An hour later, outside the Sabaody Archipelago, Marco gazed at Buggy and the red-haired group with a weary expression.
"Buggy, Shanks, thank you for everything this time. The Whitebeard Pirates will always remember your kindness. Let's part ways here," Marco said.
"Good!" Buggy nodded in agreement. "Bon Voyage."
"Take care," Shanks added, nodding as well.
After a brief hesitation, Ace stepped forward and individually expressed his gratitude to Buggy, Shanks, and Gabban. Then, he turned his attention to Luffy, bowing and saying, "Next, I entrust Luffy to you. My younger brother is quite reckless, and I hope you can help him find his Nakamas. I will always remember your help."
With those words, Ace kneeled before Buggy and the others, giving them a salute. "Finally, thank you all for saving my life!" he added.
Gabban and the others smiled as they witnessed the heartfelt scene.
After bidding farewell to Ace, before Buggy could utter his goodbyes, Shanks suddenly interjected, looking at Blueno and saying, "Hey, Blueno! Want to come aboard my ship and have some fun? Buggy is too boring!"
"Shanks, you bastard!" Buggy gritted his teeth in response.
"Hahaha! Just kidding, Buggy. You're still as narrow-minded as ever," Shanks replied, making a face at Buggy from his ship, the Red Force.
With the playful banter concluded Shanks stood at the bow, waving with a smile. "Although I'd love to fight you, now is not the time. We'll see each other again in the New World, Clown King!"
"Goodbye Redhead!" Buggy retorted, putting his hands in his pockets, sporting a mischievous smile.
After watching Shanks sail away, Buggy suddenly leapt from the warship's bow, turned around, and nodded to Redfield with a smile. "Mr. Redfield it's time to fulfill my promise to you."
Redfield paused for a moment, then a smile spread across his face. "Above the blue seas in sky island Birka? So it's in that place."
After a brief silence, Redfield continued, "When I used my observation haki before, I accidentally accessed the memories of that straw hat, Luffy. From his memories, I discovered someone named Enel. That's the person you mentioned before, a Logia user of the Thunder-Thunder Fruit. It's quite a coincidence."
Buggy raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Mr Redfield, what do you mean by that?"
"I believe Enel is in Sky Island Birka," Redfield explained with a mysterious smile. Buggy frowned. "But wasn't Birka destroyed by Enel?"
Redfield smiled mysteriously. "Certainly not. I have been to Birka myself and it won't be destroyed that easily."
Buggy was taken aback. "How is that possible?"
Redfield shrugged. "Don't ask why. I just know, just like how I can access the memories of the Straw Hat kid. It's a unique ability."
Buggy realized that Redfield's Observation Haki had the power to predict the future and hear everything. Rayleigh possessed a similar ability.
"So, Mr Redfield, you declined my invitation in advance and recommended another newcomer for me to train with," Buggy concluded.
Redfield burst into laughter. "You're quite astute. That's right! If I ever find the Bat Bat Fruit, I might visit you After all, life would become interesting again if I were to live forever. What do you say?"
"Hahaha! That sounds like fun," Buggy laughed, then snapped his fingers. He turned to Blueno with a grin and said, "Blueno, open the door to the Sky Islands."
"Yes, Master Buggy!" Blueno responded without hesitation, raising his hand and creating an opening in the void before them.
squeak
Immediately afterwards, a spatial gate appeared in front of the three of them.
Seeing this, Redfield was taken aback again, but when he saw the three words "Paradise" engraved on the stone tablet on the roadside opposite the gate, he abruptly smiled.
Immediately, he walked in without hesitation.
In the fleeting moments before the space door closed, Redfield suddenly smiled and said, "Buggy, I'm curious. If I hadn't told you about Enel's past whereabouts, would you have informed me that the Bat Bat no mi was on the Birka Islands?"
"It was inevitable," Buggy replied, taken aback for a moment. His smile faded, and he spoke in a deep voice, "A man should keep his words, especially when it is about forging friendships with you. An immortal powerhouse at the level of Roger and Whitebeard. Sometimes a promise is worth more than Billions of bellis, Mr Redfield. May it all come true in due time."
Hearing this, Redfield on the other side was stunned for a few seconds before bursting into laughter and saying, "Hahahaha! 'one promise is worth more than billions of bellis, Buggy! There will be time for that!"
After speaking, Redfield turned and left the scene. Buggy watched his departure, faintly hearing Redfield muttering the words he had just spoken.
Back on the warship, Buggy looked at Luffy and asked, "Luffy, do you want me to ask Blueno to send you to meet your other friends?"
Luffy remained silent throughout the journey. Upon hearing Buggy's words, he shook his head vigorously, gazed at the familiar Sabaody Archipelago before him, and said, "Uncle Buggy, Shanks, and Ace were right. I'm too weak! If I approach the New World with the same mentality as before, I'll face defeat. I don't want to experience that despair again, unable to protect my friends. So, I want Uncle Rayleigh to teach me how to get stronger! Uncle Buggy, aren't you going to meet Uncle Rayleigh? Can you take me with you?"
Smiling, Buggy raised his hand, patted Luffy's head, and replied, "No problem at all."
Ding! At that moment, a notification sounded from the panel.
Ding! "Congratulations to the host for altering the [Summit War] plot. Task settlement initiated, and rewards have been issued."
Ding! "Reward: Fruit Ability [Split and extract]. When encountering an ability user who doesn't resist, and with the host's overall strength surpassing the opponent's, this ability allows for the extraction and separation of the Demon Fruit power from the user without causing any harm. The ability can then be re-implanted into a fruit, transforming it into a Devil Fruit."
Hearing about the [Split and extract] ability, Buggy couldn't help but be startled. "I've struck gold! Ability is similar to the Dark Fruit?! Is this the reward for changing the [Summit War] plot? This reward is beyond belief! It's even more amazing than the power of the Dark Fruit itself!"
After realizing the potential of this ability, Buggy's mind raced with various ideas. He thought about changing Bullet's fruit ability since it didn't suit his strength and Haki combination. He imagined the possibilities of hunting down and acquiring abilities from different users, creating an army of Demon Fruit power that could turn the world upside down.
Buggy's excitement waned a bit as he considered the limitations of his own physical endurance. He contemplated training on the Rusukaina Islands to overcome his physical limitations. Lost in thought, Buggy was interrupted as Doringo descended from the sky and asked, "Buggy, we've arrived at Sabaody Archipelago. What should we do now?"
Buggy pondered for a moment and replied, "According to the original plan, let's go see Mr Rayleigh first." Then, he turned to Ivankov and the others and asked, "Ivan Chan, what are your plans on the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Ivankov enthusiastically struck a pose, imitating a golden rooster, and exclaimed, "Right this way!"
"I have contacted people in our kingdom who will come to pick us up. Comrades-in-arms, let's bid farewell here, and if you have the opportunity in the future, you must come to the Kamabaka Kingdom as our guests!" Buggy exclaimed.
"Goodbye!" the group chorused.
"Lord Okama King, once I discussed with Lord Buggy, I will go to the Kingdom of Kamabaka!" announced Bon Clay.
"Goodbye, little bon chan!" the Okama King bid farewell.
Luffy and Bon Clay held onto the side of the boat, waving at Ivankov below. After seeing Ivankov off, Buggy and the others went to board Luffy's Thousand Sunny.
The sight of the large warship startled Duval and his comrades, who were guarding the ship. Excitedly, Dibaru waved and called out, "Big brother Luffy, it's you! You gave us quite a shock!"
"Eh!? Sanji?" Luffy was surprised when he saw Duval.
Hearing this, Duval's crewmate interjected, pointing to Dibaru's bandaged hand, and explained, "Of course, we are here to help Big Brother Luffy to guard Sunny! Look, our brother's hand got injured while fighting off those who wanted to get Sunny for themselves."
Luffy, taken aback, bowed to Duval and said, "Ah! Thank you so much."
Duval waved his hand casually and replied with a smile, "It should be me repaying Big Bro Sanji's help. So, why are you back so soon Luffy? And who are they?"
"Oh, they are my uncle's friends. We are going to find Uncle Rayleigh. Do you know where he is?" Luffy explained.
"Of course, I saw Uncle Rayleigh coating someone's ship today, so he should be resting in the shop. Come, I'll take you there," Dibaru offered.
"Thank you so much," Luffy responded with a smile.
Guided by Duval, they quickly arrived at Shaky Rip-Off Bar. Rayleigh and Shakky, initially serious, were momentarily stunned upon seeing the group at the door, but soon their faces lit up with smiles.
"Gabban!"
"Rayleigh!"
"Mr. Rayleigh!"
"Vice-captain!"
Gabban embraced Rayleigh in a bear hug, and the others were equally excited, some even with tears in their eyes. These old friends hadn't seen each other in decades, and it felt like a reunion across eras.
After some conversation, Rayleigh understood Buggy's next objective—to head to the New World and take over Whitebeard's territory. They couldn't let Blackbeard get ahead of them.
If Buggy wanted to change the plot, he had to crush Blackbeard!
"In that case, leave your ship coating to me!" Rayleigh declared, slapping his chest with enthusiasm.
Buggy nodded and turned to Lucci, saying, "Lucci, you guys go and replenish supplies and food for the ship first. And make sure to get some extra meat; this guy Sanjuan loves it."
Sanjuan, who hadn't appeared in several chapters, grinned and replied, "Mr Buggy, you're so kind."
Lucci seemed hesitant to speak, catching everyone's attention. Buggy raised his eyebrows and urged, "Lucci, you're a grown man. Speak your mind."
Gritting his teeth, Lucci finally blurted out, "Master Buggy, we don't have any money!"
"Huh??" Buggy was taken aback. He hadn't considered that aspect. Amidst the confusion, Shakky couldn't help but giggle.
Maintaining his composure, Buggy said calmly, "No worries. I'll take care of it. Give me half a day, and money won't be a problem."
He then turned to Blueno and added, "Blueno, let's go. Take me to Jaya."
Jaya? Can they get rich there? Everyone was puzzled, wondering if there was a hidden treasure or perhaps the legendary Golden City.
Without explaining further, Buggy caught hold of Blueno and opened a door, leaving everyone in suspense. They could only wait to see what Buggy would reveal upon his return.
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