his body instantly splitting apart, barely dodging the fatal blow.
Luffy raised an eyebrow. This guy really did possess Observation Haki talent similar to Usopp's.
However, Usopp was the long-range sniper type, while Buggy's Observation Haki was all focused on survival and evasion.
No wonder he could dodge Mihawk's slash unscathed during the Marineford War.
If Luffy hadn't known the weaknesses of the Chop-Chop Fruit, he might not have been able to subdue him so easily.
Seeing Smoker relentlessly about to attack, Luffy flashed forward and grabbed Smoker's weapon.
"Old Smoker, don't get excited. This guy's one of mine now. I'm planning to plant him as a spy in the New World."
Luffy said to Smoker with a straight face, making up a story.
"An undercover agent?" Smoker was stunned. He looked Buggy up and down with disdain. "This guy?"
Buggy instantly exploded: "You bastard! What kind of look is that! I used to be able to chat with the Pirate King! Even Shanks had to watch his step!"
Smoker rolled his eyes at Buggy like he was an idiot, too lazy to pay attention to this guy who was spouting nonsense. After all, it wasn't uncommon for the Navy to recruit pirates; even the hypnotist Zango was later recruited by Tina, so Smoker didn't think much of it.
Buggy was furious, about to rush at Smoker to fight, when he saw Smoker's body instantly turn into a cloud of smoke and disappear.
"A Logia-type Devil Fruit?!" Buggy was startled and immediately became quiet.
After all, he had been so busy digging for treasure that his physical abilities had long since deteriorated, and he hadn't developed any Armament Haki. Against a Logia-type, he would only get beaten up.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be guarding your base?"
Luffy asked Smoker, looking at him with surprise.
Smoker pulled a document from his pocket and handed it to Luffy, his expression grave. "An urgent telegram just arrived from headquarters, ordering you to immediately depart for Marine Headquarters to receive your medal ceremony. A high-ranking warship will be coming to pick you up."
Luffy's face showed surprise. Marine Headquarters was a million miles away. If a special warship was being sent, it would definitely be a special vessel inlaid with Seastone, capable of crossing the Calm Belt—generally, only vice admirals and above were authorized to use it.
"Why the rush? What happened?"
Luffy frowned, looking at Smoker with a puzzled expression.
Smoker, the White Hunter, with two cigars dangling from his mouth, glanced at Red-Nosed Buggy with a rather strange look through the swirling smoke.
He lowered his voice and said, "I don't know the details either, but there are rumors that the red-haired emperor has been frequently contacting Whitebeard recently, seemingly plotting something."
Upon hearing this, a glint of sudden understanding flashed deep in Luffy's eyes.
The situation was already clear: the most vicious Blackbeard had undoubtedly already obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, and Ace had embarked on that fateful pursuit.
The Navy's high command had clearly sensed the dangerous atmosphere behind the contact between the two Yonko and urgently needed to create a sensational news story to divert public attention and quell panic.
Luffy nodded slightly, then turned and shouted to Usopp, who was still aimlessly wandering the deck, "Go get everyone! We need to gather here; we should head to Marine Headquarters!"
Upon hearing this, Usopp's features contorted with excitement: "Eh?! Really? Someone like us can go to such a big place?"
Luffy raised his chin matter-of-factly: "Absolutely! Once I become a Commodore, I'll definitely get each of you a Marine rank."
The long-nosed sniper's eyes instantly lit up like two light bulbs, and he sprinted off towards Loguetown.
Zoro nodded in agreement, his hand on his sword hilt. "Then I'll go find those lost guys too."
Luffy, quick as a flash, grabbed the green-haired guy by the back of his collar. "Don't make things worse! With your terrible sense of direction, if you go out to find them, the whole ship might have to go looking for you!"
A vein throbbed on Zoro's forehead, but he was speechless.
"Clatter!"
At this moment, Luffy had no idea how much manpower and resources the Marine Headquarters had invested in this grand promotion ceremony; the scale was simply astonishing.
"Wow! This is spectacular!"
Nami, leaning against the ship's railing, stared intently at the strange sight outside, her face flushed with excitement.
Zoro and the others beside her were completely bewildered, utterly missing her excitement: "What's so surprising about this? But speaking of which, isn't the sea here a bit too flat?"
They all looked at Nami with utter confusion. After all, guys like Zoro and Usopp, who only had fighting instincts and no geographical knowledge, were completely ignorant of the Calm Belt.
"What do you know! This is the legendary Calm Belt! It's an absolute dead zone sandwiched between the Grand Line!"
Nami excitedly scribbled on a piece of paper, dreaming of drawing a world map, never imagining she would actually be sailing in the infamous Calm Belt in her lifetime.
"This godforsaken place has no wind, no currents, it's like a stagnant pool. Any sailboat powered by wind would be doomed if it came in; it wouldn't even budge an inch!"
Nami patiently explained the geography to these illiterate guys.