Kouzuki... Oden?

"So, the screams we just heard were from you?" Xi Yan asked, scrutinizing Buggy.

Thinking back now, that scream definitely sounded like the other person's voice.

"Who are you?"

"He is my partner, Xi Yan," Luffy explained.

"I see." Buggy nodded, then said, "That scream was indeed mine."

"After being discovered by the Image Den Den Mushi, I was chased by those guys all the way."

At this point, Buggy gave a helpless look.

He had originally thought he could sneak past all the jailers and quietly find his way out.

But as it turned out... they were discovered by Image Den Den Mushi halfway there.

Thinking about this made Buggy's head ache.

"So..." Xi Yan frowned as he looked at Buggy and said, "Because of you, this place has been targeted by the jailers, right?"

The prison guard he had previously controlled had said that if they discovered any pirates escaping, they would mobilize the guards on that floor to arrest them.

Now... there's probably already a large group of prison guards heading this way.

'Why don't we throw this guy out? That'll draw their attention away.'

Thinking of this, Xi Yan's eyes turned hostile.

Buggy, oblivious to the change in Xi Yan's gaze, turned to Luffy and asked, "Straw Hat, why are you here?"

"Were they also arrested and brought in?"

Perhaps remembering something, Buggy gave a mocking look and said, "I never thought you'd end up like this."

"Of course not," Luffy said. "We came in on our own initiative."

"You're talking nonsense!"

"How could anyone willingly enter this hell?" Buggy retorted.

This Underwater Great Prison is a pirate's hell; no idiot would willingly come here.

Straw Hat Straw Hat probably doesn't want to admit he's been arrested...

Wait a minute!

Buggy suddenly thought of a possibility.

"Straw Hat, could it be that you came here to rescue me after hearing I was captured?!" As he said this, tears welled up in Buggy's eyes, and he was completely moved.

Then, he slapped Luffy and arrogantly cursed, "You bastard, I don't need your sympathy!"

Xi Yan:...

This guy is an idiot.

"Damn it, what are you talking about?!" Luffy, opening his shark-like mouth. "I didn't come here to save you!"

"I came here to save Ace."

"Huh?!!"

Buggy was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in disbelief, "You actually came here to rescue Ace?!"

As if realizing his voice was a bit too loud, Buggy immediately moved closer to Luffy and said, "Shh... keep your voice down."

"You were the one shouting it!"

"That's not important anymore," Buggy said. "I'm really surprised you would come here to save Ace."

He had heard that Fire Fist Ace had been captured and brought here, but he didn't expect that this Straw Hat would dare to come here to rescue him.

"Yes, Ace is about to be publicly executed by the Navy, so I came here to rescue him."

"It was a public execution..."

Buggy's expression turned serious as he thought to himself, 'What are the Navy thinking, daring to publicly execute Whitebeard's son...?'

Aren't they afraid of starting a war?

That old man with the Whitebeard isn't exactly known for his good temper.

Forget it, this has nothing to do with him. Let's think about how to escape from here.

"Let's go, Luffy. Don't worry about this guy," Xi Yan said. "Let him wander around on this floor by himself."

"Oh, here it comes."

Luffy nodded, and then Buggy said, "Goodbye, Buggy."

"Ah, goodbye..." Buggy waved and said, "You guys go and save Ace, I'm going to steal a warship."

"By the way, you came in from outside, do you know the location of the warships?"

"I have no idea."

Luffy honestly shook his head.

"Have no idea?"

Buggy was dumbfounded. "How could I not know?"

Could these guys have entered the Underwater Great Prison from underwater?

No, how could that be!

"I was brought in by Xi Yan." After Luffy finished speaking, he glanced at Xi Yan and said, "Xi Yan, do you know what's going on outside?"

"Ah, there are ten warships outside."

Buggy:...

Upon hearing the number of warships, the Buggy were stunned.

"Ten ships?"

That's on the scale of the Buster Call!

With such a formidable force guarding the outside, there's no way he could escape.

'No... the Navy is deploying so many troops here, probably to guard against Whitebeard.'

If that's the case, these warships might be withdrawn after a while.

With that in mind, Buggy decided to make a run for it and hide first.

However, when Buggy saw several Broggly rushing towards him from a distance, he turned around and ran towards Luffy without hesitation.

"Hey, what are you up to now?"

"Temporarily avoid the limelight... temporarily avoid the limelight..."

After glancing at the group of Broggly, Xi Yan said, "Ignore these guys, let's go underground and hide first."

After saying that, Xi Yan slammed his hands on the ground and activated the Earth Release Technique.

The next moment, the ground beneath their feet began to twist, and then the two began to sink into the ground.

This scene completely stunned Buggy.

'What... what kind of strange ability is this?'

No, now is not the time to think about such things!

"Take me with you, I know how to find Ace!"

Upon hearing Buggy's words, Luffy's eyes lit up.

"Xi Yan!"

"Profound!"

Without wasting words, Xi Yan quickly softened the ground beneath Buggy's feet and swallowed him whole.

After the three left, a huge axe flew from a distance and smashed straight into the spot where Buggy had just been standing.

"Clang!"

"Gurgle?"

"Gurgle gurgle?"

Several Broggly looked at the ground, now back to normal, with puzzled expressions, not understanding what had just happened.

The prisoner was clearly right there, so why... did he suddenly disappear?

The simple-minded Broggly had no idea what had just happened.

After thinking for a moment, the group began to break the ground with their axes.

Unfortunately, Xi Yan had already taken the two of them and left.

"What... what kind of ability is this?" Buggy exclaimed in shock.

Although he couldn't see his surroundings due to the lack of light, the feeling of moving forward was still there.

"Haha, this is Xi Yan's Earth Release Technique, isn't it amazing!"

"Earth Release Technique...?"

Buggy was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed excitedly, "You're Ninja?!"

"Ah, that's right, I'm Ninja."

"They really are Ninja."

Buggy was incredibly excited when he heard Xi Yan admit that he was Ninja.

I never imagined that one day he would be able to see a living Ninja. This is... so cool!!

Thinking of this, Buggy asked, "Do you know any other Ninjutsu?"

"Like Clone Technique, Fire Release techniques, and so on..."

Listening to Buggy's incessant chatter, Xi Yan rubbed his forehead.

Why are these guys so interested in Ninja?

Upon learning they were Ninja, each one became more excited than the last.

Just then, Buggy changed the subject.

"Since you're Ninja, you must be from Wano Country," Buggy said with a complicated expression. "How is Mr. Oden...?"

After the other person left their ship that year, they never heard from them again.

I wonder how Mr. Oden is doing now.

"I'm sorry, I'm not from Wano Country," Xi Yan said, shrugging.

"Not from Wano Country?" Buggy frowned. "Aren't you Ninja?"

He remembered that Mr. Oden had once said that there were Ninja in Wano Country, which was one of the reasons why he hoped to see Ninja.

The other person then said they weren't from Wano Country?

What does this mean?

"Who says Ninja have to be from Wano Country?" Xi Yan said speechlessly, "Can't I be from somewhere else?"

My buddy is from a village, not from Wano Country.

"So they're Ninja from somewhere else...?"

Buggy was somewhat surprised; it was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing.

He thought that Ninja only existed in Mr. Oden's hometown.

"What, you know a lot about Wano Country?" Xi Yan asked.

If the other party truly understands Wano Country, he wouldn't mind listening to their explanation.

"No," Buggy shook his head. "I only heard some stories from Mr. Oden, but those were all from when I was a child."

"It was when you were on Uncle Rayleigh's ship, wasn't it?"

"Huh?!!"

Buggy looked shocked, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, his face filled with disbelief.

"How... how did you know?!"

Could it be that his identity as a member of the Pirate King's crew has been exposed?

Damn it, if this gets out, he'll be in big trouble!

"We have a good relationship with Uncle Rayleigh, and it was Uncle Rayleigh who told us this," Luffy said.

"The Vice-Captain, huh..."

Hearing Luffy's explanation, Buggy actually relaxed.

Since the Vice-Captain told them about it, these two shouldn't tell anyone else...

No, even if they wanted to tell, there was nothing I could do. After all... I couldn't even beat Straw Hat, let alone a legendary Ninja.

Thinking about this made Buggy's head ache.

"Anyway... I don't know much," Buggy said. "Mr. Oden only mentioned a few things."

"For example, Wano Country Ninja and samurai."

"Huh?!"

"There really are Ninja there," Luffy asked. "What kind of Ninja are they? Are they the kind who can use ninjutsu?"

"I don't know," Buggy said. "I've never seen it either."

Ultimately, he had only heard these things from Mr. Oden. Oden.

"What? It was fake after all."

"I already said, I only heard it, I have no way of confirming whether it's true or not!" Buggy roared, opening his shark mouth.

Then, as if recalling something, Buggy said, "But there's one thing I've seen before."

"What?"

"Mmm... delicious Oden."

"Eh!!!"

Upon hearing that it was delicious, Luffy's eyes immediately lit up.

"How... how does it taste?"

"Of course it's delicious!" Buggy laughed loudly. "We ate it many times back on the ship."

As if recalling that taste, Buggy's mouth watered involuntarily.

"I really want to try it."

Luffy was drooling, his face full of anticipation.

Xi Yan:...

Looking at these two idiots, Xi Yan covered his face.

It's not like it's being served right in front of you, why are you drooling?

After shaking his head, Xi Yan said, "Alright, it's time to end this small talk."

"Buggy, you just said you knew how to find Ace, you weren't lying to us, were you?"

"Hahaha, why would I be lying to you guys?" Buggy said, shifting his gaze away awkwardly.

Unfortunately, even underground where there was no light, Xi Yan could still see the expression.

Your expression tells me that's not the case.

"Huh?!!"

Buggy looked shocked and said, "You can see me even in this darkness?"

Xi Yan remained silent, simply watching Buggy quietly.

Buggy:...

Although he couldn't see anything, he always felt that there was a pair of terrifying eyes staring at him from the shadows... No, this wasn't the shadows at all; those bright, blood-red eyes were way too obvious, you bastard!

"Cough..."

Buggy coughed lightly, then said seriously, "Actually, I do know how to get down there, at least getting to the second basement level shouldn't be a problem."

After finishing speaking, Buggy paused for a moment, then said, "As for the lower floors... as long as we can find the passage to the next floor, we can go down."

"Hahahaha!"

Finally, Buggy started to laugh awkwardly, as if trying to get away with it this time.

"Go to the second basement level?"

Xi Yan stroked his chin and thought for a moment before saying, "That's fine, at least it's better than not knowing."

"Right, I..."

Before Buggy could finish speaking, Xi Yan continued, "If you really don't know anything, I'll throw you in front of the jailers, Mr. Clown Buggy!"

"Click~"

Upon hearing Xi Yan's words, a Inazuma flashed through Buggy's mind, and cold sweat immediately appeared on his face.

'We were almost... almost done for...'

Buggy didn't doubt the truth of what the other person said, after all... if the other person wanted to, they could just throw him out of the ground!

By then, even if he wanted to run, he probably wouldn't be able to escape.

Thinking this, Buggy immediately rubbed his hands together and said, "Don't worry, this time what I said is absolutely true!!!"

As he spoke, Buggy was also thinking about how he had slipped away from Xi Yan.

'Even though they're people Mr. Rayleigh knows,... I don't feel safe around them...' Buggy thought to himself.

Why do they keep throwing people into the jail at the drop of a hat?!

"He really is someone who doesn't keep his thoughts to himself." Xi Yan shook his head and said, "Buggy, you're thinking about running away, aren't you?"

Buggy:...

Oh no, I forgot that the other person can see my expression.

"Alright, I'm too lazy to deal with you." Xi Yan said seriously, "Although I don't know what your plan is, it's obviously impossible for you to leave here on your own by boarding a warship from the front."

"So... your only chance of leaving this place alive is to continue deeper into the area with the two of us."

"You want me to go to the Level 5 with you?" Buggy frowned. "But that would mean running into Magellan, that terrifying guy. That's no joke."

He had heard from others that the guy was Poison Man who had eaten the Venom-Venom Fruit, and that his whole body was covered in poison.

His ability to Chop-Chop is completely useless against someone like that.

"If you really encounter that kind of guy, you don't need to fight him," Xi Yan said. "Also, don't be stubborn and refuse to listen to reason. If it weren't for Uncle Rayleigh's sake, I would have hypnotized you right now, believe it or not?"

Buggy:...

Although I don't know if the hypnosis they mentioned is true or false, their attitude is clearly serious.

So... he has no choice but to go this time?

Thinking about this made Buggy feel extremely uncomfortable.

He's just a 'great pirate' with a bounty of over ten million; is it really safe for him to go to a place like that?

Seeing Buggy's expression, Xi Yan added, "Mr. Buggy, you... don't want the Navy to know you're a member of the Pirate King's crew, do you?"

"Click~"

That simple sentence struck Buggy like a thunderbolt, leaving him frozen in place.

That bastard... he actually threatened him with this?

Damn it, those damned Ninja bastards!

"Damn it, I'm going!" Buggy said with a face full of grief and indignation, "You damned Ninja, you'll definitely go to hell!"

"Go to hell?" Xi Yan shook his head and said, "Sorry, hell can't take me away."

With such powerful Mangekyō Sharingan, Xi Yan Truth who could kill him.

After all... he's invincible right now!

"Hmph, I'll go, but you have to do everything you can to keep me safe," Buggy said.

"No problem. If we encounter Magellan, I will intercept him," Xi Yan said.

"Alright then," Buggy nodded, "I'll go with you."

If his safety can be guaranteed, there's no problem with him going down there.

'Thinking about it carefully, if we can really rescue Fire Fist Ace, it would be safer to leave with them,' Buggy thought to himself.

After all... with his strength, he really couldn't defeat those marines outside.

The combat power of the Buster Call was simply beyond his ability to contend with.

"Hahaha, Buggy, it's so great that you're willing to help!" Luffy laughed loudly.

"Click~"

Upon hearing Luffy's words, Buggy's face immediately contorted with bulging veins, and he roared with his shark-like mouth wide open, "You rubber bastard!"

"Which ear of yours heard me say that I was willing to help?"

If it weren't for this bastard threatening him, he would have already found a way to run away!

"Ah?"

"But didn't you say you were going?"

Buggy:???

Was this idiot genuinely not understanding, or was he just being sarcastic?

Seeing Buggy looking completely numb, Xi Yan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Buggy:...

Bastards, one after another, they're all bastards!!