Straw Hat Pirates Arrive

Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the sky above Sabaody Archipelago, causing the island's civilians to look up. However, the thunder quickly subsided, and the sky returned to its clear state, as if what they had just heard and seen was merely a fleeting illusion.

When Buggy arrived at a secluded and deserted pier in Mangrove Zone 26, a burly man with an exaggeratedly large physique came into view. The man sat quietly on a stone bench, holding a Bible in his hands. It was unclear whether he was reading it carefully, but he seemed to be eagerly awaiting Buggy's arrival. He slowly closed the Bible and asked, "If you were to travel, where would you go?"

"Such an easily recognizable appearance... Bartholomew Kuma, Shichibukai."

Buggy calmly stepped forward, thought for a moment, and then teased, "If we're talking about travel, I'd like to go to Laugh Tale again... Can you do that?"

"..."

Bartholomew Kuma's usually expressionless face stiffened slightly, and he said in a low voice, "I'm sorry... I can't do it."

"Is that so...? That's a real shame. I thought you were omnipotent." Buggy stopped twenty meters in front of Bartholomew Kuma. "What, did the World Government send you to find me?"

"No, it's an order from Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

"Oh? I heard that Bartholomew Kuma is the only Shichibukai who obeys the World Government without Shichibukai. That's strange. So the rumors... were probably wrong."

"..." Bartholomew Kuma stood up, staring at Buggy. "This is only part of the 'plan.' I also want to know what someone valued by the Fleet Admiral looks like..."

"As you can see, he's just an ordinary pirate."

"No, you're not ordinary, you're a member of the Pirate King's crew..." Bartholomew Kuma took off his white glove, and with a push of his right hand, he instantly compressed the air into a white, almost transparent shape, which then shot towards Buggy like a bullet.

Buggy also stretched out a hand to shield himself, and the Pad Cannon exploded like a bomb five meters away from him, the strong wind from the explosion blowing their hair backward.

Buggy stood still and said casually, "If that's the case, your identity seems quite special... Besides Shichibukai, you must have another identity."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bartholomew Kuma's expression tightened, but he still said emotionlessly, "My other identity is just that of a pirate."

As he spoke, he slightly squatted down to stabilize his stance, and his two fleshy palms pushed forward continuously, unleashing a barrage of almost transparent Pad Cannon like Gatling guns loaded with bullets, relentlessly firing at Buggy!

Buggy also raised both hands, his Awakening Chop-Chop ability allowing him to split the air without direct contact. He could also Sky Split cannon, causing it to explode mid-air.

Facing Bartholomew Kuma's Hundred-Pad Cannon, Buggy swiftly shifted his hands, destroying each cannonball as if popping bubbles, while casually saying, "Pirate...? No, perhaps we can delve deeper into your identity, can't we?"

I don't understand what you're saying!

Bartholomew Kuma began firing his pressure cannons with increasing frequency, and Buggy, who was taking the hits, was starting to struggle. However, a sly smile still played on his lips. "By the way... you should know Straw Hat Luffy's identity, right?"

Bartholomew Kuma moved even faster, quickly pushing his hands forward and firing nearly ten pressure cannons in succession. He then straightened his body, spread his arms upward, and used the Paw-Paw Fruit's projectiles to apply pressure to the atmosphere, gradually shrinking a white bear paw-shaped air mass about the size of an ordinary bungalow.

In the blink of an eye, he compressed the Kuma mass of energy into the size of a ping-pong ball and kept it in his hands. The next moment, the ping-pong ball-sized Ursus Shock was released from his hands and flew towards Buggy.

The Ursus Shock rapidly expanded in an instant, suddenly creating a terrifying shockwave covering a radius of 100 meters!

The stone slabs on the ground shattered rapidly, forming stones that flew everywhere. The walls of a large warehouse that was hit by the Ursus Shock were immediately covered with cracks, and then shattered into pieces of bricks and tiles. The strong air convection caused a large amount of goods stored in the warehouse to fly out, and the air within the range of the Ursus Shock was also squeezed outwards, leaving no sound!

After a long while, the commotion caused by the Ursus Shock subsided, and the entire coastal area became very quiet.

"That's terrifying... You even used your ultimate move. It seems you're still concerned about what I'm about to say, Tyrant Bartholomew Kuma..."

Finally, Buggy, his clothes torn, strolled closer from a distance. Knowing his opponent well, he wouldn't fall for it so easily, but he was still slightly hit by the aftershock of the Ursus Shock. The power of Bartholomew Kuma's move was indeed extraordinary!

Bartholomew Kuma looked at Buggy, put his white gloves back on, picked up the Bible again and held it to his chest, speaking in his usual calm tone, "I didn't care what you wanted to say, I just wanted to test your strength... But this isn't our battlefield. You're a smart man who can assess the situation, and you understand that the battle ahead is meaningless."

"Are we just going to let this go like that?" Buggy cracked his neck. "Fine... what can we do when our goals are somewhat similar? How about this, you answer one question, and I won't pursue it further..."

Bartholomew Kuma succinctly asked, "What do you want to know?"

Buggy asked, "What does [D] mean?"

"This is beyond my knowledge," Bartholomew Kuma said indifferently.

"I always see you carrying a book, I thought you were some kind of fanatical intellectual..." Buggy said, "Then let me ask you a different question, what exactly happened during the hundred-year Void Century?"

"Have no idea..."

"Approximately what level of combat power do the Five Elders possess?"

"Have no idea..."

Faced with Buggy's series of strange questions, even the usually calm Bartholomew Kuma broke out in a cold sweat.

"You don't know this, you don't know that..." Buggy's lips curled into a sly smile. "In that case, I'll ask you a simple question... Where is Vegapunk right now?"

Bartholomew Kuma's face immediately betrayed his assent. "Why are you asking this?"

"Answer me, after all, I didn't ask you about Monkey D. Dragon." Buggy's implication couldn't be clearer: I know you're a member of the Revolutionary Army, and if you don't want me to reveal that identity, then you'd better answer my question honestly.

Bartholomew Kuma slowly said, "Manakis, an island heavily guarded by troops dispatched by the World Government..."

Buggy memorized the island's name, then looked at the other person and said, "... Then let's call it even."

"..." Bartholomew Kuma didn't ask Buggy how he knew the secret of his identity. He quickly turned his back and disappeared from sight in a moment.

Buggy murmured, "Such a powerful man is about to become a mindless living weapon. What kind of agreement did Vegapunk reach with him to make him willingly become a test subject? It's truly baffling..."

Although Bartholomew Kuma has left, Buggy suspects he will remain on the island, naturally because of Luffy.

Even Ivankov, who was following Dragon, didn't know that Dragon had a son. Bartholomew Kuma must have found out belatedly as well. Moreover, he almost killed Dragon's biological son on Thriller Bark. If nothing unexpected happens, he should take this opportunity to observe Luffy, who is about to arrive at Sabaody Archipelago. Although Buggy doesn't know what orders Sengoku gave, it can give Bartholomew Kuma a good excuse to stay on the island.

Enel, who had previously appeared only briefly, had also disappeared. Although these two very powerful individuals had gone into hiding, the arrival of the Supernovas on Sabaody Archipelago had brought the island back into the spotlight.

Besides Hawkins, who was the first to arrive, the Supernovas who arrived one after another were "Captain" Eustace Eustass Kid and his second-in-command "Killer," "Red Flag" X. Drake, "Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law, "Sea-Ringing" Scratcher Apoo, "Gluttony" Jewelry Bonney, "Gangster" Capone Becky, and "Mad Monk" Urouge.

These people each had their own style of doing things and were scattered across different areas of Sabaody Archipelago. However, the first thing they all did upon arriving on the island was the same: send their men to coat their ships. They seemed to believe that being the first to arrive in the New World gave them a so-called "first-mover advantage" and brought them one step closer to the One Piece.

Buggy, of course, didn't have time to correct their views. He sat on a recliner in the room, drinking juice and flipping through the intelligence on these Supernovas. This intelligence was collected and integrated by Lilina from information in old newspapers, and the content was basically complete. Of course, a large part of this was also thanks to the assistance of the local forces.

It wasn't until noon the next day that the Straw Hat Pirates finally arrived at Sabaody Archipelago.

"The big tree in front has stripes, just like a lollipop!"

"Let's stop the boat here. This is Peninsula 41, don't forget that number."

Even so, some people are bound to get lost.

"That's right!"

Hey... don't look at me like that!

"Yohohohoho~~"

Various sounds came from the deck of the Thousand Sunny. A group of people were also very interested in the Sabaody Archipelago in front of them. After docking the ship in the harbor, they went ashore.

Hatchan Nami decided to rescue from the Flying Fish Riders because he had reformed, was among them. As a semi-native, he naturally became their guide, saying, "We need to find a coating craftsman now and ask him to apply a coating to our ship. Generally, this will allow the ship to sail on the seabed!"

Luffy exclaimed, "Huh?! Is it really possible?!"

"This is the only way to Fish-Man Island, but if the craftsman isn't skilled enough, the membrane will break on the seabed, and the ship and its crew will be doomed!" Hatchan said seriously. "And I only have one trustworthy craftsman; I'll take you to him!"

However, you must agree to one condition: once you enter the island, you will encounter the 'World Nobles,' who are residents of the Holy Land Mary Geoise... No matter what happens, do not contradict the World Nobles, even if they kill someone in front of you... pretend you didn't see anything!

"Sounds like... a really arrogant bastard."

The Moss Head swordsman smiled, glancing around at the scene before him. "And... why are there so many of these sneaky fellows on this island?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the figures who had just poked their heads out immediately retreated behind the obstacle.

The curly-browed cook, standing on the deck, had a clearer view. "These people are obviously coming towards us... Hey, stop hiding, we can see you!"

"Handsome, have I been spotted? Young master, you have a keen eye indeed!" Duval, riding a water buffalo, suddenly appeared out of nowhere and threw a clumsy wink.

The Straw Hat crew, their faces full of exasperation, exclaimed in unison, "Hey, what are you still doing here?!"

"Huh?! Aren't you talking about handsome me?" Duval pulled out a mirror and looked at himself. "I followed you because I was worried something might happen to you, young master..."

As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head, revealing a stiff smile, with what seemed like sparkling stars appearing at the corners of his eyes. "Were you just saying I'm handsome?"

The Straw Hat Pirates unanimously denied it. "That's absolutely not true!!"

Sanji leaned against the ship's railing, pointed his thumb at the group of people in the shadows, and asked, "Duval, are those your men?"

"No!" Duval looked in the direction Sanji was pointing. "They have a 'V' mark on their arm... They must be the criminal organization nicknamed 'Madness,' specializing in human trafficking. They're notorious bastards in the area, though I'm not really in a position to say that..."

"Human traffickers!" Hatchan quickly shielded the frightened Camie behind him and said warily, "Hey, don't even think about hitting Camie!"

Starfish Pappag also stepped forward. "That's right, you have to get past me Pappag, first!"

"Are there parasites like this everywhere...?" Zoro slowly drew his sword from its sheath. "It shouldn't matter if I cut them down, right...?"

Luffy swung his fist. "Watch me send them all flying!"

"Please wait a moment!" A man finally stepped out from behind the shadows. "You must be the Straw Hat Pirates? We mean no harm; we've come to invite you!"

Invite...?

Luffy and his crew were immediately confused. Franky said, "We don't know you at all! What's your purpose?"

"It wasn't us, it was Lord Buggy's invitation."