Cough! Cough!
The pirate who had been thrown to the ground clawed at his throat, coughing violently, his voice hoarse as if his neck bones had been wrenched out of place.
But the moment he remembered what he had to report, something far more urgent, his eyes widened and he forced himself to push through the pain.
He scrambled across the deck on all fours, stumbling toward Buggy, and shouted breathlessly:
"C–Captain Buggy! It's… it's bad!!!"
"That legendary hero of the East Blue—!"
"Lieutenant Brannew's warship—!"
", is coming straight for us at full speed!!!"
"What… what did you just say?!"
Buggy's bright red nose stiffened with fury, practically touching his eyebrows as his face twisted with panic and irritation. His eyes bulged like ping-pong balls as he stammered:
"You mean… that East Blue hero, the one who's captured eighty percent of the wanted pirates in these waters?!"
"Yes, Captain! That massive warship looks exactly like the one from the stories!"
"Damn it!!!"
Hearing this, Buggy's heart lurched.
The name Lieutenant Brannew was practically legendary across the East Blue.
Maybe most people didn't even know who the highest-ranking Marine commander was in this sea, but everyone knew who Lieutenant Brannew was!
He wasn't just any ordinary Marine.
According to unofficial reports, the number of pirates personally captured and imprisoned by Lieutenant Brannew, those who plundered, murdered, and preyed on the innocent, had already surpassed the total number of pirates that appeared in the East Blue in the past decade combined!
Because of him, the Marine had even begun constructing three new island prisons just to hold the criminals caught by this so-called "Hero of the East Blue."
Buggy frowned deeply.
He knew that title wasn't for show.
It was said that Lieutenant Brannew wielded a pair of seastone gauntlets, capable of nullifying any Devil Fruit user's powers.
And now, surrounded by the sea, with nearly the entire East Blue fleet closing in…
If that man was truly coming for him, Buggy had no chance of escaping alive.
His days in these waters would be over.
Worse still, their supply of special cannonballs was running dangerously low.
So if there's any way out of this… there's only one path left.
Buggy's eyes flickered with reluctant resolve before his usual clownish grin masked his thoughts.
He slowly raised his head and gazed at the distant shadow of a misty mountain ridge.
Looks like… I'll have to go back there after all…
Once he made up his mind, Buggy's expression softened, as though a heavy weight had been lifted.
Hesitation is never a pirate's way.
When you think of something, do it. Never let fear chain your will.
And since there were no other choices left… there was only one thing to do: charge forward!
After all, he, Buggy the Star Clown, was no ordinary man!
"My crew!!!"
Wearing his orange captain's coat, Buggy suddenly raised both arms high, and his body shot into the sky!
The pirates, who had been busy fending off Marine fire, immediately stopped and turned their eyes to him in surprise.
Buggy floated above the deck, leaving only his two oversized clown shoes planted on the boards below.
Suspended in midair, he surveyed his crew solemnly and spoke in a deep voice:
"As you can see, we've been completely surrounded by the Marines!"
The crew instantly tensed.
If the Marines captured them, there would be no mercy, only execution or lifelong imprisonment.
Hearing their captain admit their dire situation only made their despair heavier.
Some clenched their fists, ready to go down fighting.
Either we explode from silence, or we perish in it!
High above, Buggy looked down on their faces, fear, anger, confusion, and felt no hesitation.
He glanced behind him at the massive warship drawing ever closer.
Then he looked ahead, toward the towering red cliffs of the Red Line, growing clearer in the distance.
With arms spread wide as if embracing the sea itself, Buggy threw back his head and laughed, a booming, mad laughter that was nothing like a man trapped in despair.
At that moment, he looked less like a fugitive pirate,
and more like a king of demons about to claim his throne.
A fierce determination burned on his face, something his crew had never seen before.
Hesitation leads to defeat.
It was a lesson taught to him long ago, by a comrade he once admired deeply.
Staring down at his crew, Buggy spoke again:
"Yes! Right now, it seems we've been driven into a corner, with nowhere left to run…"
The acrobat Cabaji looked up at him in awe, whispering, "Captain Buggy…"
Even the others could sense something had changed. Their captain wasn't defeated, he was awakening.
Buggy ignored their murmurs. His mind drifted back to long-buried memories.
He was young once, bold, fearless, daring to stand even before the world's strongest men.
But then…
The man he admired most, his captain, was executed before his eyes.
From that day, Buggy understood how fragile life truly was.
Fear crept in. Cowardice took root.
He lost his drive to compete.
He turned down Shanks' invitation… and hid away in this tiny corner of the East Blue.
He had thought he'd spend the rest of his life here, far from the days of laughter and glory.
But now he realized, running away solved nothing.
What must be faced… must eventually be faced.
Maybe… I was meant to belong there all along.
If he couldn't choose his fate, then he'd crash into it headfirst!
There was nothing left to fear.
He was once a member of the Pirate King's crew!
If there was no future, he would create one.
If there was no hope, he would forge it himself!
Because in their world… surrender had never been an option!
Taking a deep breath, Buggy's voice thundered through the air, steady and commanding.
"My boys! Do you know something?"
The pirates below pricked up their ears, drawn by the magnetic force in his tone.
"People call the East Blue the weakest of all seas…"
He gazed across the horizon, eyes full of ambition and fire.
"But!!!"
"This world has never dared to underestimate the East Blue!"
"Even the World Government watches this sea more closely than any other!"
"Do you know why that is?!"
He swept his gaze across their confused faces, giving them a moment to think, then raised his arm high and roared:
"Because!!!"
"This sea once birthed men who terrified the world!"
"Because!!!"
"This sea gave rise to legends, heroes who shook the Grand Line itself!"
"Because!!!"
"This sea has me, the great Clown Buggy!!!"
His body shot higher into the air, hovering proudly above his ship like a blazing comet.
"My crew!!!"
"Today, we may be cornered, hunted like beasts, "
"But!!!"
"That does not mean we surrender!"
"It does not mean we give up!!!"
"Because…"
"We are pirates of the East Blue, pirates destined to make our names echo across the world!!!"
"OOOOOH!!!"
"OOOOOH!!!"
"AAAAAAAAH!!!"
Buggy's booming voice thundered through every man's heart like a spell, igniting their passion,
their ambition as men of the sea!
He spun around the ship, laughing wildly, his voice ringing out:
"And today!!!"
"For the Buggy Pirates, this will be the most important day in history!!!"
His eyes turned toward the horizon, toward the towering mountain at the entrance of the Grand Line: Reverse Mountain.
"The world's legend will be rewritten, today!!!"
"OOOOOOOH!!!"
"WE'LL FOLLOW CAPTAIN BUGGY TO THE DEATH!!!"
"TO THE DEATH!!!"
The entire crew erupted, gazing up at the man who shone like a god above them.
Their ship charged forward, fearless, toward the place where dreams began!
They paid no heed to the dozen Marine warships blocking their path.
"Lieutenant Brannew!"
"The Buggy Pirates, they're heading for Reverse Mountain!"
"It looks like they're trying to enter the Grand Line!"
The lookout called down, eyes wide as he stared through his telescope at the circus-like ship in the distance.
"What did you say?!"
Bully roared, leaping onto the lookout platform in one bound.
He snatched the telescope and glared toward the Buggy Pirates.
"Damn it!!!"
"Full speed ahead!!! We can't let them reach the Grand Line!!!"
"This would be a disgrace to my name!!!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines scrambled into action,
some manning the engines to increase speed, others relaying orders to surrounding ships.
The entire Marine fleet roared to life once more!
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