In the dark, a dim candle suddenly flickered to life.
Its light danced wildly, casting eerie, swaying shadows on the walls, like monsters awakening from slumber.
Then, without warning, a heart-wrenching scream pierced the air.
"Ahhh!!!"
"You filthy peasants!!! How dare you treat me like this! You'll die horrible deaths! I'll make you all my slaves, force you to eat dirt and drink piss every day!!!"
CRACK!
"Ahhh~!!!"
A blood-soaked whip sliced through the air and struck the fat body mercilessly.
The agonized scream that followed was even more brutal than the first.
The scene shifts.
Buggy, with his signature red nose and a menacing grin, held the long whip belonging to Mohji, the Beast Tamer of his pirate crew. He struck Saint Charlos again and again, like someone obsessed.
Each strike came with a snarl:
"You still dare to insult me?!"
"You must be begging for death!"
CRACK!
Another unforgiving lash landed on Charlos Saint's flesh.
The Celestial Dragon's tears flowed freely now, but despite the pain, his arrogant gaze lingered, fixed on Buggy.
"Who do you think you are?! Don't you know I'm a Celestial Dragon?!"
"When the Navy Admiral arrives, I'll make sure you all pay!!!"
SNAP!!!
"Ahhh!!!"
"Celestial Dragon?" Buggy grinned viciously.
"Guess what? I'm whipping a Celestial Dragon!!!"
"Cabaji, zoom in closer! Let's make sure we get a good shot of this guy's face!" Buggy shouted, gleefully.
"Got it, Captain Buggy!" Cabaji, perched on his unicycle, moved in closer with the camera.
At this point, Saint Charlos had been stripped down to just his underwear and tied to an X, looking more like an ordinary man than one of the world's so-called "gods." Only the bubble helmet over his head distinguished him as a Celestial Dragon.
Still unaware of the gravity of his situation, Charlos—his low intelligence evident—kept glaring, his pain-filled expression giving way to more hollow threats.
But the more Charlos resisted, the more exhilarated Buggy became.
"Hehehehe..."
Watching Charlos mutter threats into the camera, Buggy's twisted laughter filled the cave. He motioned to Cabaji, who backed up, framing the full scene of Buggy and Charlos.
At that moment, another member of Buggy's crew rolled in a fiery furnace on a cart, positioning it beside their captain.
Buggy's face lit up with madness.
With his clown makeup and the gruesome atmosphere, his terrifying grin created a striking visual that was impossible to look away from.
Grabbing a glowing, red-hot branding iron from the furnace, Buggy slowly raised it in front of Charlos.
"What...what are you going to do?" Charlos stammered, panic finally creeping into his voice as the heat from the iron washed over him.
But Buggy didn't answer. He simply smiled, as if savoring the moment, and inched the branding iron closer to Charlos.
As the intense heat warped the bubble helmet over Charlos' head, Buggy finally spoke in a chilling tone:
"I heard that when Celestial Dragons capture slaves, they brand them with a mark. A mark to prove they belong to the Celestial Dragons."
"So tell me... if I brand you, Celestial Dragon, does that make you my slave?"
"WAHAHAHA..." Buggy's laugh echoed through the cave as he brought the branding iron closer, deliberately slow, drawing out the mental torture.
"No! Stay away from me!!!" Charlos screamed in terror, thrashing his large body, desperate to break free.
But having been spoiled his entire life, he had no chance of overcoming the bindings expertly tied by seasoned pirates.
The more he struggled, the more helpless he became.
Despite their lack of training, Celestial Dragons possess naturally robust physiques due to their privileged lives. This strength was the only reason Charlos had been able to withstand Buggy's whipping thus far.
But...
Physical pain was one thing. Humiliation was another.
No Celestial Dragon could bear the thought of having a slave's mark burned into their flesh.
To them, it was worse than death itself.
SSSSSSSS!
"AHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Charlos' pleas and thrashing were futile.
With a sadistic grin, Buggy slammed the branding iron into Charlos' skin, instantly searing the flesh.
The stench of burning meat filled the air.
When Buggy pulled the iron away, the mark of his pirate crew, the emblem of the Buggy the Clown Pirates—a skull with a red nose—was now etched into Charlos' body.
However, Buggy frowned in dissatisfaction.
"What the hell!?"
"This mark doesn't capture my great red nose! What a failure."
The branding had only left a blackened outline on Charlos' skin, unable to convey the signature red of Buggy's famous nose.
Buggy was visibly displeased.
Just then, Mohji, who had been standing by with another branding iron, stepped forward and suggested with a sneer:
"Captain Buggy, since the branding iron can't create a red nose, why don't we use another method? Let me offer a solution..."
"Oh?" Buggy raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What do you suggest?"
"Simple," Mohji replied with a wicked grin, "we can dye the red nose with the blood of a Celestial Dragon!"
"Nirahaha...," Mohji's eerie laugh echoed, sending chills down the cave.
But for Saint Charlos, that laugh was more like the sound of death's scythe drawing closer.
He quickly shook his head violently:
"No... you can't do that!!!"
"I am a Celestial Dragon!!! You can't do that to me!!!"
However...
Saint Charros's cry at this time, Just like the chirping of cicadas in summer, it serves no purpose other than making noises.
Zapsplat! ! !
A flying knife suddenly pierced Saint Charlos' body, where the red nose was on the brand.
"Ah!!!"
The pain that penetrated his body made Saint Charlos roar like a slaughtering pig again.
But Buggy was unfazed and slowly drew out the dagger.
Facing the camera, he stuck out his tongue and licked the blood on it.
Then...
"Bah!"
"It turns out that the blood of the Celestial Dragons is the same as that of ordinary people. It's really boring."
Looking at the brand and wound on the chest of Saint Charlos, Buggy once again took out the bloody whip of his beast tamer Mohji as he smiled evilly at Saint Charlos.
And a red-nosed demon instantly appeared in the eyes of Saint Charlos.
...
...
The scene you're describing builds a vivid and intense atmosphere. Here's a more polished version while maintaining the original intensity:
---
"Ah!" "Ah~!!!" "Ah!!!!"
The screams echoed one after another throughout the cave.
On the other side, Usopp was gently covering Kaya's ears, shielding her from the cries of Saint Charlos.
But don't misunderstand.
Usopp wasn't concerned that Kaya would soften upon hearing the screams. After learning about the cruelty of the Celestial Dragons, even the kind-hearted Kaya had no sympathy for them.
He simply feared that the repulsive screams of Saint Charlos would tarnish her gentle ears.
Nami, standing nearby, had a trace of concern in her eyes as the cries continued.
"Captain Buggy, please don't kill the Celestial Dragon," she muttered. "I'm still counting on him to cash in some points!"
——
Three days later, a legendary secret video spread like wildfire across the ocean. Despite the abundance of tapes, their journey through the vast seas transformed them into coveted treasures. Even in the underground world, copying and selling these tapes brought immense fortune.
The video's content was brutal, violent, and unsuitable for children—yet it captured the attention of every pirate, making them desperate to see it.
Because rumours circulated, claiming the video depicted something unimaginable…
It was the complete torture of the recently vanished Celestial Dragon, carried out by a pirate, capturing every moment of his agonizing ordeal.
The Celestial Dragons—gods and emperors in the eyes of the world—reduced to mere prey for this unknown pirate's relentless torment!
Physically and mentally, the pirate broke him, transforming Saint Charlos from an arrogant ruler to a pitiful creature begging for mercy!
The seas erupted in chaos once more, all because of this tape.
---
Bang!
A bald, mustachioed figure slammed the video tape onto the table, his face twisted in fury.
"What the hell is going on!?"
"Saint Charlos was kidnapped by pirates, yet the Navy and the CP divisions found nothing!?"
"Useless trash!!!"
Bang!
He slammed his fist down again, fuming with rage, as the other four Five Elders sat in tense silence.
This was more than just a crisis.
In the eight centuries since the World Government's formation, Celestial Dragons had died unexpectedly before. Ten years ago, Fisher Tiger, the legendary explorer, had broken into Mariejois and injured several of them. But the government had contained the damage. Fisher Tiger was hunted down, dying soon after, and his rebellion became nothing more than a legend.
This, however, was different.
This time, the perpetrator had deliberately planned everything. He had predicted Saint Charlos's movements, evaded the Navy and CP, and subjected the Celestial Dragon to inhuman torture.
Though the torment may not be as brutal as how the Celestial Dragons treat their own slaves, it posed a new danger—the sea might lose its fear of the Celestial Dragons—because of this video.
And, worst of all, Buggy's absurd, mocking persona in the footage sent a clear message:
"Hey, idiots, someone from your precious family is dead. And yes, I did it!"
Bang!
The bald Elder slammed the Shodai Kitetsu onto the ground with a muffled crash.
"This cannot be swept under the rug like before. This time, we must act swiftly and mercilessly!"
"The world must see the consequences of defying the Celestial Dragons..."
"And just how "miserable" those who dare challenge us will become!"
"Second!" "Second!" "Second!" "Second!"
Saint Nusjuro's proposal was swiftly approved by the others.
At that moment, a senior official of the World Government knocked on the door of the conference room.
"Lord Five Elders, I've gathered the information you requested."
The official reported.
The blond Elder spoke immediately:
"Enter."
"Yes, Lord Elder!"
The door of the grand and solemn conference room swung open, and a man in a suit walked in, holding a freshly printed document.
"Read it."
The blond Elder, curt as always, commanded.
"Yes, sir!"
The suited man stood straight and began to speak:
"The perpetrator behind the attack on Saint Charlos is a pirate from the East Blue, known as Buggy the Clown, with a bounty of 15 million Berries."
"15 million?" The bearded Elder furrowed his brow, confused.
"How could such a small-time pirate overpower the CP agents protecting Saint Charlos?"
The suited man quickly explained:
"There is a reason, Lord Elder!"
"Upon investigation, we discovered that Buggy the Clown is a Devil Fruit user, possessing the powers of the Chop-Chop Fruit. Although his bounty is only 15 million Berries, it's because his crew has been more interested in treasure hunting and rarely appears in the public eye..."
"Moreover, they've been operating in East Blue, where bounty levels are generally low, which has kept them relatively obscure."
"But…"
The man hesitated for a moment, swallowing nervously as he scanned the document.
"We also uncovered something unexpected when looking into Buggy the Clown's background..."
The bald Elder narrowed his eyes, immediately sensing something unusual.
"What did you find?"
The man in the suit continued:
"We discovered that this pirate, with a mere 15 million bounty, was actually a former crew member of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
"And in the footage recovered by our CP agents, Buggy the Clown can be seen in battles alongside both the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates! He's also shown to have close ties with Red-Haired Shanks!"
"To this day, none of our intelligence analysts have been able to accurately gauge Buggy the Clown's true strength!"
"What did you say!?"
The blond Elder's eyes widened in shock as he snatched the document from the man's hand, his eyes scanning the text furiously.
After reading it, he passed the papers to the other Elders, his face still full of surprise.
The room fell into a heavy silence.
After a moment, the blond Elder gestured for the suited man to leave.
"I never would have expected this clown to have been a member of Roger's crew..." one of the Elders remarked.
"Do you think this attack was ordered by Roger himself?"
"Otherwise, why would Buggy suddenly stir up so much trouble after all this time?"
After learning about Buggy's history with the Pirate King, the Five Elders no longer found it so outrageous that he had tortured a Celestial Dragon.
In fact, this realization sparked a sudden thought in their minds.
One of the Elders proposed:
"How about we make this information public?"
"In doing so, we can shift the world's focus to Buggy's identity, thereby diverting attention away from the damage done to the Celestial Dragons' reputation."
The other Elders quickly voiced their agreement:
"I agree!"
"At this point, it's the best course of action."
Their goal was simple.
They needed to shape the narrative, making people believe that Buggy dared to attack the Celestial Dragons only because he was a former crew member of the Pirate King and possessed significant power.
This way, it wouldn't appear as if the Celestial Dragons were weak and vulnerable to just any pirate's attack.
Though this was merely a clever manipulation of the facts, it would help prevent future incidents.
If Buggy were seen as just an ordinary pirate, the public might conclude, after watching the video, that "Celestial Dragons aren't invincible after all."
Over time, this would weaken the aura of fear and control surrounding the Celestial Dragons.
Even worse, arrogant pirates, seeing Buggy rise to fame after attacking a Celestial Dragon, might be tempted to follow in his footsteps.
This would make it difficult to guarantee the safety of the Celestial Dragons in the future.
What the Five Elders needed to do was elevate Buggy's status and his threat level.
As long as Buggy was perceived as powerful and dangerous—whether true or not—others would think twice before imitating his actions.
In this way, the safety and prestige of the Celestial Dragons could be preserved indirectly.
"Then there's one more issue—what should we do about Buggy's bounty?" one of the Elders pointed to Buggy's photograph on the table.
The bald Elder thought for a moment before responding:
"We should set the bounty as high as possible! Make it unrealistically large so that everyone on the seas will hunt him down!"
"After all, since he dared to attack the Celestial Dragons, we can't let him get away with it!"
Another Elder added:
"I agree that the bounty should be high, but it mustn't be too extreme—otherwise, it could inspire others to try their luck and copy Buggy's actions."
"Second!" "Second!"
...
...
With the unanimous support of the Five Elders, a secret order was immediately issued to all divisions of the World Government.
Soon, the full details of the attack on the Celestial Dragons would be made public.
And along with it, Buggy's new bounty.
As the apparent mastermind behind the attack on a Celestial Dragon, Buggy the Clown would soon face the world in a brand-new light!