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

Chapter 54 Bucky: Using a veiled insult, Crocodile

After dealing with the Baroque Works members below, Nami and Nojiko came up the stairs.

They even took a shower and changed their clothes.

"Is it all done?" Bucky asked.

"All done." Nami walked over and sat down in the chair next to Buggy. "Forty-three alive, fifteen of them intact, twenty-eight missing limbs. The dead ones have all been buried; Leakey was quick at digging the holes."

Although digging holes should be the dog's job.

But who says lions can't do things?

Onion Orange!

"Mm." Bucky nodded.

Nojiko poured a cup of tea and handed it to Nami, then poured another cup and handed it to Alvida, finally pouring one for herself before sitting down on the other side of Buggy.

Four people sat around on the roof, the moonlight shining on them, and the night wind blowing from the sea.

The groans of the prisoners in the distance continued, but they had become much fainter.

"Captain," Nami said, taking a sip of tea, "what are you planning to do with those Baroque Works people?"

""

"Don't do anything," Bucky said calmly. "Just leave it here."

"Stay here?"

"Yes. Whether they survive or not depends on their own luck."

Nami paused for a moment, then nodded: "That's true. We can't take them with us."

"And—" Bucky's lips curled up slightly, "letting them live is more useful than killing them."

What will K.K.Dal's reaction be if we give everyone a cigar then? — Hehehe —

"What do you mean?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

"It's unspeakable~" Buggy simply picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Nami looked at his profile, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything.

She understood this man less and less.

Sometimes as cold as a devil, sometimes as gentle as a lover, sometimes as unfathomable as an unsolvable mystery.

But one thing she was certain of was that she would probably never be bored with him.

After a while, Bucky put down his teacup and stood up.

"Let's go," he said.

"Where to?" Nami asked.

"Now," Bucky said, taking a step towards the edge of the roof. "It's time to wrap things up for today."

He lifted his foot and stepped into the air.

Although there are no stairs or steps for support, even setting aside Bucky the Clown's ability to fly, his Joker magic alone could make him walk on air stairs.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

He walked down step by step, his clothes fluttering in the night wind.

Nami, Nojiko, and Alvida stood on the edge of the rooftop, watching him slowly walk down from the sky.

on the square.

The prisoners had been gathered in an open space in the center of the town, lying, sitting, and leaning in rows.

The firelight flickered in the night wind, casting their faces in shifting light and shadow.

Mochi and Kabaji stood on either side of the crowd, their eyes still warily fixed on the prisoners.

The Buggy Pirates' henchmen surrounded the area, some sitting on barrels, some leaning against the wall, and some squatting on the ground, all watching their captain descend from the sky.

Bucky's feet landed softly on the stone pavement.

He stood before the prisoners, his hands behind his back, a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth beneath his mask.

The moonlight shone from behind him, making his shadow appear unusually long.

The prisoners looked up at the man.

Some people instinctively shrank back, some closed their eyes, some trembled all over, and some chattered their teeth.

Miss Monday helped Icarus, who had lost both legs, to sit up.

Ikaram's severed leg had been bandaged, the white bandages standing out starkly in the firelight.

His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were fixed on the man who was walking down from the sky.

Bucky's gaze swept across the faces of the prisoners before he spoke.

Ladies and gentlemen!

"Do you know why you're still alive?"

Even at this point, Bucky remained very polite.

But this superficial politeness contains no superfluous emotion, only a calm composure as deep as an abyss.

No one answered.

No one dared to answer.

"Because I don't need you to die," Bucky continued, his voice still calm. "Dead people are useless."

"The dead cannot speak, they do not feel fear, and they cannot let the living know what despair is."

He paused, his gaze falling on the face of someone in the crowd.

The man trembled, lowered his head, and dared not meet his gaze.

"Your Baroque Works are very good at hunting."

"Disguise, deception, drugging, and ambush."

"You think you are the hunters, and the pirates who have come from all over the world are the prey. But you have forgotten one thing: on this great sea, the positions of hunter and prey are never fixed."

9

Bucky wasn't just saying this to these people; he was saying it to himself as well.

"The strong rule, the weak are preyed upon—this is the only rule of this sea."

Are you guys very strong?

"No. You're just hiding in this town, reaping the benefits of those weaker than you through deception and ambush."

"You think you're clever, that you can outsmart everything. But you forget—all scheming requires power to back it up."

Bucky's gaze cut through the crowd and landed on the distant mountain peak decorated with tombstones shaped like cacti.

No one speaks.

Even the groans stopped.

The entire square was so quiet that only the crackling of torches and the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks could be heard.

"I will not kill you tonight not out of mercy—mercy is the leeway of the strong."

"I'm not killing you, simply because I've thought of something interesting."

Bucky suddenly changed the subject, his voice now laced with a playful sarcasm: "Hehehe—"

Let me tell you an interesting story.

"I've heard of a kind of creature."

"It lives on the grasslands and loves to hide in pools of water, half of its body submerged in the mud, with only its eyes showing, pretending to be a piece of dead wood. When thirsty animals come near to drink, it suddenly leaps out, bites their throats, drags them into the water, and slowly enjoys them."

"It thought it was very smart, and that it was the ruler of that place."

"However, it only knows the ecology within the pool, but does not know that the pool itself will be destroyed by the external ecology, and once the dry season arrives, the pool will only be a mud pit."

"Its mud pit is just a small puddle."

Bucky was thinking of the Nile crocodiles on the African savanna, a sight he had vividly remembered from watching Animal World.

"Hiding in the shadows never guarantees success."

"Giving orders does not mean ruling the world."

"The truly strong, the truly powerful, always stand upright and honorable."

Pakistani continued speaking slowly and deliberately, making veiled accusations.

"Tonight I will not take away your right to live, but as the price for your survival, go and pass on my words to your boss tonight."

Bucky paused, then the corners of his mouth widened a little more.

I'm really curious how Crocodile will feel after hearing these words.

Oh.

correct.

Don't forget to give each of these guys a cigar when you leave.

Only in this way can Crocodile be made to realize, without any chance of escape, that his identity has been exposed.

Just thinking about the expression Crocodile would have on his face makes Buggy laugh—it's bound to be quite amusing.

Hehehehe, Bucky, I'm absolutely ecstatic!

"Buggy, the Clown King, is here."

"Let him wait."

"Of course, he can come to me too~."

After saying that, Bucky turned around, flew away from the prisoners, and took off.

The moonlight shone on his back, casting his shadow on the prisoners, making him look like a huge, all-consuming black monster.

No one speaks.

No one dared to speak.

The entire square was as quiet as a tomb.

After a while, Mochi was the first to react.

He slung the whip over his shoulder and waved his hand, yelling, "What are you all standing there for? Search everything! Load all the supplies in this town onto the ship!"

The pirate henchmen roared in agreement and, like a pack of wild beasts released from their cages, charged toward every corner of the town.

Someone rushed into the cellar, carrying out barrels of whisky and rolling and pushing them toward the dock.

Someone rushed into the warehouse and carried out bags of flour, boxes of dried meat, and bundles of vegetables and fruits.

Some people rushed into the house, ransacked it, and took all the valuables.

The entire town was turned upside down.

Gold coins, silver coins, jewelry, ornaments, weapons, ammunition, cloth, medicine—everything that could be carried was loaded onto the Giant Ship.

Since we're pirates, of course we have to plunder!

If you don't even steal anything, how dare you call yourself a pirate?

Do you think you're Wang Luffy?

The pirate henchmen were sweating profusely, but they all had excited smiles on their faces.

After all, Bucky the Clown is really generous; he always shares a portion of the money he steals with his henchmen.

Although this creature will soon end up in Bucky's hands again.

But who cares?

At least the pirate henchmen got their hands on it and had their fun.

"Quickly! Bring that barrel of wine over here!"

"There's another box here! Here you go!"

"Be careful! Don't drop it! That's top-quality whiskey!"

"Hahaha! We've struck it rich! This trip was definitely worth it!"

Kabaji was directing the pirate henchmen to move supplies at the dock.

"Not bad, not bad~" Mochi stood at the bow of the ship, hands on his hips, watching box after box of supplies being loaded onto the ship. A satisfied expression appeared on his chubby face. "This stuff will last us for a while."

Alvida stood on the rooftop, her spiked club beside her, watching the busy pirates below. The moonlight shone on her face, revealing a sickly satisfied expression.

Her gaze shifted from the square to the direction of the dock.

There, on the mast of the Giant, the pirate flag with a red-nosed skull fluttered in the night wind.

Nami and Nojiko stood at the bow of the ship, watching the supplies being carried aboard box by box.

"These things—" Nami picked up a can of tea, opened the lid, and smelled it. "The quality is not bad."

"Is it the same as the one Crocus gave me?" Nojiko leaned over for a look.

Although Nojiko kept making tea for Bucky, she didn't actually know anything about tea.

"I don't know—but it looks good." Nami put the lid back on and set it aside.

Nojiko chuckled, surprised that Nami was talking nonsense.

She turned around and her gaze fell on the figure standing in the moonlight on the rooftop.

Alita was still standing there, her long, black, curly hair fluttering in the night breeze and shimmering faintly in the moonlight.

Nokiko's lips curled up slightly as she turned back to continue sorting through the supplies.

The Giant stayed at Whiskey Peak for several days.

Every morning, the pirate henchmen train under the guidance of Mochi and Kabaji.

Push-ups, sit-ups, running, wielding a knife, meditation—day after day, without interruption.

Every evening, Buggy would sit on the rooftop drinking tea, with Nami and Nojiko by his side. Alvida would sometimes come too, standing by the low wall and looking at the distant sea.

The Baroque Works members whose hands and feet had been cut off were left in the town.

They were all allowed to live; they couldn't possibly let them starve to death, could they?

On Buggy's side, Nami was even calculating how much food and water needed to be left behind based on the number of people and each person's consumption.

After all, Bucky needs them to deliver a message, so these guys can't be allowed to die so easily.

a few days later.

The Buggy Pirates are preparing to leave.

"Let's go." Baji stood at the bow of the ship, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath his mask.

The sails of the Giant were raised, and the sea breeze blew from the southeast, making the sails billow and produce a muffled thud.

The ship slowly left the dock and headed out to sea.

Whiskey Mountain receded further and further into the distance at the stern of the ship, its cactus-like peaks gradually blurring in the morning light before finally disappearing below the horizon.

And in Whiskey Peak town.

Miss Monday carried Icarum, who had lost both legs, and looked in the direction the Buggy Pirates had left.

The other survivors were all around them, with them as their leaders.

The survivors of these whisky-peak towns now all share one characteristic.

Everyone had a cigar in their mouth.

This was the mandatory order given by Bucky when he left.

The Buggy Pirates' henchmen couldn't understand why they were doing this.

But since Bucky ordered everyone to have a cigar, then let's have one for everyone.

The pirate crew members thought Buggy's behavior was a bit abstract, but who cared?

His Majesty the Clown King must have had a deeper meaning in doing this. (JPG)

After Bucky and his gang left.

Finally, a strange bird flew over, but it didn't approach; instead, it checked the situation and then flew away.

Baroque Studio, Messenger, and the Unlucky Duo.

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