I'm Just Staying Here

"Hello, my name is Youqi. Did you also wander into this dense fog?"

When Buggy's eyes regained color, he saw a man greeting him like this.

The other person wore a White Cowboy Hat, had Green Algae Hair, and the shoulders of his coat were adorned with yellow tassels.

His expression seemed quite cheerful.

"Hello."

Buggy responded with a slight smile.

Then, he took out a handgun from the Armory on his chest.

He grabbed the gun, raised it, and pulled the trigger.

The actions were seamless.

A bullet the size of a finger passed through Youqi's forehead.

His body staggered a few times before falling, but the cheerful expression on his face remained unchanged.

He still mumbled, "Hello."

It was Buggy, who had just opened his eyes, who got up.

He was on the deck of a strange Sailwood Ship.

A sticky, nasal odor wafted from the slippery, decaying wooden planks.

The sky was as dim as water, and only near the ship's cabin, a hanging Oil Lamp in a glass cover.

The Oil Lamp's flame was not bright yellow, but a clear, ethereal glow like moonlight.

It barely illuminated the deck in front of the ship's cabin.

On the other side of the deck, Youqi's crew members were having a lively party.

"The captain is dead, hahahaha."

They pointed at Youqi's corpse and laughed heartily.

A tall crew member with an Explosion Head held a Violin, the bow dancing back and forth across the four strings.

"Yohohoho~~~ Yohoho~~"

The crew members linked arms, crowded together, raising their wine glasses and singing a cheerful Shanty together.

Some leaned against the ship's cabin, playing an Accordion.

The melodious, cheerful singing seemed to instantly dispel the darkness of this place.

"How could the captain be dead? I am the captain."

Buggy tapped his fingers in time with the rhythm, chuckling as he squeezed into the lively party.

They didn't seem to care much about Youqi, the captain.

Upon hearing Buggy's words, someone immediately chimed in:

"Cheers to the new captain!"

"Cheers!"

"..."

The bow in the hands of the Explosion Head man suddenly accelerated its pace.

The even more cheerful and high-pitched melody made one want to immerse themselves in it from the bottom of their heart.

Buggy's laughter was equally cheerful, his red lips appearing even more vivid.

He joined in, raising his glass to toast with the crew.

He didn't care that they had only known each other for three or four seconds before they were already slinging their arms around one another.

The crew member whose Shoulder he was holding slowly began to Split Apart to the rhythm of the cheerful melody.

Like a porcelain vase that had been glued together, he returned to a shattered state.

The singing voices grew quieter and quieter.

Before long.

Only Buggy and the Oil Lamp hanging on the deckhouse remained on the deck.

"Hahaha, another interesting party."

Buggy's smile carried a hint of lingering enjoyment.

He showed no fear or horror toward the Gore on the deck.

Instead, he took another gulp of the brownish Wheat Wine.

The astringent taste slid straight down into his stomach.

He raised his gun and fired a shot at the Oil Lamp on the deckhouse.

With a crash, it shattered.

The glass cover shattered all over the floor.

Bright white flames instantly spread across the entire ship.

In the flames, darkness once again engulfed Buggy's vision.

"."

"."

"Hello, my name is Youqi. Did you also wander into this dense fog?"

After an unknown amount of time, a hearty voice woke Buggy up again.

Everything seemed to return to when he first opened his eyes.

Or rather, the 127th time after being swallowed by the shadow.

"Hello."

Buggy's answer and actions were no different than before.

Accompanied by cheerful singing, he once again Split Apart all the creatures on the ship, whether they could be considered alive or not.

Then he shattered the Oil Lamp.

Darkness struck again.

This was not a cyclical world. If Buggy wished, he could continue to happily interact with them like this.

Drinking, singing, and playing.

However, he had created a cycle for himself.

It began when he discovered that as long as everyone on the ship died, the flames would consume the ship, and everything would reset.

He repeated everything before him tirelessly.

The only change was the count he kept in his heart.

The 146th time he opened his eyes.

Buggy, as usual, swiftly killed the captain and joined the party.

"Why did you kill us?"

Amidst the cheerful melody, a crew member with curly hair beside him suddenly turned his head and asked.

"It seems the game has finally entered its second stage."

Buggy chuckled without responding.

The speed at which the other party began to Split Apart suddenly accelerated significantly.

Those eyes, which had abruptly shifted from joyful to hollow, shattered all over the ground in about three seconds.

Flames swallowed the ship's hull once more.

"Do you not like it here?"

When Buggy opened his eyes again, Youqi's expression had turned much colder.

"Someone once dreamt a dream like this day after day."

The hollow-eyed Youqi continued.

"So it's a dream, no wonder it's so delightful." Buggy grinned, showing no surprise at the change.

"But I don't like dreaming."

"Reality is already ridiculous enough."

Buggy repeated his previous actions, raising his gun and pulling the trigger.

Killing, setting fires.

Just like the things he was most Skilled at.

He opened his eyes.

Youqi's expression was cold, and he maintained a distance of six paces away.

"Are you not bored?"

It was the first time he had seen someone so impatiently repeat the same series of actions over and over.

To him, killing seemed as natural as drinking water.

Even if they were a group of complete strangers, or even people who had greeted him warmly.

"Bored?" Buggy rubbed his chin, as if seriously considering the question.

Then, with a sneer, "Ah, ah, open eyes, close eyes, and then repeat the process."

"The vast majority of lives I've seen are just like that."

"Why would I be bored?"

Buggy walked up to Youqi again without a sound.

Then he raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

The action was smooth and flowing.

"Kill him!"

The crew members on one side finally stopped spectating.

They drew three or four long swords from their accordions, and Explosion Head, who had been playing the violin, also spun his bow, turning it into a sharp dagger.

This was their beautiful dream.

"Now it's the berserk phase."

Buggy shook his hands, looking nonchalant.

He let the swords and blades hack at his body.

"Then, next is."

He pulled a fuse from the corner of his mouth.

He lightly rubbed his finger on it.

"Bang--"

His mouth shape and the muzzle flash sounded at the same time.

"What did you do?!"

Youqi, who had returned to the starting point, had an angry face. Cracks spread from his face all the way to the hull, and even beyond the hull, into the darkness where the cold firelight couldn't reach.

Cracks like shattered porcelain appeared there too.

Buggy looked up. The other party's enraged expression seemed to bring him particular pleasure, his smile mocking.

"I just stayed here."

The first effect of the Four-Way Split-Split Fruit's awakening was:

Those who came into contact with him could be split apart.

"How is this possible!"

"How could you escape my dream!"

"Isn't it good to dream here!"

Youqi was still shouting loudly, but the spread of the cracks was unstoppable.

With a crash.

The black shadows that enveloped the four directions shattered into pieces.

Buggy stomped his foot, and the damp, rotten smell on the deck was gone.

He vaguely heard a "moo"-like sound.

The black shadows that connected the sky and the earth quietly fled.

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