The moment the ship settled back on the open sea, cheers erupted from the crew, finally free and surrounded by waves after so long. Draco stirred from his hammock, stretching off the remnants of sleep, while Enel, who had been napping nearby, jolted awake and stood up to follow. Noticing Enel trailing behind him, Draco turned with a raised eyebrow.
"You gonna follow me everywhere? Even the toilet?" he quipped.
Enel looked slightly confused, scanning the room before replying, "But you told me to follow you. Aren't we a pirate crew?"
Draco sighed. "Look, you're a crewmate now, act like one. You're not a slave. Go where you want; we'll be stopping at an island soon enough."
With that, Draco left for the bathroom to shower, leaving Enel standing by himself, contemplating Draco's words. Shifting his focus, Enel spotted Buggy mid-workout on the deck, holding a plank position with determined focus.
"What are you doing, clown?" Enel sneered, amused.
Buggy, dripping with sweat but undeterred, shot back, "Training! I need to get stronger, strong enough to catch up to Draco!"
Enel scoffed. "What's training gonna do? Are you part of Draco's crew too?"
Without breaking his plank, Buggy glared at Enel. "Shut up! Lightning-rod, you haven't earned the right to make fun of me!"
Intrigued, Enel squatted down and poked Buggy, trying to distract him. Buggy after a few minutes finally finished his set, stood up, and without hesitation, clocked Enel hard in the solar plexus, causing him to double over, bleeding slightly from the mouth. Before Enel could recover, Buggy grabbed his arm and twisted it into a tight armbar hold.
"This is what you get, you lightning rod!" Buggy yelled, tightening his hold. "Just because you're a Logia user doesn't make you invincible, I'm already physically stronger than you!"
Enel struggled, pain shooting through his arm as he attempted to break free. When he realized Buggy was unrelenting, he gritted his teeth and muttered an apology. Buggy didn't release him immediately, making Enel yell the apology louder. Shanks, noticing the commotion, walked up the stairs and cheered Buggy on as he walked over.
Buggy finally released Enel, who stood up seething. 'How the hell is he so strong! Tch! I'll get you...,' While Buggy turned his back to speak to Shanks, Enel's face twisted with irritation.
Enel smirked and activated his Devil Fruit, sparking electricity to strike back at Buggy. But Shanks, sensing it with Observation Haki, shoved Buggy out of the way and kicked Enel's arm upward, sending the lightning harmlessly into the sky.
Enel's jaw dropped, "Wait, wait, wait! It was an accident!", but it went to deaths ear as, Buggy leaped and landed a kick to Enel's temple while Shanks struck him in the stomach with a piercing movement with his saber still sheathed. The double impact left Enel sprawled on the deck, unconscious.
As Enel hit the floor, Buggy folded his arms smugly. "I had it, Shanks," he grumbled.
Shanks scoffed. "Right, because you were about to get hurt."
They exchanged a glance, and then both chuckled, resuming their usual play fighting and lighthearted squabbling. Their playfight was interrupted by Rayleigh's voice as he approached, having watched the entire spectacle with a grin.
He asked Buggy, "Where's Draco?"
"He went to shower," Buggy replied, pointing back toward the quarters.
Rayleigh nodded, thinking for a moment. "So… now that you're training, who's stronger between you two?" He looked at Shanks and Buggy with genuine curiosity.
Buggy and Shanks looked at each other, each squinting as if trying to size up the other. After a tense pause, they both shouted, "Me!" simultaneously, triggering another round of play fighting. Rayleigh chuckled, and with a glint in his eye, suggested, "How about we settle it with a sparring match in a few days?"
Draco, shirtless and fresh from his shower, emerged, his bath towel draped around his neck. "Sounds like a good idea," he said, startling Rayleigh, who hadn't noticed him standing nearby. Rayleigh laughed and patted Draco on the shoulder. "Good! By the way, we're heading to Water 7 soon. Figured you'd want to know." Draco smiled, putting on his kimono and nodding as he strolled past.
'Tom... I wonder if I can save him. He's one of the happiest characters in One Piece. Don't remember but... he even smiled as he was dying... just like Roger', Draco thought as he started walking towards the kitchen to get some food.
[Few Days Later]
The crew gathered on the main deck. A makeshift arena had been set up in the center, with Shanks and Buggy standing on opposite sides, facing each other with serious expressions. The crew surrounded the arena, loudly chatting and placing bets on the outcome, barely paying attention to the impending fight as if it were routine.
"I got my money on Shanks!"
"I got my money on Draco!"
"Oi! Draco's not fighting."
"Ah..."
"I bet on Buggy!"
The crew even started a bet on the upcoming fight. To them it seemed like the fight was playful, Buggy and Shanks sweated at the action of there crewmembers. 'These bastards,' were what they thought.
On the side, Roger drinking booze, leaned over to Draco, chuckling. "Who do you think will win? They've both become formidable in their own right."
Draco shrugged, unfazed. "Doesn't matter to me. If Buggy wins, he'll keep getting stronger, and if he loses, he'll just be more motivated to improve. Either way, it's a win-win." He then casually lifted a large barrel of booze, drinking from it as if it were nothing.
Enel, now nursing his pride after the last encounter, sat beside Draco with an apple juice in hand, gnawing on a large chunk of sea king meat gleefully as he'd never tasted it before. He dared to ask the Rogers cook if he'd consider joining Draco's crew, only to get a whack from Buggy. "Do you have no conscious! lightning-rod!?!?!" Buggy scolded.
Rayleigh took his place in the middle of the ring, clapping his hands to quiet the crew. Once silence fell, he nodded at Buggy, who nodded back, then at Shanks, who did the same. With a quick hand signal, the match began.
In an instant, both Shanks and Buggy drew their swords, each coated in Busoshoku Haki. Their blades collided in a burst of energy, creating a shockwave that rippled through the crowd. The crewmates watched in awe, cheering wildly as the battle unfolded between two young, determined fighters.