A few minutes earlier, Buggy, who had long since returned to East Blue from the Grand Line, was regaling his newly recruited crew with tales of his adventures.
"Not to brag, but you guys know about the Grand Line, right?"
"I've been there twice!"
"No way!"
"Most recently, I encountered an Admiral from the Navy headquarters!"
"I was enjoying hotpot and singing when he caught me and threw me in prison!"
"Can you guess how I escaped?"
Buggy's new underlings, Cabaji and Moji, looked at him with expectant eyes, much like children waiting for their grandmother's bedtime stories: "How did you escape?"
Satisfied with their attention, Buggy nodded and looked away. Cabaji and Moji exchanged glances and whispered, "The captain is bragging again."
"Have you heard of the flying pirate 'Golden Lion' Shiki?"
"The first pirate to ever escape from Impel Down!"
"I escaped the same way he did!"
A crew member looked at Buggy in awe: "Lord Buggy, did you also cut off your legs?"
Buggy proudly put one foot on the table: "Of course!"
The crew, taken in by Buggy's bluster, gently touched his foot, puzzled: "But your feet..."
"You idiots! Have you forgotten my ability?"
"Right, right, Lord Buggy is a Chop-Chop Fruit user. He can fly and isn't afraid of getting his legs cut off. He's even better than the Golden Lion!"
Feeling pleased with himself, Buggy laughed heartily and grabbed a bottle of beer to take a swig.
"You call yourself the best hotel in Victoria and don't even have a decent bottle of wine?"
"Smack!"
"Who's disrespecting my red nose?"
Buggy turned towards the sound and saw a lone man sitting at a nearby table.
"Are you the one who has a problem with my red nose?"
Buggy walked over, looking arrogant.
"Uh... I think there's been a misunderstanding. I was just talking about the wine, not your nose..."
"How dare you mention my red nose!"
Buggy didn't give Hoffman a chance to explain, following the classic bully tactic: I'm looking for trouble, and there's nothing you can do about it.
"No... that's not what I meant..."
Thud!
Buggy slammed a dagger into the table.
"My elm-wood table..."
Ignoring the distressed staff member, Buggy continued his tirade: "Since you dared to mock my nose, you'll pay the price."
"What should I cut off? A finger, a toe, or... your nose?"
Boom!
Suddenly, Buggy's vision spun, crashing through several tables. Hoffman, fed up, had punched him across the room.
"Buggy the Clown, you're under arrest!"
Cabaji and Moji, who were about to rush to help, froze in place.
What's going on?
"I'm Hoffman, a captain from the 16th Branch of the East Blue."
"I've been observing your Buggy Pirates for a long time."
"I suggest you surrender quietly, or else..."
"Men, kill that bastard!"
Buggy roared, activating his Chop-Chop powers. One of his hands flew towards Hoffman like a swift swallow, gripping three sharp daggers between its fingers.
"Foolish pirate, Tempest Kick!"
Ignoring that they were in a hotel, Hoffman used one of the Six Powers. A cyan-slash wave tore through the floor, cutting tables and splitting Buggy.
But strangely, the slash continued unabated, cutting the hotel wall in half as if encountering no resistance.
Buggy laughed, "Stupid navy, did you think that would kill me?"
Buggy was a Chop-Chop Fruit user, able to split his body into countless pieces and was utterly immune to cutting attacks.
"So, you're a Devil Fruit user. No wonder the Buggy Pirates rose so quickly!"
Hoffman's face turned cold as he used "Shave" to teleport beside Buggy, ready to use Finger Gun.
But Buggy pulled out a small red glass sphere from his pocket.
"Try my..."
"Get lost!"
Hoffman smacked the seemingly harmless red sphere. The instant his hand touched it, it emitted a blinding light.
Boom!!
An explosion erupted between Buggy and Hoffman, collapsing half of the luxurious hotel.
"Cough... As expected of my Buggy Bomb, the power is... strong..."
Buggy lay on the ground, covered in soot, looking like he'd been rolled in coal.
"Ugh..."
Hoffman spat out a mouthful of black smoke. Thanks to his quick use of Iron Body, he wasn't as severely injured as Buggy. But his face had turned as black as coal.
"Damn pirates..."
Fueled with rage, Hoffman saw the Buggy Pirates as the perfect target to vent on, even if the hotel suffered collateral damage.
"Isn't that Captain Hoffman? What are you doing here in Victoria, a territory managed by the 8th Branch, instead of guarding your 16th Branch?"
"Uh... and why are you so covered in soot?"
The person addressing Hoffman was Hailan, who had never left Victoria.
"And you are...?"
Hoffman's heart sank, but the soot on his face concealed his expression. He even pretended not to recognise Hailan.
"I'm Major Hailan from headquarters, now the highest-ranking officer at the Loguetown Navy base."
"Captain Hoffman, answer my question directly."
"Oh... Major Hailan, I've heard of you. They say you've eliminated countless pirates in Loguetown, and everyone in East Blue praises you!"
Hoffman forced a smile, his teeth stained black by the soot from Buggy's bomb.
"As for me, I've had my eye on the Buggy Pirates for a while. I finally got the chance to take them down!"
"But his special bombs are quite powerful. I think I'm a bit hurt. I'll leave this pirate to you."
The implication was clear: Hoffman was handing the credit to Major Hailan.
"Buggy, you really are my lucky charm!"
Hailan straightened Buggy's clothes.
"Take him away!"
"Kuro, lead a team to capture the rest of the Buggy Pirates!"
"Kuro?"
"Is he a new recruit?"
Hoffman glanced at Kuro as if he had never heard of him.
Every time Kuro reported to Antonio, the true mastermind was Hoffman.
Hailan ignored Hoffman's question and walked up to him, asking, "Captain Hoffman, could I see your boots?"
"Boots?"
"Uh... Is there something wrong with my boots?"