Let’s rewind to about fifteen minutes earlier, at the port of Cocoyasi Village, where the Terror Ghost was docked.

Buggy was lounging comfortably on a mesh hammock in his cabin, whistling as he enjoyed a rare moment of peace. With the captain and the others away, he could finally relax.

“Fish-men, huh?”

He recalled his days as a pirate apprentice. There had been fish-men on his ship too, and he’d even visited Fish-Man Island. So he wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with the race.

Even on land, they were stronger than average humans, and once they entered the water, they became nearly unstoppable.

If not for the strength of the crew he’d once served with, he figured he might’ve developed a fish-man phobia.

Just as Buggy was reminiscing, noise erupted outside the ship.

Startled, he flipped out of his hammock—thud!—landing hard on the deck.

“Who’s out there?”

Rubbing his sore red nose in irritation, he stepped out of the cabin and walked over to the ship’s railing—where he saw a group of fish-men gathered on the shore.

The strange-looking fish-men shouted as soon as they spotted him.

“See! I told you someone was aboard. We should’ve just searched the ship.”

“Chew-sama’s been called. Just wait.”

“Look at that nose—so red and round! Is he a fish-man too?”

“Idiot! He’s clearly human!”

“Hey, Chew-sama’s here!”

Hearing them talk about his nose struck a nerve. Buggy was just about to lash out with an insult when the fish-men suddenly parted to let a tall figure step forward.

The fish-man had blond hair, a long, protruding mouth shaped like a rifle barrel, and glossy, crimson lips.

Hands in his pockets, he swaggered up the stone steps of the dock, stopping just a few meters from the Terror Ghost.

Thump, thump, thump—

The cannons on the Terror Ghost’s sides extended on their own, as if reacting to the stranger’s presence. One by one, they emerged and aimed directly at the fish-man.

The fish-men on the dock immediately tensed.

The one now being targeted was Chew, an officer of the Arlong Pirates. As he stood under the gaze of the gun barrels, his expression darkened.

“Uhh…” Buggy looked nervously at the aggressive cannons, his earlier anger completely gone. He gave an awkward smile and said, “This… has nothing to do with me. This ship has a mind of its own. You understand what I mean, right?”

“Hmph,” Chew scoffed at Buggy’s “nonsense,” his long mouth finally parting to speak. “Aiming cannons at us—Arlong’s crew—this is a blatant act of aggression.”

“Filthy human, bring out the rest of your people—”

But before he could finish his sentence, the cannons opened fire!

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

A full salvo erupted from the cannons. Though these weren’t Buggy’s special rounds, they were still powerful enough to instantly reduce the Cocoyasi Village port to rubble.

Chew and the other fish-men, reacting just in time, leapt into the sea to escape the blast.

They surfaced a moment later, looking at the ruined port in shock and fury.

You dare fire on us?! Even the Marines didn’t have the nerve!

Spoiled by unchecked power over dozens of villages, their arrogance boiled into rage.

“Sink their ship!” Chew bellowed, face red with fury. “Once it goes under, I want to see how these humans survive in the ocean!”

“Yes, sir!”

The fish-men swam swiftly beneath the ship, surrounding the hull.

With their strength several times that of humans, they figured they could simply punch through the wooden hull and sink it bit by bit.

Once the water started pouring in, the ship would capsize—and the humans aboard would be helpless prey.

One chubby, scaly fish-man reached out his webbed hands to touch the bottom of the Terror Ghost—only to suddenly notice a cannon barrel extending from the ship’s underside.

What?! How could a cannon be installed there?

And just a moment ago—there had been nothing there!

The fish-man rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but before he could react—

BOOM!

A deafening blast sent him flying, torn apart in a violent explosion of blood and shrapnel.

Several fish-men nearby were caught in the blast—some wounded, some killed outright.

A few made it through and managed to touch the ship’s hull.

But the moment they did, a swirling abyss opened beneath them.

A whirlpool, suddenly conjured from under the ship, pulled them in. They didn’t even have time to scream before vanishing without a trace.

Now, Chew finally realized something was wrong with this black ship. He backed away quickly, waving his arm.

“Fall back! Get away! As far as possible!”

But it was too late.

The cannons, which had been mounted above, had now relocated beneath the ship—like monstrous serpents, their barrels aimed down at the sea.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

A mix of cannonfire and the whirlpool tore through the fish-men. In a matter of seconds, they were devastated—blood in the water, bodies sinking.

This is a joke, right?!

Chew’s face turned from flushed red to pale and ghostly.

He couldn’t believe it.

The same fish-men pirate crew that had ruled over twenty villages without resistance was now helpless before… a ship?!

And what would happen when he reported this to Arlong?

Arlong would want to devour him!

Desperate, Chew—still able to swim fast thanks to his fish-man physiology—escaped beyond the cannon range and submerged again.

I have to do something… or I won’t have the face to return to Arlong.

—

Meanwhile, aboard the Terror Ghost—

Buggy leaned over the railing, peering down at the battered fish-men. He scratched the back of his head.

“I told you this ship has a mind of its own,” he muttered. “You didn’t believe me. Bet you do now.”

From the very first day he’d boarded this ship, he knew something was off. Maybe the captain could even hear through it. That’s why Buggy always tread lightly while aboard.

Suddenly, the sea erupted with a splash.

At first, Buggy thought it was another cannon—but then a figure burst out of the waves.

Propelled by raw power and speed, the figure shot like a missile straight to the ship’s mainmast, then dropped down—

THUD!

Chew, soaking wet, landed squarely on the deck. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around.

Only one person? He spotted Buggy and frowned. “What’s going on? Who fired those cannons?”

Seeing a fish-man had actually made it onboard, Buggy started to sweat nervously.

“If I said it was the ship’s decision to fire because you approached recklessly… would that make it easier to accept?”

That only enraged Chew further.

“You’re saying my comrades deserved to die because of their own actions?”

His fury boiled over.

“A pathetic lie. You seriously expect me to believe this nonsense about a sentient ship?”

Buggy felt wronged.

It’s the truth, though.

Chew stepped forward, puffed out his chest, and then—fired several small water bullets from his mouth like gunfire, aiming at Buggy!

Buggy rolled away just in time.

POP POP POP—

The water bullets shattered the cabin door behind him instantly.

That kind of power…!

Before he could process it, Chew appeared in front of him—having sprinted with speed nearly equal to his water bullets.

SLASH—

With deadly precision, Chew chopped down with a blade-like hand—and decapitated the clown!

See? Weak, just like all humans.

But before Chew could turn away, he felt a sudden sharp pain in his waist.

Looking down, he saw two knives buried in his side—blood trickling out.

“When…?”

Then, in the air above, he saw disjointed limbs flying—a head, hands, torso, legs—each moving independently in a chaotic storm.

He instantly understood—those pieces formed the very clown he had just decapitated.

“A Devil Fruit user?” Chew, who had traveled the Grand Line, immediately recognized the situation.

“Hahaha—!” Buggy’s mocking voice echoed overhead, laced with nervous energy. “Now you know the great Buggy’s power! Get the hell off my ship!”

“Hmph.” Chew yanked the knives from his waist. Letting the blood pour freely, he wasn’t going to let pain slow him down.

“So, you’re a Devil Fruit user. That makes things easier.”

“I remember—you people are helpless in seawater, right?”

Chew dodged several flying knives and used his fish-man leaping ability to jump straight at Buggy’s head, which hovered invitingly in mid-air.

“And we fish-men love nothing more than the sea!”

His plan was simple—grab Buggy’s head and drag him into the ocean.

Even if Devil Fruit users didn’t lose their powers entirely, their strength drained quickly in seawater. The longer they stayed submerged, the weaker they became.

But Chew’s surprise attack had been predicted.

Buggy had intentionally left his head floating at a reachable height—to bait him in. And at the last second, the head soared upward, just out of reach.

Chew missed.

“I know exactly how high fish-men can jump!” Buggy laughed in the air, shadows crossing his face in the sunlight—like some terrifying villain.

Now in freefall, Chew’s body was at its most vulnerable—caught between the leap and the landing.

And this midair zone? It was Buggy’s domain.

WHOOSH—

A knife stabbed into Chew’s back, spraying blood.

CLANG!

He twisted his body to kick away another blade, but that was the best he could do in midair.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—

More knives followed. Some struck his earlier wounds, others his abdomen, limbs… even his groin!

Chew howled in pain. His long mouth opened—and Buggy stuffed a tiny Buggy Bomb inside.

“Bye-bye.”

The last thing Chew saw was Buggy’s ridiculous, infuriating grin—now the face of his executioner.

BOOM—

A burst of flame swallowed Chew’s entire head, which exploded in a spray of fire and bone.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep