Chapter 34 : Buggy Nearly Fell To The Altar, Shanks Rescued!

After Luffy escaped from the iron cage, he and his crew faced Buggy's pirate crew once again.

Zoro managed to defeat Cabaji, the crew's strategist. Now, it was time for the showdown between Luffy and Buggy!

Kunyun: "Wait, isn't this the guy who was an apprentice on Roger's crew alongside Red-Haired Shanks? Why does his fighting seem so weak?"

Capone Bege: "At that time, Luffy had just started his journey, so his strength wasn't developed yet. But it's crazy that Buggy, a former member of the Pirate King's crew, can't even dominate the fight."

Scratchmen Apoo: "Is he really this weak? What a disgrace for someone who sailed with the Pirate King! Bababababa~~~"

Lackey: "So clumsy!"

Charlotte Smoothie: "This level of fighting... it's embarrassing to watch."

As the battle played out on the video screen, everyone in the chat room couldn't help but mock Buggy.

On the Impel Down battleship…

The pirates who had just joined Buggy's crew were stunned.

What…?

Buggy is supposed to be god-tier?!

But here he was, struggling in a back-and-forth fight with a rookie who had only just begun his pirate journey.

This was too much! What kind of captain had they sworn loyalty to?

Feeling the doubtful stares from his crewmates, Buggy started to panic.

He had been riding high on his reputation as "Red-Haired's brother," someone who had "faced Whitebeard," and a former member of Roger's crew. That respect felt sweet! But now, this cursed viewing system was exposing his embarrassing early battles for everyone to see.

It felt like his carefully crafted image was about to crumble!

Just as Buggy braced himself for the inevitable ridicule, Shanks spoke up in the chat room.

Shanks: "Luffy, you should be grateful to Buggy."

Monkey D. Luffy: "Huh?"

Shanks: "When he saw you wearing my hat, he immediately recognized your connection to me. He knew your relationship with me must be special. That's why he didn't use his full strength against you."

Monkey D. Luffy: "Really?"

Shanks: "Yes. It might look like he's fighting seriously, but he's actually helping you gain battle experience. If he had gone all out, you'd have been taken down in one move."

As Shanks spoke, the scenes in the video seemed to back up his claim.

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!!"

Luffy launched a punch, his arm stretching out like a bullet aimed straight at Buggy.

Buggy dodged the attack effortlessly by tilting his head to the side.

"Your ability is interesting, but stretching your arm like that leaves you wide open!"

Buggy chuckled as he raised his hand, preparing to strike Luffy's arm.

"Watch me chop off your hand!"

But before Buggy could swing, Luffy suddenly shot forward from a distance, landing a fierce punch on him!

On the Impel Down battleship...

"It's true! Red-Haired Shanks was right—Captain Buggy is really helping Straw Hat Luffy improve his battle skills!"

"Exactly! He even took the time to point out the flaws in Straw Hat Luffy's fighting style. Captain Buggy is so considerate!"

"Did you see that? Captain Buggy raised his dagger but didn't attack right away, clearly waiting for Luffy to learn. This... it's totally staged!"

"Just because of a straw hat, he immediately figured out that Straw Hat Luffy had a close bond with his brother, Red-Haired Shanks. Then he switched into teaching mode during the fight. Captain Buggy is truly calm and composed, just like a real strong pirate!"

The prisoners, who had been doubting Buggy moments ago, now looked at him in awe, realizing they had completely underestimated him. They quickly began showering him with praise and admiration.

[The battle between Luffy and Buggy continued…]

Luffy managed to catch Buggy's flying knife-hand, but the hand split apart again, sending the blade straight toward Luffy's face.

Although Luffy dodged the attack, his beloved straw hat was pierced with three large holes!

Seeing his hat damaged, Luffy was furious.

"You b*d! You ruined my hat! This is my treasure—I'll never forgive you!"

Luffy grabbed the hat, his face trembling with rage.

"Oh? That hat means that much to you?" Buggy asked with a smirk.

"Of course!!!" Luffy shouted.

At that moment, a detached hand holding three knives flew behind Luffy and struck the hat in his grasp!

"If it's so important, then protect it properly!"

The hand flew back to Buggy's wrist as he laughed loudly, plunging one of his knives into the damaged hat.

"Hahaha!!! A beat-up hat like that, easy to mess with—how could it be called a treasure?!"

When Buggy said this, it completely enraged Luffy.

Flashes of Shanks giving him the hat appeared in Luffy's mind:

"This hat is my most precious belonging. When you become a great pirate, you must return it to me."

Shanks' words echoed repeatedly in Luffy's heart.

"You b*d!! That hat... it's my promise to Shanks!!"

Overwhelmed with anger, Luffy went into a frenzy!

And in the end, Buggy was defeated!

On the Impel Down warship...

"Captain Buggy is incredible! With just a simple hat, he made Straw Hat Luffy understand the importance of protecting what matters!"

"Did you notice? Luffy, who was evenly matched with Captain Buggy at first, suddenly became stronger after Captain Buggy's intentional provocation! Of course, Captain Buggy's strength is unmatched—he just wanted to test Straw Hat Luffy."

"Straw Hat Luffy should be honored! Captain Buggy's attention is a gift not many receive!"

The prisoners' admiration for Buggy soared to new heights, leaving Buggy grinning with satisfaction.

But deep inside, Buggy was fuming.

"Damn Shanks! Meddling as usual!"

Still, Buggy couldn't deny that Shanks had done him a favor this time.

"Fine, I'll let this one slide. Hmph! But only this once. Shanks, you still owe me for making me eat that Devil Fruit!"

Meanwhile, Luffy scratched his head, looking at Buggy.

"So you were actually helping me learn how to fight back then? I'm really sorry for misunderstanding you!"

Buggy was stunned for a moment but quickly composed himself, nodding "graciously."

"Of course! I only did it for Shanks' sake. Don't worry about it~~~"

As he spoke, the white-framed screen in the sky slowly began to fade away...

——