Buggy the Clown? Today I'll Let You Taste Nutcracker Pain

"Lei... Lei En?!"

Buggy's voice was filled with utter terror and disbelief. His face, caked in thick makeup, instantly turned paler than a corpse's.

The horrifying scene from ten years ago on the beach of Shimotsuki Village—when that six-year-old brat had split the sea with a single slash and driven Shanks back with one move—surfaced in his mind like a nightmare once more!

He had never imagined that he would run into that unreasonable monster again just because he wanted to throw his weight around in the East Blue, a beginner's sea!

Run! I have to run!

That was the only thought left in Buggy's mind.

He did not even spare a thought for his men. With a kick of his legs, he prepared to make his escape.

However, Lei En's ghostly voice drifted out from behind him.

"Ten years later, and your nose is still this red, Buggy."

The lightning around Lei En gradually faded, but his deep, pitch-black eyes remained fixed firmly on Buggy.

"Running off without even greeting an old friend isn't very polite, is it?"

Buggy's entire body stiffened, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He knew that he probably would not be able to escape today.

But Buggy had, after all, sailed on Roger's ship. His nerves were far stronger than those of ordinary pirates.

After the overwhelming fear passed, he instead calmed down.

What am I afraid of? I'm the man who ate the Chop-Chop Fruit!

Buggy bolstered himself inwardly. Slashing attacks are completely useless against me! No matter how strong this brat is, he's just a swordsman. What can he do to me?

At that thought, Buggy's courage instantly swelled again.

He abruptly spun around, forced an extremely arrogant grin onto his face, pointed at Lei En's nose, and began cursing.

"Who did I think it was? So it's you, you little brat!"

Buggy blustered fiercely despite his inner weakness. "You got lucky and won one move ten years ago, and you really think you're invincible now?!"

"Today, I'll teach you what a real pirate is!"

Lei En looked at Buggy, who was forcing himself to act tough, and shook his head as if looking at an idiot.

"Your brain doesn't work too well, but you sure know how to make yourself the star of the show."

"You're asking for it! Chop-Chop Punch!"

Buggy struck first. His white-gloved fist instantly detached from his arm and whistled toward Lei En's face like a cannonball!

Lei En did not even bother to dodge. He merely tilted his head with casual ease.

Buggy's fist grazed past his cheek and smashed into the wall behind him.

"Hahaha! Missed, did I? Then how about this!"

Buggy burst into laughter and violently shook his body.

"Chop-Chop Carnival!"

His body instantly split into more than a dozen pieces—his head, arms, torso, and more—scattering like celestial maidens tossing flowers as they surrounded Lei En from every direction.

"You little brat, see this? This is my invincible power!"

Buggy's head circled smugly in the air. "No slashing attack can hurt me! You've already lost!"

"Invincible power?"

Lei En glanced at the body parts flying around him and could not help but snort.

"I'd call it the power to dissect yourself on the spot. Makes it pretty convenient for me to get at you."

He had no intention of drawing his sword.

Because he knew perfectly well that physical slashes really were useless against a cheat-like Fruit ability such as Buggy's.

But... who said fighting had to involve a sword?

With a wicked glint in his eyes, Lei En locked onto Buggy's feet, still planted stupidly on the ground in clown shoes rather than floating in the air.

And... the most important part of the body connected to those feet.

"Since you like flying so much..."

A cruel, utterly dishonorable smirk curved across Lei En's lips.

"Then I'll give you a hand and send you flying a little higher!"

Before his words had even faded!

A layer of pitch-black Armament Haki instantly coated the tip of Lei En's right foot!

He suddenly lunged forward, his body like a tightly wound spring, and delivered an incredibly precise, incredibly vicious upward kick to Buggy's completely unguarded lower half!

"Bang—!"

A heavy, muffled impact that made everyone's groins go cold just from hearing it rang clearly through the square.

Buggy's pointed shoes were instantly kicked off the ground by that terrifying force!

The Armament Haki directly bypassed the Chop-Chop Fruit's physical immunity and delivered that soul-rending agony to Buggy's nervous system in full!

"Ugh—!!!"

Buggy's upper body, which had been circling triumphantly through the air, suddenly let out an inhumanly shrill, miserable scream!

His makeup-covered eyes instantly bulged wider than bells, and his eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets!

His expression twisted beyond recognition!

"Clatter—"

The body parts flying through the air lost control in an instant, like drones that had lost their signal.

Buggy's entire body reassembled in the air in an utterly miserable fashion.

Then, like a boiled shrimp, he clutched his crotch tightly with both hands and fell straight down from the sky.

With a heavy thud, he crashed onto the cold stone pavement.

His entire body convulsed violently. Foam spilled from his mouth as he rolled around the ground like mad.

The ridiculous clown face now bore nothing but the most excruciating agony imaginable.

The surrounding Buggy Pirates were all stunned senseless.

Every one of them stood there with mouths agape, instinctively clamping their legs together as an icy chill ran through their groins.

Too... too ruthless!

That was practically a bloodline-ending kick!

Lei En leisurely withdrew his foot, looked at Buggy rolling around on the ground, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Mm, not bad. Looks like even the Chop-Chop Fruit can't defend against this move—Nutcracker Pain."

He walked over to Buggy and looked down at him from above.

Buggy was in too much pain to speak. He could only stare at Lei En with eyes full of terror and desperate pleading.

Lei En crouched down, patted Buggy's tear-smeared face, and smiled like an innocent angel.

"Hey, Red Nose."

Lei En's voice was quiet, but to Buggy, it sounded like a demon whispering from hell.

"You just said you were going to teach me a lesson?"