Chief Steward, A Wonderful Chase in the Night Sky

Evening, Orange Town harbor.

"Clang."

Several heavy sacks filled with gold and jewels were tossed onto the incredibly spacious deck of the Eclipse.

Buggy wiped the hot sweat from his forehead, his bruised and swollen face still showing lingering traces of fear. But when he looked up and truly took in the interior construction of this sailing ship, his small eyes instantly widened like copper bells.

The precious Iron Pine deck was polished to a spotless shine, the living room was covered in soft silk carpets, and behind the open cabin doors, one could even see a full set of incredibly expensive leather sofas and a temperature-controlled wine cellar.

"Is this some royal family's guerrilla warship or something?"

Buggy swallowed hard. As an apprentice who had once served on Roger's ship, he had seen countless storms and waves, but the terrifying budget poured into the "comfort" and "texture" of this vessel still made a greedy pirate like him feel his throat go dry.

It seems getting on this ship isn't entirely a bad thing, Buggy calculated inwardly. As long as I show a bit of my navigation expertise, scoring a room with a soft mattress in this spacious living area and drinking fine wine every day doesn't sound half bad.

Thinking of this, Buggy straightened his back, cleared his throat, and prepared to step toward the set of leather sofas that looked incredibly comfortable.

"Slap."

A wooden mop and a bucket filled with seawater were tossed with extreme precision right at Buggy's feet.

Buggy froze, following the wooden handle of the mop upward with his gaze.

He saw Sabo adjusting his top hat, the corners of his mouth twitching with suppressed laughter. Beside Sabo, Ace was leaning against the cabin doorframe, tossing an orange in his hand, looking at him with a sunny and playful expression.

"Hey, Red-Nose."

Ace grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. The terrifying killing intent from the plaza was completely gone; instead, he looked like a big boy ready to pull a prank.

"In light of the considerable treasure you've brought, as captain, I have decided to officially bestow upon you an exclusive title on the Eclipse."

When Buggy heard "exclusive title," his eyes lit up instantly, and the grievance in his heart vanished.

Could it be Vice Captain? No, no, this kid got on the ship early, so at least it must be Navigator or Chief of Combat! Buggy rejoiced wildly in his heart, though he feigned reserve on his face.

"From today on, you are the Chief Chore-Master of our Eclipse!" Ace announced with a laugh.

"Chief? Chore-Master?!"

Buggy was stunned for two seconds before the realization hit him like a hammer. This high-sounding name, when translated, didn't it just mean—a high-class lackey who scrubs the deck?!

"Are you kidding me! I am the dignified Overlord of the East Blue with a bounty of ten million, and you want me to do this?"

Buggy jumped in anger, pointing at the mop on the ground, ready to explode.

"Hahaha! Don't be so stingy, Buggy!"

Ace flashed over, his broad, thick palm slapping Buggy's shoulder with extreme familiarity, the force so great it nearly flattened Buggy against the deck.

"How can a great pirate ship be without a great Chore-Master? This is a core position that concerns the face of the entire ship!" Ace laughed while spouting irresponsible nonsense, casually stuffing the orange into Buggy's mouth. "The deck is yours tonight; do a good job and I'll give you extra rations tomorrow!"

Looking at Ace's completely unreasonable smile, Buggy bit the orange, his eyes twitching wildly. Yet, recalling the terrifying scene of this monster beating him up, he dared not speak his anger, and could only pick up the mop with a look of utter grievance.

Late at night.

On the vast East Blue, the Eclipse rose and fell slightly with the waves.

The entire ship had fallen into silence.

In the shadows of the deck, a red nose poked out cautiously.

"A bunch of ignorant brats, do they really think they can trap me?"

Buggy let out a faint, cold snort. He clutched a small cloth bag tightly in his hand, containing several top-grade rubies he had secretly pilfered from the treasure pile while cleaning.

He glanced at the pitch-black cabin. In his view, those two idiot kids must be fast asleep in their luxurious bedroom by now.

"I am a free soul who has eaten the Chop-Chop Fruit! As long as I leave my feet on the ship, my upper body can fly through the air. In this vast night, as long as I fly out of the ship's range and find any reef to drift on, who could possibly catch me?"

Buggy grinned silently in triumph, feeling genuinely proud of his flawless escape plan.

"Chop-Chop!"

Buggy took a deep breath, and his body instantly activated its passive fruit ability. His feet remained on the deck without a hint of awkwardness, while his body from the waist up, carrying the small bag full of gems, rose into the air like a ghost, silent and swift, flying toward the sea beyond the ship's rail.

"Hahaha! Goodbye, you two stupid brats! I'm off to find Captain John."

Buggy's upper body was floating happily in the night sky, a dozen meters above the sea. Just as he was about to deliver a farewell speech in his heart:

"Yo, Buggy, out for a night flight? The moonlight is indeed quite nice tonight."

A familiar, mocking laugh came from the air to Buggy's right without any warning.

"Eek--?!!!"

Buggy was so scared his eyeballs nearly popped out, and he whipped his head around.

There, in the air a dozen meters above the sea, Ace—who had no wings whatsoever—was resting his hands behind his head, his feet constantly emitting dull "bang-bang" sounds of air explosions.

He was stepping on the air with extreme leisure, as if taking a post-dinner stroll, hovering steadily beside Buggy, even examining Buggy's floating upper body with great interest.

"You, you, you, you... how are you in the sky?!" Buggy shrieked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Just couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk."

Ace grinned, leaned in toward Buggy with extreme familiarity, and extended a finger to poke at the cross-section of Buggy's severed waist. "Wow, this fruit ability is truly amazing. Not a drop of blood, just like a disassembled building block."

"Don't touch me!" Buggy scrambled to fly away in a panic, desperate to put some distance between them.

However, no matter how he flew, Ace was always able to keep pace right beside him with effortless precision, using Geppo like a giant black panther toying with a mouse.

"Are you waiting for the wind, flying this slow?" Ace laughed, mocking him as he glided alongside. "Or does your ability have a range limit? What happens if you fly too far from the feet left on the deck? Do you fall into the sea to feed the sharks?"

"Devil! You are absolutely a devil!"

Buggy's mentality completely collapsed. He exerted every ounce of strength to bank, accelerate, and even circle in the air, but the black-haired youth was like a ghost that couldn't be shaken, forever hovering half a meter away with that spectator's grin.

Ten minutes later.

Exhausted and dizzy from flying in mid-air, Buggy stopped in despair.

He finally realized a cruel reality: in front of this monster whose stamina, speed, and Observation Haki were all monstrous, his "Chop-Chop" escape tactics were as laughable as a baby learning to walk.

"Not running anymore?" Ace stopped beside Buggy, hovering in mid-air with a beaming smile.

"I... I was just out for some fresh air! Just helping the captain scout for any enemy activity!" Buggy's upper body gave a stiff salute to Ace in mid-air, two tears of humiliation hanging from the corners of his eyes.

"Hahaha! Truly worthy of being the Chief Chore Boy I've got my eye on, so dedicated!"

Ace burst into loud laughter. He grabbed Buggy by the back of his collar like a chick, used Geppo, and effortlessly carried Buggy's upper body back to the deck of the Eclipse.

"Thud."

Buggy's upper body reconnected with his feet left on the deck with perfect precision.

"Alright, since you're done scouting, get some sleep. You still have to clean the living room windows tomorrow morning."

Ace ruffled Buggy's blue hair with a laugh, not bothering to pursue the matter of his attempted escape or the stolen gems, and turned to stroll back into the cabin.

Standing in the night breeze, Buggy stared at Ace's carefree back, then looked down at the bag of rubies in his hand that hadn't been confiscated, frozen in place.

This powerful monster had clearly seen through everything, yet he hadn't killed him, hadn't seized his treasure, and even that heartless laughter while toying with him in the air felt strangely familiar.

"Captain Roger?"

Buggy muttered to himself, then shook his head violently and grabbed a rag from the ground: "Damn it! This Great Me won't be bought off by such small favors!"

In the quiet night of the East Blue, the Chief Chore Boy of the Eclipse seemed to have accepted his future fate.