After wrapping things up, Kai turned to face Buggy and his crew.
"Hey, if you don't leave now, the Marines will be here soon. Are you really going to drag your feet here?"
Buggy ignored Kai's warning, glaring at him with rage.
"You bastard, how dare you let the Straw Hat kid go! Do you know how close I came to taking him out just now?"
"Huh?" At Buggy's words, Kai's eyes grew cold. In the blink of an eye, he appeared right next to Buggy.
"He's my captain. 'Let go' doesn't quite fit the situation. And even if he didn't leave, do you think I'll let you stall us here?"
"Buggy, you're getting a bit too arrogant!"
Buggy recoiled in shock, taking several steps back. He hadn't seen how Kai had appeared beside him so quickly and felt a pang of fear.
What Alvida said next almost made him collapse.
"B-Buggy, he's the Demon King Kai Vane!"
"What!!!" Buggy shrieked, horrified.
"That's right, Alvida. After eating the slippery fruit, you've become even more beautiful, and your eyes have changed!"
"You… you're flattering me!" Alvida managed a nervous smile, addressing Kai.
Standing before her was a man with a 300 million Berries bounty, and she felt a wave of panic with her own mere 5 million Berries bounty.
Alvida recognized Kai instantly, not just because of his fame, but because no one was more strikingly handsome, with a touch of demonic allure in his wanted poster.
She often admired his bounty poster in the dead of night, so despite Kai not being in his demon form now, his face was deeply ingrained in her memory.
Alvida blushed and instinctively tightened her legs at the thought.
Seeing Alvida's flushed face, even Kai had to admit that she was strikingly beautiful.
But thinking back to her previous appearance as a larger woman, Kai couldn't help but feel a bit of revulsion and quickly looked away. Otherwise, he'd feel nauseous!
Kai turned his attention back to Buggy. Buggy had lost all his earlier bravado, his legs trembling as he stammered:
"Demon… Lord Demon King, I was too loud just now. My mouth sometimes doesn't cooperate. It's all my fault!"
Buggy then slapped himself hard across the face, instantly causing half his face to swell up.
"T-See, I've punished myself, so can you just ignore this?" Buggy pleaded.
Kai was momentarily taken aback by this display.
Buggy's antics were classic Buggy. How ruthless!
However, Buggy's self-punishment had smoothed over Kai's irritation.
In truth, Kai had no intention of doing anything to Buggy. He just wanted to scare him a bit. After all, considering his connection to Shanks, Kai wouldn't go too hard on him.
Of course, if Buggy had crossed a line, he'd still get a beating even if Shanks were here—if Shanks tried to intervene, he'd deal with both of them. If Lu Bu could kill his adoptive father without hesitation, then Kai wasn't afraid to confront an uncle!
Kai said coolly, "Since you're sincerely regretful, I'll let it go."
"Goodbye, Captain Buggy~"
With that, Kai vanished in an instant.
"Phew~"
Once Kai was gone, Buggy collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
Fortunately, he had acted quickly and knew that those who adapt are wise, or he might have had to face dire consequences.
"Pirates ahead, surrender and capture me!"
The sudden shout made Buggy anxious again. He turned to see it came from a female Marine with glasses and a few Marine subordinates behind her. Anger surged in his heart.
"Damn it, you all think Captain Buggy is an easy mark, don't you?"
"Is it because you're so passionate?"
A fierce look crossed Buggy's face. He stood up, glaring at Tashigi, and sneered, "Little girl, you're so bold to come after me!"
"Time to split!"
Buggy instantly disassembled into pieces and hurled several sharp blades at Tashigi with his hands and feet.
Tashigi, with a serious expression, drew Shigure and deflected the incoming attacks one by one. But Buggy's relentless assault soon overwhelmed her, putting her in a perilous situation.
Suddenly, a small knife appeared before her. By the time she reacted, she had no chance to defend herself, her eyes filled with despair as she watched the knife approach.
"Die, Marine girl!" Buggy laughed menacingly.
But his smile froze as his arm was enveloped in white smoke, rendering it immobile.
Smoker emerged from the distance.
Seeing Smoker, Buggy's face turned pale. He may be low on strength, but he was well-informed.
Logia Devil Fruit users like Smoker were virtually invincible to those who lacked Haki.
Before Buggy could fully process the situation, he shouted to his crew:
"Boys, Marine Colonel Smoker is here, we..."
"F**k him!" The pirate crew erupted in enthusiastic cheers, full of momentum.
Buggy was stunned by their unexpected response.
No, that's not what I meant!!!
But looking at the eyes of his crew, Buggy felt he couldn't back down now without damaging his reputation as Captain Buggy!
So…
Buggy turned to Smoker, his eyes blazing with determination, and shouted, "Smoker, the green mountains will not change, and the green water will flow forever!"
"Thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi, don't bully the middle-aged and poor!"
"Men, the wind is strong, I'm taking the lead!"
With that, Buggy transformed into his Buggy Tank form and sped off.
Everyone: ((ƪ(•̩̩̩̩_•̩̩̩̩)ʃ))omgᵎᵎ
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story