Buggy was grinning to himself, relieved to have escaped a potential disaster, but then he noticed Takumi heading toward the ship's wheelhouse.
"Hey! You bounty faker brat! Where do you think you're going? This is my ship, get off!" Buggy shouted as he ran after him.
Ignoring Buggy's outburst, Takumi walked straight into the wheelhouse and addressed the crew member at the helm, "Take the ship around to the back of Jaya Island."
"Huh?" The helmsman blinked in confusion, unsure why this kid was giving orders.
Just then, Buggy barged into the wheelhouse, still fuming. "I'm the captain here! We're leaving this dump of an island, got it?"
Takumi turned his gaze toward Buggy, and with a single glance, unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.
Buggy felt a sudden, chilling wave of fear, forcing him to stumble backward until he was pressed against the wall. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. "You… you're not…"
"Captain Buggy?" the helmsman interrupted nervously. "Are we really leaving, or…?"
Buggy, shaken but trying to keep his composure, immediately snapped, "Of course, we're heading to the back of Jaya Island! What else would we be doing?"
"Huh? Are you sure?" the helmsman asked, still doubting the abrupt change of orders.
Buggy stormed over and gave him a firm whack on the head. "Questioning me now? I'm the captain! Where I say we go, we go!"
"Y-Yes, sir! Right away!" The helmsman, tearing up from the hit, quickly turned the ship in the direction Takumi had ordered.
Takumi, satisfied, left the wheelhouse without another word. Buggy followed him out, keeping a wary five-meter distance, his eyes never leaving Takumi.
Who the hell is this kid? Buggy thought to himself. He used Conqueror's Haki! Could that bounty be real? Is he really worth a hundred million Berries?
While Buggy was still lost in thought, his crew members noticed the ship had turned around and was now heading back toward Jaya Island, specifically the side opposite Mock Town. They couldn't help but question the decision.
"Captain Buggy, weren't we retreating? Why are we heading back?" one of them asked, puzzled.
"Maybe Captain Buggy is planning to attack them once they let their guard down?" another suggested. "But why are we heading to the back of the island instead of straight toward the town?"
Before Buggy could say anything, his crew had already come up with their own explanations.
"I get it now! This is Captain Buggy's strategic retreat. Those fools probably think we've already fled, so they won't expect us to return for a surprise attack. We're just biding our time at the back of the island until they drop their guard."
"Wow, that's genius! Captain Buggy, your tactics are incredible. I'm sticking with you for life!"
"Same here! I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth, Captain Buggy!"
Buggy, caught off guard, was speechless for a moment before he straightened up, proudly declaring, "Of course! That was my plan all along. Bwahahaha!"
Amidst the cheers and praise, Takumi walked calmly to the ship's bow, leaning on the railing with one hand and raising his gourd of sake to his lips with the other. He gazed out over the ocean, watching the waves ripple under the breeze.
Sailing on a large ship really is much more comfortable than a small wooden boat, he thought to himself. Too bad I can't sail something like this on my own…
After soaking in the ocean's beauty for a few moments, Takumi heard Buggy call over Cabaji and Mohji for a quiet discussion behind him.
"Mohji, tell me, how did that kid help you deal with the pirates in the town?" Buggy asked directly.
Mohji recounted the event, "Someone fired a rocket at the ship, but Takumi used his sword to slice the missile into pieces. Oh, and he moved so fast that even I and Richie couldn't keep up with him."
Cabaji nodded in agreement, adding, "And his sword isn't just any ordinary blade. That's the cursed blade, Sandai Kitetsu. Not everyone can handle a cursed sword. It might sound exaggerated, but the Navy usually doesn't mess up bounty posters. Captain Buggy, that kid might really be worth a hundred million."
"But… his bounty doesn't mention him belonging to any pirate crew," Mohji noted, scratching his head. "The Navy only issues bounties for pirates, right? If they've put a price on his head, he must be a pirate, but why doesn't his bounty specify which crew he's with?"
Buggy narrowed his eyes. "Maybe he's a one-man crew. Either way, until we know more about this kid, don't make any rash moves."
Both Cabaji and Mohji nodded. "Yes, Captain Buggy!"
Thanks to the speed of the larger ship, it took only about ten minutes for them to reach the shore near Mont Blanc Cricket's house on the back side of Jaya Island.
"Whoa! Is that a castle?" one of Buggy's crew members exclaimed, pointing at the house.
"Wow, I didn't expect a place like this to have such a fancy building. Whoever owns it must be rich. Too bad for them they ran into us, huh? Hahaha!" another pirate chimed in.
Excited, they disembarked, only to discover that what they thought was a grand castle was just a painted backdrop hiding a simple, half-built shack. They looked at it in disbelief.
"Huh? It's fake?"
"What the hell? Who builds something like this? Putting up a fake castle? This is straight-up fraud!"
Hearing the commotion outside, Mont Blanc Cricket emerged from his house. Seeing the pirate ship docked nearby and the crew members already on his property, he grabbed his rifle and shouted, "You bastards! You're here for the gold, aren't you?"
"Gold?" Buggy's eyes lit up with excitement. "You're telling me there's gold around here? Haha, what luck! Hey, you over there, hand over the gold, and maybe I'll spare your life."
Cricket paused, confused. They aren't here for the gold?
Then he spotted Takumi, who had just hopped off the ship. His expression immediately grew more serious. "So that's how it is… Kid, you're really a pirate, huh?"
"I'm not," Takumi said plainly as he walked past Buggy's crew and approached Cricket. "I'm just a traveler."
"A traveler?" Cricket scoffed. "And you expect me to believe that?"
"Believe what you want." Takumi continued without a hint of emotion. "This morning, an Emperor Cloud appeared. South of Mock Town, about half an hour's sailing distance. Where will the next Knock-Up Stream appear?"
Cricket stared at Takumi, then burst out laughing. "You've got to be kidding me. You think you can predict where and when a Knock-Up Stream will happen? Kid, don't be naive. And forget about Skypiea—it doesn't exist. If you want to stay alive, you'd better turn around and leave right now, with your pirate friends."
******Improtant******
I've been giving you a chapter every two hours all week, so now it's your job to help me reach the top of the all-time power stone rankings this week! Support me on Ko-fi as well, so I have the motivation to keep going and give you as many chapters as possible. You can also read up to Chapter 132 by supporting me at ko-fi.com/gered.