"Hey, Red Nose, did you just say you were going to teach me how to behave?"
Lei En's voice was like a devil whispering in his ear, making Buggy, who was still rolling around on the ground, stiffen all over.
The intense pain, mixed with bone-deep terror, instantly crushed the last of his psychological defenses.
"I... I wouldn't dare! Grandpa! I was wrong! I'll never dare again!"
Buggy was in so much pain that tears and snot streamed down his face. There was none of his earlier arrogance left; he looked exactly like a street thug who had been beaten half to death.
The pirates under his command had already been scared out of their wits when they saw their captain in such a miserable state.
"R-Run! The captain's been crippled!"
Beast Tamer Mohji shrieked and was the first to turn and flee.
The remaining dozen or so pirates snapped out of it as well. Looking as though they had seen ghosts, they threw down their weapons and scattered in every direction, screaming for their parents.
"Trying to run?"
Lei En did not even turn his head. He merely raised his right hand casually and snapped his fingers at the sky.
Crackle—!
A faint blue electric net, not particularly thick but extraordinarily wide in range, shot from his palm in an instant and covered the entire square like an inescapable net.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
A series of miserable screams rang out.
The pirates who had barely run a few steps fell like flies struck by an electric swatter. Their bodies convulsed, foam spilled from their mouths, and their eyes rolled back as they collapsed to the ground.
Lei En could not even be bothered to use high voltage. Basic electrostatic paralysis alone was enough to bring down this bunch of small fry.
Having dealt with the fodder, Lei En turned his attention back to Buggy, who was still wriggling on the ground.
"The physical beating was remarkably effective. Next comes the second stage of 'psychological counseling.'"
Lei En flexed his fingers, and blue arcs of electricity that made Buggy's soul tremble danced across his fingertips again.
"W-What else do you want to do?!"
Buggy shrank back in terror, covering his vital parts tightly with both hands. His voice was thick with tears.
"I already admitted I was wrong! Please, let me go!"
"Let you go?"
Lei En smiled like an innocent angel, but his words made Buggy feel as though he had fallen into an ice pit.
"How could I do that? Didn't you just say your Chop-Chop Fruit ability was invincible?"
Lei En crouched down and lightly touched Buggy's iconic red nose with an electrified finger.
"Slashes really can't hurt you, but I'm the Thunder Lord."
"Today, I'll let you properly experience what a magic attack is!"
"Ten Million Volts: Blood-Circulation Package!"
"NO—!"
Cracklecracklecrackle—!
The ear-piercing roar of electricity instantly drowned out Buggy's desperate screams.
Violent blue lightning, like countless bloodthirsty venomous snakes, crazily burrowed into every cell of Buggy's body!
The Chop-Chop Fruit could negate physical slashing attacks, but it was utterly useless against an energy attack like this!
Buggy felt as though he had been thrown into a microwave. Every inch of flesh and every bone in his body was being savagely roasted by terrifying heat and electric current!
His entire body convulsed violently, his eyes rolled back, and drool spilled all over the ground. His prized red nose was directly charred black by the current, giving off the burnt stench of scorched protein.
This inhumane "electrotherapy" continued for a full twenty minutes.
By the time Lei En mercifully withdrew the lightning, Buggy no longer looked human.
His entire body was charred black, every strand of his hair standing on end like an enormous black dandelion.
Rings of black smoke drifted from his mouth, and his eyes were unfocused. He had clearly been shocked so badly that he had forgotten even his own name.
"Mm, it seems the psychological counseling was a success. He's completely obedient now."
Lei En nodded in satisfaction, pulled out a parchment he had prepared long ago from his system space, and casually tossed it onto Buggy's blackened face.
At the top of the parchment, several large words were written in an outrageously domineering script—Heavenly Court Lifetime Labor Contract.
"Come on, sign this. From now on, you belong to me."
Lei En nudged Buggy with the tip of his foot.
Buggy struggled to open his eyes. The moment he saw the densely packed contract filled with all kinds of tyrannical clauses, tears instantly welled up.
Things like "voluntarily relinquish personal freedom," "wages paid according to the boss's mood," and "no overtime pay for overtime work"...
Was this a contract of indenture? This was straight-up a slave contract!
"What? You have objections?"
Seeing that Buggy had not moved for so long, Lei En's fingertips flashed with dangerous electric light again.
"N-No! I'll sign! I'll sign!"
Buggy jolted in terror, and his survival instincts instantly overcame his dignity.
Ignoring the agonizing pain in his body, he scrambled over and grabbed the contract. Crying his eyes out, he tremblingly bit his finger and pressed his humiliating bloody fingerprint onto the parchment.
"Very good. Welcome to the Heavenly Court Coal-Mining Brigade."
Lei En put away the contract, clapped his hands, and was in an excellent mood.
He took out a Den Den Mushi and directly contacted Enel, who was standing by aboard the Heavenly Court Thunder God.
"Hey, night watchman, bring the ship over and pick them up."
Lei En snapped his fingers, and a thick pillar of lightning descended from the sky, striking the center of the square and creating an extremely conspicuous marker.
"Pack up this pile of trash on the ground, including that red nose, and take them all away."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Enel hurriedly nodded and bowed when he heard Lei En's unquestionable order.
"Alright, alright! Grandpa Lei En, don't worry! I'll be right there!"
A few minutes later.
The massive golden ark descended above Orange Town.
Enel directed several Sky Island laborers to drag Buggy and his still-unconscious subordinates aboard like dead dogs.
Buggy knelt on the deck, watching Orange Town grow farther and farther away, his heart filled with despair for the future.
"L-Lord Lei En..."
He gathered the last of his courage and asked in an incomparably humble tone.
"May I ask... where are we going?"
Lei En stood at the bow, facing the sea breeze without looking back.
He pointed toward a barren island in the distance, black smoke rising from its horizon, and a cruel smile curled across his lips.
"There."
Lei En's voice drifted on the sea breeze into Buggy's ears, but it sounded like the death knell of hell.
"Heavenly Court's construction projects are short on ore right now. This batch of cheap labor arrived at exactly the right time."
"Buggy, remember this."
Lei En turned around, devilish light gleaming in his deep eyes.
"From today on, if you don't mine ten tons of coal every day, then dinner will be Ten Million Volts."
Before you continue