In that instant, Buggy felt the world become startlingly real. Everyone was flesh and blood, with feelings of their own—not stiff machines or soulless puppets. They all had their own ways of surviving, and once something was set in motion, it would eventually bear fruit.
The world might change course because of his arrival. Perhaps people would no longer choose the same paths as in the original story when they reached a fork in the road. They might change direction, and the roads that eventually converged could end up being entirely different.
After watching Robin disappear from sight, Buggy sighed inwardly and opened the notebook. He flipped through it quickly, finally learning what the Big Octopus had used for its powerful slashes and rapid movement.
The notebook gave detailed instructions for training in the Six Powers: Shave, Geppo, Iron Body, Paper Art, Finger Pistol, Tempest Kick, and the technique derived from the Six Powers, Life Return.
He had only skimmed through the notebook, and although it didn't contain instructions for training in Haki, the Six Powers already surpassed his expectations.
Could this be a blessing in disguise...? Robin's gift was worth more than any ordinary treasure.
Life Return was especially valuable. Once mastered, it allowed one to freely control the body, hair, and internal organs. By channeling one's consciousness into them, one could control any part of the body at will. It might not be all that useful to others, but for Buggy, it was a key that could unlock the treasure trove inside his body—a training method that would bring about a qualitative change in his strength. After all, he was a Chop-Chop Fruit user.
Once he mastered Life Return, he might reach unprecedented heights.
"What a wonderful gift." Buggy sighed, then closed the notebook and carefully tucked it away. The gloom of the night had lifted completely.
He strolled over to the underground entrance and examined the cross section of the stone door. From top to bottom, it consisted of three or four layers of different metals, with a thin layer of Seastone at the very bottom.
Buggy turned and asked, "Cabaji, can you cut off a piece of this?"
"Easy. Leave it to me, Captain Buggy." Cabaji walked over and drew Sakura Blizzard from his waist. He tapped it lightly against the stone layers, producing a metallic clang, then swung down with all his might.
The flash of his blade was like falling cherry blossoms, but the stone door didn't budge.
Buggy: "..."
"Captain Buggy, give me one more chance!" Cabaji froze, looking a little embarrassed. He raised his Great Grade Sword again and brought it down with a mighty slash.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
In an instant, he slashed twice through the air. But the result was the same as before. The layers inside consisted of three or four metals and Seastone; they weren't going to be cut through so easily. Not even a Great Grade Sword could do it.
"Damn it! Open up!" Cabaji charged at the stone door and hacked at it wildly from every angle. But aside from chipping away some of the bricks at the very top, he couldn't make a dent in the hardest metal layers. All he left behind were a few shallow scratches.
At last, he collapsed onto the ground like a dead ox, panting heavily and too exhausted to lift his sword. With a straight face, he said, "Captain Buggy, sorry. I can't cut a piece off."
Was this guy an idiot too? Buggy was speechless. Shouldn't he have known how it would turn out after the first swing? The chief of staff had been so determined not to lose face in front of everyone that he'd ended up embarrassing himself even more...
If they could take the Seastone here, they'd have a way to fight back against even a Logia user. But reality rarely matched one's ideals. Since they couldn't remove it, Buggy didn't dwell on it. He ordered his underlings to carry the exhausted Cabaji and head back to the village the way they'd come. Now that they'd uncovered the secret here, it was time to return, leave the island, and set sail for their intended destination.
They passed through the jungle, surrounded by the smell of blood and the carcasses of all kinds of wild beasts. It was much quieter than the last time Buggy had come. Even the animals knew to keep their distance when a powerful enemy was around.
By the time they returned to Kodia Village, it was already afternoon. The fire at the tavern had long since been put out, but the area was still blackened, with the ruins of the building all around.
More than that, the villagers no longer looked at Buggy's crew with hostility. Although the pirates had been at each other's throats yesterday, the conflict had never broken out. Compared with the vicious pirates and the parasites among the island's bandits they'd encountered in the past, this crew was one of the few that followed the rules. At the very least, they'd bought the villagers' crops and alcohol at market price and treated them amicably. Other pirates were nowhere near as decent.
Several informants hiding in dark alleys hurried to spread the news. Before long, Chris, the village chief of Kodia, approached, flanked by several strong young villagers.
Chris pushed up his reading glasses. His expression gave nothing away. "Young pirate, you actually made it back safely. Looks like you passed through the Land of Wraiths."
"That's right. And I came back with quite a haul." Buggy smiled.
Chris replied impassively, "That's astonishing, but... I don't see the slightest sign of treasure on any of you."
Buggy said nothing. He tossed the parchment toward Chris. "Maybe your eyesight's gotten so bad with age that you can't see anything anymore."
Chris caught the parchment and slowly lowered his head. "Yes, I'm old now. Everyone grows old and dies. No one can escape it. Sixty years can turn a young man into an old one, and it can take a person's life, too. Time is merciless."
Leaning on his cane, he turned and murmured as he walked away, "I suppose I've been too stubborn. After all these years, that great man must be gone by now..."
He must have been Gray Katz's personal guard in the story... Buggy watched Chris's retreating back and mused inwardly. That Vice Admiral from Ohara sure knew how to win people over. He didn't even let them know he was dead, leaving them to wait for him for sixty years. When you thought about it, that was pretty cruel.
The villagers gathered around looked on in confusion as the two men spoke in riddles. In the end, they dispersed after Chris left.
"Let's go, boys." Buggy set off.
Buggy led the pirates toward the harbor. After they'd gone a little way, a pirate wearing a red hat came running toward them in a panic. He stumbled along, and the moment he saw Buggy, he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed, "Captain Buggy! Captain Buggy! Vice Captain Mohji is about to be killed!"
"What happened?" Buggy sensed that something was wrong. "Explain yourself properly."
The red-hatted pirate said, "Captain Buggy, yesterday we followed your orders and handed the wanted man over to a bounty hunter on a nearby island. We wanted to work with him to collect the bounty, and we all agreed to give him a ten percent cut. But he refused, then attacked us instead! The dozens of brothers aboard our ship and Vice Captain Mohji were no match for him. They're probably about to be killed!"
"What does the bounty hunter look like?"
"He has green hair and three swords at his waist."