BOOM!
The massive axe came down with enough force to shatter a boulder, splitting Buggy clean in half.
"Die, you circus brat!"
Bald grinned savagely. Watching the clownish brat get "killed" lifted his spirits considerably.
Those idiots from Kuri had sent these people to stop the great Bald-sama. If things had ended up like this, they had no one to blame but themselves. After finishing off this annoying brat, he'd cripple the other two women and take them back for some fun!
"Don't blame me for being brutal, kid. Blame the fool who sent you here to die!"
"You dropped your guard!"
Just as he was about to press his attack on Ayame and Phyllis, who were surrounded by his men, that red-nosed brat's voice rang in his ear once more.
A white-gloved hand holding three throwing knives plunged mercilessly into Bald's kidney.
Bald stared in disbelief at Buggy, who had somehow reassembled himself after being cut in two. He was so shocked that he completely ignored the pain from the wound in his side.
"Sorry, but you were facing forward the whole time. You made yourself way too easy to sneak up on."
Buggy's body floated up into the air, then reassembled itself right in front of Bald.
"Red-nosed brat, are you a Devil Fruit user?"
"Don't call me red-nose! I am your master, Buggy-sama! The Ace Knifethrower!"
Buggy had no intention of revealing his abilities. Who seriously announces everything about themselves before a fight? Nobody does that, right?
Bald violently swung his axe, slapping away three more incoming throwing knives. Then he leaped high into the air and charged straight at Buggy like a raging boar!
His axe came down at Buggy once more, but Buggy simply smirked. Watching the blade's edge descend, he didn't even bother dodging — he planned to use the opening to drive a knife into Bald's other kidney.
Bald noticed Buggy's carelessness and felt a surge of certainty.
At the end of the day, he was just a kid. Talented, sure, but careless far too soon.
Just as the axe was about to connect, Bald flicked his wrist. The axe rotated mid-swing, and its broad flat side came around like a giant slap, slamming into Buggy and flattening him completely!
Buggy went flying like a cannonball, smashing deep into the mountainside.
"Buggy, are you okay?!"
Ayame cried out in alarm, her eyes darting toward where Buggy had been sent crashing. One of Bald's subordinates seized the opportunity and lunged at her from behind with a sword.
Ayame didn't even turn her head. Her left hand, gripping the wakizashi, spun in a quick reverse arc, piercing straight through the attacker's wrist. Her right hand followed in one fluid motion, severing the man's arm at the shoulder.
She wasn't careless like Buggy.
"I'm fine!"
Buggy dragged himself out of the dust cloud, furious. His resilience was impressive, but what truly enraged him was that Bald's hit had made his nose even more swollen than before.
Now his nose seemed to glow red, pulsing with a fiery pain as it continued to swell.
"Damn it! I'm gonna kill you!"
"You ridiculous brat, if you care about your red nose so much, then stop wearing that thing!"
Bald was genuinely baffled. Buggy clearly seemed to hate the red nose, yet he kept it on. And now it seemed to be getting even bigger and more swollen.
"Wait — is that your actual nose?"
He froze, his face full of shock.
"It's not an accessory? That's your real nose?!"
"Isn't that obvious? You bastard!"
Buggy clutched his nose and roared, his mouth opening so wide you could practically see his vocal cords.
"You — are you making fun of my red nose?"
His gaze turned dangerous.
"What's so funny, you pig-nose?"
"N-no, I wasn't laughing..." Bald stammered.
But Buggy was clearly in no mood to listen to explanations.
Even so, Buggy knew that in his current state, he was no match for Bald in a straight fight. He had genuine talent, but at the end of the day, he wasn't even thirteen yet.
So he decided to drag Enel into it.
"How long are you going to mope over there?!"
He appeared beside Enel almost instantly and kicked him squarely in the rear.
But Enel still didn't respond.
"Hey, knock it off!"
Buggy grabbed Enel by the ear and yanked him to his feet. Staring at that infuriating face and thinking about how his own red nose had just been mocked, Buggy steeled himself and muttered awkwardly:
"Look, just... get over it already. I'll — I'll make a sacrifice. I'll let you kiss me, okay? You like me, right? Now hurry up and help me take down this guy! I wanna cut off his pig nose and pickle it!"
"Who likes you, you red-nose?!"
Enel finally snapped out of his daze, more from the ear-pulling than anything else. But Buggy's words sent a fresh wave of fury through him.
Fighting among themselves right now was clearly a bad idea — even Master Ma would shake his head at that. So Enel channeled all of his heartbreak-fueled rage toward Bald and charged!
"Let me blast your pig head into the sky!"
Having grown up alongside Buggy, Enel had picked up plenty of foul language. Normally he was a fairly polite kid, but right now he just needed someone to pummel.
"Explosion · Boxing!"
BOOM!
Enel went all out from the start. The Devil Fruit power channeled through his fist merged with his Haki, and when it struck Bald's body, it triggered a violent explosion!
Scorching smoke surged outward in all directions.
"Explosion · Elbow Strike!"
"Explosion · Meteor!"
BOOM—
BOOM—
His attacks came in an endless barrage, as if he were venting every ounce of frustration. He unleashed them one after another toward Bald. Whether they did meaningful damage was debatable, but they certainly left Buggy and the others staring in disbelief.
"This guy... just how badly does he want my kiss..."
Buggy, hanging back, was drenched in sweat. His arms hung limp at his sides. He was honestly starting to not know how to face his so-called best friend anymore.
He thought about how he and Enel had grown up together — bathed together, slept in the same bed, even had peeing contests and compared... well, other things. They were brothers who had literally shared the same pair of pants.
Looking at it now... something seemed a little off.
THUD—
A blue blur shot past Buggy's vision. It was Enel, sent flying after unloading that full barrage of attacks.
"What are you standing around for? Get over here and help me!" Enel shouted.
"R-right..."
Buggy replied meekly. Watching Enel fight this desperately, he couldn't shake the feeling that the fresh little daisy he'd been nurturing for thirteen years was in serious danger.
[
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