Making a Run!

Amid the ruins, the smoke gradually began to clear.

"Cough, cough... Damn you, Red Eye brat!"

From beneath a pile of broken stones and rubble, a comical little thing was struggling to crawl out.

Having taken the Great Fireball head-on, his body had been forced to split apart in an emergency to disperse the shockwave.

And to avoid drawing the Red Eye brat's attention, the "great pirate" Buggy was currently in an utterly miserable state.

His clothes were torn, and his blue hair had been scorched black and curled up.

Worst of all, most of his body parts had been blasted away.

He had now become a chibi figure made up of nothing but palms, feet, and a head.

"Damn it... damn you, Red Eye brat... Just you wait..."

With streams of thick tears pouring down his face, Mini Buggy tried to shuffle his tiny legs and sneak toward the edge of the ruins like a startled crab.

Thud.

A foot descended from above and mercilessly stepped on Buggy's already-short red cape.

Buggy's entire body froze. He slowly turned his head like a rusted doll.

Victor was looking down at him, his black eyes having returned to normal.

His face still wore that usual smiling expression, but to Buggy, he looked more terrifying than a demon.

Victor crouched down and extended a slender finger, lightly flicking Buggy's iconic red nose.

Bonk!

"Ow, ow, ow!! What are you doing?!"

Buggy clutched his nose and rolled around on the ground, tears spraying everywhere. "You can kill me, but you can't humiliate me! If you've got the guts, then kill me!"

"Sure thing, Captain Buggy!"

Victor's smile widened. "I love helping people!"

As he spoke, he gripped the Kunai in his right hand in a reverse hold. A flash of cold light streaked through the air as he stabbed toward Buggy's head without the slightest hesitation!

This time, he truly intended to kill him.

However—

"Gum-Gum Rocket!!"

Bang!

Before the Kunai could strike, Luffy's stretched arms suddenly shot past Victor from behind, slamming Mini Buggy in front of them with tremendous force.

Whoosh—

The Kunai in Victor's hand merely managed to leave a bloody cut across Buggy's face as he flew away.

"Ahh!! My nose! My eye!!"

Buggy let out a miserable scream as he was blasted into the air, disappearing over the horizon like a meteor.

"Red Eye brat!! Straw Hat brat!! I'll come back and kill you someday!!"

His voice faded into the distance before finally vanishing.

Victor remained in his stabbing stance, staring at the empty space ahead as the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Luffy..."

Victor helplessly turned around and looked at the captain behind him, who was clapping and laughing loudly.

"Ah, he flew so high! Hehehe!"

Luffy laughed carelessly, then looked at Victor with curiosity. "Hm? What's wrong, Victor?"

Victor sighed. Just as he was about to say something, the system's notification suddenly sounded in his mind.

[ Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating the special target: Buggy the Clown. ]

[ Battle Evaluation: A. Finishing blow unsuccessful; though regrettable, the tactical victory was complete. ]

[ Ninja Way Points obtained: 800. ]

"800 points?"

Victor raised an eyebrow, and the frustration in his heart instantly vanished.

This was the highest amount he had received so far. Added to what he had earned before, he now had a full 1,450 points.

Though it was a little regrettable that he had not killed Buggy personally, considering that guy's cockroach-like vitality and the setup for the Impel Down storyline...

"Fine. Let it be."

Victor calmly put away the Kunai, and a smile returned to his face.

"It's nothing, Luffy. Before that enthusiastic Captain Buggy left, he said that to apologize for bombarding us earlier, he was willing to sponsor us with a ship."

Victor pointed toward the distant shore. "It's at the town dock."

"Really?!"

Upon hearing that, Luffy's eyes instantly went round, his mouth falling wide open.

"That's great! Hehehe, we finally have a proper ship!"

"Hey, this stuff is too heavy! Come help me!"

At that moment, Nami's voice rang out.

She was dragging several enormous bags of treasure over with great effort, swaying with every step. Sweat beaded on her face, but her eyes were curved into crescents.

Luffy glanced at the mountain of bags and remarked, "Ah, that really is a lot."

Then, as though he had remembered something, he turned to Nami with a brilliant smile.

"Oh, right, Nami! Since we fought together, that means you'll become our companion too, right?"

Nami froze.

She glanced at Victor beside her, who was smiling at her, then haughtily turned her head away.

"Stop deciding things on your own! We only cooperated, cooperated! Please remember that!"

"Ah, there's no difference." Luffy picked his nose.

"There is a difference, you idiot!" Nami stomped her foot in anger.

"Alright, stop arguing."

Victor took the parchment scroll he had just obtained from his clothes and casually tossed it to Luffy.

"Luffy, catch. A map of the Grand Line."

"Ah!!"

Luffy fumbled to catch the map, trembling with excitement as though he were holding some priceless treasure.

"Victor! You're amazing! Just as expected of the Pirate King's first mate!"

"Hmph, looks like it's all over."

A lazy voice drifted over.

Zoro walked over from the distance with his swords resting on his shoulder and his arms folded casually. Though he looked somewhat disheveled, his presence remained sharp.

Luffy held up the sea chart and boasted, "Ah, Zoro! Not only did we get a ship, we also got treasure, a sea chart, and a navigator!"

Zoro raised an eyebrow and glanced at the treasure on the ground and Nami beside it. "Oh? Not bad, huh?"

Then he looked at the completely unharmed Victor and curled his lip.

Victor gave him a sidelong glance and said with a smile:

"You took too long, Moss Head. Don't tell me you got lost again."

"Oh, I'm so sorry... You looking for a fight, you bastard?!"

Veins bulged on Zoro's forehead as he roared at Victor.

"Hahahaha!" Luffy laughed happily as well.

Nami looked at the noisy trio. Though she wore a disgusted expression, she could not stop a smile from appearing at the corner of her lips.

But the warm atmosphere did not last long.

"Speaking of the mayor..." Nami was just about to speak.

A burst of chaotic footsteps approached.

"Hey! You there! Are you from somewhere else?"

A group of townspeople holding farm tools and wooden sticks came running over, panting heavily as they stared at the people amid the ruins with suspicious expressions.

"Ah, who are you?" Luffy asked, tilting his head.

"We're townspeople from here. What were those explosions and all that commotion just now? If you know anything, please tell us!"

Just then, one sharp-eyed villager suddenly looked toward the ground not far away and cried out in alarm.

"Hey, isn't that the mayor?! How did he end up like this?!"

Everyone followed his gaze and saw Mayor Boodle lying spread-eagled on the ground, a huge bump on his head as he lay unconscious.

"Mayor!!"

The townspeople immediately rushed over in panic.

"The pirates must have done this!"

"This is too much! They beat the mayor up like this!"

"Unforgivable..."

Anger spread through the crowd, and every pair of eyes instantly turned hostile as they glared fixedly at Luffy and the others.

Yet Luffy acted as though nothing had happened. Pointing at Boodle on the ground, he honestly said:

"Ah, I knocked that old man out."

Silence.

The air froze for a second.

The next instant, every townsman glared at them furiously, raising the weapons in their hands.

"You!! Why did you attack the mayor so viciously?!"

"You're pirates, aren't you? You must be with Buggy's group!"

"No, that's not it! There's a reason for all this!" Nami was shocked and hurriedly waved her hands, trying to explain. "Everyone, listen to me, actually—"

However, Luffy gave Nami no chance to explain at all.

He pressed down his Straw Hat, revealing that signature smile as he nodded.

"Yeah, we're pirates. I'm Luffy, the man who'll become the Pirate King!"

Pfft—

Upon hearing that, Nami, who had been about to defend them, blacked out and collapsed to the ground in despair.

Seeing this, Zoro could not help clutching his stomach and bursting into laughter. "Hahahaha! That's so like you, Luffy!"

"If they're pirates, then there's nothing more to say!!"

"Get out! Drive them out!!"

The enraged townspeople roared and charged forward, waving their weapons.

Nami instantly woke up. She looked around in terror, trying to find the most reliable person to lean on for help.

"What do we do... Victor... Hm? Where's Victor?"

Nami froze.

The black-haired boy who had been standing beside them moments ago had vanished without a trace.

The several huge bags of treasure on the ground had vanished along with him.

At that moment, at the mouth of an alley several dozen meters away.

Victor was carrying an enormous bag of treasure on his back. Light on his feet, he had already made a run for it.

He looked back at the three people being surrounded, a smile curling across his lips as he slipped away faster than anyone else.

What a joke. Being surrounded by furious civilians was the most troublesome thing possible. If he did not run now, when would he?

"Hehehe!"

Surrounded by the crowd, Luffy did not get angry at all. Instead, he pulled his hat down over his head and laughed heartily.

"Run for it!!"