The Man the Straw Hats Care About

"Buggy?!"

Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Nami, Robin exclaimed in almost unison.

Luffy tilted his head, utterly confused. "Why are you making such a fuss? Do you all know this guy?"

"You know him...?" Zoro asked, hands in his pockets. "Back when I was Pirate Hunter, I always wanted to take this guy's head, but after he escaped from me the first time, I almost never encountered him again... However, that swordsman named Cabaji has always been a vivid memory for me."

"So that's how it is..." Sanji took the cigarette from his mouth, exhaled a smoke ring, "I do recall that when you first came to Baratie, you seemed to have a duel with that swordsman, and after you were defeated and left, that Red Nose also tricked me, but..."

Sanji's tone suddenly turned extremely lewd. "But it allowed me and Tashigi to spend a wonderful night together... hehehe..."

"Yo ho ho ho ho~~ What color are Tashigi's underwear?"

Knock knock...

Nami's forehead bulged slightly, and she withdrew her two burning fists, saying with barely suppressed rage, "Don't bring up such lewd topics!!"

Sanji clutched the large bump on his forehead. "It's... Nami!"

"I almost got killed..." Brook lay sprawled on the ground, "Even though I'm already dead, yohohohoho~~"

"Buggy... Buggy..."

Chopper was carefully listening to the conversation, suddenly heard a strange sound beside him. Like a frightened deer, he started running around wildly, then ducked behind the mast in a scrambling motion, saying nervously, "Did you hear that...? I think I just heard a really scary scream. The ship is haunted!"

As soon as it finished speaking, a sinister and terrifying skull suddenly appeared before its eyes, seemingly accompanied by blue will-o'-the-wisps. "... Is that so?"

"Ah!"

Chopper was so frightened that he foamed at the mouth and nearly fainted. "Doctor... where's the doctor... I need treatment... Oh, right, I am the doctor..."

"Yohohohoho~~ 45° angle... Oh dear!"

"What's wrong, Usopp? You've been acting strange ever since just now..." Franky pushed up his black sunglasses. "Super... something's not right!"

Usopp's eyes were hidden in shadow. "That man... was known as the East Blue's Worst. When I was Captain Usopp with eight thousand men, I fought him for three days and three nights to a draw. In the end, our duel sank an entire island!"

"Ah--" Chopper, who had been lying there like a corpse, instantly came back to life, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets in terror. "Is that guy really that scary?!"

"According to you..." Franky stroked his chin, "That guy is really super~~ terrifying!"

Nami sighed, "Seriously, you guys actually believe what Usopp says...?"

"Hey, Nami, don't expose Usopp- sama so quickly!" Usopp shouted in frustration, gesturing wildly as he said, "I've been thinking about this plot for ages!"

However, his actions also concealed the fleeting seriousness in his eyes. He was no longer the same person he used to be. Even if he couldn't catch up with monsters like Zoro, Sanji, Luffy, he would never lose to that kid who defeated him in "Life and Death Sniper" again!

And... you absolutely must win Kaya back!

"What... it was fake after all." Chopper patted his heart and breathed a sigh of relief.

Nami hesitated for a moment, then continued, "But he is indeed a very strong and terrifying guy..."

"Ah! This guy really is a monster!" Chopper was so frightened that he ran around in a panic again.

"Oh?" Robin keenly picked up on something. "Nami, the pirate you mentioned before who saved your village, that must be Buggy, right?"

"Hmm..." Nami nodded, "He not only saved Cocoyasi Village, but also taught me some very important lessons."

Hatchan lowered his head with a look of shame. "That Buggy... although he killed Brother Arlong, it was Brother Arlong and our group's fault. We shouldn't have committed violence against Nami's village and the surrounding villages. We deserved our fate, which is why I want to repent and atone for the mistakes I made!"

"What?!"

Listening to their conversation, Luffy raised his right hand and shouted, "It seems that Buggy must be a really good guy. Let's go see him!"

"Awooo~~ I can't believe that Red Nose bastard actually saved Nami's village... It's so unfair!" Sanji clenched his fists and said resentfully, "I should be the knight protecting Nami! If I had taken down that Arlong guy before that Red Nose Arlong, Nami would definitely have fallen for me! Damn it!!"

Nami automatically ignored Sanji's words and looked at Robin curiously, "Robin, you spoke up just now too... So you must have some kind of connection with that guy, right?"

"Hehe~~" Robin chuckled, his eyes narrowed. "I spent a little time with Red Nose, but I felt he was a very special person, like a god who knows everything, yet he doesn't make you feel distant at all; instead, he gives you a very comfortable feeling."

Nami thought for a moment, "Now that you mention it, I think I have that feeling too..."

Robin chuckled, "Hehe~~ Right!"

"Have you noticed anything burnt?" Chopper suddenly sniffed the air, then looked at Sanji, who was practically engulfed in flames, and anxiously circled around him. "Sanji, calm down! You'll burn the Thousand Sunny like that!"

Sanji's blond hair fluttered wildly even without wind, his anger overflowing. "Why! Why does that bastard get such high praise from Nami and Robin... I'm so jealous!!"

"The Straw Hat Pirates!"

The members of the "Crazy" crime syndicate standing outside finally couldn't wait any longer. The leader said, "Give us an answer. If you refuse Lord Buggy's invitation, we can go back and report."

Hehehe--

Luffy grinned widely, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. "No problem! Everyone knows that guy named Buggy, and I'd like to meet him. He seems like a pretty good guy!"

"Alright, Straw Hat Luffy, Lord Buggy will be waiting for you at the Zoroa Restaurant in the Redwood District 21." After saying that, the group left.

"A restaurant!!" Luffy's eyes Luffy up instantly, and he drooled all over the place, immediately drawing a rebuke from Nami, "Didn't you just eat Hatchan's takoyaki?! Why are you hungry again?!"

"The mangrove area on the 21st..." Hatchan said. "It's okay, we can go to the restaurant first, and then we can reach the place I want to take you on the way."

Robin laughed, "That's wonderful, hehe~~"

"The 21st, I see." Zoro looked ahead, then strode away. "I'll buy some alcohol and head over!"

"Wait a moment!"

Sanji, sweating profusely, urged Chopper, who was still in a state of rage and looking completely overwhelmed, "Zoro, where are you going all by yourself? Come back soon, you'll get lost!"

Usopp quickly chimed in, "Don't go! If you get lost, it'll be like searching for a needle in a haystack for us!"

"I won't get lost!!" Zoro roared angrily. "This island is so easy to navigate, who would get lost! Every tree has a number on it, just follow the numbers, right? If necessary, just ask someone; even a three-year-old could find their way back!"

"I didn't expect you to be so smart..." Usopp nodded in realization. "We underestimated you! Sorry, but be careful! If you don't make it back, remember to ask others for help, don't overestimate yourself!"

"Tch..." Zoro's forehead bulged with a small cross, and a resentful expression appeared on his face. "That's so disrespectful. Just remembering the number is enough..."

"But... if we all go, what will happen to the treasure on the ship? Where are the righteous knights guarding it?" Nami looked at Zoro as he left, a gloomy expression on her face.

Sanji's raging anger instantly vanished, and he declared with renewed vigor, "Leave it to me! I am Nami's most loyal knight!"

Usopp: "You've fallen for Nami's trick!"

"Who told me I'm a slave to love!" Sanji struck a smug pose.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Usopp's forehead. "Even you yourself have admitted it... then I have nothing more to say!"

"Huff, huff, huff..." Chopper, who had been circling around Sanji, sat down, panting heavily and sticking out his tongue. "The Thousand Sunny is saved..."

"Although I'm super~~ curious about that man!" Franky said, "I still want to go to this island to find some spare materials for future repairs of the Thousand Sunny if it gets damaged, so I won't be going with you!"

"Got it!" Luffy said proudly, "Chopper, Usopp, let's go! Let's go see that man!"

"Oh, right!" Sanji called out before the group left, "If you run into Shuma, give him my regards and tell him that the old man has been keeping an eye on him!"

The Zoroa Restaurant in the Mangrove District on the 21st is extremely famous, and its black fox logo is renowned far and wide. Thanks to the constant stream of pirates coming to Sabaody Archipelago, the hotel is always bustling with business. However, today is quite unusual; it's practically deserted.

"Hey, what's going on with this restaurant?"

Several men dressed as pirates walked over from a distance. They originally wanted to go into this restaurant that they had heard so much about, but when they saw the several burly men guarding the entrance, they hesitated.

"Stop right there!" One of the burly men at the entrance gestured for people to stay away. "This place has been booked by our 'Crazy Group'! You're not allowed to come any closer!"

"What crazy group? It's just a mere human trafficking gang... how dare they be so arrogant!" The pirate with a black eyepatch over his right eye was extremely dissatisfied.

Another companion quickly tugged at his sleeve. "Stop talking! This group is backed by the Buggy Pirates. Have you forgotten about that Wind-Hidden Swordsman?"

"Is that the guy who was acting really crazy a while ago..." The eyepatch-wearing pirate swallowed hard, then quickly shrank back. "Never mind... we're in a tough spot, so let's not go looking for trouble!"

The group had only walked a few dozen meters when someone suddenly tapped them on the shoulder from behind, "Hey ho ho ho~~ Excuse me, where is the Zoroa Restaurant?"

The pirate being questioned replied irritably, "Didn't you see? The Zoroa Restaurant has been booked out..."

After saying that, he turned around to see who was asking him the question, but as soon as he turned around, he screamed, "A ghost!!"

"Where's the ghost?!" Brook looked around nervously. "I'm terrified of ghosts!"

Usopp whispered, "Brook, he's talking about you!"

Brook said, "I'm a skeleton, not a ghost, yo ho ho ho ho~~"

"Wait a minute..." The pirates then noticed the group that had appeared before them and cautiously retreated. "They're the Straw Hat Pirates... and there's also the Supernovas Straw Hat Luffy with a bounty of 300 million!!"

One of the hook-nosed pirates suddenly became very polite. "Are you going to the Zoroa Restaurant?"

"Yeah, do you guys know where it is? It seems to be around here!" Luffy said, then looked at Hatchan with a puzzled expression. "By the way! Hatchan, aren't you very familiar with this island? How come you don't know the Zoroa Restaurant? I'm starving after walking so far!"

Hatchan spread his six hands. "This restaurant doesn't allow Fish-Man to enter; they don't really like us... so I've never been here before."

"Hey, listen up!" The hook-nosed pirate interrupted their conversation, pointing to the Zoroa Restaurant a few dozen meters away. "That's where you're going. The food there is absolutely delicious, a must-try on Sabaody Archipelago!"

"We drove around in circles for ages..." Nami said helplessly, "It was actually this close!"

"Actually, Captain Usopp spotted that restaurant a while ago, but I just wanted to test your eyesight, haha..." Before Usopp could finish Luffy, Luffy and the rest of the crew had already followed them. He hurriedly caught up, "Hey, wait for me!"

The eyepatch-wearing pirate looked at his companion and whispered, "Even if it's Supernovas with a bounty of 300 million... we don't need to actively help them, do we?"

"Help?" The hook-nosed pirate grinned sinisterly. "Didn't you hear? That Zoroa Restaurant is booked out. Imagine what would happen Straw Hat Pirates, who are eager to taste the food, were turned away?"

You mean...?

"Once the Straw Hat Pirates gets angry, they'll clash with the Buggy Pirates. Whoever wins or loses, it'll be our chance! If we just manage to pick up one head... we could rise to the top!"

The hook-nosed pirate pointed to Camie behind Hatchan, "And she's a mermaid. As soon as they start fighting, we can take advantage of the chaos to capture her and sell her at an auction house. We'll definitely make a fortune!"

The eyepatch-wearing pirate's eyes lit up. "Hey, this is brilliant! As long as they're kept out..."

But halfway through his sentence, something seemed to get stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter another sound. He saw the Straw Hat Pirates... being ushered inside by the guard at the restaurant entrance!