The pirates hauled away every last supply from the warship, along with all the odds and ends of lumber they could use for repairs.
Buggy led his officers and the rest of the pirates back to their own ship. The chains and harpoons on the Big Top had already been cleared away, and the holes in its hull were being patched under the shipwright's direction.
Some of the Marines aboard the warship had suffered only minor injuries and were still strong enough to recover consciousness. Following Captain Nezumi's orders, they took the helm and fled in a panic, disappearing into the thick sea fog.
"Captain Buggy... Won't letting them go leave us with trouble down the road?" Cabaji stood beside Buggy, watching the warship sail away.
"I don't want to let them go, either. Once they get back, the Marines will definitely put out a new wanted poster. Even those bounty hunters who keep coming after us will cause plenty of trouble... But there's nothing we can do about it."
Buggy turned around and leaned back against the railing. "Getting an excellent navigator means making a few sacrifices. That colonel is going to play an important role. If we kill him, the plan could go off course."
Cabaji was at a loss. "Captain Buggy, what do you mean?"
"Nothing..." A faint smile touched Buggy's lips. "Once the ship's repaired, we'll head to Ailu Island and see if that bold little thief is still there. But we probably can't stay on this island much longer. We'd be in trouble if they surrounded us here, so get ready to leave."
Unlike Cabaji, Mohji and Shuma waved goodbye to the departing warship without a care in the world, looking like they were parting from lovers in the throes of a passionate romance.
Mohji nudged Shuma with his elbow. "Shuma, do you think that Nezumi guy will raise my bounty?"
Shuma asked curiously, "Huh? What's a bounty?"
"A bounty measures a person's strength. The higher the amount, the stronger they are. I'm sure I left a deep impression on that Marine big shot today. Once he gets back and gives me a huge bounty, that despicable swordsman at the bow won't be able to act all high and mighty around me anymore. Hahaha..."
Cabaji had somehow come to stand beside Mohji. With his arms crossed and his head bowed, he said, "Hey, hey... White-haired beast tamer, I can't pretend I didn't hear that."
The beast tamer didn't care in the least. "Hearing it won't change reality!"
The acrobatic swordsman asked, "Don't you think you sound like a three-year-old?"
"I see a huge fish!" the idiot sniper shouted, staring out at the sea and drowning out their argument.
The mood on deck quickly descended into chaos...
"Awwo?" Richie the lion tilted his head at the three of them, then lowered himself and went back to sleep on the deck, drool occasionally trickling from his mouth.
Aboard the Marine warship carrying Captain Nezumi, Buggy hadn't gone around finishing off the wounded. Dozens of the fleet's toughest soldiers staggered to their feet, applied medicine, tended to their external injuries, and struggled to carry out their duties.
Captain Nezumi, wrapped in bandages, leaned back in the captain's cabin chair and slammed his fist on the wooden table. "Damn thief! The Devil Fruit I meant to secretly deliver to the auction house is..."
Buru buru...
The Den Den Mushi on the table suddenly rang. Captain Nezumi snatched up the receiver, his face livid, and roared, "You worthless messenger! Why didn't you answer just now—"
He stopped and exhaled, forcing down his fury. Then he spoke sternly. "I'm sorry. That was out of line. This is Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch. I'm requesting an immediate full-scale manhunt for the Buggy Pirates..."
"These pirates are brazen and lawless. If they're allowed to run rampant in the East Blue any longer, the Marines will suffer a serious loss of face!"
A rustling sound came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, as if someone were flipping through documents. Then a calm voice replied.
"The Buggy Pirates have destroyed twelve towns and intercepted and looted a total of thirty-five passenger ships over the past ten years. The captain, Buggy, had a bounty of 300,000 Beli ten years ago. It has since risen to ten million Beli, but no reports concerning them have come from any Marine branch in the past year. They're listed as missing."
"They're not only still alive, their forces are growing. They now have the power to threaten an entire branch. If we don't stop them from growing, the balance of these seas will be shattered. I hope Headquarters will take this seriously, or the consequences will be disastrous!"
"..." The messenger on the other end fell silent for a moment. His grave expression was evident in his voice. "Understood. I'll report it immediately."
"Chitter." The violent rise and fall of Nezumi's chest slowly settled, and his usual gloomy expression returned. "I'll leave it to you, then, sir."
He hung up the Den Den Mushi, narrowed his rodent-like eyes, and muttered, "Buggy Pirates, if I catch you, I'll personally send you to the gallows and watch every one of your heads fall... And that damn thief, too. Scum like them deserve to die!"
After the Big Top had been repaired, it sailed through the sea fog for half a day before finally reaching Ailu Island, southwest of Gravity Island. Buggy didn't go ashore. He simply sent a few pirates who knew the island well to ask around about the outsiders.
According to a local fisherman, he had seen a group of strange, cloaked figures on the island that morning. One of them, carrying a bundle, had bought a fishing boat from him and sailed alone toward the sea west of the island.
The pirates politely declined the village chief's farewell banquet and hurried back to the ship to report what they'd learned to Buggy.
Buggy immediately returned to the captain's cabin and studied the East Blue chart alongside the chart he'd obtained from the Cannibal Tribe's chief. After careful consideration, he pinpointed the nearest island west of Ailu Island and ordered the helmsman and the Square-Faced Navigator to set course for it.
Cabaji stood beside Buggy and asked, "Captain Buggy, should we go give those guys one last goodbye...?"
Buggy looked at Ailu Island as it receded into the distance. "No. My target's already gone. There's no need to get entangled with them over something so pointless..."
The distant island dwindled to a mere outline. Then, a crowd of tiny black specks appeared along the shore, and faint cries of heartfelt gratitude carried across the water.
"Captain Buggy, and all of you, take care! We'll never, ever forget all you've done for us! We'll always be proud that we were once members of the Buggy Pirates!!!"
The voices were faint, then gradually faded away...
Shuma sighed, feeling a little downcast. "Why do I feel so empty inside? It's awful. I didn't feel this way when we left the Great Matriarch and the others."
"Hmph." Cabaji turned away. "What a bunch of fools... Only childish people get sentimental. A man should keep moving forward coldly and never look back..."
"Hey, then why are you crying, you idiot swordsman!" Mohji darted in front of Cabaji and jeered at him.
"It's just sea fog..." Two streams of tears ran down Cabaji's cheeks, but he forced himself to keep a cold expression. "You damn beast tamer, you've got no right to talk. Your chest hair's so wet you could wring water out of it."
"That's just Richie's drool! How could the great Mohji cry over something so trivial!"
The two glared at each other, neither willing to back down...
Then they suddenly threw their arms around each other and burst into tears.
"Damn beast tamer, is something wrong with my eyes? Why can't I stop crying...?"
"How should I know, you idiot swordsman? Did you give me this disease...?"
Buggy watched the two of them and shook his head with a knowing smile.