The legendary treasure of Captain John might just be hidden somewhere on Little Garden.
Even the mere thought of it was enough to make the crew of the Buggy Pirates burst with excitement.
Now, seeing their captain so thrilled that he could barely speak only fueled their enthusiasm even more.
Their boundless optimism had already painted a vivid image in their minds—a dazzling mountain of gold, the fabled treasure of Captain John.
Laughter and cheers filled the deck.
Buggy, the Clown, stood frozen, watching as his crew linked arms and broke into an impromptu jig. Without a word, he quietly stuffed the newspaper deep into his coat pocket.
"I can't let these fools see this!"
Slowly turning his back to the elated crew, Buggy took a deep breath, sniffing back the snot that had accidentally dribbled out, wiping the cold sweat off his brow as he did.
"If they find out Bacardi Maude is on Little Garden..."
An image instantly formed in Buggy's mind—his crew, legs trembling, unable to move, shaking in sheer terror.
After all, that man was infamous for slaughtering pirates for sport—a cold-blooded butcher whose mere name sent shivers down the spines of even the fiercest pirates.
His crew was no exception.
"No matter what, I've got my Chop-Chop Fruit powers. If things get bad, I can always find a way to escape..."
Buggy lowered his head slightly, his face shadowed.
His murmured words carried an air of ruthless determination, giving him, for just a fleeting moment, the aura of a true mastermind.
Unfortunately, that big, round, red nose of his completely undercut the effect, making his scheming expression look downright ridiculous.
"Captain Buggy, there's something ahead!"
A sharp cry from the crow's nest abruptly snapped Buggy out of his thoughts, cutting through the laughter on the deck.
All eyes turned toward the waters ahead, where Little Garden loomed in the distance.
Three mid-sized sailing ships had just departed from the island and were heading straight toward them.
The ships formed a line, but each was spaced over a hundred meters apart—an unusual formation.
Buggy frowned.
No matter what their intentions were, coming head-on like this was anything but friendly.
A veteran of over twenty years on the seas, Buggy didn't hesitate. His voice turned cold.
"Alright, you lot, prepare for battle!"
"Aye, Captain!"
The Buggy Pirates sprang into action.
The deck filled with the rapid thudding of boots as the crew scrambled into position. Cannons were loaded and aimed.
A heavy tension settled over the ship.
All eyes were locked on the approaching ships, which showed no signs of altering course.
A three-on-one naval battle was no small challenge.
Buggy wasn't exactly confident, but for the sake of the treasure, there was no way he was backing down!
As the distance between them closed, the crew began to notice something odd.
"Captain, they... don't seem to be attacking."
"Hm?"
Buggy raised an eyebrow before quickly composing himself. "Then hold your fire, but stay on guard."
"Aye!"
Though relieved, the crew remained wary.
Sudden, unprovoked battles were common on the high seas.
But if a fight could be avoided, it was always best to avoid it.
Under their watchful gazes, the three ships indeed showed no aggression. However, they still didn't change course.
As they drew even closer, the Buggy Pirates noticed another peculiar detail—
The ships were being rowed.
Each and every oarlock was manned, with sailors rowing vigorously, pushing their vessels forward at an unusual speed.
But the wind and currents were perfectly normal.
There was no real reason to be rowing so desperately.
Confusion flickered across the faces of Buggy's crew.
And then—
Just as the ships were about to pass them—
BOOM!
A massive shadow erupted from the water ahead.
An enormous creature broke the surface, sending torrents of seawater cascading down like a torrential downpour.
Waves exploded outward, rippling through the ocean like a series of powerful punches, churning up a towering surge.
The three sailing ships, caught in the sudden turbulence, were tossed about violently, struggling to stay upright.
But the real danger wasn't the waves.
It was the monstrous, island-sized goldfish that had just surfaced right in front of them.
On the Buggy Pirates' ship, every single crew member's eyes bulged in horror. Jaws went slack, nearly hitting the deck.
And then—
Before their very eyes—
The giant goldfish opened its gaping maw and, with a single effortless chomp, swallowed one of the ships whole.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Buggy's crew shrieked as if they themselves had just been swallowed.
"I-It ate them...!"
"Is that a Sea King?! But it's massive!!"
"I-I wanna go home!!!"
A sailor from the East Blue broke down completely.
"Get a grip! It's not us getting eaten!"
Buggy forced himself to stay calm, though the sweat trickling down his neck said otherwise.
His words had barely left his mouth before the goldfish devoured the second ship.
And in that moment, everything clicked.
They finally understood why the three ships had been spaced so far apart.
They were gambling—
A desperate race against fate, hoping at least one ship would escape the monster's jaws.
But no matter how furiously they rowed, there was no escaping its pursuit.
Mere moments later, the third and final ship disappeared down the goldfish's gullet.
Silence.
"Cap-Captain Buggy..."
His crew looked at him with tearful eyes.
They had arrived without a fight.
Yet, when they left, not a single ship remained.
A chilling realization settled over them.
The exhilaration they'd felt earlier was gone.
Buggy could sense their morale plummeting, so he suddenly drew his dagger.
"Tch, it's just a lousy Sea King! What's there to be afraid of?! I'll blow it to bits with my special cannonball!"
"That's our Captain Buggy!!"
The crew's eyes lit up with admiration, failing to notice the subtle tremor in Buggy's legs.
"Yeah! There's no way a mere Sea King is a match for Captain Buggy!"
"With Captain Buggy here, I can't believe I was even scared!"
Their morale began to recover, their cheers growing louder.
To sail under Captain Buggy's banner—what an honor!
Relieved that he had successfully steadied their spirits, Buggy exhaled quietly.
"I just need to find Captain John's treasure and get out of here..."
Just then—
A wave of fear swept over his men's faces.
A massive shadow loomed over them.
"Guh..."
Buggy's expression stiffened as he slowly turned around.
The giant goldfish loomed just a hundred meters away, its enormous eyes locked straight onto them.
"Captain! Fire the special cannonball already!"
His crew was on the verge of tears.
Buggy's face twitched.
"You idiots, I was bluffing! Fire my ass!"
"If you morons hadn't been yelling, we wouldn't have even caught its attention!"
Now Buggy wanted to cry.
The giant goldfish gazed at their ship indifferently—then slowly opened its massive jaws.
"We're dead!!!"
Buggy paled in terror.
But just as disaster seemed inevitable—
A brilliant white flash filled the corner of his vision.
Before he could even react, the monstrous goldfish was suddenly—splitting apart.
"Huh?"
Buggy and his crew stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened.
Even the spectators on the distant shore were stunned into silence.
Time itself seemed to stop.
And then, they saw him.
Standing on the shore—Maude.
The very man responsible for what they had just witnessed.
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