Orange Town, the Buggy Pirates' temporary base.
"Hahahaha! See this? Straw Hat Luffy has a bounty of 30 million Beli!"
Buggy the Clown stood atop a pile of treasure, holding up the latest wanted poster and laughing smugly. He wore a clown outfit, his red nose particularly conspicuous, with dozens of pirate lackeys gathered around him.
"Captain Buggy is brilliant!"
"The East Blue is ours!"
Buggy thoroughly enjoyed their flattery. Although he knew his strength amounted to nothing on the Grand Line, it was more than enough to throw his weight around in the East Blue.
Especially since, just a few days earlier, he had defeated Marine Colonel Morgan and seized a shipment of weapons. His ego had swollen beyond measure.
"Boys! Let's have a feast! To celebrate Straw Hat... no, to celebrate my imminent rise as overlord of the East Blue!"
"Yeah!!!"
The pirates brought out barrels of booze and food, ready to revel.
Just then, a lookout came scrambling in:
"C-Captain! A ship is approaching! Its figurehead looks like... a burning fist!"
Buggy froze. "A burning fist? What the hell?"
He walked over to the window and raised a spyglass.
Then he saw the medium-sized sailing ship slowly entering the harbor, and the striking flaming-fist sculpture at its bow.
What made his pupils contract even more was the flag flying above it-
Two interlocking Ds against a backdrop of flames.
"That's..." Cold sweat broke out on Buggy's forehead. "Garp's..."
He remembered. Over twenty years ago, when he was still an apprentice with the Roger Pirates, he had seen a similar design.
It had been a sketch of a family crest drawn by Gol D. Roger himself, depicting two interlocking Ds. Roger had said it was for his future child.
But after Roger's death, that design should have disappeared...
"Impossible... could it be..." An ominous premonition rose in Buggy's heart.
The Flame Emperor docked.
Lin Yan and Ace disembarked, followed by Isuka and several other fighters. Chopper stayed aboard-Lin Yan did not want the little fellow exposed to bloodshed too soon.
"Hey, quite a party." Ace looked at the barrels of booze and food scattered around. "Having a feast? Let us join in."
Buggy forced himself to remain composed and puffed out his chest. "Who are you? How dare you barge into my territory!"
Lin Yan ignored him, looking instead at something among the treasure piled at Buggy's feet-a Devil Fruit.
[Template Holder detected: Buggy the Clown (Chop-Chop Fruit)] [Uneaten Devil Fruit detected: Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit, Falcon Model (Skillful Grade)]
A Falcon Fruit? I don't think that appeared in the original.
Lin Yan had no interest in the fruit, but Buggy's template...
Although Buggy had done a terrible job developing the Chop-Chop Fruit, its potential was actually enormous-immunity to slashing attacks and the ability to split apart and reassemble his body. Combined with Observation Haki and martial arts, it could be virtually unbeatable in close combat.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Buggy snapped.
Only then did Lin Yan look at him. "Buggy the Clown, former apprentice of the Roger Pirates, currently an East Blue pirate, with a bounty of 15 million Beli."
Buggy's expression changed. "How do you know I used to..."
"I don't mean you any particular harm," Lin Yan said. "Agree to one condition, and I can let you leave."
"A condition? Ha! Why should I listen to you?!"
"Because of this."
Lin Yan raised his right hand. His entire arm instantly turned into flames, then-
Split apart.
His arm split into dozens of flaming fragments, each retaining the shape of an arm. They flew freely through the air, reassembled, and finally joined back into a complete arm.
Buggy's eyes widened. "Th-that's... the Chop-Chop power?!"
"No, it's 'elemental splitting,'" Lin Yan said. "My flaming body can split apart and reassemble just like yours, but I'm not afraid of seawater or Seastone."
That was a lie, of course. The Flame Emperor Body did indeed possess a splitting trait, but seawater and Seastone still worked on it. Still, it was enough to frighten Buggy.
Sure enough, Buggy believed him. Thinking Lin Yan had eaten some higher-grade splitting fruit, he was so frightened his legs went weak.
"Y-you... what exactly do you want?"
"It's simple," Lin Yan said. "Hand over all your treasure-except that Devil Fruit. I'm not interested in birds. Then disband your pirate crew, hide your identity, and stop doing evil."
"No way!" Buggy retorted instinctively. "I worked hard to plunder all this treasure!"
"Worked hard?" Ace scoffed. "Bullying civilians counts as hard work?"
Buggy was at a loss for words.
Lin Yan wasted no more words and stepped forward:
"Then I'll beat you into submission."
His figure blurred as he appeared in front of Buggy, extending his right index finger:
"Flame Emperor Finger Pistol: Hundred Cracks."
Hundreds of fine rays of flame burst from his fingertip, each aimed at a different part of Buggy's body.
Buggy instinctively activated his Chop-Chop power, splitting his body into dozens of pieces in an attempt to dodge.
But the rays of flame actually curved after him, striking every piece of his body with precision!
"Aaah! Hot, hot, hot!" Buggy screamed.
Although the Chop-Chop Fruit granted immunity to slashing attacks, it offered little resistance to high temperatures. Lin Yan deliberately controlled the heat, burning only the surface of his skin. It would not kill him, but it hurt like hell.
The pieces of Buggy's body bounced wildly across the ground, trying to reassemble, but every time they came halfway together, fresh rays of flame scattered them again.
"I surrender! I surrender!" Buggy finally broke down. "Take all the treasure! Let me go!"
Lin Yan stopped. "You should have done that from the start."
He had Isuka take some people to move the treasure, while he walked over to the Falcon Fruit and picked it up.
[Obtained: Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit, Falcon Model (complete)] [May be eaten (not recommended), or converted into template fragments] [Converting into template fragments grants: avian dynamic vision (advanced), aerial maneuverability (intermediate)] [Convert?]
"Convert."
[Conversion successful] [Obtained: Falcon Template (fragment)] [Automatically fused with the Flame Emperor Body] [New trait: eagle eye (dynamic vision +300%; can distinguish the wingbeats of a mosquito five kilometers away)] [New trait: Skywalk (aerial maneuverability +200%; Geppo consumption reduced by 50%)]
Not bad. It doesn't improve my combat strength much, but the support functions are practical.
By then, all the treasure had been moved. Buggy stood pitifully off to one side; his men had long since fled.
"Can you let me go now?" Buggy asked.
Lin Yan looked at him and suddenly said, "Buggy, do you hate Roger?"
Buggy froze, then his expression grew complicated. "Hate him? No... the captain... he was a real man. I just... can't accept it. Why did he choose death? Why did the crew have to disband..."
"Then, if you had a chance to follow Roger's will again, would you take it?"
"What?"
Lin Yan pointed at his Double D Flag. "This is Roger's will. Not to become the Pirate King, but to usher in an era and clear the D Clan's name."
Buggy stared at the flag in silence for a long time.
Finally, he shook his head. "I... don't have that kind of courage. Sorry."
Lin Yan was not surprised. At heart, Buggy was a small-time figure who feared death and only wanted to get rich. Asking him to oppose the World Government really was asking too much.
"All right," Lin Yan said. "You can go. But remember, if I hear you've been bullying civilians again, I won't be so polite next time."
"Y-yes!"
As though granted a pardon, Buggy scrambled away.
Ace walked over. "You're just letting him go, bro?"
"He's a clown, but he doesn't deserve to die," Lin Yan said. "Besides... there might be a use for him in the future."
In the original, Buggy had later founded Buggy's Delivery and thrived in the New World. There was no harm in keeping a connection like that.
"Where next?" Ace asked.
Lin Yan looked at the map of the East Blue. "Baratie. There's a cook there whose food is supposed to be delicious."
"A cook?" Ace's eyes lit up. "Great! Let's go!"
The Flame Emperor set sail again, its hold piled high with treasure-although Lin Yan did not place much importance on money, sailing required funds, and feeding the crew cost money too.
Aboard the ship, Chopper was treating an injured crew member. The man had accidentally cut his hand while moving the treasure.
"Thank you, Doctor Chopper."
"You're welcome! It's what I should do!"
Chopper enjoyed feeling needed. He had been shunned since childhood because of his blue nose, and now he had finally found somewhere he belonged.
Watching the scene, Lin Yan smiled faintly.
Just then, the system notification sounded:
[Ding-] [East Blue renown mission progress: 2/3 (defeated Arlong and Buggy)] [Milestone reward obtained: bond level upgrade ticket ×1] [Target: Ace] [Use?]
"Use."
[Successfully used] [Ace's bond level increased to Lv. 3 (close)] [New ability unlocked: Brother Sync (allows temporary exchange of certain abilities during combat)] [Effect: Lin Yan can use Ace's Flame Shaping technique, and Ace can use Lin Yan's Armament Haki coating technique (temporary)] [Duration: 30 minutes; cooldown: 24 hours]
Not bad. This will make our tactics more flexible when we fight together.
"Bro!" Ace suddenly called from the deck. "Come here! I found something good!"
Lin Yan walked over and saw Ace holding a yellowed sailing log.
"I found it in Buggy's treasure," Ace said excitedly. "This looks like... a torn page from Captain Roger's sailing log!"
Lin Yan took it and looked.
The log read:
"Sea Circle Calendar, year 1498. The final island, Laugh Tale. We arrived, but the truth brought despair. One Piece isn't treasure, but a 'key.' Opening that door requires the blood of four members of the D Clan..."
The rest had been torn away.
"The blood of four members of the D Clan?" Ace frowned. "What does that mean?"
But towering waves of shock surged through Lin Yan's heart.
In the original, finding Laugh Tale only required understanding the Voice of All Things. But now it seemed that this world's workings were more complicated.
Four members of the D Clan... Luffy, Ace, me. That leaves one.
Who could it be? Sabo? Or...
He remembered the pendant his mother had left behind, and what Jinbe had said about the events at God Valley.
"Looks like our adventure will be even more exciting than we imagined." Lin Yan put away the log. "Let's go to Baratie. I'm hungry."
"I'm hungry too!"
"Food, food!"
The Flame Emperor sailed toward the floating restaurant.
Not long after they left, a Marine warship arrived at Orange Town.
On its deck stood a white-haired man with a cigar in his mouth and a Marine coat draped over his shoulders.
The Logia Smoke-Smoke Fruit user, Marine Headquarters Colonel-Smoker.
His gaze was icy as he surveyed Buggy's thoroughly plundered base and the scorched black marks the Flame Emperor had left at the harbor.
"The Double D Pirates... Flame Emperor..."
"I've finally found you."
Before you continue