Fierce Battle

Weevil stood on the deck, looking up at the spatial energy shooting straight down, letting out a battle roar like a wild beast, just like children using sound to boost their morale when fighting.

He seemed to activate his Devil Fruit ability, and the amplified power began to manifest. The air around his arms became almost tangible, like water splashing on glass. He swung his naginata with all his might, and suddenly, a gust of wind arose, churning the surrounding space like a wrinkled transparent plastic bag, and the light shining down was strangely refracted into dozens of beams!

The two intertwined and swirling spatial energies crashed down like meteors, colliding fiercely with Weevil's blade!

A sound like a thunderclap erupted from the ground!

The pirate ship that Weevil was on suddenly sank three meters due to the enormous impact. The sea around the ship burst open, sending up layers of water in all directions, splashing out and forming a light drizzle.

Once the dust and sawdust from the impact on the deck had been washed away by the rain, Buggy spotted Weevil. The latter was gripping his naginata horizontally, one of the belt buckles broken off, and he was covered in dust and sawdust, though there were no visible signs of injury. However, his face was contorted with rage, much like a proud child who had been humiliated, his emotions more volatile than an adult's, even bordering on a death wish.

Buggy wasn't surprised that Weevil was unharmed. Weevil was said to have the strength of Whitebeard in his youth, and while that claim might be somewhat exaggerated, it couldn't be that far off or completely different.

Moreover, he only used about 70% of his strength, also out of consideration for the possibility that the battle would affect the Pale White and damage his own ship.

Miss Bakkin stood on the swaying deck, clinging to the railing to prevent herself from being thrown into the sea. The shaking of the entire ship made her look frightened and uneasy. Her neatly combed hair stood up like cactus thorns, and the shockwave had broken a corner of her sunglasses. The cane she was holding had long since been flung away.

She had encountered powerful opponents before, but now she rarely did. With Weevil's absolute power, any enemies who stood in her way were quickly eliminated. She was convinced that as long as Weevil was around, no one was worth mentioning—not even the Four Emperors who ruled the world.

At this moment, a long-dormant fear burst forth like a puncture through a paper window in her heart, sneaking in through that small crack. She had a bad feeling... The Shichibukai were not pirates who could be easily manipulated!

She immediately wanted to negotiate with Buggy to clear up the "misunderstanding," but her greed quickly overwhelmed her fear. She was thinking about the inheritance Buggy received from the Whitebeard Pirates, which must have been a huge fortune—possibly right there on the ship in front of her!

"You brat!"

Clutching the ship's railing, Miss Bakkin looked down at Buggy, who had landed on the deck. Her aged face was contorted with worry, and she spoke with a stubborn yet hopeful air, "If you return my treasure, we'll let you go!"

"Treasure that belongs to... you?"

"Stop pretending! Don't think I don't know anything!"

Miss Bakkin was convinced that Buggy was feigning ignorance and confidently stated her conjecture.

"Don't think I don't know. Before that war at Marineford, Whitebeard hired you with a hefty sum of gold and silver to help him rescue Fire Fist Ace! Don't tell me it was because he was some captain's son. These days, it's not fashionable to risk your life for a debt of gratitude. I don't care about Portgas D. Fire Fist or anything like Fire Fist. I won't approve of the payment for that job. If you return the money, I won't hold it against you!"

She was convinced that her prediction was correct, and as she spoke, she kept a close eye on Buggy's expression, trying to discern any clues.

"Hiring fee..."

Buggy murmured, his expression changing slightly. Although Miss Bakkin couldn't understand what kind of expression it was, she was certain that Buggy was either feeling guilty or that she had hit the nail on the head, which was why he had such a change in expression.

"I don't want to bother you either, you brat. Take my advice!"

Even knowing Buggy's strength, Miss Bakkin was unwilling to give up the growing idea in her heart and the fact that was about to be confirmed. Her years as a pirate made her believe that no one would be willing to fight Weevil, which was the source of her confidence.

She looked at Buggy's lips, longing to hear the words "I promise you" uttered from them. That way, she could obtain the treasure without fighting this powerful opponent—a win-win situation!

Buggy's eyes gleamed, his mouth slightly open, and he uttered two words, "Idiot."

Idiot...

The two words echoed in Miss Bakkin's ears, and instantly, a surge of anger rose from her spine to the top of her head. Her scalp tingled with rage, and her whole body trembled with fury. She almost roared, "Son, kill that brat!!"

Weevil had been itching to act for a long time. Upon hearing Miss Bakkin's order, he couldn't contain himself and let out a loud "howl," striding forward and swinging his knife.

The sharp blade gleamed silver in the sunlight, and it was about to arrive in an instant, slicing Buggy's face in two.

Buggy deftly stepped onto the deck, took three steps back to escape Blade's attack, then stomped heavily on the ground, closing in on Weevil. With lightning speed, just as Weevil was about to strike again, Bucky raised his hand and grabbed the hilt of the naginata firmly!

Weevil's eyes widened suddenly, and he pressed down hard on the naginata, but in Buggy's confrontation, the blade hesitated to fall, and a few beads of cold sweat appeared on his face.

"No wonder they say he has the strength of a young Whitebeard, though he's still a bit lacking..."

Buggy felt the immense weight in his hand, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He snorted, his right hand bracing against the hilt of the sword, his left hand wrapped around the naginata, and suddenly detached from his wrist, slamming forward with a powerful punch. The energy stirred by his palm burst forth from the spatial rift like tongues of fire, striking Weevil directly!

In an instant, Weevil's body flew backwards for more than ten meters in mid-air like a cannonball. In that instant, he seized the opportunity, reached out and hooked his right hand onto the mast of the pirate ship, trying to stop himself from moving.

The 20-meter-high mainmast was instantly torn open with a huge crack, and then the entire mast was snapped off. It was only with this resistance that Weevil's destructive force weakened, and he crashed into the deck.

He quickly stood up, shook off the mast that was leaning against him, and frantically patted a slightly dented, bright red handprint on his chest. He jumped around in pain, but his eyes kept looking at Buggy, a mixture of anger, heartache, and distress.

"You want this, right?"

Buggy toyed with the naginata in his hand, spinning it like a windmill. "If it were Whitebeard, he would never let anyone take his weapon away, or rather, no one could take his weapon away from him."