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Chapter 815: Check, Please!
Chapter 815: Check, Please!
Buggy curled his lips into a sneer, his voice sharp: "Do you think I'm afraid? I'm one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Thousand-Lion Coin Doker Buggy officer! I won't back down—"
He turned abruptly to the waiter nearby. "Check, please!"
"That'll be 3 million Beri." Popeye the Sailor materialized out of nowhere, rubbing his hands together with a sycophantic grin.
"Nani?! Three million Beri?! You gluttonous freak, how could you eat so much?!" Buggy snarled at Lida.
Lida lifted her chin, wearing an "I'm not the least bit proud of this" expression.
"I'm not praising you, you idiot!" Buggy snapped, his temper flaring—then caught himself mid-insult as he noticed Kuro's eyes flicking toward him. He hastily changed course.
"Hey, Dino! Pay up!" Buggy barked at the man whose hair formed the number "3."
Galdino, better known as Mr.3, had officially joined the Buggy Pirates after the Top War, rising to the rank of senior officer.
Galdino shot Kuro a long glance before approaching Popeye the Sailor and tossing him a small pouch.
This man—Kuro—was unforgettable. During the Top War, he'd dazzled the battlefield, even defeating Buggy's former boss.
Popeye the Sailor pried open the pouch, revealing gleaming gold coins. His grin turned even more grotesque. "Thank you for your patronage!"
Gold and silver were universal currency, easily exchanged for Beri or used directly. As a seasoned merchant, Popeye could instantly judge the coins' worth—well over 3 million Beri.
"Let's go!"
With the debt settled, Buggy led his crew out of the restaurant.
Outside, the fat-and-skinny duo, Mucki and Liki, exchanged baffled looks. Mucki finally blurted, "Captain, who was that guy? You're one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
"Silence!" Buggy hissed. "Even the Four Emperors would hesitate to provoke that man."
"Golden Lion..." Alvida swallowed hard. "If he's here, should we warn Festa?"
As East Blue pirates, they'd all heard of the infamous "Pride of the East Blue"—another Navy Vice Admiral.
"Are you insane?!"
Buggy screeched, "That guy could destroy our entire base! He will do it too! Alvida, you never saw it, but during the Top War, he fought Whitebeard's commanders alone, then sank Blackbeard's entire fleet to the ocean floor! I'm not messing with that level of monster!"
An ordinary Vice Admiral might tempt Buggy to betray Festa for profit. But this wasn't just any Navy officer—the memory of Top War still burned in Buggy's mind.
The way seawater had rained from the sky like a shattered heaven itself—the same power Shanks once wielded, perfectly replicated. That sheer terror was beyond comprehension.
Buggy had spent his youth cowering in Red-Haired Shanks' shadow, his former captain constantly harassed by that red-haired menace. Even after winning their battle, the fear had never left Buggy's bones.
And now, this new threat was Shanks' equal—a young Vice Admiral surpassing the legendary pirate himself.
Who would dare challenge him?
"Right", Mr.3 muttered. "Best not to cross that man."
He'd witnessed Kuro's dominance firsthand at the Top War. That power was nightmare fuel for even the fiercest souls.
"So what now? Do we retreat?" Alvida asked. "If Golden Lion's here, what about the other pirates?"
"No need."
Buggy's voice darkened. "He's right—I am one of the Seven Warlords. We're on the same side. Even if he attacks, he won't target me. And since he hasn't moved yet, he's probably waiting for the pirate captain's treasure to surface. But once I grab it, it's mine! Treasure first, Navy second—screw the consequences!"
"Just wait until I snatch it first!" He threw his arms wide, billowing his cloak dramatically. "Then the Navy will have no choice but to accept it! Maybe they'll even reward me for helping them! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Lost in his maniacal glee, Buggy stretched his limbs into grotesque proportions, the power of his Split-Devil Fruit on full display.
...
Back inside the restaurant.
"Kuro-san, you're just letting him leave?" Klah adjusted his glasses.
"He's clever, even if he looks foolish. He knows what to do when it matters", Kuro said around his cigar.
Buggy truly was smart.
At least compared to the idiots of the Grand Line.
"Red Nose seems wealthy now", Lida mused, eyeing the pouch of gold. "He used to be so weak. Well, still weak, actually."
Klah nodded. "His 'Buggy Delivery' company's thriving worldwide. With Doflamingo gone, they're even rising to replace him."
"Eh? Red Nose replacing Donquixote Doflamingo? They're not even in the same league!" Lida scoffed.
Kuro shrugged. "The Grand Line's full of absurdities. There's always room for a few lunatics."
The world's biggest arms dealer was gone, leaving scattered small-time players with no one matching Doflamingo's scale. Meanwhile, Buggy's crew had started as mercenaries and... deliverymen.
Actual deliverymen.
It was dangerous work. Transporting valuable cargo across the treacherous Grand Line seas between regions—facing pirates and natural dangers alike—demanded real power and reputation. Buggy himself lacked strength, but his ability to manipulate pirates worked wonders.
His crew were mostly Impel Down escapees—brutal convicts with power, if questionable intellect. The World Government had made Buggy a Seven Warlord precisely to monitor those dangerous men.
But with the arms trade collapsing, the battlefield now belonged to mercenaries. Buggy's business was booming.
Kuro had only been bluffing earlier. To take Buggy down would require a full encirclement led personally by Kuro himself. Otherwise, the man could vanish with his crew of convicts at any moment.
And that sort of escalation was only worth it in last-resort scenarios.
As long as Buggy kept his Seven Warlord status, Kuro saw no harm in leaving him be.
Weak in power but strong in reputation, with a crew that actually obeyed him—Buggy was the perfect "lawful" nuisance. As long as he didn't overstep, Kuro had no complaints.
"Let's go."
Seeing Lida finish her meal, Kuro stood and strode outside.
Time for a nap after this feast.
(End of Chapter)
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