Cooperation

Amidst the watchful eyes of the townspeople and the welcoming guards lined up on both sides, Buggy led the officials back to the Magic Cube Hall and into the King's study.

Then, while chatting casually with everyone about the various things that had happened in the past six months, he flipped through Lilina's notebook, which recorded the events of the past six months.

Because of Buggy's presence as the backbone of the entire fleet, everyone's enthusiasm soared. They spoke their minds without any reservations or taboos, chatting and arguing back and forth, making the study quite lively.

After chatting for more than an hour, Buggy led the officers and captains to a deserted courtyard, intending to test their abilities, and asked them to take turns sparring with him.

The test subjects were Cabaji, Mohji, Shuma, and the six captains, while personnel with more logistical and support roles, such as Lilina, Kaya, Mikuru, and Nilek, were not required to participate.

Everyone was taken aback at first, then they realized what was happening.

The match began, with Cabaji being the first to appear. After Buggy nodded, he drew his sword and attacked. Buggy stood still, receiving a series of attacks as swift as the wind. Between offense and defense, it was clear that although Cabaji did not use Armament Haki, he was not holding back either. His Sakura Blizzard came from all directions in an endless stream, thus concealing his true killing move within the endless rain of swords, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Compared to more than six months ago, Cabaji is indeed much stronger, especially in terms of experience and skills, which have improved by a significant margin. Perhaps this is due to his battles with the Big Mom Pirates over the past six months.

The fight with Cabaji ended there, and then Mohji was substituted in.

Cabaji and Mohji were among the earliest members of his team. Although they were not strong in the early days, after experiencing life-and-death situations and undergoing various arduous training sessions, they have become completely different from what they used to be.

In the world of Pirate King, nothing is impossible. Even ordinary people like Koby and Helmeppo can be transformed under Garp's training, let alone those who have been sailing the seas for a long time.

Mohji is Devil Fruit User, and also possesses Tekkai and Armament Haki. His fighting style leans towards a heavy and solid defense, so Buggy launched the offensive.

With the combination of the Store-Store Fruit's power, Tekkai, and Armament Haki, Mohji's defensive capabilities are indeed astonishing. He can withstand more than ten impacts from Buggy using seven or eight tenths of his strength without being harmed. It's not just that simple; the moment Buggy strikes Mohji, one can feel the energy storm generated in the surrounding space.

This is the Awakening his Devil Fruit power. Mohji mentioned this during our conversation earlier. His power can now influence the space around him within a certain range, and the force he receives will also evolve into various forms of energy around him to retaliate. As long as an enemy attacks him at close range, they will be met with a constant barrage of energy storms, putting them in a difficult situation.

However, there are advantages and disadvantages. Mohji has extremely high defensive capabilities, but he is much weaker in terms of offense and agility. If his opponent is agile and wants to escape, he will have a hard time stopping him.

Having witnessed Mohji's "steel-like body," Buggy was also somewhat surprised. He had personally experienced Kaido's monstrous body a few days ago. Although Mohji could not reach that level, his full-force defense was close to Kaido's normal state. It was likely that few people in the world could break through his defense before he ran out of energy!

After finishing his battle with Mohji, he then faced off against Shuma.

After exchanging blows, it became clear that Shuma's greatest strength was speed. Although he was usually carefree, his combat talent was truly terrifying. He could use the Shave and Geppo from the Six Powers at will, and combined with his ranged attacks, in a real fight, his enemies would probably have a hard time even touching the hem of his clothes.

Afterwards, Buggy fought against all six captains. Whether it was Jody Lane's Man-Eating Bee form and Jass's crocodile form, Tink's night energy and Moses's sticky ability, or Daoer's swordsmanship and Carl's physical skills, all of them had improved considerably over the past six months.

It was nearly evening when the strength test ended. Buggy was very satisfied with everyone's improved strength. He instructed Shuma to prepare food, then took a shower and returned to the restaurant to enjoy a delicious meal that everyone hadn't had in a long time.

After the meal, everyone went back to rest.

The next day, in the King's study.

Buggy sat at his desk, flipping through the latest newspaper and browsing the news.

A moment later, the door was pushed open, and Crocodile followed behind Louis Carl. Without saying a word, he slammed his hands on the desk, making the teacups on it rattle.

Louis Carl snapped, "Crocodile, what do you think you're doing?!"

Buggy looked up and waved his hand. "Carl, you want to leave? He just wants to talk to me alone."

"Yes," Louis Carl replied and left the room.

"Brother Crocodile doesn't seem to be in a good mood..." Buggy put down his newspaper. "Can't we talk things out? This doesn't sound like the attitude you're here to cooperate."

"This is really annoying... Don't think that becoming Shichibukai gives you the right to be arrogant. I've been one for ten years!"

Crocodile's expression was unpleasant. In his view, Buggy deliberately delayed meeting him by a day, as if he were Tease him. He had always been arrogant, and naturally felt displeased with Buggy's actions.

Buggy didn't think that way. He didn't value cooperating with Crocodile much; it was more of a trade-off. However, if they were to cooperate, he would definitely want to take the lead. That was what Buggy was trying to say: I don't care about cooperation, but since you've asked me to cooperate, then you'll have to follow my rules.

Clearly, his meaning was not clearly conveyed.

"What do you want to collaborate with me on?" Buggy ignored Crocodile's anger, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and then spoke unhurriedly.

"Snort!"

Crocodile snorted coldly, gradually calming himself down, and went straight to the point, "Let's join forces to kill Blackbeard Marshall Teach."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Buggy's eyes. "He has some connection with you?"

"No." Crocodile sat down in a chair, crossed his legs, and said coldly, "I just don't like him... and I wanted to find something to do, that's all."

"Blackbeard ignited the fuse that led to the war Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy, which can be considered as indirectly killing Whitebeard..." Buggy looked at Crocodile's expression, "I'm rather curious, what exactly happened between you and Whitebeard in the past?"

You don't need to know.

"Then why did you come looking for me?"

"I just happened to be passing by." Crocodile paused, his tone curt. "Compared to the others, what you did at Marineford War was relatively reliable... but don't think that just because you were in the limelight at Marineford War, you can be arrogant. If you're not willing to cooperate, I don't want to waste my time."

"Kill Blackbeard..." Buggy murmured, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Let me think about it."

How long will it take?

Buggy replied noncommittally, "This isn't something that can be decided lightly."

Crocodile said no more, got up and left, but stopped at the door and said, "My patience is limited." Then he walked out of the room.

Soon, Louis Carl entered the room. Buggy, slightly lost in thought, took a sip of his tea, slowly put it down, and said, "Let the guests from the Flower Country come over."

"Yes."