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Chapter 9: Fortune and Misfortune
Chapter 9: Fortune and Misfortune
"Caw!"
The drum-like sound reverberated through the air.
Lily blushed, lowering her head in silence.
Including the time it took them to escape, it had been a full day and night since they had last eaten. They must be hungry.
Sage gazed at the water below and sighed, "Oh well, I guess it's time to..."
Whoosh!
"Ahhhhh!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a trail of white smoke suddenly appeared on the horizon, speeding by with an ear-piercing shriek.
"A bird?" Sage exclaimed, his face lighting up with joy.
"Perfect," he muttered. "No need to dive into the sea after all."
He took a step forward and ascended into the sky. With his other hand, he reached up and grabbed a round object, effortlessly pulling the fast-flying creature toward him.
"Hmm?"
As soon as it was in his grasp, Sage realized something was amiss. The texture wasn't that of feathers, and the color...
"Red?"
"Who're you calling a red nose?!"
A loud shout emanated from the front end. Two hands donning white gloves flailed about wildly, and below them was a round, red nose. Under the nose was a face, and below that, a small creature hung, baring its teeth.
It was a person. He wore an orange captain's hat and a red and white striped outfit, but his proportions were extremely diminutive. His head, hands, and feet seemed completely disproportionate, as if he lacked a torso—only possessing a head, hands, and feet... and, of course, a rather prominent nose.
That distinctive feature and that face...
"Buggy?" Sage asked, unsure.
He had seen that face on a wanted poster.
A bounty of 15 million berries—'Jester' Buggy.
"Do you know who I am?!"
Buggy shouted, "Let go of me now, my nose hurts like hell!"
"Oh,"
Sage loosened his fingers, releasing the nose. Buggy retracted, crossing his legs and raising his head proudly. "Yes, I am the mighty captain of the Buggy Pirates, 'Jester' Buggy, at your service..."
Before he could finish, Buggy suddenly felt something amiss.
The vast blue sky stretched before him, and in the distance, he could make out the sea's horizon. The wind played with the wheat on his hat, sending shivers down his spine.
Without looking down, Buggy's tiny feet began to fumble about on the ground, and snot dripped from his large nose as he stared blankly at Sage.
"High in the sky?"
Sage nodded.
Buggy offered him an embarrassed yet polite smile. "I'd appreciate it if you could save me..."
Whoosh!
The moment he finished speaking, Buggy's body shot downward with tremendous force.
Below was the vast ocean—if he fell in, it would be the end of him!
Slap!
However, just at that moment, a hand clasped the back of his collar, hoisting him up.
Buggy gasped for breath, wiping the sweat off his face. Then he noticed Lily, who was also held by a single hand, baring her white teeth in a greeting.
"Yo, nice to meet you!"
Lily: "..."
Sage lifted Buggy a little higher. "Is this your true form? Something seems off."
Buggy grit his teeth. "Of course, I'm not usually like this! If it weren't for that damn Straw Hat Kid..."
He would never have been bound and thrown like this, causing his body to shrink so drastically!
After finally crafting a raft and setting out to sea, he had been swallowed by a massive bird. To make matters worse, the bird had spat him out, deeming his taste unpleasant!
"Anyhow, thanks a lot! Let's feast, and I'll make sure to repay you!" Buggy exclaimed.
"Why didn't you show up earlier?"
Sage clicked his tongue. "If I had run into you a couple of days ago, my life would've taken a different turn. 15 million berries, after all..."
"Hmm?"
Buggy's nose twitched as he seemed to recall something. His pupils dilated, and he shouted, "Are you those damn bounty hunters?!"
Then, to Lily's astonishment, his hand detached from his wrist and flew toward Sage.
However, before the detached hand could reach Sage, Sage's grip loosened...
...
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! I didn't mean to attack you," Buggy explained, his neck now firmly in Sage's grasp again. He rubbed his hands together nervously, a pleading smile on his face. "This is my Devil Fruit ability. I ate the 'Split-Split Fruit,' and now I can split my body however I like. It was just a performance for you all."
"I'm no longer a bounty hunter."
Sage clarified, "Now, I'm a pirate, just like you."
"Oh!"
Buggy's eyes lit up, and he relaxed completely. "So, you're a pirate too! Why didn't you say so earlier? My apologies for the sudden attack! But why are you up in the air? Don't you have a ship for your voyage?"
"We've just become pirates, so we don't have our own ship yet."
Lily chimed in, her curiosity getting the better of her as she examined Buggy. "A Devil Fruit user, huh? I've heard of those, but I thought they were just legends. I never imagined they were real. So, because you ate a Devil Fruit, your body became so bizarre, and your nose turned red?"
"Who're you calling a red nose?!"
Buggy's eyes rolled back, and he became sharp-toothed and sharp-tongued. "Say that again, and I'll kill you!"
Clang!
Lily's face turned cold, and she unsheathed her sword.
Sage tugged at his mouth's corner, "Alright, alright... When you were flying here, did you happen to spot any land or ships?"
"Land?"
Buggy stroked his chin, thinking back. "Now that I recall, I think I saw a few islands over there as I was flying by."
"Thanks a lot!" Sage finally broke into a smile.
It wasn't easy. They finally had a sense of the direction of the islands.
Buggy looked at them for a moment and made a suggestion, "If you've just set out to sea, how about joining my pirate crew?"
These two, let's not mention the woman, but this man seemed quite strong. He actually used Moonwalk? But why was he able to stay in the air for so long? He seemed very skilled.
Not to mention, he had also saved his life.
"I'm not in the habit of working under others, so I'll pass. And in your current state, you shouldn't be making such suggestions." Sage replied.
His dream was to become a feudal lord tycoon, to rule and exploit others, not to be ruled and exploited himself.
"Is that so?"
Buggy wasn't offended and laughed, "Regardless, you saved me, so you're my brother now. I'll remember this favor and return it someday! Once I find my crew, I'll definitely treat you to a feast!"
Sage raised an eyebrow, "If I remember correctly, you're quite lucky, aren't you? If we take you with us, maybe we'll be able to find some people. It's definitely more reliable than looking for islands that may or may not have food."
But before that...
"Lily, get ready to dive into the water." Sage suddenly said.
"Huh?" Lily looked puzzled.
Sage, carrying the two of them, began to repeatedly stomp on the air, heading straight for the sea.
The Moonwalk technique had its limits for staying airborne, and Sage had been using it for over a day now.
If he continued, he would fall directly into the sea, so he might as well enter the water now and rest.
"I hope your luck really holds up!"
Sage quickly descended to the sea's surface and threw Lily into the ocean. He then kicked off the water a few more times before diving into the water with Buggy.
"I can't swim!" Buggy cried out in terror as he entered the sea with Sage.
But not long after, Sage's head emerged from the seawater, and he lifted Buggy, who had gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, out of the water. At the same time, his other hand held a fish that was flopping about.
A fish!
He had finally caught a fish! Back when he was starting his business, he could see schools of fish when he wanted to go fishing, but they never bit.
It frustrated him so much that he considered just catching the fish with his hands, but as soon as he had that thought, the fish disappeared.
It was like Schrodinger's fish for him—they existed and didn't exist at the same time.
But now, with Buggy, he had finally caught a fish!
This luck counteracted his bad luck!
Sage looked at Buggy and said, "Hey, Buggy, how about joining my pirate crew?"
"Huh? You're inviting me?"
Buggy laughed heartily and then said in a serious tone, "Sorry, but I have my own dreams, and I won't bow down to anyone!"
Ever since that kid didn't want to inherit the captain's will, he decided to go his own way.
"Even though we're both captains, we can still be brothers on this journey, and we can..."
"Sage!"
Just as Buggy was speaking, Lily suddenly popped her head out of the water, looking terrified. "There's something underwater!"
Splash!
As soon as she finished speaking, a huge splash of water appeared next to Sage, creating a downpour-like effect.
Sage felt something slip from his hand, and when he looked up, he saw a giant sheep's head emerge from the sea and bite onto Buggy's lower body.
"Hey! No! Don't eat me!" Buggy pounded furiously on the strange sheep's head with his fists, but compared to its massive size, his punches were as weak as an infant's.
The sheep head was about to suck Buggy in when it suddenly seemed to sense something. It made a clear expression of disgust and puffed out its cheeks.
Buggy also realized this and frantically shouted, "Do I taste that bad? This is the second time! I have my dignity, you know!"
The sheep's head started to blow out air.
Buggy shook his head and gave a carefree smile. He then gave Sage a thumbs-up and said, "Brother, I won't forget you!"
Puff!
With a loud sound, the sheep's head spat Buggy out, sending him flying through the air like a shooting star.
It all happened too fast for Sage to stop, and he could only watch helplessly as his lucky charm disappeared.
He pursed his lips and sighed, "So he didn't escape his fate after all..."
There was a reason he didn't want to enter the water.
With his unlucky constitution, he couldn't catch fish, but he would attract sea beasts.
In truth, even in the shallow seas by the shore, Sage had come across sea monarchs - beings bigger than islands. His North Star Divine Fist proved futile against these colossal adversaries.
He had thought that now that he had caught a fish, he wouldn't encounter any more strange creatures.
But it seemed his bad luck hadn't run out yet.
Fortunately, this was just an ordinary sea beast.
Buggy, your luck is still holding on!
(End of Chapter)
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