Chapter 32 : A Guy Who Has Been At Sea For Four Years Must Know Sailing Very Well!

Escape from the Impel Down Battleship

"The powers Captain Buggy gained are unbelievable! His bones are as strong as the hardest material in the world—he's practically indestructible!"

"Yeah! And he can use those bones for both attack and defense. It's like he has the strongest spear and the sturdiest shield all at once!"

"Not to mention his incredible healing ability. With all this, Captain Buggy's strength now rivals that of an Admiral!"

"??? Are you doubting Captain Buggy's strength before this?"

"No way! Captain Buggy was already as strong as an Admiral. Now, he's absolutely unbeatable!"

"Exactly! Even Sengoku would bow down and shine Captain Buggy's shoes if he saw him!"

"Ha! The Five Elders wouldn't dare speak unless they were ready to take a slap from Captain Buggy first!"

...

Before,

Buggy's reputation and the mere aura he carried were already enough to make the prisoners who escaped from Impel Down look at him with awe and admiration.

Now,

After witnessing his newfound powers firsthand, their loyalty to Buggy has only grown stronger!

Having acquired the Dead Bone Pulse ability, Buggy knows just how terrifyingly powerful this new power is.

It's like he's been handed a cheat code!

Combined with his original splitting ability, the two powers together create something even more devastating.

Now, he's heading to Marineford to fight alongside Captain Roger.

But deep down... Buggy is nervous.

He's not worried about losing to anyone.

What really scares him is looking weak in front of Roger—that would be truly disappointing.

However...

With the power of Dead Bone Pulse, Buggy feels a surge of confidence!

"That idiot Shanks is now leading a Yonko crew to support Roger. There's no way I, Buggy, will let him outshine me!"

Looking at the prisoners before him, all of them strong enough to have been locked up in Impel Down, Buggy sees their potential.

Together, they form a force that no one can ignore.

"Alright! Listen up! From now on, you're all part of the Buggy Pirates! If you're willing to follow me, then shout my name with pride! I'll lead you all to glory!"

"Buggy!!"

"Buggy!"

"Buggy!!"

...

Hearing that Buggy was willing to accept them into his crew, the prisoners felt like they had reached the peak of their lives. Their voices echoed as they shouted Buggy's name with fervor.

"Red Nose, thank you!"

Luffy grinned widely, his tone sincere.

Buggy shrugged nonchalantly. "Why are you thanking me, Straw Hat? You don't owe me anything!"

Luffy smiled warmly. "Because you were willing to save Ace!"

Buggy chuckled, brushing off the gratitude. "Don't make me laugh! I saved him because he's Captain Roger's son, not because of you, idiot!"

Despite Buggy's words, Luffy remained unfazed, his gratitude genuine. "It doesn't matter. Thank you anyway!"

"Hmph!"

Buggy turned his head, his pride evident as he tried to mask his satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the screen in the red-framed video continued playing.

[Luffy returned to the temporary camp holding the Devil Fruit.]

"You're saying... if you eat this thing, your skin will turn smooth like a woman's?"

Zoro held the fruit's branch between his fingers, his curiosity piqued.

"Exactly! Here, look at this Devil Fruit catalog I copied from Shanks." Luffy showed him an open, handwritten book. "This one's the Smooth-Smooth Fruit. See? It's the same!"

Back when Shanks gave Luffy the Gum-Gum Fruit in Foosha Village, Luffy had copied Shanks' Devil Fruit catalog, not for any specific reason—just to understand the world better. Now, that knowledge was proving useful.

"There's more to it than just smooth skin," Luffy explained. "You'd gain abilities related to 'smoothness,' but the downside is you'll lose the ability to swim forever."

As an "expert" on Devil Fruits, Luffy shared this with confidence, leaving Zoro visibly surprised.

Zoro stared at the fruit, then at Luffy. "You're already a rubber man. If you eat this Devil Fruit, would you turn into a smooth rubber man?"

Luffy couldn't help but laugh. "That's not how it works! If someone eats two Devil Fruits, the demons inside them clash, and their body explodes!"

He remembered Shanks telling him this when he got the Gum-Gum Fruit, a lesson he never forgot.

Luffy added, "I owe Shanks a Devil Fruit for the one I ate. Now that I have this one, I'll return it to him the next time I see him."

Just as he was about to tuck the Smooth-Smooth Fruit into his bag, he noticed Zoro staring at it intently.

"If you want it, you can have this Devil Fruit," Luffy said with a grin. "But if you eat it, you have to help me make money! After that, I'll give it back to Shanks later."

Although Luffy had only known Zoro for just over a month, their bond had grown stronger during that time.

When they first met, Luffy wouldn't have even considered giving Zoro the Devil Fruit, even if he asked.

But now, if Zoro wanted it, Luffy wouldn't hesitate. He trusted that Zoro, after eating the Devil Fruit, would do his best to help.

However...

"What kind of joke is this? Eat it and make my skin smooth? No way!" Zoro waved his hand, his face filled with disgust.

He added, "Besides, you already ate a Devil Fruit. If I eat one too, and the ship capsizes, we'll both sink. I'd rather stick to being a pure swordsman!"

Luffy blinked in surprise. "Huh? Are you saying you want to join my crew?"

"Hey! Don't get the wrong idea!" Zoro turned his head, avoiding Luffy's gaze, but still muttered, "But... since you sincerely invited me to sail with you, I'll reluctantly agree!"

(O_o)??

Luffy's face showed nothing but confusion. Did I invite him?

Scratching his head, he started to say, "Actually, I..."

Zoro interrupted, waving dismissively. "You don't have to explain! I get it. Inviting me to be your crewmate is the smartest decision you'll ever make!"

Luffy paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "How long have you been at sea?"

"Four years," Zoro replied casually.

Four years?!

Luffy's eyes lit up with excitement. Someone who had been sailing for four years must know a lot about navigation!

Perfect! I need a navigator!

With this in mind, Luffy declared with a huge grin, "From now on, we're partners!"

As those words were spoken, the video in the red frame gradually faded to black...