The Unlucky Captain Buggy Came to the East Blue to Act Cool

"Right, if you run into a one-armed, alcoholic redhead while I'm away, tell him..."

Lei En's voice faded in the ocean breeze until it vanished completely.

"Tell him what? The boss always leaves half his words unsaid."

Monkey D. Luffy made a wry face as he looked at the massive, mountain-like block of Seastone in front of him, feeling as though his rubber body were about to melt under its crushing weight.

"Stop whining! If you don't want to get roasted like a pig, lift this damn thing right now!"

Ace gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as he summoned all his strength and began trying to move that terrifying "summer homework".

Sabo also pushed up his goggles, his gaze resolute.

"We absolutely cannot lose to the boss!"

The three of them took a deep breath, and within that hellish training regimen, they began once again to frantically squeeze their limits.

A few days later.

The East Blue, Orange Town waters.

A massive ark built entirely of gold and precious wood, radiating an extremely extravagant and oppressive brilliance, sailed leisurely across the sea.

It was Lei En's exclusive ride, the Heavenly Court Thunder God.

Lei En lay on a pure-gold lounge chair on the deck, wearing sunglasses and drinking iced coconut water with utmost contentment.

"Sir, Orange Town is right ahead."

Dadi gripped the helm and turned his head to report.

"Mm."

Lei En grunted casually without even taking off his sunglasses.

"Floating on the sea for the past few days has gotten a bit boring. We'll stop by the town to restock supplies and see if there's any fun to be had."

He was fifteen now, his height and build fully grown.

A black trench coat paired with that cold yet slightly scheming temperament gave him an extremely dangerous charm.

Just as the Heavenly Court Thunder God approached Orange Town.

Meanwhile, in the central plaza of Orange Town.

A group of ferocious pirates were arrogantly surrounding a group of trembling townspeople.

On the highest platform in the plaza sat a huge, ornate sofa.

A man wearing exaggerated clown attire, a conspicuous big red nose, and blue hair was sitting with his legs crossed, gulping down rum.

It was none other than the future world-renowned great pirate, the "Genius Jester" Buggy!

Yet at present, he was merely a "small fry" with a bounty of fifteen million Beli, throwing his weight around in the East Blue.

"Hahaha! Lads, loot all the treasures from these poor wretches!"

Buggy smashed his empty bottle fiercely onto the ground, shattering it into pieces.

He stood up, pointing arrogantly at the terrified townspeople below while spittle flew from his mouth.

"This great man is a man who once served on the ship of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King!"

"Even that arrogant Shanks the Red-Haired wasn't someone this great man took seriously!"

"In this East Blue, this great man is the absolute ruler! Whoever dares not hand over their treasure, I'll use my special 'Special Buggy Ball' to blow your houses and your lives into dust!"

Buggy's arrogant laughter echoed across the plaza.

The townspeople, threatened by the pirates' swords and guns, cried out in despair, completely helpless.

"The boss is mighty!"

"Captain Buggy is invincible across the world!"

His subordinate pirates flattered him frantically, blowing Buggy up to the heavens.

Buggy thoroughly enjoyed the flattery, feeling as though he were floating on air.

He pulled a red, cannonball-like sphere from his chest—his proud, special Buggy Ball.

"It looks like you won't shed tears until you see your coffins!"

Buggy grinned hideously, tossing the Buggy Ball into the air as he prepared to light the fuse and give these townspeople a taste of power.

"Let my magnificent explosion serve as the funeral salute you've been sent! Hahaha..."

His laughter had not yet faded.

Suddenly!

The previously clear sky darkened without warning.

It was as if a massive black curtain had instantly blocked out the sun.

An oppressive, stiflingly terrifying weight enveloped all of Orange Town!

"What's going on? Why did the sky suddenly go dark? Is it going to rain?"

Buggy frowned in annoyance and looked up at the sky.

At that sight, his entire body froze.

Not just him, but every pirate and townsman in the plaza raised their heads in terror.

They saw an enormous super-battleship, glowing entirely with blinding golden light and blue lightning, hovering slowly right above the town like a chariot of the gods driven forth from myth!

The massive shadow completely blanketed the entire plaza.

"Wh-What kind of monster ship is that?!"

Buggy's first mate, Mohji the Animal Trainer, dropped his whip to the ground in fright.

Cabaji, riding his unicycle, tumbled head over heels, crashing face-first into the dirt along with his ride.

"Damn it! Who dares fly in the sky and steal this great man's thunder?!"

Buggy burned with rage.

He was a man who aspired to conquer the East Blue; how could he tolerate someone being flashier and acting cooler than him?!

"Bastards up there! Get down here right now! Do you know who this great man is?!"

Buggy pointed at the massive ark overhead, cursing with extreme arrogance.

"This great man is Buggy the Clown! If you know what's good for you, hand over your ship and treasure to me right now, or I'll blast you into pieces!"

On the deck of the ark.

Lei En removed his sunglasses, looking down at the red-nosed buffoon raving madly below, a playful, cynical smirk curving the corners of his lips.

"Oh? Isn't that the red nose who was laughing so happily on the beach of Shimotsuki Village back then?"

Lei En stood up, his black trench coat snapping in the sea breeze.

"Since you want me down here so badly, I'll oblige you."

"Zzzzt—!"

Accompanied by a piercing electrical roar!

Lei En's body instantly transformed into a thick, violent, azure lightning bolt, striking down formidably from the ark's deck!

"Bang!!!"

The lightning struck precisely upon the platform in front of Buggy!

The sturdy stone platform was shattered to pieces instantly, countless rock fragments mingling with charred smoke and dust as they flew in all directions!

"Ahhhhh!"

The surrounding pirates were knocked flat by the terrifying shockwave, screaming in succession.

The smoke and dust cleared.

A young man wrapped entirely in crackling, high-voltage electricity, his gaze as cold as the Grimstyler's, walked slowly out of the crater.

Lei En kept his hands in his pockets, looking down with a towering presence at Buggy, who was sitting flat on the ground in a daze.

"What did you just say you were going to blast into pieces?"

Lei En's voice was not loud, but in the dead silence of the plaza, it sounded as deafening as thunder.

Buggy stared fixedly at the man glowing with blue light before him.

The hazy figure of that terrifying brat who had cleaved the sea in two with a single sword ten years ago on the beach of Shimotsuki Village gradually overlapped with the youth before him, who looked like a demon god.

At that instant, a memory of extreme terror buried deep within his heart surged up like a tidal wave!

"Plop."

The proud special Buggy Ball in Buggy's hand dropped straight to the ground.

His thickly painted face instantly turned paler than paper, and cold sweat soaked his exaggerated clown attire like a waterfall.

He trembled his lips, uttering that name in a voice full of despair, as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Th-Thunder... Lei En?!"