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

The smoke and dust had not yet cleared from the ruins.

The firelight flickered among the broken walls and ruins.

Everywhere there were broken stones, twisted steel, and fishmen lying haphazardly.

The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood, as well as a deeper, suffocating sense of oppression.

Bucky the Clown is walking forward.

With each step, the heel struck the gravel with a crisp sound.

pat.

pat.

pat.

Every step felt like stepping on the very beat of my heart.

pat.

pat.

pat.

……

What is this?

This is fear.

The dragon knelt in a pool of blood, the blood from its severed arm still flowing, forming a small puddle on the ground.

If it weren't for the fact that fish-men have a much stronger constitution and vitality than ordinary humans, this massive bleeding would have been fatal.

In fact, his wound is now shrinking and the bleeding has decreased a lot.

The dragon's pupils contracted sharply as it stared at the approaching figure.

Xiao Ba stood in front of him, all six of his arms trembling, gripping the six knives tightly, but the blades were quivering slightly.

The honest and kind look on his face had vanished, leaving only a deathly pallor.

Croobi maintained the Fishman Karate stance, but the water droplets on his palms had somehow dried up.

He should be holding the water right now.

But he doesn't realize he should be grabbing water.

Fear grips me, like a shadow.

Chiu's lips were tightly pursed, and there wasn't a drop of water inside.

He just stood there, his legs weak, unable to move an inch.

Four fishmen, four pairs of eyes, all locked onto that one person.

Bucky took another step.

pat.

"Just stand there and don't move."

Bucky's voice was unhurried, even carrying a hint of lazy magnetism.

"Raise your head~"

"Yes~"

"Make sure your neck is stretched out properly!"

He raised his left hand, and the tip of his plum blossom sword lightly touched the air, pointing towards the evil dragon.

"If possible, I don't want to get blood everywhere."

It was a gentle and refined tone of voice.

However, if this voice came from the mouth of someone dressed as a clown, it would be extremely terrifying.

The dragon's eyes turned red.

Blood vessels, dense and numerous, covered the eyeballs.

His teeth were clenched so tightly that they were grinding together, and waves of pain washed over him from his severed arm, but what hurt even more was the crushing feeling in his heart.

He is a dragon!

Captain of the strongest pirate crew in the East Blue!

Bounty of 20 million Berries!

He once roamed the Grand Line, once became sworn brothers with Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and once trampled lowly humans underfoot, proclaiming that fish-men were superior to them.

But at this moment, he was afraid in the presence of a human being.

With both arms severed and bleeding profusely, he didn't even have the right to resist.

Bucky took another step.

pat.

"Don't be nervous." Bucky's voice carried a faint smile. "Relax a little. The more nervous you are about death, the more painful it will be."

He paused, then tilted his head.

"Therefore, you should choose not to suffer."

"if only--"

Bucky tapped the tip of his sword again.

"Lower your head a little more, stick your neck out a little more, and then close your eyes."

"Very soon."

"I promise."

The voice was as gentle as a lover's murmur.

Xiao Ba's eyes widened, and tears mixed with sweat streamed down his face.

His six arms trembled even more violently, and the knives clashed together, making a faint clanging sound.

"E-evil dragon..." Hachi's voice stammered, barely forming a sentence, "He-he..."

He couldn't continue.

Because Xiao Ba didn't know what he wanted to say either.

run?

Where are you going?

beat?

How do I play?

beg for mercy?

Is begging for mercy useful?

Croob took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

He is a master of fishman karate.

He should remain calm, look for his opponent's weaknesses, and launch a fatal blow at the crucial moment.

But when he looked at Bucky, he found his mind went blank.

It's not that I don't have ideas.

Instead, all thoughts vanish the moment they touch that person.

It's like water droplets falling into lava.

Like a moth drawn to a flame.

It's not combustion, it's direct evaporation.

Bucky took another step.

pat.

They were less than 10 meters away.

Bucky's mask looked particularly eerie in the dim light of the fire.

The corners of his mouth beneath the mask were slightly upturned.

That smile was elegant, composed, and polite.

Like a gentleman admiring his prey that is about to be caught.

Just now.

A series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

Nami ran in front, her orange hair flying in the wind.

Behind her were Mochi and Kabaji, followed by dozens of Buggy Pirates crew members, and the enormous lion Leigh.

They traversed the ruins, circled the collapsed buildings, and finally witnessed the scene in the center of the battlefield.

Then everyone stopped in their tracks.

It wasn't because I was tired from running.

The sight before them made their feet stop on their own.

In the center of the ruins, the masked man slowly walked towards the four fishmen.

His shadow stretched long in the firelight, cast upon the broken stones like a moving shadow.

And those four fishmen.

The pirate overlord of the East Blue, the core of the Arlong Pirates with a bounty of 20 million, stood there like four stone statues.

Not moving at all.

He didn't utter a sound.

Only their trembling bodies told everyone that they were still alive.

"This..." Mochi's mouth gaped open, and he almost dropped the whip in his hand. "What's going on?"

Kabaji squinted, but the twitching at the corner of his mouth betrayed his inner shock.

His gaze was fixed on Bucky's back, on the approaching steps, and on the expressions on the faces of the fishmen.

fear.

Pure fear.

He had seen that kind of fear many times.

On the faces of the merchants they robbed, on the faces of the weak they slaughtered, on the faces of the prey who howled in agony before they died.

But he never expected to see it on a merman's face, and more importantly, this merman was an evil dragon.

The shark-man, who was known as the strongest pirate in the East Blue, was kneeling in a pool of blood, his arms broken, trembling all over, like a piece of livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

"!!!" Nami stood at the front, her fingers clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh.

She looked at the dragon, at the man who had oppressed her for eight years, the murderer who killed Bellemere, the figure that had appeared countless times in her nightmares.

The figure was kneeling there at that moment.

In front of Pakistan.

Like a dead fish.

"Buggy..." Nami said softly, her voice trembling slightly, "Was he always like this?"

"The boss used to be very powerful, but he wasn't like this." Mochi paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"I've been with the boss for years," Kabaji nodded, unusually agreeing with Mochi, "and I've never seen him like this before."

His gaze fell on Bucky's retreating figure, a complex emotion flashing deep in his pupils.

fear?

Awe?

Or something else?

Kabaji couldn't explain it.

But he knew one thing.

From now on, his attitude toward Bucky will not waver in the slightest.

Lion Riki stood behind the three, his large, furry head lowered, his eyes fixed on Bucky's direction.

Then it let out a low whimper, like a frightened puppy.

Mochi glanced back at it and saw that its partner, the usually ferocious lion, was now hunched over, its tail tucked between its legs, and its whole body was trembling slightly.

"Leaky?" he called out tentatively.

Leakey ignored him.

It just stared at Bucky, its eyes filled with fear.

As an animal, its instincts are much sharper than those of ordinary people.

It sensed far more than Mochi and Kabaji saw.

That was no ordinary strongman.

That was… Niki didn’t know how to describe it.

All it knew was that if Bucky wanted to, it would become a corpse in an instant.

No, it's not a corpse, it's chunks of flesh.

A pile of meat cut into pieces.

It remembered what Bucky had said on the ship that day—"Go find the head chef, and I'll make sure you have a good meal today."

It was very happy at that time.

Thinking back on it now, it only sends chills down its spine.

—If Bucky wanted to, it could also become the "full" in "eat your fill".

Leakey tucked its tail even tighter.

It decided that from now on, it would be a little kitten in front of Bucky.

A well-behaved, obedient kitten that would never dare to bare its teeth.

—Lion Likkey believes: Lions are also felines!

—Leopard wants to say: So what if I'm a kitten?!

In the center of the ruins.

The world in the eyes of four fishmen—Evil Dragon, Hachi, Croobi, and Chirp—is collapsing.

It's not a metaphor.

It is truly collapsing.

The pressure from Pakistan was too great.

The scenery around them was fading in their eyes.

The flickering flames, the broken stones, the corpses of their companions—all faded, darkened, and became a blurred background.

The only thing that was clear was the figure getting closer and closer ahead.

That's why Bucky completely stole all the attention.

Their attention span didn't allow them to notice anything else.

Bucky took another step.

pat.

The dragon's eyelid twitched.

He noticed that Bucky's body was getting bigger.

That sense of oppression distorted his perception.

With each step the masked man took closer, he swelled up, growing taller and larger until he almost blocked out the entire sky.

But they themselves are shrinking.

Like four ants.

They crawled at the feet of the giant.

"Look up," Bucky's voice came, still with that languid elegance. "Looking up suits you well."

The dragon's heart clenched suddenly.

He recalled his own words: fish-men are nobler than humans; humans are merely inferior beings.

But now, who is superior and who is inferior?

Who is on top, and who is on the bottom?

Who is looking down, and who is looking up?

"No...impossible..." a hoarse voice squeezed out of the dragon's throat, "This is impossible...there can't be such a monster in the East Sea..."

Bucky did not answer him.

Just keep going.

pat.

8 meters away.

Hachi's six arms were shaking so badly he could no longer hold the knife.

The sound of blades clashing grew louder and louder, clanging and tinkling like a funeral dirge.

pat.

7 meters away.

Croobi's breathing became completely disordered.

His Fishman Karate requires a calm mind, but right now his heart is pounding like a tangled mess.

What kind of thousand-tile straight punch?

He didn't even know where to put his hands.

pat.

6 meters away.

Qiu's legs went weak, and she almost knelt down.

He used all his strength to support his body, only to find that his knees were already bent.

In front of Pakistan.

Chiu hadn't planned to kneel down yet, but his body was already kneeling in his place.

pat.

Pakistan stopped.

They were only 5 meters away.

He stood there, head slightly bowed, looking at the four fishmen.

"Very good." Bucky's lips curled into a slight smile. "That's it."

"Hold this position."

"Maintain this fear."

"Because..." Bucky paused, tilting his head, "this is the last thing you'll ever feel in your lives."

That's what I say, but actually I find it a bit boring.

What happened next made Bucky a little happy, because it was kind of funny.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

That was a roar.

It was also a collapse.

It was even more despairing.

It is the madness that erupts completely after being pushed to the limit.

The dragon's eyes were bloodshot, and blood gushed from his severed arm even faster, but he could no longer feel the pain.

The dragon sprang up from the ground.

He used his remaining half-arm to support himself on the ground, and with the power of his legs, he charged towards Bucky like a cannonball.

"Go to hell!!!"

The dragon's strange, long, serrated nose, with its double-edged blades, was gleaming with a black sheen.

Armament Haki—something that Evil Dragon once possessed.

He did indeed display some domineering presence when he was on the Grand Line.

Although not strong, it is indeed possible.

But after arriving in the East Sea, those abilities gradually weakened and eventually almost completely disappeared.

Because the East China Sea is too weak.

He's so weak that he doesn't need to be domineering to crush everything.

He became so weak that his mentality became increasingly lax, arrogant, and useless.

The power system in the One Piece world has always been closely related to mindset.

A domineering spirit is the power of the heart.

If one loses their spirit, their domineering aura will disappear.

Now, spurred by the mass casualties of their comrades...

Under the suffocating oppression of Pakistan.

In the final moments of life and death, the dragon finally regained a little bit of its spirit.

Even if it's just a little bit.

Even if it's far from enough.

But his nose was indeed hardened with Armament Haki.

That was the power of Armament Haki.

That was his last struggle.

In this desperate situation, his body finally responded to his will, regaining some of its former strength.

"Shark Arrow—!!!"

The dragon's figure transformed into a streak of blue light.

With his jagged nose in front, the whole person looked like an arrow shot straight at Bucky's face.

fast.

Extremely fast.

So what if I lose both arms?

The dragon's strongest attack is not its arms.

This strike embodied all his anger, all his despair, and all his will to survive.

Bucky watched as the dragon charged towards him.

Evaluation: That's about it.

Seeing the rapidly approaching blue light, Bucky's right hand moved.

It's very simple and casual.

He simply drew the square sword from his waist and threw it away.

—Skill: Ace Throwing Knife!

The square sword flew from his hand, facing the evil dragon head-on.

Neither dodge nor avoid.

Neither dodging nor yielding.

It just flew straight past.

The dragon's pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw the sword flying towards him.

He can choose to dodge or block.

But he didn't.

He didn't blink.

He didn't hide.

He did not block.

He simply continued charging forward, letting the sword pierce his body.

Because he knew this was his only chance.

If he dodges, his speed will slow down, his momentum will dissipate, and then he will never have a second chance.

If we just tough it out...

Then let's just tough it out!

As long as I can bite that bastard's throat before I die!

As long as we can hurt this bastard, we can buy time for our compatriots to leave!

puff!

The square sword pierced the dragon's chest.

It pierces through the left chest and exits through the back.

There was no blood on the sword because it was too fast and too sharp; the blood hadn't had time to get on it.

The dragon's body trembled violently.

But his eyes were not closed.

His mouth opened even wider.

His nose was still pointing forward.

Nearly.

closer.

One meter left.

There's still half a meter left.

and also! !

It was at this moment that Pakistan made its move.

He shifted his foot slightly, moving half a step to the right.

Only half a step.

The dragon's nose brushed past him, creating a gust of wind, but it didn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

Then Bucky raised his left hand and swung his sword.

A flash of sword light.

The dragon's left leg was severed at the knee.

"Ah—!!!" Before the dragon's scream could even finish, his body tilted as he lost his balance.

Bucky raised his left hand again.

Another flash of sword light.

The dragon's right leg was also severed at the knee.

Pfft!

The dragon's body crashed heavily onto the ruins, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He lay there on his side, without any limbs.

He groaned, trying to prop himself up.

But it couldn't hold on any longer.

The legs are gone.

My hand is gone.

The sword was still stuck in his chest.

Blood is flowing.

Life is slipping away.

The dragon could only lie there, like a fish thrown ashore... a stinking, salty fish that had been scaled, gutted, and disemboweled.

Bucky looked down at him, a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth beneath the mask.

"Fish, well," Bucky's voice remained elegant, "They can just hop around on the ground."

"You don't need to stand up."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dragon's body, which had lost both legs, and added:

"A fish with arms and legs, how disgusting."

The dragon's eyes glared at him.

In those eyes, there was hatred, anger, despair, and resentment.

But more than anything, it was fear.

Pure fear.

"You...you...you..." a hoarse voice choked out from the dragon's throat, "Kill me...you killed me..."

Bucky did not answer.

He simply sheathed his plum blossom sword, then bent down and pulled the square sword from the dragon's chest.

Blood finally got on the sword.

He glanced at it and frowned slightly.

Then he took out a white cloth from his pocket and slowly wiped the sword.

a bit.

Two times.

Three times.

It was wiped clean.

"Hehehe~ Stinky salted fish is stinky salted fish~"

"I was just kidding," Buggy said, sheathing his sword and looking down at the dragon. "I won't kill you."

The dragon's eyes widened for a moment.

"Because—" Buggy turned to look into the distance, at the orange-haired girl: "Someone wants to take action themselves."

Nami stood still in the distance.

Her body was trembling.

Her eyes were fixed on the evil dragon lying in a pool of blood.

The man who oppressed her for eight years.

The murderer who killed Bellemere.

The enemy she had killed countless times in her dreams.

Right now, I'm just lying there.

A severed hand.

A broken leg.

A sword was stuck in it.

It was bleeding.

Like a dead fish.

Nami clenched her fists.

Then she began to move forward, step by step, toward the dragon.