"Captain Buggy!"
Mohji shouted,
"That guy's a bounty hunter trying to cash in on our heads!"
"We should raise the sails and catch the wind to escape now!"
While saying that, Mohji was already rowing hard through the water, and his pet lion, Richie, was also doing his best to help paddle.
"But…"
Buggy said with a deeply conflicted expression, "My foot is in his hands. If I get more than two hundred meters away, I won't be able to move."
"Captain Buggy!"
Cabaji said with a serious look,
"I have a way to solve that."
"What way?"
Buggy asked in surprise.
Cabaji slowly drew his katana.
"Amputation."
"Brilliant!"
Buggy slapped his thigh in excitement, then suddenly realized,
"If I chop off my leg, then that foot won't count as a part of my body anymore!"
"That means I'll be able to move freely again!"
It was like he had discovered a whole new world. For the first time, he felt like he truly understood the powers of his Devil Fruit.
Meanwhile, Cabaji's glinting blade was already quietly approaching Buggy's lower leg.
"Ugh…"
Buggy froze for a long moment before he finally snapped out of it:
"Damn it! That's my leg we're talking about!"
"Lord Buggy!"
Cabaji said with determination,
"If we cut it off now, we only lose a leg. But if that bounty hunter reaches our boat, we'll lose three lives!"
"Roarrr~!"
Richie howled tearfully, reminding everyone that more than three lives could be on the line.
"This…"
Buggy fell into deep turmoil.
He'd already lost his ship, most of his crew, his hoarded treasure, and his carefully crafted Buggy Ball formula. He really didn't want to lose a leg too.
But under the current circumstances, it seemed like sacrificing a limb might be the only way to save his life.
"Captain Buggy!"
Mohji looked back at Garen and his group, who were still hot on their tail and closing in fast. He joined in the persuasion,
"If we don't raise the sails and escape now, it'll be too late!"
"…Fine."
Buggy looked at the few subordinates he had left and, after a long internal struggle, finally said,
"To protect everyone's lives…
Cut it off!"
He clenched his fists in resignation, his bright red nose trembling uncontrollably.
"Captain Buggy!"
Cabaji was moved to tears.
"Your sacrifice to save us—we'll never forget it!"
Mohji and Richie hugged each other tightly, tears streaming down as Buggy held his head and sobbed.
The little lifeboat was suddenly filled with a tragic and noble atmosphere. Buggy's heart was filled with sorrow: Am I, the great Buggy the Clown, going to live the rest of my life as a cripple?
Cabaji gritted his teeth and slowly raised the sword toward Buggy's lower leg—
BOOOOM—
A deafening, overwhelming explosion suddenly echoed from the sky, interrupting the tragedy just about to unfold.
"Huh?"
Buggy blinked in confusion, his eyes locking onto the incoming cannonball.
Garen, who was rowing hard to chase the lifeboat, stopped in disbelief. His expression twisted in frustration:
"No way… Again?"
"The ship already sunk, and this cannonball still finds its way to me?"
For a cannonball to hit such a small, fast-moving target at a distance where he was barely even visible to the naked eye… Garen couldn't help but think this thing had built-in GPS, inertial navigation, visual targeting, infrared tracking, maybe even a guidance computer and internal propulsion system.
He was once again stunned by the levels of tech in this world.
But there was no time to hesitate. Garen immediately activated [Decisive Strike] and [Courage], leaping from the splintered plank beneath his feet to clash head-on with the incoming cannonball.
He managed to slice it down, but the massive recoil still sent him crashing heavily from midair into the sea.
Last time, there had been remnants of the ship to cushion him. This time, he plunged straight into the water.
A huge splash erupted, and Garen disappeared beneath the waves.
Meanwhile, on the lifeboat nearby, Buggy suddenly felt his power vanish and his body go limp.
"He fell into the sea with my foot!"
Buggy's survival instinct instantly kicked in, and he shouted to his subordinates with renewed excitement:
"Hurry and go capture that bounty hunter's companions! Take them hostage!"
"If we have a hostage, we might be able to get out of this alive!"
"Got it!"
Cabaji didn't hesitate, immediately pulling back the blade from Buggy's leg and turning to attack.
If there was a chance, he really didn't want to cut off his captain's leg.
Mohji gritted his teeth and threw aside the sail rope he had just untied.
"Richie, let's go!"
The lion Richie was clearly reluctant.
But Mohji kicked the big cat into the water, then leapt onto its broad back along with Cabaji.
"Roarrr~!"
Richie roared to pump himself up, then swam rapidly toward Nami and Wallace.
"Garen?!"
Seeing powerful enemies approaching, Nami looked slightly panicked.
She instinctively called out Garen's name.
Without realizing it, Nami—who had survived on her own for so many years—had begun to rely on Garen's help and protection.
But this time, Garen didn't resurface.
Cabaji and Mohji, one holding a katana, the other a beast whip, charged in menacingly on Richie's back.
"Damn it…"
Nami glanced anxiously at the spot where Garen had fallen, then at the few crates of treasure at her feet.
In the end, she picked up her long staff without hesitation and bravely prepared to face the enemy.
Wallace also set down the box carrying his notes and camera, and silently pried a wooden plank from the broken board beneath his feet to use as a weapon.
As the two vicious enemies and a roaring lion were about to clash with the unarmed Nami and Wallace, Garen's voice suddenly rang out across the sea:
"Stop! Or your captain dies!"
Richie came to an abrupt halt.
Cabaji and Mohji, just meters away from their targets, were forced to freeze mid-action.
They turned around—and there was Garen, somehow standing on the lifeboat.
Their captain, Buggy, was still there too, with a massive broadsword pressed tightly against his throat.
In heavy armor and carrying a giant sword, Garen couldn't float.
But using sheer leg strength, he powered himself through the water.
Thanks to his tireless, digitized body, kicking in the water was no problem. His strong physique allowed him to move at a decent speed underwater.
After crashing into the sea, he recovered quickly and then quietly swam toward the lifeboat from underwater, catching the weakened Buggy by surprise and taking over the boat.
Faced with the sudden reversal, Mohji and Cabaji were left in a dilemma.
They couldn't take Nami and Wallace quickly enough, while Garen could kill their captain at any moment.
"Damn it…"
Buggy once again fell into despair.
"Why can't I move yet?!"
"Oh,"
Garen smiled and explained,
"I left your foot in the sea. Forgot to bring it up."
"You—!"
Buggy was so mad his red nose puffed up even more.
The broadsword at his throat quietly pressed a little harder.
Buggy didn't dare say another word and could only cry out in agony inside his mind.
Garen, however, felt much more at ease.
Despite the twists and turns, he had regained full control of the situation.
He stood calmly on the lifeboat, smiling confidently as he faced Cabaji and Mohji.
"Surrender now!"
Garen shouted,
"There's no escape for you this time!"
But just as the words left his mouth, the sunlight behind him suddenly dimmed.
A massive shadow loomed over the sea.
Garen turned slowly in shock—
Behind him was a colossal battleship, towering like a mountain, anchored steadily in place.
Countless cold, deadly cannon muzzles lined the deck.
The ship's sprawling sails blotted out the sky.
A strange smoke rose from the ship, flying straight toward the lifeboat in an eerie formation.
"…I'm never setting up another flag again."
Garen muttered as he stared up at the towering warship.
(End of Chapter)