Chapter 231: The Missing Celestial Dragon × Buggy

The deal between Zoro's crew and James began and ended quietly. Aside from the Vinsmoke family, who contributed a significant amount of points to Zoro, no one paid attention to what Zoro actually gained from this transaction. 

As a result, no one noticed that a group with strength rivaling the Yonko Pirates had quietly risen in the weakest sea.

...

At the same time.

After the Pokémon League Conference ended, the sea—which had been quiet for over a month—was shaken by major news that spread like wildfire across the world. 

This time, the news was of extraordinary importance!

Saint Charlos, a Celestial Dragon who had gone out for leisure, mysteriously disappeared in the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago! His entire ship, including bodyguards, slaves, and more than a hundred people, vanished without a trace, as if they had entered another dimension.

There was even a high-level transponder snail aboard, capable of contacting Navy Headquarters instantly, yet no message was ever received.

What made this even more alarming was that the Navy Admiral on duty to monitor the transponder snails that day wasn't just any ordinary officer—it was the esteemed Admiral Aokiji!

This meant that no error could have occurred.

The disappearance of Saint Charlos was so inexplicable that it felt as if a god had intervened.

For a time, the sea surrounding the disappearance became known as a cursed zone, and no one dared to approach it.

To locate Saint Charlos, the World Government made every effort, deploying large numbers of agents and naval forces. 

However…

A week passed, and they found nothing.

Under the mounting pressure from Saint Charlos' father and sister, the World Government's stress doubled. Left with no other option, they were forced to publicly report the disappearance of the Celestial Dragon.

With all other methods exhausted, their only hope was that someone, somewhere, might have seen the Celestial Dragon.

The World Government spread the news of Saint Charlos' disappearance across every newspaper and media outlet, offering an enormous reward for any information.

Just like that, the disappearance of a Celestial Dragon became the talk of the sea.

Particularly near the Sabaody Archipelago, where people had often suffered under the cruelty of the Celestial Dragons, many were secretly rejoicing, even though they dared not show it outwardly.

Speculation ran wild: 

Some believed that Saint Charlos had encountered a dimensional merchant, offended them, and was subsequently erased from existence.

Others thought the resurrected Pirate King had killed him, sunk his ship, and destroyed all evidence.

Some even suggested that this was a ploy by the Four Emperors to divert naval forces, preparing to launch an attack on Navy Headquarters.

One theory after another emerged, each more imaginative than the last.

Yet, sadly…

No one guessed that it was, in fact, a simple kidnapping.

The masterminds and perpetrators of the plan were two girls under the age of 20.

Finally, three days after the disappearance had been reported, the World Government received a piece of valuable information.

It is said that under a hefty reward, the brave will emerge.

On the day of the incident, a pirate crew happened to be passing by the area.

After days of silence, the lure of the bounty proved too much, and they reported what they knew to the World Government.

The pirates revealed that, indeed, they had seen a peculiar ship in the waters where Saint Charlos had vanished.

Unfortunately, it was too far away to discern clearly, but they managed to spot a figure—half of which appeared to be floating in mid-air.

The only distinct detail about this figure?

A very large, very red nose!

  ...

  ...

"Hmm. Okay! Don't worry, we'll be careful!" 

"Hmm... okay."

"Well then, I'll leave everything to you, Admiral Aokiji!"

Grand Line, on a secret island.

Nami smiled as she hung up the phone, then turned around and made an "OK" gesture to Usopp and the others behind her.

"Alright! We don't have to keep moving anymore!"

"This island was already searched by the World Government, and the Navy combed through it after that, so no one's coming back here again!"

"So we can finally relax!"

"Huh? Really!? That's great!" Usopp, who had been on the run for days, sighed in relief. He immediately flopped onto the ground, crushing the green grass beneath him.

Next to him, Kaya was also exhaling softly, her hand pressed to her chest.

"It seems like we can finally trust the Navy. At last, we can catch a break," Kaya sighed.

"No kidding! I'm exhausted!!!" 

Nearby, the Buggy Pirates mimicked Usopp, collapsing on the ground as if they had just finished a 50-kilometer marathon. They were drenched in sweat, their eyes unfocused.

Who would have thought...

That all of this chaos was over one missing Celestial Dragon, and the World Government would send nearly a thousand warships to scour this sea like a swarm of locusts.

If it hadn't been for their inside agents embedded within the government's forces, their plan to kidnap the Celestial Dragon would have ended in disaster!

This ordeal was also the first time Nami and Kaya, both relatively inexperienced, truly saw the sheer power and fearsome reach of the World Government.

...

The island grew quiet.

Ten minutes later, Usopp was the first to recover. He stood up suddenly and glanced toward a cave nearby.

"So..." he began, eyes lighting up with anticipation as he stared at the darkness of the cave. "Since we've managed to avoid the search, can we finally continue with the plan?"

A glint of excitement flashed in Usopp's eyes, as if he could see the scene unfolding inside the cave.

"Indeed!" Nami smiled, her eyes also gleaming with a golden light.

After all, after going through so much trouble to kidnap the Celestial Dragon, it would be a shame not to put him to good use!

In fact...

Nami and the others had devised a rather simple plan from the beginning:

Kidnap the Celestial Dragon – evade the World Government's search – torture him until he agrees to donate all his assets to them – then contact the dimensional merchants to convert the Celestial Dragon's wealth into points!

It was a plan that seemed full of holes, but with the support of the Navy and the Revolutionary Army, it surprisingly succeeded.

Now that they were certain the World Government wouldn't find them, Nami and the others could proceed with the next phase of their scheme.

Seeing Nami and Usopp gearing up, Buggy and his crew also got to their feet.

With his iconic red nose sticking out, Buggy's upper body suddenly floated into the air.

As he flew, he grinned and declared, "Nami, Usopp, I should be the one to torture the Celestial Dragon! This Captain Buggy has plenty of experience in this department!"

"Wahahahaha…"

The thought of tormenting one of the world's most noble Celestial Dragons sent a thrill through Buggy.

As for why he had joined the Revolutionary Army's ranks...

That story began on the day the Pokémon League Conference ended.

Devastated by Usopp's and the others' backhanded words, which sounded like comfort but felt like stabs, Buggy had resolved to better himself, to achieve something that would make Captain Roger take notice of him!

So, when he learned that Usopp was going to join Nami with the Revolutionary Army, he volunteered to tag along.

Buggy even swallowed his pride and joined the Revolutionary Army, all in the hope of doing something grand—something that would prove he wasn't any less than his old crewmate, Red-Haired Shanks, who had become a Yonko!

And so…

In the world of pirates, what could be more sensational than kidnapping a Celestial Dragon?

If there was one thing that could bring him fame, it had to be torturing a Celestial Dragon!

At this moment, Buggy didn't care about anything else—his desire for recognition overwhelmed all other concerns.

After Roger's death, Buggy was just "Buggy the Clown," a pirate content to live quietly and hunt for treasure.

But with Roger's resurrection, he was no longer that same clown. He was now a crewmate of the Pirate King and the rival of the Yonko, Red-Haired Shanks, Buggy, the Clown King!

As Buggy's laughter echoed with excitement, the group finally reached the cave.

Inside, more than a hundred people—led by Celestial Dragon Saint Charlos—were fast asleep, snoring loudly.

Among them were cruel World Government agents who aided the Celestial Dragon's tyranny, sycophantic officials from the World Government, and even innocent civilian slaves who had been abducted without cause.

Due to the tense atmosphere earlier, with the constant fear of being hunted down by countless warships, Nami had instructed Butterfree-sensei to release hypnotic powder, forcing everyone into a deep, unending sleep.

Now, they could finally relax a little.

"Thank you for your hard work, Butterfree-sensei!" Nami greeted as they entered the cave, acknowledging the Pokémon responsible for keeping the captives in check.

Butterfree-sensei responded cheerfully, hovering in the air, "Free~ (Leave it all to me!)"

Having regained its youthful energy, Butterfree was no longer the frail Pokémon that could have been sent to its doom with one wrong move. Now, it could use its Pokémon abilities as usual, and its power had reached above level 60.

Watching over hundreds of people was nothing but a small task for it.

Meanwhile...

Buggy, unable to contain his eagerness, split his body apart, his upper half floating up high, directly above Saint Charlos. He glanced back at his brother, who was setting up the camera.

"Cabaji, are you ready?"

"Everything's set, Captain Buggy!!!" Cabaji, balancing on his unicycle and handling the camera, answered promptly.

"Hmm..." Buggy grinned, several throwing knives suddenly appearing in his hands, clearly aimed at the sleeping Celestial Dragon below.

Striking a pose that he thought looked cool for the camera, Buggy chuckled and declared:

"Alright then..."

"Let the show begin!!!"