By the time Gavin woke up again, it was already evening.
Recalling the “anesthesia” from earlier, he silently sat up and drew his blade.
“Where’s Shanks?” Snake pointed toward a small island not far away.
“He went over there.
There’s a pirate crew on the island, and the captain said they’re old friends.” ‘Old friends?’ Gavin lowered the blade, resolving to settle that particular account properly the moment Shanks got back.
“An old friend of Shanks in East Blue… is it Buggy, the Luck King?” As everyone knew, the Roger Pirates had their own four heavenly kings.
The Pirate King, Gol D.
Roger.
The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh.
The Face King, Shanks.
And the Luck King, Buggy.
Of those four, the strangest by far was Buggy, the Luck King.
Putting aside the fact that he would eventually get his hands on Captain John’s treasure, just the fact that he could rise from a small-time East Blue pirate to the chairman of Cross Guild was legendary enough.
Whether they could gather Hawk-Eye and Crocodile under one banner was one question—they likely couldn’t even scrape together the money to found the guild in the first place!
And Captain John was no ordinary man.
He had been an old member of Rocks’s crew, and his treasure was not merely wealth he had personally gathered.
After the Rocks Pirates were shattered at God Valley, what he’d walked away with was Rocks D.
Xebec’s own hoard.
“Vice-Captain, you know him too?” Yasopp asked curiously.
“I know him, but he probably doesn’t know me.” Gavin shook his head.
In his guess, Shanks was probably planning to use Roger’s wife and child as the reason to bring Buggy aboard temporarily under the excuse of helping him.
As for whether Buggy would leave or stay after they rescued Ace and his mother… Gavin guessed there was a high chance Buggy would still leave.
Childhood wounds weren’t the sort of thing a man simply shrugged off, least of all when Shanks had been the “perfect boy next door” in every adult’s mouth, while Buggy had been the troublesome brat of his own household.
His talent didn’t measure up to Shanks’s.
He didn’t train as hard as Shanks.
And in the end the captain had handed the hat to Shanks… Put that whole chain of events together, and even if Roger hadn’t deliberately overlooked Buggy back then, there’d only ever been one straw hat to mark the inheritance.
That alone said plenty.
As Gavin was thinking, he noticed a battered fishing boat suddenly sail out from the island in the distance.
On its patched-up, tattered sail was the image of a red-nosed clown.
As the two ships drew closer, Shanks boarded quickly with several unfamiliar faces.
His cheerful voice reached them first.
“Come on, everyone, let me introduce him!
This is Buggy, my childhood partner!” Buggy’s mouth curled down, his face full of irritation.
“I’m Buggy!
These three are my men.” Once everyone had introduced themselves, the whole lot turned to look at their dazed vice-captain.
“Hm?
Ah—my apologies.
I got a bit distracted by that fellow’s red nose.” ‘Red nose?’ This time, it was Buggy’s turn to freeze.
Once he reacted, he rushed straight up to Gavin, grabbed him by the collar with both hands, and practically jabbed that red nose into Gavin’s jaw.
“You bastard!!” “Who exactly are you calling red-nosed, you soft-cheeked pretty boy?!” The lively mood aboard the ship instantly dropped to freezing cold.
Yasopp clapped, wearing a stiff smile.
“Now that’s some nerve.
He actually dared to call the vice-captain a soft-cheeked pretty boy!” Bonk Punch walked over with Monster and lightly patted Buggy on the shoulder.
“Survive, Buggy.” Snake stepped forward.
“Try your best to survive, Buggy.” Even Shanks came over to join the fun.
“I’ll hold a sea burial for you, Buggy.” Only then did Buggy react.
The man in front of him was a famous East Blue pirate, the murderous Sword Demon himself.
He silently smoothed Gavin’s collar and put on an awkward smile.
“Um… nice to meet you.
I’m Buggy?” “Nice to meet you, Buggy.
I’m Hickman D.
Gavin.” To everyone’s surprise, Gavin did not draw his sword to beat the shit out of Buggy.
Instead he smiled and produced a sea chart that had very obviously been made up to look ancient.
“Shanks has told me all about your legends.
He even mentioned the two of you brought down commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates together!
Seeing you in the flesh—you really are something.” “Cough!” Buggy coughed heavily and glanced at Shanks with a guilty look.
But in front of his three subordinates, he could not bring himself to lose face, so he forced himself to stay calm.
“Small matter, small matter.
Ah, there’s no need to bring up the past.” “Here—consider this a small token of goodwill.
Welcome aboard.” Gavin stuffed the treasure map into Buggy’s hand and whispered, “This is a treasure map I obtained back when I was still a crown prince.
Don’t lose it.
If you find the treasure, we split it fifty-fifty.” A crown prince!
Buggy knew exactly who Hickman D.
Gavin was.
After all, the Red Hair Pirates had become famous recently.
As Shanks’s good buddy, there was no way Buggy knew nothing about them.
He hurriedly stuffed the sea chart into his pocket and burst into smug, delighted laughter.
“We’re all brothers here!
Hahaha!
Gavin, you’re far too generous!
The great Captain Buggy never forgets a favor!” “And if you ever can’t stomach another day at Shanks’s side, you’re always welcome to sign on with my Buggy Pirates!
I’ll keep the vice-captain’s chair warm for you, no matter what!” “Hey!
Buggy!” Shanks rolled up his sleeves and walked over with a foul look.
“You red-nosed bastard, you dare poach my vice-captain the moment you get on my ship?
Let’s have our first fight in ages!” “Hah?!
Red nose?!
You smug bastard!
Chop-Chop Big Punch!!” Gavin took a few steps back to avoid being caught in the fight, then greeted Buggy’s three very young subordinates with a kind expression.
“Hello, Lord Gavin!
I’m Mohji, and they’re Cabaji and Lorne!” When Gavin’s gaze moved to the small lion behind Mohji, Mohji hurriedly picked it up and introduced it.
“This is my partner, Richie!
Please take care of him too!” Under Gavin’s gaze, Richie, whose senses as a beast were already sharp, tucked his tail between his legs and let out a pitiful whimper.
“It’s fine.
Once you’re on this ship, you’re one of us.” “Bonk, show them around the Red Force.
Snake, Yasopp, secure that little boat.
We’re setting sail.” “Yes, Vice-Captain!” …
The next morning, just before dawn.
The approaching morning sun had already begun driving away the darkness before daybreak.
Gavin left the rest room as usual and went into the washroom.
After using a bit of cold water to clear away his drowsiness, he prepared to start morning training.
“Morning.” Buggy, who had not slept all night, sat leaning against the side of the ship and waved the wine bottle in his hand at Gavin.
“Been a long time since I drank properly.
Shanks really is living pretty well these days.” Gavin had not expected anyone else to still be awake at this hour.
As he searched for weight plates, he asked curiously, “Aren’t you sleepy?
Didn’t the banquet only end very late last night?” Buggy shook his head.
“Back then, to keep an eye on one weird pirate, I stayed awake for three days and three nights.
This is nothing.
Speaking of which…” “How did you and Shanks meet?” Gavin stood up and began his morning barbell-swinging exercise while telling Buggy how he had met Shanks.
“…I can only call it a meeting arranged by fate.
At the time, I was still wondering whether I should become a pirate or a bounty hunter.
I didn’t expect to run into Shanks and get invited aboard.” As Gavin swung the barbell, the members of the Red Hair Pirates slowly woke up.
“Vice-Captain, can’t you rest for even one day?” Bonk Punch complained with a yawn.
“I remember today is the day we enter Reverse Mountain, right?” The others grumbled in similar ways, but their bodies were honest as they began training together.
Buggy’s eyes widened.
“You do this every morning?
If you live every day under such a fixed schedule, what’s the point of being pirates?
You might as well join the Marines!” Shanks stared at him with empty eyes, his tone faint.
“Buggy, we don’t want to be like this either, but Gavin refuses to rest, so we have no choice.” “Gavin, he’s asking you.
What’s the point of being pirates like this?” Gavin raised his head and looked down at Shanks from above.
“I never forced a single one of you.
I simply happen to think I’m very weak, so I’m just doing a spot of light training on the side.” “Buggy, listen to him!
Does that sound like something a human being should say?!” Shanks swung his barbell with a deadpan expression.
“As the strongest swordsman of the Red Hair Pirates, this guy actually says he’s weak!
Which pirate bastard taught him that?
It’s not something a normal person can say!” Amid the noise and complaints, Buggy was pushed along by the little monkey Monster and somehow ended up joining the training line.
“Huh?
I have to train too?
But I’m a Devil Fruit user…” “Haki is everything, Buggy!” For once, Shanks wore a serious expression.
“Your body isn’t just the key to determining the strength of your Armament Haki.
It’s also the power source that supports your Devil Fruit.
Captain Roger said that himself!” “Come on!
Let’s set sail together down the glorious road of muscle!”