NOVEL WEB Chapter 36: C36
Seeing that figure approaching, Karina quickly ducked behind the thick mast, her heart pounding with fear as she stared at the pirate.
That treasure had been stolen from his ship!
"H-Hey, you took a lot of money from me, right? So… you're supposed to protect your customers, aren't you?" Karina's voice trembled, hoping to hear the answer she needed.
"Of course," Weiss replied casually. "My ship has one rule—no fighting or harming customers. No exceptions. And I don't let anyone hurt my clients."
"Hahaha! Brat, do you even know who I am? I've got a five-million-berry bounty on my head! You think you can talk to me like that? Hand over that woman, leave the treasure and the ship, and maybe I'll let you live."
He sneered and added, "Since you're giving me your ship and treasure, I'll spare your life. Now jump into the sea and scram!"
The pirate burst out laughing, smug with confidence. He had thought he was done for, but to run into such a luxurious ship with only a handful of people aboard in the vast ocean? This was his chance for a comeback.
Better yet, the whole crew looked like kids.
"You sure?" Weiss said with a smirk. "That offer might be the only thing saving your life right now."
The pirate narrowed his eyes. For some reason, he couldn't stand Weiss's face—too handsome, too smug. It annoyed him in ways he couldn't explain.
"You little punk… you have to die now," he snarled, his already ugly face twisting into something even worse.
...
...
"I understand," Weiss said calmly.
"Jack, kill him."
"Yes, Captain!" Jack replied immediately.
Weiss didn't even lift his eyes from the newspaper he was reading. From the moment the pirate boarded, he hadn't once looked at him directly.
You pay, you're a guest. You cause trouble—well, good luck.
Bang! Bang!
Two sharp gunshots rang out.
Jack blew the smoke from the barrel of his gun with practiced elegance, holstered it smoothly, and without glancing at the pirate, turned around and leapt gracefully onto the lookout tower.
A bullet hole bloomed in the center of the pirate's forehead. His body crumpled into a pool of blood, eyes blank with disbelief, the last traces of light fading away.
This is how a gunman fights—clean, fast, and efficient. Beyond seven steps, speed is everything. Within seven steps, it's speed and accuracy.
And Jack wasn't just any gunman—he'd awakened Observation Haki. In the East Blue, he was practically a walking cheat code.
Normal pirates weren't even worth his time.
"Oh right," Weiss added casually. "Didn't he say he was worth five million berries? Take his body to the nearest Navy base and cash in the bounty. Keep seventy percent for yourself. The rest goes into ship funds."
"That'll be our standard from now on. If you take down a pirate solo or find treasure, you keep seventy percent. The rest goes to the ship."
Weiss didn't care about money. The rule was more symbolic than anything—a statement of ownership. This ship belonged to him.
"Aye, Captain!" Jack replied without hesitation. In fact, he thought it wouldn't be strange if Weiss kept all the money. That's how things usually worked on the seas. Weiss was the rare exception.
Karina stood frozen, speechless.
A five-million-berry pirate… died... just like that?
Someone who could dominate the East Blue had died without even putting up a fight. Not even a scratch on his enemies.
And if a crew member was that strong, then what about the captain?
Karina swallowed hard.
"What kind of ship… have I boarded?" she muttered. In that instant, any thoughts she had of stealing the treasure vanished without a trace.
"Captain, there's a pirate ship up ahead—flying a jester's flag," Jack called down from the lookout.
Karina's face turned pale. She rushed to Weiss, grabbing his arms in a panic.
"We have to leave! That's Buggy the Clown—he has a fifteen-million-berry bounty! He's nothing like the small fry we just dealt with!"
Sure, Jack had taken down a five-million pirate with two bullets. Sure, she had no idea how strong Weiss truly was. But Karina couldn't believe he could beat someone as infamous as that pirate.
"Oh? Buggy the Clown? The guy whose name you absolutely can't read backward?" Weiss said with interest. "They say he's blessed by the sea itself, huh? I wouldn't mind seeing for myself what kind of man they call a swordsman's natural enemy."
In the original story, even Hawkeye Mihawk couldn't finish him off. Sliced into ribbons—yet still very much alive.
Buggy's Chop-Chop Fruit allowed him to split apart, and a swordsman's attacks were meant to cut. Natural enemies, indeed.
Meanwhile, on Buggy's ship—
"Captain Buggy! Ship ahead! Doesn't look like a pirate vessel!" the lookout shouted.
It might as well have been a circus down there—beast tamers, acrobats, and a clown. A literal traveling circus.
A man in a jester's cap, with long blue hair spilling out, red-and-white sleeves, a purple scarf, and oversized clown shoes, stood with arms akimbo, boasting loudly to his crew.
When he heard the lookout's report, he didn't hesitate. "All right, close in! That ship's ours!"
"Haha! Charge with Captain Buggy!"
"Yes, great Captain Buggy!"
"Captain Buggy is the scourge of the East Blue!"
...
"WHO CALLED ME RED-NOSE!?" Buggy roared, his face twisting in fury.
He hated being called that.
Back when he was on Roger's crew, even Whitebeard called him "Red-Nose," and he still dared to fight back.
"C-Captain, I didn't! I swear! I meant you're… famous! Really famous!" one of his crew stammered, trying to smooth things over.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
Buggy wasn't the same joke of a man from the Marineford War. In the East Blue, he was a true menace. He found joy in tormenting the weak. Before he met Luffy, he once bombarded an entire town with his Buggy Bombs just for fun.
He even used his own crew as human shields when cannonballs flew back at him.
And now someone had dared to say the one thing he hated most—red nose.
Luckily, the unlucky pirate only got shot in the shoulder. Could've been worse.
Still, Buggy was loyal to his own, in his own twisted way. When his people were hurt, he did go to avenge them.
Then again, Buggy only truly trusted a handful of his crew.
"That clown's dream is to gather all the treasure in the world," Weiss commented, shaking off Karina's grip. "Of course he'll come after our ship."
Karina had been ready to flee, but when she heard treasure, she hesitated.
Maybe… just maybe she'd wait and see how things played out first.
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