The black smoke slowly thinned, revealing the ruins of the building that had previously served as Buggy's base.
Among the scattered rubble of stone and wood, Buggy walked out with his body covered in dust. His clothes were slightly disheveled, but he was still standing upright as though the devastating explosion had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
He casually threw aside one of his subordinates, whose body had been charred after being used as a shield.
Although he looked battered, Buggy had not suffered any serious injuries. Thanks to the Bara Bara no Mi and the subordinates he had used as shields, he had managed to avoid most of the explosion's impact.
"Cough, cough... Bastard!"
The veins on his forehead bulged as he gritted his teeth and stared at the remains of his base.
"How dare he destroy my base!"
"Captain Buggy..."
A voice came from behind the rubble.
A long-haired man whose hair covered part of his face stepped out from the shadows of the destroyed building. One sword was already drawn in his hand.
His clothes were also battered, but his gaze remained sharp. A clear fighting spirit burned in his eyes.
"Leave the green-haired guy to me!"
Buggy turned toward him.
The moment he saw that one of his main officers was still standing, his confidence immediately returned.
"Gyahaha! It's Cabaji!"
Buggy pointed toward him excitedly.
"Good! Let them see the true strength of the Buggy Pirates! Kill them for me!"
Cabaji mounted his unicycle and sped forward, his gaze locking onto Zoro.
"You're a swordsman, huh?"
Zoro drew both of his swords.
"Then, Luffy, I'll take care of this one. You handle the red-nosed guy yourself."
"Who are you calling red-nosed, bastard?!"
Buggy's forehead twitched.
His anger had barely subsided, and now Zoro had joined in insulting him.
Without hesitation, Buggy thrust his hand toward Zoro.
"Bara Bara Ho!"
His hand detached from his body and shot toward Zoro.
But before it could reach its target, a foot slammed into it from the side.
Luffy pinned Buggy's hand against the ground.
"Ugh!"
Buggy grimaced.
Luffy glanced at him and grinned.
"Your opponent is me."
Without giving Buggy time to react, Luffy attacked.
His fist shot toward Buggy's face.
Buggy immediately separated his body.
"Bara Bara Emergency!"
Luffy's fist tore through empty air.
Buggy's body had split into several pieces, each one floating safely out of reach.
Buggy grinned.
"Idiot! Did you really think I'd fall for a trick like that? Gyahahaha!"
"Not yet!"
Luffy suddenly grabbed a tree branch behind Buggy.
He pulled.
His entire body snapped forward like a slingshot.
"Gomu Gomu no Kama!"
His arms swept toward Buggy's neck.
Buggy's expression changed.
He immediately separated his neck, letting Luffy's attack pass through empty space.
But Luffy could not stop his momentum.
He flew straight past Buggy.
"Crash!"
His body slammed into an abandoned house, causing the entire building to collapse in a cloud of dust.
"Gyahahaha! You missed again!"
Buggy laughed from above the rubble.
Luffy climbed out of the collapsed building and dusted himself off.
"Still not done."
...
On the other side of the battlefield, Cabaji circled Zoro on his unicycle, keeping his distance while studying his opponent.
"You're Roronoa Zoro, aren't you?"
"Yeah. So what?"
Zoro bit down on Wado Ichimonji and gripped his other two swords.
His gaze never left Cabaji.
Cabaji snorted.
"Roronoa Zoro... I'll cut off your head and make my name famous across the seas!"
He suddenly accelerated.
"You'll be my stepping stone!"
Cabaji kicked off the ground and launched himself into the air, bringing his sword down from above.
"Kyokugi! Yukemuri Satsujin Jiken!"
"Clang!"
The impact rang out.
But Zoro had not even moved from his position.
His swords easily blocked the attack.
"Is this the ability you use to become famous?"
Zoro's voice carried a mocking edge.
Cabaji clicked his tongue and jumped backward.
He had not expected the difference between them to be this great.
...
Meanwhile, Nami saw that Luffy and Zoro had already engaged their opponents.
This was her chance.
She quietly slipped between the ruins.
Her objective was clear.
Buggy's treasure.
And her Grand Line map.
That was the real reason she had come to Orange Town.
She had not come to become part of Luffy's group. She only wanted the treasure and the map that could help her achieve her own goal.
At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
After walking for a while, Nami spotted a building that was still standing among the ruins.
A large pirate stood guard outside.
Nami glanced around.
No one was watching her.
Her eyes then fell on the key ring hanging from the pirate's waist.
"The key..."
The corner of her lips lifted slightly.
She slipped behind him.
Once she was close enough, Nami pulled out her tonfa and struck the back of his head.
Buk!
The man's eyes rolled backward.
His body collapsed.
Nami immediately took the key from his waist and unlocked the door.
The moment it opened, her eyes lit up.
Treasure.
Gold, jewelry, coins, and various valuables filled the room.
"Success..."
Her face brightened.
She quickly pulled out a large sack and began stuffing the treasure inside.
Her hands moved rapidly.
One piece after another disappeared into the sack.
Before long, the room was almost empty.
Then Nami found what she had been looking for from the beginning.
The Grand Line map.
She picked it up and examined it briefly.
"Found it."
Relief appeared on her face.
Finally, everything she wanted was in her hands.
Nami stood still for a moment.
Now she could leave.
She could take the treasure, bring the Grand Line map with her, and leave Orange Town without worrying about what happened to Luffy and Zoro.
That was what she was supposed to do.
Luffy and Zoro were nothing more than tools.
They were strong, stupid, and easy enough to manipulate. As long as she could continue using them, her journey would become easier.
Nami tightened her grip on the Grand Line map.
"Then..."
She turned around.
Her steps stopped.
Nami fell silent.
For some reason, Luffy's image suddenly appeared in her mind.
That boy was too trusting of others. Too carefree. Too often acted without thinking.
And even though he was annoying...
He was different from the people she had met before.
Luffy had never forced her to tell him about her past. He had never demanded anything in return simply because he had helped her. Even when she did something strange, Luffy simply treated it as normal.
Nami sighed softly.
"What the hell is wrong with me?"
She shook her head.
There was no reason to think about things like that.
She already had what she wanted.
She should leave.
Nami looked at the Grand Line map in her hand one more time.
Then she rolled it up and put it into her bag.
"Right."
She tried to convince herself.
"I'll just use them for a little longer."
But the words sounded less convincing with every passing moment, even to herself.
Nami pursed her lips.
"Yeah. That's all."
She lifted the sack of treasure and left the room.
...
When Nami returned to the battlefield, Zoro was still standing.
In fact, he had begun pressing Cabaji with ease.
Nami's eyes then shifted toward Luffy.
His battle with Buggy looked much more difficult.
Luffy threw another punch.
Buggy split apart.
The fist passed harmlessly through the space where Buggy's body had been.
"Gyahahaha! You'll never be able to catch me!"
Buggy immediately reassembled himself and laughed.
Luffy frowned.
"Shut up!"
Another punch.
Another separation.
Again, Buggy escaped.
Nami watched carefully.
She already knew Luffy was strong. She had seen him defeat Mohji and Richie without difficulty.
But Buggy's ability was troublesome.
Every attack Luffy launched could be avoided by simply separating his body.
Nami narrowed her eyes.
She stopped watching Luffy.
Instead, she watched Buggy.
His movements.
The separated parts of his body.
The way he avoided each attack.
Then she noticed something.
"That..."
Her gaze dropped toward the ground.
The lower half of Buggy's body was standing still a short distance away.
Nami's eyes widened slightly.
"So that's how it is..."
She immediately stepped out from hiding.
"Luffy!"
Luffy turned toward her.
"Attack the lower half of his body!"
Nami pointed toward Buggy's legs.
"That part is still there!"
Luffy followed her finger.
Sure enough, Buggy's lower body was still standing there.
A mischievous grin spread across Luffy's face.
Buggy's expression immediately changed.
"W-wait a second! We can talk this out!"
Luffy ignored him.
He rushed toward the lower half of Buggy's body.
Buggy's fear vanished.
A smug grin returned to his face.
Just as Luffy was about to kick him in the crotch, Buggy instantly separated his lower body.
"Gyahahaha! Did you really think I couldn't separate my lower body too?! You idiot!"
Luffy's foot stopped short.
But he did not stop.
He twisted his ankle.
Soru.
His body vanished from Buggy's sight.
In the next instant, Luffy appeared directly in front of Buggy's face.
Buggy's laughter died instantly.
"Nani?!"
Luffy grinned.
"Got you!"
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
His arm stretched far backward.
Then shot forward.
Buk!
His fist smashed into Buggy's face.
The impact drove Buggy into the ground, creating a shallow crater.
Buggy's body rolled several times before finally stopping.
The scattered pieces of his body fell around him.
A few moments later, his head floated back into the air.
His face was twisted with rage.
"Bastard! How dare you punch me in the face!"
He gritted his teeth.
"I will never forgive you! I will never forgive you, Straw Hat!"
Buggy immediately used the Bara Bara no Mi to reunite his body.
But something was wrong.
Only his head, both hands, and both feet returned.
His body now looked like a miniature version of himself.
"Behold the greatness of the magnificent me!"
Buggy puffed out his chest.
Then his expression slowly changed.
Something felt different.
His field of vision was lower than before.
Buggy looked down.
Only then did he realize that several parts of his body were missing.
"Are you looking for these?"
Nami's voice came from the side.
Buggy froze.
Nami stood nearby.
Several missing parts of Buggy's body were beneath her feet.
She had already tied them together with rope.
"Nani?!"
Buggy stared at his bound body parts, his face turning pale.
Nami smiled in satisfaction.
"You're really an idiot for leaving your body parts lying around like that."
Luffy looked at Nami and grinned.
"Just as expected from our navigator!"
Nami froze for a moment.
Our navigator.
For some reason, those two simple words made her chest feel strange.
She immediately looked away.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I only helped because I wanted to defeat him too."
Luffy simply laughed.
"Shishishi!"
Nami sighed.
At least for now, she could still say that.
Luffy then turned his attention back to Buggy.
He stretched both arms backward.
His gaze locked onto Buggy.
"Then..."
He pulled his arms even farther back.
"Now fly, Buggy!"
"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"
"W-wait a second..."
Luffy's palms slammed into Buggy before he could finish.
The force sent Buggy flying high into the sky.
"GYAAAAAA!"
His figure grew smaller and smaller in the distance until he finally became nothing more than a tiny dot.
"I'll remember this, Straw Hat!"