Chapter 49

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On the calm sea surface, a small kayak floated, its bow shaped like a big red nose.

"Ahahaha! What loyal subordinates I have, thanks to them, I was able to escape so smoothly!"

Buggy wore a sinister smile on his face, looking ahead at the vast ocean, feeling a bright future ahead.

"Captain, that monster-like guy, what's his background?" Cabaji, with a green scarf around his neck, rested his long sword on his shoulder.

Even while fleeing, he didn't forget to bring his unicycle along.

Behind them, the animal tamer Mohji was grooming the white fur on his body, while Richie, the lion, looked disgruntled as he used his paws as oars, stirring the water to propel the kayak forward.

—In their rush to escape, they forgot to bring the paddles.

"How would I know that such a character would appear in the weakest East Blue!" Buggy clenched his fists, feeling frustrated.

To possess dual Haki, not only having astounding defensive capabilities but also speed comparable to the Navy's Rokushiki techniques...

Such a person should have ventured to the Grand Line long ago.

Why would he contentedly run a maritime restaurant in the tiny East Blue?

How much could that possibly earn him!

"Ah, let's not worry about others for now. We've lost both our pirate crew and ship, what should we do next?"

Mohji stopped grooming his fur, his head lowered as he let out a heavy sigh.

Guessing his concern, Buggy's gaze sharpened, and a confident smile formed on his lips.

"Hehe, of course, we'll search for treasures of inestimable value. I have something on hand that can lead us to a comeback!"

Saying this, Buggy pulled out the treasure map he had traded with Zyhark.

Even though he chose to flee with his life, forgetting even the paddles, this treasure map remained securely in his possession like a precious gem.

Seeing the sheepskin map firmly gripped in Buggy's gloved hand, the eyes of the other officers lit up.

"As expected of you, Captain Buggy. I didn't expect you to have such a trick up your sleeve."

"If we're lucky, we might find treasures of great value!"

"Roar roar roar (Let's not delay, let's get moving now)!"

"But Buggy, are you so sure this treasure map is useful? There aren't that many pirate treasures in the East Blue."

An odd voice interjected.

Buggy, oblivious to the skepticism, stared intently at the slightly yellowed map: "You don't understand anything. With my years of experience in treasure hunting, this map definitely points to a huge treasure!"

As he spoke, his lips uncontrollably curled up, his words filled with scorn and mockery.

"That Zyhark guy is a simple-minded fool to trade such a treasure for a worthless cannonball from me!"

"Is that so? I thought he looked pretty handsome." The odd voice came again from behind.

Hearing this attempt to boost the morale of others at his expense, Buggy instantly became enraged and turned around to berate: "Now that we're in this situation, how can we not have a positive and optimistic attitude, huh? Zyhark!!!"

Seeing the face of the speaker, Buggy and the officers were scared out of their wits, their expressions drastically changing.

Especially seeing Zyhark seemingly defy gravity, standing so lightly on the sea surface, they were utterly astounded.

What in the world was this monster?!

"Good afternoon, Buggy."

The sunlight shone on Zyhark's radiant smile, making it exceptionally warm.

Gurgle.

Beneath the sparkling surface of the sea, a bubble rose and burst upon reaching the air.

Looking down at Zyhark's feet soaked in the sea, one could see his blue hair spreading out, swaying with the waves.

Zyhark above the sea surface smiled happily, and Aqua below also smiled joyfully.

As a rebellious and noble goddess, Aqua initially refused to do such a thing.

However, after Zyhark promised to purchase a batch of sparkling wine in Orange Town after the ordeal, celebrating King's joining with a party,

The unprincipled goddess immediately changed her tune, eager to help!

"Yo, good afternoon, Zyhark."

Buggy forced a smile and greeted normally, the next second, his leg swiftly pressed a mechanism hidden in his shoe, "Eat my special Buggy Ball, you bastard!"

Whoosh~

The mini cannonball flew past Zyhark's cheek, exploding in a burst of fire on the distant sea surface.

"Just like that, as a greeting for our reunion, fireworks are definitely essential, haha, ahahaha."

Buggy scratched his head and laughed awkwardly after missing the shot.

Zyhark, eyeing the tempting bounty on this target, wasn't about to let it slide and rolled up his sleeves to get to work.

Buggy's attempt to escape and his grand ambition to rise again through treasure hunting were thus nipped in the bud even before they could begin.

...

As the sun set, a naval warship slowly entered the port of Orange Town.

"We've understood the situation, and we greatly appreciate your contribution to the safety of the town and the work of the Navy!"

A naval officer, wearing a naval cap and draped in a white cloak, gave Zyhark a standard salute.

Zyhark glanced at the Buggy Pirates, tightly bound not far away, and calmly replied, "No worries, as long as the bounty is right."

"Uh..."

Such a straightforward answer left the young officer somewhat speechless, "Please rest assured on that front."

After capturing Buggy and the other officers, Zyhark had Mayor Boodle contact the nearest naval base.

Though it involved paying more in fees than collecting the bounty himself, it saved a lot of time.

Traveling with the cunning Buggy on the sea could lead to unforeseen troubles!

The Buggy Pirates currently had bounties, naturally including Captain Buggy and officers like Cabaji.

Ignoring Richie's mere 50 berry bounty, Zyhark received a total of 14.3 million berries from the Navy this time.

For his current situation, this was a substantial fortune!

"Then, we hope for your continued support of the Navy's work!"

The young naval officer once again expressed gratitude to Zyhark and his companions, then turned to direct the marines to escort the Buggy Pirates onto the warship.

"Zyhark! You damn bastard, just you wait! When I get out, I'll make sure we settle this score properly!"

Buggy, bound by ropes, furiously turned back to curse at Zyhark.

Zyhark responded with a calm demeanor, smiling and waving goodbye: "Then, see you in the Grand Line, Captain Buggy."

"Be assured, by then you'll understand what it means to cross the fearsome Captain Buggy!"

Buggy's face turned extremely grim.

As the last pirate was escorted onto the warship, the marines withdrew the gangplank, set sail, and began their journey back to the base.

Aqua, watching the naval warship sail away, remembered Zyhark's words to Buggy, her delicate brows furrowing slightly in confusion.

"Zyhark, the big red-nosed guy was taken away by the navy, wasn't he? How come you said we'll see him again in the Grand Line?"

"Because the prisons in the East Blue can't hold him," Zyhark said matter-of-factly.

Even Impel Down, overseen by Magellan, couldn't keep the cunning Buggy contained, let alone a small East Blue naval base.

"Ah? Is that guy really that powerful?"

Aqua was surprised at first but quickly came up with another question, "If that's the case, why didn't you take the treasure map back from him? If there really is a treasure, wouldn't we be missing out big time?"

She wasn't too interested in treasure hunting, but the thought of exchanging treasures for a large quantity of fine wine made her feel painfully regretful.

Seeing the goddess finally starting to think critically, Zyhark wore a relieved smile and explained, "The map I gave Buggy actually points to Naval Base 106."

"Naval Base 106, that's similar to the place we went to collect the bounty before, right?"

Aqua pondered for a few seconds before exclaiming in amazement, "I had no idea such a lousy place could actually have treasures?!"

"..."

Facing those wise azure eyes, Zyhark's face was covered in metaphorical question marks: "Aqua, are you serious?"

"Why say such things all of a sudden? I've always been super serious, okay!"

Aqua tilted her head, puzzled.

At that moment, King, having pieced together the backstory from their conversation, stepped forward and said quietly, "Um, Mr. Zyhark meant that he gave them a fake treasure map, right?"

This perfectly timed explanation made Zyhark feel profoundly relieved: having a partner with normal thinking was truly a blissful thing.

"Ha? You mean you prepared two fake treasure maps?!"

Enlightened as if waking from a dream, Aqua stood stunned, feeling a headache coming on.

It seemed like she was starting to use her brain...

"Aqua, when dealing with mountain bandits and pirates, my principles can be very flexible," Zyhark said.

"In other words, you have no principles." Aqua's comprehension was unexpectedly sharp in this regard.

"You could say that, after all, they were the ones who discarded their principles first," Zyhark didn't deny.

These two, no matter how you looked at them, didn't seem like decent folks...

King remained silent, suddenly feeling as if he'd boarded a ship of thieves.

Mayor Boodle, standing nearby, was at a loss for words.

Eventually, Zyhark brought up the issue of compensation himself.

Considering the damage to storefronts like bookstores and pet shops, Mayor Boodle's rough estimate put Aqua's summoned flood at causing nearly 5 million berries in economic losses to the town.

Adding the initially agreed 6 million berries reward, Zyhark was left with just over a million berries.

While insignificant compared to the 14.3 million earned from capturing the Buggy Pirates, Zyhark was still quite satisfied.

After all, this amount equaled nearly a year's income from running his restaurant in Windmill Village!

Having resolved the compensation issue, Zyhark intended to set sail for a new journey but couldn't resist Mayor Boodle's enthusiastic invitation. In the end, he stayed in Orange Town to attend a large banquet celebrating the departure of the Buggy Pirates.

It was a perfect opportunity to also fulfill the party promised to Aqua.

As the sun completely set in the west, the central square of Orange Town lit up with bright flames.

As the party goddess, Aqua, with her superb talents, won round after round of applause, quickly mingling with the simple townsfolk and becoming the undeniable star of the evening.

Even Zyhark had to admit that in matters as trivial as party performances, she indeed had talent—or rather, had flair!

"In a world filled with chaos and bloodshed, where numerous powerhouses vie for the ultimate treasure, I never expected to find myself in such a world..."

In a quiet corner of the square, after learning about the pirate world from Zyhark, King sighed deeply.

He wasn't particularly scared; after all, he came from a world ravaged by monsters in One Punch Man.

But the thought of adventuring in such a dangerous world as an ordinary person filled him with a deluge of worries, engulfing his imposing demeanor.

"It's actually not that bad. Your luck, even in this world, is top-notch."

"With some luck, you might even attract a group of powerful followers sworn to loyalty."

Zyhark took a sip of his chilled beer and looked up at the starry night sky.

This seemed like a consolation for King but was actually Zyhark consoling himself.

As the night deepened, the bustling banquet finally came to an end.

Aqua, predictably, ended up drunk, lying on the dock and vomiting a bright rainbow.

Zyhark, accustomed to such scenes, went over to pick up Aqua after she'd emptied her stomach and headed towards the Endless Dream anchored nearby.

King watched the floating rainbows on the sea surface in amazement, spending over a dozen seconds in confusion before deciding not to dwell on such trivial curiosities and followed Zyhark.

At dawn the next day, Zyhark, who had risen early, began to prepare the Endless Dream for departure to their next destination.

The next wish requirement for the wishing pool was [30 million berries + a Devil Fruit], the unchanged berry amount was manageable, simply a matter of capturing a few more bounty pirates.

With his current strength, catching some pirates in the East Blue wasn't an issue.

The challenge lay in obtaining a Devil Fruit, something rare and highly sought after, starting at hundreds of millions of berries in the black market, making it significantly harder to acquire than Buggy Balls.

Zyhark didn't want to venture into the perilous Grand Line prematurely, so he planned to accumulate wealth in the East Blue while trying his luck.

Had he only had Aqua, a goddess of misfortune, as a partner, he wouldn't have dared to hope for such luck.

But with King, whose luck was off the charts, joining them, Zyhark felt more confident.

Indeed, he dared to dream now!

Without a specific destination in mind, Zyhark's choice naturally prioritized locations from the original story.

Besides experiencing the scenes familiar from the story, if possible, he hoped to save some regrettable characters and events.

Currently, the closest location was Cocoyasi Village on the west side of Conomi Islands!

Before departure, Mayor Boodle and the townsfolk of Orange Town gathered at the shore to bid farewell to their benefactors.

After Boodle's explanation and Aqua's enthusiastic promotion the night before, the townsfolk learned about the Church of Axis, worshiping the Water Goddess, and were very willing to join the church that brought peace and joy to their town.

Thus, the most enthusiastic farewell naturally involved...

"The doctrines of the Church of Axis!"

"First, Axis Cultists can achieve anything once they're serious..."

(End of Chapter)