"Eh? What's going on? Why didn't Jerry throw the grenade?"
"He must've gone mad. If he wants to blow himself up, why not do it somewhere else instead of here? He's going to drag us all down with him, cough cough..."
"No, something's off. He was about to throw it, but after that kid looked back at him, Jerry's expression changed, like he'd seen a ghost."
"That's impossible! How could a kid that young scare someone like Jerry with just a glance?"
Covered in dust from the explosion, the pirates argued back and forth, their faces full of confusion.
Takumi, however, didn't pay any attention to the chatter behind him. As he approached the tavern, a man dressed in a long brown-black fur coat and a black hat, with long hair, suddenly fell off a tall horse right in front of him.
Takumi recognized the man's outfit instantly.
It was Doc Q, the future ship doctor of Blackbeard's pirate crew, known as the "Grim Reaper." He was a ruthless individual.
Why he was here, Takumi didn't know—and frankly, he didn't care.
Looking frail and weak, Doc Q said in a raspy voice, "Excuse me, could you help me up?"
Takumi shot him an unimpressed glance and simply walked around him.
Doc Q, seemingly unfazed, pulled out a basket of red apples. As Takumi was about to pass him, he said, "These apples are my gift to you. I'm sickly by nature, but could you help me up in return? I'd appreciate it."
Takumi's expression didn't change. Ignoring the man's theatrics, he continued walking and entered the nearby tavern.
"What a heartless brat," Doc Q muttered darkly, his face turning grim.
As soon as he said that, his gaze landed on a group of people not far off. They looked like they had just arrived from somewhere else, and Doc Q smirked slightly.
Takumi had entered a tavern that was a mix of a bar and a restaurant.
Sitting down at the bar, he hadn't said a word when the bartender, surprised to see such a young boy, placed a glass of orange juice with ice in front of him.
Takumi looked at the drink with a blank expression.
"Hey kid," the bartender said kindly, "you're probably with a crew, right? This town isn't safe for someone your age to be wandering around alone. Just drink this juice and head out, alright?"
Takumi stared at the orange juice, picked it up, and downed it in one go. Then, pulling out some Berries, he said flatly, "Give me a drink."
"Eh?" The bartender was taken aback. "You can drink alcohol?"
Takumi nodded slightly. "Yeah."
The bartender, awkward but obliging, accepted the money and quickly poured Takumi a glass of liquor. Watching Takumi gulp it down like water, the bartender couldn't help but sigh. "I guess it's true. People who come to this town aren't ordinary. At your age, you should be carefree, playing with other kids. But here you are, calmly drinking like an adult. Seems like you've been through a lot, haven't you?"
Takumi, uninterested in small talk, replied, "Another."
The bartender gave a light chuckle. "Alright, hold on a moment."
Just as the bartender brought Takumi a second drink, two loud explosions echoed from outside.
"Ah, must be another fight," the bartender said casually, wiping a glass without much concern.
The customers inside the tavern continued eating and drinking, unfazed by the sound of explosions, as if it were an everyday occurrence.
Takumi, equally unbothered, continued sipping his drink.
Suddenly, a furious voice from outside reached their ears.
"Damn it! Someone dared to kill my men! Get after him, boys! Capture that guy on the horse—I'm going to kill him!"
Takumi paused, putting his glass down. That voice sounded oddly familiar...
"It's probably that apple guy again," the bartender remarked with a laugh. "A few days ago, a sickly-looking man riding a horse showed up in Mock Town. He had a basket full of apples, handing them out to anyone who passed by. People who didn't know any better would take one, only to get blown up. So, kid, if you run into someone offering you apples, make sure not to take one."
Takumi remained silent, staring at his half-empty glass. Without a word, he lifted it and finished the drink.
Seeing that Takumi wasn't interested in conversation, the bartender shrugged and went back to his work.
Takumi ordered another two bottles of liquor, along with some snacks. As he quietly ate and drank, he listened to the pirates around him boast and gossip. None of them mentioned anything about the sky suddenly turning dark.
Just as Takumi finished his first bottle and opened the second, that familiar voice from earlier sounded again, this time much closer.
"Damn it, he got away! You two, handle the bodies. Mochi, Cabaji, stay here. The rest of you, return to the ship!"
After giving those orders, the man stormed into the tavern, his face twisted in anger.
Takumi didn't turn around. Just hearing the names of his subordinates was enough to confirm who it was.
It was Buggy.
Once an apprentice on the Roger Pirates, Buggy had grown up alongside Red-Haired Shanks. The two had been close friends until an incident where Buggy, due to Shanks, accidentally consumed the Chop-Chop Fruit—a Devil Fruit he had planned to sell for a fortune. Ever since, Buggy had harbored a grudge against Shanks. After the Roger Pirates disbanded, Buggy formed his own crew, the Buggy Pirates.
"Hey, get me the best food and drinks you've got here!" Buggy shouted, his voice echoing through the tavern as he and his two subordinates, Mochi and Cabaji, sat down at a table. His face was filled with irritation.
"Right away!" the bartender responded quickly.
Sitting at the table next to Buggy's were two men who couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Haha! Look at that guy's nose! It's hilarious!"
"Is he a clown or something? Haha... hey, buddy, why don't you give us a little performance?"
Buggy turned to glare at them, his face shadowed ominously. "You think my nose is funny, huh? You think I look like some kind of idiot with this big red nose?"
"Yeah, that's exactly what we're saying. It's big and red, haha!"
"Didn't expect you to be so self-aware! Haha…"
The two men laughed even harder, causing a ripple of laughter to spread throughout the tavern.
"Hehe, those guys are done for," chuckled Mochi, a man dressed in fur clothing and animal-paw shoes. His hair resembled a fluffy animal mane.
Buggy's other subordinate, Cabaji, who wore a plaid scarf and had hair covering his left eye, smirked. "Yeah, they're doomed. They've just made the biggest mistake of their lives."
As the laughter continued, Buggy's grim expression slowly twisted into a terrifying smile. "Looks like you're all ready to die. So, go ahead and die!"
******
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The tavern roared with laughter. The two men who had mocked Buggy were laughing the loudest.
Buggy's lips curled into a sinister grin, a gleam of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. Without hesitation, he flung his hands—each holding a dagger—away from his body. His disembodied hands shot toward the two men who were still laughing, unaware of their fate.
With a sickening slash, Buggy mercilessly sliced their throats.
The crowd, who had been chuckling and smirking, froze. They watched in shock as the two men, clutching their bleeding necks, slumped lifelessly over the table.
"His... his hands? They... they just came off his body! Is that guy some kind of cyborg?"
"No way! Even a cyborg wouldn't be able to detach his limbs like that. I think... I think he's a Devil Fruit user!"
"Devil Fruit user? Ah, hell... we'd better keep our voices down. If he turns on us, we're done for."
In any other town, a sudden murder like that would've caused a riot. But this was Mock Town, a haven for pirates where killing in broad daylight was just another Tuesday. Although the patrons were shocked that Buggy was a Devil Fruit user, none of them fled. Some even decided to take their chances, throwing out casual offers.
"Hey, pal! Which pirate crew are you with?"
"How about you join forces with us, huh? That ability of yours looks wild. What kind of fruit did you eat?"
"Man, you're lucky. I've been dreaming of eating a Devil Fruit."
Buggy's eyebrow twitched. He slammed his fist on the table, enraged. "You fools! You have no idea what kind of pain I've been through! All of you—just DIE!"
Buggy had eaten the Chop-Chop Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that gave him the ability to separate his body into multiple pieces. His body parts could float in mid-air, moving independently to attack enemies. As long as his feet remained on the ground, he could control any part of his body within a 200-meter radius. If his body parts went beyond that range, they would automatically snap back together.
This ability made him nearly invulnerable to slashing attacks, which meant swordsmen stood no chance against him. But because his separated body parts were still solid, blunt force attacks could hurt him.
Buggy had never wanted to eat a Devil Fruit. All he'd ever wanted was to sell the fruit for a fortune—at least 100 million Berries. But thanks to a blunder by Shanks, Buggy had accidentally eaten the fruit, losing his ability to swim forever. To Buggy, it wasn't just the money he lost; it was his dream of scouring the ocean for treasure. He hated Shanks for that.
So, when people marveled at his "luck," it only felt like they were mocking him.
Seeing that Buggy was about to lash out at the entire tavern, the owner quickly interjected. "Hey, if you want to fight, take it outside! Don't wreck my place. I'm running a small business here—repairs cost a fortune..."
"Hm?" Buggy glared at the tavern owner with pure malice. "Did you just call me 'Round Nose?'"
The tavern owner blinked in confusion. "Uh, no, I didn't say anything like that—"
Buggy wasn't listening. His hand, still holding a knife, shot toward the owner.
In that moment, Takumi, who had been quietly eating with a fork, reacted swiftly. His fork pierced through Buggy's disembodied hand with pinpoint precision, pinning it to the bar. With his other hand, Takumi casually picked up his drink and took a sip, as if nothing had happened.
"AHHHHHH! MY HAND! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO BAD!" Buggy shrieked, tears springing to his eyes.
The tavern owner, stunned, stared at Takumi, who was calmly drinking. "W-Why did you save me?" he asked.
Takumi placed the drink back on the counter and shrugged. "Consider it a tip for the orange juice."
"Captain Buggy, are you alright?!" cried Buggy's subordinates, Mochi and Cabaji.
"Kill that little brat!" Buggy roared.
Cabaji immediately drew his sword. "Leave it to me, Captain!"
He charged toward Takumi, who was still holding the bottle in one hand and the fork in the other, pinning down Buggy's hand.
But as Cabaji approached, his eyes fell on the two swords at Takumi's side. He froze.
"Wait… is that a wooden sword and a cursed blade?" Cabaji's face went pale. "Y-You're not… you're not that kid, are you? The one they call Takumi?"
Takumi turned his head slightly, giving Cabaji a quizzical look. "?"
How did this guy know his name?
The moment Cabaji saw Takumi's face, he bolted back to Buggy's side.
"What the hell are you doing?" Buggy snapped. "I told you to kill him!"
"Captain… do you remember the new bounty poster that came out yesterday? The one for that kid—Takumi? He's only ten years old, but they've put a 100 million Berries bounty on his head," Cabaji whispered.
Buggy's jaw dropped. "W-What did you just say?"
"It's him, Captain! That's Takumi!" Cabaji pointed at Takumi with a shaky finger.
Buggy's face twisted in disbelief. "So what?! He's just a brat! There's no way some kid is worth 100 million. The Marines must've made a mistake. Now go kill him, do you hear me?!"
"Figures," Mochi chimed in with a grin. "Cabaji's too scared to handle this. Guess it's up to me. Step aside, you useless fool!"
Cabaji glared but stepped back. Mochi cracked his knuckles and smirked at Takumi. "Time to teach you a lesson, kid. Come on out, Richie!"
With a deafening roar, the door to the tavern burst open. A massive lion stormed in, growling and snarling at Takumi.
******
Support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi.com/gered to read up to Chapter 132