章 105: Chapter 105: Buggy's Horror Adventure!
A clear sky spread over the Sabaody Archipelago.
Buggy and his crew, who had been cleverly convinced by him, boarded a large ship and set sail out.
At the bow, Buggy stood tall, hands on his hips, gazing confidently out to sea in his custom-made hunter outfit.
"Hahaha! Little ones, let's set sail!"
"Oh!!!" The crew cheered, waving their swords excitedly.
If they stuck with Buggy, they were sure they'd feast on delicious meals and enjoy a life of plenty, right?
With a loud whoosh, the sails unfurled, and Buggy's chest swelled with pride.
"Hahaha…!"
Finally, Buggy had his own ship, his own crew. He couldn't help but tear up a little.
It wasn't easy!
Who would have thought that Buggy, of all people, could rise to such heights?
"Haha, staying with the Hunter's Guild was definitely my smartest move ever!"
"That Leno guy—at first glance, I knew he wasn't ordinary. Haha, I have a sharp eye for talent!"
Buggy's loud laughter echoed across the sea.
After half a day of smooth sailing, a dense fog loomed ahead.
"Lord Buggy, there's a foggy area up ahead. I heard Gecko Moria, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, is stationed there!"
"They say he's a Devil Fruit user, and ever since he came here, strange supernatural events have been happening!"
The crew, made up of seasoned pirates who had braved many dangers to reach Sabaody Archipelago, exchanged nervous glances. Some of them had bounties as high as 60 or 80 million belly and held key positions in the fleet.
"Moria?"
Buggy scratched his chin, trying to recall who that was. After a few moments, he finally said,
"Who's that?"
"Eh?!"
The crew behind him face-planted in disbelief.
"Buggy, you really don't know Moria?"
Buggy scratched his head again, embarrassed. He had spent most of his time in the East Blue, leading a circus, and hadn't paid much attention to world events.
Moria? He honestly didn't know.
But he couldn't admit that. It would make him look bad in front of his crew.
Buggy coughed and replied,
"Why would I need to know about a guy like that?"
In terms of bluffing, Buggy was a master. Years of fooling audiences in the circus had honed his skills.
The crew quickly rallied behind him.
"As expected of Buggy, the most trusted man of President Leno! Who cares about a Warlord of the Sea?"
"Right! What's a Warlord compared to a mighty hunter?"
"Buggy is the best!!!"
They continued chatting excitedly about Moria.
"I heard Moria lost to Kaido a while back. His entire crew was wiped out!"
"Yeah, but after laying low in the West Blue, he's made a comeback to the Grand Line."
"So he's just a loser like us, huh?"
"Kaido beat Moria, but Kaido himself lost to President Leno. And Buggy is the president's right-hand man!"
"So, does that mean Buggy is stronger than Moria?"
"Absolutely!"
As the crew gushed over him, Buggy began to sweat. His mind flashed to Hancock, the terrifying Kuja Pirate who had once defeated him.
Although Hancock had lost to Leno, she was still terrifyingly strong.
Buggy's heart raced. He knew he wasn't anywhere near Moria's level.
Better avoid him!
Buggy was racking his brain for an excuse when he overheard the crew talking about going after Moria.
"If we take out Moria, President Leno will definitely reward us, right?"
"Definitely!"
Buggy's face paled.
"Attack Moria? Are you crazy?"
No way, they had to stop this madness.
He cleared his throat loudly.
"Ahem! No, no! We can't do that!"
"Huh? Why not?"
"Yeah, Brother Buggy?"
Buggy's mind raced. A flash of inspiration struck him.
"Discipline! Yes, discipline!" he declared.
"Discipline?"
"Of course! We're hunters, not pirates. The biggest difference between us and pirates is discipline!"
Buggy continued, his expression growing more serious.
"We're on a mission from the president. A mere Warlord of the Sea isn't worth our time!"
"If Moria delays our mission, the president's plans will be ruined. We can't let that happen!"
The crew blinked, suddenly enlightened.
"As expected of Buggy, what a wise decision!"
"Buggy is really a guiding light!"
"We almost made a huge mistake. Buggy is too powerful!"
As the crew showered him with compliments, night began to fall. Their ship sailed into the misty sea, where broken ships drifted on the water, putting Buggy on edge.
"Damn it, none of this was here when I came through with the captain," Buggy muttered, his arms folded. He tried to look calm, but his nerves were frayed.
In the Paradise section of the Grand Line, there were seven possible routes to take. To advance, they had to stay on an island long enough to record its magnetic field before moving forward.
Buggy vaguely remembered their stop at Water 7 and how they had hired Tom the Fish-man to build their ship. The next island, after passing through the misty sea, had been Sabaody Archipelago.
But back then, the mist was just a nuisance. It wasn't dangerous.
Now, the sight of all these wrecked ships unnerved him.
Did Moria's presence cause this?
It was terrifying!
Buggy silently prayed that they wouldn't encounter him.
But as fate would have it, the more Buggy wished to avoid danger, the more likely it seemed to happen.
After a tense period of sailing, a strange island emerged from the mist.
Thriller Bark.
Surrounding the island was a ghostly white guardrail.
And just as they approached, a giant mouth opened up in front of them, the waves surging violently as they were swallowed into the belly of the eerie island.
Thus, Buggy's adventure began.
New World!
On an island teeming with ferocious beasts, Shanks and his crew took a brief rest. They were close to the kingdom of giants, Elbaf, so few pirates dared to set camp nearby.
Elbaf, known as the most powerful kingdom in the world, is a land of giants situated in the New World. Though the kingdom has never joined the World Government, it maintains its independence. Even the World Government has never attempted to invade.
Occasionally, giants venture out into the world, and they are highly sought after by many factions—so much so that even the Marines offer them positions. This stands in stark contrast to the treatment of fish-men.
The reason is simple: the kingdom of giants is too powerful. Its sheer might strikes fear into all forces, deterring any provocation. Giants, long-lived and naturally strong, can crush a Rear Admiral with their physical strength alone, even without Haki.
Thanks to his reputation, Shanks earned the friendship of the giants prince and was granted permission to stay on the island.
The last defeat made Shanks realize that he and his crew still had a long way to go.
So, they began training.
After the humiliating loss, they understood the importance of growing stronger and supporting each other.
The Red Hair Pirates didn't always have an easy path. Their rise to prominence took time—four years of sailing to reach the top. In comparison, Luffy's journey took only two and a half years.
Their strength was forged in blood and fire.
"Conqueror's Haki!"
Deep within the island, Shanks focused his gaze, and Conqueror's Haki radiated from him like lightning, wrapping around his body.
Boom!
With a single slash, a wave of energy shot out like a bolt of lightning, slicing through a cliff a thousand meters away.
"Conqueror's Haki, huh? That's some serious power," Shanks murmured.
His opponent, a man wielding a black sword, stood calmly before him. He had short black hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and wore a black top hat adorned with white feathers. His burgundy shirt, black trench coat, white trousers, and black boots made him look every bit the swordsman he was.
This man was none other than Dracule Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, also known as Hawk Eyes.
Mihawk's sharp yellow eyes, resembling those of a hawk, could make even the strongest fighters tremble. He and Shanks had been friends for many years, often crossing blades to test their skills.
To improve himself, Shanks had invited Mihawk to the island as a sparring partner.
Clang! Clang!
Shanks and Mihawk clashed fiercely, their sword strikes sending waves of energy across the battlefield.
After a while, Beckman, Shanks' trusted right-hand man, returned from his supply run.
"Shanks, the newspapers are here!" he called out, interrupting the duel.
The two swordsmen paused, and with a grin, they sat down to enjoy a drink.
Beckman handed over a stack of newspapers, collected over the past two weeks. Shanks eagerly flipped through them.
"Kaido's back, huh? That guy's really tough to kill," Shanks remarked, a slight smirk on his face.
Shanks had been tempted to intervene when he heard about Kaido's defeat, but he decided to stick to his plan. Now, looking back, it seemed like the right choice.
Mihawk took a sip of his wine and nodded.
"That so-called 'undying monster' is truly powerful, but the one who defeated him is even more terrifying."
Shanks sighed. He had already faced the might of the Four Emperors and learned firsthand how difficult it was.
"Didn't you spend a whole year in East Blue without crossing paths with him?" Mihawk asked, curious.
Shanks scratched his head.
"Yeah... it's strange. I had this feeling like I knew him, but we never met."
Lucky Roux, tearing into his meal, added,
"It's like he just popped out of nowhere. Everyone was shocked."
"Yeah," Beckman agreed, nodding along.
Mihawk shook his head, still finding it hard to believe they'd been in East Blue for so long without ever hearing of Leno.
"If I had known then, I would've made sure to recruit him. What a terrifying force he must be," Shanks said, clearly frustrated.
Mihawk, ever composed, replied,
"The real question is, if you recruit him, who'll be the captain?"
Shanks laughed heartily. "
Ah, I'm already dreading it! Let's forget about that for now and drink!"
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+30 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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