“Still trying to run?
Your mast is broken—where else can you go?” Moge chuckled as he watched the Buggy Pirates’ ship attempt a panicked retreat.
He couldn’t help but shake his head.
“If that so-called Haoshoku Luck can actually let you escape from here, I’ll write my name backward!”
Beside him, Kuro caught the phrase and asked in confusion, “Captain, what exactly do you mean by ‘Haoshoku Luck’?
I’ve never heard of that kind of Haki before.”
Moge simply waved his hand.
“It’s nothing, just a random thought.
Don’t worry about it.” Seeing that his captain had no intention of explaining, Kuro dropped the subject.
“Captain Buggy, we’re done for!
We can’t escape at all!
The mast is snapped, and the ship won’t move!” a crew member wailed, his face pale with dread.
“You idiot!
Think of something!” Buggy roared, jumping up and down in a fit of rage.
“No need to bother.”
A calm, relaxed voice drifted down from the roof of the ship’s cabin.
Everyone froze and looked up.
Moge and Kuro were standing steadily on top of the cabin, looking down at them with indifferent expressions.
Meanwhile, the Voyager had already pulled up right alongside their ship.
A playful smirk curled on Moge’s lips as he looked down at the clown.
“What’s the matter, Red Nose?
Weren’t you just trying to run?
Giving up already, or are you ready to surrender?”
“You bastard!
Who are you calling a red nose, you brat?!” Buggy, who had been staring blankly, snapped instantly upon hearing the trigger words.
He pointed a finger furiously at Moge.
He hated it most when people mentioned his nose; it was his ultimate taboo.
Moge lit a cigarette, took a slow puff, and exhaled a neat smoke ring.
“I’m talking to you, obviously.
Is there anyone else here with a big, red nose?”
“Damn brat!
You listen up!” Buggy glared at Moge, his red nose twitching comically.
“I am the great Captain Buggy, not some red nose!”
He suddenly spun around and barked at the crew behind him, “Men!
Get them!
Take them down and show them what happens when you mess with the Buggy Pirates!”
Seeing the tension rise, Cabaji, the Chief of Staff, hurried forward and whispered, “Captain, I don’t know who the silver-haired guy is, but the one with the glasses is Kuro of a Hundred Plans.
He’s got a bounty of sixteen million Berries and is the captain of the Black Cat Pirates!”
Kuro pushed up his glasses with the palm of his hand and said smoothly, “I am no longer the captain of the Black Cat Pirates.
I’m just a subordinate of Captain Moge.”
“What?!”
The admission left the Buggy Pirates completely stunned, their faces painted with disbelief.
Kuro was a famous, ruthless pirate in the East Blue with a bounty higher than Buggy’s.
How could someone like him willingly serve under a nobody?
Buggy was equally shocked, his anger freezing instantly into pure bewilderment.
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to maintain his composure as he demanded, “Hey…
what exactly do you want?”
Moge shrugged.
“Didn’t you guys open fire first?
Besides, when two pirate crews cross paths at sea, the rule is simple: the winner takes the loot.
Hand over all your treasure.”
“Damn it!” Buggy gritted his teeth.
There was no way he was giving up his precious treasure so easily.
“You want my treasure?
No way in hell, brat!”
With a sudden flick of his leg, Buggy contracted his toes, and a small, red cannonball shot out directly from his shoe toward Moge.
He roared, “Taste my Buggy Ball!”
Ding!
Looking at the incoming explosive, Moge didn’t even blink.
He extended a single finger, coated the tip in a hard layer of Armament Haki, and gave it a casual flick.
With a sharp metallic ring, the Buggy Ball was sent flying straight back the way it came.
When Buggy saw his own weapon roaring back toward him, he blinked in a daze, looking utterly bewildered.
He subconsciously started reciting, “Remember this, when it comes to the Buggy Ball, it’s a very useful tool in plumbing!”
Cabaji quickly chimed in, playing along, “In other words!”
“Everyone, all together now,” Buggy muttered, completely forgetting the mortal peril as he began to count down.
“One…
two—”
Boom!
A massive explosion shook the deck, instantly swallowing Buggy’s position in a violent sheet of fire.
A heavy shockwave ripped up the surrounding deck planks, sending scorching air and thick, black smoke billowing across the entire ship.
“Captain Buggy!” the pirates screamed in panic.
A moment later, the smoke cleared to reveal Buggy standing there charred from head to toe, his clothes reduced to tattered, smoking rags covered in black ash.
Although his body was durable enough to avoid any serious, life-threatening injuries, he looked like an absolute mess.
His subordinates immediately swarmed him, asking frantically, “Captain Buggy, are you okay?!”
Buggy just shook his head silently.
He glared up at Moge and Kuro, his face tight with extreme wariness.
“Hahaha!” Moge burst out laughing.
“What a hilarious performance!
However…” He glanced down at the disheveled clown and spoke calmly, “Kuro, deal with the rest of them.”
“Understood, Captain.”
Shua!
Kuro nodded slightly.
The moment his voice fell, the long Cat Claws hidden in his sleeves slid out with a sharp click.
In the next split second, he vanished into thin air.
Utilizing his high-speed Silent Step, he tore through the ranks of the Buggy Pirates.
“Aaahh!
Help!”
“Captain Buggy, save us!”
Agonized screams instantly echoed across the deck.
Kuro wove through the crowd like a ghost.
Wherever his claws flashed, a pirate would spray blood and collapse to the deck with a pitiful cry.
With his level of strength, dealing with these low-level thugs was like a wolf among sheep.
Thanks to his Silent Step—which functioned like a simplified version of Soru—his speed was far too fast for their eyes to follow.
Watching his crew fall one by one, Buggy hopped around in a panic but was entirely powerless to stop it.
He could only shout at the top of his lungs, “Crying for help won’t do anything!
I can’t save you either!”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Moge appeared right beside him.
A heavy hand clamped down on Buggy’s shoulder, pinning him to the spot with immense pressure.
Moge asked nicely, “So, Buggy…
are you ready to hand over the treasure now?”
Buggy chickened out instantly, a deeply flattering smile forcing its way onto his face.
“Yes, yes!
Of course!
I’ll have my men bring out all the treasure right away!”
Moge raised a hand.
“Kuro, stop.”
Hearing the command, Kuro halted his assault and smoothly vanished, reappearing right back at Moge’s side with a calm smile.
By this point, barely any of the Buggy Pirates were left standing.
The few who hadn’t been slashed trembled in absolute terror, barely daring to breathe.
“You lot, hurry up!” Buggy barked at the survivors, desperate to save his skin.
“Bring out every single piece of treasure on this ship!
Don’t leave a single Berry behind!”