The tavern roared with laughter. The two men who had mocked Buggy were laughing the loudest.
Buggy's lips curled into a sinister grin, a gleam of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. Without hesitation, he flung his hands—each holding a dagger—away from his body. His disembodied hands shot toward the two men who were still laughing, unaware of their fate.
With a sickening slash, Buggy mercilessly sliced their throats.
The crowd, who had been chuckling and smirking, froze. They watched in shock as the two men, clutching their bleeding necks, slumped lifelessly over the table.
"His... his hands? They... they just came off his body! Is that guy some kind of cyborg?"
"No way! Even a cyborg wouldn't be able to detach his limbs like that. I think... I think he's a Devil Fruit user!"
"Devil Fruit user? Ah, hell... we'd better keep our voices down. If he turns on us, we're done for."
In any other town, a sudden murder like that would've caused a riot. But this was Mock Town, a haven for pirates where killing in broad daylight was just another Tuesday. Although the patrons were shocked that Buggy was a Devil Fruit user, none of them fled. Some even decided to take their chances, throwing out casual offers.
"Hey, pal! Which pirate crew are you with?"
"How about you join forces with us, huh? That ability of yours looks wild. What kind of fruit did you eat?"
"Man, you're lucky. I've been dreaming of eating a Devil Fruit."
Buggy's eyebrow twitched. He slammed his fist on the table, enraged. "You fools! You have no idea what kind of pain I've been through! All of you—just DIE!"
Buggy had eaten the Chop-Chop Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that gave him the ability to separate his body into multiple pieces. His body parts could float in mid-air, moving independently to attack enemies. As long as his feet remained on the ground, he could control any part of his body within a 200-meter radius. If his body parts went beyond that range, they would automatically snap back together.
This ability made him nearly invulnerable to slashing attacks, which meant swordsmen stood no chance against him. But because his separated body parts were still solid, blunt force attacks could hurt him.
Buggy had never wanted to eat a Devil Fruit. All he'd ever wanted was to sell the fruit for a fortune—at least 100 million Berries. But thanks to a blunder by Shanks, Buggy had accidentally eaten the fruit, losing his ability to swim forever. To Buggy, it wasn't just the money he lost; it was his dream of scouring the ocean for treasure. He hated Shanks for that.
So, when people marveled at his "luck," it only felt like they were mocking him.
Seeing that Buggy was about to lash out at the entire tavern, the owner quickly interjected. "Hey, if you want to fight, take it outside! Don't wreck my place. I'm running a small business here—repairs cost a fortune..."
"Hm?" Buggy glared at the tavern owner with pure malice. "Did you just call me 'Round Nose?'"
The tavern owner blinked in confusion. "Uh, no, I didn't say anything like that—"
Buggy wasn't listening. His hand, still holding a knife, shot toward the owner.
In that moment, Takumi, who had been quietly eating with a fork, reacted swiftly. His fork pierced through Buggy's disembodied hand with pinpoint precision, pinning it to the bar. With his other hand, Takumi casually picked up his drink and took a sip, as if nothing had happened.
"AHHHHHH! MY HAND! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO BAD!" Buggy shrieked, tears springing to his eyes.
The tavern owner, stunned, stared at Takumi, who was calmly drinking. "W-Why did you save me?" he asked.
Takumi placed the drink back on the counter and shrugged. "Consider it a tip for the orange juice."
"Captain Buggy, are you alright?!" cried Buggy's subordinates, Mochi and Cabaji.
"Kill that little brat!" Buggy roared.
Cabaji immediately drew his sword. "Leave it to me, Captain!"
He charged toward Takumi, who was still holding the bottle in one hand and the fork in the other, pinning down Buggy's hand.
But as Cabaji approached, his eyes fell on the two swords at Takumi's side. He froze.
"Wait… is that a wooden sword and a cursed blade?" Cabaji's face went pale. "Y-You're not… you're not that kid, are you? The one they call Takumi?"
Takumi turned his head slightly, giving Cabaji a quizzical look. "?"
How did this guy know his name?
The moment Cabaji saw Takumi's face, he bolted back to Buggy's side.
"What the hell are you doing?" Buggy snapped. "I told you to kill him!"
"Captain… do you remember the new bounty poster that came out yesterday? The one for that kid—Takumi? He's only ten years old, but they've put a 100 million Berries bounty on his head," Cabaji whispered.
Buggy's jaw dropped. "W-What did you just say?"
"It's him, Captain! That's Takumi!" Cabaji pointed at Takumi with a shaky finger.
Buggy's face twisted in disbelief. "So what?! He's just a brat! There's no way some kid is worth 100 million. The Marines must've made a mistake. Now go kill him, do you hear me?!"
"Figures," Mochi chimed in with a grin. "Cabaji's too scared to handle this. Guess it's up to me. Step aside, you useless fool!"
Cabaji glared but stepped back. Mochi cracked his knuckles and smirked at Takumi. "Time to teach you a lesson, kid. Come on out, Richie!"
With a deafening roar, the door to the tavern burst open. A massive lion stormed in, growling and snarling at Takumi.
******
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