Chapter 871: Buggy Fears Nothing
Chapter 871: Buggy Fears Nothing
Boa Hancock bit her thumb, lost in thought.
Crocodile’s facial expression turned gloomy. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Kuro’s words were aimed directly at him.
Dracule Mihawk still wore his usual smile, his eyes brimming with interest.
Only Buggy meticulously examined the contract. The document matched Kuro’s description, except one clause—“failure results in the Seven Warlords of the Sea position being inherited by newcomers”—was missing. That was Kuro’s private rule.
Truthfully, managing seven people didn’t require such rigid regulations. The World Government had already suffered from this rigidity, and there weren’t even seven Shichibukai now.
“Sign it already. Stop looking,” Kuro urged.
Crocodile immediately saw through Kuro’s scheme, coldly asking, “Hmph, Kuro, forcing us into the New World—aren’t you afraid the World Government will hold you accountable for Responsibility? You’re shrinking your own territory, aren’t you?”
“This is pirate business,” Kuro replied flatly. “You don’t answer to them—it’s my problem, not yours. Just answer to me.”
“I have no objections.”
Dracule Mihawk lowered his legs from the table, grabbed a nearby quill, and swiftly signed the contract with a flourish—Dracule Mihawk.
“I’ll tentatively trust your words.”
Boa Hancock picked up the quill too, writing her name. That bastard had a point—Amazon Lily engaging in trade would be convenient. If she obtained a Navigational Route, she could establish a base there for commerce. She wouldn’t even need merchant ships; acquiring goods at the base and transporting them home would be far faster than raiding.
Generations of accumulation meant Amazon Lily didn’t lack money, but goods were scarce.
Besides, hadn’t Kuro said they could choose a base freely? Selecting a commercial artery would mean tariffs essentially gave them free goods.
“That, that thing…”
Buggy hesitated, but finally grabbed the quill and signed his name.
If they signed, he couldn’t refuse. Losing his Seven Warlords of the Sea position wasn’t an option.
As for failure—he had countless underlings. How could he possibly fail? Just needed to be cautious.
Selecting a critical junction within a Navigational Route was a massive advantage!
He adored wealth and treasure!
“Good. Now for choosing Navigational Routes.”
Kuro chewed his cigar. “You’re the first four Seven Warlords here, so I’ll grant you freedom to choose your Navigational Route.”
At his signal, Klah laid a map on the table.
Navigational Routes in the Grand Line were chaotic, sometimes overlapping islands, but broadly categorized into seven.
Boa Hancock glanced at the map and pointed to the route nearest her Kingdom. “This one. I’ll take it.”
This was the easternmost Grand Line route—also the most dangerous for pirates. It directly connected to Enies Lobby and was near the West Blue Station, a major transportation hub allowing travel anywhere, including Water 7.
“I’ll take whatever.”
Dracule Mihawk randomly chose, landing on the route adjacent to Boa Hancock’s.
Alone and indifferent to influence or wealth, these contract terms held little value for him.
“Kuro, I’ll trade these terms for a fight with you—how about it?” Dracule Mihawk smirked.
“Declined,” Kuro countered. “Raise your own flag. Don’t you have a ghost girl and a troupe of baboons? Let them assist you. If not, recruit some subordinates.”
“I want this one!”
Crocodile jabbed the central route, his teeth gritted.
Fallen here, he’d rise again here.
This was the route where Luffy defeated him—he’d rebuild from the ashes.
“Then I’ll take this one!”
Buggy’s hand flew across the table, landing on the leftmost route, his posture comically exaggerated.
This route brimmed with wealth, featuring islands like Carnival City, Gourmet City, and Spring Queen City.
“Sure?” Kuro arched a brow.
“Of course! That route!”
Buggy bellowed, “You dare break your promises? I, the Great Captain Buggy, claim this route!”
Compared to others, this route overflowed with merchant ship traffic.
“Fine. That route it is.”
Kuro assessed him. “Buggy, your task gets heavier.”
What did that mean?
Buggy froze.
“Oh? That route,” Crocodile interjected, “isn’t it crawling with pirates?”
“Indeed,” Dracule Mihawk nodded. “Many rookies exceeding 100 million Berry operate there.”
The Grand Line bred pirates in droves—more than the Four Seas, as Grand Line pirates didn’t need to traverse Reverse Mountain. Naturally, they knew which route was wealthiest.
Buggy’s choice was the Navy’s top-priority route—frequent strong rookie appearances made pirate infestation rampant.
Hearing this, Buggy’s eyes widened, a snot bubble protruding from his red nose as he stammered, “Pirates? Lots of pirates?”
“Scared, Seven Warlords of the Sea? The One Piece’s comrade? The ‘Thousand-Lion Coin Doker’ who calls Shanks brother?” Kuro mocked.
“Absurd! Impossible!”
Buggy struck a pose, hands on hips. “I’m Captain Buggy! Any pirate daring to trespass on my base will face destruction!”
“Excellent. I’ll assign your base.”
Kuro pointed near Reverse Mountain. “Carnival City—the mandatory stop on this route, one of the most prosperous islands. Station here. The tariffs here are enormous. Pirates from the Four Seas choosing this route will pass through, and Grand Line veterans seeking a comeback must traverse here first.”
“Buggy, with your strength and influence, this should be effortless,” Kuro smirked.
Buggy’s mouth gaped, his body trembling unconsciously.
But under Kuro’s gaze, he immediately scoffed, nose raised, “Obviously! I, the Great Captain Buggy, fear nothing!”
Kuro’s lips curled. This fool’s influence was vast, with countless underlings—perfect. Let them cull pirates among themselves.
As Seven Warlords, they had to ensure route safety. Cruising constantly was impractical, but controlling a commercial artery would halt many pirates.
Buggy, uninterested in the New World, focused on expanding his influence—ideal for handling these pests.
The New World allowed failure, but within their territory…
Failure meant replacement!
(End of Chapter)
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