Pirate: I, Buggy, am the Emperor, the Emperor of the Clown King!

Chapter 10 Nami! He's manipulating you!

"You're scared." Bucky was certain of that.

"I didn't—" Nami still tried to deny it.

"You do," Bucky interrupted her, his tone devoid of sarcasm or pity, simply stating a fact, "You're not afraid of the dragon, you're afraid of yourself."

Nami was stunned.

"You're afraid that when you actually face him, you'll find you can't do it." Bucky took a step forward, getting closer to her. "You're afraid that eight years of hatred will just be a joke in the end."

Nami didn't say anything.

Because Bucky is right.

She was never afraid of more than just evil dragons.

Nami was also afraid of the version of herself that trembled before the dragon.

Before the pain of childhood is resolved, it is the most vicious bullet fired at oneself.

"But you still came," Buggy said, acknowledging Nami's presence.

To win people's hearts, you can't just belittle them.

Nami looked up.

"You stand here, in front of me, and say you're afraid." Bucky leaned down slightly, his eyes fixed on her closely. "That means you've made your choice."

"You have let go of your fear; you have faced what lies ahead."

"Once you've chosen to move forward, don't stop."

"Once you've made your choice, don't look back."

"Looking back means growing old, but fear only leads to death!"

As he said this, Bucky turned and walked back to where he had been.

He took two steps, then stopped.

"By the way," Bucky said without turning around, "we're just killing time anyway, want to learn something?"

Nami was taken aback: "Learn what?"

"Impressive," Bucky said.

"You mean... domineering?" When Buggy uttered that word, Nami thought she had misheard.

"Observation Haki, Armament Haki," Buggy said. "If you want to kill the dragon with your own hands, petty thievery isn't enough."

Nami's heart suddenly started racing.

Domineering aura—that's a legendary skill of the strong in the East China Sea.

"You... are willing to teach me?" At this moment, Nami was truly tempted.

In the East Blue, Haki, like Devil Fruits, is a legend.

"I've practiced a bit before," Bucky said casually, as if he were talking about something insignificant.

The crew of One Piece's Pirate King Roger was full of top-notch fighters: Pirate King Gol D. Roger, Dark King Silvers Rayleigh, Jabba the Giant who gave birth to children, the current Yonko Shanks, the successor of the Demon King Douglas Bullet, and Crocus the ship's doctor who now lives in Twin Capes and raises giant whales on the island... and so on.

While Devil Fruit abilities and the power of the Piedmon cannot be taught, Armament Haki and Observation Haki can be taught.

Moreover, Buggy believed that Nami's brain was definitely better than that of his bunch of good-for-nothing subordinates.

The time traveler Bucky thought that the reason why the old Bucky couldn't learn it was partly because of this... Who teaches like this?

Bucky sighed silently to himself.

Those guys on Roger's ship were all monsters.

Their cultivation methods are all based on "I think" – if I think this works, I'll practice it; if I think that's wrong, I won't practice it.

There's absolutely no system involved; it's all just unorthodox methods.

As Bucky searched through his memories for those cultivation methods, he only felt a headache coming on.

What does it mean to "concentrate your mind and exert all your strength"?

What does it mean to "feel the breath and then grasp it"?

When Rayleigh was teaching Shanks, he supposedly only said three sentences: "First, do this...blah blah, then do that...blah blah, and then do this...blah blah."

Has Shanks learned it?

Shanks actually learned it.

Is this a matter of talent?

The difference in talent is just too big.

Bucky himself has figured out a bit of the feeling during this time, but he doesn't know how to teach others... Bucky feels that he was able to learn a bit of the feeling thanks to the power of the Piedmon.

So Bucky decided to try a different approach.

Let Nami appreciate aesthetics, let Nami understand them, and then let Nami teach those idiots.

With Nami's intelligence, she should be able to translate those "I think" kinds of nonsense into human language.

As for Bucky himself, he definitely wouldn't have the patience to teach Mochi, Kabaji, and other idiots.

Bucky didn't expect his bunch of idiots and good-for-nothings to figure out how to be domineering on their own.

Therefore, Bucky needs a reliable deputy.

This deputy not only needs to be good at fighting, but more importantly, he needs to be intelligent.

Buggy, on the other hand, had great faith in Nami's abilities.

Although Nami learned the ropes herself, she at least received basic education and has exceptional talent; she managed to become a high-level navigator even with such unorthodox teaching methods.

In any case, Buggy has a lot of confidence in Nami's learning ability.

"Do you want to learn?" Bucky asked.

Nami answered without hesitation: "Yes."

Buggy nodded: "Let's start with Observation Haki."

"Do you see that seabird?" he said, raising his hand and pointing to the other side of the ship's side.

Nami looked in the direction he was pointing.

Indeed, there was a seabird perched on the ship's side, pecking at its feathers.

"Close your eyes."

Nami closed her eyes.

"Perceive it."

"What?"

"Don't use your eyes, use your senses to perceive it." Bucky's voice came from ahead. "What is it doing? The trembling of its feathers, the rhythm of its heartbeat, the frequency of its breathing... Can you feel it?"

Nami frowned, trying hard to sense it.

But I can't feel anything.

All I could hear was the sound of the waves, the wind, and my own chaotic heartbeat.

"Concentrate," Bucky said. "Not force yourself to think, but relax and let your consciousness expand."

Nami tried to relax.

At first, I couldn't feel anything.

But slowly, strange things started to happen.

She seemed to have "seen" something.

Not with her eyes, but in another way... Nami felt the breeze, the sea breeze, and through the sea breeze, she felt the waves.

"I couldn't feel the seagulls, but I could feel the sea breeze..." Although she felt she hadn't met Buggy's expectations, Nami still honestly explained her situation.

"..." Bucky was a little speechless, but oh well: "He has good talent. Most people need to practice for a long time before they can even get close to the basics."

Nami was stunned for a moment.

Has she... gotten to the point?

"What are you thinking? This isn't Observation Haki," Buggy continued. "It's just the most basic form of perception, a natural ability you have, which you've just become aware of now."

Nami possesses exceptional navigator talent, and is indeed able to observe the weather and predict celestial phenomena.

"True Observation Haki allows one to predict the opponent's movements in battle, sense emotions, and even hear the opponent's thoughts."

"And what you are now is just an external diffusion of a sensory ability." Buggy thought this was a precursor to Observation Haki.

What you specifically feel is not important; you can continue practicing that. What's important is whether you can expand your perceptual abilities.

"Can you do it?"

"able."

The answer was crisp, clear, and perfectly natural.

Nami suddenly had a strange feeling.

The man in front of me is a completely different person from the legendary [Bucky the Joker].

Although it was somewhat unbelievable, she felt a sense of warmth emanating from Bucky there...

Nami thought: It's great that someone can actually help me.

"What are you thinking about?" Buggy's voice suddenly rang out, not understanding why Nami was suddenly spacing out.

Nami snapped out of her daze and realized that she had been staring intently at Buggy without her noticing.

"I..." She hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "You're not quite the same as the rumors suggest."

"Oh?"

"Rumor has it that Bucky the Joker only relies on his immortality and cannonballs," Nami stared at him. "But what I'm seeing now is different."

Bucky did not answer.

He simply stood there, a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth beneath the mask.

"What do you think?" Bucky asked in return.

Nami was silent for a moment: "I think you're faking it."

Bucky laughed; this was the answer he wanted to hear: "Why would anyone pretend?"

Nami didn't say anything.

"Because of weakness," Bucky answered the question himself. "The weak pretend to be strong in order to survive."

"The strong disguise themselves as the weak..." Buggy stopped and looked at Nami: "Tell me, why?"

"To... avoid being noticed?" Nami thought for a moment, then suddenly understood.

Bucky nodded, feeling quite satisfied; he had managed to fool one of them.

"There are too many monsters in this sea," Buggy said, his tone as calm as if he were chatting casually. "The Four Emperors of the Sea, the Three Admirals of the Navy, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and those old guys who have lived for a long time... Every one of them thinks they are the protagonist, and every one of them thinks they should be in the center of the stage."

Bucky turned around and looked at the sea in the distance: "If you stand too high at the beginning, you'll become a target."

As Nami listened to these words, a certain thought in her mind became clearer and clearer.

So Bucky has been hiding his true abilities?

He hides his true strength, making everyone underestimate him, and then... then at some point, he tears off his disguise and reveals his true colors.

When was that moment?

Now?

"You..." Nami couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you pretending anymore?"

"Because it's unnecessary." Bucky took a step forward. "Some games, after more than twenty years, are time to end."

Bucky tried hard to suppress his laughter, but thankfully he was facing the sea alone, surrounded by spring blossoms, and no one could see the corners of his mouth.

Although the upper half of his face is covered by a mask, the corners of his mouth on the lower half of his face are actually harder to press than an AK.

But hold back, don't laugh.

Nami was stunned.

More than twenty years?

According to current time calculations, 20 years ago was the year Roger died.

Nami thought to herself: So, what has Buggy been preparing since then?

—Nami wondered: Why is he telling me all this?

Nami thought: So, I really can't leave anymore?

Nami knew very well that there was a way to die called knowing too much.

Nami thought that the others in Buggy's crew might not know what Buggy was hiding, but now Buggy had told her.

Isn't the meaning quite obvious then?

①: Either join

②: Either go die

If Buggy really helps her get revenge, given Nami's character, she obviously wouldn't be able to refuse.

They'll probably still be the type who's utterly loyal and devoted for life.

It is because Buggy understands this that he is so patient with Nami.

In the game, this is a potentially powerful SSR character, so of course it needs to be patiently nurtured.

"Don't overthink it." Bucky's voice pulled her back to reality. "It's too early for you to be thinking about these things."

"Keep training. It'll be enough if you can touch the threshold of Observation Haki before leaving the East Blue." After all, Nami is basically a beginner, so Buggy isn't in a hurry to develop Nami's combat abilities.

In fact, if we want to match Nami's talent, then we really need to kill Enel.

Nami took a deep breath and nodded.

She closed her eyes and continued trying to sense the seabird.

But I was still thinking about what I had just said.

Nami suddenly had a very strange feeling.

It wasn't fear, nor awe; it was a more complex emotion.

It's like walking in the dark for a long time and suddenly finding someone standing next to you.

A person she couldn't understand.

But no matter what, at least this person was on her side, at least this person was willing to help her fight the dragon, at least this person said: You can kill the dragon with your own hands.

This is enough.

As for the rest...