Captain Nezumi was still in midair, on his way to leap into the sea, when Buggy's detached hand grabbed him and yanked him back.
Buggy watched him with amusement. "Captain, you're in such a hurry to leave. Don't you think that's a little rude?"
"A Devil Fruit User..." Captain Nezumi's heart sank. He forced a smile and spoke through his gap-toothed mouth. "C-Captain Buggy... I haven't been a good host. I'll go pour you some tea right away."
"No need. You'd better start thinking about how much your life is worth."
"I... I'm worthless. Just a rotten old life. Even a dog wouldn't eat me... Please, let me go."
Nezumi was burning with humiliation, but his opponent was far stronger. He had no choice but to grovel. He regretted not bringing more warships with him... No, he regretted ever provoking this devil in the first place...
His opponent's strength was clearly far beyond the ten million Beli level!!!
"No, Captain, you're too modest. Your life is worth quite a lot."
Buggy smiled. He meant it. Captain Nezumi was an indispensable part of his plan to claim the navigator.
Nezumi was sweating profusely. Unsure how to respond, he stared at the deck, pretending to be dumb. Fear and dread kept him silent.
The pirates of the Buggy Pirates climbed aboard from the ropes and ladders alongside the warship. They landed on the deck and gaped at the rows of fallen Marines, then looked up in shock at Captain Buggy, covered in blood. They couldn't believe their eyes. This was a Marine warship!
In barely ten minutes, every soldier aboard had been taken out. How had he even done it?!
"Quit standing around. Go below and haul out every last bit of supplies."
Buggy swept out his hand, and the pirates eagerly rushed toward the warship. Robbing the Marines... It was something they'd never even dared to dream of before!
And now, such an easy opportunity was right in front of them. It felt like a dream!
The pirates kept carrying supplies out of the hold. Every time one of them emerged, Captain Nezumi's eyes followed them. When he saw they were only carrying food and barrels of water, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a pirate poked his head halfway out of the hold and shouted, "Hey, come take a look! I found a locked vault!"
"Wait! Don't touch that vault!" Captain Nezumi roared, his face twisting with fury. He rushed forward, apparently forgetting that he was a prisoner.
He had barely taken two steps when he slammed into a tremendous force. His body flew back like a cannonball and crashed hard into the railing, denting it.
Buggy lowered his foot and walked over to Nezumi, who was coughing up blood. "Captain, Marines and pirates are natural enemies. You should be grateful I haven't killed you... Now think carefully about what you can offer in exchange for your life."
Nezumi clenched his teeth. His left hand, tucked into his pocket, gripped a compact pistol tightly, but in the end, he reluctantly let go.
"Cough, cough..."
He coughed in pain and touched his chest with his right hand... He could feel that two or three of his ribs were probably broken.
Now he fully understood that this devil wouldn't hesitate just because he was a captain. With difficulty, he pulled out a key to the vault. "I... understand. There are three million Beli in cash aboard, and jewels worth another two million..."
Nezumi had never been a match for the rank of Marine captain. Without a father who was a Vice Admiral, he could have worked hard for another ten years and still never become a captain. And after years of living in luxury, he'd even abandoned the most basic hand-to-hand combat skills. At this point, an ordinary Marine could easily take him down, let alone the terrifying pirate from the East Blue standing before him.
Buggy tapped Nezumi's hand with his right foot, flicking the key into the air. He caught it, then tossed it to the pirate who had poked his head out.
"Those who know when to yield are the wise ones. There aren't many Marines like you these days..."
His words sounded like sincere praise, but also like merciless mockery.
Captain Nezumi stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the hold's entrance.
"Captain Buggy..." A pirate came running out in a panic, panting as he spoke. "That... vault is empty!"
"Empty?!" Nezumi looked even more shocked than Buggy and blurted out, "...Impossible! How could it be empty? The vault has three locks, and I checked it just yesterday. There's no way it could be empty! Hey, is the Devil Fruit still in the hidden compartment?!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he'd said too much and hurried to correct himself. "Ahem... I never said anything about a Devil Fruit. I meant... a stinky fruit. A rotten, moldy fruit..."
"I didn't know you were carrying a Devil Fruit with you."
Buggy glanced at Captain Nezumi, whose face had gone ashen, then looked up at the pirate. "Was there nothing at all in the vault?"
"There was nothing inside. There was an open hidden compartment, though, with a note held down by a padlock."
The pirate carefully handed over a piece of paper.
Buggy took the note and deciphered the crooked handwriting.
"Thanks for the treasure, Captain!" In the lower-right corner was a signature that looked elegant and flowing: "Cat Burglar."
Cat Burglar? A thief?
She'd actually dared to steal from the Marines... What a strange thief.
As he put the clues together, Buggy couldn't help thinking of a famous, money-loving thief from the original story.
If the navigator had slipped aboard the warship while Captain Nezumi was negotiating with Arlong, then used some special trick to steal the treasure... it was a perfectly reasonable explanation. But one thing puzzled him: given the navigator's personality, she should have been the sort of thief who only stole pirate treasure. Why would she target the Marines?
Could his arrival in this world have caused a butterfly effect, quietly changing the course of certain events?
"Captain Buggy... There's another one who slipped through the net." Cabaji came out of the hold, carrying a half-naked soldier in his underwear, and brought him onto the deck. "This guy was hiding under a bed. No idea what he was up to..."
The man was bruised and battered, with scorch marks on his body. Cabaji must have beaten him while he was resisting.
The soldier looked up, gaping at the carnage around him, his face full of fear. "Captain, how did this happen...?"
Captain Nezumi glanced at him, then lowered his head. His expression shifted uneasily. He vaguely remembered the young soldier. He was called Simon, a scout, if he recalled correctly. But... hadn't he stayed behind on Ailu Island with the scouting party? What was he doing here?!
"Did something just come to mind, Captain?" Seeing Nezumi's expression change, Buggy kicked him without hesitation in the wound on his chest and asked, feigning ignorance. "Where did you put the gold and jewels aboard the ship?"
"Ahh—!"
Captain Nezumi cried out in pain, breaking into a cold sweat as he hurried to answer. "They really were stolen! There must've been a thief! I sent men to Ailu Island earlier, and that thief disguised herself as a Marine and escaped there. Please, show mercy and spare my life!"