...
"Hey, Zoro, are you sure this is the right way?" Lucas eyed the swordsman's confident stride with deep skepticism.
Letting Zoro lead? This was a mistake.
"Of course. I saw him fall this way," Zoro declared, unwavering.
Lucas sighed. In the original story, Zoro found Luffy here—did he somehow inherit Luffy's "get lost" instincts instead?
"That look on your face says you don't trust me," Zoro grumbled.
"It's fine. Let's just go."
Meanwhile: Buggy's Carnival.
A cannon aimed directly at Luffy, its fuse smoldering. The Buggy Pirates howled with glee.
"Hey, Nami! Light it up!" a pirate jeered.
Nami hesitated. She hated pirates—but this straw-hatted idiot had saved her. Lighting that fuse would betray her own conscience.
"Newbies are useless. I'll do it!" A pirate snatched the match from her.
As the flame neared the fuse, Nami's resolve snapped.
"Not happening!"
Her staff cracked against the pirate's skull, sending him sprawling.
"Oops."
Every eye from the Buggy Pirates was locked onto her.
"S-Sorry!" Nami bowed hastily.
Buggy's voice dripped venom. "'Sorry'? That's all you've to say, Nami?"
Luffy, still tied up, blinked. "Uh… the cannon's lit?"
The crew whipped around—just as Nami lunged, snuffing the fuse.
"Hah… safe."
Buggy's face twisted. "You've got a death wish, girl. KILL HER!"
On the side Lucas & Zoro have arrived.
Lucas unsheathed the Pheasant Sword, its edge glinting coldly.
Zoro eyed it. "That a sword?"
"More like a double-edged straight sword . Where I'm from, we call it a longsword."
Zoro opened his mouth, but Nami's scream cut him off, and he rushed forward instantly.
Lucas, however, froze.
'Zoro and Luffy can handle this… right?'
His legs trembled. The sword in his grip felt like a prop.
"Pathetic," he muttered, forcing himself forward.
Zoro freed Nami effortlessly. Lucas, still shaky, reached Luffy.
"You okay?"
Luffy grinned. "Just hungry."
Buggy's eyes lit up at Zoro. "Pirate Hunter Roronoa! Here to claim my bounty?"
'Perfect'. Killing Zoro would cement his infamy in the East Blue.
Lucas squinted at Buggy's red nose.
"…Is his red nose is real or fake?" he muttered.
The scene fell silent.
Buggy's eye twitched. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
Lucas, nerves frayed, blurted: "Your Red Nose."
"Damn you, you little devil!"
The members of the Buggy Pirates scrambled away from their captain, recognizing the murderous glint in his eyes. They knew all too well what happened when someone pushed Buggy's buttons—especially that button.
Their captain hated being mocked for his nose.
"GO TO HELL!"
In a flash, Buggy's hand detached from his wrist, a gleaming dagger clutched in its fingers as it shot toward Lucas like a homing missile.
Lucas yelped, ducking behind the iron cage where Luffy was trapped. With a swift slash of the longsword, he severed the ropes binding the rubber captain before shouting:
"Zoro! A little help here?!"
Zoro blinked.
He'd seen Lucas fight before—the guy wasn't weak. So why was he suddenly playing damsel in distress?
Still, Zoro didn't hesitate. In one fluid motion, he drew his sword and intercepted Buggy's flying hand mid-air. The blade clashed against the dagger with a sharp clang, sparks flying.
Zoro's eyes narrowed.
The disembodied hand still twitched, gripping the knife with unnatural strength. His gaze flicked to Buggy's smirking face, then back to the severed limb.
'Another Devil Fruit user.'
Zoro wasn't intimidated. If anything, it made his blood hum. He'd cut down plenty of men who thought their powers made them invincible.
"You touch my crew," Zoro growled, "and I'll take more than just your hand."
Buggy threw his head back and laughed.
"Roronoa Zoro! The famous pirate hunter!" His grin turned vicious. "Perfect. I'll start with your head—that oughta make my name ring across the East Blue!"
Lucas, now safely behind cover, exhaled in relief.
'Okay, crisis diverted. For now.'
But he couldn't let Zoro fight blind. Buggy's powers were a nightmare for swordsmen.
Thinking fast, Lucas stuck out his tongue—and a tiny, slithering snake emerged from his mouth.
[Ding! Host's emotional spike detected. Mood Points +1.]
"Ugh. Disgusting."
The snake flicked its tongue, mirroring Lucas's revulsion.
'Great. Even my spit-snakes have my attitude.'
Suppressing a gag, Lucas mentally commanded the serpent to slink away unnoticed. As it vanished into the shadows, his attention snapped back to the fight—only to lock eyes with a certain orange-haired thief.
"Nami!" he blurted.
Nami whipped around, startled. "How do you know my—?"
But the question died on her lips. This weirdo clearly had bigger problems. She darted to his side, crouching low.
[Ding! Mood Points +6.]
[Ding! Mood Points +6.]
[Ding! Mood Points +6.]
'The goddess is next to me!' Lucas's heart threatened to pound out of his chest.
'No. Focus. Breathe.'
Nami studied his flushed face, perplexed. "Uh… sister, are you okay?"
Sister?!
[Ding! Mood Points +1.]
"I'm a man!" Lucas wheezed.
Nami's eyes dropped to his chest—flat as a board—then back to his admittedly delicate features.
'Wait. He's serious?'
A nervous laugh escaped her. "S-sorry! It's just… you're really pretty."
Lucas sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I get that a lot."
"HEY!" Luffy's voice cut through the chaos. Though untied, he rattled the cage bars. "Any plans to get me out?"
Lucas and Nami exchanged glances.
"Nope."
"Not a clue."
They answered in unison.
Luffy pouted. "Well that's great."
All three turned to watch Zoro, who'd assumed his signature three-sword stance. No more talking—just cold, lethal intent.
"Santoryu: Oni Giri!"
The attack was a blur. One second Buggy stood sneering; the next, his torso hit the dirt in pieces.
Silence.
Then—
"HAHAHAHA!" The Buggy Pirates howled with laughter.
Nami's jaw dropped. "Why are they laughing? Their captain just got diced!"
Lucas's blood ran cold. "ZORO! MOVE! HE'S NOT DEAD!"
Zoro barely registered the warning when—
"Too late, swordsman!"
Buggy's disembodied hand lunged, knives aimed for Zoro's spine—
"AHH!"
A pained shriek ripped through the air. Zoro spun to see the attacking hand impaled—not by his blade, but by the fangs of a small, hissing snake.
"What the—?!"
Lucas didn't wait. He bolted into the open, heart hammering. "Buggy ate the Chop-Chop Fruit! Swords can't hurt him! He splits apart!"
The hand wrenched free, flinging the snake aside. Buggy's reassembled body rose, grinning.
[Ding! Mood Points +1.]
"Clever girl," he taunted. "But knowing won't save you."
GIRL?!
[Ding! Mood Points +1.]
Nami paled. "Devil Fruits… real?!"
Lucas forced a smirk. "Yep. And our captain's one too." He jerked a thumb at Luffy.
Nami recoiled. "Your captain. Not mine. I hate pirates!"
Luffy, oblivious, tilted his head. "So… he's a monster?"
Says the rubber man.
Buggy's laugh turned maniacal. "Since you little girl know my secret…" His hands split again, blades glinting. "Let's play!"
[Ding! Mood Points +3.]
Lucas dove behind the cage, screeching:
"I'M NOT A GIRL, YOU PSYCHO CLOWN!"
When I find Ivankov in the future, I must ask him to inject me with more male hormones.
Buggy's flying dagger whistled toward him. Lucas squeezed his eyes shut, arms shielding his head.
"ZORO! LUFFY! HELP!"
...