Chapter Seventy-Seven: Luffy and Buggy

That morning, Roland led Zoro and his companions aboard the warship. Under Pengeres's command, the ship—which had been docked at Loguetown's pier for less than half a day—set sail, heading toward Syrup Village.

To ensure they reached Syrup Village as quickly as possible, Roland had Nami take over as navigator. On the Grand Line, perhaps thanks to their experience, navy navigators might surpass Nami in skill, but in the East Blue, Roland trusted her more. Moreover, Roland didn't dismiss the original navigator; instead, he had him assist Nami, allowing her to learn from the navy's expertise and further hone her craft. Nami was largely self-taught in navigation, never having received systematic training. With a seasoned navy navigator at hand, Roland naturally hoped she would use this opportunity to improve.

Pengeres had initially felt some dissatisfaction with Roland's seemingly autocratic decisions—especially his insistence on installing his own people. However, on the third day at sea, when Nami used her keen intuition to guide them safely around a storm, Pengeres let go of those doubts and felt a new admiration for Roland. This unremarkable fellow had managed to gather such talents in the East Blue, and yet still wished to join the navy rather than become a pirate. If someone like him couldn’t represent justice, then who could?

Aside from Nami, Pengeres’s attention was most drawn to Zoro, the swordsman with the rank of ensign. Over the past few days aboard, every time Pengeres saw him, Zoro was practicing his awkward swordsmanship—his coordination between both hands seemed almost nonexistent, so much so that it made Pengeres uncomfortable just to watch. Yet, as a fellow swordsman, Pengeres could tell that Zoro's fundamentals were exceptionally solid. If they were to duel using only swordsmanship, and not the Six Powers, he suspected he might not be a match for Zoro.

As for Koby, Pengeres had yet to see anything particularly special about him, aside from his passionate dedication to the navy. But that in itself was already a surprise—this was, after all, the weakest sea. To have found a prodigious navigator and an outstanding swordsman was an impressive feat.

“No, Donna, you should do it like this…”

Inside the warship’s training room, Roland was instructing young Donna in the art of the sword. Over the past days, he had discovered that Donna had a remarkable talent for swordsmanship; perhaps not quite Zoro’s equal, but not far off. She often grasped skills on her own, even before he had the chance to teach her. This delighted Roland. Because of the system and his Devil Fruit, he knew he was fated never to achieve greatness in swordsmanship, which meant he could not pass on Master Shiki’s legacy himself. Now, with Donna's talent, he could entrust his teacher’s swordsmanship to her and let her carry it forward.

“All right, big brother, I understand,” Donna replied seriously, her young face intent as she practiced exactly as Roland taught. Though drenched in sweat, she never complained of fatigue; her determination rivaled even Roland’s in his youth.

“Colonel Roland, a pirate ship has been spotted ahead!” A sailor suddenly burst into the training room, reporting to Roland.

“Pirates?” Roland glanced at Donna, saw that she was immersed in practice, and chose not to interrupt. He left the training room with the sailor.

“Where are the pirates?” On the deck, Roland approached Pengeres and asked.

“According to the lookout, it's a pirate ship with a circus motif, anchored off the port of a town called Orange Town. Judging by the flag, it should be the last notorious pirate crew in East Blue—the Buggy Pirates, led by Captain Buggy the Clown. His bounty stands at fifteen million Berries.” Pengeres handed Roland Buggy’s wanted poster and a telescope as he reported.

“Buggy the Clown?” Roland laughed at the sight of the infamous red nose on the poster. He had planned to track down this troublesome character after dealing with Kuro—he hadn’t expected Buggy to land right in his path. Now, if he took care of Buggy before heading to Syrup Village to deal with Kuro, he’d have eliminated every pirate in East Blue with a bounty over ten million. That might not stabilize the sea entirely, but it would at least send a warning to the small fry—that while East Blue might be weak, it was not a playground for their misdeeds.

“Head straight for them. I’ve been looking for this Buggy for a long time.” Roland gave his order.

“Yes, sir.” Pengeres hurried off the deck to relay Roland’s command to the helm.

…

“Hey, kid, that hat of yours looks awfully familiar. Where did you get it?” In Orange Town, Buggy—his face painted like a clown and his nose a glaring red—stared intently at Luffy, questioning him.

“Wow, that’s amazing! Can you show me that trick again?” Luffy, eyes sparkling with excitement, was utterly fascinated by Buggy’s Devil Fruit powers.

“Is that really the important part, you straw hat fool?!” Buggy stomped his foot in frustration.

“Oh, you mean this hat? Shanks gave it to me. Why, do you know him?” Luffy, ever oblivious, took off his hat and grinned.

“Shanks—!” At the mention of that name, Buggy’s body split apart in shock. No one in the world knew that name better than he did.

“What’s this, Red Nose? You know Shanks too?” Luffy asked in delight.

“No, I don’t—wait, who are you calling Red Nose?” Memories of that incident twenty-three years ago made Buggy determined never to be associated with Shanks again. Even though they had once been blood brothers through thick and thin, even though Shanks was now an Emperor of the Sea in the New World, Buggy still resented him. Yet, more pressing than old grudges was Luffy’s infuriating nickname: Red Nose.

Of all the slights Buggy couldn’t stand, being called Red Nose was the worst. Even when the world’s strongest man, Whitebeard, once called him that, Buggy had dared to confront him.

“But you are a red nose! I’m not wrong!” Luffy pointed at Buggy’s nose, confused.

“You keep saying it! You keep saying it…” Buggy finally lost his temper and swung a fist at Luffy.

“Want to fight, Red Nose? Take this—Gomu Gomu no Pistol!” Buggy threw a punch, but even slow-witted Luffy wouldn’t just stand there and get hit. He retaliated with a rubber-powered punch of his own.

“A Devil Fruit user?” Buggy’s body split apart, just barely dodging Luffy’s attack. He stared at him in surprise.

“Yep! I’m a rubber man—I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit!” Luffy replied proudly.

“Hey, kid, if you set out to sea following in Shanks’s footsteps, then your dream must be to become a pirate, right? Why not join my great Buggy Pirates? With your strength, I can make you a battle captain!” Buggy considered recruiting Luffy. In the East Blue, Devil Fruit users were exceedingly rare, and now he had a chance to claim one of Shanks’s little protégés for himself. It would boost his own crew’s power and serve as sweet revenge on Shanks—a win-win.

“No way! I’m going to be King of the Pirates! Your crew’s way too weak—I’m not joining.” Luffy rejected him outright.

“You little brat! You ought to be grateful for the offer—I only gave you this chance because of Shanks!” Buggy’s face darkened, his gaze turning vicious.

“I said no, idiot! Bleh—” Luffy refused again, sticking out his tongue.

“Then don’t blame me for being rude!” Buggy barked, calling his crew to attack. “Use blades, not guns! Devil Fruit users can resist blunt force, but not slashing attacks!”

“Yes, Captain Buggy!” The pirates of Buggy’s crew, their patience long since exhausted, surged forward. After all, they’d hauled that barrel out of the sea themselves, and now the brat not only showed no gratitude, but kept insulting their captain. How could they tolerate that?