If they kept heading west after leaving Ailu Island, they should pass several islands along the way, all of which would eventually lead to the Arlong Empire.
If this "Cat Burglar" really was Nami, she should follow this sea route back to Cocoyasi Village and hide the treasure she'd gotten her hands on in the Tangerine Grove.
Buggy had figured that even if their routes didn't cross, or this woman wasn't Nami, it wouldn't matter. As long as word of the treasure got out, a greedy navigator would definitely take the bait.
In any case, heading west was the right general direction.
The Cumulonimbus Tornado two years ago had made him keenly aware of how important a good navigator was. Even the relatively calm waters of the East Blue could spring a sudden disaster like that, let alone the Grand Line. No matter how well one trained their Devil Fruit abilities, they were still insignificant in the face of nature's might.
The Battle of Edd War more than twenty years ago, which had nearly changed the course of the entire world, proved that point. If not for that earth-shaking storm, there would have been no Pirate King Roger.
A day later, the Big Top passed an island west of Ailu Island. After hearing that "an outsider in a cloak bought a little fresh water and hurriedly left," they didn't stay long. The Big Top continued sailing west.
On a rocky beach on an island in the western East Blue, a person wearing a gray cloak and carrying a bundle lowered the sail, then strained to drag a small boat up from the water's edge.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and rubbed her slightly sunken belly. Remembering that she'd finished the thin layer of potatoes in her bundle and the crackers she'd bought the day before yesterday, she let out a helpless sigh.
Rowing alone across the sea took a lot of strength. The rough waves cruelly churned the stomach acid in her empty belly, and on top of that, she had to worry that the Marines might come after her at any moment. She felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
She dragged herself toward the village ahead, where cooking smoke was rising. As she thought of something, strength welled up within her, and her gaze grew determined. "Hang in there. For Cocoyasi Village... I have to scrape together a hundred million Beli!"
After passing the slope ahead, she went by a stand of trees where a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old man and three six- or seven-year-old boys sat beside a log, laughing and chatting.
"Piment, Ninjin, Tamanegi! Your great Captain Usopp has brought joy to this boring village once again today. Ha ha!"
Usopp laughed with his hands on his hips. He glanced casually at the cloaked person passing by, then turned his head back as if nothing had happened. His laughter abruptly died. Looking strange, he rubbed his eyes and then whipped around.
The road beside them was completely empty—not a soul in sight...
Usopp's teeth chattered as he shouted at the three boys, "Did any of you just see a weird person wearing a cloak?!"
"Tamanegi, did anyone just pass by here?"
"I don't think I saw anyone either!"
"Captain Usopp's definitely trying to trick us again. We won't fall for it this time!"
Usopp stared blankly, wrapped his arms around his legs, and curled into a ball. A chill crept through him. That face just now... Was it a monster? Has something terrifying invaded the island? Why do I have such a bad feeling...
"Captain Usopp, what's wrong?"
"Captain Usopp must've scared himself with one of his own stories!"
"This isn't like our captain at all!"
The three boys chattered away.
"Y-yes... I've just come down with a disease that makes me unable to tell ghost stories!" Usopp suppressed his unease and forced a smile, raising one hand high. "We're going to play pirate patrol!"
"Yeah!!!"
The next day, the Big Top approached the eastern shore of Syrup Village.
Buggy looked at a fishing boat carelessly left on the beach. He crouched down and examined the faint footprints, almost completely covered by sand.
The person who'd sailed the boat must have left those shallow footprints while dragging the heavy fishing boat ashore.
He walked over with his shoes in hand and compared them. The prints were probably made by a woman.
Sailing west from the previous island, this should be the nearest island. If there had been no change in course or unexpected accidents, the "Cat Burglar" should be here.
She must have hurried because she was afraid the Marine warship would catch up. But she'd need to resupply before heading to the next island, so she would probably look for food here. Judging by the lone fishing boat, there was a good chance she was still on the island...
Suddenly, rustling came from the woods. Buggy looked up as black skull flags rose one after another from the grass. A muffled voice called out.
"Y-you... are already s-surrounded. Leave this island right now, or my eighty million men, Captain Usopp's men, will..." The voice suddenly grew impassioned. "Cut off your heads!!!"
"Whoa!" Shuma exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. "Eighty million... That'd be enough to eat for a long, long time!"
"Eighty million?" Buggy stood up and carefully surveyed the surrounding terrain. "Looks to me like there are only four of you."
"Ah! We've been spotted! Run..." The skull flags in the bushes toppled over, and several small figures hurriedly fled.
The grass fell silent in an instant. Not another sound could be heard. The strange silence left all the pirates baffled.
"What's going on?" Cabaji folded his arms. "All bark and no bite. I thought something interesting was going to happen..."
At last, a long-nosed man burst out of the bushes and stood on the slope. He'd been unable to stop thinking about that strange person last night, so he'd gotten up early and kept watch here. The bad feeling that had plagued him all night had finally come true...
He stared down at the pirates, drenched in cold sweat, and swallowed. "Hey, I'm Captain Usopp, ruler of this village. If you want to attack it, I suggest you get lost while you still can. Otherwise... otherwise..."
Buggy looked up at him. "Otherwise what?"
"I know you're ruthless pirates from the East Blue, but even if you are the Buggy Pirates, so what!" Usopp gripped the slingshot in his hand. "I still won't go easy on you!"
"Hey, look! A slingshot! His weapon's a slingshot!" The pirates on the rocky beach burst out laughing.
"My slingshot skills are way better than your marksmanship..." Usopp loaded a lead pellet into his slingshot and pulled it back. Sweat ran down his face drop by drop.
"Even if people chase me with weapons, even if they curse at me, this is still my village. I love this village more than anything. I have to protect everyone. I won't let you destroy it!"
"It's good to have courage, but courage without the strength to match it is a tragedy. Thinking you can drive your enemies away like this is far too optimistic."
Buggy looked at the face that was exactly like the one in the manga and curled his lips into a sly smile. "Shuma, knock him down."
"Oh..."
Shuma used Geppo, kicking off the air as he bounded forward several times. In the blink of an eye, he appeared to the right of the wide-eyed Usopp, his body hovering halfway in the air, his right leg raised high.
"Sorry, long-nosed ingredient..."
As soon as he spoke, his right foot lashed out like a raging whip and struck Usopp in the back. The enormous force sent him flying like a shooting star, crashing hard into the cliff face.
With a thunderous boom, a huge section of the cliff collapsed. Rocks and dust flew everywhere, burying Usopp beneath the rubble.