Tatadan the Mountain Bandit

Beast Tamer Mohji, the first mate of the Buggy Pirates.

Acrobat Cabaji, the chief of staff of the Buggy Pirates.

These two were mere background characters in the original story, but in reality, they were the strongest combatants on this ship besides himself!

Compared to their appearances in the original story two years later, they seemed a bit green, yet they possessed a certain degree of potential. Buggy had already decided that once he finished this next job and saved up enough capital, he would immediately take the pirates on board to find an island for secluded training. He needed to improve his own strength and that of the entire crew to meet the challenges ahead; his sights were set on more than just a small corner of the East Blue.

With three hundred meters left to the town's shore, the main sail was furled. Relying on the small sail, it would likely take four or five minutes to reach the dock.

Buggy looked at the two and asked, "I ask you, what is your dream?"

The two stopped their bickering and looked at Buggy. A trail of snot dripped from Mohji's nose: "What is a dream... Captain Buggy, why are you asking this?"

Cabaji leaned against the wall; even as an acrobatic swordsman, he possessed a touch of a swordsman's romance. He tossed his hair: "To seek a wild and unrestrained freedom..."

As an entrepreneur from his past life who was good at speculation and possessed planning and purpose, Buggy's ability to bluff and sophistry was by no means weak.

His eyes flickered, and he said in a low, emotional voice: "Human dreams do not disappear with time. On the contrary, like the mellow fragrance of aged wine, they become more profound as the years pass, eventually setting the heart and body free within that dazzling dawn. If a person has no dream, they are like a walking corpse; even if they live, they lose the luster of life... Do you want to know what my dream is?"

The two shook their heads in unison.

"You bastards, play along!!!"

Buggy reorganized his emotions: "My dream is to become the Pirate King and find the legendary Great Treasure. And you are the beast tamer and swordsman under the future Pirate King, so you must also become the world's number one beast tamer and the world's number one swordsman!!!"

Listening to the beautiful blueprint and endless reverie that Buggy had suddenly constructed for them, Mohji and Cabaji couldn't help but feel a sense of longing, murmuring to themselves: "The world's number one beast tamer (swordsman)..."

Buggy revealed a sinister-looking smile. Regardless, let's plant a seed of hope in their hearts first, then let it sprout and bloom, turning into the motivation for constant training to lay a foundation for entering the Grand Line in the future. Besides... after shifting their attention, they shouldn't dwell on why he had changed his usual style of conduct, right...

Surrounding pirates: "Hey, hey, what does this have to do with furling the sails and docking?"

"Probably nothing."

Buggy flew into a rage: "Who is talking about my red nose!!!"

A few minutes later, the Big Top docked.

Compared to the ostentatious display of the pirate flag's fangs, this low-key docking seemed much friendlier. Two or three fishermen on the shallows merely glanced over indifferently before continuing to dry their nets and fish.

"Team One, go to town to buy enough food and fresh water. Team Two, go buy weapons and equipment. Mohji, you are responsible for staying behind to guard the ship. Cabaji, you and the others follow me."

After giving his orders, Buggy took Cabaji and a group of underlings off the pirate ship.

"Captain Buggy." Cabaji's gaze was cold. "I understand. You want to hide our forces in this town to dispel their concerns, and then when the night is dark and the wind is high... launch a surprise attack."

"Not bad, you said it very... as if!"

Buggy rewarded him with a sharp flick to the forehead: "Don't be so self-righteous."

In reality, while burning, killing, and looting could quickly seize wealth, Buggy did not want to do so. Beyond his feelings of disgust, there was also a sense of disdain and willfulness etched into his bones.

Gali Island was like any other island in the East Blue, with four villages on it. Ever since a port was built on the east coast a hundred years ago, the island's indigenous people had begun to focus on developing trade.

Since then, merchant ships had passed through here every year, and the islanders' exchanges with the outside world had become increasingly frequent.

By selling the island's rare aquatic specialty, Gali Fish, these indigenous people had gained wealth and labor, greatly improving their standard of living. Not only that, but they had also acquired a batch of high-quality weapons and equipment, which were kept by the village defense teams in rotation. These weapons had played a huge role in defeating the pirates who had come to invade over the past few years.

This was one of the reasons why the arrival of Buggy and his crew did not raise any alarms.

The afternoon sun was somewhat intense, spilling over every rooftop, street, or the wide-brimmed sun hats of pedestrians. The air was filled with a restless and humid scent. Several laborers wiped away foul sweat by the roadside as they hurried past, and the vendors in the market were hawking their wares listlessly.

If it were in the past, the sailors, traveling merchants, and nearby villagers taking a break in Kodia Tavern would surely be holding iced ale, laughing heartily as they recounted the interesting events of the past few days.

But today, the tavern was very quiet. A group of uninvited guests had occupied the seats, and the villagers stood to the side, indignant, their fists clenched.

One man sitting in the center of the tavern wore his hair in a topknot, his chest exposed, and a distinctive long sword tucked into his waist. His wooden clogs were stepping on the head of an unconscious young villager, and his eyes were fixed on the old man behind the bar as he said in a mocking, sinister tone: "Mayor Chris, for the sake of our past cooperation, I will allow your village to pay ten percent less in monthly tribute than the other villages."

The old mayor, Chris, adjusted his reading glasses and tried to persuade the other party: "Lord Tatadan, we used to work together to fight off pirates. I feel we don't need to speak like this at all."

Tatadan sneered: "We worked together before only because those pirates stepped onto my turf, not for any other reason. Old man, don't be so self-indulgent."

Chris glanced at a wine barrel to the side and said sternly: "No matter what the attitude of the other villages is, our Kodia Village will not submit to you mountain bandits, nor will we pay any monthly tribute. If you..."

Bam!

Before he could finish, the tavern door was pushed open. The mountain bandit guarding the entrance was struck heavily on the back of the head by the door panel and fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

"Boys, all the drinks today are paid for by me, Captain Buggy! Drink to your heart's content!"

"Oh!" The underlings shouted excitedly, "Long live Captain Buggy!!!"

Suddenly, everyone in the tavern had their attention drawn to the red-nosed man at the door and his large group of followers, and the conversation came to an abrupt halt.

Buggy immediately sensed that the atmosphere in the tavern was a bit off, but he didn't care. Logically speaking, as long as there was no conflict of interest with the village, nothing should happen.

Buggy sat down at Tatadan's table: "Boss, bring out your strongest liquor. Uh... Boss, why are you still standing there?"

Old Mayor Chris didn't move, but Tatadan narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You are... pirates?"

The surrounding atmosphere became oppressive. Buggy poured himself a glass of water. "Yeah, I'm a pirate."

"Yo, so this is a pirate, all of them wearing such ridiculous faces."

Tatadan snatched the water glass from Buggy's hand and crushed it with force. "We are mountain bandits, great mountain bandits, not something you low-life pirates can compare to. You scum of the sea, get out of this island right now."

The group of mountain bandits surrounding them abruptly pushed up on the hilts of their blades, revealing cold glints as they leered at Buggy.

"And what if I say no?" A sinister, cunning smile spread across Buggy's face.

Swish!

Tatadan swiftly drew the longsword from his waist, slashing horizontally in the blink of an eye, a flash of white light as brilliant as cherry blossoms igniting in the air.

A fine line suddenly appeared across Buggy's neck, and his head was instantly severed from his body, dropping limply onto the table.