Chapter 43: Limitations of Ability

Kaito Sakamoto instantly betrayed them, leaving Buggy furious.

But he never expected this guy to be so weak, getting sliced in half without shedding a drop of blood. Is that even normal?

"Cabaji!" Buggy shouted.

Cabaji turned around instinctively, unleashing a torrent of flames from his mouth.

But just as he did, a hand wielding a silver staff swung upwards, striking him squarely under the chin.

Cabaji's flames shot upward.

Taking advantage of Cabaji being momentarily dazed from the blow, Kaito quickly launched a series of rapid strikes, jabbing the staff into Cabaji's chest, forcing him to retreat step by step.

Finally, he swung the staff in a wide arc from left to right, landing a powerful blow on Cabaji's left cheek that knocked him out cold, sending him crashing onto the rooftop of the tavern.

Everything happened so suddenly. Kaito had struck Cabaji down in mere seconds, too fast for anyone to react, leaving them in shock.

Or rather, they were dumbfounded, wondering how Kaito could possess the same dismemberment ability as Buggy.

Buggy and his crew were filled with this question.

"How... is this possible?" Buggy muttered.

Watching Kaito separate his upper and lower body, manipulating his hand to twirl the staff in midair—it was unmistakably Buggy's dismemberment ability!

How could this be happening?!

"You... how do you have my ability?" Buggy couldn't help but ask.

Kaito smirked slightly. "Want to know? I won't tell you."

Buggy froze for a moment, then his expression twisted into one of rage.

"Bastard!"

"Who do you think I am? I'm Buggy the Clown!"

"Dismemberment—Cannon!!"

Buggy roared in anger, raising his arms. With his left hand gripping above his right arm, he pinched a dagger with his right fingers and launched it like a cannonball, the tip aimed straight at Kaito!

"Ha."

Kaito chuckled, completely unfazed, as he controlled the hand in the air to deflect Buggy's strike.

"Dismemberment—Pancake!"

Buggy stabilized his flying hand in midair, separating his lower body. Blades emerged from his toes, spinning like a frisbee as they hurtled toward Kaito.

Kaito jumped to dodge Buggy's lower body, grabbing another staff with his other hand. The staff split in two.

It didn't transform into a sword; it remained a staff.

Using a sword to slice apart someone with a dismemberment ability was downright ridiculous.

Buggy's lower body spun back, but Kaito didn't dodge. He let it slice through him, getting bisected once again. But for someone who had replicated the dismemberment fruit ability, it meant nothing.

Controlling both hands wielding the staff, he struck down on Buggy.

Buggy immediately raised his hands, using the dagger between his fingers to block the staff.

As Buggy's lower body reattached to his upper body, Kaito's lower body followed suit. Once Buggy was back together, Kaito kicked him in the abdomen, sending him flying with a loud thud, his eyes bulging and mouth agape as he violently expelled air.

Buggy crashed into a pile of tables and chairs, falling to the ground. He struggled for a moment before getting back up, looking incredibly disheveled.

"Cough, cough!"

Buggy coughed twice, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, sweat pouring from his forehead.

He now realized that this kid who knew Shanks was not ordinary! At least he couldn't defeat him.

Damn Shanks!

(Meanwhile, on the sea, Shanks suddenly sneezed.

Shanks: "A cold? No way! Could someone be thinking of me? Hahahaha.")

"Heheh, Kaito."

"I think we have some misunderstanding, right?"

"You know Shanks, I know Shanks; why not sit down and talk? There's no need for all this fighting."

Hearing this, Kaito controlled his lower body and hand to return to his side.

"Good opportunity!"

Buggy had been waiting for this moment of Kaito's distraction.

"Special—Mini Buggy Cannon!!"

Buggy's lower body shot forward. From the mechanism beneath his feet, a tiny Buggy cannonball flew out. Though it was only the size of a marble, its power was several times greater than an ordinary one.

"I've been waiting for this move!"

Kaito instantly retracted his lower body and hand. Just as he fully restored himself, the mini Buggy cannonball struck his chest.

Buggy smiled, thinking he'd won, but his expression changed in an instant to one of disbelief.

The cannonball hit Kaito's chest but didn't explode. Instead, Kaito's chest caved in, rebounding the Buggy cannonball back at him.

This was the ability of the Gum-Gum Fruit.

Through this, Kaito realized his ability had a limitation: although he could retain the replicated power, he couldn't use two Devil Fruit abilities at once.

For instance, if he wanted to use Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit ability, he had to retract the dismemberment fruit body he'd split off.

Meanwhile, Buggy and his crew, still in shock, were engulfed by a massive explosion of flames.

A huge blast erupted, tearing away half of the tavern's roof, and a dozen nearby buildings crumbled, truly collapsing.

As the smoke cleared, Buggy's crew lay scattered on the ground, all devoid of combat power.