Chapter 27: Refusal of the Invitation

This is it for today, will do a mass release when im done with my thing

Should I keep doing the chapter title? IMO it kinda gives away spoiler

***

Buggy took a moment to figure out the situation: if this hat belonged to the boy in front of him, then it meant that the tyrant, Bartholomew Kuma, hadn't appeared here.

Relieved, Buggy let out a sigh of relief. If a pirate with a bounty of nearly 300 million Berries showed up in the East Blue, all the pirates in the region would be in trouble. The amount on a bounty poster not only represented a pirate's strength but also indicated the threat they posed to the World Government. A pirate with a bounty of nearly 300 million Berries would be hunted by Vice Admirals or even higher-ranked Marine officers. If a Vice Admiral came to the East Blue, they could easily wipe out all the pirates in the area!

Although Bartholomew Kuma was now one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Marines might not actively pursue him. However, the appearance of either him or the Marines would lead to the same consequences.

Yet, Buggy was still puzzled and asked Ian, "Kid, why do you have this hat? What's your relationship with Bartholomew Kuma?"

Ian rolled his eyes at him and demanded, "What's it to you? Give me back my hat and clothes!"

Buggy tilted his head and considered it for a moment before actually returning Ian's clothes, pants, and hat to him.

Ian checked them and found that the Den Den Mushi in the hat was still fine, but the little creature seemed scared, its big eyes welling up with tears when it saw Ian.

He comforted it with a gentle touch before putting it back on his head along with the bear-ear hat. Den Den Mushi usually slept, so the darkness inside the hat wouldn't bother it; it would just retract into its shell.

Amidst the watching eyes of everyone, Ian started putting on his clothes. Frankly, nobody wanted to fight naked in front of a group of men; without any beautiful women around, it felt like a waste of a good show.

Relieved after finally putting on his clothes, Ian no longer felt that chilly wind brushing against his skin.

While he was getting dressed, Mohji moved closer to Buggy. The sight of Ian easily cutting down Cabaji had frightened him, and now, while both sides had paused, he quickly went to Buggy's side to warn him, "Captain, be careful! This kid is also a Devil Fruit user!"

Buggy was taken aback. "He's also one?"

Mohji nodded. "Most likely. When he first came aboard, he only had an ordinary sword, but after Richie bit it and broke it, he suddenly conjured that red greatsword from thin air…"

Before he could finish his words, Buggy grabbed his collar and roared, "Who did you call 'big-nosed'!?"

"I-I didn't mean it!" Mohji realized he had inadvertently touched a sensitive topic and quickly explained, "I meant the sword, the sword!"

Only then did Buggy let him go, rubbing his chin as he pondered, "You say he conjured the sword from thin air?"

Mohji nodded, "Yes, when he was naked, he couldn't have hidden such a large sword! Cabaji and I attacked him together, but we were no match for him!"

"A Devil Fruit user, huh?" Buggy smirked, "I wonder what kind of Devil Fruit it is."

They were unaware of Ian's true identity and had even mistaken him for a Devil Fruit user. While they chatted amongst themselves, Ian had already finished getting dressed. Seeing this, Buggy immediately extended an invitation, "Kid! Are you interested in joining my Buggy Pirates? If you do, the position of our combat captain is yours!"

Buggy had been contemplating this idea for a while, even though Cabaji and a group of lackeys lay on the deck, their fates unknown. Despite the situation, he acted as if he hadn't seen a thing and went on to invite Ian.

Buggy knew Cabaji's strength well, and if Ian could cut him down with a single strike, it meant he wasn't weak! But what intrigued Buggy even more was the bear-ear hat. Though Ian didn't tell him, Buggy had an intuition that the boy might indeed have some connection to Bartholomew Kuma.

Buggy and his crew had always kept a low profile for two reasons. First, ever since Gol D. Roger's execution, Buggy had been hiding the fact that he once served as an apprentice on Roger's ship. He even avoided telling his subordinates about it. The reason was simple; if this fact were exposed, he could predict how many high-ranking Marine officials would come after him. This was the first reason for Buggy's low-key approach.

The second reason was that Buggy was more enthusiastic about treasure. His dream as a pirate was to one day rob all the world's treasures. This led him to avoid confrontations with the Marines and stay away from major troubles.

To him, Bartholomew Kuma was a big trouble. He didn't know the true relationship between the boy and Kuma, but to avoid this headache and give an explanation to his crew, he thought it was best to invite Ian to join the crew.

This way, he would gain an extra fighter and avoid the possibility of facing someone at the level of a Warlord of the Sea, achieving the best of both worlds.

However, when Buggy confidently extended the invitation, Ian surprised him with a direct refusal, "No! I won't become a pirate!"

Before setting sail, Ian had thought it through. Being a pirate didn't offer much of a future for him personally. Although pirates seemed to live freely and had plenty of money, associating with words like "treasure," most of their money came from plundering! True pirates who struck it rich with treasure hunts were few and far between!

Ian needed money, and ever since he acquired this troublesome system, he found that his strength growth was directly linked to how much money he had. If he became a pirate, who knows how long it would take for him to become wealthy?

Moreover, Ian had his own moral standards, and he didn't want to earn money by burning, killing, and plundering.

Bullying weak civilians didn't fit the mindset of a true strong person.

So, Ian never considered becoming a pirate. Instead, he realized that as long as his strength kept up, the pirates with high bounties posted by the World Government would be the best targets to make money!

Yes, a Pirate Hunter, or a Bounty Hunter! That was Ian's current goal.

He wouldn't join a pirate crew, let alone one like Buggy's, which seemed to exist solely for laughs.

When Buggy heard the refusal, he couldn't believe his ears, "You… You dare to reject the great Captain Buggy!?"

Ian shook his head, "I fail to see what's so great about your big red nose!"

Enraged, Buggy roared, "I've told you many times not to call me 'big red nose'!"

While saying that, Buggy drew out numerous daggers from his waist on both sides. He held the daggers between his fingers like claws and stared fiercely at Ian through the gaps, "Since that's the case, then you stay here! I'll hang you up and let you taste the flavor of my specially-made Buggy Cannonball!"

With that, Buggy charged towards Ian with his daggers.

Ian gripped his sword, calmly observing Buggy as he came closer. When Buggy reached him, he swung his dagger-clawed fist like a windmill, aiming the blades at Ian's body.

"Iron Spikes Division!"