"Gone. It's all gone..."
Buggy slumped beside the wicker chair, clutching his head as he muttered in despair:
"How am I supposed to sail the Grand Line now? If I go back to the East Blue and stay there, that bastard Shanks will laugh at me if he finds out..."
Over the past two years.
He had heard plenty of news about Shanks. He had seen the guy in the newspaper headlines... no, wait, on the second page, several times.
Defeating Moria of the Shichibukai, having his bounty pass five hundred million Beli... each story was more outrageous than the last. He had stolen the spotlight, with countless pirates around the world becoming his devoted fans.
By comparison, after they had gone their separate ways, Buggy still had a bounty of just ten million Beli. He was like the least successful guy at a school reunion. It was humiliating beyond belief.
"Well, you don't need to worry about that."
Old Crocus, who had been smiling silently all this time, suddenly shrugged. He raised the newspaper in his hand and glanced at Buggy. "That little brat isn't doing too well himself right now."
Huh? What does that mean?
Buggy froze, then instinctively turned toward the newspaper.
The photo on the left seemed to show two dragons? He couldn't make it out clearly, but on the right... he would recognize that guy wearing a straw hat and looking into the camera even if he were burned to ashes—
How did this bastard get into the paper again?
And this time, he even made the front-page headline?
Resentment and jealousy instantly swallowed Buggy's reason. He scrambled to his feet and, gritting his teeth, snatched the newspaper the old ship's doctor offered him.
"What earth-shattering thing did this bastard do now? Did he beat