Sabaody Archipelago. The End

"Watch me!"

Seeing that Drake and Urouge were no match for him, Scratchmen Apoo slapped his head with his hand, like a drumstick striking a drum, "Clang clang~~~"

Then, as if playing the piano, he placed his hands on his teeth, which had transformed into piano keys, building to a climax with the rhythm. Finally, his entire right arm became a trumpet, "Clang clang~~ Can you hear my music? If you can, please don't go away, Buggy the Clown!"

With his body as the center, sound waves radiated outwards.

"Listen to the battle music, scrape the disc... BOOM!!"

Boom!

Suddenly, Buggy, who was standing behind Urouge, exploded, and a thick black smoke rose from his body.

Apoo looked at the Chop-Chop Buggy and laughed triumphantly, "Got it, didn't I? Haha, I thought you were all that capable!"

"That was close..." The split Buggy slowly reformed into a human form. "Luckily, I covered it with Armament Haki."

Seeing Buggy safe and sound, Apoo's smile faded. Without hesitation, he quickly fled into the distance, saying, "I'm leaving this place to you. I'm off now, bye!"

Buggy was about to give chase when Hawkins' voice came from behind, "Demon Subduing Form!"

Hawkins, who had swiftly transformed into a giant and terrifying scarecrow, attacked Buggy's side with a five-inch-long nail between his fingers, accompanied by a whooshing sound!

"Chop-Chop. Haki Lock!"

Buggy's body shattered into countless fragments like dust, not only causing Hawkins' attack to miss, but also seemingly shifting the very space around them. The countless fragments instantly reformed into a human form, appearing behind Hawkins!

Hawkins remained motionless, frozen in place like a photograph, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his forehead. "Why is my body out of my control... What did you do?"

Buggy concealed his left hand under his cloak, turned around, and said, "I can tell just by looking at your joints..."

Hawkins could only turn his eyes to his right hand, where he saw three scattered black powder rings wrapped around his arm, like shackles tightly binding his joints. The same thing had bound his other limbs, even his neck. Even someone as composed as him found it utterly unbelievable. "This is..."

"Haki really is omnipotent..."

Buggy calmly moved his right foot, leaned back slightly, and kicked Hawkins hard from behind. Hawkins was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the paper-thin walls of the houses. He continued flying with undiminished force, smashing through an entire row of houses and causing them to collapse!

Buggy rolled up his cape, revealing his left arm completely healed. He glanced at Urouge lying in the rubble and the battered Drake, then turned and left. "So, I guess I've caught up with the new era, huh? Haha..."

Sabaody Archipelago, Mangrove Zone 12.

"Am I already too late?"

When Buggy arrived, the surroundings were a scene of utter devastation. The entire Straw Hat Pirates had been sent flying by Bartholomew Kuma, leaving only Luffy standing alone. He knelt helplessly on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, "I couldn't even save one of my crewmates..."

Kizaru's face was also clouded with worry. "Oh dear, this is a big problem!"

"We'll never meet again..." Bartholomew Kuma, standing before Luffy, delivered his final blow. "Farewell!"

Pop!

Luffy vanished instantly from Bartholomew Kuma's paw... Thus, Monkey D. Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates were completely "wiped out"!

"Bartholomew Kuma, do you even know what you've done?" Sentomaru, carrying a giant axe on his shoulder, addressed this Shichibukai served alongside Vegapunk, by his full name. "You disobeyed the Celestial Dragons' order to arrest the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"I know what I'm doing..." Bartholomew Kuma put on white gloves, his face still expressionless, as if it were none of his business. "I have no obligation to tell you!"

"Even those who hold the position of Shichibukai are still a bunch of unreliable guys..."

Kizaru's expression darkened at the failure of this trip. If it weren't for the fact that the Navy was about to go to war with the Whitebeard Pirates and needed to rely on the power of the Shichibukai, Bartholomew Kuma's actions could have been directly convicted and he could have been arrested and imprisoned!

Compared to the Celestial Dragons' loss of face, the upcoming decisive battle was clearly more important. Therefore, Kizaru didn't want to tear off the mask of civility with Bartholomew Kuma. He stood still, looking at Rayleigh before him, "You've really ruined my good mood, but I just can't defeat you, Dark King Rayleigh. If I had used you as a token of my victory, things wouldn't have become so embarrassing..."

Rayleigh said, "It's a real shame... I also wanted to help Luffy and the others, but time waits for no one..."

"Isn't stopping a Marine Admiral enough? Where am I supposed to put my old face...?"

Kizaru glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, "In that case, that guy's will do too, I can't leave empty-handed..."

A beam of light, as clear as a mirror, suddenly gathered in his hand. "Yata Mirror!"

The light instantly refracted around, forming a folded trajectory of light. Kizaru's body suddenly merged with that trajectory of light, and he appeared next to Buggy. He nimbly raised his foot and kicked the latter in the head.

As Marine Admiral, Kizaru's Devil Fruit ability has reached a level of perfection, with all his movements executed flawlessly and at a speed far exceeding any opponent Buggy has ever faced.

Eight months ago, Buggy would probably have been powerless against Kizaru's kick, and his fate would likely have been similar to that of the Supernovas. But now it's different. He vaguely caught Kizaru's movement trajectory and ducked in advance the moment the opponent appeared, dodging the light-speed kick.

When Kizaru's kick missed, a visible ripple spread through the air, and at the same time, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Life Return. Lightning Flash!

Buggy's body shrank instantly, and using the momentum from his prone position, he launched a counterattack with his right leg imbued with Armament Haki!

Even someone as strong as Kizaru, due to underestimating his opponent, was forced back four or five meters by Buggy's kick.

"Yo~~"

Kizaru stopped, his expression still seemingly unconcerned. "A guy with over a hundred million... truly terrifying. He's fundamentally different from those pirates from before..."

"I should be the one saying that. The navy's top combat power is astonishing... I've only just arrived to join in the fun, and I'm already being given this special treatment?"

Buggy stood up, a cunning smile playing on his lips. "It really is dangerous..."

After saying that, he turned to Rayleigh and said, "Mr. Rayleigh... if I am no match for Marine Admiral, I would be grateful if you could save me."

"Oh right... so you're not a rookie pirate anymore..." Kizaru realized. "You're a member of the Pirate King's crew too, no wonder you know the legendary 'Pluton'..."

Kizaru's words elevated Buggy's status significantly, and Sentomaru immediately became more cautious. "Uncle... do you need PX's help?"

"No need..."

Kizaru glanced at Bartholomew Kuma, who wasn't planning to intervene, and said, "Two crew members of the Pirate King... they're troublesome. If we lose combat power here, it won't be good for the situation going forward, and we'll get a lecture when we get back... Let's take those captured pirates back to make up the numbers; at least that'll cover this up..."

After saying that, he turned and left, with Sentomaru following closely behind with the PX weapon.

Buggy breathed a slight sigh of relief at the avert of this fierce battle. He had actually been worried about what might happen to Rayleigh, so he had come specifically to wait for an opportunity to strike.

After all, besides Kizaru and Bartholomew Kuma, Enel is also on the island, but he hasn't made a move in a long time... Could he have already left the island?

I probably overestimated him...