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

The sun was shining brightly that morning.

"Zoro, Sanji, Usopp! Everyone, you're free to do as you please!" As Luffy jumped off the ship, his straw hat swayed on his head, which he quickly pressed down.

"Let's go, let's go!" he shouted back to the boat, his legs already eagerly striding towards the dock.

At this point, Luffy was behaving quite like a normal person.

Although he may be a bit oblivious, he is definitely a normal person.

"Tch, he runs really fast." Zoro followed him down, his gaze lingering on the tallest clock tower for a moment.

"The place where the Pirate King was executed," Zoro muttered, then looked away and walked in another direction. "I'm going to find a sword shop."

My weapon broke before, and now I need a good one.

"I'm going to buy groceries!" Sanji poked his head out from the side of the ship, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

His eyes were already darting towards the market deep in the town. "This town should have some really good ingredients."

"You guys—" Usopp stood at the bow of the ship, watching one by one jump off, his expression becoming somewhat anxious.

"You're all gone, what will happen to the boat?"

"This is Loguetown! What if other pirates take our ship away?" Usopp said, lying on the side of the ship.

Although he also wanted to jump off the ship like Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, unfortunately, he couldn't do it with his strength.

Usopp's current physical skills are those of an ordinary person.

"Then when we get back, it'll be your turn to go play in town." Luffy waved without turning his head.

Usopp opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He looked at Luffy's retreating figure, which had already run far away, and then at the directions Zoro and Sanji had each walked away in.

Finally, he sighed and plopped down on the gunwale.

"Alright, I'll watch the ship." Usopp muttered, pulling his backpack closer to him, his gaze falling on the strangers coming and going at the dock. "The Going Merry can't be stolen."

He said that, but he actually had a lot of work to do.

For example, the Merry was just a merchant ship.

Given the performance of the Merry, it was simply too inadequate to handle the journey ahead.

Therefore, Usopp needs to reinforce and modify the ship.

Unlike the original work, which features Nami as the brains of the group.

In Usopp's opinion, the current Straw Hat Pirates—Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—don't have much of a brain.

So Usopp had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the blame himself.

Especially after having some interaction with Sanji's adoptive father, Red-Leg Zeff, at the sea restaurant, Usopp was almost heartbroken.

—Red-Leg Zeff said at the time: "To get to the Grand Line, you have to go through Reverse Mountain. Reverse Mountain is like this...blah blah blah..."

Unlike in the original story where these guys didn't reveal any information, this world is quite normal; they'll say whatever needs to be said.

Red-Leg Zeff truly treats Sanji like his own son, so there's no way he wouldn't tell him such crucial news.

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, those three clueless guys, didn't understand, but Usopp did!

Therefore, the Straw Hat Pirates used part of their funds to strengthen their ship and make various preparations.

Usopp was incredibly busy throughout the journey.

Fortunately, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, those three idiots, although they don't understand the situation, still help out, otherwise Usopp would have been exhausted long ago.

"Hmm~ Hmm~" Luffy hummed a song as he walked down the streets of Loguetown.

He looked left and right the whole way, like someone with ADHD, finding everything new and exciting.

There was a stall selling grilled squid on the street, and he stopped to take a look.

A child ran past holding up a bunch of balloons, and stared at them for a long time.

As he passed a weapons shop, he leaned against the window for a while, his face so close that his breath created a white mist on the glass.

After Nami was kidnapped by Buggy, Usopp is now in charge of the Straw Hat Pirates' finances.

However, Usopp obviously doesn't keep a close eye on the three of them.

Therefore, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all brought a lot of pocket money with them when they disembarked.

But because Usopp isn't as strict as Nami... the Straw Hat Pirates' finances are actually quite tight.

As they reached an intersection, a chubby clown suddenly appeared from around the corner and nearly bumped into Luffy.

"Ouch—" The clown took two steps back, scattering the flyers he was holding all over the ground.

He was dressed in brightly colored clothes, his face was covered in thick paint, and his round, red fake nose shone brightly in the sunlight.

Luffy glanced down at the flyers, then looked up at the clown: "Sorry, are you alright?"

"It's alright, it's alright!" The clown quickly squatted down to pick up the flyers, slipping one into Luffy's hand as he did so. "Come see the circus! Amazing show! Fishmen balancing balls on their heads, lions jumping through hoops of fire, and high-altitude unicycles!"

Luffy took the flyer and looked at it over and over again.

The flyers featured bizarrely shaped fish-men, a majestic lion, and a clown riding a unicycle—a colorful and lively display.

Because the flyer was drawn rather abstractly, Luffy didn't recognize Lion Riki and Chief of Staff Cabaji at all.

"A circus?" Luffy's eyes lit up.

He was only thinking about the circus right now, and hadn't thought about the Buggy Pirates.

On one hand, Luffy had never seen the Buggy Pirates perform a circus act, and on the other hand, the Straw Hat crew was really out of the loop.

Although many people in the East Blue know that the Buggy Pirates are putting on a circus performance, Luffy doesn't know for a while.

"Yes! The circus!" The clown clutched the remaining flyers to his chest, stood up, and beamed. "It's right on the west side of the dock. The tent is huge; you can see it at a glance! Five hundred Berries a ticket, plus free popcorn!"

For this fat clown, all he had to do was lure Luffy and his crew there; the traps would naturally be left to others.

Luffy held the flyer up to his eyes, looked at it again, and then stuffed it into his pocket.

"The circus..." he muttered, his steps already changing direction, "After the circus, I'll go see the execution platform!"

Although Luffy was quite interested in the circus performance, what attracted him even more was the free popcorn.

The same problem remains: the Straw Hat Pirates are facing a financial strain.

Although there are no problems with daily meals, it's really impossible to buy a lot of snacks.

Foodie Luffy took the bait and happily walked away, even faster than before.

The chubby clown stood at the intersection, watching his back disappear around the corner. The smile on his face slowly faded, and he turned and disappeared into the alley next to him.

Unlike Luffy, who knew nothing about Buggy's Circus.

The clown from Buggy's Circus has an excellent grasp of Luffy's information.

The newsbirds, in particular, distribute newspapers everywhere, complete with bounty notices and their own images.

The latest news on the news bird about the Straw Hat crew is that they defeated [Pirate Admiral Krieg].

On the rooftop of a tall building in the distance, the wind blew in from the sea, carrying a salty and damp scent.

Pakistan's base is there.

He didn't stand on the edge of the roof, but took half a step back, half of his body being obscured by the shadow of the clock tower behind him.

Sunlight shone from his side, making the black and white dividing lines on his mask appear even sharper.

He crossed his arms over his chest, his right hand fingers resting on the cuff of his left sleeve, tapping lightly.

The four swords behind him were quietly sheathed, but their stillness was more unsettling than when they were drawn.

The more one immerses oneself in the power of the Clown King, the more one can acquire the Clown King's aura.

What exactly is the so-called leader of the Dark Four, the Otherworldly Demon?

While realizing his own power, Bucky is also thinking about how to better utilize it.

For example, how to awaken Conqueror's Haki, and how to combine Conqueror's Haki with one's own power characteristics.

The system can only follow the system logs step by step.

Therefore, Bucky will also consider how to cultivate himself.

His gaze swept across the street, past the layers of rooftops, and landed on a figure moving through the crowd.

Straw Hat Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy.

The second-generation rich kid with the strongest backing on the high seas.

Bucky's lips curled up slightly, with an indescribable expression.

It's like a hunter watching his prey walk into a trap from the shadows, or a chess player watching his opponent make the first move on the other side of the board.

Bucky stood there, half in the sunlight and half in the shadows, waiting for his prey to fall into his trap.

Although Buggy is planning to drag Luffy to the execution platform for a performance, he has no intention of doing anything reckless at the moment.

At this time.

A cloud of smoke billowed up from downstairs, like a swirling, oppressive gray whirlwind, circling around Bucky before suddenly gathering.

Smoker emerged from the smoke.

He was wearing that white navy coat, with two cigars between his teeth, the smoke escaping from the corners of his mouth and being dispersed by the sea breeze.

Smoker's gaze didn't fall on Bucky, but instead followed Bucky's gaze down to the straw hat that was getting smaller and smaller in the crowd.

"You want to make a move against Monkey D. Luffy?" Smoker arrived just in time.

Given Bucky's immense strength, Smoker believes that only he himself can keep an eye on him.

Bucky was not surprised by Smoker's appearance.

In Loguetown, the only person who could keep an eye on Bucky was Smoker, so Bucky knew very well that Smoker had been watching him from outside the circus.

"An interesting kid, isn't he?" Bucky didn't turn around, and the smile on his lips didn't change. "I don't want to be targeted by Garp."

While saying that, Bucky was actually referring to the present moment.

Once this period is over, Bucky himself will want to set his sights on Garp.

When the war at Marineford arrives, we must use a global broadcast to question Garp's sense of justice.

If Garp's beliefs could be shattered and he could defect to the Navy, would a Dark Demon truly appear in this world?

With Garp's strength, once he starts acting recklessly... ahhhh, that would definitely be quite an interesting scene!

"Hmph hmph hmph~" Buggy hummed a little tune, becoming more and more cheerful as he thought about it, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

If Garp were to finally break down and start causing chaos in the Marineford War... the only problem is that the probability of that happening is extremely low.

Even if Garp's beliefs waver, they wouldn't be shaken so completely.

After all, he couldn't even save Ace, whom he treated like a grandson, from being executed in front of him.

Smoker's gaze shifted, moving from Luffy to Buggy's mask... He had a feeling that this bastard hadn't said anything good.

He looked at it for two seconds, then gave a cold laugh.

"I don't really believe what you're saying." Smoker took his cigar out of his mouth and tapped the ash on the railing next to him. "We got word from CP that Luffy was injured by you earlier."

"This kid is cunning. If he can beat someone, he'll say he's going to be the Pirate King; if he can't, he'll say he's Monkey D. Luffy." Buggy's smile deepened.

Those who were initially hostile towards Luffy after hearing that he wanted to become the Pirate King all became kinder after hearing him call himself Monkey D. Luffy.

For example, Black Arm Zephyr and Big Mom Charlotte Linlin.

Zeff is alright, after all, he and Garp are really old friends and have a very good relationship.

The older woman is even more worldly-wise than Kizaru.

Luffy introduced himself.

Old woman: Give me your name, or I'm going to go out and kill your whole family!

After Luffy introduced himself...

Auntie: Come on! Come to the new world!

Although Luffy became a fool who could only laugh after being possessed by the Nika Fruit.

But Luffy is incredibly shrewd these days; he's just a bit careless and doesn't think things through most of the time.

The current Luffy gets angry when his crewmates are injured.

Even after his crewmates were seriously injured, Luffy could only laugh.

The [demon] that exists within a Devil Fruit is truly a dangerous thing.

Thinking of this, Bucky narrowed his eyes.

Bucky spoke without thinking, but Smoker took it to heart.

These words left Smoker completely speechless... After all, Luffy's identity was indeed somewhat outrageous... and Garp's true strength was even more outrageous to the point of being bizarre.

"..." Smoker stared at Bucky's back for a while, then turned around and stood with his back to him.

The two of them stood on the rooftop like that.

One faces the town, the other faces the sea.

They stood back to back, with two steps between them.

The sea breeze passed between the two, fluttering Bucky's clothes and Smoker's coat.

The sunlight cast their shadows on the roof tiles, one long and one short, one dark and one light, like two lines that could never overlap.

"Do you know whose grandson he is?" Smoker's voice came from behind.

This is not a question, but a statement, an affirmation of a consensus.

Bucky didn't answer, but his silence was the answer in itself.

Smoker put the cigar back in his mouth and took a puff.

Smoke billowed from the corner of his mouth, gathered in front of him, and was then dispersed by the sea breeze.

His expression was hidden behind the smoke and could not be seen clearly.

Luffy is Garp's grandson.

Garp is a naval hero and a legend in the hearts of countless people.

Many people even believe that the strength of Marine hero Garp surpasses that of Whitebeard, who is known as the strongest man in the world, and that he could chase after Pirate King Roger all over the world.

And Luffy, this straw hat kid, actually keeps saying he wants to be the Pirate King... Smoker thought of this and his lips twitched down.

He hates pirates, and that's something no one can change.

But he also disliked the awkwardness of being bound by blood ties and positions.

If Luffy weren't Garp's grandson, he would have already made his move.

But precisely because he is, Smoker cannot take action.

We can't hit him, we can't kill him, and we have to watch him roam around on our own turf.

Of course, this is based on the premise that Luffy did not cause any trouble in Rock Town. In fact, according to the information received by the Navy, Luffy has not committed any evil deeds since setting sail.

Otherwise, even if Luffy is Garp's grandson, Smoker would still arrest him.

We can't kill them, but we can still arrest them.

Garp isn't that petty.

So if Bucky could beat that kid up for him, Smoker would be happy to oblige.

As for Pakistan?

Anyway, the two of them had already agreed to fight after leaving Loguetown.

"I think you seem to be quite dissatisfied with Garp and Luffy," Buggy's voice came from the front, tinged with a wicked grin.

Of course, he wouldn't kill Luffy now.

On one hand, Buggy is very curious about how Luffy was later possessed by a Devil Fruit.

On the other hand, there's still more to Buggy's system logs that require Luffy's cooperation to complete.

Even his current act of capturing Luffy for an execution performance is all to complete the system log.

Once he had enough strength, Buggy really wanted to experience Garp's iron fist.

Everyone says that Garp's left punch deals high damage, while his right punch deals high damage.

Shouldn't we give it a try?

It's still the same problem.

Not only have I arrived in the world of One Piece, but I've also gained the power of a system... Shouldn't I seize this opportunity to provoke and cause some trouble?

Wouldn't someone with that kind of power cause a huge uproar?

If he's afraid of this and afraid of that, wouldn't his trip have been in vain?

In short, that's Bucky's idea.

Smoker neither denied nor admitted it.

He simply took another puff of his cigar and exhaled the smoke through his nose.

Why did Smoker come to Loguetown?

He's a colonel at headquarters.

You should know that Smoker's best friend and backer is Aokiji.

Smoker's teacher is Black Arm Zephyr.

However, because Smoker's sense of justice conflicted with the rules of the Marine Headquarters, he became a troublemaker who didn't listen to his superiors and was known as the "mad dog" of the Marines.

The thought of the attitude of the Navy's high command toward the World Government made Smoker unable to suppress his anger.

In many ways, he hated the World Government more than pirates.

It was also because Smoker acted independently, disobeyed orders, and refused to be a "yes-man" that the higher-ups eventually viewed him as a "time bomb."

Following a power struggle within the Navy Headquarters, Smoker was transferred to Loguetown in the East Blue, essentially being "exiled."

That's what they say, but in reality, Smoker's decision to stay in Loguetown was partly voluntary.

At least in Loguetown in the East Blue, the place where Logue was born and executed, he can uphold his own sense of justice and stay away from the bureaucrats of the headquarters and the Celestial Dragons' insincere missions.

"Suddenly feel like playing some games with the kids~" Buggy turned around, his eyes narrowing slightly beneath his mask. "Want to be the audience too?"

Smoker glanced at him, completely baffled as to what Bucky was up to.

If you don't intend to kill Luffy, what's the point of beating him up?

But oh well, it would be good if someone could teach these brats a lesson.

So that he won't always be playing some pirate game like a child... Yes, in Smoker's opinion, Luffy is just playing a pirate game like a child.

You said you wanted to go to sea and become the Pirate King, but after you went to sea, you didn't burn, rob, or kill, and you were happy to help people everywhere.

Is this a pirate?

Why can't you go to sea under the banner of an adventurer?

Why become a pirate?

If Luffy is willing to set sail as an adventurer, there will be countless people willing to help him.