A Head Worth Five Million

Buggy's death hadn't surprised Tatadan. It wasn't because his opponent was too weak; he simply had absolute confidence in the sword in his hand.

"This is what you get... Pirates are a bunch of foolish weaklings, utterly incapable of putting up a fight." Tatadan looked contemptuously at the pirates by the entrance and threatened them. "Look! Your captain's already been killed. Do you lot want to die just as miserably?"

"Our boss is Tatadan, with a bounty of five million Beli! He's invincible!"

"You sea monkeys, get off our turf!"

The bandits around him joined in with arrogant shouts.

The pirates standing at the entrance had their eyes hidden in shadow. They laughed sinisterly, showing not the slightest grief or surprise.

Why were they laughing so happily even though their leader was dead? Something was wrong!

Tatadan grew wary, but a sudden, searing pain tore through his chest. A dagger had silently pierced his back, passing straight through his body.

"What's going on..." A large mouthful of blood burst from Tatadan's lips. As he stared at what was happening, his pupils shrank to pinpricks.

Buggy's head was floating in the air. Then his hand grabbed it and pressed it against his neck. His head and body joined together again, his neck completely unharmed.

A sly, treacherous grin spread across his face. "Pirates aren't weaklings. Compared to a bunch of bandits like you, who cling to the past, have narrow minds, and are arrogant beyond belief, pirates are a force that makes the whole world tremble!"

"Captain Buggy!!!"

The pirates at the tavern entrance let out a deafening roar, raising their weapons high. "You bandit monkeys! We're pirates!"

"A demon! That guy's a demon..." The bandits had seen Buggy "come back to life" with their own eyes. Their teeth began to chatter, and their faces filled with terror.

"N-no way... You bastard, you must've used some kind of trick!" Enduring the pain in his chest, Tatadan gripped his longsword and furiously hacked at Buggy.

Sword flashes swept past like falling cherry blossoms.

Buggy's body was immediately cut into more than ten pieces, but his chilling voice still rang through the tavern. "It's time to end this boring game."

Eight daggers suddenly appeared in his hands. He flicked them out in a flash, slicing open Tatadan's vulnerable throat before he could react.

"Then I'll take your head, worth five million Beli."

Tatadan's sturdy body fell into a pool of blood. Clutching his spurting throat, he struggled desperately, unable to believe until his dying breath that the pirates he'd always looked down on had ended his life.

"Are your heads worth anything?" Buggy glanced at the trembling bandits around him and flashed a sly, treacherous grin.

"Help!!!"

The bandits felt as if a vengeful ghost had set its sights on them. They scrambled out of the tavern.

"Men, take the five million Beli to the ship." Buggy didn't stop the bandits from fleeing. He nudged Tatadan's corpse with his foot, then picked up the longsword and scabbard at his waist.

In his previous life, Buggy had been a speculator, and he'd never been afraid to take the first step. Besides, his first time killing someone hadn't been as thrilling or unsettling as he'd imagined. It had felt as ordinary as eating or drinking, probably because he'd absorbed all of Buggy's memories, combat experience, and past experiences.

But to the villagers around him, it wasn't so simple. This pirate had killed Tatadan, the notorious bandit of Gali Island, as casually as if he were slaughtering a chicken.

"Hey, what's going on with him?"

"Is this guy really a demon?"

"Why did his body fall apart?!"

Old Village Chief Chris looked at the sword in Buggy's hand, then pushed up his reading glasses and said gravely, "That man is a Devil Fruit User."

"Boss, you know quite a lot." Buggy poured the half-bottle of wine on the table into a cup and gulped it down. Over the past half month, he'd gotten used to being a pirate and to the way they let off steam.

Chris continued explaining. "They say Devil Fruits are the incarnations of devils from the sea. Those who eat one gain the devil's power, but the sea rejects them in return."

"So that's how it is. Then that pirate isn't a monster—he's a human who ate a Devil Fruit." The villagers relaxed, no longer so frightened. In a sense, the pirate before them had even helped the village out of a tight spot.

"Bring the wine over."

Buggy, Cabaji, and the other pirates weren't affected by what had happened. They all sat down, and Chris promptly ushered the villagers out of the tavern. "All of you, get outside. Don't come back in without my say-so."

Then Chris dutifully carried several barrels of strong whiskey from the kitchen into the tavern. Buggy couldn't help taking another look at him. His steady steps, calloused hands, and even breathing made it hard to believe he was a man in his seventies or eighties.

Buggy looked away, then pushed the longsword on the table toward the acrobatic swordsman. "Cabaji, take a look. What kind of sword is this?"

"This sword..." Cabaji had noticed the bandit chief's weapon earlier, but seeing it up close left him even more shaken. His hands trembling, he drew the sword from its scabbard and held it.

A beam of sunlight slanted in through the tavern window. Cherry blossom patterns were engraved on the hilt, and a sharp, cold glint flashed across the snow-white blade, like swirling snow.

As a swordsman who had pursued the art for more than twenty years, how could Cabaji not know its name? His eyes burned with excitement as he said, "Sakura Blizzard, one of the twenty-one Great Grade Swords!"

Every swordsman dreamed of becoming an unparalleled great swordsman, but they also cherished the pursuit of supreme Famous Swords. That was a swordsman's romance!

A Great Grade Sword? Here, of all places... The thought flashed through Buggy's mind. Then he turned to the acrobatic swordsman, his expression serious. "Cabaji."

"This sword is yours from now on. As the first swordsman of the Buggy Pirates, don't disappoint me!"

"I..." Cabaji's mind went blank. He came back to himself, dropped to his knees, and declared with resolve, "Captain Buggy, I, Cabaji, swear to serve you until death!"

The swordsman's heart, dormant for more than twenty years, had awakened at that moment, stirred by the Famous Sword and Buggy's trust. Only one thought remained in his mind: I won't let Captain Buggy down. I'll become a great swordsman!

Buggy's eyes glinted, and he flashed a sly, cunning grin. "Men, let's drink!"

"Yeah!!!"

The tavern instantly filled with excitement as the pirates laughed and drank their liquor.

Watching the lively, animated pirate crew, Chris's worried expression eased. They hadn't caused the trouble he'd expected. As long as they didn't hurt the villagers, he'd let them stay for now.

Then his eyes turned to a barrel in the corner. He let out a long breath. It wasn't filled with wine, but explosives.

From the time he'd first been stationed in the village decades ago to his current role as Village Chief of Kodia Village, Chris's determination to protect the village had never changed. The passion he'd felt each time he drove off pirates still echoed in his heart like the tolling of a great bell.

When he'd heard that the other villages had submitted to the bandits, he'd immediately kept the news under wraps and lured them into the tavern.

He'd already made up his mind: if the bandits tried to threaten the village by force, he'd set off that barrel of explosives and die alongside them right there in the tavern. Even if it cost him his life, he wouldn't let the village suffer a single scratch.

But against all expectations, Buggy had killed Tatadan, and the remaining bandits had fled in panic. The plan had veered off course, and his resolve to die had crumbled.

I hope I won't need those explosives... Chris thought.

After a few rounds, Chris realized these pirates weren't as frightening as he'd imagined. The one with hair covering one eye, in particular, looked cold and ruthless, but today he seemed unusually cheerful. He'd performed the Unicycle Secret Technique to entertain everyone, riding smoothly from one end to the other along a wire strung up by several pirates and earning their applause and cheers.

"Boss, sit down and have a couple of drinks." Buggy's eyes shifted as he coaxed Chris to drink. From his inquiries at the market earlier, he already knew the old man was the village chief.

Buggy said calmly, "Actually, we're a bunch of kind, simple pirates. We have no intention of causing trouble here."

"You're... kind pirates." Chris turned the words over in his mind. Tears suddenly streamed down his face, mixing with the wine. "Sniff... I haven't seen kind pirates in so long."

Buggy wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He hadn't expected those words to earn him so much goodwill.

"That's right." Buggy took out a map of the islands and pointed to a red cross on it. "I want to know what this place is."

Chris's tears stopped at once. His brow furrowed. "Why are you looking for this place?!"