Listening to Buggy's Stories

"Fresh and delicious secret sashimi, come and have a taste!"

"Exclusive Sea King meat burgers, not 998, not 688, only 399. You can't go wrong, you won't regret it!"

This is Carnival City on the Grand Line.

As the name suggests, this is a city full of enthusiasm and celebration.

Even though it is late at night, the island is still bustling with noisy crowds.

The atmosphere of indulgence is completely different from most poor islands, making this a paradise for the wealthy and merchants.

Apart from the noble lords spending lavishly and pirates disguised as travelers, there are others who enjoy special leisure, holding their bonfire parties away from the bustling town, by the stream in the woods.

"Let me tell you, this is not a brag, but have you heard of the Battle of Edd War? The one where Pirate King Gol D. Roger had a great showdown with the flying pirate Golden Lion Shiki..."

By the bonfire, a peculiar man in a red and white striped shirt, wearing a sailor hat, and sporting a large round red nose was animatedly recounting his brave pirate adventures from years ago.

A group of men dressed as sailors surrounded the red-nosed man, listening intently with their necks craned, afraid to miss any crucial details of the story.

In this world without mobile phones, computers, or WiFi, and with a low literacy rate, most people couldn't read novels or newspapers. Listening to others' stories and bragging became their only form of entertainment.

"Buggy, how do you know these things? Were you once a crew member of Pirate King Gol D. Roger?"

"Don't talk nonsense, I wasn't a crewmate of the Pirate King. He was so powerful, the one who started the Great Pirate Era. How could I possibly be a companion to someone that amazing?"

Despite his words, Buggy's heart skipped a beat.

Ever since Pirate King Gol D. Roger was executed, the World Government had been relentlessly hunting down the former crew members of the Roger Pirates.

As far as Buggy knew, besides himself, only the bastard Shanks, who he had always quarreled with, and the ship doctor Crocus, had not been captured.

For some reason, the three of them did not have a criminal record with the Navy, so they managed to escape. As for the fate of the other comrades, whether they were hiding or captured by the Navy, Buggy had no idea.

"Do you want me to tell you that I used to be a captain under Golden Lion Shiki's great fleet?"

Buggy squinted his eyes, a hint of reminiscence on his face, making his big red nose appear even brighter under the firelight.

"Awesome..."

The surrounding crowd, impressed, gave Buggy a thumbs up.

"Brother Buggy, you're so amazing. Captain Anderson will definitely appreciate you. Then we'll follow Brother Buggy."

Whether sincere or perfunctory, building a good relationship on the surface came first.

Buggy was a pirate encountered by the Anderson Pirates on the Grand Line, and his broad knowledge often left the crew in awe.

"You're welcome, you're welcome..."

Buggy, tired from storytelling, took a sip of wine and walked towards a small fire nearby.

"Is the hot pot ready?"

For pirates who spent most of their time at sea, fresh water was an extremely precious resource, and hot pot was a treat they could only enjoy on land.

Pirates often drank alcohol not just for enjoyment but because it preserved better than fresh water.

Today, their captain, Anderson, had killed a Sea King, leaving enough fresh meat for the crew and selling the rest to town merchants.

"Binks' sake, we bring to you."

"Facing the wind, waves, and storms."

"..."

The festive atmosphere was stirred up by Buggy, and a group of burly men sang and danced, the scene reminiscent of a philosophical gathering.

"When I get the treasure map, I'll make a run for it... These pirates dare to target Whitebeard, they don't know the meaning of death."

Sitting on the ground, Buggy's eyes showed a flash of wisdom. He took a sip of sake and reached his chopsticks towards the fragrant Sea King hot pot.

Crash...

"Ahhh..."

A black shadow suddenly appeared and instantly knocked over the hot pot in front of Buggy.

Buggy, who had once challenged Whitebeard with Shanks, reacted quickly, rolling on the ground to narrowly avoid the hot pot.

But the pirate next to him wasn't so lucky, screaming in agony as the scalding hot pot and various seasonings splashed on his face.

Buggy, having missed the hot pot, still eyed the leftover stew in the pot, with a lingering impulse to reach out with his chopsticks.

But he didn't have to struggle for long. A big black shoe "smack" stomped on the pot, squashing it along with the stew, crushing Buggy's last hope.

"Damn it, who is it?"

Buggy was furious and jumped up, but then he immediately calmed down.

The black shadow was the ship's first mate, Warren.

The other person was someone Buggy had never seen before.

This was a boy who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, with black eyes and short black hair that seemed to reflect purple under the firelight. Despite being around 1.8 meters tall, his face still bore a hint of youthfulness due to his age.

Buggy was puzzled.

He knew the captain and first mate should have gone into town to find women, but why were they being chased by a boy now?

Could it be that these two idiots didn't go to the pleasure street but were robbing women in broad daylight?

If they were going to cause trouble, they shouldn't do it here. There was a Navy branch stationed on this island!

A few hours ago, the Anderson Pirates had just set foot on Carnival City and were already being watched by Navy scouts.

The Anderson Pirates, from the South Blue, had Captain Anderson with a bounty of 130 million berries, and First Mate Warren with a bounty of 80 million berries, totaling over 300 million berries in bounties, making them one of the "Supernova" pirate crews.

In terms of bounty, Anderson wasn't the top among this generation's "Supernovas," but strangely, every Navy encounter with the Anderson Pirates ended in failure.

All the defeated Navy could report back was one thing—they couldn't break through Anderson's defense.

Because of this, Navy Headquarters had sent Major General Gion with an elite unit.

Gion, a future candidate for Admiral, was destined to become Vice Admiral "Chaton."

If this mission also failed, then they would have to call back Vice Admirals like Sakazuki from the New World.

"Hailan, everyone says you're the best among the new generation of Navy recruits. This is your first time following me into combat, so don't mess it up, or Zephyr-sensei will have my hide."

Before the battle, Gion joked with the naval intern named Hailan. Although he was smiling, it looked quite sleazy.

However, this was due to his appearance. Unlike Vice Admiral Borsalino, Gion was actually a very cheerful and optimistic person.

"An angel who probably landed face-first," was a fitting description of Gion.

"I think this Anderson Pirates aren't as exaggerated as the reports say."

Hailan didn't care about Gion's worries.

"Look, although they've defeated pursuers time and again, the Navy hasn't suffered much loss. What does this mean? It means the Anderson Pirates' killing power is limited."

"Everywhere the Anderson Pirates go, there's chaos, so they aren't the type of adventurers brainwashed by the Pirate King."

"And the only serious loss the Navy had was during Rear Admiral Onigumo's campaign..."

Hailan stopped midway, suspecting that the losses were caused more by Onigumo himself, who had a bad reputation, rather than by the Anderson Pirates.

But he didn't say this out loud, as he was just an intern and didn't need to judge a superior he had no connection with.

"So?"

"Although Anderson's abilities are still unclear, you just need to keep him busy. I'll take care of Warren and the other crew members, then come to assist you."

Hailan marked a few names on a list.

"With us two working together, it shouldn't be a problem."

"No problem."

Gion, with a toothpick in his mouth, placed his hat on his head.

He was about to leave but then turned back, saying, "Wait, I'm the superior here."

Hailan, serious-faced, replied, "Ah, my esteemed Major General Gion, if you have a better plan, I'm all ears."

"Very well! We'll do as you say!"

Gion straightened his hat and left the Navy base, stepping out in his clogs.

"Did you hear that? When Major General Gion is not present, I am the highest commander of this operation. Now follow my orders, change into plain clothes, and head to the ambush point."

"Yes, sir!"

Waiting until nightfall, the Navy finally found an opportunity to capture the Anderson Pirates.

Gion engaged Captain Anderson alone.

Hailan chased First Mate Warren from the town into the forest.

Seeing his many companions nearby, Warren finally felt a bit confident.

"Stop staring, you idiots! This guy is a Marine. We've been exposed. Everyone, attack and kill him!"

Almost all the pirates of the Anderson Pirates were gathered at the bonfire party. At this point, Hailan stopped playing cat and mouse with Warren.

"Soru!"

"Shigan!"

With superhuman speed, Hailan flashed beside Warren, and his finger pierced through the pirate's chest like a bullet.

The pirates, who were singing and dancing, had just snapped out of their shock when nearly a hundred heavily armed Navy soldiers surrounded them.

While the pirates stood dumbfounded, not daring to breathe, a sharp voice suddenly rang out.

"It seems like you don't respect my nose!"