One Piece : Captain, We’ve Arrived at Laugh Tale

Orange Town was named for its famous oranges.

But now, it was occupied by the Buggy Pirates, and the townspeople were hiding in fear.

When Luffy and his crew docked, the pier was completely deserted.

Even as they ventured further into town, not a single soul was in sight.

The place felt eerily empty.

—

Just then—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion echoed through the town.

A cannonball came hurtling down from above, obliterating an entire row of houses in an instant.

"Hiss! That cannonball is crazy strong!" Nami gasped. "Even stronger than the ones the Marines use!"

Carl crossed his arms.

"Strong? Sure. But this kind of firepower is only impressive in East Blue," he remarked.

"At the end of the day, external power is just external power. Buggy himself isn't actually that strong.

That's why he sticks to East Blue—he wouldn't survive a day in the Grand Line."

—

Carl's assessment was spot on.

A lot of people hyped up Buggy in his past life, but let's be real—Buggy's strength was nothing special.

Sure, he used to be part of Roger's crew. He even fought against Whitebeard's crew…

But that was only because he had legends like Roger and Rayleigh backing him up.

Most of the time, he wasn't actually doing much.

Back then, he was still young and weak, relying on Shanks when they clashed with Blackbeard.

After Roger's execution, Shanks grew into a powerhouse…

But Buggy?

His strength barely improved at all.

At least he had enough self-awareness to stay hidden in East Blue.

If he had ever stepped into the Grand Line, he probably would've ended up rotting in Impel Down by now.

—

"Huh?!" Nami furrowed her brows. "So Buggy fired that cannonball?!"

"Wait a second…" Luffy tilted his head. "Mr. Carl, do you know Buggy?"

Zoro was also confused.

Carl shrugged.

"I know of Buggy," he said casually. "But I don't know him personally.

As for whether he really fired that cannonball…

Well, we'll find out soon enough."

—

It was a vague answer, but thankfully, Luffy and the others weren't the type to overthink things.

They simply moved forward, following the path where the cannonball had come from.

—

On the way, Carl had to physically grab Zoro at least ten times…

Otherwise, the guy would've gotten lost every single time.

—

When they finally arrived at the Buggy Pirates' stronghold, they were met with a surprising sight.

"Huh?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

"They're… having a party?"

She turned around—

But Luffy and Carl had already disappeared.

A second later, she spotted them.

They were sitting at the banquet, plates full of food, laughing and toasting drinks with Buggy's pirates.

Nami's eye twitched.

Zoro, standing beside her, let out a deep sigh.

'These two are just completely ridiculous.'

Still…

He shook his head and walked forward.

He also wanted to have a good drink before talking.

—

Meanwhile, Nami's eyes darted around.

Without hesitation, she slipped away toward the Buggy Pirates' warehouse.

'With Luffy's reckless personality, he's bound to get into a fight with Buggy sooner or later…'

'That'll be my chance to steal everything while they're distracted!'

—

Just then—

"Huh?! You're—Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro?!?"

A pirate recognized Zoro and shouted in alarm.

Buggy turned his head, and when he saw Zoro, an evil grin spread across his face.

"Oho! So it's the famous Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro!"

He leaned forward, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"I don't suppose you've come here to claim my 15 million Berry bounty, have you?"

—

Zoro shook his head.

"I'm not a pirate hunter anymore," he said.

"Now, I'm a pirate."

—

Buggy froze.

Then—

"BWHAHAHAHAHA!"

He threw his head back, laughing hysterically.

"A pirate hunter turning into a pirate?! That's hilarious!"

Buggy wiped a tear from his eye.

"Well then, Roronoa—why not join my crew?"

"If you become my subordinate, I'll make you a high-ranking officer!"

—

It was only natural for Buggy to try recruiting Zoro.

Zoro was famous in East Blue.

And fame meant strength.

If he was strong, then Buggy wanted him.

—

Zoro, however, simply shook his head.

"You'll have to ask my captain first," he said.

—

Buggy blinked.

"Your…captain?"

—

Zoro pointed to a young man in a straw hat and red vest…

…who was stuffing his face at the banquet table.

—

Silence.

The entire room fell dead quiet.

Buggy and his crew all stared at Luffy.

The scene suddenly felt awkwardly bizarre.

—

At that moment, Carl picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.

Then, he casually pointed at Buggy.

"Luffy, look at this guy's big nose," Carl mused.

"It's really round and huge."

Luffy paused mid-bite.

He turned to Buggy.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Mr. Carl's right—that nose is really round and big!"

—

Dead. Silence.

—

The Buggy Pirates' crew were frozen, their eyes wide in horror.

One by one, their faces drained of color.

The last person who mocked Captain Buggy's nose…

…was buried six feet under.

—

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING BIG-NOSED?!?"

—

Buggy exploded in rage!

With a loud snap, his hands detached from his wrists, daggers in both palms, and shot toward Carl and Luffy!

—

But his speed was pathetic.

Neither Carl nor Luffy even bothered dodging.

—

SMACK!

Carl casually slammed one of Buggy's hands into the table with a wine bottle.

STOMP!

At the same time, Luffy stepped on the other hand, pinning it to the floor.

"AAAAARGH!"

Buggy howled in pain.

—

Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Another Devil Fruit user?"

He sighed.

"There sure are a lot of them in East Blue…"

—

Buggy's crew panicked, rushing forward to help their captain.

But Buggy, despite the pain, was quick to recover.

With a sly grin, he secretly retracted his severed hands…

When Buggy looked at Carl and Luffy again, his face was full of caution.

Carl slowly spoke.

"Buggy the Clown—a Chop-Chop Fruit user.

Once served as a trainee pirate aboard the Pirate King Gol D. Roger's ship…

And called Red-Haired Shanks his brother."

—

Buggy's body stiffened.

A cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

—

Carl continued, his tone casual yet piercing.

"But that was twenty-two years ago.

Roger is dead.

Shanks has risen to become a Yonko in the New World.

And you…

You're just a small-time pirate hiding in East Blue."

Carl tilted his head slightly.

"So tell me, Buggy—

Are you just pretending to be weak…

Or are you really this pathetic?"

—

Buggy's face turned pale.

His fingers trembled.

"Y-Y-You… Who the hell are you?!"

How did this guy know so much about him?!

—

Buggy's crew, however, reacted very differently.

"EH?! Captain Buggy was a crew member on the Pirate King's ship?!"

"WHAT?! Captain Buggy and the Yonko Shanks were brothers?!"

"SO COOL!!! I knew it! Captain Buggy is the strongest!!!"

—

The Buggy Pirates were ecstatic.

They cheered and shouted, completely ignoring the sheer panic on Buggy's face.

—

Meanwhile, Luffy and Zoro were also shocked.

"For real?!" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"This big-nosed clown was a crew member of the Pirate King?"

—

Buggy's eyebrows twitched violently.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING BIG-NOSED, YOU DAMN SWORDS—!!"

—

Luffy suddenly leaned forward, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Oi! You know Shanks?! Where is he now?!"

—

Buggy flinched.

His gaze shifted to Luffy's straw hat.

A flicker of recognition crossed his face.

—

"Huh?"

Buggy narrowed his eyes.

"That straw hat…

No wonder it looked so familiar…

Did Shanks give it to you?"

—

"Yeah!" Luffy grinned.

"This straw hat is an agreement between me and Shanks!"

"I promised him that one day, I'd become a pirate just as strong as him!"

"Someday, I'm going to find the legendary One Piece—

And become the King of the Pirates!"

—

Buggy stared at Luffy.

Then—

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

—

He burst into laughter.

"YOU?! Become the Pirate King?! What a joke!"

He clutched his sides, howling with laughter.

"You're just as annoying as that damn Shanks!"

—

Luffy's smile disappeared.

His eyes darkened.

—

"You're not allowed to insult Shanks!"

—

WHAM!

In an instant—

Luffy's fist shot forward like a bullet.

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"

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