Chapter 186: Buggy Pirates

Loguetown.

Inside the office of a certain naval base, sat Smoker, an officer with the rank of Captain.

With his legs propped up and a cigar hanging from his lips, it was hard to imagine that this seemingly rough and thuggish man was actually a Marine Captain in charge of the Loguetown branch.

Smoker was originally stationed at the Marine Headquarters but was sent to Loguetown in the East Blue due to certain circumstances.

As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, it was an easy task for him to suppress the pirates in East Blue, who hadn't even set foot on the Grand Line.

Because of this, Loguetown was much safer compared to other places, and many pirates didn't dare to act recklessly there.

"Captain Smoker, there's an emergency!" 

A Marine burst into the office without knocking.

Smoker frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

The Marine hesitated for a moment, glancing at Smoker with a hint of fear.

Every Marine in the base had undergone hellish training under Smoker's command, and as a result, many had a certain degree of fear towards him.

"It seems that Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch was attacked by pirates and is now missing, possibly dead.

The 16th Branch has lost all contact with him and his ship."

"What did you say?!" 

Smoker's initial reaction was disbelief. 

The East Blue was known as the weakest of the four seas, so it was hard to imagine that any pirate could wipe out a Marine ship commanded by a captain.

Even the so-called "great pirates" of East Blue were nothing more than fodder when they entered the Grand Line. In Smoker's eyes, they were just small fry.

Suddenly, the door to the office was opened again.

A tall woman with short black hair and glasses entered. 

"Captain Smoker, I've gathered the information you requested about the 16th Branch."

"Take a look at these documents."

"A Marine captain, collaborating with pirates? This is the kind of corruption that undermines the Marines!" 

Smoker's expression darkened as he reviewed the documents.

"Damn it! A bunch of scum, hiding behind the Navy's name to protect pirates!"

"It's no wonder more and more people are losing faith in the Navy. It's because of parasites like these!"

A pirate had ruled over a small island for eight years. For eight long years, the people had lived under the oppression of pirates.

"Damn it! Those bastards should be exterminated!"

"Tashigi, gather everyone and prepare the ships. We're heading to Cocoyasi Village to wipe out the Arlong Pirates!"

"Uh…"

Tashigi hesitated and then said, "Captain Smoker, the Arlong Pirates were eliminated a few days ago."

"Eliminated?"

"By whom?"

"Another Marine branch?"

Smoker asked with a frown.

Tashigi shook her head, "Not by the Navy, but by another pirate crew."

"A pirate crew?!"

"There's a pirate crew strong enough to do that in East Blue?"

"Tashigi, pirate crews fight for their own interests. If they've eliminated Arlong, it's only to take over his territory and continue oppressing the people of Cocoyasi Village."

"The only way to free them is to completely eradicate all the pirates."

Tashigi sighed helplessly, "But those pirates have already left."

"They left?"

"What about the villagers of Cocoyasi?"

"They're unharmed, and actually…"

"The villagers seem to be intentionally hiding the pirates' identities… It seems they don't trust the Navy."

Smoker gritted his teeth and slammed his hand on the desk.

"Damn it!"

"If it weren't for those corrupt scum, the Marines wouldn't have lost the trust of the people."

"It's likely these pirates attacked them. Either way, we should issue a bounty."

Even in the weakest of the four seas, things were getting out of hand.

Could this be the influence of the Great Pirate Era?

Smoker was well aware that not long ago, the Warlord of the Sea, Dracule Mihawk, had appeared in East Blue.

The mere presence of such a figure in the East Blue was abnormal.

Moreover, Mihawk was reportedly defeated by a young man.

It was hard to believe that someone so young could defeat the world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk.

In these turbulent times, could he still maintain peace in Rogue Town?

At that moment, Ryujiro and Hinata were enjoying the sea breeze on the deck of their ship.

[Character Template: Gojo Satoru]

[Character Unlock Progress: 5%]

Curse energy was indeed a fascinating power.

Hinata looked at Ryujiro's snow-white hair and couldn't help but ask, "Ryujiro-kun, why did you change your hair to white?"

Ryujiro smiled faintly.

"Since we're in a new world, I thought I should change my appearance. It wouldn't be right if I didn't."

A change of appearance…

For some reason, Ryujiro-kun looked even more charming with white hair, and as she gazed at him, Hinata's face flushed.

Ryujiro's course was set for Loguetown.

Although there was no navigator on board, by following the familiar sea routes from his memory, he could roughly guess the location of Loguetown.

However, Ryujiro was also considering whether he should recruit a navigator in Loguetown.

This ship didn't need anyone to steer it; even the wind couldn't alter its course, as the entire ship was under Ryujiro's control.

After sailing for a while, a strange pirate ship suddenly appeared ahead of them.

This pirate ship was much larger than Ryujiro's. The bow of the ship featured a skull that looked like a clown, and the entire vessel was decorated like a circus.

The most noticeable thing about this ship was its red nose, which instantly caught one's attention.

As Ryujiro stared at the ship, his eyes narrowed, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Buggy the Star Clown."

"What a coincidence."

"Captain Buggy, there's a ship ahead of us!"

"A ship?!"

"Is it the Straw Hat kid?"

Buggy's eyes gleamed with excitement, hoping that the ship belonged to Luffy.

"No, Captain Buggy, it's a man and a woman."

Moji, holding a telescope, observed Ryujiro and Hinata on the deck.

These two must be crazy to sail the seas alone, without a crew. Don't they fear running into pirates and meeting their doom?

"Alright, men! We've got some work to do!"

"Don't use the cannons; we'll board them and take all their treasure!"

"Yes, Captain Buggy!"

Buggy's crew cheered excitedly.

Pirates on the open sea were typically ruthless, committing all manner of atrocities. Pirates like Luffy were rare exceptions.

Buggy was the more common type.

Under Buggy's command, the pirate ship approached Ryujiro's, and they threw grappling hooks to latch onto it.

Leading his crew, Buggy charged onto the deck.

However, after boarding, Ryujiro and Hinata remained motionless, as if Buggy and his men were invisible, continuing to relax and enjoy the sea breeze.

Seeing Ryujiro and Hinata's indifference, Buggy's face darkened.

"Damn it!"

"Get up, you bastards! I'm the great pirate, Captain Buggy!"

"If you want to live, hand over all your treasure!"

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[A.N: Hey everyone do checkout the new story "One Piece: Lunarian Giant"]

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