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

The smoke and dust cleared.

Bucky raised his left hand and gently pressed the mask on his face.

A cunning and evil smile appeared at the corner of his mouth beneath the mask.

At such close range, Nami felt an unprecedented terror looking into the clown mask, yet she was unable to speak.

Nami felt like she couldn't breathe.

Nami felt dizzy.

Nami felt completely weak.

Nami is starting to lose consciousness.

Nami wanted to speak, wanted to beg for mercy.

Nami doesn't want to die.

Nami still has things to do.

Nami... Nami... Nami...

Time seemed to stretch out, and Nami gradually lost all memory of what was happening.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the tavern ruins, the sounds of fighting continued.

Zoro's sword flashed, and several more pirates fell down with screams.

Luffy leaped over the pebbles and saw Buggy just then.

"Huh?" Luffy tilted his head. "Who are you?"

At this point, all the pirates who were besieging Luffy had been defeated.

Including the Beast Tamer Mochi, the Lion Leigh, and the Unicycle Swordsman Kabaji.

Unfortunately, our overall strength is still far behind.

Buggy looked at Luffy, then at Zoro who was crawling out of the ruins, his eyes behind the mask narrowing slightly.

Straw Hat Luffy.

Pirate Hunter Zoro.

In addition, there's Nami, the little thief cat, whom I already have.

The main characters are a trio.

A must-visit spot for time travelers.

However, Nami hasn't officially joined yet.

It doesn't really matter anymore.

...As for those defeated pirate minions, Buggy didn't care at all.

"Me?" Bucky said with great pleasure.

His subconscious attention turned to his system interface.

[Chronicle of Major Events: The Historical Meeting of the Main Characters - The Trio (Completed)]

[Obtained a common dream crystal.]

[Optional: One draw]

[Selectable target for enhancement: Dark Master - Piedmon]

At this moment, Bucky spoke very softly.

But Luffy heard it.

Zoro heard it too.

Both of them looked at him at the same time.

Bucky's lips curled up slightly.

"I am--"

He paused.

"Buggy the Clown".

The wind blew over the ruins, stirring up a cloud of dust.

The three people stood there, facing each other.

Bucky stood there alone, looking at the two people opposite him.

Luffy blinked.

Zoro gripped his sword tightly.

In the ruins of the tavern, the pirates buried there groaned as they crawled out.

More pirates are heading this way on the streets in the distance.

But once they got close, these pirates didn't dare to make any unnecessary moves.

Buggy is still quite intimidating in the pirate crew.

The current situation clearly indicates that Buggy, as the captain of the pirate crew, wants to make a move.

Bucky is actually in a pretty good mood right now.

After all, by meeting Luffy, I had completed a main storyline achievement.

—Bucky: Select target: Dark Master Piedmon

[Completion rate: 1% → 5%]

[Ace Throwing Knife: 10% → 20%]

The moment the enhancement was complete, Bucky felt something swell up deep inside his body.

There was no pain from the impact of this expansion.

What we are experiencing now is a more fundamental and rooted change.

It was like a sleeping beast opening its eyes, or like a lock being broken.

In short, it was a very pleasant experience, even nine out of ten.

Baji stood still, one hand still gripping Nami's neck, maintaining the position of holding her horizontally in the air.

Then he closed his eyes.

Consciousness is expanding.

More intense, more thorough, and more unrestrained than last time.

It seems that every speck of dust that fell was clearly imprinted in my mind.

The groans of the pirates beneath the ruins, the footsteps approaching from the distant streets, the rise and fall of Luffy's chest as he breathes, the slight trembling of Zoro's fingers as he grips his sword...

Everything, all, everything, everything can be perceived.

That feeling of "I am the center" became even stronger.

Although I don't know if this is an illusion caused by self-inflation, or if it is a sign of the awakening of Observation Haki.

But the increase in power is real and undeniable.

So what in this world is more pleasurable than the increase of power?

No!

This is immediate positive feedback!

Nothing is more addictive than such clear and tangible positive feedback.

It's as if the world was always revolving around him, but he was blind before and couldn't see it.

Bucky opened his eyes.

A slight smile played at the corners of his mouth beneath the mask: I'm absolutely ecstatic right now!

Character Card

Name: Clown King

• Rank: Ultimate

Type: Demon

• Attribute: Virus

• Suitable for: NSo Nightmare Soldier

Current completion rate: 5%

• Introduction: The leader of the Dark Four Heavenly Kings, commanding the Nightmare Legion, and guarding the top of Dark Tornado Mountain. He is extremely arrogant, cruel, and skilled at psychological manipulation, taking pleasure in the despair of his opponents. He is highly mysterious, and his true identity is unknown to anyone.

• Appearance: Clown suit, black and white mask, sword sheath on his back • Magic box with four swords representing the four suits of playing cards; slender figure, elegant and ghostly movements.

• Core Skills: Ace Throwing Knife (20%), Clown Magic (Unlocked), Destruction Aurora (Unlocked), Flying Sand and Stones (Unlocked), Masked Plaza (Unlocked).

-

Buggy looked down at his right hand, which was pinching Nami.

Nami, who had been struggling just moments before, was now motionless, her head drooping limply, her orange hair obscuring most of her face from this angle.

But he's still alive.

Although the breathing was faint, it was still there.

Bucky gently shook the woman in his hand, as if he were weighing a piece of merchandise.

It looks good and has considerable collectible value... A skilled navigator is indeed needed to sail to the Grand Line.

"Feed—"

A voice came from the ruins.

Bucky looked up.

Luffy stood on a pile of rubble, his straw hat askew, his red short jacket covered in dust.

"I am Luffy."

"Monkey D. Luffy".

He looked at Bucky with an air of entitlement and said, "Can you let her go?"

Bucky didn't say anything.

Zoro emerged from the other side, his three swords already drawn, one in his mouth and one in each hand.

His gaze fell on Bucky, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Luffy," Zoro whispered, "that guy is Buggy."

"I know, he just said it." Luffy blinked, "It's Buggy the Clown King."

"I mean," Zoro said with a hint of helplessness, "he's that 'immortal Buggy'."

It's worth noting that Pakistan has been a long-standing presence in the East China Sea.

The highest bounty in the East Blue is 20 million Berries, belonging to Arlong, the leader of the Fishman Pirates.

This guy is only alive because of the reputation of Jinbe, the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Otherwise, if Arlong were to run rampant in the East Blue, the Navy would have informed Garp long ago, since Garp frequently returns to the East Blue.

However, because of Jinbe, no one paid any attention to Arlong. Some Marines felt it wasn't worth provoking the Seven Warlords for such a small matter, since Arlong was only stationed in one place and wasn't causing trouble everywhere.

...Anyway, there are plenty of pirates in this world, and the Navy doesn't eliminate them all; otherwise, where would the Seven Warlords system come from?

As long as evil is not eradicated completely, there will always be room for corruption and bribery... Especially since the Seven Warlords of the Sea are legally plundering, before Jinbe took the initiative to kick Arlong away, no one would speculate about what Jinbe was thinking over such a small matter.

Otherwise, if Nami were wandering around the sea stealing treasure, she would have been reported long ago.

Unfortunately, for this reason, reporting it is completely useless.

As for Colonel Rat?

He doesn't have that much power.

After all, surely no one really believes the World Government is unaware of Arlong's whereabouts?

The world government's intelligence system does not rely solely on the navy.

The so-called intelligence system is a very large system, involving many ordinary people and businessmen.

Arlong, however, led an entire Arlong Pirates crew and directly suppressed 20 villages.

Such a group simply cannot hide, nor can it be hidden.

And those naval personnel who aren't so steadfast in upholding the Navy's justice... naturally tend to lean more towards the World Government. Exchanging a little intelligence is really not difficult for them.

Otherwise, if the so-called intelligence system only relies on reports from the lower-level naval personnel... then what's the difference between that and being blind?

Next is [Krieg, the leader of the largest fleet in the East Blue], with a bounty of 1700 million Berries.

The third place should have been held by Kuro, the captain of the Black Cat Pirates.

However, Kroo faked his death because he wanted to retire.

So don't let Buggy's seemingly unreliable appearance fool you; he's actually the third-ranked pirate in the East Blue, nicknamed "Buggy the Immortal," with a bounty of 1500 million Berries.

"Oh," Luffy responded, then looked back at Buggy. "So, can you let her go?"

Bucky looked at the boy in the straw hat and suddenly felt like laughing.

Why has the Straw Hat Luffy of today, the future Nikka Luffy, become so annoying?

However, at least Luffy's current image is not bad.

...Let's kill him when he becomes like that in the future, shall we?

...After all, Luffy's participation will be needed for the system rewards later.

Although his mind was filled with strange thoughts, Bucky's first words revealed a completely different problem:

Why?

"From what standpoint?"

"What is your claim?"

"What makes you think you can ask me to do this?"

Although he said four sentences in a row, Bucky still felt that it was the same question.

"What? Why?" Luffy was completely baffled.

"Why did you make me release her?" Bucky summarized the question.

After all, Luffy wouldn't understand if he said too much.

Luffy thought for a moment and said seriously, "Because she just called me boss."

There was a moment of silence over the ruins.

A gust of wind blew between the two, stirring up a few plumes of dust.

Zoro's lips twitched, and his grip on the sword tightened.

If a minor verbal altercation escalates into a conflict over ownership between two pirate crews... then a battle becomes inevitable.

Pirates, while they can be quite shameless when begging for mercy, are also very concerned about saving face until they are in dire straits.

Furthermore, Zoro had heard that Buggy the Clown was no benevolent person, with a fickle personality and a temper that could change faster than flipping through a book.

Luffy's response was clearly a provocation.

really--

"Hehehehehe..." Bucky laughed.

The laughter was low and soft, but it still made people uncomfortable.

It sounded like metal scraping against glass, like an echo coming from the depths of darkness.

[The transmigrator from another world] and [The demon king from another dimension]... In some ways, they do go quite well together.

"Really..." Bucky shook his head, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes beneath the mask. "It really suits the personality of that hat."

The straw hat that bears the title of Pirate King, the man who wore the straw hat - Roger.

Because he transmigrated into Bucky's body, he gained Bucky's memories, and Bucky's feelings towards Roger are quite peculiar now.

There are many fools in this world.

—But it’s really rare to be so consistently stupid.

—He's very outspoken, says whatever he thinks, and never cares about the occasion or the consequences.

—And that red-haired bastard Shanks, he's the same way.

Bucky silently grumbled to himself: Is this straw hat cursed? Why does everyone who wears it end up looking like this?

Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud.

After all, since the power of the Clown King has been used, at least the image of the Clown King must be maintained.

I absolutely must not become a comedian!

This is Bucky's bottom line right now!

I absolutely do not want to become a comedian!

It's okay to watch others make funny performances, but you absolutely cannot make funny performances yourself!

"Although I have no interest in killing you right now," Bucky said slowly.

The power granted by the system, and the enhancement of the Clown King's power, are indeed more important than how the plot will change after testing the swords on these two guys.

"but……"

"Teaching him a lesson would be quite interesting." Buggy paused, his gaze sweeping over Luffy and Zoro, especially Luffy: "That red-haired bastard who gave you the straw hat, he shouldn't have any objections, right?"

"Red-haired bastard?" Luffy blinked, still not understanding the situation.

Zoro's face darkened.

"Buggy!" Zoro spoke, his voice low. "You're holding someone in your arms, you can't fight us."

He was telling the truth.

Fighting an enemy with only one hand is inherently a disadvantage.

Moreover, Bucky was holding an unconscious woman, which restricted his movement and made him unsteady, leaving him with too many openings.

Although Zoro didn't want to fight this strange-looking guy, if they really had to, he wouldn't let go of any advantage.

Before actually taking action, Zoro still maintained a strong sense of honor.

Buggy looked down at Nami in his hand, then looked up at Zoro.

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

"In that case—" The magic box behind Bucky suddenly moved.

Two swords silently slid out of their sheaths and hovered beside him.

The sword hilts are shaped like hearts on one side and spades on the other.

Sunlight shone on the sword, reflecting a cold light.

"—Let me show you a higher level of combat."

Although Bucky is well aware that his Ace Throwing Knife is not particularly strong right now.

But Zoro and Luffy are still just starting out.

Since we're all noobs, who's afraid of who?

Don't be a coward, just do it! Anyone who backs down is a coward!

If you disagree, come and fight me.

Zoro's pupils suddenly contracted.

That sword?

No, those two swords!

How did it come about?

Can swords fly out of thin air?

This is quite unconventional for a swordsman like Zoro who has been wielding swords since childhood.

There was no action of drawing a sword, no sound of drawing a sword; it just flew out of thin air, as if it were suspended by an invisible thread, as if it was meant to be there.

Devil Fruit?

Bucky's nickname is "immortal"... what does that have to do with wielding swords?

It's not that Zoro doesn't know about Devil Fruits.

Zoro simply hadn't imagined that Devil Fruits could enhance swords to this extent...

—Zoro wonders: What is the true nature of his power?

Although I briefly imagined in my mind, were there any fruits that could enhance my swordsmanship?

However, Zoro has clearly rejected Devil Fruits, believing that a swordsman's strength comes from swordsmanship and willpower, not from Devil Fruit abilities.

Bucky didn't give him time to think.

He leaped back lightly, and his whole body floated up like a feather, continuously soaring into the sky.

At the same time, Buggy reached out with his left hand, grabbed the hilt of the spade sword, and swung it violently at Zoro.

The spade sword transformed into a black streak of light, tearing through the air and piercing straight for Zoro's face.

Zoro reacted quickly.

He flicked the knife in his mouth upwards, parried with his left hand, and prepared to strike with his right—

clang!

The crisp sound of metal colliding.

Zoro felt a jolt in his hand, and was pushed back half a step by that force.

Before he could even stand firmly, the second streak of light had already arrived.

It is the Red Heart Sword.

After throwing out the Black Heart Sword, Bucky then threw out the Red Heart Sword.

clang!

Another crisp sound.

Zoro took three steps back this time, his heel breaking a wooden plank before he could barely steady himself.

"Tch—" he gritted his teeth and squeezed out a syllable through his teeth.

The two swords drew arcs in the air, changed direction, and flew back to Bucky's side.

Suspended.

Quiet.

Waiting for the next instruction.

The Clown King's skill, [Ace Knife], is just that useful.

Although these four swords themselves are not particularly strong, and were destroyed by MetalGarurumon's simple attack in the original work, they are indeed extremely sharp and can easily cut MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon to pieces.

Moreover, even if it is destroyed, it can be regenerated in the [Sword Sheath Magic Box].