Green-Haired Swordsman

Buggy frowned slightly. Green hair, three swords.

If there were no surprises, the person who could appear with this image in the East Blue must be that guy. Calculating the time, he should have just set sail around this period. To think he would run into him like this; truly, relying on pirates to contact bounty hunters to collect bounties was an unreliable business...

"Mohji is about to be killed?!" Cabaji's face was stunned. One had to know that this round-eared first mate's strength was on par with his own, yet he had actually been defeated by a mere bounty hunter.

He grabbed the pirate by the collar, his face grim. "Is there really only one person?"

The red-hatted pirate trembled all over. "J-just... o-one... one person."

Cabaji released the pirate's collar and muttered, "One person... since when did the East Blue have such a powerful bounty hunter?"

"Cabaji, don't underestimate this sea. If you remain confined by your own narrow vision, you will never see the wider world." Buggy flicked his magnificent captain's cloak. "Let's go. Let's go and see this green-haired swordsman for ourselves."

At the port on the east coast of Gali Island, aboard the pirate ship Big Top.

A group of pirate underlings had lost consciousness and were piled up like a small hill on the deck.

A green-haired swordsman sat on the deck chair that originally belonged to Buggy, flipping through a large stack of pirate bounty posters one by one.

"The famous Buggy Pirates of the East Blue? Hey, you said earlier that you were the first mate of this ship, right? There isn't even a bounty poster for you here." The green-haired swordsman glanced sideways at the bruised and swollen Mohji lying on the deck, and Richie the lion, who was playing dead.

"Damn it, to look down on me like that..." Mohji gritted his teeth, then knelt on the ground with tears streaming down his face. "Big boss, my head isn't worth anything, please let me go."

The green-haired swordsman drew one of the swords at his waist, the tip pointing coldly at Mohji. "I have no interest in you. Perhaps your captain can pique my interest a bit. In the East Blue, where the average pirate bounty is three million, a ten-million-berry pirate might bring some surprises."

(PS: The bounty setting from two years ago was ten million.)

Mohji scooted backward on his backside across the deck, his face showing a fawning expression. "You are absolutely right, big boss. Our captain will definitely give you a surprise."

At the same time, he thought sinisterly, Captain Buggy is a Devil Fruit user. You ignorant bounty hunter, you will definitely be beaten to a pulp by our captain and then thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

Buggy's crew approached from the port. The red-hatted pirate following Buggy shouted excitedly, "Lord Mohji, Captain Buggy is back!"

The green-haired swordsman stood up from the deck chair, walked to the edge of the deck, and scanned the pirates before him. Finally, his gaze landed on Buggy. He drew the two swords at his waist, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Are you the one known as the 'Indestructible' Buggy?"

Buggy looked up. The green-haired swordsman wore three golden drop-shaped earrings in his left ear, a dark green bandana tied around his left arm, a green haramaki, and three sword scabbards on his belt. Two large swords were already gripped in his hands.

Roronoa Zoro. Buggy confirmed his identity at first glance; the green hair and the three swords were simply too easy to distinguish.

Buggy held his head high as he looked at Zoro, his voice calm. "I am Buggy. I heard you killed my crew member. I've never heard your name before for such an excellent bounty hunter."

After the incident with Robin, Buggy found that his interest in the Straw Hat crew had suddenly faded quite a bit; the feeling of a fan meeting an idol was slowly disappearing.

"Sorry, I've only been in this business for a month. But if I take your head, my name should be known throughout the East Blue, right?" The blade in Zoro's hand tilted slightly as he leaped from the deck onto the beach. "As for these small fry, I left them with their lives. They aren't worth drawing my blade for."

"B-Captain Buggy." After Zoro jumped down, Mohji finally dared to poke his head out from the deck, resting his head on his arms and wailing, "I almost didn't get to see you again!"

Given Mohji's strength, it was understandable that he couldn't beat Zoro; after all, the man was a swordsman who would become famous in the East Blue over the next two years and had the potential to be a Great Swordsman.

"You white-haired freak, you really bring shame to Captain Buggy." Cabaji replied with a cold expression.

"What, you half-faced man, how dare you look down on me!" Mohji suddenly responded with full energy, and Richie, who had been playing dead behind him, quickly woke up and let out an "Awoo" to serve as background music.

"Bastard, who are you calling a half-faced man!" Cabaji was furious and immediately swept his hair to the other side. "Don't make up words, you round-eared fool. My face is perfectly complete."

It was the first time in his memories that Buggy had seen Cabaji's full face. If he could tie all his hair into a ponytail, he would definitely look like a ronin samurai. "Sigh... Cabaji, so that's what you look like."

Cabaji lowered his hair back down and said in a low voice, "A witch once told me that my left eye is the Eye of the Demon King, which constantly absorbs the colors of this world. The energy absorbed eventually gathers in my body, threatening to burst it, so I have always kept this eye sealed."

"Cabaji, I didn't know you had such a past. I really underestimated you!" Mohji's face stiffened, and he temporarily accepted the other's explanation.

"What the hell are you bastards doing, just standing there so leisurely? I'm here to take your heads!!" Zoro's face was covered in black lines. These pirates had absolutely no sense of crisis...

"It seems you are a swordsman as well." Cabaji sneered, pushed up his sword hilt, and took a step forward. The atmosphere finally became serious.

Buggy extended an arm to stop Cabaji. He looked at Zoro and said, "Swordsman, are you interested in joining our pirate crew?"

Zoro snorted coldly, "Join your pirate crew? Don't make me laugh. How could I ever become a pirate?"

Buggy lowered the arm that was blocking Cabaji. Although he really wanted to recruit this potential talent, he wasn't a guy like Luffy who relied on charisma, and the opponent had no exploitable weaknesses, so he had to give up the idea.

"Cabaji, this bounty hunter is yours. Can you handle him?"

"Leave it to me." Cabaji drew his Great Grade sword, Sakura Blizzard, and squinted at Zoro. He... didn't have a single scratch on him. It seemed he had defeated Mohji with ease.

"That sword..." Zoro's eyes lit up. "Seems like a good blade."

Buggy led his underlings, bypassing Zoro directly to head toward the pirate ship. He looked back at Zoro, a cunning smile on his lips. "After you defeat my subordinate, I will consider fighting you myself."

"A gauntlet?" Zoro was somewhat surprised by Buggy's statement. He turned his head and locked eyes with the latter. "Oh? What a strange pirate."

Just as his attention was focused on Buggy, Sakura Blizzard lunged forward without warning. The sound was faint, making no noise at all.