Great Job, Luffy!

"What are you talking about? Are you an idiot?" Luffy looked at Buggy as if he were insane.

"I'm not kind enough to tell you!" Buggy roared furiously.

"Then I'll beat you until you're willing to talk!" Luffy clenched his fists, his fighting spirit blazing.

"We'll just watch from the side, Zoro. Leave this guy to Luffy!" Rayson led Zoro to a clean patch of open ground nearby and sat down, loudly cheering Luffy on.

Listening to Luffy and Buggy's exchange, a strange smile appeared on Rayson's face.

A classic rule of the pirate world—before a fight began, everyone had to reveal their background and connections first, lest they accidentally killed the descendant of someone powerful.

It had practically become... standard procedure.

"Leave it to me!" Fierce determination burned in Luffy's eyes.

Rayson's temporary employee, Luffy, was officially on the job.

"Gum-Gum... Pistol!" Luffy's arm stretched far back, then snapped forward like a spring, shooting straight at Buggy's face.

"Chop-Chop... Emergency Escape!" Buggy's body immediately split apart, effortlessly dodging Luffy's heavy punch.

"Hahaha! Brat, your rubber punches may be fast, but they're completely useless against my splitting ability!" Buggy laughed smugly as his scattered hands slowly drifted back to his sides.

"Is that so? Then how about this!" Luffy grinned as both arms gathered power once more.

"Gum-Gum... Gatling!"

A storm of fists rained down upon Buggy from all directions.

"Split! Split! Split again!" Buggy's body broke apart into dozens of tiny pieces, scattering in every direction to evade the barrage of fists.

"Hahaha! Useless! You can't even touch me!" Buggy's head spun wildly through the air as he mercilessly mocked Luffy.

Although Luffy's attack speed and strength were astonishing, Buggy's splitting evasions were incredibly nimble.

In terms of sheer speed and evasion, the Chop-Chop Fruit held an innate advantage at this stage.

"Tch, this guy's as slippery as a fly." Zoro watched from the side, his expression carrying a trace of annoyance.

Watching Buggy constantly split apart and dodge, he could imagine what a headache it would be for a swordsman to deal with someone like him.

"Don't worry. Luffy will find his weakness soon enough." Rayson reassured him calmly.

Luffy's battle instincts had always stood at the very peak. In the original story, it did not take him long to discover that Buggy's feet could not float in midair and had to stay firmly on the ground.

Sure enough, Luffy stopped throwing meaningless punches the next moment. He stared fixedly at Buggy's floating fragments, his gaze gradually moving downward until it settled on Buggy's feet, which were quietly shuffling along the ground.

"Ha! Got you!" Luffy flashed a brilliant smile.

"What?!" Buggy's head trembled sharply in midair as he realized his weakness had been exposed.

Before Buggy could react, Luffy charged forward like a runaway horse and firmly grabbed Buggy's feet.

"Stop, stop! Let go of my feet!" Buggy immediately panicked.

Once his feet left the ground and were restrained, his floating upper body instantly lost its balance, swaying in midair like a kite with its string cut.

"Hehehe! Now you can't run away!" Luffy laughed triumphantly.

"Chop-Chop... Juggling Saw!" In a desperate moment, Buggy hurriedly controlled his floating hands to grip daggers and spin them wildly, slashing at Luffy with a shriek in an attempt to force him to let go.

"Gum-Gum... Balloon!" Luffy took a deep breath, and his body immediately inflated into a round, oversized rubber ball.

Buggy's whistling flying knives struck Luffy's springy belly and were effortlessly bounced away.

"How is that possible?!" Buggy's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Now... it's my turn to strike back!" Luffy exhaled sharply and grabbed Buggy's feet tightly again.

"Wait! Stop! No!" Buggy let out a desperate scream.

"Gum-Gum... Bazooka!" Luffy's arms stretched to their absolute limit behind him, then blasted forward with overwhelming force, driving Buggy's lower body into his upper body floating in midair.

BOOM!!!

The violent crash echoed through the street. Buggy's scattered body parts slammed solidly together under the tremendous force, and his entire body shot backward like a cannonball, smashing heavily into the brick wall behind him.

CRASH!

Dirt and stones collapsed as thick chunks of brick and tile poured down, instantly burying Buggy beneath the rubble.

"Whew! Done!" Luffy clapped his hands and cheerfully wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Great job, Luffy." Rayson stood and walked toward the ruins.

Zoro rested a hand on his sword and followed close behind.

Rayson stopped before the pile of broken bricks. With a casual wave, he swept aside the debris on top, revealing Buggy beneath, battered, bruised, and unconscious.

Buggy's eyes were tightly shut. He had clearly lost consciousness.

"Very good." Rayson's voice held not the slightest warmth.

The prerequisite had been fulfilled. Buggy was completely unconscious.

System, plunder Buggy's Child of the Sea trait.

Bzz!

A dazzling mass of golden light rose from Buggy's body and soon merged into Rayson's body like mud sinking into the sea.

Rayson slightly closed his eyes and clearly felt a warm, vast energy flowing through his limbs and bones before finally gathering at his heart.

It felt as though the entire ocean had opened its arms to him, calling to him with gentle warmth.

Child of the Sea (Ultimate Gold) trait successfully plundered. The system has restored it to its awakened state.

The notification sounded in Rayson's mind, bringing him an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

The ultimate cheat for Haki training had finally been perfectly activated!

"Rayson? Did you do something just now?" Zoro asked in confusion. He instinctively sensed that Rayson's aura had undergone some indescribable transformation just moments ago.

"I merely took back the payment that belonged to me." Rayson opened his eyes, a hint of unfathomable meaning in his deep gaze.

"Let's go. It's time to find Nami and get the sea chart."

"Hehehe! Set sail for the Grand Line!" Luffy raised an arm and shouted, completely unaware of what had just happened.

Rayson cast one final glance at the unconscious Buggy.

The clown had finished his curtain call.

Next, the true journey was about to begin.