Tough-Talking Clown, Terrified Clown

Silence blanketed the pirate ship of the Buggy Pirates.

Everyone knew Buggy had lost, and lost miserably, yet no one spoke a word.

Finally, First Mate Mohji broke the silence.

The boss lost. Should we go save him?

Looking through his telescope at Buggy's miserable state, Mohji hesitated.

If they didn't go, it would feel a bit unfair to Captain Buggy.

If they did go, it would be unfair to his own life.

"Go my ass! I'm not going out there to throw my life away!"

Alvida refused without a moment's hesitation.

She and Buggy were merely business partners; it was not worth throwing her life away for him.

If the enemy had merely been a pirate powerhouse with a bounty of thirty million, she might have tried her luck.

But the opponent was Luo Wen, the strongest bounty hunter whose sheer presence terrified the East Blue!

She had witnessed the battle just now.

Buggy had sworn up and down that his Chop-Chop Fruit made him immune to Luo Wen.

Yet he had been taken down in two moves. Saving him was out of the question.

The first slash hadn't connected with him, yet it had split the ocean itself.

It was the first time in her life Alvida had ever witnessed such terrifying power.

She had no doubt that if that slash landed on their pirate ship, everyone on board would die.

The second slash displayed not only raw power, but also supreme swordsmanship.

Buggy's chopped-up body had shattered into at least seventy or eighty pieces, scattered in every single direction.

With just a single sword stroke, Luo Wen had plastered every last fragment right onto the ground.

This swordsmanship alone made him a master among masters, ranking at the very top even among swordmasters.

"We must trust in Captain Buggy's abilities. He will definitely be able to escape on his own!"

Cabaji the dog-headed strategist wore a grave expression, acting as though he had absolute faith in Buggy's abilities.

He was naturally fiercely loyal to Captain Buggy, but asking him to actually go save the man was entirely out of the question.

Luo Wen was simply too terrifying; watching from afar had already left him shivering.

If he got any closer, Luo Wen wouldn't even need to make a move—he would collapse to his knees all by himself.

"Right, we must trust Captain Buggy!"

The rest of the pirate crew quickly echoed Cabaji's words.

A Luo Wen this terrifying was truly someone who would make you blow up just from taking one extra look.

Captain Buggy was so strong, he would definitely be able to break out on his own. If they went to rescue him, it would only disrupt Captain Buggy's master plan.

First Mate Mohji let out a sigh of relief as well, seeing as he valued his own life dearly.

Aboard the Windrider.

"Luo Wen, are we taking him in to collect the bounty?"

Nami pointed at Buggy, who was slumped on the deck like a dead dog.

In her eyes, this was no longer Buggy the Clown, but a pile of fifteen million Beli.

Buggy lifted his head, glaring at Nami with deep grief and indignation.

Just a few days ago she had stolen all his treasure clean, and now she wanted to trade him in for cash.

This vicious woman was simply going way too far.

Hmm~, let me think about it first.

Luo Wen felt a slight headache coming on. Buggy was genuinely troublesome to deal with.

He was a former member of the Roger Pirates, and still had deeply tangled ties with the current Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks.

Most importantly, Buggy possessed the legendary Conqueror's Luck!

He had started at the absolute peak, sharing the exact same origins as Red-Haired Shanks as an apprentice on the Roger Pirates.

He had eaten the Paramecia Chop-Chop Fruit, yet acted like a victim while cashing in on the benefits, foolishly believing the fruit had dragged him down.

Luo Wen could only scoff at that; if you suck, don't blame the fruit.

The Chop-Chop Fruit was undoubtedly a powerful fruit with a high ranking among Paramecia abilities. How could any Devil Fruit captured by the Roger Pirates possibly be useless?

Even without much development, Buggy had naturally become the bane of all swordsmen.

Had he actually applied himself and awakened it like Doflamingo, he would have easily possessed top-tier Seven Warlords combat strength.

Not only were Buggy's origins exceptional, his subsequent trajectory was even more absurd.

He had spent years living comfortably in the East Blue, enjoying every luxury imaginable.

When he finally went to the Grand Line, despite his strength never increasing, he soared to the status of a Seven Warlords member within two years—all thanks to the Marines' wild imaginations.

Upon reaching the New World, with his strength still completely unimproved, he miraculously rocketed straight to the throne of the Four Emperors.

He had blatantly snatched the fruits of the Cross Guild established by Crocodile and Hawkeye.

With the help of two imperial foster fathers, Buggy's bounty skyrocketed directly from fifteen million Beli to an astronomical three billion one hundred and eighty-nine million Beli.

"Buggy, get lost out of the East Blue and head to the Grand Line!"

After pondering for a long time, Luo Wen finally reached a decision.

Cashing him in right now would only net fifteen million Beli, barely raising his roleplay progress by 0.15%.

Once the man grew a bit more, there was a good chance he could still hit that massive bounty of three billion one hundred and eighty-nine million Beli, which would instantly rocket the vast majority of his roleplay progress forward.

"Fine."

Nami felt a twinge of disappointment, but ultimately followed Luo Wen's arrangements.

No matter what, this was her household's supreme authority speaking.

"Really?"

"You're actually letting me go?!"

Buggy's jaw dropped, his face plastered with sheer disbelief.

He had thought he was completely finished this time, never expecting a plot twist.

At that moment, looking at Luo Wen—the man who had beaten him down to look like a clown—he actually felt a sliver of gratitude.

"Of course it's true. My word is absolute."

Luo Wen stared down at Buggy; he always kept his promises.

"No problem, I'm heading out right now!"

Buggy eagerly made his promise, slapping his chest with loud smacks.

Yet inwardly, he thought What an idiot. Only a fool would actually go to the Grand Line.

He was going to stay right here in the East Blue, where the money was easy to loot and the Marines were weak.

He absolutely loved this place!

Once Luo Wen left for the Grand Line, he, Buggy the Clown, would be the king of the East Blue!

"Luo Wen, he's lying. We should just sell him off!"

Nami saw right through Buggy's suspicious demeanor at a glance; expecting a scoundrel like this to behave was a pipe dream.

"Bulls—! I am a man of my word!"

Buggy glared angrily at Nami, genuinely looking the part of an honest and trustworthy man.

Heh, I just like to tell a little white lie sometimes!

Deep down, Buggy had zero intention of obediently listening.

Originally, after being beaten up by Luffy, he had still entertained thoughts of heading out to make a name for himself.

But now that a monster like Luo Wen had popped up even in the East Blue, wasn't the Grand Line bound to be infinitely more dangerous?

All things considered, not even a dog would go to the Grand Line!

Buggy looked pleadingly at Luo Wen, knowing full well that this terrifying man held the ultimate power over his fate.

"I always keep my word. Since I said I'd let you go, I'll let you go."

Luo Wen rubbed his chin, carefully sizing Buggy up.

"I imagine you don't have the guts to lie to me."

Before Buggy could even react, a fierce wave of murderous intent enveloped him.

Buggy's body instantly stiffened, leaving him without a shred of room to struggle.

How is this possible? This kind of killing intent... he's like a monster! I can't fight back at all!

In an instant, beads of cold sweat rolled down Buggy's forehead, and all his little sneaky thoughts completely vanished.

Luo Wen straightened out Buggy's rigid body and violently swung the giant sword in his hand.

A fierce wave of wind pressure washed over Buggy once again, filling his heart with the terror of impending death.

Buggy's face was painted with horror. Didn't he say he was going to let him go?

If this strike hit, he would definitely die!

Subconsciously, Buggy prepared to activate his ability.

"Don't move, or you'll die."

Luo Wen's flat tone made Buggy break out in a fresh wave of cold sweat, causing him to wisely give up any thoughts of resistance.

The moment the giant sword smacked into Buggy's body, he felt as though he had caught a glimpse of his ancestors.

Propelled by Luo Wen's brute strength, Buggy took off right from the spot.

"Aaaaack!"

Screaming at the top of his lungs in midair, Buggy couldn't stop the tears from streaming out of his eyes.

Seriously, provoking Luo Wen was hands down the most idiotic mistake he had ever made.

He couldn't stay in this damn wretched East Blue for even another second.

He, Buggy the Clown, was heading to the Grand Line!

A streak of light shot away from the Windrider, heading straight for the Buggy Pirates ship a thousand meters away.

Bang!

"Splendid, a home run!"

Watching the distant pirate ship rock violently from Buggy's impact, Luo Wen looked thoroughly satisfied.