The Devil Fruit Was Eaten?

As the dust and rubble settled, slight movement came from the collapsed rock, and an arm reached out from within.

"Ah!!"

Usopp pushed the massive rock pinning him down with all his might. His body was covered in scratches from stone shards, and blood from his forehead dripped down his face, soaking the ground.

"I... will absolutely not let you pass. I won't let you bunch of wicked pirates... destroy the peace of this village."

He sat cross-legged on the ground, head bowed, and stretched his arms out to his sides. "This is the resolve a braggart should have..."

Buggy's eyes were buried in shadow, radiating killing intent: "Even if it means death, you won't let us pass?"

Usopp's body trembled involuntarily, and he bit his lip hard: "...Then come and take my life!"

Cabaji's eyes showed surprise: "This long-nosed kid is clearly so weak, yet he possesses such powerful willpower. Incredible..."

"Indeed, to be able to say such words without fear of death..." Mohji said, "This guy, he's starting to earn my respect."

Buggy shrugged, and the killing intent on his body vanished instantly: "I think you've misunderstood. Actually... we don't have any malicious intent."

"Don't joke around! You're the notorious Buggy Pirates of the East Blue!" Usopp roared. "I'm a braggart; I can tell at a glance if someone is lying. Don't you dare try to trick me!"

"Captain Usopp!!!"

Ninjin, Piment, and Tamanegi, the three young figures who had originally fled, turned back halfway and returned to the vicinity of the East Coast port. With snot and tears mixed together, they looked at the scene before them and ran quickly to Usopp's side.

"Why did you come back! Run! Go notify the people in the village that pirates are here!" Usopp said to the three of them, exhausted.

"We're going to fight side-by-side with Captain Usopp! We are members of the Usopp Pirates!" The three stood in front of Usopp, clutching their wooden weapons.

Tears and blood streamed from Usopp's eyes: "Go away! They are real pirates!"

"That's enough..." Buggy sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I told you I'm not here to start trouble. How about this—you know the names Red-Haired Shanks and Yasopp, right?"

Usopp froze on the spot: "Red-Haired Shanks... Yasopp..."

Buggy said: "How should I put it? Red-Hair and I were crewmates on the same ship back in the day. I have some history with him."

"Really?" Usopp's expression shifted from sorrow to surprise. "You were also one of Shanks' crewmates? Yasopp is my old man. How is he doing now?"

"Yeah, they're both incredible big-time pirates on the Grand Line now, doing quite well for themselves." Buggy didn't bother explaining that the other party had misinterpreted his meaning. "I'm not here to cause trouble, so don't be so tense."

"Then why did you just..."

"I just wanted to test your strength. My goal is only to find someone."

"That's too much... you didn't have to hit so hard just to test me!" Usopp felt a heavy weight lift from his heart. His eyelids gradually drooped, his focus began to scatter, and his body swayed unsteadily.

"What a simple-minded guy..." Buggy watched him calmly.

In the original story, this sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates was a highly controversial character. He possessed the cowardice of an ordinary person, yet he was also incredibly courageous, persisting in his inner drive to keep moving forward.

When encountering difficulties and powerful enemies, his first thought was always how to escape, but in his determination to become a brave warrior of the sea, he often managed to overcome his inner fear and swim against the current.

Compared to the ignorance and fearlessness of the Straw Hat Pirates' main trio, he was a truly normal person. He was a very interesting guy.

Usopp's body was treated with some herbal medicine for external injuries and simply bandaged; within a few hours, he was back to jumping around.

He was gesticulating excitedly with the three little ones—Ninjin, Piment, and Tamanegi—triumphantly pointing his thumb at himself. "Haha, did you hear that earlier? The great pirate Buggy and my old man were colleagues on the same ship!"

Then, he walked quickly over to Buggy, seemingly forgetting that they had been enemies just moments ago, and affectionately draped his arm over the latter's shoulder. "Uncle Buggy, I didn't expect us to have such a deep connection. Please take care of me from now on!"

Un... Un... Uncle!!!

Buggy suddenly felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his ears rang incessantly.

"Uncle Buggy, what's wrong?" Usopp asked, puzzled as he looked at the stunned Buggy.

"No, nothing..." Buggy clutched his aching heart, staring straight at the other party. "Do I look that old to you..."

"How could that be? Uncle Buggy, you don't look old at all. Let me guess your age..." Usopp touched his chin in thought, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "Definitely no more than fifty!"

Fi... fifty...

Buggy instantly turned to stone, unable to speak for a long time.

"Hahahaha, 'Proud Usopp' guessed it!" Usopp let out an exaggerated laugh, holding his head high and feeling lightheaded amidst the praise of the three little ones.

A long while later.

Buggy finally came back to his senses. Watching Usopp, who had quickly integrated into the pirate atmosphere and was dancing around, he exhaled and asked, "Usopp, let me ask you, did you see any strange guys yesterday or the day before?"

"Hmm..." Usopp frowned in thought. "Strange guys?"

His brow twitched violently: "Uncle Buggy, you don't mean a person wearing a cloak, do you..."

Uncle...

Buggy couldn't help but dwell on the word, his body stiffening before he said, "You saw them?"

"That guy..." Usopp recalled the events of yesterday and shuddered. "It was just too strange!"

"What did you see?" Buggy frowned.

"Her face didn't look like a human face. It was like a monster's, covered in white, fuzzy fur, and her two eyes looked like they were emitting soul-devouring green light. It must be a monster!"

Listening to Usopp's words, Buggy's mind couldn't quite process it, and he began to slowly organize his thoughts.

Could it be that Nami was so hungry that she mistook the Devil Fruit for food and ate it?!

Could it be that the butterfly effect caused by my arrival has disrupted the entire plot?

Originally, Nami stealing from the Navy was already an incredible turn of events, and now that she has eaten a Devil Fruit, things have deviated significantly from the original story. Forget it... there is no point in overthinking it. No matter what she becomes, her excellent navigational skills will not change, and therefore, my goal will remain the same.

After a long period of contemplation, Buggy turned to Shuma and said, "Shuma, go prepare some food first."

Then, he glanced at Usopp and the three boys and said, "You all come along as well. Since you yearn for the pirate life, you might as well get a taste of it in advance. I'll treat you to a meal for free today... consider it a reward for the information you provided."

"Thank you so much!"

Usopp and the others' eyes lit up as they shouted in unison, "Uncle Buggy!!"

On a hillside in the distance, a man with a slicked-back hairstyle, wearing glasses and a suit, carried the groceries he had purchased. He stared coldly at the pirates below and pushed up his glasses with his palm.

"Pirates, huh... My plans cannot be disrupted by this bunch of desperadoes. Hmm... I'll have Jango come over to clean up the situation."