Loguetown Melee (A 3000-character chapter, seeking votes and collections!)

To Buggy, the World Government was an entity that couldn't be provoked but could be avoided.

So when Kuro suggested they cooperate with people from the World Government, Buggy flatly refused.

Not only did he refuse, but to avoid the bad luck associated with those four words tainting his own fortune, Buggy even gave himself and his crew a holiday.

They all went to Loguetown to drink, eat meat, bathe, and have a feast!

And today, while the rest of the pirate crew went to prepare the barbecue feast, Buggy booked one of Loguetown's famous hot spring bathhouses all to himself, intending to relax.

Although he still had that red nose, he'd managed to wash off the other makeup on his face. Wrapped in a bath towel, he blissfully sank into the hot spring pool.

As a Devil Fruit User, bathing made him feel weak, but perhaps this was what relaxation was all about.

He felt truly elevated!

Buggy couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Ah, this is the life!

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the ceiling.

Buggy frowned. Before he could even utter the words, "You're so noisy, want me to kill you?", a crack appeared in the ceiling.

Then, Buggy watched as the crack grew larger and larger, until with a loud "boom," a large hole appeared in the ceiling, and two figures fell from above.

"Huh?"

Buggy blinked and immediately jumped out of the hot spring pool, still wrapped in his towel.

Immediately, the power of the Chop-Chop Fruit activated, and Buggy detached a hand. He retrieved his trusty dagger from the nearby changing room.

With a weapon in hand, Buggy felt slightly more at ease. He focused his gaze on the spot where the two figures had landed.

There were two men. One had silver-white hair and wore beach attire. The other, a purple-haired man, was clad in black heavy armor and held a giant battle spear.

Both men were covered in dust, and with the flying debris around them, Buggy couldn't see their faces clearly.

These two seemed to be fighting, and their battle had reached a fever pitch.

The silver-haired man suddenly stood up from the ground, grabbed the purple-haired man by the neck with his left hand, and seized his face with his right. He lifted the man into the air and slammed him against the wall!

BOOM!

With a dull thud, the entire wall cracked. It was clear that one more impact would bring the whole wall down.

"Whoa, whoa, do these guys have a serious grudge?"

Buggy watched the scene, momentarily speechless. Seeing the hot spring pool now muddied by the dust, he felt even more annoyed.

His rare moment of relaxation had been ruined by these two inexplicable individuals.

It seems like they've underestimated me, Buggy!

Buggy observed the two men. The purple-haired man in armor was on his last legs, while the silver-haired man was panting heavily, his stamina seemingly at its limit.

Given this, Buggy quickly made a decision. He'd tie them both up, then take them to the feast and hand them over to his crew. These guys who ruined his mood would have a taste of hardship.

With that thought, Buggy grinned and split his upper body, thrusting his dagger towards the silver-haired man's back.

Due to the angle, the purple-haired man's battle spear blocked Buggy's attack. Buggy reached out, intending to push the spear aside.

But the moment Buggy's hand touched the battle spear, a wave of powerlessness washed over him.

"Is this... Seastone?"

The battle spear in the purple-haired man's hand was a Seastone weapon!

Buggy was stunned. He then looked closely and realized that the purple-haired man was none other than Admiral Krieg, whom he had met not long ago!

What in the world?!

Despite his surprise, Buggy reacted quickly. He went with the momentum and fell towards the ground. As long as his hand was not touching the Seastone, he could regain his mobility.

Being able to obtain a valuable Seastone weapon indicated that Krieg must have formed a Pirate Alliance with Kuro and somehow reached an agreement with the World Government.

Damn it, I already backed out, why did they have to fight their way to Loguetown!

This involved the World Government, so he absolutely couldn't get involved. They hadn't discovered him yet, so he should escape quickly and leave Loguetown with his crew.

However, a strange sensation around his waist disrupted Buggy's thoughts.

The barb on the battle spear had somehow hooked onto Buggy's bath towel, and even touched his skin.

This meant that even if Buggy fell to the ground, he would be caught on the battle spear by the barb, unable to break free!

Furthermore, due to being a Devil Fruit User, Buggy had no strength to break free from the barb. He could only watch as he was hung on the battle spear.

What was even more infuriating was that Krieg instinctively tightened his grip on the battle spear, causing Buggy to sway back and forth helplessly with the spearhead.

Thus, a bizarre yet logical scene unfolded.

Smoker, with all his might, grabbed Krieg's shoulder and charged forward, smashing through wall after wall along the way.

Buggy, meanwhile, was hanging from the end of Krieg's massive battle spear, forced to follow Smoker and Krieg forward.

Finally, the three of them, in an extremely chaotic manner, crashed through the last wall and arrived at Number Five Backstreet.

And this was Lynn Barek's main battlefield!

Smoker, Krieg, and Buggy's arrival disrupted everyone's rhythm.

Kuro, who was being held by Linley with one hand, seized the opportunity, struggled free from his restraint, rolled several times on the ground, and finally managed to stand up, creating some distance between himself and Linley.

Linley looked at Smoker, and Kuro looked at Krieg. Both asked the same question simultaneously:

"What happened?"

But the difference was that Krieg had been beaten into unconsciousness, while Smoker managed to stand up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and exhaled from his cigar, uttering two words:

"Enforcement!"

Linley knew Smoker's temper well, so judging by Krieg's current miserable state, he had already guessed the rough outline of what had occurred.

Smoker must have discovered the hidden Kuro, only to be caught off guard by his Seastone weapon. In the end, relying on his own stubborn strength, he had beaten Krieg, who was wearing Seastone armor, half to death.

However, according to Kuro's words, Krieg should have had a firearm loaded with Seastone bullets.

Indeed, Linley spotted a gunshot wound on Smoker's shoulder.

After stepping forward to examine it, Linley found the wound to be very deep. To avoid any lingering issues, it would require professional medical equipment to remove the bullet, something that was impossible given the current situation.

"It's a great help having you here."

Linley approached Smoker, patted his shoulder, "You've been shot, take a break. I'll handle the rest."

"Tch, I just don't like that about you!"

Smoker took a puff of his cigar, looking at the pirates around him with a frown, "It's just that I can't use my abilities, but dealing with these trash fish, my fists alone are enough."

He tore his shirt into strips and wrapped them around his injured shoulder to stop the bleeding.

Taking advantage of this moment, Kuro, having caught his breath, suddenly ran deeper into the street.

Noticing this, Smoker, while tightening the cloth strip with his teeth, continued, "If you're going to save someone, hurry up and chase them. Leave this place to me!"

Linley watched Kuro's receding figure, his Energy Value began to deplete, and his entire aura drastically intensified.

"Three minutes is all I need."

"Three hours is no problem!"

Smoker lit the last cigar in his pocket and placed it in his mouth along with the one he hadn't finished.

Linley didn't hesitate and immediately pursued the direction Kuro had gone.

The entire street was left with Smoker, smoking, Krieg, lying on the ground, and—

Over two thousand pirates armed with Seastone weapons!

Wait, did he miss someone?

It was then that Smoker noticed that someone seemed to be hanging from Krieg's battle spear.

"A civilian?"

Smoker was startled, but when he saw the person holding a dagger, he immediately relaxed.

Were they the mysterious people who guided the crowd away from the backstreet? Or was it another companion Linley had found?

Regardless, as long as it wasn't someone inexplicably dragged into the fight!

But... why was he only wearing a bath towel?

At this moment, Buggy held his breath and exerted all his strength, finally breaking free from the barb on the battle spear. He sat on the ground, panting heavily.

"Krieg, right? I've got you, and that Kuro too, I'll settle the score with you sooner or later!" Buggy muttered fiercely to himself.

Hearing this, Smoker became even more convinced that the red-nosed man before him was a friend Linley had found to deal with Kuro's crew.

Then, Smoker said to Buggy, "Hey, you're looking for Kuro?"

Buggy's eyes widened, "Huh? Who are you?"

"Someone who also wants to settle the score with that Kuro!"

Smoker picked up a handy iron rod from the ground, twisted his neck, and said to Buggy, "If you're going to fight, get up and help!"

It was then that Buggy noticed his surroundings. Countless pirates had surrounded them, and a dangerous aura of Seastone could be faintly felt from their weapons.

"Whoa, no way, did Kuro plan to silence everyone?"

Buggy was completely confused by the scene before him, so he could only come up with an answer that he could barely accept:

The World Government had learned that Buggy knew the inside story but wasn't willing to cooperate, so they sent Kuro's crew to eliminate him!

This silver-haired man in front of him must be in the same situation, tricked by Kuro and unwilling to cooperate, only to be surrounded.

But he seemed quite capable, having dealt with Krieg single-handedly.

Alright! Even facing so many pirates, it was better than going to negotiate that certain death cooperation with the World Government. I'll break through with you!

Buggy stood up and bumped fists with Smoker.

"Oh! Brother, I'll leave my back to you!"

Smoker looked at the man wearing only a bath towel and couldn't bring himself to be serious.

Back to back, they struck a stance, each warily facing the pirates in front of them.

"Oh, right, brother."

Buggy suddenly remembered and casually asked, "I haven't seen you before. Where are you from?"

Smoker replied indifferently, "The Marines."

Buggy:

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Huh?"