One piece: Establishing a Pirate Family

Chapter 450: Buggy's Ambition

Crocodile slowly raised his golden hook arm, a cold glint reflecting off its edge.

"You two don't want to go to the New World? That's where the real pirates are! Masters everywhere! If we beat them, we'll be the next Pirate King!"

Buggy quickly blurted out, gesturing excitedly toward the shining hook.

Whoosh!

A sword slash flew past Buggy's head.

Crash!

Splinters burst from the shattered ship wall.

"I know better than you the gap between him and me," Mihawk said coldly.

Everyone on board knew who "he" referred to.

Crocodile also gave Buggy a dangerous look.

Buggy instantly understood why—these two had seen too much. They knew the true horrors of the New World and couldn't be tricked so easily.

"Well, what choice do we have?" Buggy stood tall. "The Marines have already tied you both to me. Whether you stay or leave the Buggy Pirates, they'll still hunt you. Maybe even harder. But at least right now, the Buggy Pirates have over ten thousand men."

Buggy's voice was firm as he looked at the two.

Yes, they'd been hunted across the East Blue for nearly a year by Garp—but Buggy hadn't just been running.

Starting with the thousand pirates recruited from Loguetown, plus his identity as a former Roger Pirate, every time the Buggy Pirates landed on an island, countless people begged to join.

Their numbers grew exponentially.

Moria had fought tooth and nail to scrape together ten thousand pirates in the New World. Charlotte Rockefeller took over a decade to build his empire.

Buggy? He drifted around the East Blue for a year and casually amassed over ten thousand pirates.

Of course, in terms of real strength, the Buggy Pirates couldn't compare to Moria's crew—let alone the Rockefeller Pirates.

They were mostly inexperienced, barely good enough to raid civilians.

Still, Buggy handpicked what he considered the more capable among them, given limited funds. Otherwise, he could've armed an army of a hundred thousand pirates in no time.

But money was tight.

If not for raiding towns along the way, his vast pirate crew would have collapsed.

Currently, the Buggy Pirates had over fifty ships, dozens of officers, and two vice-captains—a true budding pirate power.

As long as they didn't act recklessly, they were a major force to be reckoned with.

Buggy often went to sleep grinning, thinking about this.

Shanks… kneel before Lord Buggy.

Just the thought made him laugh in his dreams.

But every morning he woke up to the cold, murderous glares of Mihawk and Crocodile, and that grin faded quickly.

Buggy admitted he was using them—but weren't they also using him?

Crocodile had been recruiting loyal subordinates behind his back, hoping Buggy wouldn't notice.

But Buggy saw it all—he just pretended not to. He needed these two heavy-hitters.

Eventually, Mihawk and Crocodile retracted their killing intent and sat back down.

The tension finally broke.

Buggy let out a long breath.

"So what now?" Crocodile asked. "Going into the New World is suicide. Are we just going to wander aimlessly?"

His words gave Buggy an idea—his eyes lit up.

"Exactly! Wandering is our best option. The New World is filled with monsters—we can't make a name for ourselves there. But the Four Seas? That's a different story. Our strength crushes every pirate crew outside the Grand Line. As long as we don't provoke the Marines, the seas are ours!"

Buggy threw on his red cape, puffed up his chest, and looked larger than life.

Of course, he had other motives.

His dream had always been to find the world's hidden treasures—and the Four Seas were full of them.

With over ten thousand men and Mihawk and Crocodile by his side, nothing could stop him from uncovering the treasures of the world.

Crocodile fell silent.

Expanding his own power was always part of the plan. He knew he couldn't find Pluton alone. Using Buggy to build a faction was the fastest way.

So he didn't object.

But Mihawk… wasn't so easily convinced.

He had only joined Buggy's crew to meet strong swordsmen. Despite being chased across the East Blue for a year, he had found a few worthy challengers—like that sloppy swordsman from Shimotsuki Village.

He didn't know why the man seemed so dejected, but his swordplay had impressed Mihawk.

That alone was enough to keep Mihawk from abandoning the Buggy Pirates.

But now Buggy wanted to drift through the Four Seas?

"Wander the Four Seas? Are there even any strong swordsmen left there?" Mihawk asked, genuinely concerned.

Buggy's eyes lit up. This was his chance.

"What do you mean no? Think about it! Didn't Charlotte Rockefeller do the same? Why do you think he roamed the Four Seas? To witness the swordsmanship of the world! To refine his own! If you want to surpass him, you have to do the same!"

Buggy started spouting nonsense confidently.

He had no idea why Charlotte had traveled the seas—but if Mihawk's goal was to beat him, then using Charlotte as bait was perfect.

And Mihawk? He was the easiest to manipulate.

As expected, Mihawk's eyes gleamed like a hawk's as he sat upright.

Yes. To become the greatest swordsman in the world, he had to understand all swordsmanship. He had to see the world.

Surely, that's what Charlotte Rockefeller had done as well.

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

Mihawk stood up suddenly.

"Fine. I agree. Let's travel the Four Seas. I want to witness the swordsmanship of the world!"

Watching Mihawk's sudden excitement, Crocodile gave a dismissive snort but said nothing.

And in Buggy's eyes—a flicker of glee.

His ambition had been truly ignited.

The treasures of the world—here I come!

He had already searched the East Blue.

How could he let the other three seas slip by?

As for the New World…

Truth be told, Buggy had never wanted to step foot there.

The danger was etched into his bones.

He would never venture into the New World unless it was absolutely necessary.

Too many monsters lived there.

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