"Panz Fry after being captured you think you can join a pirate crew? Have you forgotten me so soon?"
At that moment, a voice, old yet brimming with vigour, echoed from distance. Hearing these words, Panz Fry's complexion shifted noticeably.
"No, it's Black Arm Zephyr!"
"It's of no problem. I too wish to glimpse at a former Marine Admiral who has been at odds with both the Marines and the world government," Buggy remarked calmly. He remained suspended in the air, hands in his pockets, watching Zephyr's Neo Marines approach.
As Zephyr and his crew drew nearer, Buggy recognized many familiar faces.
Leading the group was Zephyr himself, followed by three of his former students: Shuzo, hailing from the longarm Race.
Ain ate the Modo Modo no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows her to produce an energy orb that makes anyone or anything it touches 12 years younger.
Binz ate the Mosa Mosa no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows him to super-accelerate the pace of plant growth and control the enlarged plants.
Buggy had his ideas about Zephyr, but executing them at this moment proved to be challenging.
"Hahaha, should I consider it an honour to have the Godslayer from the New World, one of the Yonko Buggy come to meet me in person?" Zephyr quipped unusually upon hearing Buggy's words.
Buggy, not missing a beat, replied nonchalantly, "Indeed."
This unexpected response left Zephyr momentarily taken aback. "Tsk!" he clicked his tongue and his face contorted in surprise at Buggy's answer.
Snorting in frustration, Shuzo, who was nearby, couldn't bear it any longer. He propelled himself into the sky using the moonwalk technique and charged towards Buggy.
"Let's see how you fare, Godslayer! Tempest Kick!" Shuzo declared as he flew toward Buggy.
Buggy, however, remained still, casually lifting his foot and sighing with pity in his eyes. "Oh, pitiful weakling. Haven't you realized the vast difference in our strengths? Who gave you the nerve to believe you could attack me?"
As Shuzo approached with moonwalk, Buggy, still with his hands in his pockets, lightly raised his foot and executed a kick. "Tempest Kick, was it? Well, let's compare it with mine."
In the next instant, spectators below witnessed Buggy's effortless kick. A colossal crescent-shaped slash, more than ten meters in length, effortlessly overpowered the seven or eight Tempest Kick slashes unleashed by Shuzo. It struck Shuzo head-on, sending him hurtling from the sky and crashing onto the harbour pier below.
A deafening boom echoed, and the impact created a massive crater in the ground. A gaping scar ran diagonally across Shuzo's body, revealing the bone beneath the gruesome wound.
"Shuzo!"
Witnessing Shuzo's instant defeat by a single kick, the Neo Marines behind him were left in shock.
"Keep in mind, Shuzo is the second most powerful individual in the Neo Marines after Zephyr and Miss Ain!"
With a single swift kick, Buggy, a pirate, had effortlessly extinguished this formidable figure's life before their very eyes. He had used the same Marine Six Styles technique, the Tempest Kick, as Shuzo.
It was a gut-wrenching blow for them all.
"Damn it! How can a mere pirate be so brazen?"
Ain, witnessing her friend's quick defeat, could hardly contain her fury. Clenching her fists, she conjured two peach-coloured energy orbs between her palms.
Without hesitation, Ain propelled herself through the air, creating a shockwave. She aimed a punch directly at Buggy.
Observing this, Buggy couldn't help but smirk. He peered down at Ain and let out a sigh. "What have I done to make you so mad?"
With unruffled composure, Buggy extended his hand, snatching Ain's fist as it approached. This provoked not only a smile from Ain but also from Zephyr below.
"Success! This man is too careless!"
Binz, watching from below, grew even more excited as he clenched his fist.
"You made quite a mistake my punch barehanded? You'll regret this in hell, pirate!"
Ain tightened her right fist enhancing Devil Fruit's ability further, causing the peachy flames on her right fist to surge.
However, to everyone's astonishment, the outcome they had envisioned failed to materialize. The man calmly raised his hand and caught Ain's other fist.
"What?!" Ain exclaimed in shock, staring up at Buggy. "This can't be! It's impossible!"
"Why?" Buggy sighed, not even bothering to look at Ain. He gazed down at Tufa below and said, "Zephyr, is this how you instruct your students? I'm somewhat disappointed in you. Haven't you told him that in this world, Haki reigns supreme above all devil fruit abilities?"
"As long as one's Haki is powerful enough, no Devil Fruit can harm them. Do you understand now, Miss Ain?"
While speaking, Buggy clenched Ain's fist with one hand and delivered a punch to Ain's midsection with the other.
One punch.
"Aughh."
Ain spat out a mouthful of blood as her body arched into a V shape, overwhelmed by the mighty punch and Haki.
Casually, Buggy tossed her aside, and Ain's body descended from the sky, landing before the shocked Neo Marines.
Binz's mouth twitched as he glanced at his Shuzo, bundled up like a rice dumpling, and severely battered. Was the difference truly this immense? Why is this world so unjust to men?
As Binz grappled with a mix of emotions, Zephyr, holding his colossal mechanical arm, finally rose to his feet. He regarded Buggy with a sombre expression and rasped, "Godslayer Buggy! Your purpose in coming here today can't be just to rescue Panz Fry, can it be? I saw the live broadcast of the Battle of Punk Hazard."
With a self-deprecating grin, Zephyr continued, "I don't recall having a pirate student like you! So, what brings you here? Perhaps it's just to rile up that fellow, Sengoku?"
"Hahahaha, you hit the nail on the head."
Buggy was momentarily surprised by the words, then erupted into laughter. "I told him about being your student with the sole intention of getting under Sengoku's skin, but I never expected to get him so worked up. Such a shame."
"Quite the troublemaker!" Zephyr commented, smiling in apparent approval. He'd often contemplated such actions against Sengoku but had refrained, choosing not to cause him additional grief whenever he witnessed Garp's antics.
"So why are you here? You aren't inviting me to join your pirate crew, are you? Hahahaha."
Zephyr chuckled heartily at the end of his question.
With a smile, Buggy nodded. "That's exactly it."
"Stop jesting, you clown!"
Amidst his laughter, Zephyr bellowed at Buggy. "Who do you think I am?"
"A Marine traitor," Buggy retorted nonchalantly.
"Bastard!" Zephyr's face flushed with anger, a clear display of his ire.
After a moment, he calmed himself, glared at Buggy with intensity, and declared, "I would never join forces with pirates! I'm aware I can't match you, but if you try to force it. I still possess the means to take you down with me."
While speaking, Zephyr retrieved a box from a subordinate behind him. With his mechanical arm, he crushed the box, grasping the power rock inside between the mechanical fingers.
Observing this, Buggy sighed and shook his head. "Zephyr, you're not just old; you're confused. Did you come to Seacon Island with this Dyna stone? Do you believe something like this can bring about our mutual demise? Don't joke, Zephyr! You're not that foolish! Don't concoct such a ludicrous reason for wanting to die!"
Buggy's words left Zephyr entirely flabbergasted. He never anticipated that this man could discern his innermost thoughts. It seemed impossible!
"What a smart pirate! No wonder Sengoku got played by you so many times! Akainu, you'll have to contend with such a man in the future, so be prepared."
In the meantime, Ain also began to regain her composure. She too was taken aback by Buggy's revelations.
No wonder she had always sensed that something was amiss with their Sensei.
Could something like a Dyna Stone truly have the capability to destroy the New World, as the man claimed?
If such an object possessed such incredible power, how could the New World still have four Emperors not fighting over it?
Now, Buggy's words had completely awakened her. Their teacher had no intention of annihilating any New World, and he certainly wasn't that kind of person.
He merely wished for his demise. Was that truly the case?
"Teacher!"
Ain gazed at Zephyr with a complex expression.
"Hahahaha." Suddenly, Zephyr looked up at the sky and laughed.
"I never expected that none of my students ever found out that I was fooling around, and it's quite disheartening to have a pirate see through my intentions!"
Then he turned to Buggy with a mixed expression and remarked:
"Buggy, I've heard your dream. We, the Neo Marines, have all heard about your aspirations. However, what you propose is truly impractical."
"This world, which has remained unchanged for eight centuries, even if you're one of the Four Emperors, achieving such a feat is impossible! It's akin to chasing after rainbows and capturing moonlight in a jar."
The surrounding Neo Marines fell into contemplative silence upon hearing Zephyr's words. They regarded the man suspended in midair with complex expressions.
They vividly recalled the words "I have a dream" uttered by that man when he executed Celestial Dragons that day, words that had completely stunned them.
They had never fathomed that someone's dream could be so grand and fantastical. How marvellous it would be to live in such a country!
Yet, as Zephyr had asserted, it was all a pipe dream—a fairy tale existence.
"Of course, I can't accomplish it alone, which is why I invite you, Zephyr!"
Buggy's gaze was piercing.
"Are you truly content to meet your end like this? Reflect on how your family was 'slain by pirates'! Contemplate this era where gods reign supreme, slave traders run rampant, and pirates rule the seas!"
"Don't you yearn for change? Don't you wish to give it a try? Perhaps the first half of your life was fraught with misery and tragedy, but do you desire to see more people endure your fate?"
With these words, Buggy spread his arms and laughed heartily.
"Celestial Dragons? The Marines? Pirates? The World Government? They are all choices made by individuals with differing perspectives for their survival in this stormy sea!"
"Zephyr, isn't your current Neo Marine just another attempt? Perhaps you've glimpsed the conclusion of Neo Marine yourself, so you've opted to employ the 'Dyna stone' method, allowing your Marine students to grant you a final voyage?"
"Since you've lost the will to live, why waste my life? Instead of squandering it, why not leave your life behind and accompany me to witness a potential future? Come with me, Zephyr!"
As soon as Buggy uttered these words, Zephyr's lower body trembled violently. His expression became profoundly complex, etched with signs of inner turmoil.
Not only him but also the Neo Marines behind him were now fixedly regarding Buggy. Their eyes gleamed with intense determination.
Even Shuzo, who had suffered a severe beating, Ain, who had been punched by Buggy, and Binz, with his mixed emotions, all regarded Buggy with strangely fervent gazes.
It appeared that should Zephyr agree, they would follow without hesitation.
The allure of this man's charisma was simply overwhelming!
Although Panz Fry felt a surge of excitement upon hearing these words, he suddenly found himself unable to comprehend the situation.
He wondered, "Wasn't he here to recruit me? How did this turn into a recruitment pitch for Neo Marine? Is this even possible?"
"Why..." Zephyr trailed off, sighing deeply. He regarded Buggy with a complex expression and said, "Give me some time to think about it."
"Very well," Buggy responded, his interest piqued. "Zephyr, the world is currently in turmoil, and the times are beginning to change. I hope you'll provide an answer soon. I'm in the process of establishing a testing ground for my dream, which will be in Wanokuni. I plan to head there shortly, and I'd like to have your response before then."
"Wano?" Zephyr hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Buggy, asking, "Are you planning to confront Kaido?"
"Yes," Buggy replied without reservation. "Sooner or later, Kaido and I will clash. The sooner I go, the sooner the people of Wano Country will be liberated from their suffering. Those who have experienced pain are often the best advocates for my ideals. If you genuinely wish to join me, forget about Dyna Stone. At best, they're slightly more potent than cannonballs. Preserve your valuable life, Zephyr. Don't depart before witnessing the realization of our dreams."
With a snap of his fingers, Buggy deconstructed a massive raft behind him. He then raised his hand toward the sizable raft below, lifting Panz Fry and departing from Seacon Island.
The Neo Marines below were left in awe by this display of Devil Fruit ability. It was truly something to envy.
Just as Buggy was about to leave, a Den Den Mushi was tossed by him, accompanied by Buggy's voice, "Ain, keep the Den Den Mushi safe for your teacher. When he has made up his mind, give me a call. I'll personally come to welcome you. And once again, Zephyr, do not meet your end prematurely."
Only Zephyr remained, gazing vacantly at the sky.
After a while, he let out a sigh and said with a wry smile, "Ain, it's rather embarrassing that I was nearly persuaded by a circus clown, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this, the Neo Marines behind him remained silent, bowing their heads.
Ain sighed in response, "Teacher, you were almost convinced, but we were already won over by him. If you had agreed, we might have followed him and departed with him. This man possesses an incredible charisma. It's unbelievable that someone like him is a pirate—simply unimaginable!"
Zephyr agreed, "Indeed, unimaginable."
Meanwhile, on Cake Island, all the ships bearing the Big Mom pirate ships weighed anchor. A fleet containing 60% of the pirates stationed on Cake Island was prepared to set sail in the same direction.
The spies lurking near Cake Island were utterly shocked when they witnessed this scene. Big Mom's fleet was on the move, and they couldn't help but wonder, "Where in the world are they headed? Something significant must be happening in the New World!"
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