If people on Earth were hit by an explosion this powerful, they would have been gravely injured and knocked unconscious. But in this world, even ordinary humans had astonishingly tough bodies. Though the shockwave had reached the villagers, they had suffered only minor injuries. Even the worst-off villager had only a layer of skin scorched black across his back and a few bloody scrapes on his forehead.
The villagers struggled to their feet and stared blankly at the tavern, its wooden splinters flying through the flames. The firelight painted their faces red.
Chris had been grabbed by Buggy and dragged away just in time, then shoved to the ground, so the flames hadn't engulfed him. His injuries weren't serious, perhaps partly because he was in good shape to begin with.
Chris rubbed his aching lower back and glanced over his shoulder at the tavern, his expression complicated. The chain reaction had truly caught him by surprise and sent events down an unpredictable path.
After a moment's thought, he said, "I'm truly sorry, Captain. This wasn't our intention. Please don't take your anger out on Kodia Village. I'll offer a proper compensation for our mistake."
Buggy's good mood was utterly ruined. He brushed the dust off himself, stood, and looked over the pirates around him, who had suffered a few minor injuries. He revealed eight gleaming daggers in his hands and said bluntly, "Your compensation had better be enough to cool my anger. Otherwise, I'll show you what happens when you cross a pirate..."
The pirates around him stared fiercely at the villagers and drew their weapons, waiting for their captain's order to attack.
The villagers, in turn, gripped their farm tools nervously. If the pirates really attacked, the bearded villager at their head would immediately launch an emergency flare and summon the village's garrison for reinforcements.
The tension was unbearable. A fight could break out at any moment.
Chris felt as if his insides had been tossed together like ingredients in a seasoning jar. With a bitter smile, he pulled an ancient parchment from his clothes. "Captain, I know you want to visit the Ancestral Ruins. But they've been deserted for a long time, and the old path is now choked with thorns and weeds. It's impossible to find your way. This map shows the route to the Ancestral Ruins and clearly records how to open them. I hope you'll accept it as a way to settle this misunderstanding."
"Oh?"
Buggy sheathed his daggers and took the yellowed parchment. If it really was a map to the rumored treasure, then this accident might not be so hard to forgive after all.
The parchment unfurled. A faint scent of special ink reached Buggy's nose. He studied it closely. It clearly marked the four villages on Gali Island, the location of the Ancestral Ruins, and a winding path. At the bottom were... notes written in ancient cuneiform.
"Dos Fleur. Spinning Wind."
A voice came from nowhere. Two strange, pale arms sprouted from Buggy's body and shoved the parchment out of his hands. He faltered for a moment, and the parchment drifted upward on the wind.
That familiar ability... Buggy froze, then looked up.
A beautiful woman with tanned skin sat elegantly on a rooftop. She wore a white fedora and a white coat, with a fitted purple vest barely visible beneath it, and carried a small purple backpack. Her eyes reflected the tavern ablaze below. It seemed she was recalling something that had happened twenty years ago; an elusive sadness flickered across her face from time to time. She murmured, "What a dazzling display of fireworks..."
The beautiful woman caught the parchment as it drifted toward her. Looking down at the people below, she smiled. "Sorry, everyone. I think I'd be better suited to keeping this."
With that, she leaped away several times and disappeared behind the rooftops.
The parchment had been snatched away right in front of everyone, and they all thought the situation had become irredeemable. But to their astonishment, Buggy wasn't angry. He grinned instead. "Was she drawn here by the explosion? What an unpredictable surprise..."
The appearance of the future Straw Hat Pirates' archaeologist had been beyond Buggy's expectations. But didn't that prove the treasure inside the Ancestral Ruins was extremely valuable?
"Cabaji, bring over the Den Den Mushi we captured earlier."
Cabaji pulled two Den Den Mushi from his clothes and handed one to Buggy.
Buggy slipped it into his clothes and looked around, taking in everyone's expressions. "Wait for my orders. Don't start a fight here."
He removed his heavy captain's cape, which was getting in his way, and set off in the direction the beautiful woman had gone. Cabaji couldn't understand his captain's intentions, but he didn't disobey. He waved to the pirates, signaling them to put down their weapons.
The villagers breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously retreated. As long as the other side didn't attack, they wouldn't go looking for trouble.
Chris's eyes revealed his shock, but he quickly hid it.
The eastern coast of Gali Island was a flat stretch of shallow shore, and the villagers all lived along its broad, level coastline. The island's western side, by contrast, was covered in vast tracts of undeveloped old-growth forest, and steep cliffs lined the western coast, making it difficult to climb.
Two figures raced through the forest, one chasing the other: the Red Nose captain and the beautiful woman.
Buggy stayed close behind her, but he was struggling. She had been on the run from pursuers since childhood, and years of fleeing had honed her speed and endurance to an extraordinary degree.
The beautiful woman seemed to have no interest in lingering with Buggy. Taking in the surroundings, she quickly raised her hands into position. "Seis Fleur. Net."
Three pairs of arms sprouted symmetrically from each of two closely spaced trees, like blossoms opening. The arms linked together to form a fine net. The beautiful woman pushed off, preparing to leap toward it.
"She's planning to use the arms' spring and thrust to get away from me. But I won't let her!" Buggy immediately figured out what she was up to. He stopped dead and grinned slyly, shouting, "Child of the Devil, Miss Nico Robin!"
Buggy's voice made Nico Robin flinch. She hesitated, a flash of ruthless intent passing through her eyes. Then the three pairs of arms on the trees instantly turned into petals.
Nico Robin skidded several meters across the ground, barely managing to stop her forward momentum. Then she spun around with lightning speed, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and declared firmly, "Seis Fleur. Snap."
Six arms suddenly sprouted from Buggy's body, clamping onto his arms, legs, and neck and forcing his body to bend backward.
Crack!
It sounded as if his bones were snapping.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Buggy grimaced. "If you pull that hard, my arms are going to come off..."
As if to prove his point, a strange crack appeared across his arm. Then, with a snap, his left arm fell to the ground.