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

Bucky the Clown, Mochi the Beastmaster, and Kabaji the Unicycle Swordsman.

The three people entered the room.

The room was already small, and now it felt even more cramped.

Mochi glanced down at Leigh, who was lying on the ground, and beckoned, "Leigh, get out."

If it could be granted a pardon, it wouldn't want to stay here at all.

Lion Leigh carefully stood up, trying not to bump into anything, and then wiggled his buttocks and shuffled backward little by little.

God knows how much pressure Lion Leakey was under after entering Buggy's room.

It was constantly worried that if it destroyed Bucky's room, it would be slaughtered and made into braised pork.

First, his butt came out, and then, with a few quick movements, his upper body came out too.

The whole process was extremely slow and sleazy, completely unlike what a lion should be like.

After completely leaving the room, Leakey raised his head, revealing an extremely human-like expression on his furry lion face.

It grinned, squinted at Bucky, and wagged its tail.

That expression is called seeking credit.

—I am Lion Niki!

"Captain Bucky, aren't I awesome!"

Bucky looked at the lion, and the corners of his mouth curved up a little more.

"Go find the head chef!"

"I'll make sure you eat your fill today."

Bucky actually quite liked these furry creatures.

The only problem is that the lion is too big to be a pet.

Thinking about this, Bucky was also considering whether he should get a pet in the future.

Huh?

Nami's nickname is Little Thief Cat, so can she be kept as a cat?

This seems pretty cool.

"!!!" Leigh's eyes lit up instantly.

It let out an excited growl, then took off running and disappeared in a flash.

Mochi watched his partner's retreating figure and couldn't help but mutter, "You've gotten too fat, you need to lose weight..."

Of course, nobody paid any attention to him then.

Inside the room, Nami huddled in the corner of the bed, watching the three men walk in.

Her back was pressed against the wall, her hands clutching the blanket, and she looked pitiful.

...But to be honest, Nami is also very beautiful in this form.

Nami's appearance is actually quite outstanding, especially her youthful and energetic aura.

At this moment, Nami's orange hair fell messily, covering most of her pale face.

Her eyes, which were usually so clever and lively, were now as dim as extinguished lights. Her long eyelashes drooped, damp with moisture, and she didn't even have the strength to look up at the three people in front of her.

Facing the gazes of Bucky, Mochi, and Kabaji, she seemed completely unconcerned, simply lowering her head slightly, her shoulders so thin they appeared as if they would break at any moment.

Her once bright eyes were now shrouded in an unyielding sense of loss and grievance. She stubbornly bit her lower lip, refusing to let a single sob escape her lips.

There were no cries, no struggles, only a quiet, utterly devastating shattering.

That's the vulnerability that people who are used to bearing everything alone only show when they're at their wits' end.

She was dazzlingly beautiful, yet like an orange blossom battered by a storm—clean, soft, and carrying a despair that seemed to shatter at the slightest touch; even her breathing was so light it was heartbreaking.

Nami slightly raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping blankly over Buggy, Mochi, and Cabaji. Her eyes lacked their usual shrewdness, only a blank sadness remained, a silence that was suffocating.

Despite being in a dangerous situation, it was more moving than ever.

All I can say is that he's a very capable actor; he's a professional actor.

"..." Bucky was a little speechless.

Bucky just wants to say: Wow, you're so good at this!

When Nami calms down and feigns sadness, with tears streaming down her face, she is truly a stunning beauty.

What was that saying again?

Fortunately, the one in charge of guarding Nami was Lion Leigh.

If it were an ordinary pirate, Nami would have already completely outmaneuvered him.

Anyway, Buggy thinks that no one on this pirate ship should be able to withstand Nami.

Including the two useless people next to him... Bucky glanced at them.

The next moment, the two swords on Bucky's back flew up automatically and were placed directly against Mochi and Kabaji's necks.

"She's a thief, not an ordinary woman." Upon hearing the cold, dark voice from Brazil, which seemed to emanate from the abyss, Mochi and Kabaji immediately calmed down.

They've been hanging out with Bucky for years.

Through the details of their everyday conversations, it becomes clear that Bucky is not as simple as he appears on the surface.

Although it's unclear why Bucky tore off his disguise and revealed this domineering and unfathomable appearance.

However, both Mochi and Kabaji knew very well that they couldn't treat the current Bucky the Clown the same way they had treated Bucky the Clown.

Bucky the Joker will laugh and joke around with you, and be your buddy.

Bucky the Clown would probably just kill you outright.

"Yes, Captain Bucky!" Mochi and Kabaji replied in unison, standing very straight.

Although the two usually act like old rivals, they are now surprisingly in sync.

After all, Bucky is real; if he says he'll kill your whole family, he will.

"..." Nami realized that if she wanted to act, it would be impossible to incite internal strife with her beauty.

The Buggy Pirates before her were a force to be reckoned with; Buggy's control and dominance over the entire crew was beyond Nami's wildest imagination.

Normally, the gap between a pirate captain and his crew shouldn't be this large.

It's hard to say about the monsters on the Grand Line, but it's the same in the East Blue.

In Nami's eyes, everything seemed to be immersed in darkness. Buggy's phantom appeared from above the darkness, grabbing the pirate ship in the middle and herself on the ship with both hands like a giant.

Nami felt like she was doomed; the phantom she had just seen seemed to foreshadow that she would be captured by Buggy.

As for using beauty to seduce Pakistan?

Based on previous performance, it is clearly not feasible.

Bucky does appreciate beauty, but he won't be swayed by it.

Being beautiful doesn't affect whether Bucky will kill you.

Bucky walked to the bedside and looked down at her... She was indeed a very beautiful woman, especially with her youth and vitality, plus the way she looked now, as if she were about to break.

The two of them are now very close.

Nami was so close that she could see the pupil patterns in Buggy's eyes and feel the subtle but palpable pressure emanating from him.

The current power gap between Buggy and Nami is roughly such that Buggy could kill Nami with a single slap.

"I'm very interested in you, woman." Buggy's eyes scanned Nami's body from head to toe.

Agile, energetic, youthful, and you can even see a fair and round little rabbit through the neckline.

Nami didn't say anything.

It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, it was that she couldn't make a sound... The fear and threat emanating from Bucky were completely different from those of Arlong and his group of fishmen.

"Hehehe..." Bucky didn't care.

He pulled up a chair and sat down on the edge of the bed.

The act of sitting down was casual and natural.

After all, this is Bucky's home, and this is Bucky's room.

Kabaji and Mochi stood behind him, one on his left and one on his right, like two guardian deities.

Although they both felt that Bucky's personality was indeed a bit different from usual.

But so what?

Pirates are not exactly known for having stable personalities; it's perfectly normal for them to have occasional bouts of madness and lapses in judgment.

If you're not out of your mind, what makes you think you can be a pirate?

"Nami, the little cat thief," Buggy said, his voice unhurried. "She's been in the East Blue for a few years, specializing in stealing pirate treasure. Her methods are quite good; she's never been caught."

Nami's pupils contracted slightly.

"Of course~" Buggy changed the subject, a hint of amusement in his voice, "except this time~"

Nami remained silent.

Buggy raised his hand and grabbed Nami's left shoulder.

"That pattern~"

"They're from the Arlong Pirates, right?"

Then, with a tearing sound, Nami's clothes were ripped open from her shoulders to her arms.

Under that sleeve was the emblem of the Arlong Pirates.

Nami's body stiffened abruptly.

She subconsciously looked down at her left shoulder.

The Arlong Pirates' symbol, what a disgusting thing!

She didn't join that pirate crew voluntarily.

She was forced into it; she was driven to it by those mermen.

The merfolk killed her foster mother, seized her village, and forced her to work for them.

Whenever Nami thinks of the dragon and his fishmen, her heart is filled with hatred.

I wish all the fishmen would die!

Nami suffered greatly under the oppression of those fish-men.

Eight years of suffering, eight years of oppression... How many eight-year periods does one have in a lifetime?

Not only do they have to draw sea charts for these fish-men, but they also have to steal money everywhere to redeem their village.

Bucky's voice continued:

"The Arlong Pirates, a branch of the Fishman Pirates."

"The captain is the Sawtooth Sharkman Evil Dragon, with a bounty of 20 million Berries."

"They act arrogantly and domineeringly in the East China Sea, but the navy has never done anything about it."

Then, changing the subject, she began to deliberately belittle him.

"The Navy's Justice!"

"Garp often goes back to the East Blue, but he completely ignores those fish-men~"

"Tsk tsk tsk~" Buggy paused, his gaze falling on Nami's face: "And you, you little thief, I never expected you to be a member of the Arlong Pirates~"

"A human has joined a fish-man pirate crew?"

"Tsk tsk tsk~"

Although he knew the answer to some question, Bucky wouldn't reveal his unusual behavior.

When these words were spoken, both Kabaji and Mochi's expressions changed.

"The Arlong Pirates?" Mochi's eyes widened. "Those fish-men?"

"Fish-men..." Cabaji narrowed his eyes. "The strongest pirate crew in the East Blue, with a bounty of twenty million, five million higher than ours."

"So what?" Mochi scoffed. "They're just a bunch of fish! Catch them and put them on a circus! Make them balance balls on their heads every day!"

"That's right," Cabaji rarely agreed with Mochi, "Dare to mess with our Buggy Pirates? We don't care if they're fish-men or whatever, we'll capture them and enslave them, they'll never be able to rise again!"

Pirates aren't known for their good temper; they don't just punish the ringleaders.

Although Nami, who came to steal the sea chart, has been caught, so what?

The Arlong Pirates, who ordered Nami to do this, should also pay a terrible price.

As for whether the theft of the Buggy Pirates was instigated by Arlong?

that's not important.

Nami's heart pounded even faster as she listened to these words.

It's not because I'm afraid.

It's because... a thought suddenly popped into my head... could we use the Buggy Pirates to deal with Arlong?

She looked up at the masked man in front of her.

Bucky was looking at her too.

The Clown King's mask only reveals one eye, and now Buggy and Nami are staring at each other.

At this moment, even the atmosphere seemed to have gained weight.

Nami could feel that gaze, as if it could see right through her thoughts.

"Your expression has changed," Bucky suddenly said.

Under such terrifying pressure, Nami's acting skills were difficult to maintain, meaning that her true emotions were revealed.

"!!!" Nami was stunned for a moment, then realized that something was wrong.

When Nami is out and about, she disguises herself as fragile and weak when she infiltrates various pirate crews to steal treasures.

This was a form of camouflage, but now that camouflage has been torn apart by itself.

"I was scared before," Buggy said slowly, "but what have I become now?"

"You smiled, Nami."

"Although the smile wasn't obvious, that expression and demeanor..."

"Hmm~ That's quite a twisted smile~" Buggy leaned forward slightly, getting a little closer: "What are you thinking about?"

Nami gripped the blanket even tighter.

She had just subconsciously thought of revenge, and the thrill of a successful revenge was simply uncontrollable.

Everything can be sinful, but revenge is naturally sacred.

I want revenge, not guilt.

Some inexplicable impulse made Nami want to speak her mind.

That's right, she wanted to use the Buggy Pirates to destroy the Arlong Pirates.

but……

Bucky watched her change in expression, and the corners of his mouth beneath the mask turned up slightly.

"Let me guess," he said slowly, "you're thinking about whether you could use me to deal with the Arlong Pirates?"

Unlike the original Bucky the Clown, the current Bucky the Clown can be said to have a certain degree of God's perspective in terms of information.

Nami's thoughts during this period were too easy to guess.

Nami, who has been oppressed and exploited by the evil dragon, now has only one goal: to rebel against the dragon.

Nami stole the money to make the deal only because she couldn't defeat Arlong. If Nami could have defeated Arlong, she would have torn him to pieces long ago.

Nami's heart skipped a beat.

They saw right through me.

Everything was seen through.

"...Hehehehe...Ahahahaha!" Bucky started laughing.

To Nami, the strange laughter sounded like an echo coming from the depths of darkness.

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Nami noticed that her breathing had become shallow without her realizing it.

It wasn't fear, or rather, it wasn't entirely fear.

It was a stranger feeling.

It's like standing on the edge of a very high cliff and looking down. You know you should be afraid, but you can't help but want to get closer.

"The Arlong Pirates," Buggy said. "You hate them."

Nami opened her mouth, as if to say something, but found that she couldn't make a sound.

Bucky turned his head and looked out the window: "Most of the hatred in this world stems from the powerlessness of the weak."

Nami's body froze.

"Because you're weak, you're powerless to resist." Buggy didn't look at her; his gaze remained fixed on the window. "Because you're weak, you can only direct your actions at other, even weaker, pirates."

Buggy looked away and turned to Nami: "But have you ever thought about why all of this happened?"

These words were like a knife stabbing into a place Nami had never touched before.

She was stunned.

"The strong oppress the weak, and the weak oppress the even weaker evil." Bucky's voice carried a strangely inflammatory tone.

"That's how the world works."

"That's always been how the world is."

"The strong rule the rules, and the weak are ruled by the rules."

Bucky paused. "You hate this rule, but you've never questioned it."

Nami's fingers gripped the blanket tightly.

She wanted to argue.

But she didn't know what to say in rebuttal.

Because what Bucky said was true.

eight years.

She hated the dragon, hated the fishmen, hated them for killing Bellemere, hated them for destroying Cocoyasi Village, and hated them for turning her into a thief.

But she never thought of it—

Why?

Why are they the ones who rule her?

Why isn't she in charge of them?

"Your hatred is the hatred of the weak," Bucky's voice continued, as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

Nami suddenly raised her head.

Bucky is looking at her.

There was no mockery, no contempt, not even a trace of emotion in those eyes.

Just looking at it is like watching an insect that has finally begun to think.

"The hatred of the weak can only be used to torment themselves."

Looking at Nami in front of him, Buggy felt that Nami had finally been persuaded and had begun to think in the direction he hoped for.

This is good.

Because language is so powerful.

Verbal weapons can all be harmful; they are deadly weapons.

Buggy raised his hand and pointed to Nami's left shoulder, to the location of the tattoo that was covered by her clothes.

"You look at that thing every day, telling yourself you hate it, and then what?"

"Then you keep drawing sea charts, keep stealing money, and keep waiting."

"Waiting for a 'maybe'."

"Waiting for an 'if'."

"Waiting for a salvation that will never come."

Bucky spread his arms out to the sides, as if pointing to the whole world.

Now it's time for talk therapy.