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Buggy the Clown—a man both hilarious and ridiculously lucky!
Once an apprentice on the Pirate King Roger's ship, he lacked the talent and courage of his fellow intern, Shanks.
On top of that, his Devil Fruit robbed him of his proudest ability—swimming. Then came a series of changes: Roger's execution, Shanks' unexpected decision…
And so, Buggy the Clown, now a middle-aged man, had fallen to being just another pirate in the East Blue.
But—
Just because Buggy isn't strong doesn't mean he's useless.
Even without following the entire pirate story too closely, when Red saw Buggy declaring to find One Piece while being stepped by Crocodile in a Instagram reel,
His heart was inevitably stirred!
In a way, Buggy possesses an aura not so different from Luffy's.
Simply by stumbling forward, a Yonko will emerge…
That kind of luck is beyond what ordinary people can comprehend.
A great man once said: Unite all forces that can be united.
Red firmly believes in this.
So for a pirate as valuable as Buggy, he intends to keep him within his grasp.
After all, a clown isn't just a symbol of comedy—he can also be the most unpredictable wild card...
A trump card that decides victory!
Inside the Buggy Pirates' base, Buggy sat on his makeshift throne, flanked by his right-hand men, Mohji and Cabaji. After shooing away the more brainless members of his crew, he narrowed his eyes at the figure before him.
"Kid, tell me—what kind of cooperation are we talking about!?"
Mohji and Cabaji, though seemingly loyal, had already sensed the danger Red posed. If it were up to them, they'd be far away from this meeting.
But under Buggy's command, they had no choice but to stay put.
Opposite Buggy sat Red at a rather ridiculous red reception table, adorned with fresh fruit, food, and a jug of sake—VIP treatment at its finest.
On either side of Red stood Zoro and Nami, positioned like his left and right hands, much like Mohji and Cabaji were to Buggy.
And as for the real captain of the Straw Hats?
That idiot was currently outside, mingling with the Buggy Pirates, happily indulging in the grand celebration of "Captain Buggy, the former subordinate of the Pirate King!"
By now, Luffy had probably already jammed chopsticks into his nose, showing off his best party trick.
"Don't be so rude, Buggy-senpai."
Red, sitting with a composed smile, raised his glass and took a casual sip of sake before introducing himself.
"You can call me Red. That's my name."
He gestured toward his companions. "Next to me are Zoro and Nami. As for the idiot outside..."
Red's tone suddenly shifted as he sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, that guy is our captain—Monkey D. Luffy."
"D!?"
Buggy's expression sharpened instantly, latching onto the key point.
Despite his years wandering in the East Blue, he had once sailed on Roger's ship—his knowledge far surpassed that of many so-called strong men in the New World.
Red, fully expecting Buggy's reaction, grinned and said meaningfully:
"That's right, Buggy-senpai."
"Luffy, just like the Pirate King Roger, is a member of the D clan—the Natural Enemy of the Gods!"
"I think someone like you, who once sailed with Roger, understands exactly how valuable that information is."
Buggy's eyes flickered, as if recalling distant memories.
But soon, he clicked his tongue and scoffed.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it."
"But so what if he's from the D clan?"
"Throughout history, plenty of D's have roamed the seas. If you think you can shake the world with just a name and a bloodline..."
Buggy leaned forward, his lips curling into a smirk.
"Then you're more naive than I thought!"
"Indeed."
Red didn't refute Buggy's words. Instead, he grinned and casually added more fuel to the fire.
"But, Buggy-senpai… what if I told you that the only reason Shanks never became Pirate King… is because he was waiting for Luffy to appear?"
"..."
Buggy froze for a few seconds.
Then, suddenly, his head detached from his body and flew straight toward Red, his big red nose practically bumping against him.
"Kid, you better know what you're talking about!" Buggy growled.
"Don't think that just because you've got some Devil Fruit power, you can mess with me!!!"
Two white-gloved hands shot forward, grabbing Red's collar roughly.
Clearly, some topics were enough to push Buggy past his usual cowardice.
But Red, unfazed by the clown's aggression, pushed Buggy's head away in disgust to avoid getting sprayed with his spit. Then, he spoke slowly.
"Of course I know what I'm talking about, Buggy-senpai."
"After all, I came here with full sincerity. I want to invite you—and your entire crew—to join the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Hey! Kid! Don't push your luck!!!"
Even with Red's grip still on him, Buggy scowled, his mouth twitching.
"You want me to join some little rookie pirate crew!?"
"That's impossible!!!"
As expected, Buggy instantly shot down the proposal.
Which, ironically, meant he was at least somewhat interested. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have even bothered with a rejection—he would've just stabbed Red on the spot for such an insulting suggestion.
But Red only smiled.
"Nothing is impossible, Buggy-senpai."
"Do you remember the argument you had with Shanks on the day Roger was executed?"
"Don't you want to know why Shanks suddenly changed his mind that day—why he disappointed you so much?"
"You…"
Buggy's head jerked back slightly, and for the first time, he locked eyes with Red—really looking into those unsettling, knowing eyes.
"Why do you know that?" he asked, voice slightly unsteady.
Red kept smiling.
"Of course I know."
He slowly raised a hand and tapped the corner of his eye twice.
"Because I have eyes that can see both the past… and the future."
"…"
Buggy stared at him intently.
"Is that… your Devil Fruit ability? Or something else?"
In this world, there were all kinds of unexplainable powers. Some came from Devil Fruits, others from unique beings or unknown forces.
So, while the idea of someone seeing the past and future was surprising, it wasn't impossible.
Right now, Buggy only wanted to know—was this guy telling the truth?
But instead of answering directly, Red just smirked.
"You can think of it that way."
"Anyway, Buggy-senpai… I know a lot about Roger. About Shanks… and about you."
The grin on his face widened ever so slightly.
"Do you want to hear it?"
"..."
Buggy's eyes flickered with hesitation.
A long silence stretched between them.
Then, with a sharp snap, his head flew back to his body, reattaching smoothly.
He had to admit… something about this kid's confidence made him believe it.
And when it came to Shanks, there were many unanswered questions that had haunted him for years.
Buggy crossed his arms and huffed.
"Tch. Fine. Let's see what kind of crap you're about to spew!"
Red's smile deepened as he leaned forward slightly.
"Well then, Buggy-senpai… I know you've always held a grudge against Shanks. You blame him for making you eat that Devil Fruit and for losing your precious treasure map."
"But in reality…"
His voice dropped slightly, carrying a knowing edge.
"The real reason you resent him… is because you saw how much Roger loved him. You saw how Shanks, despite being chosen by the Pirate King himself, gave up on the throne."
"You weren't just angry—"
"You were disappointed in him."
"Because you believed he had the strength to become Pirate King… and he threw it away."
"Humph!"
Buggy scoffed, turning his head away.
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
But the way his body tensed, the way his lips pressed into a tight line…
Red's words had struck a nerve.
Which only confirmed that Red's knowledge—whatever its source—was real.
After all, there was no way Shanks would have ever told someone else about this.
Then—
Red dropped the next bomb.
"But, Buggy-senpai… what you don't know is that—"
"The reason Shanks did all of that… was because he was following Roger's orders."
Buggy's head snapped up.
"…What did you say!?"
He shot to his feet, gripping the chair's armrests so tightly that they creaked under the pressure.
But Red kept going, unfazed.
"Roger—the Pirate King who started the Great Pirate Era with his death—knew the truth all along."
"He understood better than anyone…"
"That this world doesn't need another Pirate King."
"That's why, before he died, he entrusted everything to Shanks."
"And it was because of that responsibility… that Shanks spent years playing at being a pirate, protecting the weak instead of pursuing the throne."
Buggy's hands trembled slightly.
He had always thought Shanks was just being a naive fool, a coward who had abandoned his ambition.
But now—
Now this kid was telling him that it was Roger's will that held him back?
Red's red eyes locked onto him like a hawk.
"But, Senior Buggy… what you really don't know—"
"Is that all this time, Shanks has been waiting for the right moment."
"Waiting for one opportunity—"
"To completely overthrow the World Government… and the rule of the Celestial Dragons."