Clown Buggy and Skinning a Tiger

"You scoundrel!"

On the rooftop of the town's largest building, a group of pirates was gathered.

"You can't even catch a petty thief, what good are you? Are you here to juggle—"

Among the pirates, the pirate captain sitting on a throne was furious, his enormous nose flushed red!

This captain was dressed as a clown, with a white skull pattern painted on his forehead, two blue slashes under his eyes, a large red nose, and red lipstick.

He wore a clown hat with blue hair hanging down, a red and white long-sleeved shirt, a purple scarf around his neck, white gloves, blue pants, clown shoes, and a captain's coat draped over his shoulders.

While this appearance was truly beyond words, the deterrent effect was undeniable:

"Captain, it's not just that female thief, she has a boss, a very powerful expert..."

Several bruised and swollen pirates hurriedly explained, essentially saying, 'It's not that our forces weren't trying hard enough, but the enemy was too strong.'

"What kind of expert? How many stories tall is he?"

"Captain,"

The gatekeeper grunt came up to report.

"That thief has delivered herself to us..."

"Very well, bring her up—"

"Wait, she came back on her own?!"

What kind of maneuver was this? I don't understand... Never mind, let's see what she has to say first.

The captain, dressed as a clown, waved his hand, and immediately someone went downstairs to bring the person up. It was:

Bang!

Luffy, bound tightly with ropes, was thrown onto the ground. Nami, with her short orange hair, faced the surrounding fierce pirates and the clown-dressed captain with a slight smile.

"Captain Buggy, he's the one who told me to steal the map."

"I brought him to you, and I brought the map back too~~"

"Nami, you tricked me!!"

Luffy, who had been suddenly attacked and tied up by the other party, wriggled on the ground like a caterpillar.

What is this...

"Well done!"

Although he didn't know what was going on, he still needed to maintain his swagger. Captain Buggy, in his clown attire, gave a charming smile, "But... what's going on here..."

"My boss and I had a falling out,"

The girl named Nami replied calmly.

"I've had enough of him, so please let me follow you."

Meanwhile, Luffy, locked in an iron cage nearby, could only pout angrily, "Hmph, I don't want you as my nakama anymore."

What is this...

"Had... had enough?~~ Hahahaha~~, what an interesting woman." Nami's words first stunned the pirates on the rooftop, and then they burst into laughter.

"Very good, very good!!"

Captain Buggy, dressed as a clown, stood up and spread his arms.

"The map of the Grand Line, lost and now found,"

"And a new nakama has joined us..."

"Men, let's have a feast!" he announced loudly, "Cheer to your hearts' content, eat and drink to your hearts' content! And then—"

"Give it your all in the next battle!!"

"Ooooh~~~"

"Long live Captain Buggy!!"

"A toast to the Captain,"

"A toast to the treasure!"

"Bottoms up~~"

The clumsy pirate grunts quickly brought out various beers, cooked food, cutlery, and plates! Then, they spontaneously formed small groups and began the happiest time for pirates:

Eating meat heartily, drinking from large bowls, weighing gold in large scales...

"Newcomer, let's have a drinking contest!"

"Sure~~"

After drinking down several pirates in a row, the atmosphere became even more lively! On the edge, a pirate with low alcohol tolerance looked at the girl who was 'dominating the crowd' with a mixture of envy and fear. He nudged the person next to him who was only focused on eating meat.

"Hey, want to give it a try too?"

"No, I don't drink."

"Ah, what a shame," said a pirate with low alcohol tolerance, spearing a piece of meat and putting it in his mouth. In his daze, he seemed to have forgotten something.

"Hmph, my alcohol tolerance is no ordinary matter."

After taking down several pirates in a row, Nami grinned triumphantly, as there were no new 'challengers.'

If she continued drinking like this, once all these pirates were drunk and passed out, she could steal the navigation chart back again. And she could even steal all the treasure of this Captain Buggy's pirate crew while she was at it!

Pirates were just such simple-minded people...

"Hey~~ Hey~~~"

Facing the pirates who were feasting voraciously before him, Luffy, locked in an iron cage and starving, defiantly began to eat iron!

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

What strong teeth he had! The iron cage even bore teeth marks.

"Hi, boss."

Squatting in front of the cage, the girl named Nami sized up Luffy within.

"How do you feel? So easily fooled, and you still dare to call yourself a pirate..."

"I'm hungry!"

"I want meat too~~"

However, their thoughts were not on the same wavelength at all. Feeling like she was 'talking to a brick wall,' Nami helplessly handed the food in her hand into the iron cage. It felt like feeding an animal. Then:

Chew, chew.

"Delicious."

"You're a good person— be my nakama,"

Luffy, whose attitude had flipped again, left Nami utterly speechless.

"I don't want to!"

"Do you even know your current situation? You're going to be sold as a slave and die a miserable death in the mines..."

"However,"

She changed her tone, "If everything goes smoothly, it wouldn't be impossible for me to steal a key and let you go on the way—"

"Pffft hahaha~~~"

Just then, the sound of footsteps and exaggerated laughter from behind interrupted Nami's words. The clown-like Captain Buggy walked over with his duck-like gait.

"Straw Hat, your subordinate is quite something."

"She's not my subordinate!"

"I understand, I understand. After all, she betrayed you~~"

Captain Buggy waved his hand 'generously.' But the next second, he lowered his head, a sinister and terrifying expression creeping onto his face!

"Regardless, you shouldn't have tried to steal from me, Buggy," he said, waving his hand. "Bring 'that' over!"

Rumble, rumble.

A massive muzzle-loading smoothbore cannon was pushed over. Although it was just the most ancient of firearms, its thick barrel and the cannon tube, large enough to fit a person, all spoke of its terrifying nature!

And the direction the cannon was aimed at was precisely:

Luffy, who was locked in the iron cage!

"This is the 'Buggy Ball' I made," said the clown-like Captain Buggy, taking out a cannonball the size of a human head! His pirate symbol was even drawn on it.

"One shot can blast through a whole building!"

As the cannonball was loaded and the fuse reattached, a box of matches was thrust into Nami's hand.

"Come on, Nami."

The clown-like Buggy pointed at Straw Hat Luffy in the iron cage.

"Use my 'Buggy Ball' to send your 'former boss' on his way, and then we'll conquer the world together!"

In an instant, cold sweat trickled down the face of the girl named Nami.

Pirates were not just 'simple-minded'; they were also 'vicious and evil.'

"Cap-Captain Buggy..."

"Don't... don't let this guy ruin our mood," the girl said, her face stiff, trying to play it cute. "Let's keep drinking..."

"Kill him."

However, the clown-like Captain Buggy beside her merely glanced at her. The icy killing intent rendered Nami speechless. Then, the other party flicked his captain's coat and turned away with a flourish.

"Blow him up!"

"Blow him up!!"

"Hurry up and do it~~~"

"Hahaha,"

"Let's start the betting~~~"

"Let's see how many 'pieces' that guy is left with—"

All around, there was the sound of pirates laughing and making noise. In an instant, the pirates who had been drinking and chatting 'honestly' moments before revealed their 'extremely evil' fangs!

It's over... If I don't kill this guy... I'll be killed...

Kill or be killed?

Faced with this choice, the young girl named Nami trembled slightly. She turned to look at the Straw Hat boy in the cage. — He had no grudge against her, and in fact, he had saved her once. Although he called himself a pirate, looking at that silly appearance...

"Hey, you're scared."

Luffy, in the cage, looked at the girl who controlled his life and death with a confident smile.

"It's not good to get involved with pirates rashly without enough determination and preparation."

"Heh... Heh... What determination,"

"Determination to kill people casually?"

Faced with Nami's counter-question, Luffy laughed heartily.

"Wrong! It's the determination to 'risk my life'!"

Hmph, hmph, At the edge of the pirate crowd, the young man who was burying his head in food curled the corners of his mouth upwards.

"Hey!! Nami!"

Captain Clown Buggy's urging came from behind. "Hurry up and do it, don't spoil everyone's fun! Or do you:"

Want to die?

Kill or be killed—

"Newcomer, you don't even know how to light a fire?"

A pirate who couldn't stand it directly snatched the matches from Nami's hand, then skillfully struck one and brought it to the fuse. "Just like this—"

Bang!

A club smashed hard onto his head, knocking the pirate to the ground.

?!!

"What are you doing?"

"Nami, what do you mean?"

"You've gone too far!"

Oh no, I didn't mean to...

"What's going on, you really are my nakama."

"Shut up, idiot!"

Nami, holding an iron rod, turned her back to the iron cage behind her and gritted her teeth, vowing fiercely.

"I don't want to become like these pirates who killed the people most important to me!"—trampling on life wantonly.

"Oh, no wonder you hate pirates so much..."

"Hmph hmph hmph, whether you can't bear to do it or you have other intentions." Captain Clown, whose face had darkened, pointed. "You dare to fool me, Captain Buggy, I'll show you what cruelty is! Go—"

A group of pirates immediately responded and charged forward.

"Nami, I want you to be my nakama!"

And the young man at the edge, who had been burying his head in food, also stood up, pulled out a paper napkin from his palm, and wiped his mouth.

"It's over..."

Facing the surging crowd of pirates, the orange-haired girl looked desperate. She was just a thief, and facing a group of murderers, her only outcome was:

Bang—

A figure flashed, and all the charging pirates were sent flying backward!

A figure blocked in front of Nami, along with his signature catchphrase.

"You guys made the first move,"

With one blow...

Who is this divine being...

"Roman!"

Luffy's happy voice from the cage behind made the young man in front of Nami turn his head, revealing a handsome face, and:

a look of disdain.

"Yo, Luffy."

"It's only been a short while, how did you get so weak?"