Chapter 253: You’re Really Funny, Captain Buggy!

Chapter 253: Chapter 253: You’re Really Funny, Captain Buggy!

...

After the Summit War, Buggy recruited a large group of subordinates and founded Buggy Delivery. Business was booming, but he owed Crocodile a huge sum of money.

No one knew the exact amount, but it was definitely a lot.

That day, when he heard that Crocodile was coming to this island, he panicked.

"It’s over, it’s over, it’s over... That sand crocodile is coming to collect the debt!"

Without another word, he packed his things and prepared to run.

But the moment he stepped out the door, he ran straight into a squad of Marines.

"Buggy the Clown! You’re surrounded!" Buggy turned around and saw that behind him were also Marines everywhere.

The entire island was completely surrounded by Marines, watertight.

"It’s over!"

Buggy collapsed onto the ground. "This time it’s really over..."

At this critical moment, two figures descended from the sky.

Sandstorm.

Sword energy.

The two attacks instantly routed the Marines. Crocodile and Hawk-Eyes had saved him.

To be precise, they had saved him incidentally!

Crocodile had originally come to make Buggy repay his debt. When he saw the Marines were also there, he took care of them while he was at it.

At that time, Buggy had narrowly escaped death and was moved to tears. "Thank you, thank you! Thank you so much!"

Crocodile glanced at him coldly. "Don’t be too happy yet. The money you owe me — it’s time to pay it back."

Hearing about repaying the money, Buggy’s face instantly fell.

The Marines who had escaped returned to their base and reported the situation to their superiors.

"Report! We carried out the capture operation on Buggy the Clown!"

The superior’s eyes lit up, but when he heard they had been driven off, his expression changed drastically...

"And then?"

"And... and there were two other men..."

"Who?"

"Sir Crocodile! And Hawk-Eyes · Dracule Mihawk!"

The superior froze. "The three of them... were together?"

"Yes! They’re in the same group! That Buggy the Clown... seems to be their boss!"

The superior took a deep breath and said they would report it immediately. As the news was passed up layer by layer,

Eventually, the Marine high command and intelligence department conducted a comprehensive assessment and concluded that Buggy the Clown, former crew member of the Roger Pirates!

Now, he was leading Crocodile and Hawk-Eyes and had established the Cross Guild.

Strength assessed at Yonko level. Bounty: 3.189 billion Beli.

When the news was released, the entire world was shocked.

When Crocodile saw the newspaper, he almost tore it apart.

"I’m his subordinate?!" He gritted his teeth, his eyes practically shooting flames.

Hawk-Eyes, on the other hand, remained calm.

He looked at Buggy’s big headshot on the newspaper and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

After watching the entire sequence, everyone outside the light screen was stunned.

"Pfft!"

Someone couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud.

Immediately after, the laughter spread like a chain reaction.

"Hahahaha!"

"So that’s how it happened!"

"That guy Buggy actually became a Yonko like this?!"

"He owed money and didn’t repay it, got surrounded by Marines, was saved incidentally, and then his subordinates pushed him into the spotlight while promoting him?!"

"This luck is way too heaven-defying!"

"Hahahaha, I’m dying of laughter!"

But after laughing, more people began paying attention to that astonishing bounty.

3.189 billion Beli.

And the other two were: Sir Crocodile, 1.965 billion.

Hawk-Eyes, 3.59 billion.

"Hawk-Eyes has 3.59 billion?!"

Someone exclaimed, but then understood.

"After all, he’s the World’s Strongest Swordsman!"

"Crocodile has 1.965 billion too. That man who was defeated by Luffy back then..."

Everyone was discussing, but their gazes still couldn’t help returning to Buggy.

That man sitting in the C-position with a 3.189 billion bounty, yet kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.

"Clown Emperor..."

Someone muttered, his expression complicated. "He really is a clown."

In God Valley outside the light screen, Roger looked at Buggy in the light screen, his eyebrows raised and the corners of his mouth twitching with an indescribable expression.

Scopper Gaban beside him also showed the same expression. Seeing Buggy like this, they both found it somewhat hard to watch...

In the picture, Crocodile was still furious.

"Make me his subordinate? In your dreams!"

He grabbed Buggy by the head, waving his poisonous hook in front of Buggy’s face.

"I’ll just kill him and then announce to the public that the president is dead!"

Buggy was scared out of his wits. "Don’t! I’ll repay the money! I’ll repay it, okay?!"

"Can you even afford to repay it?!"

Buggy was speechless. He really couldn’t afford it.

At this moment, Hawk-Eyes spoke up to stop him...

"That’s enough."

Hawk-Eyes spoke. He sheathed Black Blade: Yoru and slowly stood up.

Crocodile looked at him. "What? You’re going to plead for him?"

Hawk-Eyes shook his head. "I’m not pleading."

He looked at Buggy. Those sharp eyes made Buggy’s hair stand on end.

"Actually!"

Hawk-Eyes slowly began to explain. "This guy isn’t completely useless either."

Crocodile frowned. "What do you mean?"

Hawk-Eyes walked to the window and looked outside.

Outside were the members of Buggy Delivery. They were busy working, their faces filled with proud smiles.

"Now the whole world knows that he is a Yonko."

Hawk-Eyes said, "They know he is the president of the Cross Guild."

"Do you think this is a bad thing?"

Crocodile was stunned.

Hawk-Eyes continued explaining: "Having this guy stand out in the open is pretty good."

He turned around.

"All the attention will be focused on him. All the attacks will be directed at him."

"And we..."

Hawk-Eyes looked at Crocodile. "Can control the overall situation from behind the scenes."

Crocodile fell silent. Of course he understood what Hawk-Eyes meant.

Buggy was the perfect shield.

A 3.189 billion target. Everyone thought he was the "president." A true "puppet."

Crocodile thought for a while, then let go of Buggy’s head.

"Fine."

Buggy collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily.

"Thank you... thank you..."

He thought he had been saved.

But he didn’t know that from this moment on, his life no longer belonged to him.

The scene changed. A few days later.

In the center of Karai Bari Island, a high platform had been set up. Below it was a sea of people, all of them Buggy’s subordinates.

They waved flags and shouted slogans.

"President Buggy! President Buggy! President Buggy!"

The voices shook the heavens. On the high platform, Buggy stood there.

His injuries had completely healed.

At this moment, facing tens of thousands of pirates below, his expression was so emotional he couldn’t speak through his tears.

Tears streamed down his face. His snot was almost flowing into his mouth.

"I... I..." He choked up, unable to get the words out.

The subordinates below became even more excited.

"The president is crying! The president is crying for us!"

"The president is so great!"

"We swear to follow the president to the death!"

...

They didn’t know that Buggy was crying not because he was moved.

It was because he didn’t know what his life would become from now on.

He only knew that the two killing gods beside him would "control the overall situation," and from this day forward, he would be a puppet.

He cried about his bitter fate, cried about his bad luck, cried about how miserable he was.

But the people below didn’t know. They only saw that the president was crying.

Crying for them. The president must be a deeply sentimental and righteous person!

"President Buggy!!!"

...

The cheers grew even more enthusiastic, and Buggy cried even harder.

Outside the screen, many pirates in God Valley showed complicated expressions. They had all recognized them.

These were the subordinates Buggy had brought out from Impel Down after the Summit War.

They hadn’t expected that they were still around — and their obsession with Buggy had become even more severe!

"That Buggy..."

"Although he doesn’t have much ability, this talent for inspiring people is truly first-class."

Everyone nodded. He really could make so many people follow him wholeheartedly and treat him like a god.

This in itself was a kind of ability, no matter how it came about.

The screen went black again.

Buggy’s story had come to a temporary end.

But everyone knew that the story of this "Clown Emperor" had only just begun.

The screen lit up again. An island appeared before everyone’s eyes.

It was a peaceful island, lush with green trees and white sandy beaches. Several small houses were scattered at the foot of the mountains. Smoke curled up from chimneys, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard.

It looked like just an ordinary island, but Whitebeard’s expression changed.

That was Sphinx — his hometown.

The place where he had grown up since childhood. The place he had rarely returned to after leaving.

In the picture, a pirate ship passed through the nearby waters.

That ship — everyone recognized it. The Red Hair Pirates.

The Red Force.

On the deck, Shanks stood there. Opposite him stood a person.

It was Marco, the 1st Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Are you really not going to reconsider?"

Shanks spoke, his voice sincere. "Join us."

Marco shook his head. "No thanks. I don’t want to be a Yonko’s nanny again..."

He looked at the distant island, at that incredibly familiar place. "I’m going to Sphinx. That’s Pops’ hometown."

A complicated emotion flashed through his eyes. "There are still things there that Pops wanted to protect."

Shanks fell silent. He knew what Marco was talking about.

...