Ancestral Ruins

The reason Buggy set his destination for this island was because of the island map in his possession, which very likely held the location of a treasure.

A year ago, he had snatched this map from another pirate crew. After a year of careful study and deliberation, he finally determined that the island on the chart was Gali Island, located in the southwest of the East Blue, and the red cross in the center of the map marked the treasure spot.

Sailing here had been the original plan, but during the voyage, Ji Ba had taken over his body. Even so, the current Buggy still held a strong interest in this treasure.

Buggy turned around, dabbed a few drops of wine into his eyes to feign grief, and then sobbed as he said, "It's a long story. Actually, my father died here. I want to recover his remains and give him a proper burial."

"So that's it. What a filial child!" Chris nodded in sudden realization.

"How is that possible! How could your father be in the Ancestral Ruins on our island!"

"The Ancestral Ruins, huh." Buggy revealed a cunning smile. "Then it seems it isn't this island. I must have remembered wrong."

"So you remembered wrong? Hey, do you take me for an idiot?!"

Chris looked squarely at the pirate before him. A pair of cunning, sinister eyes sat above a large red nose, and a magnificent captain's hat obscured a head of deep blue hair. When he grinned, he looked exactly like a clown.

"So, is the goal of you pirates the Ancestral Ruins?" Chris stared intently at Buggy.

Buggy didn't answer. Watching the other man's expression, he speculated inwardly: It seems this island map really is a treasure map; otherwise, he wouldn't have such a strong emotional reaction.

"Outsider, I advise you not to set your sights on the Ancestral Ruins. Although it was a place of worship on this island long ago..." Chris stood up, "...it has now become a place where vengeful spirits linger! Anyone who steps foot there will be struck by a fatal curse; no one has ever returned alive... Why must you throw your lives away!"

A treasure guarded by evil spirits? That's truly interesting. Thanks for the warning, though I'm afraid you wouldn't understand the faith of a pirate. The blood in Buggy's body, hungry for wealth, accelerated its flow, and his heart skipped a few beats.

It was time to set off. He looked toward the rowdy pirates gathered nearby and called out sharply, "Cabaji!"

Cabaji, who had been performing unicycle acrobatics, dropped from his tightrope at the sound of his captain's voice. He drew the great blade Sakura Blizzard from his waist, his gaze cold. "Captain Buggy, do you need me to kill this old man?"

The surrounding gazes focused intently on Chris.

Meanwhile, outside the tavern.

A large crowd of villagers, both old and young, had been summoned by those who were originally in the tavern. Armed with hoes, sticks, and pitchforks, they surrounded the building.

"Damn it, why hasn't the village chief come out yet? He hasn't been killed by those pirates, has he!"

"Forget it, let's charge in and avenge the village chief."

"That's right, the village chief fought to the death for our Kodia Village; we shouldn't hide behind like rats."

The lead villager, his face covered in stubble, raised his hoe high and shoved the tavern door open.

The scene before them instantly came into view.

The pirate with hair covering half his face held a blade pointed at Chris's head, while the red-nosed pirate sat sinisterly beside the village chief, clearly up to no good.

"You bastard pirates, let go of Village Chief Chris!"

"Damn it, they really were trying to make a move on Village Chief Chris!"

"Brothers, kill these pirates!"

The villagers charged forward desperately.

Buggy frowned helplessly. He had originally just wanted to give Cabaji some instructions for what to do next, but it seemed a misunderstanding had occurred.

However, since it had come to this, he might as well practice the combat techniques in his mind...

Buggy watched the swarming crowd and, leaving only the words "Don't you lot interfere," charged into the sheep like a hungry wolf. His Devil Fruit abilities, combined with his physical techniques, left the villagers with no way to fight back.

Ten minutes later.

Over thirty villagers were bruised and battered, either wailing on the ground or groaning while clutching their wounds.

Of course, Buggy hadn't dealt any lethal blows; he was just teaching them a lesson—they needed to know that pirates were not to be trifled with.

Seeing Buggy's "Chop-Chop" ability, the remaining villagers retreated timidly, cold sweat dripping down their faces as they gritted their teeth. "This guy is a monster..."

Buggy's body pulled itself back together, and he clapped his hands. "Alright, that's enough."

This innate nervous reaction speed and strength felt quite comfortable. His soul and body were slowly aligning, which also suggested that the Buggy from the original story wasn't actually this weak—he had simply been too lazy with his physical training and ability development, wasting too much time searching for wealth, which led to his mediocrity. He had been a rival who could have contended with Red-Haired Shanks during the same era, yet he had ended up on a completely opposite path.

"Captain Buggy is invincible!" The surrounding pirates cheered once more.

"So, Captain Buggy, should I kill this old guy?" Cabaji was still fixated on Chris.

"Don't cause me trouble." Buggy tossed the island map to Cabaji. "Prepare food and fresh water. Rest for two hours. As soon as it gets dark, we set off for the red dot immediately. Oh... and send someone to notify Mohji. Have him find people to pose as bounty hunters; it would be best if he could exchange that mountain bandit for the bounty."

"Yes." Cabaji sheathed his sword.

Throughout this battle, Chris felt the ferocity of the great East Blue pirate Buggy even more profoundly. However, the fact that the man had held back gave him some reassurance; it seemed that, just as he had said, he had no interest in attacking Kodia Village.

As long as the villagers didn't provoke them further, these pirates would likely head to the Ancestral Ruins or leave directly.

Chris adjusted his reading glasses. Suddenly, in the reflection of the lenses, he saw a dark gun barrel glinting with light. His expression changed, and he immediately shouted, "Hey, don't fire!"

If that shot went off, it would be the same as pushing these pirates into becoming their enemies!

A villager standing in the shadows of an alley paused, then involuntarily pulled the trigger.

Whoosh!

The sharp bullet shot out at a speed invisible to the naked eye. Buggy tilted his head, nimbly dodging the projectile. The bullet pierced the wooden wall of the tavern, sparking as it struck.

He had noticed that person long ago, but he hadn't expected the man to actually dare to fire. If he hadn't reacted in time, he might have found himself in a very dangerous situation.

Buggy reached out and grabbed Chris by the collar, his eyes hidden in the shadows. "Hey, old man, aren't the villagers in your village a bit too arrogant? If they don't want to live, I wouldn't mind... slaughtering the village."

The villager who fired the shot trembled, his gun slipping from his hands to the floor as his legs gave way and he collapsed to his knees.

The remaining villagers swallowed nervously, and the situation on the scene instantly reached a stalemate.

Chris frowned as he glanced at the villager, saying with a solemn expression, "This is a misunderstanding!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his face changed, for his words were accompanied by a strange sound from within the tavern.

Sizzle!

Chris immediately looked toward a wine barrel in the corner of the tavern, his expression freezing. Oh no!

The sparks kicked up by the bullet had landed right on the fuse extending from a powder keg, emitting a faint hissing sound.

"That barrel is gunpowder!" Chris shouted with all his might, "Everyone, run!!!"

Gunpowder?!

Everyone present, including Buggy, turned around at Chris's cry, their minds reeling.

The fuse had less than thirty centimeters left!

Even Buggy dared not be arrogant. Based on his past life's experience, the power of a barrel of gunpowder would absolutely demolish this building. Moreover, it was surrounded by barrels filled with strong liquor; heaven only knew what would happen to anyone standing at the center of the blast!

The crowd scrambled frantically toward the exit, as if the Grim Reaper were chasing them with a scythe, ready to harvest the life of anyone who ran too slowly.

BOOM!!

The gunpowder exploded violently, and Buggy grabbed Chris by the collar, throwing him to the ground.

A massive wave of heat and a powerful shockwave pushed everyone back more than ten meters. Fueled by the strong liquor, the entire tavern erupted into a raging inferno, quickly burning through and collapsing.